#YOU'RE LETTING A GOLD MINE GO TO WASTE HERE

[the-music-keeper]

Objective #6 is done, and it is once again time to cry over the Schumanns.

Did two artistic souls really adore each other so much that they were able to build a committed relationship with each other without letting pride and artistic differences get in the way? Did they really face the same communication issues and need the same reassurances from each other that people continue to face and to need two hundred years later?

We all know how this story ends. But Lord, I'd be quite content with an early death if I had such a love as this, even for a short time.

[shanastoryteller]

Happy Christmas Shana! May I ask for some Merlin and Arthur? Maybe the time travel Ygraine one, or something else entirely 🎁🎄🎅🏻

Queen Ygraine is cursed to die during childbirth and the baby is stolen from his very crib that same night.

Uther rages. The grief and the fury of losing them both leave him a broken man and a broken king. The grounds of Camelot turn to mud with all the blood he's spilled and the air turns grey and harsh from the burnings. He sends knights to every corner of his kingdom, but his son remains missing, not even a body to be found.

Tristan and Agravaine de Bois send letters, blaming Uther for their sister and nephew's death and proclaiming they are subjects of Uther's no more. It's a blip in torrent of grief - Uther can't even pretend to mourn the loss of his brothers in law in the face of that of his wife and son.

"I still think we should have killed him," Tristan says, watching the servants pack up the contents of their manor with a scowl.

"He would have killed you and then I'd be stuck doing this alone," Agravaine replies, a blond, blue eyed infant in his arms. "So our revenge will have to wait."

"Alone?" Nimueh scoffs. "Thanks. Is this not revenge enough?"

Tristan softens, reaching out to brush the back of his index finger against Arthur's chubby cheek. "He's not revenge. He's our nephew."

Agravaine briefly tightens his hold on the babe before relaxing. "Where are we going? I suppose Mercia is the obvious choice."

"That old man won't be able to help gloating to Uther and we don't want him giving us a second glance," Tristan says. "Cendred's kingdom is a better choice, I think. That's our where our grandfather's castle is anyway."

The two of them plus a sorceress should be more than compelling enough additions to his court for Cendred to relinquish it back to them. Or at least turn a blind eye when they take it back themselves.

~

Merlin is fourteen and standing by his mother's side, keeping his head down and not moving or thinking or looking or anything as the lords come to collect taxes.

No matter what they say, no matter what they do, he's not to move.

There's cries of pain from the smith as one of the lords kicks him down, shouting at him for how little they have. He's the most educated man in the village, he's the one that keeps track. He's the one that warns them how short they are.

They are especially short this year.

There's the sound of sword being unsheathed and Merlin resists the urge to bury his head in his mother's shoulder. He's not suppsosed to move.

"Oh, for goddess's sake," a new, young voice says. He doesn't sound that much older than Merlin. "This is a waste of time. If you cut off his head, will gold coins fall out?"

"We're here to collect taxes!" he insists.

The young lord scoffs. "And if we were sent to squeeze blood from a stone, how long would you spend with your hands pressing into bedrock? Look at them!"

"We can't just let them get away with it," he argues. "If you're father hears about this-"

"He'll hear about it because I'll tell him myself," he says, annoyed. "We could take everything they have and we'll still lose money when they starve to death and we have to send people to bury the bodies or risk disease settling in. The wages for those soldiers will cost far more than everything this little village has to offer."

"They're on our land, they pay the tax!"

The young lord's voice goes hard. "I think you'll see that they're on my father's land and it's ultimately his responsibility to collect taxes for the king. Which means this is decision, not yours."

"Yes, and he decided that-"

"Well I'm deciding differently and he can yell at me about it then!" he snaps. "Put your sword away before I draw mine."

There's a tense, heavy silence. Then there's the sound of a sword going back in its sheathe and, "Yes, Lord de Bois."

Lord de Bois sighs and then raises his voice so his voice carries travels to everyone standing there, to the whole village standing there and waiting. "I'll return within the week. If there's any sort of bookkeeping you have, gather it for me."

"Y-yes, my lord," the blacksmith stutters.

There's the sound of footsteps then hooves.

He lifts his head and only sees the back of the young Lord de Bois's blond head.

Merlin wonders if when he returns, he'll be allowed to look.

[sleep-paralysis-buddy]

!perv!desperate!possessive!Eddie

    who ruts himself into the mattress while he eats you out, his tongue delving deep inside you, lapping up every bit of you that he can.

'Fuck sweetheart,' he growls against you, 'taste s'good for me. Gonna cum just from listening to those pretty moans.' He coos this last bit as he slides two thick fingers inside of you, his big metal rings cold against your skin.

   You buck against him, whining when he curls his fingers into that spongy spot inside of you.

    'Yea baby? Gonna cum for me? That's so good love,' he mumbles against the skin of your tummy. He begins rubbing slow, deliberate circles on your clit with his other hand, sucking pretty purple bruises over your thighs and stomach, chuckling against you when you let out a sob of his name in desperation.

    He let's out a groan as he digs his hips into the mattress. He felt drunk, absolutely wasted on the smell and taste of your pussy. He could stay here and worship you all day if you let him, the warm summer sun casting rays over your chest that turned your skin gold. Your arms above your head, your hair splayed out like a fan. You looked absolutely ethereal.

    And you were his

    All his.

  He pulls his fingers out and pulls you forward by your thighs, lining himself up with you, barely pushing the tip past your entrance as he uses one arm to hold your thighs together against his chest.

    'This pussy is mine, right babydoll?' He's teasing you, angling his hips away as you try to push against him.

    'Fuck, Eddie,' you cry, arching your back in frustration, 'yes it's yours, now please.' You're begging now, tears welling in your eyes, your orgasam sitting just on the brink.

    'That's right,' he breaths, kissing your calve, 'it's fucking mine. And I'm going to do with it as I please.'

     He thrusts in slowly, taking his sweet time, watching your head spin and the tears spring to your eyes from the deliciously painful stretch.

     'Do'n s'good for me baby,' he praises, brushing a stand of hair out of your face, smiling softly, lovingly, down at you, 'take'n this cock so so good. You're such a good girl for me.' He begins thrusting at a steady pace, but quickly loses control, pressing your legs to your chest and raising himself to get a better angle. Your shreiks and moans of pleasure are music to his ears. Better than any song he's ever heard or written. When his name falls from your babbling, fucked out mouth, he feels a bit of him die and go to Heaven.

     'Pussy's so fuck'n tight for me baby. Gonna make me cum if you keep squeeze'n me like that.' You both moan as you do exactly that at his words, both your releases quickly building back up.

    'Tell me who you belong to and you can cum,' he growls, wrapping his hand around your throat and tightening his fingers just enough so you can still answer him.

     'You, Eddie, fuck,' you stammer, your eyes rolling to the back of your head. But you know he wants more than that. Eddie's always loved hearing you tell him that you're his and only his.

     'I'm yours Ed's. I love you,' you whine, and he groans at your words, feeling his cock twitch, close to his peak.

     'Cum for me then. Show me just how mine you are sweetheart,' and you come undone at his words, seeing nothing but white as you ride out your high, shrieking when he brings his fingers to your clit. He cums soon after, spilling inside of you, desperate whimpers and praises fall from his mouth, your name on his lips like a prayer.

      He collapses next to you, pulling you close to him, your head buried in his chest, and rubbing your back in circles as you shake and pant from your orgasam.

      'Did amazing doll' he says, his voice so achingly loving it drips off his tongue like honey, 'always such a good girl. Such a beautiful girl. 'm s'lucky baby.' His speech is slurred and sleepy, and he breathing has become even and shallow. You cuddle in and pull the blanket over the two of you, ready to sleep, when he suddenly jumps up.

      'Nope, sorry babe, not quite time to sleep yet.' He tugs your hands, pulling you off the bed, your legs wobbling. He picks you up bridal style and begins walking towards the bathroom.

      'Gotta clean you up, baby. Gonna run you a warm bath, and then we can have a snack and a drink before we take a nap. How's that sound?'

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

I hope I'm not being rude, this ask also isn't intended as a call out for anyone. As much as I'll be happy if you'd willing to answer, if my ask somehow make you uncomfortable, please feel free to ignore it.

Here's my question :

I've been seeing many post saying that Adrien end up being Marinette' trophy boyfriend instead of proper boyfriend and at the end of the final, Marinette's fight against Gabriel isn't just simply good vs evil rather it's a fight of Adrien's "ownership" so to speak.

I want to ask your opinion about it, especially about the former. I'm personally conflicted about the trophy boyfriend thing because the urban dictionary define it as "A boyfriend that a girl is proud of being with." Which more like what Chloe did at s1, but at the same time it does feel fitting in a way since Marinette do get Adrrien as a trophy for "winning" against Gabriel. Either way it just feels like an objectification and it doesn't seems like something good to show in a show with kids as the target audience, yet I do feels like Marinette's love for Adrien is so shallow that her objectified him like that just make senses for her character.

So, what do you think?

You're not being rude at all! As long as an ask doesn't use names or otherwise make it easy to find the source of the question, I'm cool with it. I don't even mind if it's something uncomfortable, though I will do my best to state my expertise (or lack there of) on those. I think it's really important to be willing to acknowledge your ignorance. No one can know or even be informed on everything.

On to the question.

To start, let's actually define "trophy boyfriend" because the definition you gave - a boyfriend that a girl is proud of being with - is not the one that I would use. It's way too kind!

"Trophy boyfriend" is just a male variant of the term "trophy wife" or "trophy girlfriend." I'm gonna be a little lazy here and just have wikipedia define that one for me as their definition accurately reflects the way this terms is generally used:

A trophy wife is a wife who is regarded as a status symbol for the husband. The term is often used in a derogatory or disparaging way, implying that the wife in question has little personal merit besides her physical attractiveness, requires substantial expense for maintaining her appearance, is often unintelligent or unsophisticated, does very little of substance beyond remaining attractive, and is in some ways synonymous with the term gold digger.

When someone calls Adrien a "trophy boyfriend," they're saying that he's just there to be Marinette's pretty arm candy who supports her unconditionally while requiring nothing from her. A fully one way relationship that's all take and no give.

Unfortunately, canon does seem to be going this way.

Season five was the season which saw Gabriel's slow, agonizing death and final... defeat is too strong a word, so let's just go with reveal. It also saw the end of any hope for Emilie to be revived, assuming that wasn't her at the end, which does seem to be the case. We also saw Nathalie slowly wasting away, triggering all of Adrien's trauma from losing his mother. In other words, this season was all about Adrien losing or fearing the loss of every adult that he has ever loved, none of whom he even got to say "goodbye" to even though they all knew that they were dying.

So it makes perfect sense that Adrienette's big couple conflict was Marinette getting over her trauma and being able to tell Adrien that she loved him! She was absolutely the one who needed unconditional love and support this season and it was so nice to see Adrien giving that to her by laying his own needs to the side since he knew that she needed more support right now.

To be clear, that was sarcasm.

Marinette was an awful, selfish girlfriend this season. Yes, she doesn't know the full extent of what's going on until we get to the final, but in Passion (S5E6) we get this:

Adrien: Marinette? Marinette: Adri-mine! I mean, Adri-fine! No! I mean, you're not mine and you're not fine, I mean, you are fine. (gasps) Adrien, is something wrong? Adrien: No, no, everything's fine... no, everything's not fine. Not fine at all. Somebody I care about is sick and... there's nothing I can do. I feel completely hopeless.

Gabriel then akumatizes Nathalie, leading to a fight that ends with Marinette seeing just how sick Nathalie is. All this means that, by the end of Passion, Marinette is fully aware that Adrien is really struggling with Nathalie's condition and just how bad Nathalie's condition, so it makes perfect sense that the episode ends with Marinette and Alya talking about... how thirsty Marinette is for Chat Noir.

Marinette: You should've seen him! He was so... (growls like a cat) in his cute red suit with black spots. Can you believe it? I asked him out to the movies and I didn't even stammer! True, the timing was bad, but still, everything is so easy with Cat Noir, I can tell him everything I never had the courage to tell Adrien.

Marinette, sweetie, I know that you're going through some stuff, but you're better than this! You've always been shown to care about others! I just don't believe that you wouldn't at least comment on how sick Nathalie is, which really is all that this scene needs because I don't expect Marinette to have no wants or needs outside of supporting Adrien anymore than I expect the opposite.

Marinette can thirst all she wants, especially since she's not dating Adrien yet. Just let her acknowledge that this is who Adrien must have been talking about earlier! Instead, she says nothing, forgetting about Adrien's struggles and not informing his other friends of what's going on, leaving Adrien to basically suffer alone as the Nathalie issue will continue to come up on his end, but he never again reaches out for support from others.

Remember how the NYC special saw Marinette and co protesting Adrien not being allowed to go on a school field trip? And how The Bubbler saw Nino trying to organize a birthday party for his best bro? And how Reverser saw Marinette pairing up Marc and Nathaniel into the dream comic book team? You ever look back on all that and wonder what happened to these characters wanting to love and support each other, even if their attempts where sometimes a little misguided?

Ever since the start of season four, loving and supporting each other has gone out the window. If it's not about shipping Adrienette, then no one cares even though Adrienette was totally one sided for most of the show. First it was only on Marinette, then it was only on Adrien, and it only became mutual in the episode where they... got together? Kind of? Seriously, when did they actually start dating? The second half of Kwami's choice sees Marinette say this:

Alya: Then, how did we go from “I’m pathetic and I’ll never love again” to “Yay! I’m going out with Adrien”? Marinette: I’m not going out with Adrien…

But then the very next episode starts with Chat Noir talking about his girlfriend! When did that transition occur? For a season that's all about Adrienette getting together, it's kinda funny that we never technically see them get together. It's also kinda sad that them getting together was the result of Adrien once again not taking Marinette's "no" at face value... I know it's a romcom trope, but writers, please, can we not use it in stuff aimed at little kids? Plus haven't we mostly agreed that it's a bad, lazy, overused trope? Does anyone actually like it?

This is getting long, so I'll just give some final thoughts and call it a day.

A relationship starting off of shallow feelings is totally fine and normal. Outside of your family, that's how most relationships start. You meet someone with similar interest or whose vibes you like or who is taking the same class as you. You start talking and get to know each other, which can lead to a deeper relationship in the form of a friendship or a romance, which is basically a friendship with bonus features.

The issue with the love square is that the writers are absolutely botching the "deepening relationship" part of the equation. They're not letting Marinette support Adrien or learn about his struggles or even acknowledge the struggles that she does know about, which makes her come across as ridiculously selfish, a terrible lead in to a final where she now has knowledge that could destroy him. Most of the audience doesn't trust her to tell him about this knowledge because of course they don't!

As always, I lay the blame for this at the feet of the writers because so much of Marinette's bad behavior and issues make no sense when we look at her previous writing. She's never been the best at emotional intelligence, but she has always tried to help others, a thing that the show somehow acknowledges during her fight with Gabriel, leading to his win, but doesn't in acknowledge in Marinette's own romantic relationship. Of course, that would require the writers to see Marinette's season five behavior as a flaw and I don't think that they do, which is why I blame them and not her. I have no issue writing her - or reading things that write her - as better than this.

[kasperbunny]

Nothing Would Be Harder Than Knowing You're Not Mine

shane/elfie

i wrote this back in september, but i think im finally gonna post it here. lil thing for shane and my farmer elfie. a little bit angsty but fluffy in the end <3 (and if anyone wants a reference for how elfie looks here ya go)

this fic can be found on ao3 as well.

Shane was crazy. He had to be. There was no possible way that any of this was even real to begin with. He was deluding himself, like he always did, trying to convince himself that anything good could ever happen to the likes of him. He was just stupid. He was always stupid. She didn’t, and couldn’t love him.

The sound of the glass bottle being sluggishly placed back on the table echoed against the walls of his untidy room. At least it was on the table, unlike so many of the beer cans and assorted alcohol bottles littering the floor of his room. He always said he would eventually pick them up, but he supposed he said that about everything in his life. I'll pick up those bottles tomorrow, I'll start to cut back on beer tomorrow, I'll finally fucking do something with my life tomorrow.

Shutting his eyes, he groaned and leaned his head back against the wall he was sitting against. His thoughts were still swirling in his head even after consuming more than half the bottle. He knew he shouldn't drink the whole thing, but how else would he get rid of these thoughts of insecurity, of self doubt, of…her? 

She was so beautiful. Not in a human way, her teeth too sharp and her eyes having that animalistic instinct to them. Her long, dark hair shimmered green in the bright sunlight as her small horns poked out of the top of her head. Shane couldn’t help but think she was ripped straight from his dreams. Maybe an acid induced dream, but a dream all the same. She always seemed so ethereal, yet dangerous. Like an otherworldly being with the power to turn him to ash with just a glance of those wild eyes.

And what was he? A human? A pathetic one at that. All he ever did was drink, work, drink, work, and drink again. Occasionally he would interrupt his schedule to head over to her little cabin on the farm so she could have her fun with him. Not that he wasn’t grateful for it, oh how grateful he was to even have a woman look at him, let alone allow him to pleasure her over and over, but is that all he was good for? Sex? He couldn’t even wrap his head around the idea. Why was she wasting her time with him, of all people? Shane was convinced she pitied him, that’s what it had to be. She could have anyone she wanted, multiple people if she so wished. She was so heavenly and enticing, why was she screwing the town drunk? Did she enjoy toying with him, luring him into a false sense of security and then crushing his already fragile heart?

“Fuck,” Shane’s head was spinning, not just from the alcohol, but from all the thoughts rushing back to him. He drank to get away from these feelings, not to accelerate them. Groaning under his breath, he struggled to steady himself against the wall so that he could stand up. Maybe I need some fresh air, he thought as he stumbled his way out of his bedroom. Anything beats rotting inside my room. 

Thankfully, Marnie and Jas were nowhere to be found as he made his way into the kitchen. He grimaced at the thought of Jas having to see him this way, and he hated to think of what Marnie would say about her good for nothing nephew being drunk again. Sighing, Shane managed to grab a can of cold beer from the fridge before making his way outside into the evening sun.

The crisp, cool autumn air was at least a small relief to his burning face. Alcohol always made him feel so warm, but never in a pleasant way. He always loved this time of year, when the leaves turned different shades of gold and burgundy and the hot, humid summer air finally subsided. Every year autumn hit the sleepy little countryside of Stardew Valley and every year Shane asked himself why he never went outside more and enjoyed the weather. Depression would do that to you, he supposed.

Somehow he managed to stumble his way to the edge of the forest, the large pond coming into his sight. The old dock creaked and wobbled under his feet as he made his way to the very end of it, plopping himself down so that his legs dangled off the edge. Cracking open the beer, he leaned himself back on his other hand, taking a sip and looking out at the clear, blue water in front of him. He always loved coming here when his head was clouded, somehow it put him at ease even if just for a little while. For a moment he closed his eyes as his head continued to spin with his intoxication, but it didn’t stop him from taking another large swig of the beer in his hand. At least his head was swirling because of the alcohol and not because of all the thoughts and doubts he had about his…relationship. If he could even call it that.

Shane thought that if he fell asleep right here on this dock, he wouldn’t mind it at all. In fact, he felt himself starting to doze off until his peace was interrupted by a terrifyingly familiar voice that immediately snapped him awake.

“Shane!” Elfie’s always excited voice came from behind him, causing him to straighten from his relaxed posture and tighten his grip on the can of beer in his hand. Shit, he thought, Of course she’s here. Another reason to hate living in such a small town. Can’t a drunk man spiral in peace?

