#Rescue me come on and take my heart - rosemary

[felixakranken]

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Kranken - adult male - my carrd

minors may follow, but please filter #suggestive

☏

Felix Kranken playlist

Felix/Linda playlist

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Personal TWF sideblog. I have a main. If you happen to figure it out, congrats.

I have a very deep connection to this series. I plan to put things relating to it here, such as nostalgia, mid-century aesthetic, and fanart.

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[demonbanger]

𝖇𝖆𝖇𝖞 𝖎'𝖒 𝖆 𝖋𝖎𝖗𝖊𝖋𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙𝖊𝖗 | 18+

/ feat: obi from fire force / fluff & smut / enjoy <3

♡ pairing: obi akitaru x fem! reader

♡ summary: a cashier turns into a burning demonic infernal as you just want to get some work done at the cafe. luckily your date, the fire captain of fire force company 8, comes to your rescue and takes care of you, in more ways than one.

♡ c/w: hurt -> comfort, slow buildup, raw sex (use a condom!), hints of mating press, mild choking, pussy slapping, rough sex, captain kink, daddy kink, size kink, reader is called “princess” and gets babied a little, two horny idiots thirsting after each other the whole time who are secretly in love

♡ suggested songs: 🎧 I’m a firefighter by cigarettes after sex / rosemary by deftones

——————————————————————————

You weren't expecting this. you weren't expecting any of this.

-- just fifteen minutes ago, 4:00 PM--

you were in one of your favorite outfits, feeling elegant and comfortable. you wore swooshy wide-legged pants and heeled boots that dangled as you sat in a tall chair. fun earrings dancing in the air each time you moved your head. brown-tinted glitter lip gloss lightly marking where you sipped on the hand-painted sage green mug. a sight to behold in the cafe. quiet, focused, charming in your own way.

you swirled a biscotti in your hot beverage and sucked on it before taking a bite of the softened part of the crunchy pastry and taking your first cautious sip of the drink.

it scalded the parts of your tongue that it touched, but you appreciated the pain, masochist that you were.

burning a hot trail down your throat, making its way down the esophageal tunnel, into your stomach. like a hot soup on a cold winter day.

your laptop was open. too many tabs open, frankly, for the project you were working on.

letting the noise of people's deep conversations and small talk fuel you to focus on productivity. you tuned their words out a little, now, as you scanned the message on the five-minute break you allowed yourself, over and over, butterflies fluttering in your coffee-filled stomach.

the handsome fire-fighter your friend set you up on a date with, Obi Akitaru, yes, the Obi Akitaru, was asking you out for a third date.

"Hey, beautiful. I hope you're having a good day. I know it's a bit early to ask, but I'd love to make us dinner at mine tonight, let me know. I can pick you up. x"

How could you say no to that? Usually men tried to take you right home from the club, or treat you as a booty-call after only asking for your social media with no real conversation going anywhere. Just a quick fuck. Not like you cared about that part--they just weren't even being creative in asking.

This man, on the other hand, caused heat to flush in your ears. Made you feel ways you haven't felt since having crushes in high school. Said and did everything that made your mind and body say "yes, just yes." You guys haven't even physically kissed yet and you loved how slow he took this--he saw you for the person you were. He made you remember that maybe romance wasn't actually dead in this day and age.

You bit back a smile--he had called you beautiful-- and typed,

"Hi handsome. I'd love to. I'll bring my favorite sake for you to try. See you later, have a good day too, okay? :)"

Not too long after you sent that, you saw a notification flicker in the upper-right corner of your screen. He hearted your message.

Another notification;

"Yay :)) I will now!!"

The way the giant man didn't even hide his warm excitement did something to your heart. He didn't play games. It made you less wary, unlike more than half of your dating history. To be fair, your friends did vouch for the guy, saying he was such a wholesome sweetheart, but you were still scared. What if it was just a front?

You always gave the nice guys a chance, but they'd turn out to be actual demonic entities in still-human bodies, you were convinced, and try to make you feel crazy for not taking their shit. You tried to do your healing and allow yourself to be vulnerable again, albeit behind a wall of glass first, but this guy was so damn attractive, and that in itself was kind of intimidating. Plus, he was the bravest kind of man out there. A part of the Fire Force.

When he took you out, though, you couldn't help but feel something different about him that set him apart. You felt safe. You felt like you could just be you fully and not have to mask for the first-date formalities. He gave you fucking flowers, complimented the little details of how you styled yourself, complimented your personality, not your body.

A sudden shift in the atmosphere brought you out of your sweet dreamy haze and back to earth. It felt like you were falling in a dream and suddenly awoke, nerves racing when you were supposed to land. It was an uneasy feeling...

And you weren't the only one.

It was quiet. Even with the cafe music playing, it felt uncomfortable.

Then suddenly a hiss sounded.

And afterward came the little gasps. A portion of the ceiling lit up a yellow-orange color, and right below it, the cashier had become an Infernal in the middle of calling out the latte they were handing out.

The smart people ran out the building out of true self-preservation. Some called for the Fire Force. You were...frozen while packing your things, heart pounding as shrieking filled your ears. You were tough and driven, but not prepared for combat or Infernal situations. This wasn't in your line of expertise. You were all just civilians.

The infernal was approaching a woman and her baby, who were farthest from the exit.

Something in you clicked, and just like that you realized, you really didn't give a fuck how afraid you were. Your vision was shaky from the adrenaline and you barely felt your body running as you somehow appeared right behind the Infernal. You opened your water bottle and splashed it right onto the Infernal, making it pause.

Large patches extinguished from the water, hissing louder than dumplings sizzling in oil-coated frying pans.

"RUN!!! Just go!!! Don't worry about me!!" you ordered the woman, who nodded gratefully, very wisely grabbed her car keys, and booked it with her sobbing infant, flashing you an apologetic look.

This was a cashier, one who had a life and seemed so kind, did nothing to deserve this, and had everything taken away in an instant. You took a moment to mourn for the cashier, whose corpse was never given a chance to rest after...well, yeah, its death.

The Infernal that remained did not care. Cutesy little pins -- like the Cinnamaroll and Mitski pins you complimented earlier-- on its burning apron juxtaposed with the flames coming from all orifices of the distorted face. The charred face looked like it was in agony but also like all of its memories were replaced with hellish bloodlust.

Little tendrils of flame suddenly re-appeared from the extinguished portions, and you got goosebumps as you saw its head slowly turn to you.

Its blazing attention was right on you. A searing pain entrapped your shoulders, like burning your scalp with a hair straightener--except this was so, so much worse. You gasped and tried to kick the thing away on impulse, but it was inhumanly fast, and hurled you to the wall. You flew right onto a table and chairs, metal and wood bringing searing pain that was sure to bruise. Somehow you were okay, though.

Those who were still in the cafe tried to fight off the Infernal, but it was wreaking utter havoc. The delicious aroma of roasted coffee beans blended with the acrid scent of singed hair, burning clothes, and no--please, it can't be-- burning skin. The charming little green plants around the cafe were converted into little bonfires.

Ever the greeter, the Infernal was right in front of the entrance, too. Smoke made your eyes feel dry, and there was a sharp pain in your lungs.

_____________________

—PRESENT TIME—

And here you are. You weren't planning for any of this today.

You hold your breath and try to think of what to do. You're trapped with an otherworldly creature that was just a kind person who took your drink order. Who didn't deserve any of this. Your shoulders are somehow not even second-degree burned as if by some miracle by Sol. You can say that the worst injury is a favorite shirt being forever ruined. But others aren't able to say the same.

A man hugging his boyfriend who is badly burned, telling him everything will be ok. A son in tears, screaming at the infernal not to touch his mom.

For a second you feel a fleeting thought. What if you die here?

So far there haven't been any casualties, save for the Infernal, but you're terrified.

You want to live. You want to see..how everything pans out. Because what if it does all work out? What happy experiences does life have in store for you that you have yet to discover?

To have a baby to keep safe, just like that mother, no matter how scary and dark this world has become. You... want to take the risk.

In the fire, the smoke, and the ashes, you tug your blouse over your nose and mouth to hopefully filter some air. Your stinging eyes fill with tears--tears coming from the resolve to actually live.

Slowly, you get your crumpled form back up.

You want to live to maybe even see Mr Hot Fireman.

His bravery. His ability to face death every day. The way he trains every morning, building thick tree trunk arms to carry people, save them. The same arms that brought you into a warm, gentle embrace when you both met outside the restaurant on your first date.

That's right, what would he do?

You gulp the cleanest gulp of air you could through only your mouth, and hoist up a heavy metal chair.

And that's when you charge. It's all or nothing now.

You have to keep this Infernal at bay until the Force arrives.

You swing and aim for the head. It actually makes the creature fall back.

Thank Sol you weren't holding onto the chair, as the metal would have conducted the angry heat from the torrent of flames the creature lets out straight to your hands. You shriek and dodge the attack, just in time. If you can't take flight, at least the adrenaline helps you to fight somewhat.

A white-hot pain wraps around your shin and blindsides you. Your heart drops. No. Not again.

The creature's hand is extended and warped to rope around your lower leg. You've pissed it off.

Just as you think, shit. This might actually be it but at least I tried, the Infernal suddenly lets go and the searing pain leaves, if only slightly.

The creature screeches the most horrid sound you've ever heard, leaving your ears ringing as its eyes face towards the sky.

And then you notice the black gloved hand impaled through the chest of the infernal.

A soft, "Latom" from a young sister's voice trails from behind the dying creature.

Finally, the poor cashier can rest in peace. The Infernal slowly dissipates into thick, black cinders that dissolve into the air, revealing a hulking figure clad in back with glowing blue stripes--who immediately props you up with thick arms you could feel through the heavy uniform.

"Y-Y/n," a deep, gentle voice breathes through the metal grated face shield.

He props up his grated face shield and looks over you, making sure you're not overly hurt.

"Obi?" you reach out for him, your bottom lip trembling. Fuck, you've only seen him twice before this but you need a hug.

And that's just what he gives you.

He holds you tightly, amidst the other survivors being escorted. Nothing can hurt you now, because he is here. Rubbing soothing circles into your back. Rocking you back and forth, dissolving your worries with just a touch. "I'm sorry it took me so long, you're safe now."

You want to diffuse the situation, to cope with humor as you always do. Except...there are no jokes, only every emotion you should've felt in the last fifteen minutes, giving you whiplash all at once. Your throat tightens.

You try to fight the wavering in your voice but he still hears it.

"No, you're g-good, you came so quickly, I thought for a second I was going to die," he's looking into your eyes, and dammit, hot tears are flowing down your face, so as a defense mechanism you smile and laugh, wincing a little at the pain in your ribs from being thrown earlier. "But, at least I got to throw a chair at its face!" you choke out.

His concerned expression breaks into a soft smile as he tenderly wipes away your tears with a rough gloved hand, the same one that punched right through a burning possessed corpse.

This moment alters your brain chemistry forever. Feeling warm, safe, soft under his dark brown gaze. Seeing his pupils are kind of wide as he looks tenderly towards you.

"That's my girl."

My girl. He really just called you his....Your cheeks burn at him saying that, and you turn away, unable to look at him without blushing. Biting your tongue to keep from grinning so hard. It's not lost on him.

You need to change the subject, and fast.

"I, uh, might need to get my things, since they didn't burn thankfully, can I?"

Akitaru chuckles, as if that's so obviously not the answer. "I've got it, Y/n, don't worry about a thing."

Before you can protest, he's carrying you high above the ground princess-style and frees an arm to hook it through your bag. You feel minuscule compared to him, so secure, in his hold. Men don't generally make you feel safe like this. But he? He's made you almost sleepy, and you know it's not just you coming down from the anxiety and tears. You're serene like you just meditated for an hour.

The firefighters are silently gushing about how cute you both look together. The rest of Company 8 knows who you are. Little do you know that their lovesick captain has been gushing about you since your second date, as well as today.

Showing the picture of you to the girls having them squeal about how much they shipped you, Arthur saying you are the Captain's Holy Grail, Vulcan making him a little fan the same day because he said the captain was overheating and overthinking.

They all find it cute, Obi finally finding another person to give him a break from all this chaos in the world. So when he asks if they're okay to handle things for today, they brush off this Infernal incident as small anyways.

"This is nothing, captain. You can trust us to help resolve this today," a young man called Shinra grins adorably with sharp teeth. So finally the man asks to take a damn break, he thinks to himself.

You don't see them exchange excited glances.

"How hurt are you, Y/n?" he asks.

"My shin got burned, my shoulders not so much, got thrown around but nothing's broken," you state simply for him.

He looks over at the burned areas carefully.

"Let's get to the truck."

On your way, you spot the mother you saved, still cradling her baby, who is fast asleep in its teddy bear onesie.

She immediately recognizes you and runs to you without jostling the infant, and you realize how funny it looks with the fireman holding you the same way she's carrying her newborn.

"I know you," she smiles, "you saved me earlier. Fighting tooth and nail with that thing. I really can't thank you enough."

You wave her off. "Anyone would've done it, I'm nothing special!"

She clutches your hands in hers, narrowing her eyes. "Well, no one else did. You were so brave out there. Give yourself credit." She turns to Obi. "She was amazing out there."

You finally meet Obi's gaze. How long was he staring at you with all that love(?) and adoration?

You laugh. "Well, just know that you don't owe me anything, just live with your little baby and be happy. That’s all I wanted."

You all eventually say your goodbyes, and Obi is silently taking your behavior as the greenest flags he's ever seen in a lady.

He sits you down on the edge of the truck's back and climbs in to the cooler near the front. In there he finds two sets of cold compresses.

He lets you feel them. "These good?"

You nod. Before you could grab any, he jerks the compresses away from your grasp. "No, you don't", he places them on you, giving you a sweet yet frustrated look that says "geez, let me take care of you". You chuckle at how he's treating you like a newborn lamb.

"This should do for now. We're going to my home now to get you to recover fully, unless you need me to take you elsewhere," the large man states very matter-of-factly, when you get far away enough from the cafe.

"B-but...what about your heavy uniform?"

His dark eyes lock onto yours warmly. "I train every day, so wearing 100-something pounds in equipment and uniform feels like a windbreaker; I'll be okay, cutie, don't worry."

Well, that was unexpectedly hot. You bite your lip and fidget with his collar. "I know you're very strong, I can tell of course, I just need to be held, without this in the way.”

He nods, warmth filling his body. To him, you are so adorable right now, telling him you need him. And boy, does he want to be there for you. "My condo is actually kind of close to here. I'll hold you the entire night if you need me to."

You both haven't even kissed yet, but he was acting like true husband material. It was making you feel so soft, so gushy, and very warm...admittedly in your nether regions.

You think you should be more shaken from this whole matter, but instead you're getting turned on from your date rescuing you looking so hot in his uniform, that supposedly weighs nothing to him. You curse yourself for wanting him to fuck the negative emotions out of you. Is this unhealthy of a coping mechanism?

"Thank you, I'll definitely need to be held if it's not too much," you hum, resting your head where his chest is.

His chest rumbles through the uniform. "I would do anything for you, Y/n, don't mention it." Your brain buzzes in reaction for the entire fifteen-minute walk it takes to get to his place.

You almost ask him to let you walk when you both enter the building, but his grip on you is tight and comforting. The desire to stay in his arms overrides the urge to move and seem like a strong, independent woman. The receptionist does not question anything and gives a kind smile to the two of you.

He's quiet during the elevator ride. Eyes flitting down to you protectively on occasion, his rage at the fact that an Infernal came so close to you, very readable on his little tense scowl. His jawline clenches and unclenches as he thinks about what would've happened if today went differently, if he was even a few minutes too late. He seems almost scared you’ll dissolve right out of his arms. Being the empath you are, you sense he just might be a little, teeny bit concerned about you.

"We're still on for tonight, right?" you ask, dissolving the tension in his mind.

His gaze softens. "You're still down?"

"Of course I am, you're my hero today," you purr up at him, knowing the gentle giant would probably like to hear that. He absolutely is.

Obi's wine-dark eyes twinkle as a blush creeps on his cheeks. He wants to be your hero everyday.

"That right?"

"Yes, big boy, I know you're worried, but" the elevator opens and he walks out, "I'm fine. Just a few scratches and bruises, my burns are only bad around my shins." You can still grab my ankles, though, you bite hard on the inside of your cheek to distract yourself from your mind that's always in the gutter.

It's hard to help, having this large hunk of a sweet man who saved your life princess-carrying you around town to his place, in 100+ lbs of freaking fireman gear as if it's nothing at all.

"Well, let me take care of you on this date, Y/n, I hope you don't mind homemade ramen."

You gasp. H-homemade?! Like all the ingredients??? Complicated beautiful ramen? You could just kiss him right now.

"Obi, that sounds wonderful, especially for today."

His smile is contagious. He's such a hard-working man, yet he wants to pamper you. This man couldn't get more dream-boaty than this.

He finally sets you down when you are inside the apartment.

It is spacious and clean, with some bits of industrial and rock music-inspired decor.

"Please, makes yourself comfortable. I'll get my first-aid kit and get a good look at wherever you're hurting, if that's alright with you."

You smile and nod, sinking into the most perfect squishy brown leather sofa as any worries you had, melt away.

His helmet and gloves are off as he brings you a cup of water. He smiles at you and you laugh.

"Obi, you've still got that bulky suit on, isn't it hard to move?"

He smirks, heading down the hall. "Not at all."

After a minute or two he reappears, and your breath hitches. Charcoal grey joggers hug his legs and...um..everything, and his black t-shirt is barely stretchy enough to hold his gorgeous arms.

He senses you eyeing him like a piece of meat and a heat creeps down his body. He clears his throat, pretending not to notice.

"Y/n, do you uh..have a way to take off your long sleeve shirt?"

Thank goodness you had a couple layers on underneath this.

"O-oh, yeah, allow me," you shyly avoid eye contact and unbutton your blouse, feeling the warmth of his gaze boring into you. He swallows thickly, and you don't hear it as blood rushes to your own ears. His eyes feel so heavy on you.

You strip of your shirt and are left wearing a flimsy little tank and bra. He notices how your nipples poke out, and he tries to think of something boring or unpleasant to keep from getting hard in front of you.

Luckily for him, you don't seem to be paying attention. You tug the shirt up to look at your ribs. There's a bruise, but not as bad as you thought it was. You press on it and wince.

"Silly, don't do that," Obi chuckles rather stiffly.

"It hurts here."

"Hahah, oh really? I had no clue that a dark spot would sting when you jab at it, Y/n."

"Okay smartass, you know what?" You laugh a little and wince again at your ribs reminding you meanly of the getting thrown incident.

His face is back to being serious as he looks over your injuries.

"I hope you don't need to be in urgent care and instead told me you were okay," he's anxious at the thought.

You laugh at how concerned he really is. "No, I'm just tender in some spots, no bone injuries, no organ injuries, promise."

His eyebrow quirks as he kneels in front of you, applying cool aloe vera salve on your minor burns. "Your skin is an organ. Liar."

Your face heats up as his rough hands tug your foot on his lap and he gently pulls up your wide pant legs to examine the burns on your shin.

"Y-you know what I mean, Obi." He's so silly when he tries to be stern with you.

He hums, bandaging the affected areas and doing a once-over of your body. You feel a little bold, and inclined to thank him for everything in a way that can resonate.

"Psst." Midnight eyes dart back to yours.

You beckon him closer, and his hands rest on either side of you as he props himself up to lean his ear close to you.

You whisper, "thank you for this," and move your hand from projecting your whisper to cupping his sharp jaw. You plant a soft kiss on his cheek while it's still turned to you. His skin is so smooth and hot to the touch.

You can tell he's now smiling from the way his cheek dimples, and he turns to you, eyes crinkling and pupils blowing wider as he gazes at you. You're so, so close to him.

"You're welcome, but just one critique," he drawls softly, his body heat, the scent of him in his cozy sweats utterly delectable. A gargantuan hand of his moves up to cover all the way around the back of your head.

"Oh? And what would that be?" you ask, tilting your head sweetly.

His nose touches yours, and you can't stop thinking about how you feel warm, so warm.

"You missed."

You both close the distance, and your lips lock hotly, cozily, perfectly. Your head spins and it feels like forever until he parts the kiss.

"Been wanting to do that to you," he whispers.

"Me too."

Your lips are back on his as you tug him back to you, and you feel him smile into the kiss, your hands trailing to the nape of his thick neck, feeling the fuzz of his fade. You're trying so hard not to devour each other, but it's really really hard for both of you to control yourselves. You gasp for air a little, and he pulls away to look at you, a love-dizzy grin on his face. You sigh at the loss of contact, giving him puppy eyes that make his heart throb.

"If I kiss you again, I won't be able to stop, and I'll forgo the need to cook you something to eat, which would be very bad of me," he murmurs sweetly, as he kisses the top of your head, hooking his arms around your legs and hoisting you up.

"I hope you can forgive me for being so mean and making us dinner," he finishes as he sets you down for the third time today.

You giggle. "Fair enough." You admire how his muscles are practically ripping out of his shirt as he turns his back to you to open the fridge. He takes out chasu meat he's marinated, noodles, green onions, dried seaweed, naruto, and eggs. Starts slicing the meat and simmering it with some onions, garlic, ginger, and broth. Boiling noodles. even the noodles look handmade, you think.

It starts to smell so good in the kitchen as you talk about funny work stories, about hobbies you enjoy, about music.

"Wait, you like rock, too?" his eyes light up, "no way!"

"Yes, way!" you smile, as you both talk about bands you enjoy. Music from before the cataclysm. Music with soul, with feeling, before most of the world burned down.

If not for the feeling of the bandages as you unconsciously trace a hand over your arm, you almost would have forgotten how today started.

"You know, not just anyone could make me forget about almost dying, but somehow you have," you ponder, eyes glittering up at him as you sip your water.

"That's how I feel about you, too, Y/n," he says. You can tell he means it. "Let's sit. Dinner's ready."

You hop down from the counter and grab a beautifully plated bowl of ramen. "This looks immaculate," you gush.

"Not nearly as good as the Lieutenant's cooking, I can tell you that much," he chuckles, cracking open a bottle of sake.

"We'll have the sake I mentioned at my place next time," you promise.

"Yes, I want to try it! I'm sure it's better than this one," he pours you a little sake glass.

"Pshh, nah."

