#can i get an amen in the church of round faces!!!!!!!!

[1eos]

just wanna say that you being so vocal with appreciating chubby cheeks and round faces has genuinely helped my confidence. whenever i start feeling insecure i think of your comments and it really makes me feel better ☀️

AND THIS IS WHAT TUMBLR IS ABOUTTTTTTTTT!!!!! i love to hear it omg <3 i love round faces so muchhhh like this will ALWAYS be a safe space for buccal fat!!!!

[sexy-monster-fucker]

Casual

Baby Billy Freeman x Reader

Summary: Reader has been a close friend of the Freeman Family her whole life. She and Baby Billy have to hide their intimacies out of fear of Aimee-Leigh getting angry. Running around in secret can only last so long after all.

cw: oral f!receiving, fingering, angst

a/n: Reader and Baby Billy are in their mid to late twenties(?), this is prior to Eli and Aimee-Leigh getting married. Also omg a smut piece with a plot? We love it.

~~~

Heads bowed as Eli Gemstone prayed over the food you were about to eat.

You sat at the Freeman’s family table after Church on Sunday, like you had been doing for years now. Beside your lifelong best friend, Aimee-Leigh. You had grownup alongside her and her family.

“Amen!” Everyone proclaimed in unison.

You sat between Aimee-Leigh and her brother, Baby Billy. The round table giving everyone view of each other. You all made your plates, passing around the giant bowls of food. You passed it along to Baby Billy. He made sure his fingers touched and lingered on yours as you handed it to him. “Thank you, sweetheart,” he winked at you.

You and Baby Billy had had a secret fling going on for years. Sneaking off at almost every family function to see each other. Kissing behind bushes, down on your knees behind trees deep in the woods, sometimes just hiding somewhere so you could sit and talk without the fear of people talking. Or the fear of Aimee-Leigh hating you both. You both decided it never had to be anything serious.

You squinted your eyes at him, smirking in response.

“So, Baby Billy, you think you’re ever gonna find yourself a lady to settle down with?” Eli asked, pulling Baby Billy’s attention off you. His mouth hung open slightly, “Uh— n-nope. Not yet anyway, Eli. I’ve got time before I have to— um— find anyone.”

“You aren’t getting any younger, son,” his father chimed in, not looking up from his plate.

“Well now that dear ole Aimee-Leigh has found the one, it’s about time for you too. I mean, what about Y/N? Y’all have known each other since diapers!” His mother agged him along. He choked on the bite of food he was taking. Hand jumping up to cover his mouth and cheeks that were growing red. You both grew extremely embarrassed and quick. Mouthfuls of “um”s and “well”s falling from you both as you awkwardly looked at each other.

“Mama, don’t say things like that,” Aimee Leigh glared at their mom slightly.

“I’m just saying what we’re all thinking,” their mother threw her arms up, giggling slightly.

“Ooo what about that one Baker girl from Sunday school? She was talking about you the other day, Baby Billy!” his sister teased. Your face flooded with jealousy. Choking on your water slightly.

“Woah, Y/N. You alright?” Aimee-Leigh asked, passing a napkin to you. Water dripped down your face and chest.

“I’m going to go to the bathroom,” You excused yourself from the table, heading to the bathroom down the hall. You stood alone in the small bathroom, lower back pressed against the cold countertop of the sink. Two shadows of shoes was your cue to quietly open the door. Deep hazel eyes stared at you, white teeth forming a silent grin. Turning the handle to discretely close the door behind him.

“Hi, Baby,” you breathlessly whispered, a smile all over your face. Rough hands cubbed both sides of your face, lips crashing into yours. Tongue darting into your mouth, exploring the familiar taste.

“Hi, darlin’,” Baby Billy rested his forehead against yours, smile matching yours. His hands ghosted up your sides, feeling every inch of you. His lips pressed into your neck. A small moan fell from you. His pelvis pinned yours against the cabinet under the sink.

“You performed really good today, Baby,” you complimented him. Your hand dancing on his back.

“Thank you, babydoll,” he kissed up your neck resting his lips on your jaw. He bunched some of your dress in his hand, “You wore the dress I love, I had to put on the best performance for you.”

After the first time you all had found yourself snuck away from his family, things escalated. You were both young and had been dancing around each other your whole lives. When Aimee-Leigh’s Birthday Party rolled around, somehow you both ended up sneaking into your special hiding spot in the woods around the lake. Sitting together on the small overhang of land that oversaw the beautiful, moonlit water. You would come here often to think.

“You know Aimee-Leigh will kill me if she finds out we did this,” Baby Billy caressed your face, a tender kiss being planted on your lips.

“She’d kill me too, Baby,” you laughed quietly. He joined you laughing. He wrapped his arm around you, your head falling onto his shoulder. Hands gripped you tightly against his side.

“This isn’t… like we aren’t gonna…” he sighed, his words fighting him.