He hadn’t even turned around at the sound of her, too scared to even face her right now. The silence from him didn’t deter her at all though as she plopped herself comfortably next to him at the edge of the dock, her legs so long that the ends of her dirty work boots dipped into the water below them and caused a ripple.

“Hey!” She was grinning that too sharp grin at him, her canines seeming to be even sharper than her other teeth. Usually the sight of them caused Shane’s stomach to flip in delight, but all he could think about at the moment was throwing himself into the pond and to never be seen again. Wishful thinking.

“H-Hey…” He finally muttered back at her, only half meeting her gaze before he looked out into the water again, making sure to chug the rest of his beer as he did. He was definitely going to need it.

“I didn’t see you today! You’re usually always at the bar so I went there looking for you,” She smelled like sweat, Shane noted, but somehow the smell of her perfume still lingered on her skin despite how much labor she put into that farm, “But you weren’t there, and Emily said she hadn’t seen you either, so I thought you’d be home,” If Shane had been looking at her he would have noticed how animated she was as she rambled, always using her hands to talk and map out exactly what she was feeling. Not to mention how her tail swayed absentmindedly, another reminder that she was so wholeheartedly not human, and that Shane was way in over his head. 

“So here I am! And I found you!” She was beaming at him, her feet swaying as they hung off the edge of the rickety dock. Shane had only half been listening to her, mostly because of the alcohol fogging his brain, but partly because he just didn’t know what to say to her. He felt petrified, starting to sweat as all his racing thoughts came back to him full force.

What did he want to say? What could he say? Would she even care how he was feeling? They weren’t dating, after all. At least he didn’t think so. Why would she put any thought into how her latest fling felt? Is that what he was to her, a fling? That had to be it, that’s all he was to her. Just a fun little toy to play with until she inevitably got bored of him and realized what he really was. The town bum, a drunk, a depressed, lazy sack of shit that was only good for pitying. She didn’t return his feelings. He would never be enough for her to be considered anything more than a fleeting thought. He would never be good enough for anyone. Never, never, never, never, never…

“Shane?” 

He realized he had taken too long to reply as his thoughts suffocated and consumed him. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, exhaling loudly as he tried to compose himself, apparently forgetting to breathe in his haste. 

“Are you okay?”

He swallowed thickly, allowing himself a glance over at her despite knowing it would be a mistake. She was looking right at him with those beautiful, big brown eyes that shone golden as they reflected the setting sun. Concern traced her features as her thick brows furrowed slightly, causing Shane to look away quickly in shame. He couldn’t handle her looking at him like that. Like she actually cared.

“I…Yeah. I’m fine, just…” He couldn’t breathe, he felt like his chest was going to explode as his heart raced. His hands were sweating, “Can I ask you a question, Elfie?” 

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, why was he so stupid? 

“Oh, yeah! Anything,” She didn’t seem to be picking up on his absolutely earth shattering anxiety, simply smiling softly at him and giving him all her attention.

Shane's mouth suddenly felt like sandpaper, his tongue too heavy in his mouth and his throat feeling like it was going to close up. His heart was beating so fast he could feel it thump-thump-thump in his ears, making his head pound. He should have brought more beer.

"Do you even care about me? Like, really care about me?" His voice broke slightly, tears stinging at his eyes but he refused to let them fall. He hesitated to say the word love instead, not being able to take the heartbreak if she said no.

"We sleep together, don't we?" She cocked her head slightly to the side, her eyebrows scrunching a little as she attempted to understand Shane's question.

"What? Yeah, but…" He avoided her gaze, his grip on the can of beer in his hand tightening so that it had started to dent. "That's not what I mean, and you know it."

"I don't know it," Her tail was twitching curiously as she watched him, trying to understand what he meant. He seemed upset, angry…but why? Didn't she show that she cared about him? They hung out all the time, they kissed, they were intimate. Isn’t that how humans were supposed to act when they cared about each other? Hadn’t she been doing that for months now? She knew he had been drinking, and she only hoped this was a spout of drunken stupor. Elfie wished that humans would just say what they really meant, instead of making her guess.

"You…" he huffed a frustrated sigh, his patience being strung even thinner than it usually was,"You do know. I know you do," He couldn't stop his hands from shaking, "I just want you to treat me like a real human being. I'm not just some toy for you to play with. I'm real, Elfie!"

She was quiet for a moment, only staring at him as his words washed over her. 

"But I'm…not a human being," Her words were laced with confusion. She didn't understand, but a pang of guilt shot through her chest nonetheless. She finally looked away from him, trying to find an answer as she glanced down into the rippling blue water below them, "I'm sorry, Shane. Is that what you want? A human?"

"Fuck," all the effort of holding back his tears was in vain, as they finally started to burst from his eyes and roll over his reddened cheeks. They felt hot on his face, the anger and sadness bubbling up inside of him and boiling over in the form of tears. 

"You don't understand," he didn't think he had ever felt so disgusting. Sure, he had endured countless nights of sobbing and drinking himself to sleep, but never had he felt so pathetic, so hopeless, so useless. He couldn't even look at her, he was too embarrassed. Here he was, a thirty year old man, crying his eyes out in front of the woman of his dreams. If she didn't already pity him and find him pathetic, she would now, seeing him in this state. 

Not being able to form words, Shane buried his face in the sleeves of his hoodie. He wished he could just disappear, or at least pretend that they had never met. Maybe his life would still suck, but at least he wouldn't have to torment himself over her.

She didn't know if she should touch him, but she did anyway, gently placing a hand on his back and rubbing in careful, soothing motions. Elfie realized that she had never seen Shane cry in the months that she had known him. He was always so calm, if not standoffish, never emotional like this. Then again, somehow she had never been around him when he was drunk either. She wanted to kiss his tears away.

Shane flinched away at her touch, "Don't pity me! Please, please don't fucking pity me," he pushed her away, attempting to push himself up to stand despite how liquid his whole body felt. Somehow he managed without slipping off of the dock, "I'm sorry. I just…I need to go. I'm sorry," He was still crying as he turned from her, his whole body shaking and feeling like it would fall apart at any second.

"Shane!" Elfie was quick to stand and follow him, not that it was very hard to catch up to a drunk man. She had reached out to grab him by the arm before realizing it would be a bad idea, so she kept it to herself, "Shane, please. You're right, I don't understand. Please tell me." 

Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe the depression, maybe the months of never knowing if his feelings were reciprocated and never knowing where he stood with her. Probably a mix of everything as Shane couldn't stop himself from shaking and his tears just kept coming. Thick streams of liquid poured down his cheeks and dripped onto his already stained hoodie. He was so sad, so angry. Angry at himself, at her, at the universe. They had such a good thing going for all these months, why did he have to overthink things and make a mess out of himself like he always did?

He was still standing away from her, not daring to look into her eyes out of fear of completely breaking down. His chest felt so painfully tight, like it would just combust if he breathed the wrong way. His own arms came up to cradle himself in a last ditch effort to provide any kind of comfort to his aching body. He wished so badly that they were her arms instead. 

"I…" He took a shuddering breath as he tried to calm himself enough to talk. His voice was shaking, "What are we, Elfie? Why do you waste your time with me?" He hiccupped out another soft sob, "I'm nothing. I'm fucking nothing to you. You're so beautiful…" Shane felt fresh, hot tears wet his face once more. God, he was so drunk right now. He felt like he was going to pass out, "If you don’t want something serious, or you just want sex, then fine, but just tell me now so I can get over you."

Elfie had never fought the urge to hug anyone so hard before. Not out of pity like Shane was so convinced of, but out of genuine care. Even if their relationship was a mystery, they were at least friends and Elfie wanted more than anything to take care of her friend right now. Even if she was the reason he was in pain in the first place.

She cautiously took a few steps towards him, her voice soft and laden with concern, "I do care about you, Shane," She tried to choose her words carefully, knowing he wasn’t in a right state of mind, "I thought…I thought I was showing you that," her hands twisted anxiously behind her back. She was never very good at communicating her emotions, much preferring them to shine through her actions, "I liked you, so…When you came over that night…and we kissed…I thought…" she trailed off slightly, hoping she was making sense, "I thought this was how it was supposed to work. I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" She was fighting back her own tears now, her eyes blinking rapidly to try and ward them off. 

She had never intended to hurt him, she would never want to. She was inexperienced, still young for her species, and still trying to figure out what it was that she even wanted. When she had moved into that dilapidated farm and met the townspeople, met Shane, she was happy. She thought she made him happy too.

Shane felt his anger start to bubble again, quickly coming to a boil and spilling over the top, "Did you hurt me? Of course you hurt me! Why else would I be here crying my eyes out and looking like a fucking idiot!" He didn't mean to raise his voice at her, he didn't mean to, but he couldn't contain his emotions as easily as he could when he was sober. He couldn't even think straight, his head now pounding and his entire body shaking against his will. Why was he so worked up? Why was he even hopeful in the first place that maybe, just maybe, something good would actually happen in his miserable life?

"Do you want me to leave?" She didn't fight the tears starting to shimmer in her eyes. Her voice was unusually quiet and small. She didn't know what else to say. What could she say? She liked Shane, she liked all the humans around this small town, she never wanted to cause any harm or hurt anyone. Was she just stupid? Sometimes she felt that way, not picking up on their emotions and not knowing what the right thing to say was. She cared so much, yet never knew if she was doing enough.

Finally turning around to face her at the question, all of Shane's anger melted away and instead was replaced with a sting of guilt shooting right through his already aching chest. She looked so sad, so pleading. Like she was genuinely remorseful, like she genuinely didn't understand what she was doing. Shane had seen her cry before, but only over such small things. Like the time she had caught a frog outside in the rain, and she had hurried inside to show him. She acted like he hadn't seen a frog before, but she was so excited to open up her cupped hands and exclaim about it to him. She had been crying then (Shane! Look how small it is!), but out of pure joy. Now…she stood there, sniffling with tears rolling down her cheeks. Shane noted how she was still so, so beautiful even in her sadness.

"Elfie I…" He ran an anxious hand through his already messy hair, cautiously taking a step toward her. He was staring at the ground, the sight of her crying because of him was too much to bear, "I'm sorry. I'm drunk, I can't…" He squeezed his stinging eyes shut, wanting nothing more than to just lay down. He needed the biggest nap of his life right now, "I can't…Think. I'm sorry."

She could see him now, as he faced her. His handsome face now stained with tears and his eyes puffy. Had she done this to him? Had he been hurting this bad for so long, and she hadn't even known?

"Can I please hug you, Shane?" 

She didn't get a verbal response, Shane simply closing the space between them in a heartbeat. As quickly as she had asked, he was already there, his face pressed against her chest and his shaking arms wrapping themselves around her waist in an embrace. She returned it, holding him tight against her and leaning down a little to nuzzle her face in his dark hair.

He felt so safe in her arms. All of his sadness, his tiredness, his anger, melting away at her embrace. She was so warm and soft and wonderful, like nothing bad could ever happen to him as long as he was wrapped tight in her arms. 

"It's okay. I have you," Her words came out in a sweet whisper, one of her hands trailing up his back and up into his hair to stroke at it softly. He shivered at her touch, starting to cry again. How could she be so sweet, after he had just yelled at her for doing nothing wrong? He had made her cry, and yet here she was, comforting and cradling him like he even deserved an ounce of her kindness. Sometimes she seemed like Shane’s only saving grace. An angel fallen to Earth, bestowing upon him her unconditional compassion.

"Please don't leave. I don't want you to leave me. I love…" Don't say it, don't say it, don't say it you drunk fucking idiot, "I love…being around you," Shane hiccupped softly against her, whining as he struggled to form words. He had never felt more pathetic, but somehow he was at ease as she held him. Maybe he was just too tired at this point to care.

She shushed him, sensing how much he was struggling with his words. If she hadn't been holding him, he probably would have collapsed to the ground in front of her.

"We…we're so different. How are we going to make this work?" Shane sobbed, his fingers digging into the small of her back, "Do you want to make this work…?" His voice cracked, his tone pleading with her. Please, please don't leave me after this, he rattled off in his head, I'm sorry.

She didn't feel like she could answer at the moment, not even knowing how she felt. She liked him, she knew that, but he was right. They were so different, they were different species, sometimes they didn't even understand each other. But she wanted to try, if only to make up for how she had made him feel.

Elfie placed a soft kiss to his forehead, keeping her lips there as she spoke, "You need to lay down…do you want me to take you to the farm?" Her voice was even lower than a whisper, as if her sweet, soft words were a secret for Shane's ears only.

"Y-Yeah. Yeah," He let out a shaky sigh, "Thank you…" He wished he could stop crying, but her never ending kindness just overwhelmed him over and over again. She was such a good person, even if she didn't always understand the people around her. Shane envied her for that.

"Okay. Take my hand, come on," With that, they finally untangled from each other and interlocked their fingers as she led him up the path to her humble cabin. Shane tried his best not to stumble, but it was so difficult when his legs felt like they were made of jelly. It didn't help that his heart was still beating out of his chest as they held hands the whole way. He was sure they had held hands before, but this time felt…different. It felt so genuine, and he never wanted to let go.

Finally making it, Shane attempted to stumble up the three little steps before reaching her door. Elfie kept a hand against his back the whole time, stabilizing him and making sure he didn't fall. He practically collapsed into her bed, the familiar softness bringing him comfort as he finally felt his body relax. He couldn't stop a heavy sigh as he rolled onto his back and closed his eyes, the exhale making his chest feel less tight.

A sudden dip in the spot next to him caused him to lazily open his eyes back up, only half lidded now. She had sat next to him, her hand back in his disheveled hair and her nails lightly scratching at his scalp. It felt so heavenly, her hands always did. He made a small noise of approval as he looked up at her. She smiled as they made eye contact, her thumb stroking across his forehead in a loving gesture.

"I'm…" He let out another shuddering breath, trying to still his shaking body, "I'm sorry that you had to see me like this. I…" he squeezed his eyes shut so he could focus on talking, "I tried for so long to not drink in front of you…I don't want you to be scared…" 

"Shh. It's okay, Shane," She cooed at him, "I'm not scared. I could never be scared of you," She flashed her teeth as she chuckled, "You just need to rest, okay?" Suddenly she was getting up from the bed, much to Shane's disappointment, but quickly surprised him again as she walked to the end of the bed and started to untie the laces on his sneakers. 

"Let me get these off for you so you can sleep, okay?" Shane stared at her as she removed his shoes, then quickly removed her own boots and dropped them to the floor with a heavy thud. His heart was beating fast again.

"Why…Why are you being so nice to me, Elfie?" He was looking up at her again as she seated herself next to him once more. The gesture was still replaying in his head. He couldn't remember ever being taken care of like this, "I yelled at you…I…" I'm not worthy, he thought, "I'm an asshole."

Her smile was always so cute, so charmingly sweet, like she had never been mad at anyone in her life.

"Sometimes…" She teased. She remembered when they first met and he had been so rude as she introduced herself. It never deterred her, only making her more ambitious to befriend him. Maybe that did make her stupid, but she guessed it had all worked out in the end, "But…we're friends, right? And…friends take care of each other. So that's what I'm doing. Now, move over."

Struggling to move over, Shane gave her ample room to slide in next to him. They were facing each other now, able to look into each other's eyes with how close they were.

"Is this okay?" Elfie brought a hand up to cup Shane's tear stained face, rubbing a thumb gently over his cheek, then across his lips, "Can I kiss you?"

A smile finally cracked its way onto Shane's face, quickly twitching into a full on laugh at her question. A sleeve of his hoodie coming up to hide his face, trying not to offend her.

"What?" Her pointed ears twitched, her smile fading from her face as she looked at him confused, "Why are you laughing?" Did I say something wrong? 

"I'm sorry, I just…You don’t need permission to kiss me," He hadn't meant to laugh at her, but the question was just so absurd to him, considering how physical their relationship had been up to that point. He welcomed the laugh though, at least he wasn't feeling completely miserable now, “Elfie, we’ve…done a lot worse than that.”

"Well…!" She slapped him playfully on the shoulder, a toothy grin spreading across her face, "You…You said you wanted me to treat you real, so…I was thinking about your feelings!" She was mirroring his laughing now too, "So is that a yes…? I really want to kiss you."

"Y-Yeah. Please…" he gave a short huff through his nose as his laughing died down and her lips connected with his. He eagerly welcomed it, his eyes closing again as he leaned into her touch. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he pulled her in against him so that their bodies were flush with each other. He never wanted to let her go.

"Mm…" She sighed happily, smiling against the familiar feel of his lips against her own. She was purring, the noise startling Shane a little before he realized what it was. He didn't think he would ever get used to the fact that she could even do that. 

She was the one to finally pull away, still stroking her thumb against his cheek as she spoke, "Do you want to…talk? Um, about us, I guess. That's what you wanted, right?" She was trying to choose her words carefully as they looked at each other, anxiety now making a home in her own chest. She wasn't good with serious conversations. She had no idea where to even start.

Shane dipped his fingers underneath her shirt, just to touch her hip, just to feel her warm skin underneath his touch, "Yeah, I want to. I just…" His head was still spinning, but he seemed much more relaxed than before, "I'm drunk, babe. I can't…I can't right now. Tomorrow…" His voice was soft, sleepy, as his eyes fluttered shut once more. It felt impossible to open them again, his exhaustion overtaking him as he leaned into her.

She was still purring quietly, looking down at his tired face, wanting nothing more than to give him anything he needed.

"Okay. It's a promise," She was whispering again, causing Shane to shiver, "Get some rest, Shane. I'll be right here."

"Thank you…for taking care of me…" He managed to mutter out before dozing off, pressing his face in against her chest as he used it like a pillow. She giggled at that, returning a hand to his hair and petting him as he slumbered.

She hadn't meant to fall asleep, only meaning to ease him to sleep and then get up and do a few chores that she hadn't gotten to that day, but it couldn't be helped. It was already dark outside, and she had such a warm and soft man right next to her, holding onto her so sweetly as he snored quietly. She felt her eyes flutter shut, not even fighting to keep them open as she joined him in his sweet dreams. 

[absurdthirst]

Christmas Affair {Dave York x F!Reader}

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 7.4k

Warnings: Infidelity, oral sex (male receiving), vaginal sex, rough sex, breath play, one use of 'daddy', plot twist!, murder, road head, spanking, slight choking

Comments: Meeting a stranger in a hotel in London leads to a fantastic night right before Christmas Eve. Surprising you when he shows up at your husband's house in Glasgow to kill the man you are married to.

Co-written with @storiesofthefandomlovers

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Click Keep Reading only if you have read the Rating and Warnings and understand the warnings may not be complete to avoid listing spoilers. As AO3 says 'creator chooses not to use warnings'. You also agree that you're the right age to be consuming anything here.

Swirling your drink around in your hand, your eyes flicker up and down the bar. At least the decorations aren’t garish, white lights strung in garland accentuate the red bows and wreaths hanging over the expensive liquor of the posh hotel bar. The muted holiday music isn’t blurred like it is in every shopping center around the country, classic songs being played through the hidden speakers rather than the rock that the other establishments preferred. It’s all very tasteful and you appreciate this as a way of getting you in the holiday spirit as you travel. 

The man to your right interests you, his own drink at his elbow nearly untouched for the past half hour as he seemingly watches people through the mirror behind the barkeep. “Traveling for business or pleasure?” You ask, smirking slightly at the question that is slightly overdone when men want to hit on you but you’ve admired his sharp profile long enough. 