The food and sake are both delicious. The raven-haired man may downplay it, but he's so good at cooking. Which, a man that cooks? Just one more reason why he's literally so enchanting. He's almost too good to be true.

_____________________________________________

"You pat your stomach , satisfied. "That... was beautiful," you say with a grin, "but holy shit am I stuffed."

Obi hums. "And you're amazing, lady! Almost ate more ramen than me. Almost. But no one can beat me.” He winks. “Let's watch a show, yeah?" You both cuddle up on the couch, your head resting on his chest as one of the best pre-disaster shows --The Great British Bake-Off-- plays.

Both of you are creating you own commentary on the show, and his thick arm is curled around your waist. You play with his other heavy forearm, feeling the veins coiled around its girth and squeezing his muscles.

“Y/n,” he says, breaking a few moments of silence.

You hum in response, and he smiles at you picking up his forearm like it’s the heaviest thing in the world, and hugging it in your arms. He blushes as he feels your soft tits against him and almost loses focus on what he's about to say.

“Am I holding you enough like I promised you I would?” He’s genuinely concerned, peachy lips pursed in thought. You don’t think you’ll ever get over how he’s such a sweet man. You want to show him just how much you appreciate everything about him and his kind heart.

You move a little bit to straddle him and hold his face, accidentally turning the poor man on way too much, flustering him.

“…Obi, you’re doing amazing. I feel so comfortable, so safe. You’re so good to me, so strong, and I just know you’re such a good captain.” Captain. Fuck, everything you’re doing and saying is making heat rush downstairs to his aching cock. Maybe he wants to hear you say that one more time.

“Yeah? Is that so, pretty?” he says through slightly-gritted teeth.

You sense something in the shine of his eyes, laying beneath the waters, almost like a ravenous crocodile waiting to devour what sinks in. The hysterically strong man smells of almost danger, like he absolutely does bite. But he's trying, key word trying, to push it all under layers upon layers of sweet frosting, to no avail.

His hands holding you on your lower back rub circles on your soft exposed skin, and your hips twitch involuntarily to your sensitive nerves being caressed.

The dark-haired man picks up on your little innocent movement. His cock fucking jumps at your hips slightly grinding on him, and his nostrils flare a bit to catch his breath.

“Yes captain, I think you should keep holding me as you are,” you answer him, a hand of yours feeling the planes of his pecs. His heart is beating rapid-fire, like he's about to have a heart attack under you.

“Ah, so I should keep holding you just like this,” he says, drunk on lust, his hands moving down to the globes of your ass, naughty thumbs now choosing a new place to circle—the crease your hips make where they meet with the plush of your thighs as they’re wrapped around his torso.

The skin of your hips is so sensitive to his electrifying touch, playing with the bands of your panties, massaging you and making you feel like squirming. You whimper and your hips jerk back to get away from the burst of stimulation, only to bump into something big and hard.

Is that.....

It jump against the curves of your ass, to answer your question. You gasp, and curl a fist in his shirt. His rings of dark brown have disappeared into the darkness of his blown out pupils and he smirks.

He tightens his grip, and you feel his abs through his shirt as you scramble for balance.

“I’m waiting for your answer, sweetheart,” he’s snarling now, barely able to contain himself from wrecking you. You take a second to remember what he's asking.

“Y-yes, you’re holding me—,” his hands get ever closer to your core—“just right, fuck,” you squirm, causing you to grind a bit more on his hardened cock.

Heat creeps through your ears as he leans in to whisper, “Don’t stop moving baby, you’re making your captain feel so good right now, being so tempting all fucking day.”

“Yes captain,” you moan—to which he growls—you shiver and shift your hips to grind right on top of his hard member, heartbeat in your pussy as you feel the shape of his cock, how utterly perfect it is, right down to the mushroom tip…holy shit he’s thick. He helps guide you and your clit rubs right on him through way too many layers of fabric.

You whine and bite your lip, hand still on his washboard abs for stability.

“You like what you feel, love?” he asks, and you think yes, you do enjoy what you feel, with both your palms and under your soaking pussy. A bead of sweat is on his forehead from how aroused he is and how warm the air is around you both.

“Yes daddy,” you test the waters, he's asking so many questions, and it's getting harder and harder to answer him each time. Suddenly a gasp is pulled out of you when he flips the two of you over. His hands tease your waistband, as he looks you deeply in the eyes, a sharp predatory gaze making you clench around nothing.

“Say that again.” Arousal drips from his voice; it's so deep it's almost hard to make out what he's saying.

“Yes daddy, need you in me, please,” you repeat, not caring about how needy you sound. His ears perk up like a hungry wolf’s at your desperate, pathetic pleas.

“Good fucking girl.” He yanks down your pants and panties in one go, eyes never leaving you so he can watch your face as he sinks a finger in, a hand on your hips to hold you down.

"Could smell how wet you've been all damn evening, see how obviously you've wanted me all day," he pumps the thick finger in you, curling it towards your pelvis.

He groans and you mewl at how good just one of his fingers feels. Holy fuck, his finger is so big and rough as it thrusts slowly into you.

“Shit you’re so wet, baby...and it's all for me, yeah, gorgeous?” He spreads your wetness around, admiring how wet you sound, look, and feel. Your hips buck, and he slaps your clit.

You keen as he puts two fingers into your wet heat, reveling in how you grip around him. Like you don’t want him to ever leave you. Like you’re begging to be filled.

You're just thinking about how two of his fingers is thicker than three of yours when you try to stuff yourself. Just how thick is his cock, you wonder? You want it, and you want it to hurt.

Your arms are wrapped around his head, and you pull him closer so you both kiss. The kiss is steamed and ravenous, and your gasps are the perfect opportunity for his tongue to enter your mouth and find yours.

His knees hold your legs open and keep you from squirming as the heel of his hand rubs against your puffy clit. He breaks the kiss to hear your breathy moans better, as your arousal drips onto the couch.

“Tight little thing, making such a mess for me, you like my fingers? Yeah?” His hot breath fans over your ear as he talks dirty to you, every single word turning you on more and more. You spread your legs wider because you want him so badly.

“Mmh! Yes daddy, feels so good! Please, need you please!” you beg. He doesn’t need you to ask him any more than that. He quickly pulls his sweatpants and boxers down, and his cock springs out, slapping his shirt, spreading a bit of precum in its wake.

His cock is dribbling and delicious. Perfect, just as it felt when you were grinding on top of it. Girthy and long, with some black, neatly trimmed stubble above it, topped with a peachy pink drooling tip. Veins to match his forearms snake around his cock, especially the beautiful underside, as he pumps it, eyeing you like you're his favorite dessert. Your eyes are wide at how gorgeous his cock is, like the rest of his delicious, fine self. You need to see more of him though.

You tug on his shirt, and he catches your drift, chest swelling with pride at feeling so desired by the woman of his dreams. You both help each other to get undressed, ripping clothes off and tossing them to the floor.

He’s leaning over you, absolutely rippling in pretty muscles, and you admire all of the hard work visible in his physique.

“Your staring is making me blush, Y/n,” he breaks the lustful silence, coyly rubbing the back of his neck. Oh, so he's shy now?

“Yeah, Well, this is all for me, can’t help but stare,” your hands trace his firm muscles, nails scratching his skin lightly, making his cock jump visibly.

“I train every day for this, to build a body only one special lady can touch, it's all for you,” he lines himself up with your entrance, your thighs on top of his lap.

"'M a lucky lady," you shift impatiently, trying to get him inside you as soon as possible.

"But I'm much luckier," he rasps, slapping his cock against your clit, making you cry out.

He coats himself in your sweet juices, high on how delicious your arousal smells in the air. He swallows, trying to keep himself from going completely in with one thrust.

Your mouth makes a little “o” shape as he eases in the first couple of inches, stretching you out deliciously with his fat tip. The sting feels divine.

“Obiii~” you whine, and you feel every ridge of his cock as he pulls out a little, and then drags back in slowly, then out, then impales you all the way in til he bottoms out.

The stretch is unbelievable despite him going slow, and he gives you a few moments to adjust to his size. You can’t believe his big horse cock fit, but that's because you're made just for him, and he will make it fit every fucking time.

“Y/n…shit, you feel amazing,” he pants, and he rubs your clit a little to get you to relax a little.

“I'm so fucking full, fuck me Obi,” you whine, needing to feel him move inside you, which he does, and you add, “‘m all yours, please,” so that all sanity leaves the giant man above you.

“Fuck yeah,” he groans, and he starts pounding into you, his thick cock dragging along your walls making you cry and beg and scratch his back. Your legs feel like they're stretched and spread so wide to make room for the big man who's pistoning himself inside you. Your hands cannot possibly touch as your arms are wrapped around his back, and his largeness and vastness turns you on all the more.

He nibbles on your neck possessively as he folds you like the luckiest lawn chair alive, hitting spots no finger of yours could ever reach, making you see stars.

You’re babbling little “yes’s” and begging over and over in a melody to his ears, coaxing him on towards ramming into your sloppy little pussy, fat breeder balls slapping into your cunt, the sound of skin slapping against skin filling the room. Pleasure is making you feel dumb, and you want his cock inside you where it belongs, forever and ever.

“Obi,” you struggle to mewl his name, and he looks at you, clenching his jaw not to come right then and there at the adorable, hazed over look in your eyes.

“Yes, Princess?” He rumbles, hitting a spot that makes your eyes roll back. Then he hits it again. Your nails claw his back like kitty scratches. And again. You squeal, sinking your teeth into his big ol chest, And again. Your body rocks with each of his powerful thrusts.

You’re drunk off his cock hitting your spot over and over, and he eats up all the little noises you make.

"Princess?" He holds your jaw, forcing you to make eye contact with him with your poor, teary eyes.

“K-Kiss… me,” you whine when you’re finally able to form words with your dumb little brain, and he happily obliges. Anything for his special girl. You’re devouring each other’s faces, tongues wrestling, eating each other’s moans.

You bite on his bottom lip, and he smiles into the kiss. “Dirty girl,” he rasps lowly, hips smacking into yours in one particularly sharp thrust, making you wail. Your legs wrap around him so he fucks you extra deep, as you kiss extra deep, your hands looking to hold onto something, anything, and settle to hook onto his shoulders. He curses under his breath, wanting to cum inside you just like this. But he can't. Because he was irresponsible enough to forget a condom anyways. you take him out of his thoughts with your weak babbling.

“You’re,” kiss, “so,” you both kiss again, “fucking,” *kiss* “big,” you whimper in utter bliss, a small bit of drool dripping from your mouth.

“Sorry, who’s big?” he nips meanly on your neck, and your legs and walls clench around him in sync at his bite, making him grunt loudly.

“You, captain Obi,” you whimper, and he moans beautifully, only hitting your overstimulated spongy spot now, battering into it with his huge cock.

You're close to finishing as most of your vision is filled with static, and he can tell by how sporadically you’re fluttering around him, threatening to milk him for all he's got. His rough pubes are brushing against your sensitive clit just right, and your toes curl extra tight as you can barely handle the pleasure.

Then, the cherry on top. One of his hands goes up to wrap around your throat and lightly squeezes, making you extra lightheaded and he sweetly says,

“Go on, angel, cum for me.”

Your vision goes white as you close your eyes tightly, your back arching into him as he slowly and deeply thrusts into you through your orgasm, your mouth open but not producing any sound.

When you come back to earth, it takes him a few more thrusts into your clenching heat before he forces himself to pull out, spilling his hot, sticky seed onto your stomach. His moans are the hottest sounds you've ever heard.

You pant and look at each other in the eyes as you both come down from your highs, and he smiles down at you. You smile back, sleepily, head buzzing, and he tells you he’ll be right back.

He wipes a warm, wet towel on your abdomen to clean you off. You twitch when he wipes your still sensitive pussy, and giggle as he folds the cum rag neatly once he's cleaned himself off.

Then you both lay there, on cloud nine, warming each other up on his couch, in utter bliss. He lays on top of you, his weight better than any weighted blanket or body pillow, sharp face smooshed between your boobs.

“Like I said, you can have me as many times as you want, any time you want me, I am at your service,” he reminds you as you snuggle, the sweet smell of sex still in the air.

“It’s gonna be a long night then,” you whisper, and he smiles, already hardening again. ♡

___________________________________________

A/N: thank you for reading 💌 after fucking all night they had a sleepover and y/n wears his big tee to sleep. <33 as they should.

[voidwritesstuff]

Angel Of Lost Hope AU

Cw: food, trauma relating to war and ptsd. Biblical references and themes,agegap between Jerico (my oc) and Lucas.

Summary: Lucas meets up with his date, and soon much to his dismay they become entangled in their mission too. Later,they go rescue their friend and therapist, Desmond Wales.

->reblogs appreciated. Lmk if I missed anything

Lucas had just gotten out of the shower, he turns his neck to the side, passing a hand across his trapezius, Rolling his shoulder back. A sigh of relief escapes past his lips, then his eyes catch sight of himself on the mirror.

Tall and lanky yet muscly body,littered with scars and a happy trail across his chest down to where the hem of his pants cover it near the end of his hips.He scoffs at himself whispering --Good thing I never lost my looks-- to then put on his shirt and getting out of the bathroom. His eyes check the sun coming through the windows , its late morning from what he could gather.

--About time you came out!-- rosemary shouted from the Next room over-- I thought you might be late to your date!

--Fuck off its not a date!--Lucas yelled back grabbing his leather jacket from the clothing hook-- I gotta get going don't explode my house please?

--I cant promise anything!-- she yelled back.

He rolled his eyes and before he left he grabs his trusty boot Knife,hiding it between his boot and the hem of his pants,maybe it was a stretch but he could never be sure .

"My house" saying that felt..odd. its been so long since he lived in a proper home, somewhere of his own. Living in a van crammed with Gear was an experience but he missed having his own little corner of the world.

The Man walks through the park,admiring the Beauty of Elysium park. The name really did suit the place, it was fall which meant  not too Many flowers were blooming, but the paths that littered the land were covered with leaves that made a nice crunching sound when stepped on.

Its oddly calm. Like the calm before the storm. "It's not a date, we are two people meeting up to get to know eachother better..." he thought nervously playing with his dogtags"Just that...yes. But what if they think it's a date?! What then? I guess I wouldn't mind it if it was a date but--" Lucas let out an exhasperated sigh, Rosemary would be laughing her ass off if she saw the state he was in.

By midday he reaches the entrance to the dinner, he leans on the wall beside the door as he waits for Jerico to arrive. He sighed fixing his curly hair now tied up, he could've braided it if he didn't spend so much time in the shower.

As the autum leaves fall, being blown away by the ocassional breeze, he catches sight of them. His heart skips a beat and he tries to fix his posture, stand a little taller, cross his arms over his chest, leaning his weight on his right leg.

--Jerico! -- He chirps with a smile-- hello,glad you could make it

--Lucas! Good to see you again-- They reply with a smile

--Did you eat anythin' before gettin' here?-- he asked.

--Not really,no

He nodded and pointed at the entrance to the dinner-- Want to...?

--Sure!

He opens the door for them and lets them go first. he stands behind them as a sort of guard dog, doing an overview of the place and Gently guiding them to a secluded booth, sitting there.

--You seem on edge, you okay?-- they ask taking off their green flannel.

--'m 'kay just...ah it's been a while since I've been in a crowded space like this-- He half lied taking off his jacket-- Bein' in the war left me alert to crowded noisy places

They nodded,understanding of his past trauma--I see, well... you looking out for me-- for us is appreciated

He smiled a little,cheeks bright red--ah its uhm..nothin'

--sooo-- they start trying to make conversation-- How you've been, anything interesting?

"If you knew" he thought to then answer-- Had some Friends over...we're planning a...trip

--Oh cool! Where?

--...we havent decided yet-- Lucas replied, looking away to the menus the waitress sets down on their table.

--I hope you have fun wherever youre going!--jerico Chirped opening her menu and checking the options.

--Thank you...N' how 'bout ya? Anythin' fun? Goin' on in yer life?

They think for a moment, tapping the menu-- Ah well, nothing much. Finished my midterm exam, we'll get the results after winterbreak, I was going to hang out with some Friends but it Fell through. Uni is a pain in the ass-- they reply, finally deciding on what to order.

--I never went to uni but I can imagine how tiring that must be-- He answered barely paying attention to his menu, too focused on how cute they looked while concentrated.

--It is but like...im happy to be studying something I like-- they admit-- it gets kinda boring though..hanging out with you helps lightening my week

Their eyes meet his and he looks away,cheeks darkening with blush-- ah uhm..well im glad I can be of help. Hey uh..I'm ready to order if ya are

--'m all good-- they confirm.

After ordering the waitress takes away their menus and leaves. Jerico sighs as anxiety creeps into their body, he made them nervous as shit. He was really good looking.

--I uh...Like your flannel-- Lucas comments-- really like the color, where'd ya get that?

They snap out of their trance at the sound of his voice--I uh...lemme think. -- they make a pause-- a thriftstore, its a bit oversized...I think it could fit you

--I think im too muscly for that thing-- He half joked.

--Hmmm maybe. But I think you'd rock it-- they compliment with Pink cheeks,might as well shoot their shot.

--Oh uh..thank you. I think you wear it better though-- he answers, trying to sound as smooth as possible as He offers them a warm smile.

Their cheeks go bright Pink, they stammer a --Thank you-- before avoiding his gaze.

--Hey why dontcha tell me more about what you're studying? Never went to uni so im curious-- he proposed leaning in a little.

--Oh uh sure!--They answer to then start talking about the Carreer they are pursuing.

The rest of the lunch seems to go quite alright, the conversation is fluid And quite animated, its enjoyable and quite warm. The food tasted great and everything went well...mostly.

Lucas noticed a few men coming and going,giving Him and his companion weird looks. Whispering amongs eachother as if hatching a plan.

He pays for their food, not hearing jerico's protest. But him ignoring them is not out of arrogance but rather out of worry, they had to get out of there. Fast.

The ex military Man escorts his companion out of the dinner, shielding them with his body by standing behind them, hands ready for action

--Hey uh you have anythin to do these Next few weeks?-- Lucas asked.

--Uh no...why?

--Remember that trip my Friends n' me are doin? Well I need someone to stay at my house,for security purposes. Could you? I uh could pay you?

--Uh sure! It's no Biggie. Is it just gonna be me though?

--Uhm no. A friend of mine is staying too. Shes alright. I actually gotta tell ya something more but not here-- he checked to see if the men from before were looking around, they were-- I know this is super weird but ya gotta trust me. Follow me

Seeing the seriousness of his tone, jerico took a chance and Walked with him, going through the more people filled areas of the park,hopefully losing the men that were after them.

--Lucas whats going on?-- they asked mildly scared-- why are men following us?

--You noticed 'em too?-- he asked dumbfodedly. They nodd-- ill tell you everything soon. While im here I wont let 'em hurt you,I promise

--I trust you-- its more like a warning than an answer, but he nodds.

Thankfully, they manage to lose the spies after them. Lucas sits jerico on a log and rubs their back soothingly-- Easy, breathe

--That was really scary-- they comment,voice shaky

--I know 'M sorry. Its all my fault-- he says pulling them in for a hug.

--How so? How could it be your fault?

Lucas sighs and looks away, he explains everything, from who he was and what he was looking for, what had happened to desmond too.

Jerico sinks against his chest a little, using his arms as a protective barrier between the outside world and them--I understand if youre angry at me..I didnt think they'd go to such extremes

--Its uhm...it was one talk I guess you couldnt really have imagined that that couldve caused this...-- they answer, his warmth soothing and comforting-- Men have been following me around too, so I guess it makes sense.. what should I do?

--Well..my Friends plan was to let you stay at my place until we get desmond out from where hes trapped...you'd be safe there -- he explained.

--well...that sounds like a good plan..-- they agree-- uh...lead the way

He helps them up, guiding them carefully Back to his cabin. The walk is quiet and tense,but theres an underlying sense of warmth, of safety. Its weird because even with the threat on their life Jerico seems to be mostly at ease, they look up at Lucas and the height difference is oddly endearing.

Their eyes settle on his serious expression, his eyes scanning for danger, some sort of fight or flight response or some sort of triggered trauma,of losing someone close to him because of his fault. But who he lost is unkown to jerico.

But,alas they reach the cabin. Oddly charming in its simplicity. After introducing Jerico to rosemary, Lucas accompanies the newest addition of their team to pick up some things from their house, returning to their HQ Unseen.

Rosemary looks at Lucas, smirking-- Hmm..so this is the person that has your cables in a bunch?

Lucas turns to his Friend, sighing in exhasperation,Jeri settling their things on the sofa-- Rosemary..

--Look. I like annoying you because youre my friend-- she starts,arms folding infront of her chest, pushing her friend with her hips-- but this is a chance to move on,take your shot

--Move on?--He asked,playing dumb.

--you know what I mean, move on start a life-- she explains as if to say "dont act dumb with me"-- get a lovely partner and a buncha dogs

His face goes dark red, Burning up-- Rose!-- he whines.

--consider it. You can still move on and make something else of your life-- she added-- Imma check on 'em N you go call the others okay? --She sees the look of concern of his friend. Rolling her eyes she adds-- 'M not gonna rat you out,cole. Go

--Fine. You better--He replied leaving to get the phone, Rosemary goes And check on Jerico. After making sure they were alright and settling in well, she goes and prepares the diluted version of agent rainbow with a shaky sigh. Tomorrow was the big day.

The Next day arrived way faster than anyone wouldve liked, but they could wait no longer.

Matresses are settled on the floor, everyone is already laying down, Rosemary giving them a vial with agent rainbow, and just as Lucas is about to lay down he hears

--Hey! Be careful. If something happens here Or-- jerico started, scared and concerned for the Man.

Lucas stops them while putting a hand on their shoulder, squeezing it gently-- I said that while I was here you'd be safe. Even if im somewhere else mentally that still applies. Rosemary can pull us out pretty quickly...ill protect you

They smile and hug him tight,he hugs back and presses a small kiss to the top of their head-- good luck

He smiled and winked a them-- Thanks, kiddo

While his Friends melted at the scene, Lucas lays down on the matress, Rosemary hands him the vial and whispers-- Ill Keep them safe..

--Thank you-- he whispers back, laying down.

--Alright everyone! It'll take a hot second to find desmond,my guess is that if you call for him he'll answer. Its not much but...its something--she explains-- Now drink up

Max sighed and raised his vial-- Bottoms up!

