#ais x mc

[softagenda]

pillow talk (multi)

rating: m+

drabble collection: moments with each LI in the sheets, told through intimate and vaguely sinister drabbles

originally posted on ao3

masterlist

Preview

You stared into the smoldering fire by the bed, amidst the sumptuous blankets and furs, from the prison of his arms, suddenly cold.

Leander

“And how does the magic happen,” you teased, now languorous and slightly drunk, your body aching pleasantly and cheek pressed to his bare chest.

“Give and take, beautiful.” His hand stroked along your back, tracing a swirling, winding pattern.The rings on his fingers brushed a cool kiss against your skin. “Sometimes, it’s a small thing: a free drink here, a favor there. For others, well… every debt must be repaid in equal measure.”

A handful of free drinks. A room at the inn. 

Information, knowledge of the city, a personal guide. 

Minutes - an hour now, altogether - holding your hand, resisting an ancient curse, a risk of incalculable value.

You stared into the smoldering fire by the bed, amidst the sumptuous blankets and furs, from the prison of his arms, suddenly cold. 

The tip of a finger dipped in the valley of your spine and drew a line up your back. As though he felt the slight stiffening of your body, his hand settled against the nape of your neck, his palm a hot, firm weight holding you to him. His thumb sat below your jaw, stopping over your pulse.

Leander rested his cheek against your head and pressed a kiss to your hair, the words drifting across your ear like the mist enshrouding the city.  “The only truth of this universe is this: nothing is free.”

_______________________________________

Kuras

Candlelight brought you from the shadows of your doze.

Blurrily, you nuzzled closer to the firm pillow by your face when the familiar scent of  magnolia - sweet, slightly citrus, earthy - filtered through your senses, alerting you like smoke in a barn.

Your eyes opened. 

The pillow was, in fact, a thick, muscled thigh covered in a layer of white cotton trousers. Following the leg upward, you took in the sight of Kuras in the dim,  flickering light of a single candle by the bedside. He held a book in his lap, one hand idly turning a withered page. A thin trail of smoke drifted into the dark beyond his shoulder.

Gold eyes met yours after a moment. Even in the deep night, they glowed brighter than the flame at his hip. 

He smiled indulgently. “Dawn will not break for  a few hours more. Sleep.” 

You stared at that smile, blinking heavily, clinging to wakefulness for just a little longer. A thought nudged at the fuzzy edges of your mind at the smile, the eyes - a thread of disquiet amidst the warm cocoon of blankets and his body.

Kuras lifted one hand and turned to the bedside table. A thin stick passed through the flame, the smoke blooming like petals from the stem, before magnolias perfumed into the air once more. 

As the scent wrapped around you, filled your lungs, soothed the voice at the back of your mind, a large hand cupped your cheek. His thumb caressed the corner of your eye before coaxing the lid shut and lingering there, gently holding.

“Sleep. I am here with you. I will watch over you.”

You slipped back into the night.

________________________________________

Ais

The soft bubbling of water woke you.

Your hand sleepily tugged the kimono over the bared edge of your shoulder. You’re curled into a ball beneath the thin fabric, legs fully tucked under the hem, hands curled against your chest, a tortoise sheltering from the cool, humid air drifting from the water’s edge.

Peering through the folds, you stared at the empty sheets next to your eyes adjusted to the night. Then, turning on your other side, you looked for him.

Glowing red eyes caught yours instantly.

He leaned against the open door. Moonlight painted his chest and shoulders pale silver, glinting sharp on the necklace that hung by his navel, his rings, his horns. A cigarette lingered by his mouth. As he drew another puff, embers burned and flared at the end.

“Want a hit?”

You sighed and rolled over on the bed, cheek pressed to the cold sheets. “No. Could use a drink though.” Your mouth felt dry, your belly hollow.

Ais held your gaze for a moment before releasing the smoke in a soft grin. He flicked the cigarette outside the door and strode over, bare feet silent on the creaking wood of the old pier.

At the edge sat a chalice. With two fingers, he hooked the rim, knelt by the red waters, and dipped it beneath the Seaspring.

The chalice full to the brim, spilling over his fingers, Ais took a seat on the bed and braced his arm over you. Several drops fell to the sheets; they wicked into the fabric, not fading to a blush but thickening like blood.

You glanced up from the stain to his face cast in shadow, the red gleam of his eyes thickening too, swallowing up his pupil..

“Drink up, sparrow.”

_____________________________________________

Vere

A claw traced delicately over the crown of your head before sinking into the length of your hair. He stroked as though petting a cat - idly, indulgently, reclined against the mountain of pillows on his bed and curled above you with his chin braced on his palm and bent elbow.

You laid there on the sheets, sweaty and panting, every nerve in your body vibrating, aching with the ghost of pleasure and pain. A sickly feeling sapped the strength from your body. The gold veins across your hands and arms felt hollow as scorched earth.

“Can’t catch a breath?” His voice curled with smug satisfaction, the smirk evident without needing to see for yourself.  “All that muscle and misery, with the stamina of a virgin.”

Craning your head back, you glared at Vere through the messy fringe of hair sticking to your face. His claws pricked the nape of your neck. You arched your back away from the bright points of pain and heat.

“Soon, I’ll have you trained to my tastes,” he mused, his gaze trailing down your bare body. “Enough to sate me, at the very least. It’d be troublesome to have you burn out too fast.” 

Fur brushed against your thighs and stomach. His thick, russet tail flowed over your body in a fiery river, the soft pelt tickling over your skin. Heat radiated from it, the ancient magic humming in his veins, less volatile now that he’d taken the edge off.

After one last teasing prick of claw, Vere reached down and lifted the length of chain pooled on the sheets. He slipped the end around your neck and pulled through. 

Then, with a rumbling sigh, he leaned back against the pillows and closed his eyes. “Wake me up before noon, and you’re lunch.”

With a flick of his hand, the candles extinguished. 

You stare at the dark ceiling, cold steel brushing your throat with every breath.

______________________________________

Mhin

A chill settled over your skin, casting your dreams in shades of winter. Goosebumps rolled down your arms in a wave. Subtle, heavy breaths disturbed the peace of the night.

Your eyes shot open.

The window gaped open. An autumn breeze stole inside, undulating against the curtains. Clear moonlight spilled across the floor, illuminating the toe of a boot and a pool of blood. A ghostly figure sat beneath the sil.

Heart pounding, you held still, squinting through your lashes, trying to see the face hiding within shadow.

Thick leather pants and bracers. Flowing white shirt. Midnight blue hood, hooked to the collar with silver rings. The light caught the edges of messy hair beneath the hood, shining in the gloom like frost across a frozen pond.

Your hand released its taught grip on the dagger beneath your pillow.

Wrapping the blankets around your body, you sat up and leaned across the mattress. “.... Mhin?”

White eyes with red pupils appeared within the shadowed face. 

You shuffled to the edge of the bed. Glancing at the blood, you asked, “are you injured?”

After a quiet moment, they slowly shook their head. Mhin folded one leg and braced their arm on their knee. In their hand was a silver dagger, twin to the one you’d hidden beneath your pillow. Fresh blood licked the edge of the blade.

“Are the bodies on the roof or the street?”

Finally, a spark appeared in their eyes. “Strung them up like gargoyles.” 

You huffed a laugh. Fresh corpses lured Soulless like flies to honey. They’d never. “How thoughtful of you to help decorate for Leander’s party tomorrow.”

Mhin shot you a weary look that clearly spelled the fuck do you think, before their head dropped back on the wall with a soft thud. The bruises beneath their eyes were dark as plums. They’d never slept soundly, but since the attacks had started, a few good hours had dwindled into a half hour here and there at best.

You considered chiding them for a moment before sighing and rising from the bed. Scooping the quilt from the bed, you shuffled over and dropped down to the floor next to them.

“What are you doing,” they grumbled, frowning when you leaned into Mhin’s side. 

Heedless of the blood wicking into the sheets, you spread the bedcovers across their lap and yours before gingerly resting your head on their shoulder. 

Mhin sucked in a breath. “You’re not actually going to sleep like this?” When you only closed your eyes, they growled, “Ridiculous.”

Minutes passed. Then, “I’ll shove you off the second another wave hits. You realize that, right?”

You kept silent. Beneath the sheets, you found their hand and covered the back with your palm, fingers webbing through the gaps between theirs,  hoping to warm them.

“Your back’s going to hurt like hell tomorrow.” 

Then slowly, as the night and their body next to yours filled you with a sense of safety, their grip tightened on your fingers.

A smile slipped across your mouth as you drifted off to sleep once more.

_____________________________

a/n: ending on a fluffy note - comments and likes are appreciated!

[angrybathbomb]

TOUCHSTARVED FANFIC

“Are you two a couple?”

  MODERN AU

Touchstarved LI x gn! Reader

  SUMMARY: On a coffee date with each ts LIs, both of you are stopped by what one can assume a street interviewer/youtuber who seems to be quite eager on talking to couples. What do our lovely LIs have to say?

WARNINGS:  None tbh, fluff, slightly suggestive joke cracked once but it’s just implied and said as a joke/banter nothing explicit, Ais calls you sparrow and says one of his signature line he said in the demo (will be in italics).

NOTE:  This is my first time writing a fanfic, please go easy on me if I made some mistakes as I am still learning. Constructive criticism and tips to improve are very much appreciated. Thank you for reading!

(also y/n == your name)

INSPO: I saw a YouTube channel (meetcutenyc) and felt like writing this for our lovely ts LIs!

WORD COUNT: <1.5K

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-PROLOGUE-

Strolling leisurely down the bustling streets for a cozy, romantic coffee date, fingers entwined, greedily savored each other’s warmth. Each step the two of you took, resonated with a rhythm on the footpath that stretched ahead in the bustling cityscape. Amidst the bustling chaos of the city, snippets of conversations floating around and the distant hum of traffic, a comfortable silence stretched between the two of you with occasional exchange of shy yet mischievous glances and tender smiles.