“Business. You?” Dave asks, turning to look at you. He’s been watching you through the mirror and he smiles at you. You’re a beautiful woman and he’s noticed you. 

“Pleasure.” You coo with a smirk, making him chuckle and pick up the drink he’s been nursing for a sip. “It’s beautiful here in London during Christmas. Warm fires in the pubs, the shopping is unrivaled.” You wink, making him grin. 

“Are you waiting on your husband?” Dave asks, noticing the ring.

You wrinkle your nose slightly and shake your head, lifting your glass to your lips for another sip of the burning cocktail. “Nope.” You give a small shrug and glance down at his hand to find that he has a solid gold band on his hand. “He’s away on business. So I’ve decided to travel a bit myself. Have some fun.” You emphasize the last word, looking up at his face under heavy lidded eyes. “Do you like fun?” 

Dave smirks, lifting his glass to take a drink, “I like fun. Depends on what kind of fun you mean, sweetheart. My wife isn’t here. Your husband isn’t here. It’s Christmas. I don’t want you to be lonely, especially bored and lonely.” His chuckle makes your pussy clench and he winks at you. 

“What about horny and lonely?” You counter with a wink as you lean in towards him. You aren’t the cheating type, but he might be worth it. Your eyes flicker down to his lips. “What’s your name?” You demand and he smirks. 

“Dave.” 

“Dave, when was the last time you got your cock sucked?” You ask breathlessly.

He fucking loves your moxie, the way you shamelessly ask him that question despite people drinking in the bar around you, Christmas music playing in the background. “Three weeks ago.” He answers with a little tinge on his cheeks. “My, uh, my wife doesn’t like to swallow.” He admits, “tell me sweetheart…do you spit or swallow?”

Scoffing at the insulting question, you lean in and lick your lips. “Swallow.” You purr. “Every drop. Never let a good thing go to waste.” You lean back and drain the rest of your drink, making sure to tip it back so that all of it slides into your mouth. “Want to come up to mine?” You ask as you set it back down. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been face fucked.”

Dave bites his lip, hesitating for a moment but he pushes aside any guilt he may have when he nods. He downs the rest of his whiskey and pushes away from the bar. He throws down some cash - enough for both your drinks and his - and smirks at you, “lead the way, sweetheart.” He gestures, wanting to watch your ass as you take him to your room.

There’s just enough alcohol in your system for this to be thrilling. You can feel Dave’s eyes on your ass and you make sure to sway your hips. Glancing over your shoulder as you walk to make sure he’s following you, you lead him down the hall, your room is on the first floor. When you reach right number, you pull out your keycard and let the door swing open.

Dave is a patient man, he likes a chase, and even if you are offering him yourself on a plate, he wants to savor this moment. He closes the door behind him and you go to push him against the door but he isn’t having it. “Slow down, sweetheart. Let’s sit.” He gestures to the sitting room in your suite, much fancier than his own. “Tell me about your husband.” His request is odd but he wants to know about the man whose wife he is about to fuck.

Frowning, you wonder why he wants to know about your husband. You want to fuck Dave, not have a therapy session. “Bill?” You give a small shrug and sigh when the man in front of you just waits for you to talk. Fuck. You apparently got targeted by a PI your husband hired or some shit. “He’s a government bureaucrat.” You give a small wave of your hand. “I don’t really know, honestly. It’s all very hush hush.”

Dave chuckles, “that’s not a bad thing. What you don’t know doesn’t hurt you. What he doesn’t know wont hurt him.” He shrugs, “I don’t know your husband, sweetheart. Don’t worry about it. I’m here for you.” He promises,shifting closer to you on the sofa.

“Yeah?” You ask, raising a brow and reaching down to squeeze his cock through his pants. You inhale sharply at how thick this man is, your mouth instantly watering as you imagine deep throating him. “You want your cock sucked?”

Dave chuckles, unable to stop himself as you reach for him, and he nods, “if a man ever stops you wanting to suck his cock…he’s probably dead.” He takes your hand and places it on his belt buckle, “take what you want sweetheart.” He orders, already half hard just at the thought of you.

You smirk and unbuckle his belt as you slide down to your knees in front of him. His thighs slide apart for you and biting your lip, you unbutton and unzip his pants. Dave lifts his hips so you can pull down his pants and boxers, leaving his hardening cock starting to rise into the air. “Hello.” You coo, leaning down and kissing the tip.

Dave snorts, “I’m not here for you to fucking tease me, baby.” He warns you, reaching out to caress your head as you look up at him. Your lips are pressed against the tip and he huffs with impatience. “Nobody likes a tease.”

You giggle slightly and look up at him saucily to give him a wink before you take the entire head into your mouth and roll your tongue about the tip. Dave groans and the sound of it makes your cunt clench around nothing. He tastes wonderful, musky and heady, like a favorite savory treat.

He hisses when you take him deeper, making him groan your name again. “Fuck. You like this, don’t you? You don’t get to suck your husband’s cock that often, do you? He is a fucking idiot. If you were mine, my cock would be down your throat every single day. You are such a dirty girl.” He rambles, pressing on the back of your head so you take him deeper.

Gagging, you pull off him with a sputter and smirk at him. “Yeah? You would fuck my throat every day?” You ask before you take him back into your mouth when he pushes your head back towards his cock again. Moaning around him, you feel him twitch in your mouth.

He groans, “fuck yes I would. Make you swallow every damn drop. You’d be my little cockslut.” He smirks and hisses when you swallow around him. “Come on, baby. Every drop. Need you to take every inch and swallow every drop.” He demands, thrusting a little harder into your mouth.

He hits the back of your throat and you almost gag around him but you manage to swallow and not lose the alcohol in your stomach. He’s thick and just long enough that he presses past your tonsils and down into your throat.

“Shit. That’s it baby. Take it. I know you can. You’re a good girl. A dirty good girl.” He teases, caressing your cheek before he slaps it lightly, making you whine around his length. “Yeah. You’re dirty. Hubby doesn’t fuck you the way you want, does he?” He asks a rhetorical question.

You moan again, loving the sting of his hand on your cheek. You’re soaking your panties as you bob on his cock and work him deeper with every pass. You want to take every inch, swallow him down and show him that he made the right choice in coming back to your hotel room.

“Fuck. You are good. So good at that. Love the way you take my cock. Your mouth…” He trails off, slapping your face again and your resounding moan makes him chuckle breathlessly. “Come on baby, make me cum.”

You want to make this good for him. Swallowing down the spit and precum, you brace your hands on his thighs and press down into your nose is pressed into the fabric of his pants and your chin hits his zipper.

“Fuck. Fu-“ Dave’s jaw drops and he hisses your name when he cums, spilling down your throat as his cock twitches while he releases down your throat. His fingers dig into your head and he keeps his cock pushed down your throat as he rides out his orgasm.

You swallow and swallow as he cum. Apparently it’s been a long time since he’s cum or he just produces a lot of cum. Some of it spills down the corners of your mouth and slides down your jaw. “Fuck.” You gasp, pulling back and licking your lips as you try to catch your breath.

He grunts as you work him through it until you are pulling back. He reaches out to scoop up the drops that slipped out of your mouth. “All of it, my little slut.” He says, shoving his fingers into your mouth. “Every fucking drop then I want you to strip down. Let me see what I am going to be making mine tonight.”

Moaning around his fingers, your tongue glides over them and cleans off every drop before you feel him pull his fingers free. Standing up, you start to undress, ready to feel his hands on your body.

Dave leans back against the chair, watching you as you start to strip down. His cock is soft against his thigh but he is watching you with lust as you start to strip off your dress. Dave is intrigued at the mischievous look in your eyes. He can tell you’re a bored housewife, eager to misbehave and he’s only too happy to indulge you. He is eager to pick you apart, see what makes you tick before he  walks out of your door tomorrow.

It’s thrilling, to reveal yourself to him piece by piece. He’s a predator, you can see it in his eyes as he watches you. Used to taking what he wants and making it his own. It soaks your panties even more until you are standing in front of him in just that. “All of it.” He demands, making you shiver at the command in his voice as you hook your thumbs under the band of lace as you start to pull them down your thighs.

Dave bites his lip, smothering his smirk as you push your panties down to your ankles. “Fuck, you’re gorgeous, aren’t you?” He murmurs, “if you were mine, I’d never let you out of the house.” He winks and he works on pulling on his tie. You stand there and he doesn’t give you another order until you fidget with impatience. “Stand still. I want you to watch me undress.” He stands up, tossing aside his tie as he works on unbuttoning his shirt.

It’s frustrating when you want to touch him. He’s broad, his shoulders making you drool as he shrugs off his shift and reveals the expanse of skin. Not particularly hairy, his skin is smooth and unblemished save for a few scars that should be interesting to hear about. Biting your lip, you have to wait as he kicks off his shoes.

He takes his time but eventually, he’s standing naked in front of you. His cock is half hard when his dark eyes trail along the length of your body. “Beautiful.” He murmurs, “sexy and all mine for tonight. Your husband is stupid to let you out of his sight. Now, lay down on the bed and spread your legs. I want to see how wet sucking my cock got you.”

Quickly moving over to the bed, you have zero shame as you spread out. Making sure that your legs are wide open to let Dave see your dripping cunt, you bite your lip as you slide your hands up your sides to cup your breasts. “Very wet.” You coo. “It was so good, sucking your cock.”

“Good. I'm glad you enjoyed it.” He shifts closer so he can kneel on the bed, his hand running along your calf and up your thigh until he’s plunging two fingers inside of you. Curling them deep to drag a cry of surprise from your lips, and he grins at the way your eyes roll into the back of your head. “You’re a dirty girl, getting so wet while sucking the cock of a man who isn’t your husband.”

Moaning, your walls tighten around his fingers as they curl up to press deep inside you. “F-fuck.” You gasp, squeezing your tits harshly and rolling your nipples between your fingers for extra stimulation. “L-loved it. Wa-wanted my husband to c-catch me doing it. Show him how much I love it.”

“Yeah? You’d want your husband to see what a little slut his good little wifey is? How much you enjoyed sucking my cock and you’d want him to sit there and watch it? You little whore.” Dave fucking loves that, pushing his fingers inside of you a little faster and he adds a third finger, curling them until you are crying out. “There’s the spot.” He smirks, pushing his fingers into you over and over again.

You are writhing under the pace of his fingers, rolling your hips down wantonly. You don’t care about anything but chasing the fantastic feeling of him thrusting his fingers into you over and over again and building that sweet ache in your core. You’re going to cum, clawing at the bedsheet, you manage a strangled cry before your walls are soaking his fingers, chest heaving as you come apart.

Dave chuckles, “you are fucking desperate, aren’t you? Desperate to cum, desperate to have my fingers, my cock.” He works you through it before he pulls his fingers out of you, “come on baby. Beg for me to fuck you.” He grips your neck with his wet fingers, “tell me how much you need my cock.”

Surprised, your eyes widen and your cunt bottoms out again at the slight pressure that his fingers exert on your windpipe. “I need it.” You rush out, nearly frantic with the way you whine. “Please fuck me, oh God, I want to feel it.” Your thighs widen even more in invitation. “Please Dave, fuck me, fuck me hard, I want to feel it.” 

Your pleading has Dave throbbing for you, his cock aches and he hisses when you whine his name again. With a growl, he releases your neck and grabs your hips, flipping you over onto your stomach. He straddles your thighs, smacking your ass and you cry out, “yes. Yes. Please.” He growls your name and grips his cock, notching himself at your entrance and he pushes inside of you in one deep thrust.

Gasping at how deep he plunges into you, your ass tries to push up. The weight of him keeping you down and his hand lets go of your hip to swat the side of your ass and make you whimper. “Stay still.” He growls, his teeth clenched together and you swear that he’s about to spill before he pulls back and makes you whimper and the loss of his cock stretching out your walls. He takes a moment to gather himself, stop himself from cumming, and he exhales deeply. After a moment, he slams back into you, hissing your name and he clenches his teeth at how tight you are as he sets a harsh pace, pushing into you and slamming his hips against your ass over and over again,

All you can do is take it. Fingers curling up in the bedding and turning your head to cry out into it as he batters his cock into at a pace that steals the very air from your lungs. Every time his hips slap against your ass, you choke out a sound and your walls spasm around him. Rocking you forward before his hands drag you back so he can thrust into you again. Using you just like you wanted when you had opened your mouth to him at the bar. “Fuuuuck.” You manage breathlessly. 

Your cries spur him on, his hips pushing against your ass in an effort to get even deeper inside of you. He chuckles breathlessly at your squeaks, his thrusts fucking the words out of you. He grabs the back of your neck, keeping you pushed down to keep you still, “I’m gonna ruin you for your stupid fucking husband. You’re gonna hate his cock by the time I’m done with you. You’re gonna be longing for my dick.”

Your moan is warbled, pitching up with the rough thrusts and you think that he might have already done that. Ruined you for anyone else. Your cunt starts to flutter, pulsing wildly when he strikes against your g-spot with devastating accuracy and pushes you closer and closer to cumming as he growls above you. 

Dave is relentless, thrusting deep and hard into you, his hips no doubt going to leave bruises from how hard he pushes into your cunt. He’s desperate to make you cum. His hand comes down on your ass, again and again, his other hand squeezing your neck as he urges you to cum around his cock.

Squealing, your cunt locks down around him. Soaking him in a hot torrent of juices while your body spasms and your choked cries fill the hotel room. You don’t care who hears or what they think as they pass by, all you can think about is how good he feels inside you. “Fuck, fuck, Dave!”

Dave grits his teeth at the way you soak his cock, gripping him so hard it’s difficult for him to work you through it. He grabs your hips as you try to writhe beneath him, and he wants to destroy you for any other man, even your own husband. He pulls out, making you whine at the loss, and he flips you over onto your back, immediately pushing back into you and thrusting hard despite your quivering walls.

“Shit!” Your hands grip his shoulders and your legs wrap around his waist. Loving how rough he is with you and wanting more. Lifting your head, you press your lips to his and slide your tongue into his mouth. Kissing him desperately while he rams into you over and over again and keeps working you towards another orgasm before you fully finish cumming the first time.

Dave just keeps thrusting, desperate to make you cum, “so pretty taking my cock like a good girl. You’re not a good girl though, are you? You’re a dirty little whore. Letting me fuck you while your husband isn’t here. Soaking my cock. He doesn’t make you cum like this, does he?” He asks, shifting so he can squeeze your throat again .

Whining, all you can do is try to nod, his hand tightening around your throat even more as you move and your fingers claw at the bedding underneath you. Sucking in a breath when his hand flexes, you practically wail when he changes the angle and pushes deep, his cock punching against that spongy little spot deep inside you. Choking out another cry of his name while you bear down around his cock the second time in as many minutes. 

Dave hisses at the way you clamp down around his cock, making him chuckle and he grins when you shake beneath him. “That’s it, my little slut. Cumming for daddy? You gonna cum again? One more. You can give me one more.” He demands, grabbing your thighs to lift your calves onto his shoulders, folding you over so he can sink even deeper inside of you.

You can’t move, you can barely take a breath from the way that your body is positioned. All you can do is take the harsh, deep thrusts and seem to do even deeper and squeal out little cries when he strikes against pure nirvana inside you. Toes curled, Dave punches against your back wall and you wail out again, cunt soaking him in a rush of liquid.

Dave rams into you, your pussy squelching with his thrusts, and he loves the squeal that escapes your lips as he seeks his own climax. Having ruined you for anyone else, he pushes deep several times before he cums, painting your walls with his hot seed.

Whining, you feel him coat your insides, the hot rush of his warmth filling you and your eyes slip closed. Smiling to yourself while he rides out his pleasure, rocking his hips as he grinds every lost drop into you. “Fuck.”

Dave pants, closing his eyes as he leans down to bury his face in your neck. “Fuck that was good. Jesus Christ baby. You are  - that was -” He cuts himself off before he gets too into this. You’ll be gone by morning and soppy words won’t get him anywhere. “It was good.” He settles on that, kissing your neck before he pulls back.

You hum, looking up at him blearily and give him a soft smile. “It was worth it.” You coo, your hands sliding down his chest as he stands up. You know this is just for tonight but your cunt is still throbbing and you have a feeling you will ache tomorrow. “You can clean up and go call your wife or we can order room service and go another round when you’ve recovered.”

Dave hums, never one to hang around, and although you tempt him, he reaches for his boxers and pulls them on. He will shower when he gets back to his room. “I gotta call my wife. Time difference, you know?” He shrugs, reaching for his shirt and he starts to button it up. He isn’t rushing, not wanting to insult you, but he’s also got what he wanted and he doesn’t need to hang around. You got what you wanted from him too. He quickly finished getting dressed. “It was great meeting you.” He says, leaning over to kiss your cheek, “merry Christmas, baby.” He winks after he grabs his tie and opens your door, stepping into the hall.

Watching him go, you smirk to yourself as you climb out of the bed and groan quietly to yourself at how well he fucked you. Picking up your phone, you check to make sure you haven’t missed any calls and take it with you into the bathroom so you can clean up and maybe indulge in a bath.

Dave strips off as soon as he gets into the room, those clothes will need to be thrown away as he doesn’t need to go home smelling of perfume with lipstick on his collar. He’s not an amateur at this game. He turns on the shower, stepping in and groaning as he moves under the hot water.

There is a smile on your face when your phone rings. Happy that you’re already in your bath and soaking when you answer. “Hey sweetheart.” You purr into the phone. “How are you? I’ve been missing you.”

****

Dave shivers as the cold air hits his neck, the winter is in full swing in Glasgow and he is glad it’s easy to get here from London. Just a train ride and he will be far away from his crimes. The gun in his hand is heavy but he loves the reassuring nature of it. He looks into the window, the homely Christmas decorations and serene dinner scene make him eager to ruin the evening. His own longing for a beautiful Christmas Eve has him ready to finish this mission. He flicks the window lock, rolling his eyes at the lack of security his target has despite his team of security guards, and Dave quietly makes his way into the hallway, creeping down it until he strides into the dining room, gun aimed…at your husband.

“The rolls are done so let’s-“ You come barreling through the door with a bowl of freshly baked rolls in your hands, screeching to a halt and dropping them on the floor. The expensive crystal shatters as you gasp loudly, eyes wide in both recognition and horror. “What’s- holy shit!” You curse, slapping your hand over your mouth so you don’t scream. He’s here. He’s tracked you down and your eyes immediately fill with tears and you let out a muffled sob. 

Dave chuckles, keeping his gun aimed at your husband, “hey sweetheart. Nice to see you again.” He winks and your husband frowns, “you- you know this man?” 

Dave snorts, “oh she knows me. I had her legs over my shoulders last night while she screamed my name. Your little wife was very naughty in London. She led me right to you. You’re a hard man to find, a lot of people want you dead.” Dave clicks his tongue.

You shake your head, trying to deny it but your husband turns accusing eyes on you. “Whore.” He hisses, glaring at you furiously as if your betrayal is worse than the gun that is being pointed at his head. “I knew you were nothing but a cheap slut. I should have never married you.” He spits.

Dave presses the gun harder against his temple, “that’s what you think pal. You’re not even married to her.” Dave snorts, looking at you, “that’s not her real name. Her real last name is York. She’s mine. My wife. She’s just been ensnaring you so we could achieve this moment since you’ve been such an elusive bastard. She’s mine. She’s my wife. She cums on my cock. Not yours.”