You felt your heart shatter in your chest, stomach doing a flip. Your eyebrows furrowed, unable to hide your thoughts. You leaned up to look him in the eyes.

Baby Billy stared into your eyes, all words completely leaving him. His mouth ran dry. Silence as you both stared back and forth. No words being spoken, but you both understood.

“I— We… can’t do this… to Aimee-Leigh,” Baby Billy softly spoke. You fought the tears forming in yours eyes. Planting a false closed mouth smile on your face. “I want to,” Billy’s eyes darted between yours and your lips, “I’ve wanted you for a long time, Y/N. But…”

“We can just keep it like this, Baby,” you looked forward at the water. Fireflies danced in front of you.

Baby Billy’s gaze stayed on you. If this was the only way he could have you, this would be good enough.

It had to be.

You giggled as he pecked kissed down to your collar bone. He took a deep breath against your skin, “And you wore the perfume I like? Shit, you’ve been thinking of me.”

Baby Billy placed his lips back to yours. Tongues exploring each other’s mouths. Your hands ghosted up his chest, wrapping around his neck. He ran his hands behind your thighs, urging you to get hop up onto the countertop. “Lemme get a better look atcha,” Baby Billy smacked the back of your thighs.

You propped yourself on the countertop, spreading your legs and allowing him access to stand between them. He ran his hands up your legs, checking your body out completely. Your skin tingled at his touch. His body was flush against yours. “Goddamn, I can feel how warm you are,” Baby Billy smiled at you, breath hitching in his throat.

His hands began pulling your dress up to reveal your panties. Stained with the arousal pooling inside you. Bright white teeth curved into a smirk. “You sure are pretty,” Baby Billy complimented staring down at your clothed core. Heat decorated your face.

Baby Billy kneeled down in front of you, hands guiding you to spread wider for him. He shoved your cotton panties to the side revealing your aching entrance. His head tilted for a moment, taking in the full view. Eyes shot up at you before softly pressing a finger to your nub. Your knees locked with the sensation, hand going to cup your mouth to hide the loud moan begging to escape.

“You did such a good job last time on getting Baby Billy off, I think it’s time I repay you for it,” his hot breath felt cold against your core. He plunged a finger into you, curling and pumping it. Your chest heaved with every deep breath you took. Squeaks of pleasure pouring through your fingers.

“As much as I wanna hear your pretty voice, I need you to keep quiet, sweetheart. Let Baby Billy take care of you,” he pulled his finger, replacing it with his mouth. You practically melted when you felt his tongue working magic on your sensitivity. Lust blown eyes stared up at you, his mouth sucking on you. Your breath was shaky as he stared you in the eyes. You rested your head against the wall behind the sink. Enjoying the ecstasy he was giving you.

The coil inside you was winding up with each lap of his tongue. He knew just how to get you there. You rolled your hips against his mouth, getting a grin from him. “Tsk, tsk, tsk, you sure are being greedy,” Baby Billy teased you. He stood up, lips finding their place against yours. Your taste strong on him. His fingers found their way inside you again, thumb rubbing circles on your clit. You could feel your body shaking as your orgasm attempted to wash over you.

Your walls began fluttering around him slowly before your orgasm fully took over. You moaned his name into his mouth, Baby Billy deepening the kiss and curling his fingers. Loving the way you constricted around them. “That’s it. That’s Baby Billy’s girl,” he cooed.

“Fuck, Baby,” you huffed out trying to catch your breath.

“You sure do have a dirty mouth, girly,” he smiled.

“Seems to me like you’re the one with a dirty mouth this time,” you teased. He laughed quietly, trying to hide the volume in the room. He planted tender kisses all over your face. You giggled at his soft lips.

Arms found their way back around his neck, your foreheads resting together as you savored the moment. You kissed the tip of Baby Billy’s nose, pulling a happy chuckle from him. He wrapped his arms around your back, pulling you flush against him. His face found its place in your neck, eyes squinting shut as he took in your touch and smell.

The moment passed and Baby Billy helped you off the counter. Fixing your hair and dress for you, making sure you looked the same as before. “There you go, darlin’. Looking as beautiful as ever,” he smiled admiring you standing before him. “Well, better get back before they think something’s goin’ on,” he awkwardly laughed as he attempted to leave.

Hand grabbed the doorknob.

“Baby…” you stopped him. His eyes widened at you, concern written on him, “What is it, sweetheart?”

You swallowed the lump of anxiety in your throat. Your body begging you not to do what you were about to do.

“Do you ever think we… we don’t have to hide, whatever this is anymore?” Your eyes stared into his.

“I— I-I don’t… don’t understand,” he stammered. This had worked for y’all for years now.