However, the romantic stroll came to an abrupt halt when a young guy holding a camera, most likely recording, blocked the path ahead of you two.

“Sorry to interrupt, but are you two a couple?”, he inquired with a friendly smile. His eyes, subtly reflecting guilt, silently apologized for the sudden intrusion.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AIS

LEANDER

VERE

MHIN

KURAS

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

      AIS

Ais regards the guy with a cold look as he answers his question with a terse nod as he pulls you closer to him, his hand wrapping around your waist protectively which was interwoven with your fingers so lovingly just a moment prior to this, a stark contrast to the possessive hold he has now.

“Do you need something?”, he adds with a callous tone, his impatience evident. “We have somewhere to be,” he finishes as he guides you behind him, shielding you from the camera.

Sensing his defensive demeanor, princess begins to growl at the stranger. Her instincts kick in, mirroring Ais’s protective stance towards you.

The stranger, noticing the tension in the air, quickly raises one hand above his head in a gesture of surrender. He begins, “I just wanted to ask,” his tone sincere,” Would you mind sharing the story of how you two first met?”, his voice carries a curious yet respectful tone.

Ais, sensing no immediate threat, whistles lowly, a familiar command for Princess to calm down. Obedient to his command, she relents, but remains watchful as she settles between the two of you. 

Ais exchanges a brief glance with you, you nod slightly signaling your willingness to share a part of your history with him. He smiles softly as he turns his gaze to the stranger,” It’s a long story,” his tone softening ever so slightly, “But I suppose we have a moment.”

The stranger beams with delight,” And I have all the time in the world!”, he reassures, grateful to have a story to share with his viewers.

You laugh quietly touched by such an innocent remark and quite frankly amazed at how eager he appears. A surge of shyness envelops you as memories of your first encounter with Ais floods your mind.

“You want my version or his?” you ask, offering the stranger a friendly smile as you lean into Ais’s warmth, he squeezes your hips in response, his hold on you not budging one bit.

“Both of yours!”, the stranger chirps up with childlike glee. A teasing smile plays on Ais’s lips, “How about you go first, hm Sparrow?”

“How kind of you,” you roll your eyes, all too aware of the mirth swimming in his crimson gaze. You shift your attention towards the stranger, your eyes alight with memories as you begin recounting the story, “I was wandering down the aisles of what used to be a Public Library, known as ‘The Senobium’, quite renowned for its vast collection of books, holding knowledge on the most bizarre subject imaginable. If any place held answers, it was the Senobium.” You continue your ramble as Ais listens patiently, silently admiring you, a fond smile adorning his sharp features.

“I was specifically looking and gathering books to research about this conspiracy theory floating around the internet that had caught my attention – The Groupminds”, you continue painting a vivid imagery of the fateful day to the eagerly listening stranger ,”Amidst the pile of books I had in my hand, more than I could possibly handle, my line of vision was blocked and I was trudging ahead, one step at a time, until I collided with this gentleman over here,” you gesture towards Ais , impishness painted all over your face.

“It felt straight out of a classical romantic movie,” you recall with a bashful smile as your gaze meets Ais’s, who responds with a playful wink and a fanged grin. “The next instant, all the books slip from my grasp, and I am stumbling backwards, teetering on the brink of hitting the cold hard floor. That is until, a warm hand catches my lower back and guides me back up to my feet effortlessly, as if I weighed nothing,”

“As I recover from the shock, I shift my gaze to take a better look at my saviour,” you pause, studying Ais for a moment before continuing,” there he stands before me, radiating an air of self-assuredness.” Your lips curve into a wry smile, “I say my thanks, anticipating a courteous ‘you’re welcome’ but instead, this bastard has the gall to quip back, ‘Watch your step, Sparrow,’ his words dripping with smug satisfaction, as though reveling in my plight.”

You pout playfully,” Thanks to his good looks, I let it slide. My hands were itching to leave a red imprint on that stupid handsome face,” you confess, your cheeks flush a deep red. Ais, not missing a beat, retorts with a smirk,” But you just did last night,” he teased with a suggestive glance, a coy smile dancing on his lips.

“Have some shame,” you roll your eyes, swatting his chest playfully. “What's that?”, he feigns oblivion, secretly relishing the sight of your embarrassment.

The stranger smiles at the shared mischief between them before turning to Ais, “What about you Sir? What’s your version of the story?”, curiosity evident in his tone.

Ais considers you for a moment, fondness evident in his scarlet orbs, before he addresses the stranger,” Let’s just say their version conveniently leaves out the part where they nearly caused a book avalanche in the middle of the library.”

You merely roll your eyes at his playful jab,” Perhaps you could have watched your step and not get in my way,” you fix him with an accusatory look,” All of it seemed as if it was planned all along.”

“Took you long enough to figure out,” responds Ais with a devilish smirk.

The stranger chuckles in amusement at the light-hearted banter between the two lovebirds before he interjects with his next question,” Could you two share your first impressions of each other?”

“First impression, huh?”, you paused for a moment, adopting a deadpan expression, before replying, “Bastard.” Your blunt response elicits a roar of laughter from both men.

“You wound me Sparrow,” Ais remarks, his six- foot frame shook with mirth. Before he answers for himself, he grins and teases,” Ah yes, I remember thinking, ‘Is this sparrow lost, or did the sky misplace its most charming songbird?’ Thankfully, they landed right here.”

“That’s the biggest load of nonsense I’ve ever heard,” you retort with an unimpressed look, eyebrows raised in mock indignation. Ais leans in to press a firm kiss to your forehead, unfazed by your tough facade.

“Mouth off all you want, I happen to like your shitty attitude,” he says affectionately while you remain stoic to appear indifferent to his tender gaze, but the telltale blush creeping onto your cheeks gives you away.

“Any tips you would like to give to a new couple?”, the stranger poses his final question.

Ais smiles sincerely, his gaze thoughtful as he offers his advice,” Be honest and real. The right person will love you for who you really are,” he says as a matter of fact, looking at you for a moment.

You nod in agreement before adding your own perspective,” If you have to pretend to be someone else, even with your lover, well, how long can that last?” you continue with an earnest expression,” If you and your partner cannot accept each other’s worst, you have no right to enjoy each other’s best either. Putting up an act doesn’t work in the long run.” you finish, a kind smile gracing your lips.

“Thank you so much! You make such a lovely couple,” the stranger remarks warmly before asking, “May I ask your names?’

“(y/n)”, you introduce yourself with a warm smile. “Ais”, he follows suit.

“(y/n) and Ais,” the stranger repeats the names, the syllables harmonizing so well, their love seems destined.

“Thank you for your time! Good day!”, the stranger expresses his gratitude as they prepare to part ways.

“No worries, it was lovely talking to you.”, you respond with a sweet smile, eyes reflecting genuine warmth. Ais offers a nonchalant wave as a farewell, but the content smile etched on his face betrays his enjoyment of the conversation.

Together with Princess, both of you set off on your way to your long-awaited coffee date, the air around both of you filled with sweet anticipation.

  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

End note: Tell me about your thoughts in the comments! I will be writing for other LIs soon! Thank you for reading my work 😊

[lu-dao-writes]

⃟͚̊✿Thinkin’ Bout Ais and Vere…

𝙒𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜(𝙨) threesome, dick sucking, anal or vaginal sex, friends w/ benefits, monsterfucking, gn!reader, a pinch of angst.

A threesome with Ais and Vere where Vere is laid up on a bunch of plush and brightly colored pillows (like the pillow princess he is), and controls your head movements when he thinks you’re not going fast or not taking him deep enough for his liking.

He likes how you gag a little as your deep throat his dick, his massive, fluffy red tail lightly wagging off to the side as he lets out breathy little moans.

And Ais has your hips gripped in a bruising grip as he hits it from the back, your ass marked with ropes of white.

Every moment with them is always exhilarating. Never dull, and typically ends in a night, or morning, or afternoon with a passionate tussle.

And aftercare is ever so sweet and relaxing, Ais typically in the middle to alternate kissing on you and Vere, and the both of you returning the favor and reaching over Ais to kiss each other.

But… It’s all just for fun. You made it evident that you just wanted a release, to help with the never ending stress in your life, and you trust them both enough with your body.

And it’s clear that Ais seems… Attached, to both you and Vere.

And Vere... You can’t get a good read on him, but he cares. But you’re not sure if he’s has room for a committed relationship. You get him.

But you can’t help the ever growing weed that’s slowly blooming in your chest when you find yourself with them.

How complicated…

[bloodandthestars]

𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐍.

touchstarved. pirate!ais x gn reader

tags: reader is the first mate, mention of stitches but nothing gory

author’s note: this draft has been in my notion forever and now she’s making her debut as an ais drabble, YESSIR. I’m not sure on a part two cause if it did happen it would be long after my current project. IF YOU’D LIKE THE THEME SONG IF THERE WAS A SERIES it’s chain by lolo zouaï :))

wc: 3.6k

“Easy gentlemen,” You say in a smug tone with your hands in the air. “No need to harm the merchandise.”

The comment earns you another shove in the back as you and a few of your crewmates walk to the main mast of the main deck. Soldiers aim their weapons at your group, pistols and swords alike with sneering glares to accompany them. You look to your crew and they look back at you. Your eyes shift from one part of the ship to the next, before hearing the crowd of officers shift. You look up to see what appears to be the general, stricken in his formal posture as he strides towards you. His head held tightly in the air, he looked down at you like you were something to wipe the floor with.

“So, is this the infamous pirates of The Spade?” He scoffs, turning his head to eye your emptied home on the sea and laughing. “This is your ship?”

“Works mighty fine for a big vessel, unlike what you may have in those overgrown trousers-” Your remark is quickly cut off by the muskets furthering themselves in your direction. You turn your head begrudgingly as one gets inches away from your neck.