You drop your hand from your mouth, facade no longer necessary. You had played your part, getting close to the man who was on the top of everyone’s Christmas hit wish list and handing him to Dave on a silver platter. “Like I would ever actually marry a scumbag like you.” You sneer, stepping over towards Dave with a smirk on your face. “Sorry ‘honey’ but I want to be a widow for Christmas.”

“Easily arranged baby.” Dave chuckles, not even hesitating as he pulls the trigger. Blood and brains fly across the room but Dave and you pay it no mind as your husband slumps over his expensive china dinner plate. “I missed you.” Dave murmurs, lowering the gun and grabbing the back of your neck to pull you close, pressing his lips to yours. 

Before last night, he hadn't seen you for months while you played your way into being a wife to the target Dave has been hunting for years. A target that would allow Dave to finally give up killing, the money is more than what he could spend in lifetimes and he just wants to settle down with you now. “The guards.” You gasp when you pull back, making Dave snort. 

“Baby…they’re unconscious…most likely.” He had hit them pretty hard over the head with the butt of his gun.

“Thank god you showed up when you did.” You murmur, pressing your lips to Dave’s again and sighing happily. “I know the bastard was going to want to fuck me after dinner and I couldn’t stomach the thought.” You shudder, aware that Dave knows what you have done to get into the target’s home, his bed, but you hated touching him. He wasn’t Dave. “I’m ready to get the fuck out of here for good.”

Dave slides his hands down to squeeze your ass. He knows what you’ve had to do to get this target but he doesn’t care, especially since you know what he’s done to get a kill. You understand him, his job, and he loves you even more for it. Especially considering you kill too. That’s how you met…aiming guns at each other. Now, you’re his wife. His. “He’s never gonna touch you again, baby. I’m gonna make sure I replace every fucking touch he ever placed on your skin. You’re mine.” Dave leans in to bite down on your lower lip while his hands knead your ass.

Moaning softly into the kiss, you press yourself closer to Dave and let him grope you however he wants. “Let’s get out of here.” You suggest breathlessly when you break off the kiss. “I want to spend Christmas with my husband, my real husband.” Your own hands slide down to cup his cock. “Last night wasn’t enough for me. I need more.”

“You’re killing me, baby.” Dave groans, gently pushing your hand away before shoving his gun into the back of his pants and he shrugs off his jacket, handing it to you. “Put this on, it’s freezing outside.” He helps you into it just as he hears the footsteps coming down the hall. “Quick baby. This way.” He ushers you down the opposite hall, away from the guards.

Happy to be leaving this place, you hurry down the hall with Dave, heart pounding. You know that your husband will protect you since you are unarmed. Still, you want to be away from this house, eager to celebrate the holiday with your husband. “The back door?” You ask, following his lead as he takes you through the house.

Dave smirks, “whatever you want, baby.” He winks and opens the door for you. “Come on.” He takes your hand once you’re outside in the freezing cold, guiding you to the car he has waiting for you to take you away after not being with you for several months while you set the scene for your “husband’s” murder. “Get in. I have a safe house for us.” Dave tells you, shutting your door after you get in the car and he slides into the driver’s side.

You know there will be a flurry of activity around the house for the next few hours and it’s possible that they will be looking for you so a safe house is the best option. “I’ve missed you.” Your hand lands on Dave’s thigh as he pulls away and checks the rear view mirror to make sure no one is watching. You know he will have taken care of the cameras in the house and there will be no evidence tying the hit back to the two of you beyond the proof Dave has that he committed the murder so he can receive payment.

Dave focuses for a moment on getting you away from the scene then he picks up your hand from his thigh, bringing it to his lips. “I’ve missed you too, baby. You have no idea how much it killed me to know you were in his bed. Wanted to come in and just shoot him in the face, get it over with, but I know we couldn’t do it without making him suspicious. He had to completely trust you and it killed me to know you were with him.”

“I know, baby.” You had hated it too, telling yourself every time he touched you that it was for the grand prize. “This is the last time I’m ever in someone else’s bed but yours. I’m done with that.” You promise, leaning over and pressing your lips to his neck. “Thought about you every time. Wishing it was you.”

“Only me from now on. We don’t need to do this shit again. Let’s go find somewhere across the world we can settle. Maybe a beach so I can fuck you every day under the sun and we can spend the money.” He tries to concentrate on driving but you’re so damn irresistible.

“Every day.” You hum, sliding your hand down to cup his cock as he drives. “Let me- fuck, I want to suck your cock while you drive. I missed having you down my throat.” You purr, squeezing him gently.

“Jesus.” Dave hisses, trying to concentrate and failing as you squeeze his cock through his pants, making him hiss. “Come on baby, you can have my cock. It’s yours.” He promises, gripping the steering wheel to control himself.

Smirking, you let go of his cock so you can unbuckle his belt. Not caring that you are speeding down the roads, you want to taste him again. To show him how much you have missed him. Half hard when you pull him from his underwear, you hum happily as he hisses, leaning down to take him into your mouth. He’s still pent up with adrenaline so he will cum quickly.

Dave’s knuckles are white when you take him into your mouth, making him groan your name. “Fuck baby. I’ve missed your mouth.” He murmurs, forcing himself to concentrate on the road. “Fuck. I - I love you.” He murmurs, navigating the road.

Last night was fun, thrilling even, but this is rapturous. Hearing him moan and tell you that he loves you is exactly what you need after so long apart. Hollowing your cheeks, you feel the head of his cock hit the back of your throat and you swallow, wanting to feel him throb in your mouth.

Dave grunts when you hollow your cheek, making him almost close his eyes as he forces himself to stay alert to the road. He needs to get you to the safe house before he fucking destroys you. Reminds you how you belong to him.

Your chuckle is muffled, mouth full of his cock because you know exactly what you are doing to him. The tires screech and the only thing keeping you from jostling around is your grip on his thighs as you suck his cock.

“Jesus Christ baby. You are - you’re enthusiastic.” He chuckles breathlessly before muttering to himself, “fucking hell.” He is close, the car barely keeping on the road as he tries to focus but fails when you take him deeper. “Oh fuck.” The car screeches as he barely manages to pull over and stop the car just as his cock twitches and he spills down your throat.

Fuck, you love it. You love the salty, tangy taste of his cum as it bursts on your tastebuds and fills your mouth up. Moaning as you gulp him down, your cunt is already soaked and you know that when you finally get to the safe house, you will be able to have Dave like you need him.

Dave hisses, looking down at the back of your head while you swallow around him. His head tilts back to hit the head rest as you work him through his orgasm. “Fuck, missed that pretty mouth.” He groans, stroking your upper back and neck while you greedily suck up every drop until you cheekily nip his thigh after letting his cock drop from your mouth.

Smirking as you sit up, you lick your lips for a moment to make sure you didn’t miss a drop before you press your lips to his eagerly. “Missed you.” You pant into his mouth, fingers sinking into his hair to tug on it before you pull back. “Get us to the safe house, baby.” You order breathlessly. “I need to have you inside me.”

Dave nods, soft cock resting on his thigh and he squeals back onto the road, making his way to the safe house. “Don’t worry baby. I’ll be inside of you soon enough. Tell me…how do you want me to fuck you first?” He asks, wanting you to distract him a little.

You give a small laugh at how determined he is to get to the safe house now. Leaning back in your seat, you pull your skirt up and run your fingers down the front of your cloth covered cunt. “Bend me over. Like the first time you fucked me. Remember Kiev?” You whimper, remembering the trip the DIA had sent you on to make sure that you were up to snuff, sending Dave to observe. There had been a lot of sexual tension between you and once the job was done, Dave had pounced on you.

Dave smirks, caressing the wheel as he remembers how you screamed for him that night after the target was dead. “You were so desperate for my cock. Practically smelt how wet you were the entire time. Had to eventually give you what you wanted…” He makes you pout until he continues, “but it turns out your cunt was too fucking good. You got me addicted and now here we are.” His dark eyes flick over to where you are rubbing yourself through your panties, “you wanna touch yourself? Or wait for me ?“

Whimpering, you know Dave is in a teasing mood, if you don’t stop he won’t fuck you until you are begging and nearly crying for him. “I’ll wait.” You decide, pulling your fingers away from your clit.

Dave hums, “good girl” and continues to focus on driving to the safe house. He goes down a dark road overhung with trees and he scans a card when he arrives at the gate. The gate opens and Dave drives through, checking the rear view mirror for the gate closing behind him. When he’s satisfied, he continues driving along the road until he pulls into a garage door that he opens with a push of a button and once he’s inside, that closes behind him. The home is in the middle of nowhere, sheltered, and no one will be able to find you. Dave is quiet as he parks, kills the engine, and rounds the car to open the door for you, his dark eyes flashing but he remains quiet until he is punching in the alarm code for access to the house.

There is that sense of anticipation and tension in the air, just like the first time. Although you are Dave’s wife and know what will happen. The house is so still you can hear water dripping out of a faucet upstairs as the door swings shut behind you. The quiet snick of the automatic lock whirls while your shoes click on the floor. The house is bare of homey decor, set up to be functional, but secure. A literal fortress from the outside world. “Merry Christmas, sweetheart.” You murmur, turning around and reaching for the zipper of your dress.

Dave watches you, a smirk on his face at the way you strip down, your naked back making his cock harden from where he had tucked himself back into his pants. He steps towards you, kissing the back of your neck while pushing your dress off of your shoulders. “Fuck I missed you.”

That is the theme of tonight. Yesterday had been a spur of the moment, neither one of you wanted to acknowledge the reality before the mission was over, but you needed him. Whimpering, you turn your head to chase his lips. “I missed you. Every second.”

Dave shoves your dress down, “missed you, baby. Gonna show you how much.” He promises, finally pressing his lips to yours. His hands grab your ass, pulling you close, and his tongue slides into your mouth, making him groan at how he feels like he’s home.

You don’t even try to find one of the bedrooms, needing him. You shove at your panties, pushing them down and wiggling so they drop down to your ankles. “Dave.” You moan when he breaks away and starts kissing down your neck. Pushing your ass against his tented trouser, you bite your lip and moan again. “I- fuck me, fuck me right now.”

“No baby. No. It’s been so long. I - shit. I want you- want you in a bed.” When you squeeze his cock, he gives in. With a growl, he spins you around and pushes you up against the wall. His hands fumbling to unbutton the pants he didn’t bother to zip up, his cock already hard again with need for you.

You whine, pushing back against him. “Dave, please.” You beg, loving how needy you both are. His hand is harsh on your neck as he grips it, his other hand around his cock as he guides himself to your cunt. “Oh fuuuuuuuck!” You squeal when he pushes inside you.

Dave grunts at how fucking tight you are around him. “Baby. Shit. I’ve missed you, baby girl. So much.” He murmurs, pulling you flush against him so there isn’t a gap between you and he begins to set a harsh pace, hips slamming against your ass as his hand squeezes your neck.

Now you can be as loud as you want. Not worrying about endearments being heard or calling out his name. You are alone. “Fuck baby, fuck your wife.” You pant out. “Need you to remind me that I’m yours.” It’s fucking magical, the brutal punch of his hips and his cock scrubbing through your walls like he’s scratching an itch you couldn’t satisfy yourself.

Dave growls at your words, his cock twitching inside of you. “You’re mine. Only mine. Not that fucking asshole. Mine.” His teeth sink into your shoulder as he reminds you who you belong to. “You’re. Fucking. Mine.” He growls, pushing his cock deep as his fingers tighten around your neck.

You gasp out, barely able to breath but it just makes his cock feel that much better inside you. His possessive tone rolls through you along with the thrust of his cock up into your spasming walls. It only takes another couple of thrusts, a well timed, feral growl from Dave and you are flying apart with a cry. “Fuck, Dave!”

“That’s it. That’s it baby.” Dave grunts as you clamp down around his cock, soaking him, and he is so fucking happy you’re back in his arms for you. It killed him to give you up for several months and now, he’s never going to let you go again. He thrusts hard, trying to both work you through it and find his own orgasm, his emotions taking over which is a rarity for him. Within a dozen thrusts, Dave is done. He pushes deep and his cock pulses as he cums inside of you, painting your walls.

You whine at the familiar heat that floods you, closing your eyes with a small smile on your lips. “God, I love you.” You whisper breathlessly, hearing a clock somewhere inside the house chime with the time. “Are we staying here or are we leaving?” You don’t want to move from this spot, hate the idea of Dave pulling out, but you also want to spend the holiday with your husband.

“Staying here. I had them stock it with food and I had a tree decorated so we are spending Christmas here, sweetheart.” He grunts, reluctantly pulling out of you and he spins you around so he can kiss you. “I even have a present for you.” He murmurs, thinking about that beautiful diamond bracelet he bought on the way here. He checks his watch, grinning when he sees it is midnight. “Merry Christmas, baby.”

“Merry Christmas, Dave.” You press your lips to his softly and smile. This Christmas will be the last time you have the possibility of being apart during the holidays. Dave is retiring after this last target, your bank accounts nicely padded. “My favorite one is this one, because it’s the beginning of the rest of our lives.”

Dave kisses your hair, “exactly. No more missions or targets. Just you and me and a peaceful Christmas. Then a peaceful new year, Valentine’s Day…” He trails off with a smile, “I’m so ready to be with you. It’s the best Christmas present I could’ve ever gotten: you.” He murmurs, pulling you close and breathing you in. Dave is done with killing for money…he hopes.

[kingofjohto]

Pairing: Will Byers X M! Adopted Harrington reader

Description: You only really knew of Will Byers and his friends through your adoptive older brother Steve, but one thing was for sure, you liked him. After noticing them in the Hospital while visiting a friend, and getting attacked by a strange flesh monster, you’re quickly roped into the upside down antics of the party, and some feelings bubble up in a life or death situation.

Word count: 2.9k

Note: I got a bit carried away with the length of this one, so I tried to summarize some of the parts that everyone already knows, specifically the Dustin and Suzie scene. Also the fic does mention the scene where Eleven had the mind flayer worm in her leg, but I wrote it the best I could so it wasn’t too descriptive. I really hope you all enjoy this one!

I’ll Protect You With Everything I Am.

It all happened so fast. It felt like only moments ago you were all sitting around Eleven, waiting in anticipation as she sat and concentrated on Billy. Now, you were all standing behind Max as she took the lead on patching the wound on Eleven. Lucas suddenly dumped out the contents of his backpack on the floor, laying the random assortment of trinkets out.

“Does anything here help?” Lucas asked.

“No! Now, go get some towels… and a washcloth.” Max barked.

You, Lucas, and Will all sat there for a second, before Max turned around and glared at all three of you.

“Go!” She hissed.

The three of you got it together and quickly turned around to go search the store's isles.

“Ugh, there’s no bowls here!” Lucas groaned.

“We just gotta keep looking.” you reassured him.

“Y/n, we might as well be looking for something we can fight the mind flayer with. Something like…” Lucas’s voice trailed off.

The three of you stumbled upon what seemed to be a gold mine. The fourth of July fireworks were stacked up neatly, on display.

“Oh… my… god. These are-”

“Not bowls. Or washcloths.” Max said, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

“No, but these bad boys here, 5 of them are enough to rival even the strength of dynamite.” Lucas marveled at the giant fireworks.

“So you're going to fight the giant meat monster that almost killed us… with fireworks?” Max said, annoyed.

“It’s probably our best bet at the moment.” You said.

“No, Eleven is our best bet. Stop wasting time, and get the damn bowls.” Max hissed.

As Lucas began packing as many fireworks as he could into a cart, you and Will split off to grab the items Max requested.

“Hey Will?” You whispered as you reached for the bowl on the high shelf.

“Yeah?” he whispered back.

“It's just that… there’s something I wanted to ask you.” You said.

“Will! Y/n! I need that bowl!” Max yelled from across the store.

“Right!” Will yelled back, then looked back to you, “Sorry, let's talk about it once this is all over, ok?”

“Right.” You said, handing him the bowl.

You couldn’t help but look at him as he walked away towards the aisle where El was resting. You let out a sigh and sat there for a moment, looking down at your feet. All you wanted was for him to look back.

“Dustin?! Dustin, do you copy!?” You heard Mike yell from the other side of the store.

You jumped at the mention of his name, because if Dustin is anywhere, so is he. Steve. You rushed to the aisle where Mike and El were, and everyone else had gathered there as well.

“Was that really Dustin? Did he say anything about Steve?” You asked.

“No, I could barely hear them, we must be out of range.” Mike sighed.

“I can do it.” Eleven said.

“El-”

Eleven promptly cut Mike off.

“I can do it.” she said sternly.

Mike looked at her, and sighed.

“Alright. I trust you.” Mike said.

Once Eleven had finally located Dustin, the group packed into Nancy’s car and you were soon off towards the Starcourt mall. It was a pretty cramped car ride, with Mike, Eleven, and Max in the far back, and You, Will, and Lucas in the middle. Mike and El were in their own little world, as per usual. Lucas and Max were still bickering about the fireworks. You looked over at Will, and you could see the look of anxiety on his face.

“You alright Will?” you whispered to him amongst the chaos in the car.

“Yeah it's just that… well I can still feel him. I just hope we can make it out this time.” he muttered.

“Don’t worry, if it comes down to it, we always have El.” You reassured him.

“Yeah but, what if we don't? What if something happens to us?” he shuddered.

“Listen, don't worry. I mean, I have the least experience with this whole monster crazy mirror dimension stuff, but I’m sure we can do this.” you tried to reassure him again.

“I just… I don't want anyone to get hurt.” Will sighed.

“Well… neither of us can guarantee that. But I promise you I won't let that thing touch you.” you said.

He looked at you and smiled.

“Thank you for that, Y/n.” Will said.

You felt a smile crawl across your face.

“Anytime.”

Neither of you had any idea what you were truly up against.

Soon, you all arrived at the theater entrance to the mall, and rushed in. As you reached the balcony of the mall you looked down and saw Dustin, Robin, Steve, and Erica rush to hide behind the counter of the Cookie shop in the mall food court, as well as strangely dressed men. You signaled for everyone to come over to the balcony, and that's when you saw the guns the men were holding. You looked at El and she looked back and nodded. She stepped up to the balcony and reached her hand down towards the car. The car's alarm went off, alerting the men of their presence, but it was already too late. El threw the car across the room and it crushed the three men.

“Damn.” you winced.

“Yeah. It’s a bit hard to get used to.” Lucas chuckled.

The group ran to the nearest staircase and met up with Dustin's group on the ground floor.

“Man have I missed you guys.” Dustin said, running up to hug Mike and Eleven.

“We missed you too.” Mike said, “but we’ve had a lot going on.”

“Really? Try being stuck in a russian secret base for 24 hours.” Dustin said.

“Those damn russians.” Erica scoffed.

“Erica what are you even doing here?” Lucas said.

“Blame them! They were the ones who made me do this.” Erica said, pointing to Steve and Robin.

“She's right, it’s our fault.” Steve apologized.

“Is anyone gonna tell them about the 20 foot flesh monster that just tried to kill us?” You said from the back of the group.

“Y/n? What the hell are you doing here?” Steve asked.

“It's a really long and convoluted story, one minute i'm visiting my friend in the hospital the next second he melts into a flesh beast, tries to kill you, fuses with another flesh monster, falls into a sewer, and suddenly there's a god damn mirror dimension and monsters and super powered experiment girls.” You blurted out, “but I'm fine. And I'm here now.”

“Ok can someone explain what he's talking about?” Steve said.

“The mind flayer. It's back.” Will said.

“... Shit.” Steve said.

“God dammit! Of course it’s the goddamn flayer again!” Dustin yelled.