“Just…” your eyes fell down to the floor, “We’ve been doing this for so long. Are you really still scared about Aimee-Leigh… being mad at us?”

“I-uh- I don’t—“

“Or is that just your excuse so you don’t ever have to commit to me?” You crossed your arms over your chest, holding yourself. Fighting tears that wanted so badly to fall.

“Sweetheart,” Baby Billy took one of your hands in his, “You know… Aimee-Leigh would… you’re her best friend and-and— of course I want you to…” His mind was racing a million thoughts a second. Sweat beamed down his head.

He wanted to be with you. Wanted to call you his in front of everyone. He was so scared of his sister. So scared that she may abandon him over it all. She may leave their singing act. Just run off with Eli and never speak to him again. Somehow he would be in the wrong for being with the one he loves. And he did.

You placed a hand on his chest. His mind instantly calmed down. Body melting at your touch slightly. Desperate eyes looked into yours for an answer.

“It’s okay, Baby Billy. I know your family is the most important thing,” you fought your natural urge to frown.

“Y/N, please—“

“I’ll be alright,” you hushed him. Tears beginning to prick the corners of your eyes. You forced a smile that you know he knew was fake, “Just go-on back out there with them. Sounded like Aimee-Leigh’s already got someone picked out for you anyway.”

Baby Billy’s brows furrowed heavily. His jaw hanging open. You wanted to beg him to stay. Beg him to wrap you up in his arms and stay here with you for the rest of the day. Small kisses and longing looks being shared. But that wasn’t what needed to be.

You reached around behind him, quietly opening the door for him to exit. Your eyes told him to go. He hurriedly walked out, too embarrassed to look back at you. He stormed off down the hall opposite direction of the family dining area.

You closed the door, leaning against the back of it. It all washed over you. Tears burned down your cheeks. Hand cupping your mouth as to not cry too loud. This was how it has to be. And you had to be okay with it.

You composed yourself and exited the bathroom. Joining everyone back at the table, noting that Baby Billy was missing.

“Where’d he go?” You questioned Aimee-Leigh.

“Dunno. Boy stomped down the hallway. Probably went up to his room,” his father answered.

“Oh,” you responded trying to seem nonchalant.

The sun went down and the cool southern air washed over the land outside. A small fog painted over the lake. You sat outside with Aimee-Leigh and Eli around the fire pit. Wrapped up in the blanket Mrs. Freeman had made you for Christmas a few years back. The couple whispered back and forth silently. Eli’s eyes darted over to you as he nudged Aimee-Leigh.

“Y/N? Is everything okay?” Aimee-Leigh asked you shyly.

You sat up slightly, fixing your posture. “Why, yeah,” you lied, attempting to laugh off her question.

“Ever since you came back from the bathroom earlier you’ve just seemed… off. Did something happen that you didn’t tell me about? You’re my best friend, I want you to be able to talk to me, Y/N,” Aimee-Leigh furrowed her expression as you spoke to you.

“I’m fine, Aimee-Leigh. Sometimes you just have one of those days, y’know?”

The front door creaked open. Baby Billy walked out carrying a fold out chair. Planting it directly beside you. Your attention was now on him. He sat, scooting the chair as closely as he could to yours. He reached under your blanket, taking your hand in his. Fingers intertwining on top of the blanket.

“You don’t have to do this,” you attempted to whisper to him.

Aimee-Leigh and Eli looked at each other, a small bit of confusion on their expressions.

“Aimee-Leigh,” Baby Billy cleared his throat, “I’ve been keeping a secret from you. A secret that has done nothing but hurt the girl I care about most.”

Heat radiated off your body with his words.

“Y/N and I have been seeing each other for a long, long time. I’ve been too afraid to tell you, but I can’t keep hiding this beautiful woman from the world anymore. She’s my girl, and I’m sorry if that upsets you, but—“

“OH MY GOODNESS! I cannot believe you both didn’t tell me!” Aimee-Leigh rushed over to you, pulling you into a hug, then giving Baby Billy the same treatment. You both stared at each other, extremely confused by Aimee-Leigh’s reaction.

“Praise be to God! I prayed and I prayed and I PRAYED that you both would find each other. I knew you and Baby would be perfect for each other,” Aimee-Leigh jumped up and down with joy.

You shook your head in disbelief, slack-jawed completely. You looked at Baby Billy, a giant smile painted his face. Hazel eyes caught yours. He sighed deeply. Complete relief falling off his shoulders.

“We thought you’d be so angry at us,” Baby Billy chuckled in disbelief.

“Angry? Why would I be angry? I’ve always wanted to call you my sister, Y/N,” Aimee-Leigh pulled Eli into a hug. “You were right, Eli. He said he could see the spark between you’ns!”

You all laughed together.

Baby Billy wrapped his arm around you, tucking himself under the blanket with you. You rested your head on his shoulder, your hand against his chest. You watched the embers float into the sky off the fire.

Baby Billy placed a small kiss on your head.

This was where you wanted to be.