Everyone drinks the vials and As Lucas slips into unconciusness the last thing he sees is jerico looking at him worriedly, he gives them a small warm smile that his friend copies,hopefully it helped them feel more relieved.

Then, pitch black. For a moment ,at least. Lucas is the first one to reach for desmond, hearing the faint tune of a piano, and the rest follow the sound until its as loud as an orchestra,they see a door and then...

A blinding light comes right after, the contrast sudden and violent. The Group find themselves on a white road, the Grass framing it is alive and rich in its green coloration.

--Everyone's here?!--Lucas called out, turning behind him to see that all of the members of his troop were, effectively, with him. He count them and Yes,everyone was accounted for.

--Yep!--Answered Allen, looking around-- where are we

--Well theres a house over there-- Max pointed out behind Lucas and beyond where the road seemed to end-- if the docs anywhere it has to be there

--Hey, theres a tape recorder--Virginia added, kneeling down to press the play button, and then they hear it.

"Agent Rainbow, as I got to call him, has pulling at my mind in a battle...a battle that I lost...and now im trapped here" the recording ends there, but as the Group move and finds more of these tape players they listen to the recording within It.

"Time has lost all meaning, here in this...elysian field I somehow managed to make a house, its grand And ornate and not really something I would choose to live in..but its home"

"These walls feel like a prison some days...but its safe, I have all I May need and...Tonia is with me. Shes here to Keep me company, a guardian"

"I spend most of my days in my Office now, some things never change...but now that theres nothing much to do then...what theres left for me? Who am I now? A therapist? A savior? An Angel of lost hope...?"

But the final one is the most concerning,as they reach the entrance to the now large ornate and crisp white rococo mansion all they hear from the last tape is "This is my home now. I cannot leave...here is where I can serve my purpose...I'm a savior...even if theres no people to save"

The Gates Open on their own and it gives everyone a bad feeling,yet they push in. Until now nobody had uttered a Word,only exchanged worried or amused looks.

Lucas stares at the grand garden, Virginia and Allen look at the field of flowers. Max tenses up, everything was too calm.

--Damn It, of course-- The ex military Man growls-- a Maze...

Beyond the maze,That seemed huge from here, was their destination. For Max it was one of the first signs that there was another power at play here,he lets the troop know his thoughts and approaches Lucas saying-- I dont like this

--Me neither...we should stay together traversing through-- the other man stated, turning to Virginia and Allen.

--I agree-- the only woman of the Group added-- as pretty as this place Is, it gives me the heebie jeebies

Allen nodds-- we dont know how big this thing is, it could take us days to get past it

Then, Lucas noted something on the ground he kneels and traces the marks on the dirt with his hand they are old but still present foot prints. Dress shoes-- hey...what kinda shoes did the doc wear?--He asks.

--plain toe oxfords-- Virginia replied instantly, then as the men turn to her she shrugs-- Hey I have hobbies and fashion is one of them

--Well...this is a good landmark--Lucas added-- good looking out Virginia

She snorted-- Hey, dont let your friend back there let you know youre out here giving me compliments...they might get jealous -- even if Virginia was usually reserved, after spending enough time with the three men she got used to them...even considered them Friends. This was the first time in a while she let her humour shine through.

Lucas' cheeks go dark red as he stands up-- c'mon we gotta Keep moving --He tried to brush it off and appear stoic,and he failed miserably.

As the Group enters the Maze, Virginia adds--Sooooo whats the story with them?

--You wanna talk 'bout that?-- he protested.

--Im sorry do ya see anythin' better to do?-- Max answered. Lucas never took him for a nosy Nancy.

--we had one chat. N then I met them yesterday to explain everything, I paid for their lunch and thats that-- He replied.

--Hmmm I dont think so!--Allen chirped in with a playfull smile-- what was that hug and the whole "I promised you'll be safe while I was around" thing?

--Ya heard that?!-- Lucas asked looking at the floor as If he was keeping track of the footprints, but really he was looking down out of shame.

--Buddy, we all heard ya-- The ex truck driver answered a shit eating grin audible in his tone-- Ya were practically makin' heart eyes at 'em

Then, they hear noises. The leader of their troop raises his fist and they all stop-- Shit..the fuck is that?!-- the ex radioman asked under his breath. Staring at these dark purple/black entities made of some sort of ink, a purple light shinning where their eyes would be-- Hide!--The Group splits, Max and Lucas, Allen and Virginia. They dont hide too far away from eachother, but then theres a passing breeze and when it hits the back of the monster's head they turn back and see the Group.

There was two monsters that go after each of the Groups, Allen And Virginia run for dear life. They turn a corner and then another, they hide behind bushes and when they think they lost the inkblot it somehow finds them.

Allen pulls his companion down behind a Bush, both panting they look around as the monster runs past-- How are we supposed to get out of here?!-- she asked.

--The foot prints-- the ex lighthouse keeper whispers, pointing at the tracks-- But we need to distract that thing

Virginia spots a pebble nearby, she gathers its heavy enough it could make a pretty loud noise-- you thinking what im thinking?-- she asked.

--Yeah-- he agreed-- how good is your aim?

--Im...not as good as Lucas but...I know how to throw rocks decently enough--She answered and her friend looked at her weird, she rolls her eyes-- dont ask -- The pebble is thrown to the opposite direction they needed to go, it hits the ground ways away from them and the inkblot takes the bait, screeching and running towards the source.

The pair looks at eachother and fight off the Urge to run for dear life, it would make too much noise.

So,they walk silently, using the tracks as a guiding Point, the mansion growing bigger the closer they got. They could only hope Lucas and Max were okay.

And speaking of which, Lucas thought of himself as a patient Man, that is until he saw Max trying to fight one of the Monsters with his bare hands-- What are you doing, Idiot?!-- he yelled grabbing his companion by the back of the shirt and pulls him back as the monster swings at him

--What the fuck Man?!--Max yells-- I had it

--The hell ya did! Dont be a moron! Lets try to lose it!--The ex military Man adds ducking down to evade an attack--Cmon!

Both run losing themselves further into the maze, their enemy in hot pursuit. They run past bushes and sculptures of what seem to be biblically accurate angels...yet they seem familiar, the face particularly but they cant pinpoint what.

As they hide behind a bench within a clearing of the maze Max says--We should go and fight it!

--With what?!--Lucas protested-- If by some miracle a sniper rifle comes from the Sky i can hand you that thing on a silver platter but as you can see-- he wildly and angrily gestured at the whole place-- We are dead in the middle of a fancy ass rococo dreamland!

The ex truck driver sighed-- alright then,smartass, what do we do?!

--Lemme think...!--The other Man exclaimed rubbing his temples in exhasperation partially from the wild ideas of his companion and the stress of the whole situation.

Sun shone down on the clearing of the Maze,theres nothing he could use...unless.

Lucas checks the space between his boot and the end of his pants, his eyes go wide and he says-- well ill be...-- He pulls out his trusty boot Knife from his army days-- This...is our only chance--Apparently the Knife had gone in with him, he almost forgot about it since he didnt need to use it when he went out with jerico.

--You've got to be kiddin' me...--Max whispered with exhaustion and completely baffled. With resignation he adds-- what now...--both men look at eachother, as if considering a plethora of options-- unless...

--You thinking what im thinking?

The ex truck driver got a big grin on his face,rubbing his hands together--Time to Grab the bull by its horns!

Soon,the inkblot catches up to them, its non existent eyes land on Max who yells--Hey asshole! Get your inky ass over here! -- the monster takes Long and heavy steps towards him,trying to intimidate Him. It tilts its head to the side and reaches out for its target before it hears him say--Now!

Lucas comes out of the bushes, jamming the blade to the inkblot's chest, pulling back and slashing across its torso and neck.

The monster falls dead to the ground and dissolves--Holy shit --Max whispers.

--What...the...fuck...Man?--now it was Lucas' turn to sound tired and confused.

--Lets not think too much about that-- The other Man proposed-- Lets go get the rest..

Both find the way back to the path were the tracks were,noticing two more pairs that correlated with Allen's and Virginia's shoes. Finally they make it out of the maze and see their Friends sitting by a bench talking.

--What took you so long?--Allen asked with a shit eating grin.

Max and Lucas death glare Allen and both consider making him a human kebab for a split second--Good to know you two got off the hook easily enough...--The ex military Man growled putting his Knife back into its sheath in his boot.

The four of them look upon the grand mansion, intricate golden details adorning the walls alongside pillars and beautiful windows. The double Doors seem ominous but the faint piano playing from beyond them gave the Group hope.

--Ready?-- Lucas asked.

--Dont think so...--Max replied.

--Great...--the ex radioman replied sarcastically though internallty agreeing with his friend-- lets go in

They walk up to the Doors, grand and ornate in all their golden glory. Midday sun reflects a golden light onto the hand reaching for it to Open It. 

The second sign that there was another power at play was that the door opened by itself. Its eerily fluid in its movements as if the house was inviting them in. Looking at eachother the Group steps into the house, a double set of stairs guiding them up to the second floor.

--oh my gooosh!!--Virginia cooed and awed at the house-- so ornate and sparkly! Allen look at all that gold! -- she was practically jumping in her place, she tries to walk further into the mansion and Lucas stops her with a jarred concerned look. She rolls her eyes and side hugs him singing-- They can beg and they can plead

But they can't see the light

'Cause the boy with the cold hard cash

Is always Mister Right!

Allen Is about to join in to the singing until the leader of their troop says-- Look kids not to rain on yalls parade but lets not get distracted 

--ugh fiiiine-- Virginia complains folding her arms over her chest-- Fine I'd say follow the piano melody

They go quiet and listen a soft tune, they follow it up the stairs and down a grand Hall with paintings of what seems to be a biblicall battle..but the protagonists seem to be desmond and...some sort of multicolor mass--Could that be the rainbow chemical?--Allen asked and at the mention the house shakes for a moment,effectively scaring everyone.

--I don' think the house likes that name very much--lucas said with a jarred tone-- god,this place gives me the creeps... cmon gotta find the doc

As they walk, Max leans in and whispers in a ghastly tone--The houuuse is aliiiiiveee

Allen seems spooked by this, he takes a step towards Virginia who slaps Max over the head with her hand-- thats not funny idiot!

--Fine fine sorry!-- he apologized-- this house gon' eat us -- and with that he walks faster towards Lucas before his female companion slaps him again.

They reach the entrance to what they can only assume is the source of the noise. The four of them push the door Open and theyre met with a Giant Office space, long bookshelves filled with tomes and books, grand Windows that filter the light from outside, They look to the side and see the source of the music, an old piano being played by the air with...a Giant cat sleeping ontop of it?!.

--I wanna cuddle it--virginia and Allen whispershout. The Giant beast seems to pay them no mind.

Lucas tilts his head and says-- kinda looks like t-

A sudden heavy flap of wings interrupts him, the Group looks around beyond the large laberynth of bookshelves extending past an ornate beautiful desk. They see a shadow fly by and Grab books.

Finally, Max works up the courage to speak-- Doc?

The shadowed figure stops to look at them, making everyone shiver and tense. It flies up to the light flowing from the Windows, revealing itself. A Man with a Long robe and indigo scarf with rococó decor in gold, large white wings dripping with rainbow chemical, a crown that doubles as a Halo and various rings with eyes like ones you'd see in biblically accurate angels.

Lucas finally puts the pieces together. The being before him is the same from those sculptures back in the maze. His breath leaves his chest as the figure seems to scan them all,smiling And saying-- Lucas, Max,Allen,Virginia...it is so wonderfull to see you all again

And in a choir the Group yells-- Desmond?!

[monster-bait]

Hi, I see lots of people asking about stories of yours that you've taken down for publishing and it made me wonder. Do you have a place where people can read synopsis (plural??) of upcoming books/books that have been taken down? I saw the teaser for Sweet Berries at the end of your Farm book, but I don't know the one coming in 2022 I don't think and I wanna get hyped! (Have read Sweet Berries stories, but the book is gonna be bomb)

I don't have a synopsis landing page, but my website is about to get an overhaul, so that might be changing!

In the meantime, here's the tentative order of things:

Parties, GW book 2- Several months after a weekend girls' trip, suburban elves Lurielle, Ris, and Silva are still affected by their experiences at the resort and the orcs they met there.

Lurielle discovers that being in a multi-species relationship has its challenges: meeting Khash's family, introducing him to hers, and facing the harsh realities that lie ahead if they stay together. A lifetime together or a lifetime apart - she must decide if she can bear the heartache the future holds.

When Ris returns to the resort on a whim, an unexpected encounter with a slightly familiar face upends this elf's desire to be a free as the wind. Ainsley is simultaneously everything and nothing that she's looking for - smart and sexy and completely unattached . . . but how long can they "keep things casual?"

Silva struggles to juggle the expectations of her family and seeing Tate in secret until she becomes tangled in her web of lies, necessitating a choice - following the carefully mapped life of privilege her family has planned for her in their Elvish community . . . or throwing it all away to follow her heart, for a man with his own heart full of secrets.

Parties is a multi-POV story, following all three girls through a succession of soirees, each one winding their separate story lines - and the work friends - tighter together.

Sweet Berries - Grace has a job she loves, a community she adores, and plenty of friends . . . but her lack of bedroom action has left this event planner too horny to think. When one ill-advised night at the bar leads to her giving an exhibitionistic show to an unknown presence outside her bedroom window, she thinks she’d hit a new low. When her voyeur turns out to be a nebbishly charming mothman, Grace needs to decide if she can trust her body — and her heart — with this garnet-eyed stranger before he flys out of her life for good.

Sweet Berries is a monster/human romance novella featuring high heat and a lot of heart, with a guaranteed HEA. It is the second book in the Cambric Creek Romance series, and can be read as a standalone. CWs: human/nonhuman romance, nonhuman anatomy, size difference, exhibitionism

Pride - Don’t ever go into the forest alone, gorza, there are strangers there who will take you away.

She had grown up in the shadow of the forest, with the story of the boy who’d disappeared into its black confines having been passed down in her clan for generations. She never imagined the story’s subject might be real.

Nineteen, rebellious, and queer; trapped in a marriage she never wanted, Elshona wishes that she too could disappear from her life, never to be seen again. When she meets a sharp-toothed stranger in a pub, whose past bears more than just a passing resemblance to the tale she’s known all her life, she does the one thing she was taught not to do: follows him into the night, out the door and away from her family and all she knows, all the way across the sea.

Pride is a Girls Weekend side-story about Tate and Elshona: how they meet, their shared connection, and the pain of not being accepted and leaving home behind. It's a story of queer acceptance, chosen family, and the ties that bind us, for better or worse. CW: ALL the emotions

Moon Blooded Breeding Clinic - Returning to Cambric Creek is the last thing Lowell Hemming wants to do, but when his career as a photographer is put on hold, he’s not left with much of a choice. Suffocating under the weight of the Hemming family name and the confines of his small hometown, the monthly full moon is the only time he doesn’t feel trapped. When an intriguing flyer requesting healthy male werewolves catches his eye, he finds himself calling Moon Blooded Breeding Clinic, signing up as a donor for their catalog.

From the outside, recently divorced Moriah has everything - except the one thing she wants: a child of her own. Desperation pushes her to contact a very unconventional clinic with an unparalleled success rate . . . all she needs to do is align her reproductive cycle to the full moon and pick a werewolf from a catalog with whom to mate.

Moon Blooded Breeding Clinic will feature a high heat slow burn that examines real-world issues through the unique lens of Cambric Creek. CW: knotting, breeding, werewolf/human relationship.

Changes, GW book 3 - hahahaha, nope. Not yet!

Wheel of the Year - Ousted from her coven, hurting for clients, and struggling to keep her aging family home, socially awkward witch Ladybug is at the end of her rope. When she rents the attic bedroom to a silent, unsmiling drider, she thinks her life might be on the right track to improve; when she lets him into her bed, it will never be the same.

Wheel of the Year is a series of short vignettes, centered around the witch's sabbaths. CW: arachnophobia, spider anatomy, biological aphrodisiac, HUGE size difference, non-human/human romance.

Beneath the Linden Trees 1 - In a time of war and kings, the orcs of clan Duh’lar have secured the mountains for their own, and if adopting the customs of men is the only way to keep it, they will do what they must. Peace and prosperity follow, but when war comes to the Easterlands, the Lord of Linden Hall must decide if the orcs will honor their treaties.

Beneath the Linden Trees follows tree orcs and the women they love, and how the decisions of one affects the lives of the others:

Aurelie is a well-bred human Lady from the Easterlands, promised in marriage to the youngest son of the orc lord, sent away from her father's keep to her new home at Linden Hall. To her shock, her betrothed is warm and kind, well-spoken and indulgent . . . but after several weeks in residence in her new home, she has still not laid eyes on Tilianus, the orc she is to marry.

Lisette and Gelgrah, a witch destined for the stake and the orc who rescues her, have built their home at the base of the mountain, far from Linden Hall. When war comes to the mountains, Lisette realizes their little family is at risk of being torn apart.

Eh'lazar is an acolyte at the temple of the moon, learning the ancients arts from the high priestess, Eonar, before he is cast out for dabbling in darker magics. Hardening his heart, he cultivates a reputation as a powerful necromancer, capable of raising an army of the dead . . . but when war comes to the mountains, he must choose between cementing his power and the elf he once loved.

Beneath the Linden Trees will be a three-part series (for now) that should be read as a series. CW: typical period-era violence, human/non-human romance, size differences

Rosemary & Time - She had always known the way through the wood, until the day the wood changed.

When Thorn follows a light into the forest, the world she thought she knew falls away. Memories and lives already lived shift and dance in her head, obliterating reality and leaving her at the mercy of the fae to whom she is forever bound. Jack of the lanterns is the last person she ought to trust, but as she is thrust into the world of the high courts, he is all she has.

Surviving the treacherous Court of Autumn's capricious Queen and her deadly consort are only the start of Thorn's journey through the wood, and she must decide if she is willing to play their game forever . . . or free herself from her captor, the man she has loved for several lifetimes.

Rosemary & Time is a topsy-turvy journey through the world of the fae, where magic and memory weave a confusing tapestry, and where nothing is ever what it seems. It is a standalone story, but is connected to Girls Weekend, and recommended for the richest reading if both worlds. CW: it's the fae, baby. All the content warnings.

Reunions, GW book 4 - I promised happy endings for all my babies, and after a lot of suffering, this is the book in which they finally get it.

That's what I have planned for now!

[cinnamonrusts]

i’ll see you in the village -- 5

parts: 1 2 3 4

Chris and his team home in on your location. He comes to learn just what Miranda has done to the woman he loves. (chris redfield x f!reader)

(tags: @moonlightnumbsthepainifeel)

                                                   ✧.* ✧.* ✧.* ✧.*

Chris sat inside the armored van and lit his cigarette. The darkness of the village was thick and the air felt heavy but in the moment, he felt calm. He was finally able to pinpoint your location and although Miranda had you in her clutches, his team confirmed to see you alive before she took you underground into her domain. Chris inhaled the cigarette deeply and recalled the many naggings he received from you regarding his habit.

“You should really stop smoking, Chris,” you complained as you waved your hand around in the air inside of Chris’s truck. “I’ll stop smoking -- when you stop gambling,” he blew a puff of smoke out of the window. You huffed, “I’m telling you, you can’t win if you don’t play!” Chris shook his head and turned toward you with cigarette in between his lips, “I’ll stop when you do,” he winked and your eyes rolled, “I’ll remember that when I’m a millionaire, Redfield.”

His eyes closed as he exhaled, “I’m coming, baby,” he whispered to himself, then exited the vehicle. Chris approached the team members that were staked around the general area and pointed out the location where Miranda was held up at. Around the exit of the village where you were last seen at was blocked with gigantic black roots that writhed about in a hostile manner. Helicopters flew overhead and on the side of the flying vehicles were the BSAA’s logos. Chris took the rifle from Lobo and looked through the scope to observe the situation and took note as to what his former agency was up to. They would only cause more issues for his mission than what he already had dealt with, but the Alpha wouldn’t let this stop them, they would continue on. “BSAA... They’ve gone too far,” he said as paratroopers exited to the ground but the chopper was soon attacked by a root and spiraled out to the ground with an explosion.

Redfield instructed his team to head for the main source of the black roots and destroy it. “I’ve got your back, boss. Let’s get to work.” said Lobo. Chris’s plan was clear in his mind: destroy Miranda, rescue Rosemary, and ensure your safety. With guns at ready, Hound Wolf Squad made their way through the village that was on the brink of destruction. He would fight the Hell and high water to finish what had been started.

✧.* ✧.*

Miranda brought you to the ceremony site and you shivered in the cold under the lab coat. You pondered an escape route but the area around you was mostly frozen forest and certain death awaited you if you tried to venture out into it, so you shifted your focus to the woman. Miranda led you down a small path to the ritual area where she would complete her life’s work. Your body soon began to feel weak and you could barely stand on your feet. When you arrived to the area, you dropped to your knees and struggled to listen to Miranda as she started a speech.

“That damn Ethan Winters turned out to be more of an issue than I expected...” she began. “I originally wanted him to merely dispose of my false children and awaken to the beautiful Megamycete, but he proved to be too troublesome for me to deal with any longer.” she turned to face you and dropped down to her knee, she took your chin into her hand and tilted your head back to meet your gaze. “Winters managed to destroy the four lords and take the pieces of his child back. But now he’s gone and the ceremony may continue.” she let go of you and raised to a stand. “T-Then what do you want with m-me then?” you struggled to ask. Miranda tapped her cheek with her finger as she pondered whether she felt you deserved to know her reasoning for infecting you with the Cadou. “You will be my high priestess for said future, my new Lord, if you may; but if little Rose fails to be a suitable host for Eva... Well, that’s what you’re here for, my dear..” your blood ran cold, everything that had just happened up until this moment was pure chance and you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Miranda didn’t choose you because she thought you were something special. It was because you seemed to be a good enough guinea pig for her trap.