“Ok… is no one gonna ask why there were Russians? I’m still a bit stuck on the russians.” Max said.

“I’m still stuck on the fact that the car just flew around the room.” Robin stuttered.

“Eleven has super powers.” You quickly chimed in.

“Yeah, catch up Robin.” Steve said.

“Basically, there are evil Russians under the mall trying to open the gate for god knows what reason. We infiltrated their base and got stuck, but they've got really advanced tech down there.” Dustin explained.

“Right, and on our side, The mind flayer that was stuck inside Will came back and made a body out of human insides just to kill El, and it attacked us inside of Hopper's cabin.” Mike explained.

“This day literally cannot get any worse.” you sighed.

That was when you heard a thud behind you. You all quickly turned to see El on the floor,

“Shit.” You murmured.

“El!” Mike yelled, rushing to her side.

Everyone else followed suit and surrounded Eleven, who was screaming in pain. You all looked around trying to see what the issue was, when you saw it. Something moving, squirming around inside her leg.

“Ewwwww, what is that!?” Erica blurted out.

“Oh god.” Dustin gagged at the sight.

“Keep her talking! Keep her awake until I get back!” Jonathan said, getting up and running towards the food court.

As you all waited for Jonathan, Eleven began drifting in and out of consciousness.

“Shit, shit! Turn her over a bit.” Mike said.

You and Nancy helped lift Eleven up as she cried out, when Jonathan came back with a knife.

“Here, bite down on this.” Jonathan said.

“Holy shit.” You accidentally blurted out as you knew what Jonathan was gonna do.

You quickly looked away and tuned it all out. Yeah you’d seen a lot in the last 24 hours, but this!? This was too much. You could still hear as Jonathan began to attempt and pull the creature out of Eleven's leg, until she yelled for him to stop.

“I can do it.” She said between pants.

She began yelling as she pulled the flesh worm out using her powers, and threw it to the side. That was when you noticed Hopper, Joyce, and a weird, but slightly familiar old guy behind them.

The group had split up for a bit to talk to their families as Hopper began gearing up to go into the underground russian base and the rest of you prepared to get out of there. You were sitting alone, until Steve sat next to you.

“Hey Y/n.” he said.

“Hi.” You muttered.

“I guess it’s all kinda hitting you now huh?” he said.

You nodded.

“Well, I’m not too good at this whole ‘big brother’ thing, but hang in there. Trust me, it gets easier to come to terms with.” Steve said.

“I know. I mean, it's not just that. I’ve mostly gotten over the whole multi-dimensional demon monster shit.” You said.

“So then, what's up?” Steve asked.

You slowly looked up and looked towards Will, who was hugging his mom.

“Oohhhh. Oh! Oh, wow that explains a lot.” Steve said.

You shot him a look and then rolled your eyes.

“I don't know. I just… I hate seeing him so stressed.” you said.

“Well. When you're at the center of this, or even close to it… it can be pretty damn stressful. But all you gotta do is be there.” Steve encouraged you.

“Right.” You said, “But I'm not leaving you this time, I’m going to weatherpoint with you guys.”

“That's like, the opposite of what I just said!” Steve exaggerated.

“Yeah well, they’ll be safe at the old dude's house. I have a bone to pick with that monster.” you said.

Soon, you were on your way to Cerebro with Steve, Robin, Dustin, and Erica. Once you got there, Dustin was routinely checking in with Hoppers group, but you weren't paying attention to that. Your eyes were focused on the mall. That was when you noticed.

“Guys… the mall.” you said.

Everyone quickly ran over to you and saw exactly what you saw. The lights were flickering violently, just like in the hospital.

“Shit.” Steve said.

You all ran to the radio as Dustin called in.

“Griswold Family this is Scoop Troop do you copy! Over. Griswold Family-”

Dustin's voice was cut off by a violent shriek, the same shriek you heard when the Mind Flayer attacked at Hoppers Cabin. Without even thinking, you bolted back towards the car.

“Hey! Y/n! Dammit.” Steve shouted, chasing after you.

“Wait! Where are you going!” Erica yelled.

“To get them out of there!” Steve yelled, “Stay here, contact the others!”

“Shit, wait for me!” Robin shouted as she also began running towards the car.

“Robin, wait! Take this, keep in contact!” Dustin said, throwing her a

Soon you guys pulled into the parking lot, and you quickly scanned the area.

“There!” You said, pointing to the Wheelers car.

Nancy was standing outside of it, pointing a gun towards another car. The other car suddenly started driving forward, straight towards Nancy.

“Shit! Grab onto something!” Steve shouted.

He hit the gas and began racing towards the car. You held onto the seat as you crashed directly into the other car, stopping it before it crashed into Nancy. The three of you sat there for a moment, recovering from the impact.

“You guys ok?” Steve asked.

“Ask me tomorrow.” Robin said.

“No.” You answered.

That was when you saw it. The same monster that attacked you in Hoppers cabin, perched on top of the mall.

“Shit, we gotta go!” You yelled, unbuckling your seatbelt.

The Wheelers car quickly pulled up next to you.

“Get in, now!” Nancy yelled.

The back seat door flung open and you climbed in, while Robin and Steve climbed in the back. You looked around and saw Jonathan, Nancy, Lucas, and Will.

“Where is everyone else!?” You asked.

“Back at the mall, we're leading this thing away.” Jonathan said.

You looked next to you and saw Will. He was visibly shaken up from the experience he just had. You put your hand on his shoulder.

“You alright?” you asked.

“Yeah… just a bit… ya know.” He muttered.

“Yeah. I know.” You replied.

--

After the Mind flayer turned around, Jonathan quickly turned the vehicle around and rushed towards the mall. The plan was simple: use the fireworks to stall for as much time as possible. You all quickly unloaded the fireworks and entered in from the theater. You split up into three groups, Will and Lucas, Jonathan and Nancy, and Robin, Steve, and you. As you all ran to your positions, you looked down and saw Eleven being pinned down by Billy.

“Shit, hurry!” you whispered.

As you all got into position, you threw the first firework.

“Flay this you piece of shit!” Lucas yelled as he threw another firework at the beast.

You all threw as many fireworks as you could, but it was no use, they ran out faster than you all anticipated, and the Mind Flayer was pissed. It slowly stood back up and looked at Will and Lucas.

“Shit, shit!” Lucas began yelling.

You looked at Will, and then back to Steve. He started to shake his head but it was too late, you had already made up your mind. You sprinted as fast as you could towards Will, and in that moment it was like time had slowed down. You could see the Mind Flayer ready one of its tentacles, and you got ready. As it shot out its tentacle directly towards Will, you reached out as best as you could to block it. You could feel it pierce through the left side of your back as you shielded Will with your body. The pain was unbearable, but in the moment, it was worth it. It quickly retracted its tentacle to focus on Eleven, but all you could focus on was the look on Will's face as you fell to the ground.

“Shit, Y/n!” Lucas yelled.

“Why did you do that!” Will shouted at you.

“I told you… didn't I. I told you I wouldn't let that thing touch you.” You said, wincing at the pain.

Will kneeled next to you as your blood slowly pooled around you.

“You didn’t have to-”

You cut him off, “I’ll always protect the people I love most. I know this is the shittiest time to confess something like this, but I really do love you, Will.” You laughed.

“It’s okay.” Will cried, “Don’t worry, once this is all over, we’ll go to the arcade or something, just me and you.”

“Yeah. I'd like that.” you whispered, slowly growing tired.

“Hey… Y/n. Y/n!” You could hear Will calling for you as you slowly faded away.

--

You could hear a faint murmuring noise as you slowly opened your eyes in a small, white room. Your head was pounding, and you back, god your back hurt like hell. As your eyes began to focus, you realized you were laying on your side. You slowly sat up and looked around.

“H-hello?” you tried to say. Your voice was weak, but the murmur in the background stopped.

The white sheet surrounding your hospital bed was quickly pulled back, revealing Steve and Will, who both had a bewildered look on their face.

“Oh shit.” Steve gasped.

“Yn! You’re okay!” Will exclaimed, rushing to your side.

“I don’t feel okay.” You sighed.

“Well, the mind flayer got you good. But apparently everything was fine, cuz you got this thing called…. Um..” Steve explained.

“It's called Dextrocardia, basically your heart is on your right side, and not your left. If it wasn't, well…” Will trailed off.

“Your heart would've went kapoosh.” Steve said, creating an explosion with his hands.

You laughed a bit at your brother's usual humorous personality, and so did Will.

“Alright, I’ll give you two a moment alone while I go tell the others.” Steve said, shooting you a quick wink and a thumbs up.

You nodded back and then turned to Will.

“So, are we still on for that one on one arcade session? Or, maybe you could come over to my house and we can make up a campaign or somethi-”

“Y/n, whatever we do, I don't care what it is. I just want to spend time with you.” Will blurted out.

You were a bit stunned at his boldness at first, and he quickly became flustered. You chuckled a bit.

“Yeah. I’d like that.” You said with a smile.

[mybworlds]

Chapter 5: Lessons of trust

Pairing: The Hound x Sansa Stark

Summary: the Hound teaches Sansa how to use a sword, but all they’ll do is argue...

Chapter Warnings: language, violence, blood, almost sexual violence, small description of a rotting corpse

Masterlist

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"The sword must be an extension of your arm!" the Hound repeated to her.

Sansa did not know whether to call herself crazy for asking Clegane to teach her how to use the sword or to congratulate herself on the beautiful and useful idea, but most of all Sansa was surprised at how the man in front of her had agreed almost immediately.

"NO! By the Seven Damned Hells, not like this!" he blurted out looking at the wrong position of the young woman's arm "Like this." he told her by going close to her and extending Sansa's arm slightly outward, his movement was firm, but extremely gentle "It's heavy." commented Stark making to take the weapon with both hands "You have to use one arm only, two would only weigh you down. For quick combat, you wouldn't give more than two shots." he said.

"Please be patient with me. I have never used a sword, I was taught that there are knights for that, I did not think there would come a time when..." her voice choked in her throat and Sansa lowered her head.

He called himself crazy for agreeing to teach Sansa Stark how to use a sword, how did he come up with that?

For the seven hells!

He laid a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at him for the briefest of moments "I know, little bird, you've been sung so many good stories, but the world is not as the storytellers tell it."

She with her head down nodded "I just wanted to-- I'm just a stupid little girl who was taught stupid and useless things."

He felt a motion of pity, an unknown pity for her "You're a little girl educated to be a ruler, but you're not ready to live in the world. The real one, I say. Not the golden one of castles. Although after all, all this gold isn't even there, it's just a fucking world of appearances, a world where you play at who has more power, who can anticipate the moves of their opponents. Your world, the world you come from is a world of power games. My world, on the other hand, is one of blood, sweat, thirst for revenge and justice. And it is the real one. They are two totally different worlds.

I cannot and will not learn anything from you, but you can learn from me." and it was true, what could she possibly teach him? To make embroidery and lace? To use pretty words?

No, that was definitely not his world.

Sansa looked at him for a very brief moment: she was still too intimidated by those dark eyes and the man's burns; she knew how brave and strong he was with a sword, she should have felt safe, but he still could not convey peace of mind and trust to her.

How could anyone trust a man who killed those who had been his soldiers for money?

Sandor Clegane huffed and shook his head, "Winter will come before you can sustain my gaze. But after all you must watch how I move, certainly not my face! You don't look at dogs because they are beautiful, but because they can fulfill their task.

Mine now is to teach you what I know about the sword. And now let's not waste any more time and resume, which foot do you use the most?" he asked her impetuously approaching her.

"The right one." replied Sansa, backing away just barely, startled by that quick movement.

"Well, if someone attacks you raise your left arm," he continued making her raise her arm, "you block him and use his strength against him. You are small so wait for him to come closer, then push the sword into his body to the hilt if necessary and wait." he added looking straight into her eyes, into those frightened innocent blue eyes.

"What?" she asked.

"Let life leave his eyes." the man replied to her a short distance from her face, Sansa swallowed and then wrinkled her forehead "Don't hesitate, or you're dead." added Sandor moving away from her "And then it would all be wasted effort on my part as well as yours." having said these fateful words, Sandor barely moved away from her and the two resumed their training.

The two trained until almost sunset, then they set out again when the sky was now plunged into darkness. Sansa was exhausted, yet she vowed not to complain: she had already shown too many weaknesses to the man beside her; she did not want to give him further cause to be taunted.

The night birds slowly appeared, some chirping above their heads, others in the distance, the shadows gradually became thicker and more numerous, the river gurgled to their right, a few stones rolled as they passed by on either side of the small hill on which the two marched. Sansa thought for a moment that she found herself in one of Old Nan's eerie stories, only what the girl was experiencing was not a fantastic story with eerie folds, it was real, and it was horrible: Sandor was right, the world is not like the one sung about in the courts. There was nothing spectacular or compelling about what surrounded them.

If anyone had ever sung about the affairs of Sansa Stark, probably no one would have wasted their time in devoting more than a few words to her, they would have surely laughed at her: she did not feel brave, she did not feel valiant. If someone had for real told the story of the two wayfarers, Sansa thought, they would have focused on the massive figure of Sandor Clegane, the man with the half-bruised face endowed with great strength and courage, who disdained the title of knight while acting like one.

Stark seethed as she thought back to the song about Florian and Jonquil, how much nonsense she had been told to protect her and make her believe that her life would be full of love, lavish ceremonies, and lots of laughter. Her life was a nightmare, it would never be like one of those ballads.

"Have you lost your tongue, little bird?" the Hound suddenly asked her.

"No." she answered simply, however she gave no further explanation about her silence, how could she explain to someone like him, to a man who disdained ballads, knights, princely behavior, what she - a noblewoman - was feeling at that moment?

"Then why don't you sing? I remember you owed me a song," the man reminded her. It had only been a few days since they had left King's Landing, but to Sansa it seemed like months, she had forgotten the Hound's request.

"I don't know any songs anymore," she answered him simply.

"You mean it only took you a few bloody days to forget your beloved ballads from your storyteller friends?" he sneered at her. Sansa lowered her head did not answer, she just wanted to remain silent and hear the noises that livened the forest during the night.

"All right, as you wish we remain silent," he finally surrendered.

They walked for two days and nights, and on the third day Sansa found herself praying that someone fighting for the Starks would stop them and take her to her mother and brother, but that did not happen.

"Come." her traveling companion told her, taking her by the girdle and getting her off his horse, "Let's rest for a while here." Sansa saw the place the Hound had chosen: it was a two-story wooden house, the door had been torn off, the windows broken, someone had been there before, and surely - according to the man - no one else would come to such a place.

"Wait here." he ordered her as he entered with his sword drawn to check the interior "There is only one corpse, but it will have been dead for weeks, it stinks." Sansa swallowed "Take off that scared look, dead people are dead. I'll take it out and then you come in." the body was decaying, it stank, Sansa was forced to put a hand over her mouth and nose to keep from breathing in the death-pregnant air that made her feel very nauseous "Come, princess." said Clegane. Sansa looked around, everything was abandoned, the few pieces of furniture inside had fallen or overturned, dust permeated the air of the small cabin, the girl looked toward Sandor "I'll go find a hare or something else to eat. You stay here." he ordered her "And don't let anyone see you for any reason in the world, understand?" Sansa nodded and the Hound walked away.

The young woman took the opportunity to fix her hair with her hands and looked at her beautiful, now worn-out dress, sighed and thought that she would give anything to be in that place at least with her sister Arya, she would know what to do, she would even accompany the Hound to hunt the prey! Arya had always been a sharp little fellow, small, quick and above all always ready for action. Anytime, anyhow. Lace, nice clothes, good manners had never been her thing.

The two sisters looked nothing alike, one had inherited the red hair of her mother from the Tully household, the other had brown hair, the first was submissive, sweet and naive, the other always curious and above all always in the way. The first was sweet and honest, the second very clever and above all quick with words and especially with the sword. By a twist of fate, Sansa found herself going through adventures that her sister Arya should have gone through.

What had she thought of running away with the Hound?

Sandor Clegane could hardly stand her: he had been teasing her ever since he had seen her, he was always asking her for songs and calling her 'little bird,' moreover-knowing how fearful Sansa was, he often asked her to look at him, which she still could not!

The young woman quickly looked around and noticed a sword, the handle was blackened however she noticed two small dragons entwined with each other, the blade was different from the ones she had seen so far in both Winterfell and King's Landing. She turned it over in her hands and at that moment the man came in with two bowls in his hands, they looked at each other for a long moment then he noticed the weapon in the girl's hands and said to her, "Put that down before you can cut yourself or worse!"

"I'm not a child, I know it's a weapon and that it's not a toy!" the redhead reminded him.

"Give me that sword," the Hound told her.

"No, I'm keeping it. I found it."

"Stop acting like a spoiled little girl." he blurted out, setting the bowls down on the table and snatching the weapon from her hands "Only for a few days you've been learning how to use these weapons and this ... is a ... peculiar sword, I don't think I've ever seen a blade so thick and so dark." the man commented.

"Why did you take it away from me?"

"I didn't take it away from you!" he answered her annoyed "Here's your sword, little bird, just stop whining."

"I'm not whining." she replied as Sandor returned the heavy sword to her "It was just a clarification."

"Sure, sure. Now sit down and eat." he said, handing her a bowl containing chicken.

"Where did you get it?"

Sandor did not answer, he took to biting into the chicken with great voracity "Shit, I should have taken a flask of wine too!" he blurted out when the chicken leg was almost finished.

"Did you steal it?" asked Sansa contritely.

"What was I supposed to do? Ask to give me two chickens? With what money?" retorted Sandor shushing Sansa "Could you just say thank you instead of criticizing everything I do?" he added annoyed.

"You are the one who never wants a thank you!" she reminded him "If I tell you, you curse, if I don't tell you, you tell me I should tell you!" she blurted out, leaving the sentence in the void.

"Better a thank you than so many useless words! How would you have eaten tonight, mh? Nobody gives you anything for nothing, the sooner you understand that, the better it is!" he replied giving her another pearl of wisdom.

"You and I will never get along. You are rude, arrogant and ... a thief." she stated lapidarily, then biting into the last piece of meat.

He looked at her for a long time before replying, "But I am the only one who is taking you home. Where is that pretty little flower you like so much now, Loras Tyrell? Why did you follow me then?" Sansa fell silent "Despite my ways, I'm the only one who bothered to get you out of that fucking cage, that's why, little bird." he continued and then resumed eating.

Silence came between the two.

The moon was high in the sky and brightened the entire forest and the rocky expanse in front of the house at which Sansa and the Hound had taken refuge; she stood on what could barely be called a bed; it was hard and squeaked with every slightest movement she made. She tossed and turned in bed. She felt dirty, what she wouldn't give to take a nice hot bath and then to drink cold milk to relax herself!

Since that exchange of words had taken place, neither he nor she spoke again, both of them thinking about the words the other had addressed to him, Sandor, for his part, was not offended, he had spoken his mind, he had helped her escape from that lion's cage in which she was being devoured piece by piece. He knew what it felt like to have everything ripped away from him, first his flesh, then the love of others, to follow property and finally even his name, he knew what it felt like to become a shadow of himself and in her, he saw himself again in a way, he saw again what he had been as a child: an innocent and defenseless creature.

His brother, Gregor, had ripped away first the flesh and then the gaze of everyone around him, no one looked at a boy with a face as ugly as he had, no one, not even a whore, even to them aroused horror. Sandor would not let anyone rip the soul out of Sansa Stark, not a sweet, good, innocent, idealistic little girl like her.