“Silence, scoundrel.” The general hisses. “Now, where are the others? We are well aware of your plans to search for-”

One of your crew yells. “There are no others, shitrag!”

The general scoffs once more, tilting his head in your direction. “And would Captain Ais leave his crew behind so cowardly?” He steps toward you, eyeing you as gets in your face. “Well, when it’s so pitiful— how could he not?”

Your jaw locks and for the sake of your crew, you remain still. He begins again. “Now, where is-”

POW!

In the blink of an eye, a bullet nicks the general’s shoulder. You remained still, with a cunning smile laid on your face—the general scowls at you before looking for the source of his injury. Up in the crow’s nest of The Spade was the very captain himself, guarded with a flintlock pistol. He aims for his next shot, a minor distraction for more of the crew to come out of hiding just as he did. They sprung from the hold, immediately throwing makeshift grenades—the officers ducked for cover without a moment to lose. The general tries his best to do the same but stops. “What the-”

Large barrels of smoke escape the grenades. Soon enough it covers the entire deck. You catch the general’s grimace at you before waving as the smoke hides you within. You hear the shouts of the second crew, and ropes swing to reach the enemy ship. You find yourself smiling as the crew combine and rejoice. Even apart for a few moments, they can’t help but celebrate one another. Your ears hear the clanks of metal on the wooden floorboards: Weapons. You remain sharp with the smoke at every turn you make, but most certainly, you are calm. You turn your head towards the sound of a coat whirling in the air. The captain throws you your sword and its grasped by you easily. The smoke fades, revealing a battle taking over the entire ship. You glance at moments across the ship, fights between your men and the officers heated and growing more aggressive by the second. You ready your grip on your sword, taking a look at the fleeting general and then at Captain Ais himself. He looks at you at the same time and the two of you nod in agreement.

The both of you charge towards the officers between you and the general. You block a quick attack from an officer’s sword, turning your wrist to maneuver a parry. You swipe at the officer’s chest, causing him to back into the railing. You waste no time— kicking him square in the chest to throw him off the boat entirely. You turn to see another officer charge towards you while Ais takes on two himself. You scoff. “Show off!”

Before handling the next enemy, you could have sworn you spied a small smile on his face. You shift to your right, avoiding a sword with you in its crosshairs. You kick him in the back of his knee. The man yelps, throwing his rapier in the air. Before he could think of anything else, you advanced your sword across his throat. He falls with no sound left of him and the second sword lands right in your other hand. You catch your captain’s eye as he finishes the two soldiers. “Show off, huh?”

You only shrug with a smile, both of you keeping pace with reaching the general once more. You shove past other fights, dodging and swinging at those around you. You pull through until Ais is stopped abruptly. A foot lands on his coat, pulling him back for a split moment. You’re quick to kick the officer off to free him. Ais deflects a cutlass coming at you from the side. You turn to cross your swords in an X, shielding your body from another attack. “Next time-” you grunt against the force “-you’re the damsel in distress.”

Ais snorts. “I’ll take you up on that offer.”

You huff, using one sword for an uppercut while the other deflects the enemy weapons. You slash at them once, before hooking your arm to Ais’s. He pulls you from over his back, with you kicking an incoming soldier down while cutting at the soldier from your previous side. Once both your forms are reset, your backs touch each other as you take down a few more guards in your way.

While deflecting another attack, you spot the general attempting to flee to the helm. Your brows furrow as you take down the remaining one of the few. You get your feet to run in his direction through the chaos. There was no need to look back when you knew the captain was right behind you. Instead, you take a glance at your cutlass before readying it in your hand. Before his hand can grasp onto the wheel, your sword is quickly engrained into the wood with an attentive throw. The general frantically looks between the both of you charging at him and his uniform sleeve stuck to the wheel over and over until he can reach the handle of the sword. With a large war cry, the general pulls the sword from its place— freeing himself and a weapon to hold.

“Shit-”

“Nice one, Sparrow.”

“Bite me.”

The two of you reach him and prepare to attack. Ais goes from the top down in his swing but the general defends it fast. You shove at his side, grabbing onto his injured shoulder.

“Argh!” The general let out an angered cry, flinging his sword back and cutting at Ais’s chest. He steps back to adjust and you gasp at the sudden move. Your face scrunches, giving the general a hard push as you slice his shoulder. The blood splatters but you don’t stop there. You sling your sword across his chest, once, twice, backing him until his back reaches the railing of the end of the boat. You go for another but he’s finally able to deflect the attack. The two weapons clash, with the two of you carrying strong looks at each end. Ais finds the opportunity you made for him, tripping the general’s legs and finally, piercing him in the chest.

The general’s sword falters against your own, and the very man falls to his knees. His face shifts to a pained disoriented expression as Ais snatches his weapon from his body. The general struggles to hold on to the railing as blood creeps into his uniform at a quick pace.

The two of you stand over him as he writhes in pain, faces made of steel. He looks up to you with shocked eyes, his mouth agape in labored silence.

“What’s the move, captain?” You utter between breaths. Ais’s breath finally calms, with his eyes shutting after. He exhales. Lowering to reach the general’s eyesight, He stares at him with a dark look in his eyes. The captain’s face never falters, watching as the general still struggles. Ais gets back into a stance, uttering the simple phrase as he looks down at the man who tried him.

“Finish the men, take the supplies. Make sure he gets a front-row seat at everybody that floats off into the ocean. And to that end, with him as the last remaining pathetic life, sink the ship.”

You only nod at your orders.

The darkness settles as the crew finishes what was left of the ale for the night. You watch as they huddle the forecastle deck, arms slung around each other as they laugh endlessly. A smile creeps onto your face, laughing to yourself looking away for a moment. You look up to see a crewmate walk to you. “C’mon you!”

Before you can give a response, she grabs your arm— going under and carrying you over your shoulder with ease. You yelp and she and the crew laugh as she takes you to them. She sits you on a stool and grins at you proudly. “Let’s hear it for our captain and first mate!”

You shake your head with a grin, the cheers of your crew overflowing with clinks of glasses in the air. You move to stand on top of your seat, giving them a bit to settle before speaking. “Nothing could be accomplished, nor give me and the captain fuel to remain strong— without the lot of you. You did well today, and we should not ignore even the smallest celebrations.”

A whistle ensues and you nod, yet pause. “Our true goal lies ahead, and who is to stop us from reaching it?”

“No one!”

“Bloody nothing!”

The crew magnifies in sound. You jump off, boots making a strong thud against the floorboards. They gather around you with prideful shouts, and you cheer along with them proudly. “Another barrel!” You hear someone shout. In an instant, the cork of a barrel is sliced away, and ale overflows into the cups of many once more. You laugh once again with them. As your throat begins to settle from shouting with the crowd, you catch the dim light behind the stained glass of the captain’s quarters.

The night was quiet when you knocked at the antique doors. It’s a few seconds before there’s a response.

“Who’s there?”

“It’s me.”

You hear a pained groan that causes your brows to press together.

“Come in, Sparrow.”

You open the doors, noticing the scraps of bloodied rags and crinkled papers across the captain’s desk. Your eyes widen as you spot the man in his large chair with his head hung low— messy brown-white strands falling from his short ponytail. His hand holds the desk for support. When he looks up at you, you instantly spot the crimson mess across his chest.

“What is-?”

You cut him off. “Aht, don’t even.”

His brow raises with a strained voice. “Don’t what?”

“Deflect. From your, you know-” You create a circle at your chest. “situation.”

Ais scoffs, tone remaining sarcastic as it usually was— even with the injury. “You worrying about little old me?”

He goes to stand but the turning causes him to hiss in pain, putting his hand to his chest. The man looks up to catch your expression: a raised brow with arms crossed. You open your mouth. “-don’t say it.”

You give him a look, moving wordlessly from the door. He watches as make your way to the front of the small fireplace set in the quarters. Pulling two chairs from the mapping table, you set them next to the fire. Ais turns his head for his sight to follow you. You go to his desk, searching through the rags to grab the cleanest ones and the needle and thread amongst the mess. You look back at him, catching his eyes before nodding to the chairs. “Well, go on.”

“Giving me orders now, are we?”

“Yes, we are.” You say slyly. He huffs, nonetheless walking to one of the chairs to sit in. He groans as he sits back to get as comfortable as he could. You open the dark cabinet next to the desk, eyes searching through the various glass bottles. You shift through them before finding a tall brown one containing rum, and a water jug. Checking their weights, you turn and walk towards your own seat.

You catch him looking at you, and he proceeds to heed you once more. “You don’t have to do this.”

A raised brow appears from you as you sit. “Would you rather me get Yasei to butcher the stitches drunk off her ass?”

Ais presses his lips together to suppress a slight smile. “No, I suppose not.”

You laugh. “I thought so.”

You untie your various belts and weapons, setting them on the floor with a clinking sound. You roll up the puffed sleeves of your loose shirt and scoot your chair forward for a closer look. You pull the stained fabric of his clothing, sticky between your fingers. He catches the way your face twists at the sight of the gash.

Your hand grabs the brown bottle, teeth pulling off the cork in seconds. You hand it to him and he places it on his lips to drink. Ais’s head falls back, gulping down most of the rum. You ready a worn cloth with water from the other jug, receiving the bottle from him in the other hand. You drink what’s left inside, shutting your eyes for a minute as it burns down your throat. An exhale escapes you, opening your eyes to see a questioning look on Ais’s face. Your hand makes a motion with the bottle before setting it on the wooden floor. “Can’t let it go to waste.”

He grins. “Not at all.”

Silence settles as you begin to use the cloth on the wound. You lean forward, making sure to get every look into it. Ais fixes his gaze on the fire to his right while you go to work. Blood falls in trickles down his skin, clearing the previous mess. It didn’t look too bad so far, you thought. It still required stitches, however. You throw one rag to the ground, grab another, and begin the process over again. Where there was quiet between you both was also a sense of comfort. Whispers of the shifting waves remain, giving your own resolve a bit of calm. After properly cleaning through it, you pat away the remaining water.