“So- so, I’m just a fucking experiment?”“ your teeth gritted and your fingers closed into a fist. The last bit of strength inside boiled in your stomach and you pushed yourself to stand before taking a lunge at her. She merely slapped you to the side with the back of her hand and you flew several feet and sprawled out on the ground, face first. Miranda approached you slowly and pushed into your stomach with tip her foot as she rolled you onto your back. “Poor, girl. Soon, you’ll crystalize and wait for your mutation to finish. There’s nothing you or that man can do about it.” Man?! “C-Chris?!” you called out and weakly reached your hand upward toward the darkening light but Miranda simply chuckled, “It is useless, child. The Cadou is taking hold of you now and it won’t be long until you’re under its and my, control.”  Your arm began to stiffen as you could see a white crystallization spread out from where the Cadou buried itself in your body. Soon, you were completely frozen in place within a white crystal shell, almost like a cocoon. Miranda turned you from a living human, into a frightening beautiful statue for her to do with as her plans pleased.

✧.* ✧.*

Chris fought his way through the Lycans that popped up from every nook and cranny of the village. The homes burned brightly and the horrors seemed to worsen as he got deeper into the bowels of the area. Soon, he came across the Megamycete underground and planted an explosive that would destroy the village and every evil that dwelled within its boundaries. “Any sight of, [Y/N]?” Chris asked into his earpiece but none of his team members were able to confirm anything. “We do have sight of Miranda however at the ceremony site... wait...” Umber Eyes paused, “I have eyes on [Y/N] but...”

Chris’s heart jumped in his chest, “What!? What is it!?” he yelled as he hurried up a path of steps that led toward the surface. “She -- she isn’t moving. But I can’t see her too well,” his voice dropped and Chris stopped in his tracks. “What do you mean?” he barely could spit the words out. “I’m not positive but I can confirm she is there with the target. She seems to be laying on the ground but Miranda is in the way,” Redfield needed to get to the ceremony site as quickly as possible but found himself in a laboratory first. He examined the area and the notes that were scattered around on the many tables, and stumbled upon a connection that he would’ve never guessed. Oswell E. Spencer was Mother Miranda’s subordinate! It all started here, in this European village... Umbrella... everything that Chris had been through started with Miranda and hopefully would end here. This small room held another secret that was tucked away behind a barred cell. Chris’s rifle had its sights on nonother than Mia Winters! The man radioed in to his team to confirm that this was not Miranda and they informed him that she was still in the same spot along with you.

Chris asked why she was there and she told him the story of her being captured and used in experiments. He turned to leave and spoke into his earpiece, “Stick to the mission. I’m headed for the ceremony site.” but Mia followed him and demanded that she went with him. She reminded how Chris promised to keep her and her family safe but those words burned the Ethan shaped wound in his heart. The man struggled to inform the woman that Ethan, her husband, was gone. Dead. But he was done with the secrets, she needed to know and he had trouble with telling her the news. “I’m sorry, Mia. But we have to leave and destroy this village.” Mia wouldn’t let him leave until they would get her husband. Chris grew angry, “Mia! We need to get Rosemary and [Y/N], then we will get the fuck out of here! That is it. Understand?” When he spoke your name, it triggered a disturbing memory of the trauma the Winters spouse witnessed.

“That woman... [Y/N]… Miranda -- she did -- things to her.” Mia’s eyes flickered from Chris to the table that you were previously strapped to. Chris grabbed her shoulders and looked at her with eyes of desperation, “Is she alive?!” his voice cracked. Mia nodded her head slowly, “Y-Yes. But Miranda implanted her with her “gift” and I don’t know what happened after they left.” Chris sucked in his lower lip as his thoughts raced, “Gift? The Cadou?” he asked, his core shook but his composure remained solid. Mia nodded once more and a shadow of fear overwhelmed the man. “We need to go. Now.”

Chris was going to get you back and make Miranda pay.

[ashintheairlikesnow]

Rafael 🥺🥺🥺

CW: Pet whump, referenced implied noncon/dubcon, captivity, isolation, intimate whumper, creepy whumper

Follows this piece where Chris overcomes his freeze response to try and help someone

It’s 2:30 in the morning. The house is cool and silent and still around him as he stands in the master’s library, where the only phone he’s ever seen that wasn’t the small, slim things his master and mistress keep in their pockets or purses or always on themselves.

He’s not allowed in here, books make his head hurt and we wouldn’t want to give you wrinkles in that pretty face from all that squinting, Raf. But he’s here, anyway.

They’re asleep, down the hall, in their room. The both of them, the mistress breathing low and deep, the master softly snoring. He can hear them from here, and it’s a soothing comfort to be able to track their sleep even now.

His heart pounds while he stares at the phone, dressed only in the loose, slightly sheer black pants he’s allowed to wear to sleep, when they have done with him for the night, when he is no longer between them, taken and taking, eyes closed and body repeating patterns while his mind goes somewhere else.

Red bruises darken around his neck and shoulders, the lipstick at least washed away and leaving only blood vessels burst under his pale skin to color it. She loves to leave the lipstick there, and they love to see who can mark him more, counting up the new places, telling who did what by the smear of Rouge, or Addict, or whatever other name she gave to the slim little tubes that littered her vanity. 

He lays back for their inspection, smiles up at the mirror they’ve had fixed to the underside of the canopy over their bed, and drifts away while they laugh over and around him. The loser makes the drinks, after, and he gets one, too.

Whiskey and honey-syrup with rosemary, washed down, but the taste never leaves, not all the way. He tastes them when he falls asleep.

If he falls asleep.

Now, he’s clean except for the way he always feels a slight, nearly invisible layer of grime on his skin, and his skin is unmarked except for the bruises they will carefully cover with the turtlenecks he wears in the morning.

He’s clean... except that he is never, ever clean. 

His name is Rafael.

Something else was his name, once upon a time. Some other blend of letters, some other murmured syllables spoken on someone else’s tongue. He knows that much - they tell him far more than he has ever asked to know. 

They found him, Master and Ma’am, hungry and dirty and cold. You were so desperate for a hot meal, someplace to sleep, you told us you’d do anything. They offered him safety, and someone to care for him, and he got into their car. It’s what he wanted. You wanted to leave it all behind, you know. We gave you the chance. 

We offered you a choice, and it wasn’t like anyone else was going to help you, Raf. You didn’t have a soul in the world who even gave a damn if you were alive.

He signed up for this.

Didn’t he?

The voice of the man in the museum comes back to him with his scarred face and soft green eyes. Somebody loved you. They lie to us. Pushing the plastic feather into his hand, whispering numbers to him. Rafael’s neck aches under his collar, throbs with the blood pooling from their teeth tearing at him and telling him he likes it, and he’s never thought to argue before.

But he doesn’t.

On his own, he dreams about softness, he closes his eyes and runs fingertips along his own palm and imagines it’s someone who simply wants to hold his hand. Alone, Rafael thinks about a dim sweet warmth, even as they tell him he wants their too-bright light baring him to hands and teeth like fang and claws, to desire that digs deep and draws blood. 

Somebody loved you.

It seems impossible.

They lie to us all.

In the dark of night, with the barest hint of moonlight coming through the great windows along the wall, the saturated purple of the feather is a cool, faded lavender. Rafael rubs his thumb along it, following an instinctive movement. He can see, he thinks, the faintest hint of indents in it, like the man he saw at the museum had been chewing on it. Marks like teeth, like the marks on his side, the way they laugh on either side of him, his mistress murmuring, they could identify us with dental records by that one if we dumped him, darling, and his master kissing her, then him, then laughing too loud, laughing harder when Rafael flinches from the sound and the fear of being abandoned.

They’d found him abandoned and taken him in. They gave him a home and he traded away whatever life he’d had to get it, willingly, happily, wanting to be loved and kept and held. 

But... what if that wasn’t what happened, just because they said it was?

Somebody loved you.

He moves closer to the phone, letting his fingers trail over the cool dark plastic, smooth and shining in the dark. His eyes close, and he breathes, in and out. The room smells like old books, and the leather of the chairs in here. Like a candle his mistress insists on lighting once a week in the room. 

When they have him in here, he’s blindfolded to keep him from seeing the books. 

The man in the museum had been one, he knew it instantly. No collar, though, and not with an owner, but he still... Raf had known. He always knew, and when he’d seen the scar, he’d known that the man wasn’t one, not any longer. 

Whispering to him that there is another way to live.

Rafael takes a deep breath, picks up the phone, and swallows back the burst of fear. It’s just a few numbers. It’s just a few words. He can always choose not to go, if they come. He can sign up for this again.

He can take it back.

5. 5. 5. 7. 2. 3. 3.

The click of the little dialpad as he touches the numbers seems impossibly loud, but with each pause between he listens, and he can still hear them sleeping. He’s okay. He’ll be okay. 

It’s just some words, a number, a whisper, a plea.

Did somebody love me once, in a way that wasn’t like this?

The phone settles cold against his ear, and he grips the feather in his hand like the medallion of a saint.

He doesn’t know saints. He doesn’t know why that thought came to mind. 

Holy St. Anthony, gentlest of Saints, your love for God and Charity for His creatures, made you worthy, when on earth, to possess miraculous powers. Encouraged by this thought, I implore you to-

“Hello?”

Rafael nearly forgets how to speak, between his shock that anyone picked up and the sudden burst of sharp pain that wipes the momentary prayer from his memory entirely. “H-Hello. I-I... I was, I am.. um. I n-need...”

“Do you need help?” The voice is low and compassionate, deep and with an accent he can’t place. 

They’ll help you, the man from the museum said.

“Please,” Rafael whispers. “Please, I need-... I need help. I, I need... I need out.”

“I’m going to trace your call,” The voice says quietly. “For the purpose of this conversation, you can call me Heather. I’m a liberated pet and I’m here to help. Do you need a rescue?”

Rafael feels tears threatening to fall, and he clutches the feather as tightly as he can. “I don’t know. It’s not-... It’s not, they don’t-... I’m n-not hurt, I just-”

“You don’t have to be in physical pain,” Heather says, quiet and certain, “to be wounded. I need about sixty-seven seconds more to get your location. Do you want to leave?”

No one’s ever asked.

He swallows. “Y... yes. I don’t want to be-... to do this anymore.”

“Okay. It’s okay, this is what we do. What’s your name and designation?”

That’s easy. He answers thoughtlessly, memorized words falling off his lips like petals from a dying flower. “Rafael, my number is 453266, designation Romantic, Facility 012.”

There’s a pause. “You’ve come a long way.”

He swallows “H-Have I?”

“I’ll explain later. It could take us up to fourteen days to effect a rescue. Will you be reasonably physically safe until that time?”

There’s a scrape in the hallway, a footfall. Rafael’s breath catches as he realizes he forgot to keep listening for their breathing, checking that they were asleep. “Oh, no. I have to go. He’s-... I have to go. Please, please find me, please-”

“I’m killing this number as soon as you hang up. It’s okay. We’ve got you. We just need a little time-”

He drops the phone back into the cradle right as his master appears in the doorway, leaning against it on one arm. His eyes glitter dangerously with reflected moonlight.

“Raf? What was that?”

Rafael swallows, lifting his chin as he turns, putting his practiced flirtatious smile on his face. Head tilt, half-lidded eyes. Let the look of sleepy affection wipe away the terror still crawling over his skin. His master moves towards him, naked but he can do more damage naked than Rafael could do in a set of armor.

“I had a-... a nightmare, a false memory,” Rafael says quickly, and steps to his master, feigning gratitude, warmth, happiness at seeing him. “I don’t know what happened. I w-woke up with the phone at my ear.”

“Hm. You haven’t sleepwalked in a long time.” His master moves past him, looking down at the phone, then back up at Rafael. In the darkness it all seems amplified, every threat a near-murder, a knife held precariously against his throat. “What did you dial?”

“I-I don’t know,” Rafael lies, clinging to him, every inch the pet scared of himself, not of the master. “I just heard beeping when I-... woke up, I guess.”

There’s a pause, and the master hums, picking the phone up, hitting three buttons Rafael doesn’t look at, but he knows - he’s having the phone redial the last number called. Raf closes his eyes, and he prays, to nothing and no one and maybe just to the dark of night itself. 

He exhales when the only sound is a woman’s tinny voice stating this number is not in service at this time. 

His master chuckles, sounding relieved himself. “Well, no harm done, I suppose. But we’re going to have to tie you to the bed at night again, aren’t we? Keep you from wandering.”

“Is that a promise?” Rafael’s voice is shaking but he drops it to low and husky to cover it, his heart pounding and body frozen as he turns into his master’s body, tipping his head for a kiss. 

He hates being tied to the bed. 

You love this, Raf. You told us it was your favorite way to work when we found you. But it’s not work anymore, is it? It’s your life.

He hates it.

The man’s voice in his mind again as he slides the feather into his pocket. They lie to all of us.

Nobody loved you, that’s why we had to take you in.

Somebody loved you. 

“Honestly, Raf, is that the only thing you think about?” His master’s tone is playful, flirtatious. His voice dips lower and Rafael keeps his smile firmly in place, widens it a little. 

Inside his head, he thinks, you wanted me to only think about this. I know I didn’t start this way.

Further back, far enough inside he knows it will never show on his face, he thinks, I thought about dinosaurs instead today. I thought about the feather, and the number, and I thought about how maybe you’re the one lying, and I was the one telling the truth.

I just can’t remember what truth I told.

“Back to bed for you, I think,” His master murmurs, presses a kiss over a bruise. Rafael shivers and pretends it’s from desire and not from the ache. “I’ll get out your favorite ropes.”

He hates the fucking ropes.

“Perfect,” Rafael says, and his voice comes out smooth, and soft. “You know I love the ropes.”

-

Tagging: @burtlederp , @finder-of-rings , @endless-whump , @whumpfigure , @astrobly @newandfiguringitout , @doveotions , @pretty-face-breaker , @boxboysandotherwhump  , @oops-its-whump  @cubeswhump ,  @whump-tr0pes  @downriver914 @vickytokio @wildfaewhump

[rosieshipper]

Dear Rosemary

Dear Rosemary, what to say to you?

(We start out with Tony singing as he admires a young Rose playing in the grass from afar as they both sit outside)

You have my eyes, you have my mother’s name

(You have my mother’s name alluding to Rose taking his mother’s name as her middle name when she officially became his daughter)

When you came into my life, you cried and it broke my heart

(There’s a flashback to when Rose first awoke in Avengers tower after being rescued, being scared and confused on where she is)

I’m dedicating everyday to you, domestic life was never quite my style

(We flash back to the present where Tony is still singing about how he’s promising Rose to always be there for her and to take care of her as her father)

When you smile, you knock me out I fall apart and I thought I was so smart

(As Tony is singing, Rose looks back at him and smiles to which Tony returns the smile)

You will come of age with our young nation

(Rose comes walking over to Tony, showing him a drawing that she drew of the both of them)

We’ll bleed and fight for you, we’ll make it right for you

(Tony’s smile only gets wider as he looks at the drawing before reaching out and pulling Rose into a tight hug to which she gladly returns, snuggling into his chest)

If we lay a strong enough foundation

(Tony hold Rose close as he sings to her, running his hand over her long amethyst hair, his smile never fading)

We’ll pass it on to you, we’ll give the world to you and you’ll blow us all away

(Rose looks up at Tony and smiles happily to him to which Tony returns)

Someday Someday. Yeah you’ll blow us all away. Someday Someday

(Tony sings this line before pressing a fatherly kiss to Rose’s forehead)

(As the next verse starts to play, the scene changes and Rose is now much older and she is holding her infant twin sons in her arms, a happy smile on her face)

Oh Tommy, when you smile I come undone. My sons

(Rose sings this as she smiles with pride down at her sons, the both of them swaddled in their own blankets. Tommy’s eyes open slightly and he smiles at her which makes her gaze go soft)

Look at my sons! Pride is not the word I’m looking for. There is so much more inside me now

(Rose holds her sons even closer to her chest as she sings this, tears of joy starting to form in her eyes)

Oh Billy, you outshine the morning sun. My sons. When you smile, I fall apart. And I thought I was so smart

(This time, Billy’s eyes open up and he smiles at his mom. Rose smiles even wider as a few tears fall down her cheeks)

My father wasn’t around

(Rose sings this line as she thinks back to her bio dad never being there for her)

My father wasn’t around

(Tony sings this as he thinks back to his own dad never being there for him either)

I swear that I’ll be around for you

(They both sing this to their children as they look down at their kids)

I’ll do whatever it takes

(Rose sings this before leaning down and kissing each of her son’s’ foreheads)

I’ll make a million mistakes

(Tony sings this as he looks up at the stars above the both of them)

I’ll make the world safe and sound for you

(Rose and Tony both sing this line, the both of them back to back as the look up, the camera panning upwards)

Will come of age for our young nation, we’ll bleed and fight for you, we’ll make it right for you

(During this chorus, there are flashes of different scenes of Rose and Tony bonding as Rose slowly grows up with each scene)

If we lay a strong enough foundation, we’ll pass it onto you, we’ll give the world to you

(During this portion of the chorus, there are flashes of different scenes of Rose bonding with her sons as they slowly grow up throughout each scene)

And you’ll blow us all away

(During this line, Tony and young Rose are back inside and Tony is tucking a sleeping Rose to bed$

Someday Someday

(After pressing a kiss to Rose’s temple, Tony looks to his left)

Yeah you’ll blow us all away

(Rose is settling the twins down in their cribs, pressing a kiss to each of their heads as she lays them down for bed for the night)

Someday Someday

(As Rose looks at her sleeping sons, she then looks to the right. The camera cuts to older Rose and Tony making eye contact and smiling at one another before it fades to black with the music)

Tags: @astralshipper @aricka-and-her-fictional-others @magicalpuppyprincess @recordplayershipping @wolfofthedead

[bokunosimpfiction]

Familiar!Heisenberg x Witch!Reader Pt.1 of 2

Summary: Your wolf familiar Heisenberg is a nuisance, as always.

No triggers! :)

             Mia looks down into her cup of tea. The cup was shallow and wide, with several golden rings, getting progressively closer as they reached the edge of the cup. Steam rose from the water, bringing the chamomile aroma up into her nose. She looks over at her husband and smiles, softly. “Ethan, we need to gift her another tea set, they only have the tasseography set we gifted them when they moved out.”

             You give a hearty chuckle. “I only use these when you come around, the set misses you very much.”

Ethan smiles at you, rubbing the back of his sleeping baby with his hand. “Witches-ware tends to do that, miss the ones who owned it before, hence why I’m not very for giving a new witch used goods.” He gives a jokingly stern look to his wife before he continues. “But Mia insisted.”

“Well, they haven’t smashed them yet, so I think I made the right call!”

You bring a cup from another set up to your lips and take a sip, pinky out just to poke slight fun at her. “I think you’re familiar is rubbing off on you, Mia,” you say, “you come into my house, complain about my tea-set and not even mention that I used fresh Blood of Hestia and Elf Leaf to make the tea you’re currently drinking.” Ethan tries so hard not to laugh at her, knowing a smack on his forehead would follow shortly after. “You know, I’m sure if my familiar was here right now, I’m sure you’d kick him with your new heels on the way out the door.”

Her eye twitches slightly, “Alcina isn’t that bad, is she Ethan?”

He sighs. “I think the only reason she tolerates either of us is because she likes Rose. She’s more Rose’s familiar than she is either of ours.”

“Well at least our-“

“Rose’s-“ You correct.

“Well at least Rose’s familiar doesn’t track in di-“

Her statement is interrupted by your familiar, in human form, bursting through the door and ducking under the frame. He’s covered head to toe in dirt, more mud caked on his boots frosting on a cake, holding various plants in his thick-gloved hands. As soon as the door opened, you could see that feral grin spread across his face, his fangs visible. “I’ve brought the plants you asked for.”

“Excuse me Mia, Ethan.” You rise from your seat to greet your familiar and remove his hat and glasses from his head. His salt and pepper hair and wolf ears are visible. “Hello, Karl.” You place a hand on either cheek and go on your tippy-toes, and he leans down so you can place a curt kiss on his forehead. “Someone went rolling in the mud on their way back.” You too have a cheeky grin on your face.

“Can’t help myself, it’s in my blood.” It’s not “blood” so much as nature, rescues do that,

“I know.” You made it a point to keep your hands on his cheeks. The well-needed attention made him burn like a fever. “You got the eyebright and Dog Berries?”

“Ran into some lion’s teeth and-“ He stops and sniffs the air for a second before turning to Mia and Ethan. “Well, well, if it isn’t the Winter’s and their little dew of the sea…” He goes to step further into the house, but you place a firm hand on his chest. It only stops him because he lets it.

“Take your shoes off and put the herbs in the sink before you greet the guests.”

His expression of smug joy deflates for a moment. He, just like his blood sister Alcina, had taken an extreme liking to Rose. Although his was in a more, “uncle who encourages bad decision making” rather than a genuine care-taker kind of way.

You turn back and seat yourself on the stool again. “I’d apologize about that, but I love him far too much to feel bad about getting up mid-conversation to welcome him home.”

Mia smiles into her teacup but startles and almost spills it on herself when she hears you turn around and yell, “when you’re done bring a stool from the island and come sit with us.”

“Really?” Ethan deadpans.

“Yes, really. He’s very fond of you, did you know he-“ you’re interrupted by him plopping the metal stool he levitated over at the round table and him hastily sitting his ass down in it.

“So, how are the Winter’s doing?” He immediately turns to Rose. “And how’s little Rose doing too?”

Upon hearing his voice, Rose eye’s open, and she looks up at him, and reaches out her little hands. He reaches his freshly washed hand out and lets her grab his index finger. “I’d die for you, kiddo.” He has an uncharacteristically soft smile across his face. Rose giggles and the rest of his features visibly melt.

“Don’t tell her that too often,” Mia jokes, “she just might take that seriously and use you to do something devious.”

“Nothing she does will ever be devious, she’s far too sweet,” he says, “you have an angel in your arms, and not even the cruelest of hearts will change that.” And then he turns and continues to coo at the baby while you and the couple talk about various things.

Eventually, it’s time for them to go, and before they do, Karl practically runs to his workshop. “I have a new toy for your little dew-drop!”

“Dew-drop?” Ethan repeats softer.

“It’s his little nickname for the baby,” you clarify, “because her full name is Rosemary, and you can also call rosemary dew of the sea, and since she’s so small, dew-drop.”

Mia looks down at the baby. “That’s so cute-“

“And we are never calling her that.”

Karl is back, holding a small toy car, painted bright colors, not a sharp or small piece in sight. “I made her a toy car.” He approaches the couple and hands the toy car to Mia, who is holding the scones she came to pick up, while Ethan is holding the baby.