He laid an arm under her head, and thought again, I am better than Gregor, than that monster. He would have already raped and killed her, but I will never touch her, I will never hurt her. I will never disrespect her!

Sandor turned back to the bed on which the little bird was lying and noticed that the position of her body was stiff, she was not sleeping, she was pretending to sleep, the reason for which she was not sleeping, Sandor ignored, but he preferred not to ask what was going through that pretty little head and turned away using his own arm as a pillow and straining to sleep, he closed his eyes.

Sansa, she thought, who had said those words because deep down she meant them: the Hound was a man of manners too arrogant, too scurvy, too fierce for her. However, she had freely chosen to follow him, had seen in him, in that man, a glimmer, the one and only possible way out. The two could never have gotten along, not even in a hundred years!

She remained with her eyes closed, but listened to every single noise, every creak, every rustle, at the slightest footfall she jerked, she trembled, she feared that a Lannister soldier or a shadow panther might kill her at any moment despite the Hound's strong presence.

"Little bird, sleep." a voice, the Hound's, admonished her "You must rest or tomorrow you will not be able to hold on Stranger. You are a too delicate flower, and the slightest difficulty may break you, so sleep."

Sansa turned to him caught in the act "Forgive me...I - I.... I...I don't..."

"Stop babbling bullshit, close your eyes and go to sleep!" the man scolded her.

Those words shook Sansa and at the same time outraged her deeply, why did the man who was only a few years older than her not understand her? Why did he not put himself in her shoes?

Was it really so difficult to understand how she felt?

The next morning when the girl woke up she noticed that Clegane was not there: he was already awake.

She got up and watched the first shy lights of dawn illuminate the surrounding landscape, everything was tinged a pale blue, Sansa breathed hard and closed her eyes, prayed to the gods that they might sustain her through this other day and give her the strength to reach her home in the North.

She went downstairs, the steps as she passed them squeaked conspicuously so that she was afraid for a moment that those might break and cause her to fall. She stepped outside the small house and saw the Hound near a tree with his back to her, he turned his gaze downward, Sansa took a few moments to realize what he was doing and turned away feeling her cheeks flush with embarrassment. Shortly thereafter she heard a rustling sound and ventured to turn her head again toward the man's direction, Sandor Clegane was making his return.

"Good morning!" she greeted him.

He responded to her greeting with a grimace that made horribly contract the burned half of his face and he made to get over it, but then reconsidered, "If you have to...piss, I suggest you to do it now!" Sansa blushed even more "And take off that always embarrassed look! Hurry up we'll be on our way again in a bit!" he barked.

"Could you be a little bit nicer? Does it cost you so much?" scolded Sansa.

A true Lady never gets angry or raises her voice, that had been taught to her. Sansa breathed deeply and went on, striving to maintain a calm, controlled tone of voice, "Please give me a few minutes and then we can continue."

Sandor twisted his mouth, assuming a grotesque expression, but he did not add anything else; he simply walked past her as he entered the small, badly tumbledown house. Sansa - she told herself - would never meet her needs at that tree, never. She did not want the Hound to see her!

She turned for a moment behind her and then advanced along the rocky expanse, she would look for a tree a little more secluded and especially hidden from the sight of the man who, Sansa was sure, was watching her. The girl stumbled several times and even risked falling a couple of times, but eventually managed to reach a tree far enough away from the house and its windows.

As she was adjusting her skirt, Sansa heard some voices and gripped by shame and fear that someone else was nearby and might see her, she hid behind a large bush of what looked like nettles and saw them: there were six of them, they had a banner representing a tree and three snakes entwined around it. Sansa did not remember to whom that crest belonged, however, she remembered seeing it once in the library of Winterfell when as a child-a single time-she played hide-and-seek with her sister Arya. 

The men must have been messengers of this household because usually, when there was a Lord or a Lady these would move with a large army to protect them. The reason why they were there, Sansa ignored and did not care. She made to turn back, but in retreating, she stepped on a twig that snapped under her weight and the men of unknown lineage began shouting phrases such as "Who goes there?", "Show yourself!", Sansa turned her back on their voices and took off running, she was now in danger and what she had to do was to flee.

The girl, however, had never been particularly fast, so a few steps and the men caught up with her, shouting, "Stop, bitch, where do you think you're going!" Sansa was thrown forward and lost her balance, hit her head first against a small stone and then against a log, the young woman's head began to spin hard, she was bleeding where she had hit her head, she saw six faces surrounding her and towering over her.

"Who are you?" someone asked her, but someone else exclaimed laughing "I think we’re about to have fun!" others laughed too, someone else retorted "But there's no taste, she's more dead than alive! I don't fuck a half-dead woman!" Sansa groaned in pain, where was the Hound, she thought.

"Little bird." someone called her, but Sansa could not answer, one of those soldiers pressed a hand over her mouth and said, "So you're a bird! Well, let's see if you will entertain us." Sansa took to screaming at that one's hand, she felt a pair of hands touch her violently and come down on her bare legs, they were lifting her skirt ripping it off, no gods no, no please... she found herself begging Sansa, have mercy on me, she wanted to scream, but she couldn't.

Her heart was beating fast in her chest from fear, she tried to kick and managed - she did not know how either - to strike the one who was touching her in the face, he immediately left her bringing his hands to his nose, for a moment the one pressing his hands over her mouth left her and Sansa cried out for help, she made to turn around and get back on her feet, but she was grabbed again and a third person slapped her so violently that the girl had the fear that those gestures might tear her skin off, "Bitch, come here, now I'll teach you manners! " shouted another voice, she was so stunned that she felt as if she couldn't even see anymore, she felt her corset being ripped off and she was pushed on the ground again; she felt someone touching her with the same violence as before, he was scratching her breasts and Sansa felt... dirty, terribly dirty... slowly she started to see again and saw the man's face: it was a mask of hatred, perversion and wickedness.

When she felt the man's fingers touching her in her intimate area, she heard a cry that sounded like a howl, then a figure pounced on the man who was violently touching her, threw himself on him and Sansa was able to breathe almost normally, she did not see what happened because she closed her eyes: she was too shaken to observe.

The Hound had thrown himself on the first slaughtering him, caught the second dropping him to the ground, put his foot on his chest and pierced his neck with his sword, with the third and fourth he duelled simultaneously holding both of them head on and coming out victorious, the fifth and sixth fled. Sandor Clegane in another circumstance would have chased them down and stabbed them against a tree perhaps, but he let them live not before he saw their banner, what the fuck were those from the Land of Aryas doing there? Hadn't their lineage long since died out?

He turned to Sansa: she was in a pitiful condition, her face was redder than her hair, on her cheekbone, under her nose and at one side of her mouth there was blood, her robes were torn. He took his cloak and threw it on the girl who groaned in terror as she opened her eyes; when she realized it was him, Sansa relaxed imperceptibly and threw her arms around the Hound's neck, he did not push her away or have for her words laden with reproach or mockery, he simply let the young Stark embrace him for a few minutes, then lifted her by weight bringing her back to the sort of home they had found the day before.

Sansa did not speak for the next few hours, she was deeply shaken by what had happened, she felt...small, helpless, but most of all dirty, this was not how she had imagined being touched by a man! The Hound made her lie down by making her hold onto the cloak he had given her, and she wrapped herself in it, "I must find a way to treat you, wait here." he told her, she had heard him, but did not reply. She heard only the man's heavy footsteps moving away from her and found herself thinking that her septa, but also perhaps her own mother were wrong about love and knights: knights had done this to her, the one she believed to be a king had had her father and her septa killed, knights are not the ones who are in shining armor, knights are not the ones in ballads.

Sansa felt mocked and wept, wept until she fell asleep.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw the Hound fiddling with bandages, probably stolen from somewhere, and a small wooden basin with water in it. Sansa looked at the Hound's tired, dirty, ruined face; he was bad-looking, but he was taking care of her.

Was this perhaps a true knight? Sansa wondered for a moment, to later remember how much he hated knights and their whole golden world, the Stark could not help but think that that hatred was due to his brother who had taken everything from him and violently taken the title of knight.

She saw him dip a bandage into the water, barely squeeze it and press it against her cheekbone, Sansa jerked, and he exclaimed, "Be still, or you risk turning into a pumpkin!" she looked straight into his eyes, those gray eyes that were in turn watching her and slowly beginning to make her less afraid. She then pressed on her nose and more gently on her swollen lower lip another bandage.

The Hound felt a strange and unfamiliar pity for the little girl in front of her, he intended to protect her from everything, but he had failed, he had failed miserably and all because of his own fault, his own distraction, he had failed in his purpose. True, he had saved her, but now the young Stark was in front of her in terrible condition, she didn't even look like herself anymore, that delicate little bird with the always sweet and kind words, she was silent and bore wounds she never wanted to see on her.

He had been a fucking idiot to think he could take care of another person outside himself, he was absolutely incapable of it, he told himself.

They did not speak, they said nothing to each other the whole time, she just looked at him, did not reply, had neither sweet nor sharp words for Sandor Clegane. He shrugged off his cloak with surprising delicacy for such a mighty man, she did not take her eyes off him, and the man thought that if looks could cause ice to melt, well the Stark could! For the first time in his life, he was feeling uncomfortable looking at the maiden's slender body, that body that had already been beaten and reddened many times, that body now again battered by the scratches of those beasts.

“May I?”

Sandor completely moved her corset away and handed her the wet bandage on the scratches in the furrow between the small breasts of the Stark, she closed her eyes for a moment and lowered them: she did not have the courage to look in the face of the man who was almost silently taking care of her and who was touching her with a disarming delicacy.

She clenched her lips and looked at the great hand of the Hound, once that man frightened her, once she even feared his size, now? She still didn't know for sure, but surely it was no longer the fear she felt towards him when she was in King's Landing, when served Joffrey.

The water burned on the wounds and Sansa moaned softly and then again found the courage to look her savior in the eyes, Sandor did not return her gaze, she observed the half face of the man's that had been irreversibly burned and felt ... pain? Mercy? Compassion?

“I make you sick, right?”

The Hound looked up at her feeling observed, Sansa blushed and her face a little for the wounds and a little for the embarrassment turned red like fire. “N – no.” she replied stammering.

“Don't lie, remember I smell the lie, little Stark!” reminded her “Is your gaze not of regard, or am I wrong?” he said.

Sansa's heart began to beat even louder in the chest “What do you say? I look at you because ... because ...” didn't know what to say, why was she observing him with such intensity?

“I’m all ears!” he added as if to sharpen the discomfort she felt.

“Stop embarrassing me!” she replied looking him into his eyes.

“So, you feel uncomfortable? Why? Why did I touch your tits or why am I too ugly to do it?”

Sansa moved the man's hand away and covered herself at the worst, he had offended her.

“How dare you?”

“Is the little bird used to talk to knights like that queer of Knight of Flowers? Well, you know how I speak and what I do, and if I do something, I do it not because some fucking law require me to! And if you love the rules they taught you as a child, it's none of my business! Since we are forced to be together for this time, I suggest you stop recovering continuously because I don't change for a young lady from the North who venerates knights and gods! Above these rules I piss on!” he ended getting up and moving away from her, just before leaving the room she warned her “Settled, in a while we set off again!”

Sansa shook her head: the two of them would never get along, never.

[blackjackkent]

Finally made it to Nine-Fingers' office!

I actually passed it on the way into the Guildhall and definitely didn't actually need to do all that wandering around. XD Ah well. Exploration is never wasted (and we found Mol!).

The biggest mystery about this office is that it has three doors, all equally accessible, but only one of them is illegal to open and locked. Go figure.

[crashes through one of the unlocked doors] NINE-FINGERS I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR GANG WAR; TELL ME WHERE MINSC IS!

She's busy talking with a very creepy-looking masked guy (I assume a leader of one of the groups that make up the confederation of the Guild).

"It's an orphanage, Uktar. What would you have me do, seize their toys as payment?"

"They failed to pay tribute. We should withdraw our protection, at the very least."

"And cede more ground to the Stone Lord? You're not suggesting I yield a single inch of the city - my city - to this cult?"

"I-- we already look weak! If you're seen to be forgiving debts..."

"I didn't say 'forgive.' Seize the building. Arm any children old enough. If they protect what's mine, we'll consider that a start on what's owed."

"...Yes, Guildmaster."

OK, so this lady seems like a badass. I love me a good Aria T'Loak vibe - powerful, possessive of that power, ready to kick the shit out of anyone who crosses her - and we're definitely in that general vein here. Hopefully we can stay on her good side.

At this point they noticed Hector and co. wandering in - particularly Jaheira.

"Excuse me? This is a private council."

"Keep your underpants clean, Uktar. We're playing host to a hero." She turns towards Jaheira, looks her over with a smirk. "You owe me a gold piece, grandmother. When I heard you died out in the wilderness, I made an offering at Kelemvor's well."

"Of gold?" Jaheira responds dryly. "I did not know I meant so much to you, guildmaster."

"I'm terribly sentimental," Keene quips. "Case in point - I've just let a Harper walk through my Guildhall, noticeably unholed. Because I'm curious - about why you're here, and who it is you've brought with you."

She flicks a glance at Hector, although it's clear he is very much a secondary interest.

Normally Hector would just let Jaheira do the talking here, but Jaheira specifically mentioned asking him to do the talking with Keene, so he will do his best.

"Hi there!" he says brightly. "I'm a friend of Jaheira's."

("Jaheira approves." ^_^ )

"How nice," Keene says coolly. "You won't find many of those in my Guildhall."

"We won't tax your hospitality too long, Nine-Fingers," Jaheira says briskly. "I'm searching for Minsc of Rashemen."

The guildmaster tilts her head to the side and smiles slowly. "A big name, that. Such information does not come cheap, High Harper - not in normal times. Of course... seeing as these are not normal times, and we're all such good friends... I'll do better than tell you where he is. I'm bringing him here as we speak."

Hector's eyebrows shoot up. Jaheira stiffens, her eyes narrowing with a sudden, visible flash of hope.

Keene is very aware of the reaction she is engendering, because she lets it linger a moment before she sticks the knife in.

"Or parts of him, at least," she finishes coldly. "I gave no orders about the condition of his corpse."

Hector's fists clench at his sides, but before he can speak, Jaheira has surged forward, a rage flaring into her eyes unlike anything he has seen from her before. "What treachery is this, Nine-Fingers?!" she roars. Her hands twitch towards the blades on her back. "Have you thrown in with the Absolute too?"

Keene's smile turns brittle. "Against my own city?" she answers icily, not flinching back from Jaheira's glare. "Careful - you're in very real danger of hurting my feelings."

Her lip curls in a vindictive sneer. "It's *Minsc* who's found his faith with Faerun's newest god. And a new name with it - the Stone Lord."

All the color drains from Jaheira's face and she goes completely still. "Lies..." she whispers hoarsely.

Oh my god.

OK so first of all - WHAT THE FUCK NO MINSC NOOOOOOO

Second - this feels so obvious in retrospect. An anonymous reader (who I would totally tag here if I knew who they were, to let them know I finally hit the payoff) let me know a few days back that Minsc is LITERALLY ALIVE BECAUSE HE WAS A STATUE FOR A CENTURY. Of COURSE he's the fucking Stone Lord. Especially since the last time Jaheira saw him he was being pounced on by 124135124 Absolutist mind flayers; him becoming one himself is even more likely than him being dead, which was already pretty likely.

After my massive victory moment with the Emperor's identity earlier this afternoon I'm doubly annoyed I didn't make this connection. XD

Third - AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOOO WE MUST SAVE MY BOY AND HIS HAMSTER >:|

Hector gets to take over the dialogue here which makes a certain amount of sense because Jaheira is PISSSSSSSSED and UPSET and I want to give her a HUG. D: Clock her incredibly angry face on the right side while Hector tries to salvage the situation:

"What makes you think he's joined the Absolute?" Hector asks. "Maybe he just doesn't like thieves."

"Aye," Keene says with a shrug, leaning against the desk behind her. "I considered that. But there's a pattern to his strikes - an intent. In his short reign, the Stone Lord and his crew have earned a reputation. Pure brutality. No survivors. And where he mows my people down, this ripe little cult takes root."

Oh, Minsc, buddy, no. :( That is not buttkicking for goodness, that is buttkicking for BADNESS. Don't do that.

"But not for much longer," Keene finishes coldly. "We have word on where he plans to hit next - and he'll find us ready to hit back this time."

Jaheira swallows and spreads her hands in a placating gesture; her voice softens, and Hector can hear the note of deep pain underlaying it. "Nine-Fingers--" she begins, then stops, tries again. "Astele. Call off your ambush. Tell us where he is, and we'll handle this."

"'We'?" Keene answers disdainfully. "I heard what happened to your Harpers, Jaheira. I'm sorry - but this fight's too big for you alone."

"She's not alone," Hector points out. "She has me."

("Jaheira approves.")

Keene's eyes flash with sudden irritation. "If you're half the friend you're posing as," she snaps, "you'll tell her that her part in this is done. The Stone Lord's fate is sealed. We have a bigger war to fight. I'd rather turn our talk to that, but if you need a moment, Jaheira..."

She pauses, looks at Jaheira for a long moment, and then her expression softens almost imperceptibly. "Well, you've earned that much. My Guildhall is open to you. Have a drink, Jaheira. Have a *rest.*"

And then the softness is gone, and her whole attitude goes cold as steel. "Just leave well enough alone. It would be a shame for the city to lose two of its heroes in one day."

[batgirlsay]

Mockingjay and the Miner

A Hunger Games AU Playlist for Obiyuki Bingo 2023 by @snowwhite-andtheknight

After a few songs with general Hunger Games vibes, I chose songs with coal mine and childhood crush references that are mostly from Gale’s point of view (with some Katniss trauma in there too). Similarly to how I like both Zenyuki and Obiyuki, I also like both Hunger Games ships for different reasons, but Gale fits better for Obi feels!

Mockingjay and the Miner

Dead Air- Chvrches Deny It All- The Dear Hunter The Gold- Manchester Orchestra Diamonds and Coal- Incubus The Silence- Manchester Orchestra Safe and Sound (Taylor’s Version)- Taylor Swift You’ve Haunted Me All My Life- Death Cab for Cutie Rear View- Manchester Orchestra

Summary lyrics are cited after the cut:

Dead Air- Chvrches

I will never believe what they say There is a strength in enduring

You will be all that I seek in a twisted light

We hold up to an idea And we'll fight it, what we can't see

Deny It All- The Dear Hunter

The hollow stick to arrogance that binds But good faith and fortune rarely reward our cries While we wait carefully and see

Denied and borrowed tonight Deny, deny it all And it all will go away Close your eyes and deny it all

The Gold- Manchester Orchestra

Couldn't really love you anymore You've become my ceiling I don't think I love you anymore

That gold mine changed you You don't have to hold me anymore Our cave's collapsing I don't wanna be me anymore

"You don't open your eyes for a while You just breathe that moment down."