“They’re beginning to learn about what we’re after.”

He turns his head to look down at you. “That so? I thought the rumor was that we were chasing myths and bedtime stories.”

The ends of your lips quirk up for a second, eyes still on the injury at hand. “Most of them still believe that.” You give him a short glance. “But if a general knows, then other fleets surely do.”

“Surely, my sparrow isn’t getting cold feet.” He says with flair in his tone, then tilting his head.

You shake your head chuckling. “Not in a million years. I am just being the more logical out of the two of us. You know, thinking ahead and all.”

He can’t help the exhale that tumbles from tight lips. You drop the final cloth to the ground. You look away, grabbing the needle and thread, only to come back to his gaze filled with interest. Though you were still as you looked back at him, his eyes told you he wanted you to continue. You look down, preparing the thread. “The last port town we stopped in could have been the cause of today’s comeuppance. The looks we were getting…it’s like word is spreading fast. There’s no doubt in my mind that privateers will be the next obstacle.”

He hums in acknowledgment, thinking for a moment.

“The next one we go to, I think that we should plant fake rumors. Pay off bar owners or who else would look like they’d speak to some soldiers for coin.”

“We’re just going to have to pay double. And increase the watch on the ship.”

“That’d be the next step, yes.”

“See? I can be perfectly logical.”

You join him in his chaff. “Eh, for a moment.”

“Ouch.”

You catch a smile finally forming on his lips. It honestly takes you by surprise, but you welcome the sight regardless. Your chair slides closer for the next part. You place your hand on his chest with the other holding the prepped needle. You glimpse at him, and he looks back at you with a nod. The needle presses into his skin, only earning you a strong grimace from the captain. Whether it’d be he had gone through this many times before, or the rum kicked in, you were hopeful that it was just a combination of both—

“No one has searched for the Spring and made out alive.” He begins, looking over your shoulder as you bend down to focus on your hands. “That’s how the legend goes.”

You arch your brow guilefully. “But?”

Ais wavers, eyes finding themselves back on to you. “But we’ll find it. We'll be legends.”

The statement causes your hand to pause in its routine. You don’t notice how he tenses back up for the first time in minutes at your reaction. He watches your gaze scatter briefly before you decide to resume the stitching. Leaving you both to the sounds of the waves and the swaying ship.

You get most of the stitching done by the time he wants to speak again. “Do you trust me on that?”

By that time, you could feel the rum settled in your head. Once you pull the thread at another stitch, the words are properly readied on your tongue in a mutter. “More than anything.”

He remains silent. His eyes falter though he listens intently. “I wouldn’t trust my life with anyone outside this ship.” Your voice changes into a whisper. “But I wouldn’t trust my soul with anyone outside this room.”

Ais’s eyes widen, now observing you fully. Light dancing across your features from the fire with focus strongly evident on your face. The rum settled long when you got to your first stitch, but something told him that that didn’t even matter. He looks past you to his desk, to the mess of rags and numerous papers where he’s had all his findings on The Spring. Somehow, it now seemed a lot farther than it was. The man stares at it longingly, before turning to look at you. You reach the end of your work, eyes finding themselves back on his. Your head lowers. Taking the thread into your mouth and moving the hand on his chest, you cut it with your teeth. His eyes stay on you, watching prominently with an unreadable emotion.

You tilt your head at him, whispering. “What is it?”

He furrows his brows, parting his lips for the words seared in his head— only for them to be blurred together from the rum’s effects. Your breaths get deeper when you being to feel them as well. He glances down at your proximity. He could register that the two of you were fairly close, but couldn’t get himself care. And frankly, neither could you. Ais’s red eyes stay to yours. There was a clouded look with in them but on the other hand, they were determined to keep you as their only subject.

A dog suddenly bursts through the doors with an excited wag of her tail. Even if she was a slender long thing, she moved as if she was still a pup. The two of you jump at the loud boom. Ais immediately eases, however. “Come on, Princess.”

The dark animal trots over to the fireplace, getting herself comfortable as if she didn’t just scare the living shit out of either of you. You sigh, running hand through your hair with shut eyes. When you open them, you find Ais staring. Those words from before seem to tipsily fade away. The timing long gone and unable to regain from his perspective. From your perspective, you’d both forget what you said in the morning. And yet when he’s staring, you can’t help but soften. You notice his shoulders relax as well from your own looking.

Perhaps he would have told you that if he could, he’d let you command him in every way possible. Perhaps he would have said that you were the one thing he’s been able to count on and not be afraid of being left behind. That he’d trust you with his back, bare and exposed, knowing it would never be stabbed in betrayal. You were on this journey together, with you and your crew. Not one of them regretting their time under the captain’s lead.

If only he had listened to you when the journey came to an end, when it all fell apart.

[bizzxis]

This is how I imagine Leander in Ais’ route.

[adastra121]

Touchstarved as Non/Disney Songs

Added the "non" part because some of these aren't Disney, but I still wanted to include them.

Kuras x MC= “So This is Love” (Cinderella) / “Looking Through Your Eyes” (Quest for Camelot) “I see the heavens each time that you smile…and suddenly I know why life is worthwhile,” “Here in the night, I see the sun.” I just think this is a sweet song for him.

Leander x MC= “I See the Light” (Tangled) / "Let Me Be Your Wings" (Thumbelina) "Anything that you desire, anything at all." That's basically what he says to us, isn't it?

Vere x MC= "Trust In Me" (The Jungle Book) You know that one ending in the demo? / “Love Will Find a Way” (Lion King 2) “There’s a perfect world shining in your eyes.”

Ais x MC= “Don’t Let Go” (Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron) I really just put this down here for the vibes. It reminds me of Ais. / “Candle on the Water” (Pete’s Dragon) I feel like if you put it in a minor key, it could give some unsettling Seaspring vibes.

Mhin x MC= “Beauty and the Beast” (Beauty and the Beast) "Bittersweet and strange, finding you can change, learning you were wrong…" / “I Won’t Say (I’m In Love)” (Hercules)

Sen x MC= "So Close" (Enchanted) “So close to feeling alive…” / "Ma Belle Evangeline” (The Princess and the Frog) "You're my queen of the night." Like her flower.

Elyon x MC= “For the Dancing and the Dreaming” (How to Train Your Dragon 2) "I have no use for rings of gold, I care not for your poetry, I only want your hand to hold." / "La Seine" (Un Monstre En Paris) I don’t know don’t know, so don’t ask me why. I just like to imagine him with it, maybe it gets performed in his brothel. “La Seine” is a homonym for “La Scène” in French, meaning the stage. The song could be about your love for the river in Paris, but when sung, it sounds like you’re talking about your love for the stage. For performance. And with his flower, the blue orchid, being a miniature performance in and of itself…

[owlespresso]

Ais uses nearly any part of your body as a cushion at any point. Hanging out in your room, reading a book while you lay on your tummy? He's using your back or your ass as a cushion. Laying on your side? No problem, he scoots in behind you and wraps his arms around one of your thighs, tries to get a comfy spot on your hip or your waist. Sitting up, doing paperwork or alchemical experiments or having a conversation with other people? He's trying to splay himself over your thighs. On your back?? He's your weighted blanket and your chest is his pillow. Or drags you up on top of him, your back to his front, so he can read over your shoulder and perhaps make numerous trading queries about your literature of choice. Or maybe he'll critique the protagonist's strategy and debate with you on where the story should go next.

When he gets tired of losing to a book, he grabs it and rests it gently on the nightstand. He feels like a guy who would be uncharacteristically considerate of your things... or he'll roll over on top of it so you're forced to climb on him to get it back. A scallywag. A deviant. A menace. But it's all in the name of your attention, so it's worth the fun little nicknames you give him!

[dolceaspidenera]

I can finally show you this little thing I was working on. I took inspiration from this picture, I love this artist, check her out, she's amazing!

After playing the demo I had this picture in my mind and felt like it fitted so well my MC and Ais that I had to give it a try.

It's my first time using a drawing tablet but I'm overall happy with the result 👉🏻👈🏻 I started with a handmade sketch but decided I wanted to color it and went with the tablet 😁 hope you'll like it!

Also, I'm obsessed with Ais, send help.

P.s. I suck at Tumblr, I had to upload a tiny version of the drawing because I can't seem to find a way to upload bigger pictures with good quality, you can find it bigger here.

(You can reblog to your heart's content but please do not repost it elsewhere)

[butterflewaway]

~Seaspring

Just a lil blurb about Ais experiencing the tragedy of loss yet again. Am I evil? Perhaps.

Credit for prompt: @ker0fish

Warnings: angst, HEAVY ANGST, major character DEATH, literal impalement, blood, lots of blood, tears and anguish

Pairing: Ais x Reader

Word Count: 517

______________________________________________________________

Ais has felt pain in his life multiple times. People come and go in Eridia, never staying for too long. It's a city for travelers, merchants, and monsters. Human life just isn't sustainable in a such a place. People rarely decide to stay, because they all know, the chances of leaving alive lessen each passing day.

Today is no different than any other. It is cloudy. The sun never touches the spirals and columns of Eridia, as if punishing the city for housing the monsters that it does. The empty, barren land surrounding Eridia is plagued by the Soulless, bloodthirsty, mindless entities that came rushing out when the rift opened to the other world. And today, they have taken something dear from Ais.

Ais is an angry demon. He punishes people he deems worthy of his wrath. People who prey upon the weak, evil people that are no worse than real monsters. And yet, in this moment, he cannot bring himself to be angry. He cannot feel at all.

As your blood pools around you, spilling onto his clothes, his hands, the wooden floors of his shrine. He cannot feel. He watches, numbly, as the light begins to leave your eyes. Human life is so feeble. He knew from the day you arrived, your quest was hopeless. Everything was always hopeless in Eridia.