“We never have to buy her toys because you make them all.”

“That’s why I make them, so she knows each one is made with love.” He grins like a puppy that didn’t get caught for chewing the table leg. It’s almost disarming.

Ethan looks like he’s going to barf. You’d smack him if he wasn’t holding the baby. “Well, we’d best be heading out,” he says, and turns and opens the door without being prompted, “we have to walk Alcina.”

After the leave, Karl turns to you. “Alcina is a 9’6’’ tall woman, the only parts of the walk she’ll have issues with is going in and out the door. Fucking super-sized bitch,” he grumbles to himself, heading back to the kitchen to open the refrigerator door.

“Are you hungry?”

“No, just bored.” He closes the door again and wanders into your now open arms.

“You were out in the heat for a few hours, maybe you should take a nap.”

“And you were slaving away in that kitchen making that batch of soap for god-knows how long.”

“I’ve been working on that since five in the morning, so about six hours now.”

“We should both take a nap.” He’s already dragging you to the shared bedroom before you can complain.

“You’re sleeping at the foot of the bed, wolf-boy.”

He blatantly refuses, and instead makes himself comfortable, holding you to his chest like a stuffed animal. “I prefer holding you much more.” It’d be sweet if it weren’t so taboo to let him push you around like this.

“I own you, we both know this.”

“Sure you do,” he yawns, “you let me sleep in your bed, eat at the table with you, go grocery shopping with you-“

“I treat you like a person instead of property, I get it,” you grumble, “I love you, and clearly you’ve let that get to your head.”

He goes uncharacteristically quiet for a moment. “You love me.”

“Of course, I do, not quit talking before I kick you to your own bed.” He does, in fact, have his own bed, that he fits in just fine, that he’s used exactly once. It was his first night here, and he slept for three hours before crawling into yours after three hours because he had a nightmare. He’s never slept in it again. Bastard. But you never really blamed him, you rescued him and his siblings, and their owner was an absolute shithead.

“You’d never.” He places a kiss on the crown of your head. “You love me too much.”

“Weren’t you the one who suggested we nap together?”

“It was you.”

“Goddamn it.”

He squeezes around you tighter, and by the time you fall asleep, you feel his breathing in your ear. You spoil him far too much, to the point where people think you are lovers. Perhaps it’s because you wished you could be, sometimes. It’d be funny, to see how that’d play out. It’s not as taboo as it used to be, but still very much frowned upon. For good reason too. While he isn’t bound in servitude like familiars were long ago, like he was with his previous master, the power imbalance is much too large for you to feel comfortable with it.

He depended on your magic to stay alive, and while he could rely on the magic of the earth, it just wasn’t the same as a witch that cared about him as much as you did. His telekinesis was so much stronger since he moved in with you and got a sudden intense boost just recently.

It’s because you loved him.

Fuck.

[bluecarelesswhisper]

TOP 100 FEMALE SOLO SINGERS OF THE '50S AND '60S

Patti Page - All My Love, The Tennessee Waltz, Mockin' Bird Hill, I Went to Your Wedding, The Doggie in the Window, Cross Over the Bridge, Allegheny Moon, Old Cape Cod; Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte

Connie Francis - Who's Sorry Now, My Happiness, Lipstick on Your Collar, Everybody's Somebody's Fool, My Heart Has a Mind of its Own, Where the Boys Are, Don't Break the Heart That Loves You

Brenda Lee - Sweet Nothin's, I'm Sorry, I Want to Be Wanted, Fool #1, Break it to Me Gently, All Alone Am I

Kay Starr - Wheel of Fortune, Side By Side, Changing Partners, If You Love Me (Really Love Me), Rock and Roll Waltz

Doris Day - A Guy is a Guy, Secret Love, If I Give My Heart to You; Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera); Everybody Loves a Lover

Dionne Warwick - Anyone Who Had a Heart, Walk on By, I Say a Little Prayer, (Theme from) Valley of the Dolls, I'll Never Fall in Love Again

Aretha Franklin - I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You), Respect, Baby I Love You, Chain of Fools, The House That Jack Built

Teresa Brewer - Music! Music! Music!, Till I Waltz Again With You, Ricochet, A Tear Fell, A Sweet Old Fashioned Girl

Jo Stafford - Shrimp Boats, You Belong to Me, Jambalaya, Keep it a Secret, Make Love to Me!

Rosemary Clooney - Come On-a My House, Half as Much, Botch-A-Me, Hey There, This Ole House

Joni James - Why Don't You Believe Me, Have You Heard, Your Cheatin' Heart; My Love, My Love; How Important Can it Be?

Petula Clark - Downtown, I Know a Place, My Love, This is My Song, Don't Sleep in the Subway

Dinah Washington - I Don't Hurt Anymore, What a Diff'rence a Day Makes, Unforgettable, This Bitter Earth

Mary Wells - The One Who Really Loves You, You Beat Me to the Punch, Two Lovers, My Guy

Georgia Gibbs - Kiss of Fire, Seven Lonely Days, Tweedle Dee, Dance With Me Henry (Wallflower)

Lesley Gore - It's My Party, Judy's Turn to Cry, She's a Fool, You Don't Own Me

Nancy Sinatra - These Boots Are Made For Walkin'; How Does That Grab You, Darlin'?; Sugar Town, Love Eyes

Sarah Vaughan - Make Yourself Comfortable, How Important Can it Be?, Whatever Lola Wants, Broken-Hearted Melody

Dusty Springfield - I Only Want to Be With You, Wishin' and Hopin', You Don't Have to Say You Love Me, Son-Of-A Preacher Man

Ruth Brown - Teardrops From My Eyes, 5-10-15 Hours, (Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean, Oh What a Dream

Kitty Wells - It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels, Makin' Believe, Searching (For Someone Like You), Heartbreak U.S.A.

Etta James - The Wallflower, All I Could Do Was Cry, At Last, Tell Mama

LaVern Baker - Tweedlee Dee, Play it Fair, Jim Dandy, I Cried a Tear

Gale Storm - I Hear You Knocking, Teen Age Prayer, Dark Moon

Dinah Shore - My Heart Cries For You, Sweet Violets, Chantz-Chantez

Jaye P. Morgan - That's All I Want From You, Danger! Heartbreak Ahead, The Longest Walk

Eydie Gorme - Mama, Teach Me to Dance; You Need Hands, Blame it on the Bossa Nova

Carla Thomas - Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes), B-A-B-Y, I Like What You're Doing (To Me)

Patsy Cline - Walkin' After Midnight, I Fall to Pieces, Crazy

Peggy Lee - Lover, Fever, Is That All There Is

Dee Dee Sharp - Mashed Potato Time, Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes), Ride!

Kitty Kallen - Little Things Mean a Lot, In the Chapel in the Moonlight, My Coloring Book

Annette - Tall Paul, O Dio Mio, Pineapple Princess

Cher - All I Really Want to Do, Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down), You Better Sit Down Kids

Barbra Streisand - People, He Touched Me, Second Hand Rose

Linda Scott - I've Told Every Little Star, Don't Bet Money Honey, I Don't Know Why

Connie Smith - Once a Day, Ain't Had No Lovin', The Hurtin's All Over

Barbara Lewis - Hello Stranger, Baby I'm Yours, Make Me Your Baby

Anita Bryant - Till There Was You, Paper Roses, In My Little Corner of the World

Skeeter Davis - My Last Date (With You), The End of the World, I Can't Stay Mad at You

Sue Thompson - Sad Movies (Make Me Cry), Norman, Paper Tiger

Della Reese - And That Reminds Me, Don't You Know, Not One Minute More

Loretta Lynn - Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind), Fist City, Woman of the World (Leave My World Alone)

Betty Everett - You're No Good, The Shoop Shoop Song, There Comes a Time

Jackie DeShannon - What the World Needs Now is Love, Put a Little Love in Your Heart, Love Will Find a Way

Timi Yuro - Hurt, What's a Matter Baby, Make the World Go Away

Debbie Reynolds - Tammy, A Very Special Love, Am I That Easy to Forget

Gogi Grant - Suddenly There's a Valley, Who Are We, The Wayward Wind

Maxine Brown - All in My Mind, Funny, Oh No Not My Baby

Betty Johnson - I Dreamed, Little White Lies, The Little Blue Man

Jean Shepard - A Satisfied Mind, Beautiful Lies, Second Fiddle (To An Old Guitar)

Shirley Ellis - The Nitty Gitty, The Name Game, The Clapping Song

Little Eva - The Loco-Motion, Keep Your Hands Off My Baby, Let's Turkey Trot

Vera Lynn - Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart, Yours, If You Love Me (Really Love Me)

Eartha Kitt - C'est Si Bon, Santa Baby, Somebody Bad Stole De Wedding Bell

Lulu - To Sir With Love, Best of Both Worlds, Morning Dew

June Valli - Crying in the Chapel, I Understand, Apple Green

Connie Stevens - Sixteen Reasons, Why'd You Wanna Make Me Cry, Mr. Songwriter

Jane Morgan - Fascination, The Day the Rains Came, With Open Arms

Nancy Wilson - (You Don't Know) How Glad I Am, I Wanna Be With You; Face it Girl, it's Over

Esther Phillips - Release Me, And I Love Him, When a Woman Loves a Man

Vikki Carr - It Must Be Him, The Lesson, With Pen in Hand

Little Peggy March - I Will Follow Him, I Wish I Were a Princess; Hello Heartache, Goodbye Love

Mindy Carson - Candy and Cake, My Foolish Heart, Wake the Town and Tell the People

Sandy Posey - Born a Woman, Single Girl, I Take it Back

Bobbie Gentry - Ode to Billie Joe, Fancy

Brenda Holloway - Every Little Bit Hurts, When I'm Gone

Eileen Rodgers - Miracle of Love, Treasure of Your Love

Barbara Lynn - You'll Lose a Good Thing, Second Fiddle Girl

Dottie West - Here Comes My Baby, Would You Hold it Against Me

Baby Washington - That's How Heartaches Are Made, Only Those in Love

Kathy Linden - Billy; Goodbye Jimmy, Goodbye

Cathy Carr - Ivory Tower, First Anniversary

Fontella Bass - Rescue Me, Recovery

Barbara Mason - Yes, I'm Ready; Sad, Sad Girl

Marianne Faithfull - As Tears Go By, Summer Nights

Shelley Fabares - Johnny Angel, Johnny Loves Me

Wanda Jackson - Let's Have a Party, In the Middle of a Heartache

Tammy Wynette - D-I-V-O-R-C-E, Stand By Your Man

Mama Cass - Dream a Little Dream of Me, It's Getting Better

Faye Adams - Shake a Hand, Hurts Me to My Heart

Jill Corey - I Love My Baby, Love Me to Pieces

Dodie Stevens - Pink Shoe Laces, No

Bettye Swann - Make Me Yours, Don't Touch Me

Jan Howard - Evil on Your Mind, Bad Seed

Nina Simone - I Loves You, Porgy; Ain't Got No; I Got Life

Norma Jean - Go Cat Go, I Wouldn't Buy a Used Car From Him

Miss Toni Fisher - The Big Hurt, West of the Wall

Damita Jo - I'll Be There, If You Go Away

Patty Duke - Don't Just Stand There, Say Something Funny

Bonnie Guitar - Dark Moon, Mister Fire Eyes

Gloria Lynne - I Wish You Love, Watermelon Man

Jody Miller - Queen of the House, Home of the Brave

Gisele MacKenzie - Hard to Get, The Star You Wished Upon Last Night

Betty Madigan - Joey, Dance Everyone Dance

Ketty Lester - Love Letters, But Not For Me

Barbara George - I Know (You Don't Love Me No More), You Talk About Love

Joanie Sommers - One Boy, Johnny Get Angry

Irma Thomas - Don't Mess With My Man, Wish Someone Would Care

Diane Renay - Navy Blue, Kiss Me Sailor

[babydollangelica]

Well, Hiee people! This is gonna be my first post ever and I am not sure if it is a good Idea starting off with an angst, but I am dedicating it to a Yagi Toshinori/All might oneshot! Since its my first time on tumblr, please pardon any mistakes. I initially wanted to put it as Y/N but since its kinda gore, it didnt feel right.

Synopsis : Some Regrets will never leave you.

This event was placed during the time Bakugou got kidnapped and All Might used his full potential and lost his One For All against the Villian All For One.

Warning : angst, sexual assault foul language, gore, death.

Pairing : Yagi Toshinori/All Might x Fem/OC- Ayame

Original Villian Thorn

It was just another day for Ayame. She hummed and watered her plants. Ayame wasn't really special. Her quirk was mainly growing flowering plants. So she worked as a florist and grew various beautiful flowers. While humming she wondered 'oh, maybe tonight we can try out recent essential oil mix in the hot tub! Eucalyptus and rosemary will do well for toshi' she giggled and thought about all the possibilities after a hot tub would lead to. While Ayame was day dreaming, peonies bloomed all around the Flower Shop. Few locals who knew her very well called out "There you go again Ayame-san, are you missing him already?" She blushed and quickly apologized for the floral storm she caused. An elderly woman who was picking out flowers said "You don't have to apologize Ayame-chan you and your flowers are so beautiful. Your boyfriend is a lucky man. Ah..love. such a beautiful thing. Isn't it?" Ayame smiled and carefully handed the bouquet of white Lilies to her and said "don't worry about the payment Mrs. Ito" the elderly smiled and waved goodbye.

Ayame quickly closed the shop and headed home. She prepared the hot bath and some light dinner and waited for Toshi to come home. She noticed that Toshi was feeling low recently and wanted to do help him. She understands that although she can't fix his problems, she wants to be by his side when the going gets tough. So she patiently waits.

It is past midnight. The bath is gone cold. And so is the food. Ayame stomach growls woke her up from where she fell asleep on the kitchen counter. 'He still isn't home yet.' She gives him another call. And hears Toshi's cell ring outside the apartment. Frowning she walks towards the door and it opens, revealing a disheveled and exhausted Toshinori. Ayame gasped and held him in her arms and rubs his back. "Your alright. You are alright" she whispers reassuringly. He sigh "Bakugou is kidnapped and Young Midoriya and most of 1 A and 1 B are injured." She bites back tears, refusing to cry before him. "And here I am. The number one hero. Unable to do a thing in this state." He said bitterly and pulled away from Ayame's grasp. "Toshi, you-" He cut her off "we are making plans on raiding the place where Bakugou is kept captive. Momo smartly placed a tracking device on Bakugou. But the main issue is, All for one is most probably behind this. Ayame recalled the past conversation with Night Eye and looked at Toshi while she choked out "Toshi, no please don't" Toshi gingerly held her fingers between his own "This.....is why, we should have ended.....this, no. We never should have started anything to begin with. I should have never-" Ayame grasped his hand between hers and whispers "please Toshi, don't say this. Don't do this. We promised to be there for each other. No matter what the consequences were, we are going to face it together. Didn't we?" She kisses his finger, afraid that he may break out of trance and do what he has been planning to do. But Toshi pulled away again. "Ayame..... you are still so young. You still have so much ahead of you. I am nothing but a shell of a man, that may die tomorrow. Or soon. My power is not even my own, which I may lose in this battle. Please. Don't tie yourself down to me." She grabs hold of his shirt "Don't you dare say that! I am in love with Yagi Toshinori. Not because you are powerful. Or strong. But because you are you. I love you for who you are Toshi, and I am ready to walk down by your side to whatever path you have chosen. All I ask is for you to survive." Toshi grabs hold of his head "And you did Ayame! You have fulfilled it! You have walked down by my side. But I can't promise my survival. Which is why, you need to let go of me." Ayame rest her head against his chest. Tears running down her cheeks. "Toshi, my love... please don't" Toshinori gently pushes her away from him. He couldn't look at her. "Ayame, I am sorry.....Goodbye" he turns away and walks out of the door. Ayame froze. Tears streamed down her face as she whispered "Toshi..." getting back to her senses she rushes out of the door, trying to stop him. But she couldn't see him anywhere. She runs out on the streets in her nightgown yelling out his name. Searching for him. Asking the trees for help. But she never found him. Ayame sank to her knees and wails "Toshi, please don't leave me. Please" she kept crying in the middle of the streets. Her heart shattered.

The following day, the raid was conducted. Izuku, Kirishima, Todoroki, and Iida was able to rescue Bakugou while All Might intervened and fought One for All and defeated him. And in that process, he barely survived,completely lost his All For One Abilities and All Might's identity as Yagi Toshinori was now revealed to the world. But during that chaos, while all the Pro Hero's attention was on this raid, minor villains began causing havoc in most parts of the city. And now that the number one hero lost his power, doubt and fear began to rise in the country, feeding the Villians, making them more stronger. Unfortunately, Ayame fell victim to one of Hero Killer's followers, Thorn. And he has been keeping an eye on Ayame for a long time now. An obsessive psychopathic Villian who's quirk are Thorny Creepers. He made a pattern of her movements for over a span of 2 months now. Even keeping an eye on her ex-boyfriend. (Yes. He witnessed the whole breakup scenario) who surprisingly is revealed to be the former number one hero. With him out of the way, a perfect opportunity of having his way with her arose. He broke into her home and drugged her. The usual kidnapping tactic. Dumping her in the van, he drove away to the outskirts of the city into a dingy warehouse, he cuffed her with a power dampner and assaulted her, tortured her with his spiny creepers untill she was ripped apart. Her screams were music to his ears, while he filmed her. As she begged him to let her go, he began torturing her all over again. The very idea of hurting a former pro hero lover fed his ego. Ayame realized this and slowly turned unresponsive. It was the fourth day and he finally decided that since he no longer had fun, it was time to end her life. "You have served me well Little Flower. I enjoyed ripping off your petals. You look even prettier covered in blood. But its time to weed you out." All Ayame could think of was Toshi as she lay on the bloodied ground, trying to reach out to her pendant, while waiting for the final blow. 'I Love you Toshi' That evening while Toshi was recovering at the hospital, Naomasa visited him. There was a grave look on his face that made Toshinori heart drop. "Naomasa? What is it? Is Bakugou alri- "Naomasa cuts him off "There has been another crime by Thorn." Toshi Frowns "After 5 years? Are you sure its him?" Naomasa sinks in the chair "yes, the same pattern..but Toshi... I.." he takes a deep breath and says "this is hard....Its Ms. Ayame, we got the video from Thorn. They are still searching for her." Toshi's blood runs cold. He whispers as he jumps out of the bed "what did you say? I don't think I heard it right" Naomasa stand up "the Video was sent through her number. We tried tracking her cellphone but it was found in the river and-" Naomasa's cell rings. Time was suddenly slow for Toshi. He could hear his own heart beat. His eyes burned and when he closed it, all he could remember was Ayame's face when she hugged him and begged him not to leave her. Naomasa touched Toshinori's shoulder and said softly "They found her. I am so sorry but-" Toshi yelled "NO! No... No this can't be. I NEED TO SEE HER. WITH MY OWN EYES." Naomasa nodded. After an hour, they reached the warehouse. Toshi prayed for some miracle. Prayed that Ayame would be alive. There were police cars and Coroner's Vans. A crowd of people gathered at the distance. Murmuring lines of pity. But Toshi was numb. His face pale as he walk toward the entrance. Stench of Iron fills the air. And there, in the middle of the room lay a body twisted in a strange angle, in a large pool of blood. And he walked closer. And he saw her. Ayame. Lying on her stomach, but her neck twisted, facing upwards, her limbs flayed, while her left hand reached out towards the celtic knot pendant. The gift Toshi gave her a year ago. Toshi knelt on the ground and wailed as he reached out to touch her stiff hands. "Ayame, My Love, Please..." his words no longer sounded comprehensible as he choked on his tears. He began crawling towards her body, his trousers soaked in

cold blood.

The coroner who was collecting evidence protested but Toshi paid no heed as he held her up against his chest and whispered in her ear "your alright, you will wake up, you are alright my love. Now please, please wake up. I can't.....I shouldn't have left you. My love please. Please comeback" he kisses her forehead as he rocks himself back and forth holding her close to him. And that is when he see's it. There is a huge hole in her chest. He whispers "your heart..... where is your heart" he looks around and sees it pinned by thorny branches against the wall. He gasped "I am so sorry my love. I am so so sorry. I love you. I love you so much. This is all my fault. I should have stayed. I should have come back home early. My sweet sweet love. Please come back, please, I can't live without you. Please" The Coroner walked over to Naomasa. "Its been 7 hours since she passed away. And according to my analysis, she had been held captive for four days. Mutilated body and signs of resistance blows were found. We did find rubber between her finger nails. She was also sexually assaulted, so his Semen was found in her. There are also photos of her found on the desk. He has been preparing this for months now. Naomasa groaned "Yes. Parts of it was also shown in the video. He killed her because in the end, she showed no resistance." Upon hearing this, Toshinori slowly turns around eyes dangerously zoning in on the coroner as he seethed "Four Days? She was kidnapped four days ago? Tortured and raped.?" Toshi shivered. He could still feel the ghost of her kisses when she held his hand one last time. Every time he closed his eyes, he could still see her smile. Her sweet scent every time he held her in his arms. But now he held her cold body, he couldnt see her smile, nor the sweet scent. It was but the lifeless body and dead eyes that stared up at him. His heart slowed down. He kissed her cold stiff lips one last time. He gently closes her eyes. And weeps again. Yagi Toshinori screams. He may have saved the world, but he lost his. Regret is the most painful thing.

[buginateacup]

Bug’s Fic and Gin collection

It’s wednesday night and I’m in the mood to do something a little weird so I’m pairing my gin collection to my Megamind fics. These will be in order of first posting.

Shut up and Ki(ss)dnap me - A short two chapter fic, my first foray into the fandom (though not the first thing I wrote for it). Short and zippy but a delightful finish. Pair with: Ambleside Small Acre gin. Heavy on the botanicals. Rhubarb, bay leaf, apple and cloves give a savoury zing on the palate. On the Palate: Juniper, pine, notes of white pepper, herbaceous and earthy body, slight bite to finish.

The Shoal - A Cthuluesque oneshot mostly about the gods of Megamind’s species and how they followed him to Earth Pairs with: Amphitrite Gin Elixir. A sweeter gin, milder than most but ooh take it slow because it will change your life

Bad Idea  - A songfic and the first of the Feral Roxanne iterations. Pairs with: It has to be Chase Sloe and Mulberry gin. Sweet gins aren’t for everybody but this one has a strong flavour and quite strong. If you’re going to indulge in something over the top you might as well make it worth it.