I believed you were crazy You believe that you love me You and me, we're a daydrink So lose your faith in me

Wasn't really dangerous for us We'd just catch you coughing What the hell are we gonna do? A black mile to the surface Well, I don't wanna be here anymore It all tastes like poison

Can't open your eyes for a while You just beat that moment down You can't open your eyes for a while You just breathe

Diamonds and Coal- Incubus

If it’s good to complicate then both of us are doing fine Just keep your eyes on your part and leave me alone to mine

Come on, in spite of this we’re doing just fine Even diamonds start as coal Give us time to shine Even diamonds start as coal

We’re both aligned in frame of mind, but circumstance has got us good And now you’re seeing a side of me I wished no one ever would

The sweetest things They burn before they shine We think way too much Look at us losing touch A promise is a promise until

The Silence- Manchester Orchestra

Why do I deserve the science To feel better about you? At a loss, I lost my cool I denied that I found you I tried to be a basket case I did not surprise you I'm trying to find a signal fire Let me know when I should move

But you, amplified in the silence Justified in the way you make me bruise

I don't want to waste away It was all I gave to you Take me back and take my place I will rise right up for you Nobody's gonna tear you down now "You can go anywhere but you are where you came from"

Let me watch you as close as a memory Let me hold you above all the misery Let me open my eyes and be glad that I got here

Safe and Sound (Taylor’s Version)- Taylor Swift

I remember tears streaming down your face when I said, "I'll never let you go" When all those shadows almost killed your light I remember you said, "Don't leave me here alone" But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight

Just close your eyes The sun is going down You'll be alright No one can hurt you now Come morning light You and I'll be safe and sound

You’ve Haunted Me All My Life- Death Cab for Cutie

You've haunted me all my life Through endless days and countless nights

You're always out of reach when I'm in pursuit Long-winded then suddenly mute And there's a flaw in my heart's design For I keep trying to make you mine

And so I wait, but I never seem to learn How to capture your diminishing returns I still see you through the eyes of a child Not even thinking we could tame the wild

Rear View- Manchester Orchestra

You were born in a bathtub on Deer Lake and the cradle collapsed And I promised I'd give you a mansion, I'm afraid this is it

Still, you're the reason I'm breathing, the soul in my step I've been running out of excuses, but nobody checks Scream when you need me, in fact, you can scream when you don't I'd rather sit here with you screaming than sit here alone

The fire in the rear view is smaller, the further we get

[mxanigel]

^^^ how I'm feeling as I approach Chapter 25 of Shion's fic

Oh no, did I get too close? Oh, did I almost see what's really on the inside? All your insecurities All the dirty laundry Never made me blink one time I will love you unconditionally There is no fear now Let go and just be free I will love you unconditionally Come just as you are to me Don't need apologies Know that you are worthy I'll take your bad days with your good Walk through the storm I would I do it all because I love you (The George Twins, "Unconditionally")

-----

It's not meant to be like this, not what I planned at all I don't want to feel like this, yeah No, it's not meant to be like this, not what I planned at all I don't want to feel like this, so that makes it all your fault Big trouble, losing control Primary resistance at a critical low On the, on the double gotta get a hold Point of no return, one second to go No response on any level, red alert, this vessel's under siege Total overload, all systems down, they've got control There's no way out, we are surrounded Give in, give in and relish every minute of it (Imogen Heap, "The Walk")

-----

I love that you got a heart of gold Even when mine is as black as coal (I know) I love your eyes, they're like emeralds And how they see through my broken soul I don’t usually get afraid But what if I'm your one mistake? We shouldn't be, but we are You could’ve hidden my scars Instead, you kiss them If I die, I hope it's here in your arms If I'm poison, you're the cure By your side, better or worse If love is real, I think I found it in yours (August Royals, "Kiss My Scars")

-----

Gone along for a wild ride And I can say lookin' in your eyes That it all would've been a waste But I found you on the way I found cynicism, I found criticism I've been the zero, the hero And I have been the villain I lost more than a heart can take But I found you on the way (Andy Grammer, "I Found You")

-----

For fun, here's the snippet I previously posted that unofficially precedes the main event in Chapter 25. Linked again for context. Because I can.

[themusedump]

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞

The following is a collection of quotes from Vinland Saga. These are taken from the manga. Chapter 1 - 54, the series prologue which is covered in season 1 of the anime. Feel free to change as needed. Warning for violence, slavery, and other dark themes.

---

"Oh geez. The attackers just retreated."

"Idiots performing a full frontal attack on a fortress..."

"I'm not looking for some cheap reward."

"Your warfare is pitiful and I can't bear to watch."

"We will pave your way to victory."

"Guarantee a reward for me."

"Ooh. You're so scary."

"I saw no deception in his eyes."

"We've got to get over this mountain before the moon rises."

"Just as I thought. They're powerless to resist."

"You're a tough kid, know that? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"That was the deal. I'm not taking no for an answer."

"Can it wait right now?! We need to get out of here!"

"Look at all the treasure."

"You'd be dead in three days, you klutz."

"Bring out some good liquor."

"Do you really love gold that much?"

"So anyway... Can you be a witness for me?"

"There is a different way to correctly control any person."

"Hey, isn't he kind of cute?"

"... You've grown, haven't you? How old are you now?"

"Things don't come back to you as fast when you get old."

"This isn't some big mistake inside your head, is it?

"Oh right. Now I remember! He was the fool who gave in life in exchange for his kid's!"

"Can't get emotional in battle."

"He is bound by his pride and past."

"If I had to live without pride, I'd kill myself."

"What a pitiful sight!"

"Every man alive is a slave to something."

"I suppose it would be a waste of breath to tell you not to get back at them."

"Are you a slave too?"

"For some reason, you remind me of myself."

"I wouldn't know how it feels to be a slave."

"I couldn't... kill."

"Enjoy your life as a slave then. You deserve it."

"I can't afford to be optimistic."

"That looks painful. What is it? Whips?"

"He's a slave on the run."

"But I don't have anywhere else to go..."

"He's stopped breathing!"

"A chain is the only necklace suitable for a man."

"Only steel chains around the neck will turn a man into something useful."

"Don't make me chain you."

"I shall not stand for those who make light of the law."

"Only by chains can an outlaw join the ranks of good humans."

"Do you really think you have removed his chains?"

"You will be joining us in this battle."

"A long time ago, I made a living by killing men. But one day, I came to hate it."

"I grew tired of killing. Tired of death."

"The time has come for me to pay the price of all my actions."

"The sword is a tool to kill others."

"Who are you going to kill with this?"

"Who is your enemy?"

"You have no enemies. No one in the world is your enemy."

"There is no one you need to hurt."

"Does that mean he's going into battle alone?"

"As usual, your men have no class."

"They just don't like the Christians."

"I'm just in it for the money. Consider the job taken."

"I didn't realize you were strong enough to jest with me so."

"Tell me about your heroics, man!"

"Do you think they'll let us go if we surrender?"

"He's more than a monster..."

"Aha! Very perceptive!"

"I like guys with a good brain in their head."

"Forgive me. I cannot spare you the brunt of my might."

"You're a strong man. Strong enough to lead an army."

"The only reason I am forced to rely on this sword at all... Is because I am immature."

"A true warrior needs no blade."

"Learn to treasure your life a little."

"Men are all talk."

"Run."

"Why did you come here?! Didn't I tell you to run away?!"

"I don't fight for money. I fight for the killing."

"If we want to stand out, this is the place to do it."

"... Promise me a reward."

"Only those that work on the battlefield get what they want. That's the way of the warrior."

"My life won't come cheap."

"This lovely fool is mine!!"

"I'm willing to indulge this boy's wild suicide mission."

"Uhg. What a mess."

"Looks like they left you behind."

"Poor guy. And you tried so hard too."

"Ooh? Dead already?"

"Still got your will to fight, eh?"

"Oh dear... There he goes."

"My shoulder is dislocated. My right ankle sprained... And a few ribs broken, I'd say..."

"Blast him. Damned crazy madman!"

"If you can't walk, we're just going to leave you here."

"Insane rat-bastards...! What's so fun about all this battle stuff!?"

"I want you to forget about revenge."

"Do you think that will make me happy?"

"You're up early. The sun has yet to rise."

"Too noisy for you to sleep, eh?"

"...... Don't talk to me."

"Are you getting the wrong idea? I'm not one of you."

"You might think you're so clever, manipulating me. I'll let you keep thinking that way. Until the day I slit your throat."

"Hmph! Very scary."

"Time is on your side."

"You will grow older and I will grow old. One day, you will beat me."

"... This is a tedious story. What's your point?"

"So impatient, we are!"

"You ought to listen to this old man's words of wisdom."

"The world of man is slowly but surely... Growing elderly."

"Look, one of the great ironies. Dawn of the age of twilight."

"It's the twilight of all time. No use in letting it pass without a fight."

"They're madmen. Fools drunk on battle."

"I'm here to rescue you. I'll guide you out."

"A man's faster on his feet when he's unnerved."

"Love is the thing that gives all other things value."

"Pathetic. Are you really the same age as me?"

"What? Are you sulking? A big lump like you?"

"Say what it is you've got to say with your own mouth. Your tongue ain't cut out, is it?"

"I am not keeping my silence because I am a coward! I... I am being cautious, I must be cautious!"

"I... I'm different from you lot."

"I am a prince. I have my status to think of."

"Hpmh. Not bad for an excuse."

"I have never seen such an impudent knave!"

"Nobody has ever spoken to me like that!"

"Then it's a fine new experience, ain't it?"

"Shut up and sit down."

"Bah... It's started to snow."

"I can't do anything about the weather no matter how much you complain."

"I'll free you from your worries."

"If only the whole world was always at war."

"There is... No father that does not love his son."

"Do you always eat alone?

"Looks like the battle is over."

"Hmph... The stew's gone cold."

"Unhand me, you knaves! You dare defy my commands?!"

"I can tell what a man's like just by looking at his face."

"I have hated every single one of you. You're worth less than swine."

"Not bad, you whoresons."

"You can't die until I kill you!"

"Lay a single finger on him and I'll kill you!"

"Touch him and I'll kill you!"

"Your courage ain't bad."

"I don't know if you'll be in any condition to talk once I'm done teaching you your lesson."

"Are you telling me to live in this world alone?"

"Do you truly think I can survive?"

"Don't go... I love you."

"Now nobody who loved me remains on this earth."

"Death is that which completes man."

"Is there no love in the heart of man?"

"It seems that the battle has come to an end."

"I grow tired of this."

"I do not wish to see any more fruitless struggle."

"This fight has no meaning. Do not die for nothing."

"Didn't ask for your help. Look after your own wounds."

"Get away from me! Don't touch it!"

"Good. The sentries have gone away. Let's go."

"Damn it... How pathetic."

"Fuck off. I'll kill you, you bastard."

"I was hoping that you'd show a bit more guts."

"Are you wounded?! Are you alright?!"

"Are you in position to fight?"

"Are you shittin' me?! Do you have a death wish!?"

"You've grown to be quite the smartass in a short amount of time, haven't you?"

"God is probably watching us right now, as we speak."

"We will take back what has been taken from us."

"You had me scared shitless back there."

"I had to change. And now I have to change everything."

"If I ever see you on the battlefield, I'll kill you. Ally or not."

"You're smart and strong. I admire you."

"Aren't you lonely?"

"I wanted... to be your friend."

"Aye. You're my... only friend."

"Do you understand what I'm saying? The fight is over."

"Someone had to save her. Not a god. Not a hero. But somebody."

"After spending all that time in the middle of those bastards, I'd have happily killed all of them."

"I can't let that debt go unsettled."

"Bah... Bastard making me chase after him..."

"You're alive..! What a relief!"

"So... you are seeking revenge..."

"Everybody's obsessed with conspiracy bullshit."

"You're disgusting,"

"That's not the face of a true king."

"....? Screams...?"

"Is this the first time you've ever stabbed someone?"

"..... Well done."

"Stand up straight. This is a crucial moment."

"How could you act so stupidly reckless and get yourself stabbed, you idiot!?"

"Come on! Get up! We can get you fixed up later!"

"Cone closer so I can talk to you..."

"Just kill me."

"So kill me. After all, aren't we enemies?"

"Are you really going... to... die...? You're lying, right?"

".... Still looking down on me, you bastard..."

"I'll never forgive you! How dare you die on me like this!"

"What will you do with your life?"

"That's enough. It's time to move on."

[wanou-dorm]

Chessy and odd Pick up lines Prompts

Cheesy Pick lines Prompts 

Odd and Cheesy Pickup lines I’ve found across the Web Mainly Joke4us and Pick up line.net. 

Put on in the Ask Box( specify characters saying it ) and ask  one muse of mine to React to it 

Hey, I’m writing an article on the finer things in life and I was hoping I could interview you.

Do you ever wear fishnets? Because you’re a real catch.

Are you a gardener? I like your tulips

Titanic. That’s my icebreaker. What’s up?

"Roses are red, Violets are blue, You can be my Cinderella, I'll even give you a shoe" 

So, it is a lie that fairies only appear in dreams.

Your voice is so a-do-re-ble to mi. 

I might not be Shawn Mendes, but your gonna love it when I call you "Senorita". 

Are you Stacy's mom? Cause you've got it going on. 

You must be the North Star, because the light around you guided me here 

Is your dad a thief? Why? Cause I saw him steal all the stars out of the sky and put them in your eyes. 

Would you touch me so I can tell my friends I've been touched by an angel? 

You must be (insert Famous Person here) twin sister/Brother ; the one they don't talk about because she/he's much more beautiful 

Are you an octopus? Because you octopi my thoughts.

So do you like stawberries or blueberries? [choose one] cause i need to know what kind of pancakes to order you in the morning

Are you an alien? because you just abducted my heart 

Are you a angel? cause I'm allergic to feathers * fake sneeze * 

With my IQ and your body we could begin a race of genetic superchildren to conquer the earth.

Do you have a Bandaid? Cos I just scraped my knee falling for you. 

Are you a mermaid?, cause your cute as shell.

My mom told me that life is like a deck of cards, so you must the be queen of hearts. 

Girl you must be made of Florine, Iodine, and Neon, because you are FINe 

You know why Men are so much sexier than women? Because you can't spell sexy without "xy". 

Are you coral reef? Because I'm in love with your beauty.

You must be a compound of beryllium and barium...because your a total BaBe. 

Hi does your body consist of Oxygen and Neon?, because you are the ONe. 

Are you full of Beryllium, Gold, and Titanium, because you are Be-Au-Ti-Ful 

Im attracted to you so strongly, scientists will have to develop a fifth fundamental force. 

Shiitake happens, our love doesn't.

Baby you're so cute you made my page 404. 

I'm not being obtuse, you are being acute girl 

Our love is like dividing by zero.... you cannot define it 

I less than three you..... (i < 3 you) 

At absolute zero, you would still move me. 

Your beauty defies real and complex analysis. 

Your hottness is the only reason we can't reach absolute zero. 

I wish I was your coronary artery, so that I could be wrapped around your heart. 

Roses are #FF0000, violets are #0000FF. All my base are belong to you. 

Do you want to see a picture of a beautiful person? (holds up mirror)

Are you a keyboard? Because you are my type.

Whether Jafar or Ja-Close I'll always be yours.

It's like Beauty and the Beast. I'm the Beauty you are the Beast.

I'm the eighth dwarf, Sexy.

Sha-la-la-la-la-la don't be scared, you got the moves prepared, you want to kiss me, girl.

I can take you to infinity and beyond.

Hey cutie, is that Cupid's arrow in your bow?

I'll be your Tramp, if you'll be my Lady.

Is your name David? Because I'm pretty sure you could have only be crafted at the hands of Michelangelo.

Are you a fly guy? Because you sweep me off my feet.

I used to waste time chasing butterflies , but nowadays because of you, I have them in my stomach.

You're like a butterfly beautiful to see but hard to catch.

I always think BC stand for Before You Came Into My Life;

couldn’t help but notice that you’re not a B-rachiosaurus, but a DD-rachiosaurus.

When I kissed you, I saw fireworks. Or Jubilee. Either way.

You activated my heart!

Aye girl, you a Twix? Cause I want both sides of you.

You mint a lot to me.

You candy cane do it.

You look sad, let me sprinkle some of good vibes at you baby.   

Are you cake? Cause I want a piece of that.

Did you just fall from heaven's bakery? Because you look as tasty as an angel cake.

You are on my list of things I'd do for a Klondike bar.

You put the 'hot' in hot fudge sundae.

You make me melt like hot fudge on a sundae.

Are you a fruit, because Honeydew you know how fine you look right now?

Are you sure you're not an alien because you've just abducted my heart!

Can I borrow your cell phone? I need to call animal control, because I just saw a fox!

Did god take the thunder out the sky and put it in your thighs?!

Excuse me, could you please dial down your hotness, it's causing global warming

Hello, I'm a thief, and I'm here to steal your heart.

Hello. Cupid called. He says to tell you that he needs my heart back

[kelliealtogether]

17! 🧪 🥼 🧫

[30 incredibly specific aus.]

17. i can excuse unethical science but I draw the line at skirting lab safety. you cannot be eating rn

Emma, I'm sorry this took so long! Also, this isn't exactly eating in the lab, but it does involve food, and it's more hysterical science, not unethical, but this is where my imagination took me. It's 100% dialogue, something I've wanted to play with for a while, and I very much hope you like it. Love you. 😘

"No."

"What do you mean no?"

"I mean no. You're not coming in with all that."

"Sorry to break the news to you, Parrish, but it's my lab, too. You can't–Oh. Real mature. Block the door."

"You're not coming in, Lynch."

"I can move you."

"Didn't work so well for you last time."

"That was your fault."

"Was it?"

"Parrish."

"You're not–Did your bag just croak?"

"You're half deaf. You're hearing things that aren't there."

"Lynch. Ronan. No. You are not bringing her in here."

"She needs to be fed every two hours. I have to."

"That means you have her food, too. No, Ronan. You're not bringing a raven and a bag of macerated crickets and worms into the lab."

"Only you would call them macerated. Just say mashed like everyone else."

"I'll call them macerated when I'm the one doing the macerating."

"Such a goddamn pedant. What's that face for? Don't make that face. You are."

"You can make fun of me all you want, Lynch. You're not getting in the lab."

"Oh, come on. You need my help, Parrish."

"Yeah, I do. But not enough to let you in with a bird and mashed–God, you're so smug–bugs that will potentially jeopardize testing."

"You need me, though. I know the ICP-MS a hell of a lot better than you do."

"Because you jerry rigged it with a carrier gas of indeterminate origin so you could test your piss after you drank Goldschläger because–I think this is your exact wording–nothing gold can stay."

"My stance is that it was a successful experiment. Nothing gold did stay."

"It's a seventy thousand dollar instrument–"

"Used instrument."

"It's a seventy thousand dollar refurbished instrument that periodically doesn't work because of your successful experiment."

"Yeah, you like to periodically remind me of that. I told you I’d pay for service and IQ/OQ."

"Take her home, Lynch."

"Adam."

"Take her home, Ronan. I'm not risking sample or test contamination with mashed bugs or fecal–” 

“Just say poop like everyone else.”  

“You’re puerile.” 

“You laughed, didn’t you?” 

“Doesn’t negate that you’re puerile. Look, I know you want to get in here, but right now you’ll help more by taking her home. We want to get these assholes that dumped mining waste near her nest and gave every other living thing in the area lead poisoning. It’s not going to help if our analysis is brought into question because there was a corvid and her macerated crickets hanging out in the lab.” 

“Jesus shit. Fine. But you tell her she can’t come in.” 

“Ronan, I’m not–Hi. Hi, Chainsaw. It’s nice to see you, too. Ronan shouldn’t have brought you–” 

“Maligning me to the bird. Nice, Parrish.” 

“Go to hell. See if I appease you again.” 

“You said that last time and then you put your mouth–” 

“Take her home, Ronan.” 

“Fine. Text–No, email me the results. Graphs and raw data.” 

“I will.” 

“If the nebulizer fucks around again–” 

“I’ll FaceTime you.” 

“Okay. Tamquam.” 