You arrived, a burning beacon of hope. Hopeful to find the cure to your curse. Light brimming in your eyes. Such bright eyes. Looking into them made him feel things he hadn't felt in a long time. But now, there is no light left.

You are gasping for air, any that may bless your lungs, but it is also hopeless. The hole in your abdomen is gaping, spilling out blood faster than your body can replenish. This is the end for you, you think. But it is not the end for Ais. He has a gang to run, would it be so foolish to think someone like him is always two steps ahead? Always having a backup emergency plan. Even if he loathes it to his core.

Feeding you the water from his seaspring is selfish, he knows this. Human life was not meant to be prolonged in such an abnormal way. An unnatural way. And yet he allows the red water to pool into his hand, cupped gingerly to preserve the blood of his progenitor, Ocedeus. In his mind, he hears the entity whispering. "Hurry, you are running out of time. Hurry. Hurry. HURRY."

But it must be the choice of the person to drink from the seaspring. And so he holds his hand up to your paling lips, and begs. Demons do not beg, never. They are proud beings, and begging to lower life is beneath them. And Ais begs, and he begs for you to drink. But the screaming of voices in head head has occupied him for too long. He has failed to notice your weak breathing has quieted. And there is no sound left, just the drip, drip, drip, of your blood past the wooden boards, into the Seaspring.

Audio with soft music for people who don't like reading!:

My first time narrating, how'd I do? :D

[stawdynchill]

Imagine having a staring contest with the touchstarved LIs. How is this going to unfold and who’s gonna win?

[perxywonderland]

Changeling

After several days in Eridia, you end up taking a pecurliar and unexpected job. With Willow and Ais, you solve a mysterious case of a potentially posessed or cursed child.

Relationship: Ais x MC (friendly) , Willow x MC (friendly) Characters: MC (you) Willow, Ais, Nessie, Mhin, Leander (both at the end)

It has been a couple of days you have been in Eridia, wandering around to discover the city, encounter familiar faces here and there, but only during daytime, you definitely did not want to be face to face again with a soulless. Surprisingly, you noticed repetitive faces, but there is one you have not seen outside of the Wet Wick at night, Willow’s. However, your mind was distracted by the pleasant smell of fresh baked bread. Your head turned to the origin of the smell, a bakery where a dog came out with a leather bag held by the handle in its big mouth. That was a really large, black dog, half the average height of a human you would say. Did he steal the bag? It is quite odd to see a dog with a bag around, the animals around Eridia are usually either strays or on a leash. You had nothing to do, so you somehow decided to follow the dog from a few meters away, in case the bag was stolen to return it back, and maybe to get money as a reward. People around either ignored him, glanced at the dog, or lightly peted it while it was on its way. After arriving at its destination, the dog entered an open shop. You read the metal and glass sign, “The Spark”, the star shape was familiar, but you couldn’t put your finger on it, it was when a familiar voice came from inside the shop that  you could.

“Need something?”

In the darkness, you saw Willow; sitting behind a counter, the daylight stopped in front of her, not touching her. “Oh, hey.”

Willow waved back a hi, staring at you.

“I… saw a black dog with a bag, I am afraid it stole it.”

Willow was confused for a couple of seconds and realized.

“Oh, no worries, he is my little messenger. He’s my dog, say hi Nessie”

Nessie, the droopy eyed dog lazily approached you with a ‘dog’ smile. He actually seemed very friendly. You gently scratched behind his ears.

“So I suppose this bag is yours?”

“Yes, it’s mine, Nessie went for errands for me. I hate the sun, and groceries can only be done by daylight.”

“Makes sense. That is why I never see you around Eridia during the day.”

Willow nodded, reading a piece of paper in the bag.

“Only for exceptions, such as work. Speaking of work, Mhin was supposed to help me out, but they cannot come as they got more urgent work, soulless…ugh.”

Willow scrambled the paper written by Mhin and rested her back against the back of her creaking stool. The monster looked at you again.

“Have you found a way to make money around the city? Or are you still baby fed by Leander?”

“ I did some errands here and there. Not much.”

“Do you have any knowledge that could be interesting, like shop keeping, occult, witchcraft, fighting, I don’t know…”

“I guess I have a bit of that, yes?”

Willow remained silent and thoughtful for some time.

“I cannot be greedy in knowledge these days, as long you’re fine with potential death I am good to go”

“Potential death? Wait, you’re hiring me?” “High risks, high wage.”

Okay, currency was not your biggest wealth, and you felt a little guilty about how Leander paid for your food, your room, your drinks for too many days already, and it was someone quite trustworthy, giving you a job, a high-wage job. But you needed to know what it was about.

“What is that job about to be that deadly?”

“Faery, trickster, ghosts, demons capturing, killing, evicting, banishing...”

You raised an eyebrow

“You kill your people? I mean, you are a faery. “

“And humans kill other humans.”

“You got a point.”

Willow stood up and put in a bag some accessories from her shelves.

“Today’s work is about a child acting odd for a couple of days, the parents doubt of a demonic possession, or a curse, something that is not a disease. We got to visit them. My work is to basically remove everything that is invasive, haunting ghosts, trickers, entities, pixies, demons. Everything that annoys little mortals in this city, aside from my shop.  Are you up for that job?”

“Is it riskier than Soullesses?”

“In the least extreme cases, no.”

“I am in.”

“Perfect.”

Willow closed the door, locked it and gave you a pile of heavy leather-covered books. They look very valuable but full of dog ears. Willow put a pair of tainted glasses on and started to walk down the streets in the building’s shadows.

“Let’s go, the house is located in lowtown.”

The walk was a little quiet, some people stared wary, suspiciously at both of you, surely mostly Willow, because how rare it was to see her in broad daylight.

“Don’t pay attention to the looks. Mortals are weird, as if monsters living in the dark can’t go out at day.”

“Is it really only that? They don’t seem just curious, like, in alert, distrustful”

“Like most humans in front of unseelie faeries, and monsters, you haven’t walked around with Ais for sure. People freeze, it’s funny. Oh, Hi Ais. You are here.”

The demon was towering you, waving back to the faery who welcomed him. 

“Hello sparrow, found a job? You’ll love it.”

You narrowed your look to Willow. “Wait, I thought you needed me, why is this annoying bastard here?”

Willow stared at you as if you had just asked her the most stupid question she had ever heard.

“If we have to catch a demon, it’s better to have a demon with us, obviously. Pretty sure Mhin knew Ais would be there and surrendered.”

“Happy the dove ain’t there. Would have been more awkward.” 

Willow rolled her eyes. All three of you glanced at the tall house. It seemed so calm. Willow stretched her long limbs. 

“Be polite you two, you both already have weirdo reputations here.”

“I do?”

“Like many odd balls here”

“That includes you, unicorn.”

“Shut up Ais”

She knocked at the door. A couple of seconds later, you heard the mechanics of the locks, the door opened. A worried mother welcomed us, she didn’t make us wait long to enter. 

“Thank you for coming so fast, miss.”

“No problem, I had free time this afternoon. Shop is quiet like a coffin.”

The mother looked puzzled at you, and very wary at Ais “This is MC, my apprentice, they will assist me today, if you don’t mind. I am not the best with children. And Ais, in case of… how to explain it… shady entity?”

“Oh no worries, nice to meet you… both”

“Nice to meet you miss, happy to help.”

You replied politely. Ais was quiet, as usual. He tried to give a “reassuring” smile. 

“So, can you give us more information about unusual behaviors, physic changes?”

“Connie, my single daughter, she was always such a social butterfly, full of joy. For a couple of months, she looked off, sick. I doubted bringing her to the clinic, but she refused, you know how she admires Kuras, she wants to be a doctor just like him.” 

“How old is she? Any disturbing events in family life?” “She is 5, and no, her father is off and back to work everyday, I take care of the house, sell some crops, no financial problems, same for health, aside from her nowadays. I am worried she has been cursed or possessed, she threw her favorite doll so strong, it left a mark on her wall.”

She teared up a little, brushing briefly a tired watery eye.

“Can we meet Connie?”

“S-Sure, she is upstairs, in her bedroom.”

“Alright, thank you.” All four of you went upstairs, the mother knocked at the door, no responses. The mother decided to open the door, and a blonde-haired girl was staring at the window. Not moving an inch. 

“Connie sweetie, can you turn around and say hello?”

She remained motionless. 

“Connie?”

Willow placed a hand on the mother’s shoulder, signaling it was fine.

“We will need some time with her, alone, if you are okay with that.”

The mother nodded, and left the room, closing the door behind her. 

You all approached the child, who still hasn’t moved. “Hey kid, what you looking at?”

Ais tried to ask gently. Connie didn’t reply. Nor moved, not even to look at Ais.

Was she petrified ? What the hell was wrong with that kid? You were clueless. Willow looked around, took a random plushie and tried to present it to the child.

“Hey, Connie. My name is Willow, what is the name of that plushie? It’s cute.” Connie rolled her eyes to Willow. She didn’t reply. By the slight squit of Willow’s eyes, you could see something was off in the kid that Willow noticed.

Willow looked at the window where Connie was looking, her window was facing the forest.

“You lost something in the forest? We can bring it back if you want?”

No reactions from Connie, it wasn’t that. 

“Hey Connie, can I check you, you know, like we do at the clinic, with Kuras.”

Connie instantly backed away. Her look narrowed on Willow, it didn’t look friendly as the mother described her beloved daughter. Her skin was pale gray, her blue eyes were accompanied by black eyebags. 

“Chill kid. We wish no harm, Willow is an assistant of Kuras.”

Ais tried to reassure the kid, crouching to be at her height. Connie pushed him, considering her small size, you didn’t expect Ais to fall on his back and yet that happened right in front of your eyes. 

“Strong kid there.” 