Fishcakes - Why did I torture Minion this way? Minion’s POV but mostly revolves around “Oh good they worked it out...could they stop working it out for five minutes maybe?” Pairs with: Queenscliff Distillery Dry gin. Bitey, very dry. Poor Minion deserves better.

Tea with Topsy - Ah yes...the big one. The slowburn falling in love Evil Queen AU. Specifically without an external catalyst. No Hal, no other big bad, just flirting and phonecalls and a slow slow steep into the darkside with no interest in redeeming the villain or setting them on a path to light. Still a feral Roxanne but also just two actual adults just coming together with the kind of inevitability of a fuse burning down to the explosives. Pairs with: Brookies Byron Slow Gin. Made with Davidson plums rather than sloe berries. Bright and flavourful with a hint of bite. I prefer it over ice.

Behind the scenes - Its just horny guys. What feral Roxanne wants, feral Roxanne gets. Pairs with: Tiny Bear distillery Brew. Coffee infused gin. delicious. Punches your lungs out with the fumes if you’re not careful.

Layers - Roxanne makes self destructive decisions. Megamind makes self sabotaging ones. Nothing is going well. And yet it ends lightly? Pairs with: Larrikin Barrel Aged Gin. This gin has been ‘aged’ in small American Oak barrels, that once held bourbon and then Tasmanian whisky. Strong whisky scent but none of the afterburn. Lingering flavours, best served over ice.

Presentation - Ultimate Alien Megamind, written for a Gift Exchange. Megamind rescues Roxanne, makes better decisions than she does. Quiet and painful. A sequel is coming (eventually) Pairs with: Archie Rose Coast. Strawberry gum, sea lettuce and lemon myrtle, the second most Australian tasting gin I’ve ever had. Delicious.

Rings - The crackfic idea that should not have turned into 80K+ with feelings. And yet here we are. Pairs with: Dasher + Fisher Sloe Gin. One of my favourite gins, very sweet and a serious indulgence. Comes from Tasmania. Extremely delicious and very sweet.

Run - Still might actually be my favourite oneshot. Brains/Brawn/Boss. Roxanne disappears and Megamind and Metro Man team up to find her. Everybody goes Evil because Evil has Standards. Pairs with: Underdog Gin from Applewood Distillery. Anise myrtle my love.

Liminal Spaces - Outtakes and alternate scenes from Rings. Pairs with: Brogan’s Way Hearts Afire gin. Cassia, aniseed myrtle, lilly pilly. Warm and winter.

Date Night - Accidental Evil fake dating, written to have two bastard ferals bang in the car. Somehow needed 10K+ of logistics beforehand. Sigh Pairs with: Tiny Bear Sailor Gin. Extra strength Navy gin and fucking hell I need to finish this fic.

Better the Devil you know - Another Roxanne runs to a supervillain for safety. Happens very early on in their relationship before they trust one another well enough that things would have progressed if it happened a few years later. Pairs with: Roku Gin, a very smooth Japanese gin with a very pretty bottle.

Pomegranate Seeds - Kind of fucked up Hades/Persephone AU Pairs with: Dasher + Fisher Cherry Gin. Sweet but cruel.

and the taste of you sweet on my tongue - Sweet soft soulmate AU where I was more interested in the worldbuilding than the outcome. Pairs with: Dasher + Fisher Strawberry Gin. Very sweet. Nothing to it after that.

No one calls you honey when you're sitting on a throne - Heheheh. Similar to Run wherein we see Roxanne choose Evil. But a lot bitier and immediately destructive. Pairs with: Copperwave Gin from Hunter Distillery. Aromatic and citrusy with a licorice finish.

Hey kids lets rob a bank!    - Based on an anon prompt. Two old marrieds just as in love as ever. Pairs with: Greenall’s Wild Berry Gin. Its sweet and light. What more do you want?

Waiting - Very silly. Diary style fic. Means I get to avoid all the awkward bits I don’t feel like writing. Pairs with: 78 Degrees Sunset Gin. DELICIOUS. Could drink it forever no effort.

Mirror Mirror - Extremely fucking horny fucking. Pairs with: Teddy & The Fox from Bellarine Gin. Its bitey.

Please break me gently - Oooh how badly do you want to hurt? A continuation is planned. About 4 chapters in total eventually. Pairs with: Brogan’s Way Everyday Salvation. White pepperberry and strawberry gum. Don’t talk to me while I’m drinking this. I need to be alone.

Wake Up Call - Short with a twist. Pairs with: Ginny Pig Spiced Fig Gin. Enjoy with ginger ale.

Bonus unwritten fic: Paperwork Polycule, specifically because there are bits of it floating around Tumblr. Pairs with: Threefold Distilling Aromatic Gin. Grapefruit, Rosemary and Lavender. Self explanatory really

(The most Australian gin is Lyrebird. It tastes like a hills hoist in a backyard with dry summer grass and birds calling on a hot evening.)

[tipsycad147]

Magickal Herbs & Teas To Get You Through The Winter Season

By  Tia Johnson

“But there are some things I know for certain: always throw spilled salt over your left shoulder, keep rosemary by your garden gate, plant lavender for luck, and fall in love whenever you can.”

-Practical Magic

The Winter season is a great time for going inward to do some self-reflection and honoring the cycles of death and rebirth. It’s also a time to celebrate the holidays. For some, it’s even a time to play in the snow and create snow angels. Simply put, it’s a very magickal time of the year when we understand what this season means.

But what about self-care via food? After all, we are eating more than ever during this season! From holiday-themed food to holiday-themed drinks, it seems never-ending!

What about consciously eating to stay warm and benefit from the magickal and practical properties? How could we benefit from that and what are these herbs and teas that are going to help us in this mission?

How To Benefit From This List

Below is a list of some herbs and teas that, when we consciously consume, transition from a seemingly mundane herb and drink to a magickal source of goodness to raise our vibration, help to keep us warm, and aid to boost our immune system. Consciously consume these herbs, spices, and teas by activating its magick through saying things like, “Rosemary, thank you for helping me with protection, love, healing, sleep, and mental powers.” as you are taking in its aroma and imagining it going through your body and your aura creating a vortex of protection, love, peaceful sleep, and better mental powers. Imagine what that would look like for you and what that would feel like for you.

I discuss the herb list in detail in my latest episode on The Spiritual & Empowerment Living With Tia podcast, Magickal Herbs To Get You Through The Winter Season.

where I provided a download for you so you can take it to the market and get the herbs and spices. Get the list at https://tiamariejohnson.com/winterherbs

As a reminder, the lists below are recommendations. They are neither substitutes for medications nor cures. Please consult your physician before you make any changes to your eating and/or drinking habits.

HERBS & SPICES

Rosemary

Magickal Properties:

Planet: Sun

Element: Fire

Powers: Protection, love, healing, sleep, Mental powers

When burned: Cleanses your vibration

Place under your pillow to aid in good sleep, reduce nightmares

Can attract elves.

As an incense to promote love

Have over door to aid in keeping negativity away.

Practical Properties:

A source of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, which are thought to help boost the immune system and improve blood circulation.

Can help improve memory performance and quality.

The aroma can improve one’s mood, clearing the mind, and relieving stress.

Rosemary is often used for digestion problems and loss of appetite.

Mint

Magickal Properties:

Planet:  Mercury

Element: Air

Deitiets: Pluto/Hades, Hecate

Powers: Money, healing, Travel, Protection

Rub on forehead to help with headaches. My dad would rub this behind his ears as well.

Keep in home for protection

Can use it in spells for money, travel, and protection.

Practical Properties:

Tons of nutrients

Better breath

Helps with improving brain function and digestive symptoms

Garlic

Magickal Properties:

Planet: Mars

Element: Fire

Deity: Hecate

Powers: Protection, healing, lust, anti-theft

When eaten, induces lust or courage. Placed in home for protection

Practical Properties:

Can combat sickness like the common cold

Can help with blood pressure, heart disease may help prevent Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia

A source for antioxidants

Ginger

Magickal Properties:

Planet: Mars

Element: Fire

Powers: Love, money, success, power

eat before doing a spell to increase the power since you are heating up.

Use in money and success spells

Practical Properties:

Has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Helps with nausea and morning sickness.

lower blood sugars

Aids in weight loss

Reduces menstrual pain.

Turmeric

Magickal Properties:

Powers: Purification

Practical Properties:

Anti-Inflammatory

Increases the antioxidants

improved brain function

Orange

Orange was once given as a Christmas gift and meant wealth, good luck and fortune

Magickal Properties:

Planet: Sun

Element: Fire

Powers: Love, Divination, luck, money

peels and seeds in a sachet for love.

Peels in prosperity spells.

Similar to an apple, eat it, ask a yes/no question. even number no odd yes

Practical Properties:

Helps with Kidney stone prevention

Anemia prevention

Oranges are high in Vitamin C

Gut health

Cinnamon

Magickal Properties:

Planet: Sun

Element: Fire

Deities: Venus, Aphrodite

Powers: Spirituality, success, healing, power, psychic powers, lust, protection, love

when burned as an incense, raises high spiritual vibrations, draws in money, protection, increase psychic powers.

Practical Properties:

Loaded With Antioxidants

Has Anti-Inflammatory Properties

May Cut the Risk of Heart Disease Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease

Lowers Blood Sugar Levels

Nutmeg

Magickal Properties:

Planet: Jupiter

Element: Fire

Powers: Luck, money, health

good luck. money and prosperity spells.

Practical Properties:

Ability to relieve pain.

Strengthen cognitive function.

Detoxify the body.

Boost skin health.

Reduce insomnia.

Increase immune system function.

Improve blood circulation.

Cardamom

Magickal properties:

Planet: Venus

Element: Water

Deity: Erzulie

Power: Lust, love

The ground seeds are added to warmed wine for a quick lust potion.

love sachets and incenses.

Practical Properties:

Antioxidant

Lower Blood Pressure

Anti-Inflammatory

Increase airflow to your lungs and improve breathing.

TEAS

Ginger Tea

In addition to being a great healing property, starting your morning with ginger tea will help to keep you warm the entire day. Also, ginger tea also prevents nausea and vomiting.

Hibiscus Tea

This rich magenta tea has a sweet-sour fruity tang. Brewed warm, hibiscus tea has bright citrus and red-berry notes like a cranberry Christmas punch, or warm mulled wine. Hibiscus tea is packed with antioxidants, helps with weight loss, and fighting bacteria, among other things.

Lemon Tea

In boiling water, put pepper, honey, and turmeric in the mug – and the tea is ready! You can have Lemon and Pepper Tea when you want a prolonged immune system. It’s good to drink this tea as a detoxing agent as well.

Black Tea

Black tea also serves as an antioxidant. It may boost heart health. Lowers the bad cholesterol. Improves focus. May reduce blood pressure and sugar levels.

Hot Vanilla Chai

Vanilla Chai is a combination of water, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon stick. All these ingredients provide tons of health benefits. If you’re feeling sick or anticipating a cold coming from the corner, make the tea and rescue yourself!

Green Tea

Green tea improves brain function, helps with fat loss, helps with protecting against cancer, and helps with lowering the risk of heart disease

Ashwagandha Tea

Considered a magic herb, Ashwagandha is also known as Indian Ginseng. It helps in controlling cholesterol level, increase men fertility, and reduces stress and anxiety.

Sources:

https://www.vitacost.com/blog/types-of-herbs-for-winter-health/

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-proven-health-benefits-of-garlic

https://www.dilmahtea.com/herbal-infusion-tea/herbal-tea-benefits/nutmeg.html#:~:text=Nutmeg%20is%20found%20to%20have,leukemia%2C%20and%20improve%20blood%20circulation

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-proven-benefits-of-cinnamon

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-proven-benefits-of-ginger

https://tealovers.com/8-winter-teas-keep-warm-healthy-cosy/

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-green-tea#_noHeaderPrefixedContent

https://blog.tiamariejohnson.com/magickal-herbs-tea-to-get-you-through-the-winter-season/

[galaxymysteryelephant]

The Start of Something New 2

The second chapter is up, you can read it here.

Part one; Chapter one

---

There is a knock on Rex’s door promptly at 1800 hours.

It is as he goes to answer the door that he realizes he is nervous. He has to laugh at himself. Of all the things he experienced in his life and faced head on, this is the most nervous he has ever been.

Rex channels his nervous energy into opening the door. “Hey Ben,” he greets when he sees the auburn haired man waiting to be invited in. “Please come on in.”

“I bought these for you,” Ben says as he hesitantly holds out flowers, a bouquet of pink stargazer lilies.

Rex smiles as he accepts the flowers from Ben. “These are so beautiful.” He brings the flowers to his face and inhales their glorious scent. “Please make yourself comfortable while I go put these in some water.”

Rex watches as Ben removes his coat and hangs it by the door before heading to his kitchen to find a vase for his flowers.

“How was your day?” Rex asks with his head in a cabinet.

“It was alright,” Ben states. “I spent the afternoon with my brother, thankfully not talking about his wedding.”

“Is he your only sibling?” Rex asks as he fills the vase he found with water.

“Yes. Though I am quite close with one of his friends, and I think of her as a younger sister. What about you?”

“It is just Cody and I.” Rex places his flowers in the vase, then places the vase in the center of his island.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Ben says as he hands Rex a bottle of wine. “It is a berry moscato and should pair well with dinner. “

Rex gives Ben a soft smile and gently scolds him, “I said you didn’t need to bring anything.”

“I know, I just hated the idea of coming here empty handed.”

“Dinner should be ready soon. Please take a seat while I check on it.”

Ben takes a seat at the island as Rex checks on dinner. “How was your day?” Ben asks.

“Not too bad, it just got a whole lot better, if I am being honest.” Rex flashes Ben a flirtatious smile. Rex grabs two plate settings and sets out to serve two portions of food. “I hope you are hungry,” Rex states as he places one of the plate settings in front of Ben.

“It smells and looks delicious,” Ben claims.

“You don’t need to wait for me, dig in. I am going to get two glasses for the wine.”

As Rex pours wine into two glasses he cannot help but hear the pleased moans escaping Ben’s mouth at the taste of the food.

“Did you add any spices to this?” Ben questions when Rex sits across from him.

“The only thing I really seasoned was the chicken. And I seasoned it with fresh basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary, and mint.”

“It is really good. I love how all of the flavors work together. And the chicken flavor seasoned the vegetables really well too.” Ben smiles at Rex, “Where did you learn to cook?”

“My parents mainly.”

“I think you could have made it as a cook,” Ben admits.

“Technically I am one; I cook at the firehouse.”

“Is that an experience you like?”

“Yes and no,” Rex starts. “The thing about cooking at the firehouse is that we always need to be prepared for a call, so it’s better to make something that is quick and easy or can be eaten in a hurry. So, it is mostly sandwiches or the like. I have recently encouraged everyone to start bringing in stuff from home, so we can just heat it up when we have downtime. Yesterday, Jesse brought in a big pot of chili that he made, it was so good.”

Ben gives Rex a small smile. “Do you enjoy being a firefighter?”

“I love it,” Rex replies.

“How long have you been a firefighter?”

“About three years. Earlier this year, I received that rank of captain for all of my hard work,” Rex states proudly.

“Did you always want to do this?” Ben asks curiously.

Rex lets out a small sigh, “No. I wanted to have a career in the military.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“I enlisted after high school and served for three years. My career was looking bright, I received the rank of captain and was happy, before I got discharged,” Rex explains.

“What happened?”

“I was injured on a campaign and deemed unfit for duty,” Rex gives the short version of events.

“Rex, I know you probably don’t want to worry me but I am curious. I want to know everything about you. So, can you tell me what happened,” Ben says after a moment.

Rex sighs and gives a curt nod. He takes a moment to gather his thoughts before he begins.

“It was midday and we were trying to siege an outpost in the middle of nowhere. I was with a small squad when a battle broke out. At some point during the battle, I was shot. But adrenaline was pumping through me that I didn’t notice until after the skirmish was won. Pain surged through my body and I passed out.

“When I came to one of my men was by my side. He was pale and I knew from the look in his eyes that it didn’t look good, that I might not make it out alive. He told me that I was shot several times in the chest and shoulder. He had his hands pressed on my chest wound to stop the bleeding. I can still recall the smell of iron in the air and how blood stained his hands were as he called for a medic.

“The medic performed an emergency surgery right there in the middle of a battlefield. He removed two bullets from my chest which were mere centimeters from my heart. He requested an emergency evacuation and rushed me back to base, where I could receive better medical attention. When I reached base, I was rushed into another surgery due to complications.  

“A day later, I was scheduled for another surgery, this time for my shoulder. The bone was shattered and the ligaments torn. The medics fixed it up as best as they could but doubted that it would ever heal properly, even with physical therapy.

“They informed my commanding officer of my medical condition. He came down to check on me himself. He advised me that I needed to pass evaluations, in order to go back to the frontlines. I failed every evaluation and was deemed unfit for service. They discharged me as a result. When I came back home I had to undergo a couple more surgeries and lots of physical therapy.”

Rex can see the pity that Ben holds for him in his gaze. It is one of the reasons he doesn’t talk about his time in the military.

“You must be stronger to overcome such trauma,” Ben states into his now empty plate.

“I suppose you can say that. To me it was more patience than anything.”

“If you don’t mind my asking how old were you?” Ben questions.

“I was 20.” Rex looks at Ben and clears his throat until the other man meets his gaze. “Not to be rude or anything but can we please talk about something else?”

“Of course.” Ben gives Rex a small smile, “My apologies if I made you uncomfortable.”

“You didn’t. I just think it is a heavy topic for a first date.”

“Is that what this is?” Ben asks teasingly, clearly trying to lighten the mood.

“Yeah, I thought it was obvious. We have a homemade dinner and wine.”

Ben laughs. “When did you decide to open the coffee shop?”

A smile takes over Rex’s features. “About a year ago. Cody came up with the idea actually.”

“So, why open a coffee shop if you are a successful fireman?”

“Believe it or not, the firehouse is underfunded. We have fund-raised but never raised enough money. Cody proposed opening a coffee shop where the profits and proceeds can go to getting equipment needed for the firehouse. Since opening the coffee shop we have been able to get another engine.”

“Cody seems like a wise man.”

“He is,” Rex smiles proud of his older brother. “If it weren’t for him the firehouse would only have one engine and one rescue. We have a greater response time now with the other engine.”

“That is great. I take it you and Cody are close to have decided to open a business together.”

“We are. He is not only my brother but my best friend. We have done so much together and have always been there when the other needs them. We have gone through a lot of hard times which only brought us closer together.”

“That sounds like a nice relationship. My brother and I are close but not as close as you and Cody. My brother and I are often at odds; we disagree about so much.”

“Well that is brothers for you. You may not always see eye to eye on things, you may annoy the shit out of each other, but you always have each other's backs.”

Rex gives Ben a quick smile and holds up his glass of wine, which has remained untouched until now. “How about a toast?”

Ben returns Rex’s smile and holds up his half-filled glass, “You can do the honors, dear Rex.”

Rex smiles bigger at the endearment before he comes up with the perfect toast. “To the start of something new.”

“To the start of something new,” Ben repeats.

Their glasses clink and they both take sips of the wine. Smiles dance across their faces when they place the glasses back down on the island.

“I am going to clean up in here and then we can go into the living room to chat and have some pavlova. Does that sound like a plan?”

“Yes,” Ben responds. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“You are a guest, please relax.”

“As your guest, I insist on helping you clean up.”

Not wanting to argue and ruin this, Rex reluctantly agrees. The two begin clearing the island and washing the dishes.

Rex allows a comfortable silence to fall between them as they complete the task. He allows his mind to wander.

If Rex is being honest with himself, he thought Ben would have left after he found out about Rex’s past. After all, it is still something that haunts his dreams; it is still something he needs to deal with everyday. Most people do not want to be with someone from the military for that reason, because it puts a strain on the relationship. Rex only hopes that he didn’t ruin this budding relationship with Ben.

Rex is pulled from his thoughts when Ben lightly bumps his hip against Rex’s. It is something so casual and so domestic that Rex cannot help but smile.

I definitely didn't ruin this. 

[mikauzoran]

Lukadrien: Among the Wild Things: Chapter Nine

Read it on AO3: Among the Wild Things: Chapter Nine: Ghosts

Nino, Adrien, and Marinette continued to snuggle in subdued silence for a few minutes more until Nino took it upon himself to lighten the atmosphere by asking Marinette about what kind of outfit she was going to design for Luka for the wedding-slash-coronation the following day.

Marinette launched into an impassioned doctoral dissertation on the designs she had in mind that would match the outfit she had already created for Adrien while also suiting Luka.

Luka, Adrien, and Nino stopped her every so often to ask questions and seek clarification.

Soon, the lively discussion turned to mortal wedding customs and the order of the ceremony.

Adrien explained that Nathalie would make sure that Luka knew everything he needed for the ceremony, but the three humans took turns describing aspects of the event and answering Luka’s questions.

Nearly an hour had passed when Adrien’s stomach rumbled, and the young king was reminded that it had been hours since he’d last eaten.

Bidding a fond farewell to Nino and Marinette and assuring them that they would meet again soon, Adrien and Luka made their way to the King’s chambers where dinner was waiting for them.

 “The kitchen made your favourite dishes, Your Majesty,” Chef Cheng announced, bowing as he removed the dish covers with a flourish.

Luka (with his glamour back up) gawked openly at the feast in miniature set before them on the small table near the windows in the King’s chambers. There was a wide assortment of vegetable and seafood dishes, curries, salads, hummuses, and bread…and a tiered tray of bite-sized desserts to round out the meal. Luka found himself astounded by the variety of colours and textures partnered with the heady yet pleasing mix of spices.

“Thank you, Shifu,” Adrien responded with a wide grin overflowing with gratitude as he scooped up some of the lemon and rosemary hummus with a slice of pita still steaming fresh from the oven. “I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed your food. Please give the kitchen my thanks.”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” Chef Cheng assured, glowing with pride at Adrien’s show of appreciation. “It is our honor to serve you. Please enjoy your meal.”

With another bow, the great chef took his leave, and Adrien greedily bit into his pita.

The food seemed to turn to dirt in his mouth, leaving Adrien choking.