~~~

~ Thank you for reading! The Righteous Gemstones has genuinely became one of my favorite shows. I have another Baby Billy fanfic planned, so if you are interested in being tagged in any of my future works or have requests let me know! ~

[tags]

@megangovier ~ @its-in-the-woods ~ @justme12200 ~ @heif ~ @itsyellow ~ @cat-shepard ~ @dichromaniac ~ @hiddlebatchedloki ~

[soldiersam]

The Tragic Accountant

It was a seemingly normal Slornday morning just like any other, and it was a few minutes before service was to start at the Glornch. Attendees were filing into the sanctuary and finding their seats in the pews.

Thomas was usually the last of the acolytes to arrive, and always chose to sit near the back. That morning, he was filled with more dread than usual. The past few weeks for him had been a rollercoaster of emotions, between gaining a new friend with Clay, a new hope in Gropism, a renewed fear of Glornism, and a possible enemy with Theodore, of all people. One thing was for sure, and it was that he'd rather be anywhere else but there. And yet, there he was.

Thomas’ dread was further compounded when he saw the fellow acolyte and wretched bully Sam sitting next to his usual seat. Thomas worriedly looked around for any other open spot, which was now trickier since the spectacle of Bishop Percival’s horrifying win against Commander Peepers drew more attention to Slornday services. Thomas spotted an empty seat next to some random watchdog, but before he could sit down, he felt the hood of his robe get tugged back.

“Hey c’mon Thomas pal, sit next to me!” Of course it was Sam.  

Thomas shuddered but put on a nervous smile. “O-okay!” He complied and sat down with Sam to prevent being tugged around more. 

“Uhm, why aren’t you sitting next to Amy? L-like usual?,” Thomas asked as he pointed toward the front.

Sam shrugged. "She’s mad at me. So I figured I’d sit next to my second bff, Thomas.”

“Second bff?,” Thomas repeated curiously. “Heh, but, y-you’re always saying how much you hate me, always making fun of me for being a friendless loser, always explaining in graphic detail all the ways you could kill me and—”

He was cut off when Sam put one arm around Thomas’ shoulders and pulled him close to give the top of his head a noogie.

“Are ya stupid? How long have you been a Glornist and still don’t know that’s just the way we speak ‘round here? ‘I hate you’ practically means ‘I love you!’ I give ya a tough time to harden you up! It’s what we’re supposed to do.” 

Thomas squirmed out of Sam’s grip and readjusted his red hood. “O-oh, well, it’s just-”

He was again interrupted when Sam slapped a hand to Thomas’ mouth. “Shh! It’s starting!”