“Alter idem.” 

[halfstack-smp]

The Lion's Share

It’s a man, or something like one. A small tengu in dark wings and a darker coat that gives its body a round, soft shape. Pipe smoke rolls out in sparks of color, the sunset fade of its clothes and hat-tassels stark against the encroaching night.

TW- Child abandonment, implied human trafficking, past child neglect, non-graphic violence.

Content- Hurt comfort, slice of life, nonbinary child pov, the horror of being stuck in a farmer's market with a chinese grandpa AND a mexican grandpa

Screen reader's note: Contains passages in Hokkien english, Spanish. Use of gender neutral it/they pronouns.

You're at the beginning.

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Kelpies don't deal in children.

Too tender. Too bony. Too small. Such pitiful meat for all too much effort that would be better spared on a full sized drowned. Besides, children- and their parents- make for very sore losers.

It's just bad sport.

But this particular kelpie, it seems, doesn't care much for sport. Not enough to keep refusing Lynel's request to substitute their mother's life with their own after she wagered too much to walk away from.

That’s how it always starts. A wager- a wager of a waterhorse, and whatever dumb motherfucker is desperate enough to bet their own living meat for coin.

(Like Mother did.)

It’s- it’s a fair trade, is what it is. One life for another. Their little brothers still need Mother to come back home tomorrow, and she'll have one less mouth to feed. It's not like Lynel really regrets the whole thing. They just hope they'll at least get to go to bed first. Or have some food. Dead people are supposed to get last meals, or something like that.

(Lynel isn’t counting on it.)

It's nightfall now, and it seems like this kelpie isn’t interested in making an easy meal out of the night creatures that’ll be crawling out of the woodwork soon. Lynel supposes that’s fair. If they had a choice between eating zombies and literally anything else, they’d go for the latter. Besides, the kelpie had been kicking up that big fuss earlier about not wanting to get their nice clothes ruined. They’re barely even willing to touch Lynel at all. In the growing darkness, their presence is reduced to nothing but a clawed hand digging into Lynel’s shirt.

The kelpie’s grip spasms. They turn around, an irritated snarl pulling against their too-long lips as they pull Lynel closer. “Business is closed. There are no more refunds.”

“Na?” A figure steps out into the fading light. “What refund do y’ think I might be de-mandin’? That’s no child o’ mine.”

It’s a man, or something like one. A small tengu in dark wings and a darker coat that gives its body a round, soft shape. Pipe smoke rolls out in sparks of color, the sunset fade of its clothes and hat-tassels stark against the encroaching night.

The kelpie snorts disdainfully. “There’s always some bleeding heart that wants to beg for my debtors.” Their clawed hand clenches down on Lynel’s shoulder. “This whole night has been a waste of time. Let me pass before the locals think I have a taste for bad meat.”

The tengu’s smile turns sharp, flat. “Oh, I don’t plan to beg, le. I’ll trade you fair and square.”

The tengu takes off its coat, arms rolling with the movement of its wings as it shrugs the fabric off its body. But the soft bright hues of its shirt does fuck all to hide its full chest, broad shoulders, and powerful arms- there’s a lithe, practiced ease to its movements, and the stark black feathers around its wings and face glint like copper and gold, the warm tones singing with a soft richness of magic.

The kelpie’s defensive sneer shifts with perked ears and a sickeningly curious head tilt. The disdainful curl of their mouth warps into this leering softness, frightening and hungry, and for some reason, it feels like that's exactly what the tengu wants.

“Shuai ge, here’s what’s gonna happen.” The tengu’s head jerks to the dock. “We’re takin' that last ride outta town, and you an’ I are gonna play an ea-sy game o’ cards. Hao le ma?”

“In exchange for the child, I imagine,” the kelpie teases.

The tengu lets out a coy hum. “I think you wouldn’t mind too terr-i-bly if we let ‘em go either way.”

“That remains to be seen.”

Lynel hears the click of the tengu’s cane as they walk up to the incoming ship. It’s an odd thing to have. The tengu sounds… not young, really, but not quite old enough to be needing a cane, especially with that all too literal skip in its bouncing step.

It's hard to keep track of the details after that. Lynel never really had time to play those kind of games, and it's not like they can see what the two are playing anyways.

What's so special about kelpie games, anyway? The only two endings are getting a boatload of money or just dying. Why did Mother even need money so bad in the first place? Everything was fine before she got so paranoid. But no, she'd packed off while all Lynel's little brothers were out for school, and Lynel had been stupid enough to follow her.

Stupid enough to take her place. Stupid, stupid, stupid. If only they'd been a little less tired, a little less hungry. What was even the last thing Lynel ate? A corn chip. Their last meal on this godforsaken earth is a corn chip. That's what they'll be dying for, a single corn chip-

“Oh, you thieving little MAGPIE-”

Lynel barely has time to flinch as the kelpie surges across the table, clawed arms lunging forward to pin the tengu against the wall. But it’s the kelpie that looks threatened, not the tengu- the kelpie’s fine suit is disheveled with rage, while the tengu limply leans against the wooden surface with a languid smile and laughs. The motion pulls against the red markings on the edge of its eyes like a delighted, blood-tinged squint.

Sightmarks. The tengu’s an honest-to-Ortet diviner.

“Y’ really didn’t see what was on my face from the be-ginning?” The tengu tilts its shadowed head, letting out a coy sound. “Ke ai, le.”

“Most people who want to try their luck know better than to cheat,” the kelpie growls.

“I said it’d be easy,” the tengu laboriously articulates. “I didn’t say it’d be easy for you.” Its eyes flick back to Lynel, the first hint of nervousness it’s dared to show this entire round. “An’ I know you ain’t fixin’ t’ keep the child an-y-ways. Y’know what happens to kelpies that start puttin’ young meat on their ledgers.”

The kelpie relinquishes their hold, like the touch of the tengu’s body burns. “Bloody fucking fortune tellers.”

The kelpie starts to leave the room. Lynel shakily gets up to their feet. “Wait, wait-” They trail after the kelpie uneasily, following them onto the deck. “What’s going to happen to me?”

“What do I care?” the kelpie rhetorically asks as they walk off the edge of the boat. “Have a life, human child.”

“But-”

The water splashes. Lynel and the tengu watch the damp shadow of the kelpie disappear.

After a moment, the tengu lets out a loud wheezing sound, chest suddenly heaving with clicking, rattling breaths.

“Aiyo.” A sturdy, red-taloned arm braces across its chest. “Kiasi le.” It looks down at Lynel with a worn smile. “Good t’ see that one leave, eh? Big man with their big words.”

“Why are you acting so scared all the sudden?” Lynel sputters. “I’m the one that was gonna get eaten!”

The tengu frowns. “Gin na, I don’t want you to be eaten le. Wo hui ben si le, ma? Whole time, I’m tryin’ to get that one away from you. Why else d’ya reckon I’d get so close to a water horse?”

Lynel can barely understand half the words coming out of the tengu’s mouth, and maybe it shows, because the tengu freezes in place a little bit and slows its next words. It’s a nice thought, probably, but it really just points out that the guy is barely moving its mouth when it talks, and it’s kind of creepy.

“You gave yourself away, yes?” the tengu slowly asks. Lynel nods, and the tengu mirrors the motion. “That okay, le. You are not in trou-ble. Too young. Is there someone I can give you back to?”

“My- my mother brought me here,” Lynel haltingly answers.

The tengu closes its eyes and takes a deep breath. “If I take you t’ your mother, she wants you back?”

“Of course she does!” Lynel shouts. “It weren’t her fault!”

The tengu raises its hands. “Okay le! Okay. Then I take you home, okay?”

Lynel nods. It’ll be fine. They’ll go home and be done with it and be fine.

=[]=

It was not, in fact, fine.

Things were so not-fine, in fact, that Lynel ended up never really going home at all. Because they didn’t want to go home anymore, ever again.

That’s how not-fine it is.

Fadir Ravenslove perches on the train seat next to Lynel. Fadir Ravenslove- this is the name of the tengu that saved Lynel’s life, and Lynel’s starting to think that maybe it’s not quite a tengu at all. Not with that shadow over its face and the odd lilt of its sentences, like speech was some kind of novelty it doesn’t quite understand.

They’re sitting close enough to touch. Neither of them do.

Lynel looks up to find the larger… raven… thing staring directly into their eyes. Lynel startles, just a bit, and Fadir draws back slightly, eyes turning away. 

“Paisei,” Fadir mutters. “Paisei.” It clicks to itself. “Ah- ni- ni hui-” 

It stumbles and stutters over its words, mouth opening and closing out of sync with its odd little sounds. 

“D’you want t’ talk about it?” it finally manages.

“No,” Lynel lies. “Why did you give my mother all that money?” they ask instead.

“She don’t deserve t’ go hungry on ac-count of coins,” Fadir easily answers. “An’ she has kids to feed, besides.”

“You need to eat, too,” Lynel quietly insists.

Fadir chuckles. “I don’t need money t’ do that. Besides, I can just get more, le.”

A silence passes.

“It’s cus she stopped,” Lynel suddenly says. “She- she waited- she-”

“Hes-i-tate.”

“That. You showed up in that house with me and a bunch of coins spillin’ out your sleeves like broken jug, and she- she hesitated.” Lynel’s voice turns small. “Like she wasn’t sure she wanted me back, even if you paid her for it.”

Fadir tilts its head. “I think she is very stressed all the time. Only her in that house to take care o’ y’all.” It gestures with its fingers. “Y’leave anybody alone like that too long, their brains get cruel, le. Makes ‘em think things they don’t want to. It ain’t her fault.”

“I don’t care.” Lynel curls up against themself in the seat. “She still thought it. I just- how am I supposed to back home, if I’m always gonna know she did that?”

Fadir’s smile gains a sad tilt.

“I don’t care if she didn’t mean it,” Lynel shakily whispers. “I don’t care if she loves me. It wasn’t enough.” Their eyes start to flood with tears. “I wasn’t enough.”

Fadir stares at Lynel for a bit and lets out a sigh. “I’m not tellin’ you t’ go back home for anything, am I?”

“I’m not going,” Lynel insists. “I don’t care where you put me, just not there.”

“Okay, le.” A taloned hand hesitantly rests in Lynel’s hair. “I know somewhere you can stay.”

“Just for a little bit,” Lynel promises. “And then I’ll- I’ll leave. I promise.”

(And they never did.)

=[]=

There’s a routine falling into place at Ravenslove Tower, and it goes something like this.

Lynel wakes up in a room they don’t share with anyone else, in a clean bed with a blanket that doesn’t have holes in it. The window does have holes, but they’re like… on purpose holes. Lattice? Something.

There’s also a full staircase of chests and drawers that Fadir said they could use. A full staircase! It doesn’t have a lot of stuff in it, but Fadir said they could work on that. Lynel’s… almost counting on that, actually.

(Almost.)

They go down their staircase, past the workroom and towards the hearth. Fadir passes a quick bowl of fruit towards them across the table and asks them to check if the chickens have any eggs.

“Alright, just this once,” Lynel allows. “You can’t make me do it again.”

And it never did. (It never does.) Fadir never really gives Lynel chores, just… things to do if they have the time. There’s a lot of things to do around the house. Fetch the eggs, fill the trough, turn the chickens out, check the garden hasn’t done anything odd, see if the sniffer’s brought anything in for the pantry.

Fadir absolutely doesn’t ask Lynel to do much more in the house than keep their own room clean or wash up their dishes if they aren’t busy. In fact, Fadir seems pretty insistent on Lynel not fussing around with anything inside, especially not the work room.

(Lynel doesn’t know what’s inside the work room and they’re too scared to ask.)

There’s also the… guy(?) who lives in the walls. A fluffy haired imp in a crop top that swaggers around outdoors in a leather jacket, chaps, and tiny white boots, judging Lynel’s chicken related ventures with a scrutinizing black gaze. His name is Kibble. (Allegedly.) He doesn’t seem to do much more than bother chickens, bother Fadir, and steal deli meat from the ice box.

He also shows up when Fadir goes shopping, so there’s that. Shopping is…

…it’s gotta be one of the events of all time.

“Zhe ge, ne?” Fadir’s knobbly hands lift a papaya out of a cardboard box. “Gei ni hui kan.”

“Fuckin’ uhhhh-” Kibble squints at the fruit’s freckled surface. “It looks a little too green. There’s definitely some better ones in the box.”

Fadir lets out a short hum and puts the fruit back, hand hovering over the pile. Kibble hops off its shoulder, bouncing off the wood of the stall to disappear into a nearby barrel, only visible by the remnants of his long tail.

“You go pick something out,” Fadir offers suddenly. “Anythin'. I pay for you.”

Lynel points questioningly to themself.

“They’ve got nearly everythin’ ‘round here,” Fadir insists. “Bound t’ have somethin’ you like.”

Lynel ducks their head between their shoulders. “Can’t you pick it out with your…” They gesture vaguely at the black shadow covering up Fadir’s face.

Fadir’s expression seems to freeze for a moment. A statue held in place. And then its eyes stutter back into motion, and the moment is gone.

“I want t’ see what you choose.” Its hand briefly taps at Lynel’s knuckles. “What you choose. Ne?”

Anything, it said. Anything at all? That’s, uh- that’s sure a lot of thing. Lynel’s not really sure what to do with that. But… Fadir didn’t say they had to pick something out right now. (Right?) So- Lynel’s just going to look around a little bit. They don’t want to go too far away.

Just a little off to the side, there’s a candy stand, its boxes piled high with every sort of sugary thing it could manage. Candied flowers, rose jams, pumpkin slices, even candied meats. And right in the corner, nestled between some candied nuts and colorful chocolates, was a little box of marshmallows.

Lynel was never allowed to have marshmallows before. Mother bought plenty of candied fruits and meats when she could (it lasted longer than anything fresh), but never marshmallows. Large, fluffy, and devoid of substance. Fadir would never let them eat something like that, not while it fusses over how thin it thinks Lynel is. Surely not.

And yet, and yet, and yet. Lynel’s hands still end up wrapping around a little box of frog shaped marshmallows.

“Wa!” Fadir sidles up behind Lynel to stare at the candy cart. “Powder sugar le! I can sugar my basil flowers.”

“You candy your flowers?” Lynel asks. “I guess it makes them easier to sell…”

“Sometimes, le,” Fadir concedes before its smile gains a coy squint. “But! They are just good t’ have, ne? Not very good, but-” It lets out a sharp chirp. “Y’ don’t need everythin’ t’ be all well n’ good all the time-”

Its body suddenly stiffens, feathers puffing out like an angry cat’s hackles. Lynel follows its gaze to find…

…Kibble. Just standing there. Holding a single avocado and the smuggest possible grin on its face.

“No,” Fadir tersely says.

“It’s on sale, señor,” Kibble teases.

“No sale,” Fadir denies. “Only death.”

“It is in season!” Kibble insists, pushing the avocado closer. “You deny Ortet’s bounty?”

Fadir clutches its cane and hisses. “I de-ny you want to kill me! Poi-son me!”

Kibble hoists the avocado over his head. “The power of Ortet compels you!”

Fadir lightly bats Kibble away. Instead of just dropping the avocado like a normal person, Kibble decides to fly backwards into the supporting wall of the stall and ricochet directly into Fadir’s face, allowing the offending fruit to drop directly into Fadir’s hand.

A single weary golden eye looks down at Lynel as Kibble scrabbles for purchase on its hat.

“Every day I wake up,” the raventhing ominously mutters.

Lynel wheezes out a loud laugh.

“Aiiiyi, wo tai lao le,” Fadir sarcastically despairs. “No face. Children laugh at me.” It offers the avocado to Lynel. “You want my poison? Human fruit, good for you.”

Lynel simply offers up their marshmallow box like a meager shield. “Can I just have this instead?”

Instead of saying yes or no, Fadir places another marshmallow box on top of Lynel’s.

“So you don’t run out,” it offers.

“I’m not even gonna stay that long,” Lynel mutters. “I probably won’t even be here by next week.”

“And then you won’t run out while you’re gone,” Fadir simply says.

“R-right. Until it runs out.”

(And it never did.)

[zeus-favorite-child]

Sokkla 17.

Well y'all better listen to ghostin by Ariana grande before reading. Let's just pretend azula wrote it here 🤣

Sokka is so mad right now. His friends ditch him, they didn't even informed him that the music and art faculty is having a meeting, which means their professor will not be in the building anytime soon and he's already wasting 20 minutes of his time waiting for a class that's never going to happen. He got up and pick his things, still fuming. He's about to pass through the hallway and go straight down the stairs when he heard a soft piano keys playing. He shrugged that probably came from the music room. He's about to walk away then a realization hit him, no one should be there, so who's playing the piano. His blood ran cold, until….

I know you hear me when I cry I try to hold it in the night While you're sleepin' next to me But it's your arms that I need this time

That voice sounds too angelic to be a ghost, so deciding against himself he slowly peak through the ajar door of the music room and that's where he saw her. Zuko's sister, the girl who always find a way to get into his nerves.

Look at the cards that we've been dealt If you were anybody else Probably wouldn't last a day Every tear's a rain parade from hell

Well, that's kinda unexpected. He knows for sure she's talented by the way his friend and the whole school described her as a prodigy, but he didn't know she can play a piano let alone sing with such a heaven sent voice.

Baby, you do it so well You been so understanding, you been so good And I'm puttin' you through more than one ever should And I'm hating myself 'cause you don't want to Admit that it hurts you

It seems like he's under a spell. He can't just find a strength in him to walk away her voice is pulling him closer, like a magnet. He didn't know that Azula, a girl who always have a sly grin in her lips and a mischievous glint in her eyes, can appear so serene, innocent and angelic while playing a piano.

I know that it breaks your heart when I cry again Over him, mmh I know that it breaks your heart when I cry again 'Stead of ghostin' him

She had a small smile in her lips, eyes closed as she sings and her signature side bangs just framing her face perfectly. She sounds like heaven, she looks so beautiful. He stopped his thoughts, why the fuck he'll think of her like that. He's trying to just focus on listening to her. Trying to avoid that little voice in his head that's when he accidentally moved the door much open making a creeking sound. She immediately stopped and the moment her eyes open they meet his gaze. Oh, he's such a dead meat right now.

"Uhh, hi Azula…" he waved his hand awkwardly. "Ummm, I didn't know you can sing.." he's trying to lighten tension in the room but he's clearly failing.

"Cut the garbage, Sokka. What the hell are you doing here?" she replied as she slowly make her way to him.

"Ummm, I just passed by the hallway and I heard someone's playing the piano so I got curious…. I swear that's all," even if she's much smaller than him he can't help but feel nervous by the way she's looking at him.

"I didn't take you to be the gossip type, but I don't care anymore" she picked up her bag and stopped right in front of him. His breath hitch by the intensity of her gold eyes. "If you ever tell a single soul about what you hear I will not hesitate to bring you down" she said jabbing her index finger in his chest.

"Yes, yes, yes I understand" he nodded. She's about to walk passed him until he tried to pushed his luck "but can you atleast have a lunch with me today in exchange of keeping your secret, I kinda need your help?"

"What for?" irritation is clear in her voice as she turned around again to face him.

"Well, you see I kinda have of unfinished music compositions and hearing you sing which I assume is your original piece I think you can lend me hand to put finishing touches for mine." He ramble while Azula just stared at him then silently turned back. Oh he's such a dead meat right now until…

"Text me when and where, I'll be there and don't be late" she said as he watch her walk away. And that's when he realized he got a stupid smile plastered on his face.