“My Love? What’s wrong?” Luka entreated, getting to his feet and hurrying around the table to his husband’s side, his hand going to rest on Adrien’s back between his shoulder blades.

Adrien reached for his wine goblet, taking a large swallow of the liquid and nearly spiting it out again just as fast.

“It tastes like over-steeped tea,” he choked, staring at the spread of food with a look of utter betrayal.

“Oh, no…” Luka breathed as he realized what had happened. “You can’t eat mortal food anymore after consuming fairy food for so long. I’m so sorry, Adrien. I completely forgot.”

“Me too,” Adrien muttered mournfully, picking up a pickled radish and taking a tentative bite. He cringed as the expected acidity of the vinegar failed to materialize on his tongue, replaced instead by the taste and texture of hay.

He looked up at Luka. “Does it taste this bad for you too?”

Luka scooped up a creampuff from the dessert tray and popped it into his mouth. “…It’s fine. Light, flakey exterior…subtly sweet, creamy interior.”

Adrien grabbed a mini pain au chocolat, biting into it in desperation.

He waited for semisweet chocolate to coat his tongue and bring back the usual rush of memories of his childhood…but the pastry was gritty in his mouth.

His hand fell away from his lips, and the pain au chocolat landed with a bounce, leaving crumbs and a smear of chocolate on the pristine tablecloth.

“Adrien?” Luka called gently, concern building with every passing second.

Adrien fought to keep his breathing steady as his heartrate picked up, a wave of panic overtaking him. “…I used to eat those with my mom.”

“Oh, Adrien,” Luka cooed, his heart breaking as tears began to spill over his mate’s cheeks. “Little Prince, it’s going to be okay,” he promised, pulling Adrien out of the chair and into his arms, holding his husband tight, holding him together.

Adrien choked on a sob, wrapping his own arms around Luka and squeezing to keep himself grounded. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize… I’m sorry. It’s just food. It’s not important. I haven’t even thought about pain au chocolat this whole time. I just…”

“Shhh.” Luka gently started to sway, rocking Adrien from side to side. “It’s okay, Adrien. It’s going to be okay. If it helps, Alya’s mother is an exceptional chef. We can figure out how to make the foods that are important to you. You haven’t lost anything. Okay?”

Slowly, Adrien started to nod, mentally grabbing onto Luka’s words like a life raft. “Okay,” he agreed shakily. “Yeah. That…That’s a good idea. We can ask her when we get back home. Sorry. I’m just feeling a little emotional being back here.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for,” Luka whispered, nuzzling Adrien’s hair comfortingly. “I get it. I’m sure being back here dredges up a lot of old memories for you, and there’s a lot going on at the moment with your father’s death and everything. It’s okay to feel raw right now…. I’ve got you.”

Adrien tipped his head up to lick Luka’s cheek in gratitude. “I love you.”

“Love you too,” Luka assured, returning the lick lovingly. He paused, noting, “You taste like you did that day I first licked you…. You were crying then too.”

“I cried all the time back then,” Adrien chuckled ironically.

“It made me think you were fragile…that I needed to protect you,” Luka hummed, reflecting. “But you’re not, and I don’t.”

“What if I want you to?” Adrien chuckled, tears gradually drying up as Luka continued to bring him back into the present moment.

“Don’t you have a guard to protect you, though?” Luka teased. “Nino has the biggest queerplatonic crush on you. He’d be happy to do the job.”

Adrien leaned in, touching his nose lightly to Luka’s. He then shook his head so that he was nuzzling his husband as he pretended to pout, “No. I want you to protect me.”

“You’re very persuasive,” Luka observed, tipping his head to lower his lips to Adrien’s.

The kiss slowly deepened and picked up intensity until Luka began to wonder if they were skipping dinner and going straight to bed.

But then Adrien’s stomach noisily groaned in protest, threatening to eat itself if no other suitable substitute was offered to slake its hunger.

Luka pulled back with a chuckle, making Adrien whine almost as loudly as his stomach. “Later, Love,” he snickered. “First, we need to feed you. I’ll run back home and grab you something edible until we can make other arrangements to keep you nourished for the duration of our stay.”

“No!” Adrien cried in a sudden fright, tightening his hold on his husband. “Please,” he added in a more level, composed tone. “Sorry. Please don’t leave me. I don’t think I can take being alone here right now, not even for half an hour.”

Luka pursed his lips, studying the worry lines cutting into Adrien’s face. “Adrien, you can’t deal with all this on an empty stomach. Water should be fine for you to drink, but what are you going to eat?”

“There’s plenty of food,” Adrien argued, tipping his head back towards the myriad dishes covering the table. He tried not to cringe as he took it all in. “I’ll just…”

“What?” Luka snorted lightly. “Choke it down?”

“…Yeah,” Adrien sighed in resignation, breaking away from Luka to rescue the rest of the pain au chocolat he had earlier dropped.

He closed his eyes, imagined the burst of flavor that he should be experiencing, took a bite…and tasted dust. His eyes began to water as he forced himself to chew and swallow.

“Oh, My Love,” Luka cooed sympathetically, gathering Adrien into his arms and pulling him down to sit on Luka’s lap in the red velvet armchair. He rubbed Adrien’s back encouragingly as the repatriated king sullenly consumed his dinner.

 It was slow going, but, eventually, Adrien managed to eat a sufficient amount to quiet his stomach and keep himself going.

“I feel sick,” he whimpered into Luka’s neck.

The kelpie continued to run his hand up and down his husband’s back, making the soothing whickering and whinnying sounds Adrien liked so much.

Adrien had told Luka once that the sounds reminded him of the horses in the royal stables that he had befriended and often talked to about his problems.

“I’m sorry, My Love,” Luka whispered.

“Don’t be sorry,” Adrien sighed, reluctantly disentangling himself from Luka and getting to his feet. “I brought this upon myself. It’s not like it’s your fault.”

Luka grimaced as a stab of guilt pierced his chest. “Isn’t it, though? In a way, at least? If not for me, you’d still be able to enjoy this food.”

Adrien rolled his eyes and gave his head a toss. “If not for you, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy this food because I’d be living a purposeless life without freedom and full of misery.”

Luka hummed thoughtfully at this new perspective. “Well…if you put it like that…”

“Exactly,” Adrien snorted. He then seemed to get distracted by dark thoughts as he looked to the chamber’s double doors. “…I suppose I should make a show of retiring to the Queen’s rooms so that we don’t scandalize the servants.”

Luka’s eyes narrowed as he picked up on the hint of fear in Adrien’s tone.

He stood, placing his own hand on top of the hand Adrien had rested on the table. “Something wrong, Little Prince?”

Adrien turned his head to look at Luka, and Luka saw that Adrien’s lips were quivering almost imperceptibly as he entreated, “Come with me, please? I don’t know if I can…” He paused and took a breath, trying to wrangle his flighty thoughts. “I haven’t been in my mother’s rooms in years. Not even after I convinced Father to open them back up again after he’d initially walled them up right after her death. I wasn’t ever able to do more than peek inside, so…” He shook his head, screwing his eyes closed. “I think this is going to be another one of those things that makes me emotional.”

“Shh,” Luka cooed, lacing his fingers through Adrien’s and giving his hand a squeeze to reassure him of Luka’s presence. “Of course. I’m with you.”

“I feel so stupid,” Adrien laughed at himself, an unkind bark. “I’m acting like such a baby.”

Luka tipped up Adrien’s chin with a finger, making Adrien meet his loving, empathetic gaze. “You are the strongest, bravest person I know. In the Couffaine family, we tend not to confront problems. We pretend they’re not there or we avoid them or run away from them. We don’t take responsibility or ownership. You, though,” he chuckled, smiling and shaking his head in disbelief. “You chose to uproot your life, leave your happiness behind, and come back here to deal with other people’s problems because you care about what happens to your subjects. You didn’t have to do that, Adrien.”

“Yes, I did,” Adrien argued, blinking in confusion. “This is my kingdom. What happens to it and its people is my direct concern.”

Luka continued to shake his head. “It’s really not,” he informed. “Your sense of duty and decency tells you that it is. My Love, you could have stayed home and let the kingdom figure out things on its own. You didn’t have to come here…but you did anyway because you’re a good, compassionate person. I can’t convey how much I admire you for that.”

Adrien looked to the side with a blush, warmth spreading from his cheeks outwards as he was unable to face the intensity of the emotions in Luka’s eyes, unable to deal with the way Luka’s expression made him feel.

“You’re here confronting all these issues head on when I would have looked the other way and pretended that it didn’t concern me. You have carte blanche to cry however much you need to cry,” Luka informed insistently. “You have every right to panic or shut down or respond however you need to respond because you’re here facing your demons, and that’s about the hardest thing a person can do…and I think the world of you for having the courage to come back here and do this.”

“How do you always do that?” Adrien laughed weakly, on the verge of tears even as he smiled and slipped his arms around his mate.

“Do what?” Luka quirked an eyebrow curiously.

“Make me feel like I’m an amazing person worth loving and not a pathetic waste of space,” Adrien snickered.

Luka squeezed Adrien protectively, mentally cursing Adrien’s parents for failing to instill in their child any sense of self-worth.

“Easy,” Luka whispered into Adrien’s hair. “It’s just a matter of showing you the truth, replacing those nasty lies about yourself you’ve believed your whole life. It’s easy to believe the truth.”

Adrien hummed softly in thought for a moment. “You make me feel like it really is the truth.”

“Would I lie to you?” Luka challenged without heat.

“…I don’t think so,” Adrien realized.

“Then it stands to reason that I’m telling you the truth,” Luka pointed out.

Adrien laughed, an ironic puff of air so soft Luka might have missed it.

“Yeah,” the young king whispered, pulling back with a cloudy smile. “I guess I’m still learning to see myself the way you see me and not the way that people here saw me.”

Luka squeezed Adrien’s hand. “You’ll get there in time. I’ll see to it.”

“Thank you,” Adrien stressed, gratitude shining in his eyes.

They stayed there, suspended in that moment, for a long beat, and then Adrien gave Luka’s hand a reciprocal squeeze before letting go and going over to the wall by one of the large, oak bookcases.

Luka arched an eyebrow as Adrien reached up and took hold of one of the brass sconces, pulling it down.

With a groan of unoiled hinges that hadn’t seen use in years, a hidden door swung open, granting passage into the room next door.

“Oh, wow,” Luka laughed, taken by surprise. “These old castles actually have secret passages? I thought that was just in the human tales.”

“This place is full of secret passages and hidden doorways,” Adrien snickered impishly, motioning for Luka to follow him. “How do you think I used to sneak around without getting caught?”

“I assumed your attendants felt sorry for you and looked the other way,” Luka snorted, stepping through into the Queen’s chambers.

Adrien stopped just inside the doorway and looked around, all manner of mirth falling away in an instant as nostalgia hit him hard.

Luka stood by his husband’s side and took in the room with interest.

It was quaint and yet stately, comfy yet decorous. The furnishings were mainly in the Victorian style with a few Second Empire pieces. The walls were papered a soft, avocado green with intricate floral designs, and the furniture was upholstered in shades ranging from pear to muted wasabi.

It was a calm, dignified room—nothing like the brazen, authoritarian scarlets, garnets, and vermillions that had reigned imposingly in the King’s chambers.

“Your mother had good taste,” Luka quietly observed. “It has a cheerful, serene atmosphere.”

Adrien nodded, taking an unsteady step forward like a sleepwalker. He went over to the sitting area by the empty fireplace and ran a hand along the back of the settee, remembering when he had sat there with his mother, taking tea, when he was a child.

“She brought most of this over with her when she came from England,” Adrien explained softly. “She liked to surround herself with things that reminded her of home.” A wane smile lifted the corner of his mouth as he added, “I’ll have to show you the little English rose garden we have out back. I insisted that the gardeners keep it up after she died because it reminded me of her.”

He blinked and frowned as it occurred to him, “I don’t know if they’re blooming yet or not.”

“You can still show me,” Luka encouraged, following Adrien over to the writing desk. “I’m sure that just listening to you describe it will be wonderful.”

“Flatterer,” Adrien snorted, brushing his fingers over the wood of the desk.

“Not at all,” Luka assured. “I’m just that smitten with you.”

Adrien hummed as he opened the top drawer of the desk and pulled out a small family portrait painted when Adrien was probably about ten.

The child in the picture was smiling and bright-eyed yet obviously trying to rein in his boundless energy in an attempt to appear regal.

Behind him was a beautiful blonde woman with clear, peridot eyes much like her son’s. She smiled sedately, and the action didn’t make it to her eyes.

Beside her was a scowling, taciturn man already starting to go grey despite his relative youth. He projected power and control, and he rested possessive hands on his son’s shoulder and at the small of his wife’s back, laying claim to them.

Luka could read the unhappiness of the family contained in the miniature portrait as clearly as if it had been written out for him.

“You were an adorable kid,” Luka remarked conversationally. “You favor your mother.”

“Oh? Yes…. Yes,” Adrien responded distractedly as Luka’s words pulled him out of his thoughts. “We’re a lot alike, actually.”

“How so?” Luka prompted gently, giving Adrien an opening if he wanted to talk.

“We have similar dispositions,” he elaborated. “Similar circumstances.”

Adrien stared down at his mother’s image, running a thumb over her painted face. “…Her father pretty much sold her. He was land-rich but cash-poor like a lot of the old, titled families. He had two daughters, and he’d already married my aunt to a wealthy merchant’s son who was looking to buy his way up in the world. My father met my mother at a party while he was abroad and promptly fell in love with her.”

Adrien chuckled bitterly, carefully setting the portrait back down into the drawer and closing it. “It was the only rash, idealistic thing he ever did in his life. He made my grandfather a generous offer, and that was that. It didn’t matter that she didn’t want to go, that she didn’t really care for my father. They packed up her things and shipped her off.”

He looked up and around the room, watching a hundred ghosts of his mother reenact memories tied to the space.

“…She was so miserable here,” he whispered sadly. “Father was cruel. The only way he knew how to express love was by exerting control and subjugating. She told me she thought about running away many, many times…but then she had me, and she told me I made it a little more bearable here.”

Luka stepped in, slipping his arms around Adrien from behind and giving his ear a comforting nuzzle.

“She’s a big reason why I knew I could never marry someone I didn’t love. I saw how it slowly choked the life out of her. I watched as my father killed her year by year….” Adrien turned in Luka’s arms, burrowing his face into his mate’s chest as he whispered tearfully, “I knew the same thing would happen to me if I let him marry me off.”

Luka squeezed tighter, pressing bolstering kisses to the shell of Adrien’s ear. “It’s okay, Little Prince,” he soothed. “Go ahead and cry. I’ve got you.”

Adrien’s fingers curled around the fabric of Luka’s tunic, gripping it to keep himself grounded as his heart broke for a mother who had felt trapped and hopeless.

Luka patiently served as a supportive presence for his husband, radiating comfort and acceptance as Adrien slowly recomposed himself.

“Thanks,” he whispered, pulling away with a sheepish smile.

Luka gave Adrien’s cheek an answering lick. “Any time.”

“I just get so upset when I think about how she must have felt…how easily I could have been in her position.” Adrien shuddered and shook his head. “Some of the women my father was considering for my wife… He made sure that they were firm, strong-willed…someone who could keep me under her thumb just like my father had.”

Luka leaned in, placing a solid kiss on Adrien’s forehead, and then carefully wiped away the tear tracks still lingering on Adrien’s face. “It’s okay, My Love…but you’re safe now, and your mother’s suffering is over.”

Adrien took a deep breath, shaking off morose thoughts. “Right. You’re right. Sorry. I feel ridiculous crying like this over every little thing.”

Luka shook his head slowly. “These aren’t little things. …You remind me of Juleka, actually. You’re both traumatized by the accumulation of your experiences, so it may feel like just a bunch of little things, but a lot of little things really add up in the long run. So don’t feel ridiculous. Like I said before, you’re facing your demons, and that’s an amazing thing.”

Adrien’s eyes went reflexively to a door at the far end of the room. “…This is nothing. The real demons are in there.”

Luka frowned, following Adrien’s gaze. “What’s in there?”

Adrien gulped. “The bathroom.”

Luka’s first inclination was to ask what was so frightening about a bathroom, but he held his tongue and was later glad that he had.

“The bathroom?” he echoed instead.

Adrien nodded, cautiously beginning to approach as if he were sneaking up on a sleeping dragon. He took the doorknob in a shaking hand and held it, frozen there, for a long beat.

Luka rested a hand on Adrien’s shoulder in solidarity. “If it’s too much, we don’t have to do this now. Just coming in here after not being able to for six years is quite the accomplishment.”

Adrien shook his head. “I’m not going to be able to sleep in this room tonight if I don’t open this door. I’ll have nightmares. I need…” He gulped. “I need to know that she’s not in there.”

Luka nodded despite not quite understanding. He placed his other hand on top of Adrien’s on the doorknob. “Want to turn it together?”

“…Okay,” Adrien agreed in a small, scared voice, just on the edge of tears.

“On three,” Luka instructed and then slowly counted down.

The door opened, and Adrien’s knees nearly gave out on him, making him stumble, leaning on Luka for support.

His mother lay in the overflowing bathtub, her hair and dress billowing out around her reminiscent of Millais’s Ophelia. Tendrils of blood snaked through the water spilling out onto the floor and soaking Adrien’s shoes.

Luka turned on the bathroom light, and it all disappeared.

“See?” Luka coaxed as he half held Adrien up. “No one’s there.”

Luka winced as he saw how translucent Adrien’s complexion had gone. “…You doing okay, Little Prince?”

Adrien shook his head, swallowing a few times before he was able to articulate, “This is where I found her.”

Luka arched an eyebrow. “You…found her?”

Adrien nodded. “The chamber door was locked, so I used one of the passageways. I heard the water running, and I called out to her, but she didn’t respond…. I don’t know what I was thinking at the time. My memories are so blurry after I opened the door and saw her,” he admitted. “I think I thought she was sleeping or sick or something, so I went to the door and unlocked it and called for the guards. Nathalie was out in the hallway, and she came and saw and had one of the guards take me to my room. Later, Nathalie came and told me Maman had drowned.”

Luka’s eyes went wide in horror, and his stomach flipped as he realized that Adrien had been the one to find his mother dead. He had to choke back the bile that rose up in his throat. He felt absolutely ill.

“Oh, Adrien,” Luka gasped, pulling him into a crushing hug. “How could those nitwits make you sleep in here? And for what? To keep up some semblance of propriety? They should have just let us have guestrooms. This is unforgiveable. How could they make you come back here?”

“It’s okay,” Adrien protested without strength, melting into Luka’s arms.

“It’s not,” Luka growled, already plotting the pranks he would play on Damocles, Raincomprix, and Bourgeois throughout the remainder of their stay at the palace.

“It will be okay,” Adrien rephrased, turning his head to look once more at the empty bathtub. “I had to get over this sooner or later, didn’t I?”

Luka couldn’t form words to express the sentiment that he didn’t think Adrien would ever truly be over something like that.

“Come on,” he whispered, tugging Adrien gently out into the main room, turning off the bathroom light, and closing the door. “We’re done here, right? You saw that she’s not in there?”

Adrien nodded weakly.

“Okay. Good,” Luka sighed, guiding his mate over to the banquette seating by the windows lining the circular turret.

Adrien didn’t protest as Luka pulled Adrien down to sit between his legs and wrapped his arms tightly around Adrien from behind.

It felt good to be supported and protected as Adrien’s body struggled to recover from the intense stress.

“…You don’t need to worry. I really am fine,” Adrien whispered several minutes later when he was finally feeling calmer.

Luka scoffed softly into Adrien’s neck. “I’m not fine.”

Adrien lifted his head, twisting to get a look at Luka’s expression. “What’s wrong?”

Luka shook his head.

Adrien got up to sit on the banquette beside his husband, taking Luka’s face in his hands. “Hey. Talk to me. Please? What’s wrong?”

Luka met Adrien’s gaze forlornly. “It’s pointless wishing I could change things that are long past, but…if I could, I’d do anything to save you from some of the pain you’ve suffered.”

“That’s sweet, but I’m really okay,” Adrien assured, rubbing his thumb back and forth along Luka’s cheekbone. “Don’t get upset on my account.”

“But there are so many things…” Luka bit the inside of his cheek as he thought about how to get across what he was feeling. “…I thought I’d understood what your life here was like from what you’d told me when you used to come to our clearing and vent about what your father had done to upset you that particular time…. Adrien, today I’m seeing how little I understood, and it grieves me deeply.”

Adrien averted his gaze, dropping his hands to clasp Luka’s. “It was fine. I mean…I hadn’t known any different until I came to live with you. I just thought that that was how the world was, so there was no need to really talk about it. I wasn’t trying to hide anything from you.”

“I know,” Luka reassured, giving Adrien’s hands a squeeze. “I didn’t mean to imply that. It’s just… Was there anything good about this place?”

“I was happy here sometimes.” Adrien looked up to meet Luka’s eyes. “I have happy childhood memories, and there were people who were very good to me. It wasn’t all bad,” he muttered defensively.

Luka nodded even though he wasn’t sure he fully believed Adrien.

“…I just missed my mother…and wished my father were capable of expressing love the way I’d seen other parents do…. And I thought I would never know what it was like to love someone so much it burned inside of me and for them to love me in return just as fiercely,” Adrien admitted. “But there were still good things. Nathalie isn’t a very expressive woman, but she loves me. Nino and Marinette are the truest friends I could ever ask for. I enjoyed some of my lessons…. There were good things,” he assured sedately.

Luka leaned in, pressing an airy kiss to Adrien’s temple. “Of course there were. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that your life before me was all bad or anything. I just…today has been eye-opening. That’s all. Just when I think I know you, you go and surprise me. It’s not a bad thing to have layers. I’m just…”

“Processing?” Adrien supplied, and Luka nodded, glad that his mate was following him.

“Definitely,” Luka agreed. “Processing.”

Adrien hummed thoughtfully. “Yeah. Today’s been a lot for me. I didn’t even stop to think that maybe it’s been a lot for you too.”

“I’m glad I’m here, though,” Luka hastened to assure. “I’m glad I’m with you, that we’re here together.”

“Like I said before,” Adrien chuckled, “I’m so grateful not to be on my own. I really don’t know what I would do without you.”