🗲

The Most Reverend Bishop Percival ascended the pulpit and tapped the microphone on the podium within. He seemed a bit stern and lacked his usual playful energy. He’d been this way since losing his mitre.

“Salutations everyone, it’s my displeasure to welcome you all here this wretched Slornday morning into our mighty Church of Glorn. Today we’ll be holding our usual worshiper confessions, followed by my sermon titled “How You Can Harness Glorn’s Righteous Cruelty.” Following that is the historical discourse delivered by Reverend Mike titled,” Percy sighed as if he was bored from the mere title, “The Rise of the Intergalactic Mazka Empire Under Glornism and its Fall Under Gropism.”

“We will now begin with our commencement bows and claps. For you new faces among us, feel free to join in or simply observe.”

The Bishop led the congregation through the customary bowing and clapping, then wrapped up commencement with a prayer. Once he said ‘amen’ he sprang his head up and clasped his hands together.

“Alrighty, let’s begin our worshiper confessions, shall we? Any volunteers to start us off?”

Almost every Slornday, Sam was the first to shoot her hand up and go. But this morning, she stayed quiet and put. Thomas definitely noticed this unfamiliar behavior. Did Sam not do anything too evil this week and was reluctant to go? That didn’t seem like Sam… 

So Thomas sat wondering what could be going on as each appointed member of the congregation took turns proudly confessing their sins. Bishop Percival even let a few non-initiated congregants who had been regularly visiting give it a go. While the non-initiated were technically allowed to partake in confession, they weren’t required to like the initiated were. Percival usually ignored them as he thought they were often boring. 

Finally, the Bishop recognized the morning’s confession session was winding down, but he felt like he was forgetting some members. “Now who hasn’t gone yet?”

He squinted and scanned the audience before spotting his answer, sitting together. Ah, right, Thomas and Sam. Well the Bishop knew he’d pick Sam to confess over Thomas any day, so he excitedly pointed at him.

“Ah, Slimy Sam! Where’ve you been all morning? Get on up here and indulge your slimy sins to Glorn and us!”

Sam slowly rose from the pew and gave a bow. He spoke with eloquence unbecoming of him. “Respected Bishop, I must forewarn that my confession this morning is going to be quite unconventional. You see, instead of confessing my own sins, I wish to tell you about a grievous misdeed a fellow acolyte committed on his behalf.”

“Huh? What’re you talking about?,” Percy replied. 

“I wish to report the crimes of Thomas.”

Thomas’ eye widened with alarm. “O-on my behalf? But I’m right here! A-and I haven’t really done anything outside of my usual stuff…”

Sam looked at him. She bent down and retrieved a small business suitcase from under the pew. She then grabbed Thomas’ arm and pulled him to stand up.

“Whatever. May we come up to the pulpit, Bishop Percival?”

Percy figured it’d be fine to hit two birds with one stone to finally wrap up the confessions. “I’m annoyed, confused, and a little intrigued. Sure, get on up here you two,” he granted.

Thomas stumbled behind the confidant acolyte as they dragged him down the aisle. “S-Sam, what’re you doing? I really don’t have anything interesting, you can take your own turn..,” he whispered as he futilely tried to tug his arm out of Sam’s grip.

Sam didn’t reply to Thomas, but just smiled and continued forward. Thomas tried to run through positive scenarios in his head to give this situation yet another pathetic, flimsy benefit of a doubt. Maybe it was just another prank that was hopefully harmless in the end. Or maybe… What if Sam was trying to glamorize Thomas’ sins to help up his approval with Bishop Percival? If that was the case, maybe Sam… Did consider him a friend?

But upon catching a glimpse of Theodore on his way up to the pulpit, all wishful thoughts immediately flushed from Thomas’ head as he remembered their encounter at lunch a few days ago. 

Thomas was too nice. Too weak. Too naive. And the most likely to be sacrificed. Who was he kidding? Sam wasn’t dragging Thomas up there to help him, nor were they his friend. He knew full well he was being brought before the congregation to be exposed as a miserable Gropist. Just one slip up in front of Theodore really had led to this so quickly, huh?

It was hard to focus on thinking about ways to escape this situation when Thomas was so panicked. And before he knew it, he was up in the pulpit, Sam on his right still holding his arm in a vice grip, Bishop Percival on his left, and the entire congregation staring at him. 