“Not accurate strength for sure for a 5 year-old mortal like her.”

Willow stomped her way to the plush pile, looking for the doll that hit the wall.

“Hey Connie, we don’t hurt strangers, would you like it if I hurt your doll too?”

A normal kid would stop being naughty and apologize, beg for its toy, Connie didn’t, she remained threatening. 

“No attachment for loved stuff. I might have my idea. Definitely not a possession.”

Willow headed back to you and whispered in your ear. “I need you to hold her the best you can, I have to do a body check, there should be signs on the body for possessions, curses and such. If she doesn’t want us to approach, there is a reason.”

“You expect me to hold this kid? You saw how Ais got thrown on the floor.”

“He will help you out”

You nodded, approaching the child reluctantly. 

“I’ll catch you if you fall, again” Ais said referring to the last time at the seaspring. You rolled your eyes annoyed. He just chuckled low, happy with your reaction. 

“Guys focus, we have a cursed kid here, or worse”

Ais caught Connie first with such speed it caught you off guard, and so does Connie, who screams, you help him out by holding her legs… they felt like modeling clay? Unlike fat or bones or flesh. “I hate kids. Well, definitely not a kid.” Ais said, annoyed, trying his best to not let go. 

Willow did her best to analyze the arms, legs, neck, and all the child’s body as much as she could, she checked her teeth, her ears. Pointy long ears and teeth were all you could basically see, not human-like. She was struggling too much.

“Her body feels off at touch, like… moldable?” You said to Willow.

“Body is deformed, primitive. Not a demon. Keep holding her, I need to check something.”

Willow hurryingly rummaged in her back pouch for gloves, she wore them before holding a silver ring. She placed it on the forehead of the creature, it screamed with a hissing sound from where the ring was placed, it was burning. When Willow put it away, it left a mark.

Willow took a chalk stick and a container of salt from her pouch again and started to draw on the floor, something a little too complex for you. The faery took Connie from your and Ais’ hands and threw her in the circle which seems to have invisible walls for us, but Connie couldn’t get out of the circle, she hit the invisible walls. 

Willow carefully removed her gloves. Silently. 

You were quite shaken by the chain of actions. And could only say:

“Wow.”

“Innit? I do that at least 2 times a week, but today, it’s a little unusual.”

“How so?”

“No curse, no demons, nor tricksters, or ghost, obviously for those last two.” “Rabies?” Ais asked, puzzled. “Kuras would have noticed, Connie’s mother wouldn’t have been sent to me by Kuras otherwise.”

“Well, what is wrong then?” You asked impatiently

“Nothing is wrong with that child”

“...Uh?”

“Be right back, check on her, have a chit chat, I don’t care, I’ll be there in 20 minutes.”

Willow left the bedroom, and directed the mother to go out of the house. 

Aside from the invisible wall punching from Connie, the room was silent. Only the heavy accessories of Ais made noise when sitting on the floor while waiting. Playing with the chalk stick willow left on the floor

“So, how you doing sparrow?”

You eventually sat as well on the floor, standing with Ais around for 20 minutes is gonna be long. “Enjoying the crazy internship? Fun right?”

“Not at all, that child is creepy.”

“I know right. Once, a friend of mine owning a brothel had a demonic possessed worker.”

You looked wary at him, suspicious friends he had. By your look, he replied.

“Not a demon like me. That shit was scary.”

“That wasn’t the problem, you have some unusual… friends.”

Ais shrugged with a smirk. “ Jealous?”

“O-Of course not! Why would I be jealous!?”

Ais smirk spread wider, satisfied with your reaction. Oh, he wanted that exact reaction from you. “I hate you.”

“I like you too sparrow”

“Are you deaf? I said I *hate* you!”

“Heard what you said, but it’s a lie.”

“!”

“C’mon, I am trying to tell you a story. To pass time.”

“What is Willow doing anyway?”

Ais shrugged, clueless as much as you.

“She is so unpredictable.”

“That’s the most interesting part, she is bossy too, and has a shitty attitude sometimes, something you both have in common.”

“Fuck off.”

“Compliment, really. Back to my story, that was the first time we saw that, had to help my friend tie that girl to the bed.”

“What.”

“That’s a brothel, what do you expect, tea time? She was dangerous. For herself and others. We contacted Willow, she came, but she never did an exorcism before, as a faery, touching those tools are tricky, allergic to silver, salt, iron, holy water… such things. Crazy cool to watch though. The girl is good now, it worked.”

“She seems full of knowledge, but the least willing to share, not the pedagogical type. She is so distant, cold. “ “Today was a ‘meh’ day, I guess, working during the day, she barely does that. The sun burns her eyes, give headaches, weakens her. Friendlier type at the bar, or in private. But work is work. If she works in broad daylight, it must be urgent.”

You nodded, understanding it a little better. 

“Back to Connie. Why did she capture her if nothing is wrong? Something is definitely wrong. A girl full of joy cannot in months turn into such an aggressive thing?”

Ais shrugged. “My knowledge doesn’t go above demons, I don't know for that kid. I sense no demonic energy.”

Willow returned, closed the door and rested her back on it. 

“Okay it’s ready, in case the child doesn’t want to speak.”

“Now we are interrogating Connie okay, I truly don’t understand what the hell is happening Willow”

“You will see, hey kid, where are you from? The forest?”

Connie aggressively growled, hissed at Willow, not replying to Willow.

“Nevermind I don’t need the answer for that, what are you? Tell me where Connie is.”

‘Connie’ gave an uncanny smile to Willow, provoking. 

“You know, I have the perfect place for you, you’ll talk faster trust me.”

Willow took a thin dagger from her upper arm and made a little wound big enough for some golden blood to appear on the surface of her palm; she made strings out of it, a little similar to Leander’s flower show. It was magic, but here, blood magic, a stronger form. She tied Connie and threw her on her shoulder like a bag of potatoes and went downstairs to the kitchen, both you and Ais followed her. The oven was lit up, ready to bake something, wait. Willow approached a bit too close to the oven with Connie.

Ais became too suspicious too, and decided to step in front of the oven.

“Willow, we don’t eat children for dinner. Come on.” 

“ I am still a vegetarian.”

“Then why the fuck are you going to bake that kid?”

“ So they spit the truth?”

“Did the sun hit too hard? It’s a child, a mortal child.”

“A child, yes. Mortal? Negative.”

She pushed Ais and threw the kid tied up in the big oven and closed the door. Screams could be heard from inside. Willow explained:

“We are convoking the real parents.”

Ais raised an eyebrow.

“Ever heard of changelings?”

Willow asked to both of you

“Changelings are infants, but not mortal ones, faery children. That kid isn’t Connie at all, she was swapped with a faery kid.”

“Then where is connie?”

“Good question, MC, Where the fuck is Connie, little shit?”

Willow asked, looking behind her at the oven. The changeling finally begged to be out to reply to the questions. Willow opened the oven and pulled on the tray with the moldy hideous body on it, it wasn’t in the form of Connie anymore, it looked horrific, gray mass of skin with pointy ears, long teeth with chubby cheeks but hollow at the same time, it wasn’t coherent, as if the form changed. 

“Damn, that’s an ugly baby.” Ais said, with disgust

“I got to say, Ais, I agree.” 

“You were like this as a baby Unicorn?”

Willow looked up at Ais with a frown “I was the cutest little baby of the world Ais, and the smartest, I did my first kill at 5 my dad was so proud. Don’t compare me with this ugly weak changeling”

The ugly wrinkled half baked creature weakly reached to willow who turned her attention to the deceiving faery with a satisfied smile:

“I am all ears”

The changeling told you everything. You stayed with the mother as Willow went into the forest in hope of finding the human child still alive, and not eaten by her relatives. Luck was with them as Willow came back with the real Connie on her back.The mother truly was relieved.

When going up the street to Amaryliss District, all three of you had a chat.

“Rare are the times parents realize just in time something is off with their child, they end up realizing too late when their real child is dead and raising a powerful faery that could potentially eat them too.”

“Aren’t you scared of having troubles with other faeries?”

“I am glad we found Connie in time.”

You couldn’t help but smile, that was a heartwarming comment. And you couldn’t disagree with that. 

“That pendant you gave to her, it’s going to protect her?”

“Yes, and the shield you helped me with will prevent more unseelie creatures from touching this family.”

“Your prices are high, to be honest, but mortal lives have no value.”

Willow nods

“Be happy with your wage. The mother will tell a bunch of good stuff about you to others, that’s how marketing works in Eridia. It’s not only currency.”

Willow gave you a heavy pouch of coins, you looked inside, quickly.

“Thank you Willow, that’s a bunch of coins”

“Don’t mention it, it’s a fair wage. You did great.”

You couldn’t help but blush at the compliment. Willow didn’t notice it, thankfully, but Ais did, but didn’t tease you about it, very thankfully.

“Drinks?” He asked, wrapping each arm around you and Willow. 

“I cannot say no, I am so thirsty.” You replied.

“It’s on me,” Willow added with a slight smile.

“We are well treated despite the baked changeling, how does it taste? Any morbid facts on that?”

“No.” Willow just said

“Bet it tastes like chicken.”

“Goodness Ais, shut up….” You just replied.

Arrived at the Wet Wick, Leander was already there with his bloodhounds. Ais headed already to get his drink.

“Hey Leander, we baked a child today.”

“WHAT.”

Leander turned flabbergasted, terrified to Ais who kept going to the bar to sit and order his usual drink, he turned back to willow to have an explanation. Mhin frowned to Willow, arms crossed,

“What the hell, Willow?”

“Changeling.”

Leander was immediately relieved. By the wide puzzled moody eyes of Mhim, they didn’t get it. Leander tried to briefly explain it.

“Changelings are baby faeries switched with a human one, so the faery child can be nourished by humans.”

Mhin looked at Willow, puzzled.

“You faeries are weird.”