“Oh, you’d make it,” Luka snorted, giving Adrien’s cheek a bolstering lick. “I believe in my Little Prince.”

“At least one of us does,” Adrien snickered, leaning in for a quick kiss. “Come here. I want to show you something good about this place. I think you’ll like it.”

“Oh?” Luka arched an eyebrow in interest as Adrien took him by the hands and pulled him to his feet, leading him across the room to the harpsichord halfway between the bed and the door out to the hall.

“Oooh,” Luka purred, pleased with the prospects that the instrument offered. “Am I finally going to get to hear my talented spouse’s true musical abilities?”

“If this thing is in tune,” Adrien chuckled, pulling out the bench and taking a seat, motioning for Luka to sit down beside him. “They’re supposed to keep it in tune as part of the general maintenance cleaning, but I don’t know if they’ve bothered since I haven’t been here to pester anyone about whether or not it’s been done.”

Adrien pressed his fingers to the keys, playing a simple D major chord. He nodded in satisfaction as the picks inside of the instrument plucked the strings and the notes sounded true.

“Looks like we’re in business,” Luka hummed in pleasure. “What are you going to play for me?”

Adrien folded his lips back over his teeth in thought as he warmed up with a series of scales and arpeggios. “Don’t laugh when I fail miserably. I’m completely out of practice, but…this is a song my mother and I used to play. It won’t sound right, since it’s supposed to be played by two people with four hands, but…”

He shrugged and started to play the first minute or so of Mozart’s Harpsichord Sonata in D Major, K.381.

Luka closed his eyes and listened as Adrien’s fingers fluttered up and down the keyboard.

“You’re not out of practice at all,” he snorted. “Unless you were truly phenomenal before, anyway.”

Adrien rolled his eyes, elbowing Luka in the arm. “Do you even know what the song is supposed to sound like? I’m missing notes all over the place, and I’m completely off tempo.”

Luka clicked his tongue. “Not at all. Maybe a few finger flubs here and there, but it’s still very pretty. I like your harpsichord playing.”

“Maman was better,” Adrien whispered, fingers going still.

Luka opened his eyes and turned to find silent tears parading slowly down Adrien’s cheeks. He wiped them away and replaced them with a kiss. “Maybe I should learn to play harpsichord. Would it be good to have someone to play the pieces you used to play with your mother with, or would that just make you sad?”

Adrien bit his bottom lip, chewing on it in thought. “I think I would like that…. Someday, I want to play the songs I played with Maman with our children. It would be really nice to share them with you in the meantime.”

He turned to Luka with a timid smile and was rewarded with an enthusiastic kiss from his husband.

“I really like the sound of that.” Luka could barely contain a face-splitting grin at the thought of their future family together.

“Good to know we’re on the same page,” Adrien chuckled, smile growing wider. “…Shall I play something else?”

“If you’re feeling up to it,” Luka encouraged. “I could listen to you play for hours, honestly.”

Adrien nodded, fingers beginning to flow over the keys once more. “This is one my father makes me play all the time, but I still like it.”

He played Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in G Major first and then followed it with a few more short pieces. Eventually, his fingers slowed to a stop, and he lowered his hands back down into his lap.

“All done?” Luka inquired, reaching up to play with Adrien’s hair.

Adrien nodded. “For tonight, anyway…. This was nice. I used to hate when my father made me practice, but…I did miss this.”

“It sounded lovely. Thank you for sharing that with me.” He leaned in to nuzzle Adrien’s ear.

Adrien closed his eyes and let himself enjoy the attention.

After a minute or so, he spoke up, bringing himself back to reality: “…I should probably go and visit my parents in the mausoleum…pay my respects.”

He grimaced at the thought.

Luka shook his head. “I think you’ve done enough emotionally taxing things for one day. We’ll go first thing in the morning. For now, you should go to sleep and rest up.”

Adrien contemplated protesting out of a sense of duty but ultimately decided against it. “Okay. First thing in the morning, but only because I am completely drained, and I don’t think I can bear to face them right now.”

“They’ll understand,” Luka assured, taking Adrien’s hand and giving it a bolstering squeeze. “Go back through the passage into the King’s chambers and make a show of leaving and coming in here so that we don’t scandalize any servants. I’ll wait here for you.”

“You’re the best,” Adrien chuckled, giving his husband a kiss before getting up to go.

[rotten-white-rose]

Well well, I will introduce the protagonist of this blog.

Name: Melody Gheata

Age: Apparently 19 (she really is millennia old although she is younger than Karl Heinz)

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Birthday: December 29

Zodiac: Capricorn

Nicknames: Mesubuta (by Yuma), Yuki-onna (by Laito), Watermelon (by Ayato), Lilith-san (by Azusa).

Blood type: -A

Status: Dead / Alive

Race: Demon (Succubus) / Vampiress

Height: 1'80 cm

Weight: 60 kg

Eye color: Garnet

Hair Color: White

Body type: Voluptuous

Occupation: 3rd year High School Student, Queen of Hell

Appearance: Melody's style ranges from casual to gothic. What she uses the most are dark colors, such as black, gray, maroon or dark purple. You will never see her in pastel colors or white, since for her, wearing white is wearing a funeral dress. She almost always wears cleavage. Also as an accessory, she wears a special necklace for her that is only removed from her when she goes to sleep, where she leaves safely.

Personality: She is an arrogant and broken woman. She has great pride and always boasts of her benefits. She is flirtatious, she likes to play with fire but she knows the limits and she never gets to the point of burning. Although she flirts more to make the person nervous than to get something. Despite covering herself with an arrogant, frivolous and immature attitude, she hides a woman who wants to be loved just as she is. She always hides her true intentions and feelings.

Hobbies: Studying constellations, reading and playing the piano.

Favorite food: Sarmale (Romanian food)

Relatives:

Father: Lucifer (deceased)

Mother: Rosemary (deceased)

Twin sister: Kuroko (deceased)

Good traits:

Loyal

Charismatic

Compassionate

Kind

Bad traits:

Arrogant

Proud

Immature

Liar

Powers:

Immortality: She cannot die, not even if she wishes it with all her soul.

Self-regeneration: If she receives a fatal wound, she will regenerate, regardless of how long it takes.

Power and custody over two dragons: She ended up ruling hell and with it, by her unwanted power from her, she received the blessing and loyalty of two dragons who rule life and death.

Change in shape or appearance: She can turn into a wolf or change her appearance to hers at a different age.

Clone invocation: She can summon a clone of herself, but said clone is a shell that will only repeat what she wants it to say. Pretty useful if she doesn't feel like doing something.

Story:

In a cold winter, on a night where the moon was bathed in blood, two twins were born who were to be immortal human beings, pure and immaculate beings, all according to the plan devised by Lucifer. However, the older twin was born still alive, with no heartbeat or temperature. A being that was not human, if not a monster corrupted by the demonic and vampiric blood of her progenitors. The younger twin, on the other hand, was born everything as Lucifer had planned, an immortal human. It can be assumed that the monarch of hell was not at all happy with the outcome of it. A plan that ended in disaster, all because of "that thing".

Despite everything, both girls were given love and affection, at least, by her mother, who loved her little and adored Melody with all her soul. From the moment she saw her huge maroon eyes watching her, she fell in love with her tenderness. She was sorry that her husband hated her eldest daughter so much, but she was calm when she saw that she paid attention to her youngest.

"Since Kuroko receives affection from my husband, I will give all my affection to my precious and sweet Melody." Those were her thoughts. However, the demonic blood that ran through the veins of the little one of hers did not take long to blossom, unleashing and corrupting her with only 3 millennia. With an incessant thirst for blood, she slaughtered the army guarding hell and this gave Lucifer the perfect excuse to imprison her. Melody spent 12 millennia imprisoned and tortured. She couldn't die, because her body ended up regenerating even if she didn't want to. She wanted the light, she wanted freedom and wanted with all her soul, her death. But not even that was allowed.

At 15 millennia, she got enough strength to be able to escape from her prison, ending the life of the one who had locked her up and getting the power of hell. Unfortunately, her mother had lost her sanity, due to her guilt and sadness at not being able to rescue her from such an ordeal. Melody fulfilled her mother's request and ended her life in the smoothest possible way. As for Kuroko, the relationship of both sisters was always complex. They hated, envied and at the same time, admired each other. They had a confrontation and the winner was the oldest, although it was not by her own hand. To this day, Melody regrets both the death of her mother and that of her younger sister, she regrets not having been able to do anything. As for her powers, she had become so strong that she ended up gaining the loyalty of the two dragons that today channel her powers. Said dragons were the guardians of life and death: Vitae, the blue-eyed white dragon that hated humans and Mortem, the red-eyed black dragon that, unlike its companion, loved humans.

She decided to stay in hell so she could take over both the kingdom and to investigate her father's writings. She was able to understand the objective that she had set herself to achieve and the reason for those visits with that man who called himself Karl Heinz. That plan ... without a doubt, "that man" had no qualms about using anyone to carry it out. She also found "plan B" and was surprised to see that she was precisely the main target of that plan. She burned the papers after reading them and decided that she would live as a human. It was what she wanted. Freedom and light. She wanted to feel humanity in her own flesh, to feel the warmth and to be able to live among humans. She wouldn't be Lilith… she wouldn't allow herself to be part of a stupid experiment.

Years passed when she had come to the human world and settled in a Transylvanian town. That town was the home of her mother when she was human. Melody achieved a few years of happiness, where she had fallen in love and committed to a human. Just on her wedding day, when she was 17 millennia, she learned secretly that her future husband was only going to marry her to get her fortune and status. She could see that he was with another woman. It was then that she understood that humans were selfish, cruel, capricious, and lying beings. She was carried away by her anger and sadness, letting her emotions speak for her. That is why her snow-white wedding ended up being covered in crimson.

"If my feelings cause this ... if my feelings cause me so much pain ... I don't need a heart!"

She decided to return to hell, where she got a coffin full of white roses. Those flowers were her late mother's favorites and they were her favorites too. She lay down among the roses and decided to sleep for two millennia ... until someone woke her up, for her to continue her reign and receive a visit. Apparently her father's great friend, Karl Heinz, had decided to talk to her about business.

"So, will you accept the proposal, dear?"

“Yes, after all, my life is already boring. Living again between humans and vampires ... fufu, I wonder if your children can really bear it ... I'll make you see that both the plan of "that man" and yours, are not going to bear fruit. Just as my birth was a mistake, the plan to get Lilith and Eve to find two Adam and start a new race… will end in error. "

"We will see if it really is as you say. Until then, I will be a spectator. I hope you don't disappoint me. "

Curiosities:

She has died in every possible way.

She is right-handed.

She has two bodies. The first is the real one, without self-regeneration and the second is the regenerated. Her real body is a decomposing corpse, but due to the self-regeneration that her body unconsciously exerts, she always has a young and immaculate body.

She loves cold temperatures as they make her feel "alive".

She hates and adores winter.

Her fangs are much longer, sharper, and larger than those of an ordinary vampire.

Although she doesn't admit it, she fears loneliness.

She has a great knowledge of the constellations and loves to see the starry sky.

Her hair is extremely long, as she reaches above her ankles.

She is lazy and loves to sleep.

She may feel pain, but she's so used to it that she doesn't notice it anymore.

She tends to woo cute girls, even though she's just kidding.

 When there is a red moon, her powers are increased, while in an eclipse she feels completely weak.

She always wears a necklace that her mother gave her before she died. It consists of a silver cross with five diamond-shaped garnet gems. Behind the cross, there is an inscription in Romanian that says: “You are my light. You are my life. Please live and be happy. " Melody feels extremely attached to that necklace and if it were to break, she would end up devastated, since it is the only memory she has of her mother.

[incarnateirony]

The start of a gallery regarding Belphegor and the guys, but including a great deal of meta and extra gifs behind the cut, including relevance explicitly to Dean and Castiel, as well as Belphegor’s mythological relevance.

Edit: Since this post is making the rounds I’ma drop in my Belphegor meta-fanvid too. The meta/extra gifs are below the vid. 

Yeah I know I’m a day late, no I don’t know if anyone has beaten me to this, I know some people beat me to talking about belphegor beyond me vagueblog screaming about him showing up on twitter with livetweets. For those who haven’t seen:

Belphegor - a Moabite god absorbed into Hebrew lore and then Christianity as a major DEMON. The name Belphegor means “lord of opening” or “lord Baal of Mt. Phegor.” As a Moabite deity, he was known as Baal-Peor and ruled over fertility and sexual power. He was worshipped in the form of a phallus. -- that giant rock he talked about worshipping, there you go.

In the KABBALAH, Belphegor was an angel in the order of principalities prior to his fall. He is one of the Togarini, “the wranglers.” He is an archdemon who is part of the demonic counterparts to the angels who rule the 10 sephirot of the Tree of Life; he rules over the sixth sephirah. He sits on a pierced chair, for excrement is his sacrificial offering. In Christian demonology, Belphegor is the incarnation of one of the SEVEN DEADLY SINS, sloth, characterized by negligence and apathy. According to St. Thomas Aquinas, all sins that arise from ignorance are caused by sloth. 

Belphegor also rules misogyny and licentious men. He emerged from HELL to investigate the marital state among humans. For a time, he lived as a man to experience sexual pleasures. Appalled, he fled back to hell, happy that intercourse between men and women did not exist there.-- here’s the big block that I find fascinating.

Gully, Rosemary. 2009. The Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology. New York: Visionary Living, Inc., pp. 27-28.

(For more discussion of Belphegor’s history and mythology on this blog, click this link (x) but I’m mostly narrowing it down to what’s relevant for address here.)

With that out of the way, I refer you to the gallery above, which is only a fraction of what I’ve clipped from the episode.

(Edit: As new things have come to light with a rewatch, or as new thoughts come up, I’ve been reblogging this post with additions; however, at the end of the post, I’m going to make headline titles for update thresholds and include it in here as a sort of Belphegor introduction masterpost. Any time I get to glance at part of this episode again it just gets LOUDER.)

The camera work is uncanny. Castiel and Dean are repeatedly cast not only as a unit, or Sam blotted off, or divided, but of a point of focus. A few more examples:

Oh wow Belphegor really just staring at them.

Think I’m just choosing frames I like? Check back at the scene. Whenever Sam engages it’s literally from a different, peripheral shot as so:

This filming style isn’t single shots, but the entire scene. Oh, I don’t mean the entire scene, I mean the entire episode. The only place this rule wavers is when literally everybody is packed in the Impala, including when they save the mother and child, and until people decompress it’s impossible to do such controlled shots.

But then there IS when they decompress as I put in the original gallery.

Belphegor sits witness to the pain and upset over Cas, unable to look at him. And, shortly after talking about the giant penis he used to worship and flirting with Dean, asks who the child was to them after Cas has stormed out, finding out about it being their son.

At this point both Castiel and Dean have had their standoffs with Belphegor, which I side by sided in the top gallery. But Dean’s integration with Belphegor goes an entirely extra level.

We’ll handwave any deep readings about the heart of a man being needed -- but the simple fact is, as we know, this is when Dean and Belphegor encounter the white woman.

That alone is a fascinating point;

Whether you take Sam’s encounter as his serial killer fetish, or his clown phobia, or some people’s read of toxic parenting, or a combination of these -- the first two more likely to tickle the general audience -- this is clear.

Whether you take Cas’ encounter with Bloody Mary as the secret about Jack and guilt over Mary, or the secret over the Empty and general guilt over failing Jack, his connection is loudly clear.

The woman in white was a spouse betrayed by her partner and driven to madness where she killed her children and then herself -- something fairly clear if we remember the metaphorical ledge Dean was on at the end of the season that he steered away from, but the argument continues.

Blahblah *heterosexual handwave* just subtext just interpretation only the other two matter for Reasons(TM), we know how that will go. This, or the random divorce drop from the victim girls for totally inoccuous and random reasons aside, is just a worthwhile note to put in here as we consider the framing of Belphegor.

Throughout the episode, Sam has no identifiable major exchange with Belphegor. He happens to be in the vicinity, occasionally mediating Dean and Cas, or in the same car, but there is no forward led conversation, there is no personal tension or banter, and most of all there isn’t even any attempt at directorial focus. If anything, directorial blotting. Sam’s plot shines more in being a forward moving, smart hunter mediating the two here, but if we’re here to look at Belphegor--

As Castiel sadly watches the rescued mother and child go to the school, in the wake of the death of his son, Dean only tersely checks on him. It’s strained, and Castiel is left staggered, only for us yet again to find Belphegor framed into the conversation, observing, as he has through the previous shots.

Belphegor’s placement is right between Dean and Cas, leaving it almost inevitable that as we move forward, he will annex emotional territory if by trust or nuisance to dig a deeper wound and antagonize the marriage he observes dissolving in front of him, a very personal and living manifestation of their struggles for these two to overcome, and inevitably part of what will send Castiel away briefly in 15.3 as he feels himself growing more and more detached from the Winchesters -- particularly Dean, as Sam is actively still engaging with him as is typical of them but like Entertainment Weekly recently put it, Castiel does has his favorite Winchester, and they’re totally-not-going-through-divorce-waves here, just totally heterosexual brovorce, of course. 

Given considering my position of the overt and present canonicity of their relationship please note I’m only writing sarcastically towards the inevitable stupidity that haunts this fandom via anti dialogue and those that internalize it, but here it is, folks.  

If anyone wants to even try to challenge me, I invite them to find Sam drawing belphegor’s focus on any front or being framed in the shots as Castiel and Dean are here. Belphegor is ... going to be a ride, folks. Buckle up. He’s literally been observing the hunter husbands, wracked with pain over the loss of their child, in active conflict despite their lingering stance as a unit, having held his ground with both of them to feel out their pain and rage each to themselves, and left to sit, and watch, and find what dark humor he may watch from them. 

“Wanna talk about it?”

(Suggested reading: check out @tinkdw​‘s post about them dividing Cas from his humanity *ba dum chink* and focusing on his angelicness this episode) 

----

UPDATE 1

A belated addendum a few hours late I forgot to include but intended to: It has not escaped me that Dean and Cas also were both part of Belphegor’s spell casting. The aforementioned heart of a man with the trivial second ingredient of salt (truly not trivial at all in the alchemical scale of it, but that’s a topic for another time--just in SPNverse it seems weirdly easy; breaking down the alchemy in the last few seasons and the use of the salt in spell is its own essay), and the other common graveyard dirt and very conveniently angel blood. These things both created intensely powerful deus ex machinas that fall back to other points I made in the OP that are incredibly suspicious about the arrangement, and I’m more curious on if we should expect multiple parts of a spell eg reverse trials if you will or what. 

I don’t consider these things a lack in SPN spellcasting integrity in writing. I consider these warnings.

UPDATE 2

Along with updates in the original post, someone posted this clip on twitter giggling about Dean’s expression, and something else I somehow missed the first time caught my eye.

Every time Belphegor opts to observe people or turn, while he comments on beauty and appearance (or stone penises or Dean being gorgeous), beyond his individual compliment of Dean – he is turning his head at couples. Or, well, we assume couples. At Units Of Two People. The two people units are:

A woman and a woman A man and a woman A man and a man.

Outside of the vehicle Belphegor is not taking any particular time paying attention to individuals. Only duos. The two women pass in front of the hearts, and one (the woman in khaki) even gestures at it to sort of make the woman in green look.

The man and the women walk by, vaguely locking arms. 

Belphegor looks straight between these units. He leans forward, discussing people on earth being attractive. He turns and looks out the window to observe the two men now walking past the window with hearts.

Drops the comment about worshipping a giant penis, and so forth.

But the direct observation of duos, potentially queer ones literally framed in hearts in case anybody misses it for not being hetnorm, is… well, in lieu of the OP, this is. Yeah. It’s a whole thing. Holy crap.

UPDATE 3

This one isn’t necessarily big enough for a central update, and isn’t even entirely Belphegor focused as Belphegor adjacent. A friend ( @tarend ) had asked passively why bikes were so prominently featured in this episode, so here’s what I’ve found.

The green and blue bikes feature predominantly in the clown victim house from the first scene we see the garage, fairly early in the episode and every other showing until they’re extracted from the house. Often central, doorway, access, or backshadow in most shots. Trying to pin it on a single character would be ignoring the broadness of it, but the presence was enough to take note of.

Various two people units roll around with bikes of different and more muted colors.

The two dudes, one of them has a green bike and one has a grocery sack which I imagine ISN’T fruit from the tree of life.

I do find it weird and, especially since the green and blue bike collectively manage to get several shared minutes of screen time in a busy episode, I have to wonder, but I can’t find anything meaningful here without jumping to the common “green and blue” thing and a random joke-reach towards Queen which isn’t really my flavor of meta despite it even kind of matching the people passing by. The overlap is there and tangible, regardless, and passes in the background of Belphegor, so I’ll leave that here as a general sentiment. 

Compared to the above gold mine of far more overt material, if this ever was intended to be an intentional nod of some sort, I feel like it’s been overshadowed entirely by the other content which might as well have been blasted from a bull horn, but maybe someone else can find use in it in association. Aside from the street highlights in the car while Dean sits by with Belphegor, the prominent double bike placement is best witnessed rather than screenshot into eternity in any scene involving Clown House Garage.

Though I may point out the dynamic impala shot with the paired bikes in the background is immediately followed by a stroller that colllectively haunt the three people in the car, but whether I’d swear to that being intentionally syncretic, I’m unsure. But I do feel it’s worth notating.

I’m sure you all know I’m guarded about things like this fandom’s build on key colors and don’t apply it in meta outside of standard lighting theory, and generally even props are things I ignore unless they’re actual framing and blocking focuses, but the bikes do ride a line. They just lack the overall thematic story use most things I talk about do, like mystic symbols and the ilk. I would probably completely disregard this were it not for the other elements above, but now I’ll be keeping an eye on it.

UPDATE 4

Yet another thought more from @tarend than me, but his ass just about never posts so I might as well plug it into the viral post with some credit.

There seems to be painstaking effort to frame Belphegor with stop signs.

Cough

Crack aside it’s just some angle play that could be coincidence but I’m going to be throwing that out there for meta fodder for others while this spreads around until I can truly rewatch since life is seriously climbing me right now.

Tarend also points out the school was named after The Great Dissenter (Link).

I’m going to have a bit of a comparative study on Belphegor’s and Chuck’s mannerisms for consideration but life didn’t even give me 30 minutes for a video edit today much less a rewatch.