Sam set the suitcase on the lectern and tapped the microphone. 

“Wicked freaks of the congregation, Thomas here has been holding out on us. He has been deceitful. The unfortunate thing is, however, his crime has not been Glorn-honoring. In fact it’s us who’ve been deceived!”

A smile creeped across the Bishop’s face as he tilted his head. “Oh? How so?”

Thomas was shaking and sweating. The entire time Sam was talking, he was praying to Grop. Silently, of course, as Theodore suggested. But… It just didn’t feel right. Being silent felt hopeless. Thomas then remembered something he read from the Gospel of Grop (or the Grospel, if you will.) It was an account of a disciple who, when surrounded and persecuted by adversaries, loudly proclaimed their faith in Grop. In turn, Grop granted them a miracle and allowed the disciple to escape safe and sound. It gave Thomas a sliver of hope. It was his last resort.

So when Percival asked ‘how so,’ before Sam could sling her accusation that she’d been looking forward to for weeks, Thomas shouted at the top of his lungs,

“Grop, allow me to survive these demons unscathed and you will gain a devout disciple!”

He then immediately sucker punched Sam in the face. While Thomas was by no means a strong watchdog, the surprise of it all made Sam let go while they recoiled. Freed, Thomas clambered on top of the lectern, over the railing to jump down from the pulpit, and made a beeline for the door. The audience, and surprisingly Bishop Percival, did nothing as they watched the heretic flee in shock. 

And Thomas actually made it out of the Glornch! Uncontested! It was a miracle! But it wasn’t over just yet. He still had to flee far, far away from the Skullship.

“Thank you, Grop! Thank you!,” he shouted as he continued running for the ship’s hangar.

🗲

Back in the Glornch, while the audience was abuzz about what just happened, Bishop Percival looked to Reverend Miriam sitting at the organ. She felt his gaze and looked back at him. He silently gestured his head toward the door. The priestess knew what that meant; she had a target to hunt down. She quietly got up and slipped through the main vestry door to take a back way out of the Glornch. 

The Bishop then turned to Sam. “Ya alright there?”

Sam finished rubbing his eye. “Pff, yeah. Like being punched by a butterfly or something.”

He then angrily gripped his fists onto the lectern, losing his previous eloquence. “Damn it! I was so excited to grill and expose that dumbass myself!” He gestured at the suitcase. “I even got like, criminalizing evidence on his laptop I stole. And Deacon Cyrus helped me get audio of him shit-talking the Glornch! All of that just for him to admit it himself and run away…”

Percival gave a reassuring smile. “Haha, ah, well rest assured Big Top Thomas will be held accountable for his heresy. We will not let Glorn be insulted like this!” He then placed a hand on Sam’s shoulder. “Regardless, thank you for bringing it to our attention, Slimy. And I would still like to hear that audio. Later, though. This situation is the perfect segue into my sermon!”

The Bishop nudged Sam’s shoulder toward the pulpit stairs. They dejectedly sighed and grabbed the suitcase before slinking back to their seat. 

“Well! What an interesting start to our morning, huh folks? The rest of today’s mass will explain precisely why fools like Thomas who try to defy Glorn bring nothing but shame and suffering to themselves.”

The Bishop placed a Glorble on the lectern and opened it up to commence his lecture. And Slornday mass continued on. 

🗲

Just as service wrapped up and attendees were filing out of the Glornch, Reverend Miriam returned to it. She entered through the secret back way which she had left from, out of sight from the leaving crowds. In her arms was an unconscious Thomas. 

When Thomas had gotten to the hangar, workers and guards barred him from taking any hovercycles or saucers since he didn’t have the proper clearance or authorization to do so. And unfortunately, “I’m wanted dead by the Glornitsts!” wasn’t valid enough.

Miriam had tracked Thomas to the hanger with her scrying. When she made it there herself, she found him patiently filling out a saucer request form in a quiet corner. Needless to say, it wasn’t a hard feat to knock him out by surprise and take him back. 

The priestess made her way into the depths of the Glornch, winding her way through dark twisting halls and stairwells to arrive at their very own secret dungeon. She gently laid Thomas on the floor of a cell and cuffed his hands. She stood over him and gave a small prayer to Mother’s Eye, asking her to forgive not Thomas, but Miriam herself, for aiding in the likely-death of yet another watchdog. 