“Why thank you Mhin. You missed a good wage today, MC did a great job today” Willow replied with a slight smile, gently pressing a hand on your shoulder. Mhin looked at you, pokerfaced, while Leander looked happy, like a proud mother who see his child succeeding in life. Mhin said with a pout:

“Surprised you are still alive.” 

“Today wasn’t that bad. Comparing from what Ais told me.”

Ais smirked. Willow was puzzled. And realized what they meant.

“You told about that damn exorcism, I need a drink. Now.”

Leander laughed and prepared her cocktail that she immediately took a swing of it and left the group to talk to other people she knew. You stayed around the bar with Leander Ais and Mhin, Vere soon joined. You had a good time and enriching day, with a potential job.

[softagenda]

ensared (ais)

ais x reader(f)

aphrodisiac au / short fic

series: sweet poison (scenario-based collection of character imagines)

originally posted on ao3

masterlist

Prologue

You’re an idiot for drinking that. An absolute idiot.

You’re spilled across the floor, head swimming, burning from the inside as though you’d swallowed a star. The velvet rug brushed soft and cloying against your prickling skin as you squirmed, your heart pounding in your ears and beating an insistent rhythm in your groin.

Cooing at you from the table, her cat’s eyes curled in satisfaction, Morgana asked, “Something the matter? You look positively feverish.” She twirled a curly black lock around her finger.

Bitch. 

Paintings of naked people - bathing in springs, dancing around a fire, having an orgy in front of a temple - swirled into one colorful blob as you turned on your side, fisting the rug. You attempted to pull yourself to where you remembered the door but stalled a couple inches in, weak as a newborn kitten and stifling a moan as your body rubbed on the carpet.

“Now, now, where’s the fire? Stay a while.” She rose from her chair and stood over you, her arms crossing under her full chest. “You’re clearly hot under the collar. The thought of you wandering the streets like this concerns me deeply.”

You glared up at her, using every ounce of willpower not to writhe on the floor like a worm on a hook. Your hand felt clumsily around your hip for the dagger. 

“I’ll take that,” she chirped, snatching the weapon from your belt and tossing it behind her. “Can’t have you nicking that lovely skin.” Her heel braced on the other side of you, straddling your back. Her hands tugged the shirt from your waist before dragging warm palms up your back, her nails scratching on the return journey.

You bit your lip to stifle a moan rocketing through your chest, as every nerve in your body vibrated with electric pleasure. Your hips pressed hard into the floor, growing ever desperate for friction even as you struggled to focus.

Morgana sunk her hand into your nape, drawing your hair back from your face. When she leaned down to brush her painted lips against your ear, goosebumps erupted down your neck. “We’ll start with the bandages, shall we?”

______ prologue end _________

“Wouldn’t recommend it,” mused a deep, familiar voice from the door.

Your head jerked up, hazy eyes finding a blob of teal and black, bright spots of red around the collar. The relief was short-lived when your body reacted in a purely physical way to the sound.

Morgana froze. Her grip tightened in your hair, drawing a shudder. “... Ais. What a surprise. How long has it been, ten years?”

“Don’t remember.”

The madam paused, and a short, pregnant silence followed. You swallowed, breathing shallowly to keep from inhaling anymore of that incense. Then, she demurred, “I have just the treat for you. Something strange but familiar: red head, as bratty and slutty as they come, just how you like it. Let me call an attendant to show you the way.”

“If you’re offering, how about that one under you?”

Nails bit into your skin. “This one’s off the menu.”

“Oh? Had that meal last night, and I’m in the mood for leftovers.”

If the sun weren’t trying to sweat its way out of your skin in that moment, you would’ve glared daggers at him. 

Morgana was silent as she digested that before asking, her voice smooth, “Perhaps another night? I’ll make it worth your while - a veritable banquet of beauties.”

A low hum rumbled through the room. “A banquet for little ol’ me? How generous. In that case…” His voice lowered, musing casually, “suppose I’ll have to bring a couple friends with me. Make it a real feast.”

The temperature dropped.

Morgana breathed once, deep and hurried at the nape of your neck, before releasing your hair and rising to her feet. When she next spoke, all the warmth and gracious hospitality had vanished from her voice. “Take her and get out.”

Leather boots thudded closer, pausing at the table. A soft chink, an audible gulp. “Spared no expense on the dose, huh.”

Morgana didn’t reply.

Then Ais crouched by your face, his chin nestled in his palm. “Lookin’ grounded, sparrow.”

You pressed your lips together, humiliated and so horny you’d probably jump in the Seaspring just to put out the fire in your veins. 

“Want a lift?”

With a nod, you found yourself swept onto his back. Your arms wrapped loosely around his neck as his hands hooked beneath your thighs. Brimstone and brine filled your lungs as your face dropped onto his shoulder. The display of strength, the ease of it, sent a shiver down your back and a slick feeling pooling in your groin.

He strode from the room and headed down the hall. There was a staircase leading to the street, and every step had you bouncing against his back, the friction just enough to have arousal twisting sweetly in your body but not enough for true relief.

Your hand gripped the front of his kimono.

“Havin’ a good time back there?”

“Shut up,” you hissed through gritted teeth only to whimper when he jumped you higher on his back, your thighs squeezing instinctively. “Ah - fuck you.”

“Say please.”

________________________________________________

a/n: thanks for reading!

[danyvhell-writes]

Guys I don't know what went wrong but... I'm currently writing a fic with Ais (x my MC Haziel) experiencing some sort of soul transcendance while dancing and ?? Idk I think I'm losing it 😩💨

I wrote this at night so don't pay attention to the poor phrasing 🏃🏽💨

[nenesleepyhead]

The Oni and the little Sparrow

Fandom: Touchstarved

Ship: Ais x Kira (OC/MC)

Words count: 1’703

Mainly fluff with a bit of suggestive theme towards the end

Here the link for Kira’s visual

Here the link for the manga version (still working in progress, stay tuned)

I do not give my consent for my works to be used, copied, published, or posted anywhere. They are copyrighted and belong to me.

———— ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ————

At the Wet Wick was another busy evening, the setting sun casting a vibrant variety of colors dancing in the room thanks to the colorful windows.

Kira sat at a table in the corner, sketching something in her drawing book, a soft smile adorning her features.

At the counter Vere and Ais were having a chat with Leander, although the fox kept glancing curiously towards the young woman with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Too absorbed in their conversation, neither Ais nor Leander noticed their companion had strode sneakily towards Kira.

With a swift movement Vere snatched the drawing book out of Kira's grasp, chanting loudly.

“Let's see what our little girlie was drawing with that pleased smile plastered on her face.” To Kira's horror Vere started skimming through the pages of the book, a smirk made its way on Vere's face as he started to walk back towards the counter while deflecting every attempt from Kira to get the book back.

“Oh Ais, would you look at that, it seems that you caught the attention of a certain someone.” Vere said, putting an arm around Ais shoulders and shoving the book in his hands. The Monster had just the time to take a look at a couple of pages before the soft quivering voice of the woman in front of him made his head shoot up.

“How dare you! And here I thought that you, as an artist, would have known how important and private some artwork can be. But clearly I was wrong, you are just the biggest of assholes, Vere.” Kira met Ais' eyes briefly before lowering her hood to shield her glistening eyes, and scurrying away in shame. Vere turned to Ais chuckling nervously.

“Whoopsie.” The sheepish smile on Vere's face was met by a sharp and cold glare by Ais that immediately made the fox flatten his ears on his head, averting his eyes and sulking on his seat. With a sigh Ais looked down at the open book; what he found after turning a page made his crimson eyes widen for an instant. Closing the book he followed Kira's steps outside of the bar. Looking around, he tried to think about where she could have gone, and with a glance at the book in his hand, an idea popped in his head. He walked towards the alleyway in which they talked after their first meeting during Kira's first night in Eridia.

The shadows were getting longer and buried the alleyway in darkness, not that that would be a problem for the Monster's crimson gaze. There as expected he found Kira, sitting down on the cold stone pavement behind a crate; her cape was tightly wrapped around her tiny figure and her head, hidden by her hood was buried on her knees. He took a step closer, circling the crate to drop down on one knee in front of her.

“Here you are, little sparrow. You'll catch a cold if you stay out here like this.” Hearing Ais' deep voice caused Kira to flinch and clutch the cape even tighter and closer to her. Sighing, Ais stood back up only to go sit down at Kira's side.

“Kira, look at me.” Kira winced a bit hearing Ais using her name instead of the cute nickname she began to love. With a defeated sigh, Kira rose her head, still not confident enough to meet his gaze, worried about what he might think now that he knew, all thanks to Vere's big mouth.

“So, I saw you've drawn me a lot.” Kira shifted her gaze to the opposite side, blushing slightly. She opened her mouth to speak but Ais' next words made her stop.

“You really are talented, you know. You've made this by memory, right?” Kira turned her head to Ais, meeting his mesmerizing eyes.

“And you got good taste too.” Kira's flustered face became one of complete annoyance as soon as she noticed the cocky smirk on Ais' face; His grin got even bigger with triumph for being able to catch her attention. Kira puffed her cheeks out, causing the Oni to chuckle at her cuteness.

“But seriously, you really are talented, and I especially like the drawings you made of Princess.” Ais gave the book back to Kira, leaving it open on one of the aforementioned drawing. Kira let out a timid smile caressing the page portraying the red-eyed Soulless.

“Thank you... You really aren't creeped out by the fact I almost filled up a book with drawings portraying yourself?”

“Why would I, little sparrow? It just means you find me interesting. Next time just let me know you're going to draw me so, I can pose for you.” Kira giggled, slapping Ais' arm softly.

“Don't get too cocky now.” Kira offered a shy smile to Ais who reciprocated it with a soft one.

Kira let her hood fall down, timidly moving a strand of her turquoise hair behind her ear.