“...But I’m sure you understand by now that it’s necessary,” the priestess concluded her prayer with. After that, she stepped out of the cell, closed and locked the metal bar door, and took one last look at the unconscious Thomas.

“...Dumbass,” Miriam muttered as she turned and made her way to Bishop Percival’s office to let him know their prey was caught.

[dailyaudiobible]

9/29/2023 DAB Transcript

Isaiah 57:15-59:21, Philippians 1:1-26, Psalm 71:1-24, Proverbs 24:9-10

Today is the 29th day of September, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian, it's good to be here with you today as we do what we always do, gather together and take another step forward in our week, in our month, in our year and in the Scriptures. So, we’re rounding the corner on another one of our weeks and continuing our journey in the book of Isaiah. When we get to the New Testament today, we’ve got some new territory to move into, another letter from the apostle Paul and we will talk about that when we get there, but first Isaiah chapter 57 verse 15 through 59 verse 21.

Introduction to the Book of Philippians:

Okay, so, as we were saying at the beginning, we got some new territory to move into today, a brand-new letter. This is called Philippians, and this is a letter written by the apostle Paul to the Philippians and there’s almost no debate among biblical scholars about whether or not Paul is the author of this text. There isn't much debate about what was going on. Paul was incarcerated when he wrote this letter and that would probably be somewhere around 61AD and from Rome, while Paul was awaiting trial before the emperor. So, we realize again, we’re reading another really, really early Christian text. This text predates the Gospels. It was written before the Book of Acts, for example. And so, it’s one of the earliest Christian texts and it's being written by a man who loves Jesus dearly and is in prison facing the death penalty over it. So, Philippi, this letter’s written to the church in Philippi, so the Philippians. And this is a Roman colony, and it was in the region of Macedonia, and that's now like modern northern Greece. And even though Philippi was a prosperous city, the church there, they weren’t particularly prosperous, but they were rich in love. They were rich in their concern and allegiance and loyalty to Paul. And so, part of this letter is a thank you for that. The church there had sent a person named Epaphroditus, who was a member of their congregation in Rome to check on Pau, to see how he was doing, bring him a gift, lift up his spirits, encourage him. And of course, it did that. Paul was overjoyed and found comfort in that. And Epaphroditus stayed for a long time to help Paul, but he became really ill and just about died. But then he was restored to health and Paul was determined to send him back to Philippi with this letter. The letter to the Philippians, which tells of his circumstances, but it's more than just like you know, here's an update on how I'm doing. This letter, Paul shares the joy of our salvation more in this letter than in any other letter, and he encourages us to endure, to persevere, to understand that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. And we’re in some pretty uncertain times, friends like in the world and in our lives. It’s a very, it's very unsettling and we need this right now. And so, let's embrace the letter to the Philippians and today we’ll read chapter 1 verse 1 through verse 26.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. We thank You for another day, another step. We thank You for Your faithfulness to us, Your loyalty to us. We have been so unfaithful to You and You have taken our betrayal and turned it into love and have loved us back when we have been spiteful against You, and against our brothers and sisters. Forgive us Lord. Come, Holy Spirit, lead us into all truth. Give us the next steps in our lives. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Prayer and Encouragements:

Hey DAB family, it’s Abba’s Daughter Sady M. Today is September 24th. I’m listening right now, playing some catch up. But oh, my goodness, I think your name was Sona from Texas. Your emergency prayer request, this sweet boy found face down in the pool. The youngest is a 5-year-old boy. My heart is breaking for this young boy. Not even two years old and found face down in the pool. I’m praising Jehovah Raffa, that He has a heartrate and I’m just so grateful for that. But I’m praying, and I know I’m praying retroactively. But I’m praying to Jehovah Raffa that this young boy will have a life ahead and have life abundantly. As the oldest of 5, I have seen trauma and trial to you know, my sibling’s body but nothing to this degree and my heart is just breaking. So, Lord, I lift up this young boy to you. You are Jehovah Raffa, You are the great physician, the great healer Lord. Thank You so much that this young boy has a heart rate. Lord, and I just pray Your mighty miracle working hands over him. I just pray that You be with him, be with his family. And Lord I just pray that we hear good news, miraculous news, very, very soon. Lord, You are God, You are over all and we trust You. We thank You, we praise You for the miracle of this young boy. In your mighty and matchless name. Amen. Please continue praying for him with me, DAB family. My heart is broken. Yeah, Abba’s Daughter, Sady M. Bye for now.