“Anyway, would you like to know which one is my favorite of them all?” Ais nodded and Kira turned the page to the next one, revealing another drawing of Princess, the only difference from the others was that Ais was in it too. The drawing depicted of him down to one knee in front of the Soulless dog, focused on scratching her head, a scene from their first encounter.

“Why is that your favorite?” Ais kept looking at the drawing, appreciating the details on Princess body.

“Because of your expression. You had the softest smile adorning your face, while you were cuddling your cute little Princess.” Ais was taken aback by her answer, but the shock didn't last long and was shortly to be replaced by a soft smile, just like the one in the drawing; this time was aimed at Kira and, without even realizing it, he caressed her cheek tenderly, making Kira blush profusely.

“May I ask you why you like drawing so much, though?” Ais' question made Kira fidget a bit; while she was turning the pages, she stopped absentmindedly on one with a full-page face portrait of Ais.

“Because that's my only way to be able to touch people without my curse ruining everything.” Kira caressed Ais' features imprinted on the paper. He didn't miss the saddened tone in Kira's voice so he put a comforting hand on Kira's thigh squeezing it. His hand rested near the inner upper thigh, letting two of his fingers brush softly over Kira's beauty spot. His tender touch send a tiny shockwave through her skin and its warmth made Kira lifts her head to look back at him. It was a common occurrence for the Oni to end up touching, without even realizing it, the little dots adorning Kira's body: on the cheek below her right eye, at the base of her neck, on her left thigh. The only ones that were still untouched -for now- were the one that mockingly taunted him from the top of her left breast and the one on the front side of her right hip who were hidden to the world by her clothes. Only Kuras may have gotten a glimpse of it while patching Kira up when she was unconscious from the attack of that Soulless, the one that greeted her and the carriage at the door of Eridia at their arrival.

His touch was always so gentle when reaching out to her, as if scared that he could broke her, but at the same time his whole being was drawn to her. The more he discovered new sides of her personality the more the desire to bite and run his lips over those soft spots, marked by cute little dots, grew stronger each passing day. After a moment of silence, in which they kept staring at each other, Ais spoke again.

“Say, I have a request for you. What if you draw me a portrait of yourself that I can keep? After all it's only fair, don't you think? You have a full book of drawings portraying me, so there's nothing wrong with me wanting to have one of yourself for myself.” His fanged smirk and request let Kira speechless.

“What?” Kira was indeed blushing and was confused by that out of the blue request.

“You heard me, little sparrow.” Ais' smirk never faltered.

“I... I guess I can do that, but I can't garantee you about the result, I never drawn myself before.”

“I'm sure it's going to be great, don't worry. But now let's get back inside or you'll really end up with a cold. I'll buy you a drink.” Kira realized only in that moment that by then the sun completely had set and the moon was showing itself timidly from behind the roofs.

“I guess you're right, but I don't know if I want to interact with Vere right now. Most of the times I can't stand him but tonight urgh, he reached a new level of insufferability.” Ais chuckled at Kira's words.

“Don't worry, I'm pretty sure he won't pull any more bullshit... for tonight.” Kira with a sigh mixed to a laugh let herself be guided back inside, a warm hand placed securely between her shoulders and her book hugged close to her chest.

When they reached the counter, Leander welcomed them with a smile and Vere just waved at Kira, who blatantly ignored him sitting down at Ais other side, using him as a barrier thanks to his huge frame. She ordered a hot tea to let herself relax, while Vere pouted for being ignored so openly and that made a boisterous laugh erupt from Ais. Downing his drink Ais, patted Kira's head, before letting his hand rest on her thigh, to squeez it for the second time that night. Once again, Kira blushed and leaned into his warmth, watching the smoke from his lit cigarette dancing up towards the ceiling. Finally knowing that she could be more open about her drawings with her favorite being in all of Eridia, and in the whole world.

———— ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ————

[drhu0806]

23 - “No, you won't understand, ever.”

Fandom: Touchstarved (fanfiction) Characters: Ais, Alchemist origin Rating: T Warnings: suicidal thoughts, implied suicide mention, child neglect mention, strong language

Weiss peers intently at the swirling, crimson waters of the Seaspring, watching the steam curl and rise. She can almost hear the whispers again, wafting up to her. In spite of the heat, she rubs her arms. What would it be like, she wondered, to simply let herself fall? To let the waters take her, to give herself over to the tides.

“I’ve told you before, not a great spot for swimming.”

Like always, Ais cautions her against the spring in his own way. Reluctantly she takes a step back but her gaze stays trained on the waters. She can feel Ais’s own eyes upon her.

“You really dead set on doing this, sparrow?”

She can never detect even a hint of disapproval in his voice during the numerous times this has come up, but she can’t help but always feel like he’s pushing her in some direction each time.

“No, I keep telling you, I haven’t made up my mind yet,” she huffs. Out of habit she hides her hands, tucking them into her armpits with crossed arms as she walks away from the spring.

“And yet, you keep coming back.”

“If you don’t want me here, then just say so.”

He smirks in the face of her leering. “And miss out on all the fun that usually comes nipping at your heels? Nah.”

“So why do you keep telling me off from using the spring?”

“I’m not telling you off; no sweat off my back whether you choose to go for it or not. I just keep wondering why you would want to in the first place.”

Weiss releases a long sigh, annoyed. “You wouldn’t get it.”

“Try me.”

“No, you won’t understand, ever.” Aggravated, she marches toward him, holding up her gloved hands. Though they’re covered up, as she always painstakingly makes sure they are she can almost see the discolored fractures running across ashy black skin. She can always see them, the leviathan weights that drag and hang from her side.

“You don’t get what it’s like to never be able to get close to someone, not just emotionally but physically, all because you’re so terrified that one touch is going to ruin it all. Because that’s all it takes: just a bit of skin, and it’s all over. Every day of my fucking life I’ve had to double check, triple check, to make sure everything is covered up like it should, and even when I do, I still have to keep my distance because my life is a joke and I never know what’s gonna happen. Do you know what that does to someone?

“You don’t think I’ve thought about other options? You don’t think I don’t know that the world would be so much better off without me in it? My own fucking parents preferred dying than having to stomach being around me anymore, and that was after they locked me away from the outside for so long. I’ve been there, and let me tell you, it doesn’t stick for me. If I had my way I’d be alone in a nice little cottage out in the middle of a forest, in the middle of nowhere, barely any people around, but the Fogfall sure as hell isn’t gonna make that easy.

“And then I come here, and there are people like Leander that I can actually touch, or just people who treat me like an actual human being. And it’s so nice! But the way things go for me, I just know someone’s gonna slip, and it doesn’t matter if it’s me, or him, or whoever the other person is, it’s always going to be my fault, because I know better!” She throws up her hands, angrily pacing back and forth to the beat of her tirade. “So maybe, Ais, you should just let me go! This might be the only way of getting rid of these stupid fucking hands, and it’s not like anyone’s gonna miss me!”

Her chest rises and falls as she catches her breath. Weiss expects pity, resignation, even anger. She wants him to be angry, because it would be so much easier.

Pensiveness certainly isn’t within her expectations. Ais’s gaze is steady as he looks at her, even gentle, mixed with something else she can’t quite place.

“Mm. So that’s it, huh.”

“What is it?”

He shrugs. “Nothing. I just figured out what it is that you want.” He gestures toward her. “Take off your gloves for me for a second.”

She immediately recoils, hiding away her hands again. Weiss looks at him like he’s grown a second head as she protests, “What? No! Are you crazy?”

Ais flashes a grin. “’Course I am. But I think this is pretty sane.” He takes a step toward her, and she responds by taking one step back. “...Please?”

“Absolutely not.”

“You don’t trust me?”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s me. It can’t be you, Ais. If I lose you of all people, because of me, I don’t think I can—” She cuts herself off, fearing she’s said too much, and tries to dismiss it all with a furious shake of her head.

His expression is indecipherable. “Just trust me. If only this once.”

It’s pointless to run, and Weiss despises keeping such a heavy atmosphere over them. Seeing no other choice, she painstakingly, ever so reluctantly peels off her gloves, revealing the blackened skin beneath.

“Happy now?”

To her shock, he offers out a hand. “Almost.”

“Are you insane?” she asks for the second time.

“Sanest thing I’ve done in a long time, actually.” He winks. “It’ll be fine. I think you overestimate how much you can actually hurt me, little sparrow.”

Such a simple gesture, and it sends her heart into overdrive, the thundering in her ears drowning out almost all other noise. Years and years of restraint and self control are what keep her from giving in to the overwhelming urge to practically throw her hand into his. To squeeze so tightly and never let go.

Her soul has been parched for so long, but like the waters that fill the Seaspring, something about this place, about him, steadily quenches and irrigates its dry, cracked landscape. The desperate self control she’s built up as a wall eases ever so slightly, and, trembling, she places a few fingers into his palm.

She tenses out of instinct but doesn’t immediately jerk away. When she spares a glance at Ais, her heart almost skips a beat at the lack of a reaction. The demon is as composed as ever, quirking an eyebrow at her.

“Wow. Your teeth literally have more bite than this, you know.” And when his hand closes over hers and his thumb softly caresses her skin, she feels like she just might cry.

“For the record, I don’t think your curse works on Monsters. Probably. Not me, anyway.” His grip on her hand is firm, an indication that he doesn’t intend to let go soon. “I’ll respect your choice, whatever you end up doing. But maybe you should think about ways to get what you really want, instead of thinking you have to work around it.”

Weiss closes her eyes, trying her best to listen in spite of her thumping heartbeat. What is it that she really wants? She knows the answer, but years of misfortune have laid waste to whatever slivers of hope that might remain.

But there’s almost always water to be found in the desert.

[bizzxis]

Kuras appreciation post because he doesn’t get enough credit for all the crap he puts up with.

Credit to this fanfic by @softagenda for inspiring the last bit!

Tilt screen for better quality and zoom

Bonus: Vere’s damage from earlier in the day