Hi DAB family. This is Bob from Phoenix. I love listening to all the prayers and Brian and his teachings every day. I’ve been on this platform for about three years now. God has blessed me in so many ways over my life, wonderful, wonderful wife. Always been fairly successful. But I’m reaching out to ya’ll for prayer right now because I’ve gotten myself, from my own difficult financial situations. I think I’m self-destructive, my wife says I must be obsessive/compulsive, but I’ve gone down a rabbit hole that has caused me a great deal of difficulty. And I’m praying He’ll help me find a way out. I have to trust in the Lord that His right is best and that He’ll guide me through this, but I could always use your prayers. I pray along with you all every single day. I cherish my time with my DAB family. I don’t often reach out. I don’t often ask people for help but I’m asking for Jesus, I’m asking for the Holy Spirit to guide me. I’m asking you for all your prayers to help me find my difficulties that I’ve caused myself. I don’t blame anybody else. It’s all my doing and I just need to find a way out. It’s somewhat vague but anyway I really appreciate all your prayers. I have to shout out to you all, Blind Tony, Sparky, all of you, Susan, Susan from Canada, all of you who I love listening to. Anyway, please pray for me as I pray for you. God bless this entire family. What a blessing it is. Thank you. Bye.

Hey Daily Audio Bible family, it’s Sheena from Saskatchewan. And today I am not calling in prayers for legal situations. I’m calling in for Angel Heart. I’m just listening to community prayers and there’s a lot of people calling in for you. I think about when I first started listening to Daily Audio Bible, you were calling in regularly upset and not doing well mentally. I just, I think about that all the time and I think about you all the time. And I just wanted to let you know that you are one of the people that made me love Daily Audio Bible. I just wanted to let you know that. I am so grateful for the opportunity that I get to call in and pray for all of you. And I’m just so grateful and that you all pray for me. So, Angel Heart, we’re praying for you. We love you. And regardless of how you’re feeling, God is with you, and He will never leave you. So, thank You Jesus for this. Amen.

Good afternoon my Daily Audio Bible friends. It’s the 24th of September. I’m listening to the 21st of September and heard the call in from Lauriann from South Carolina. And sister, you touched my heart. I lost my wife 17 years ago and your calling about your grief renewed the grief I had over my lost wife. And sister, that grief, it’s not from Satan. Any guilt you feel over that grief is from Satan, but Jesus grieved, God has grieved so many times over Israel and over us and over one who falls. They, Jesus God knows our grief and each person’s grief is personal. There’s no magic formula for it. We each grieve in our own way. And the only way to get through it is to go through it as we need to. And yes, we need to carry on, we need to live but you have a gift. And one day, you’re gonna meet someone that has just lost a loved one and is going through exactly what you’re going through right now. And you will be able to be a blessing to them. The Holy Spirit will lead you in prayer for them and in what to say. I love you sister and I’m praying for you. Go with God and be well. This is David Browning in Savannah, signing out. Thank you.

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

29th June >> Mass Readings (Except USA)

Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles

(Liturgical Colour: Red: A (1))

First Reading Acts of the Apostles 12:1-11 'Now I know the Lord really did save me from Herod'.

King Herod started persecuting certain members of the Church. He beheaded James the brother of John, and when he saw that this pleased the Jews he decided to arrest Peter as well. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread, and he put Peter in prison, assigning four squads of four soldiers each to guard him in turns. Herod meant to try Peter in public after the end of Passover week. All the time Peter was under guard the Church prayed to God for him unremittingly.

On the night before Herod was to try him, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, fastened with double chains, while guards kept watch at the main entrance to the prison. Then suddenly the angel of the Lord stood there, and the cell was filled with light. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him. ‘Get up!’ he said ‘Hurry!’ – and the chains fell from his hands. The angel then said, ‘Put on your belt and sandals.’ After he had done this, the angel next said, ‘Wrap your cloak round you and follow me.’ Peter followed him, but had no idea that what the angel did was all happening in reality; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed through two guard posts one after the other, and reached the iron gate leading to the city. This opened of its own accord; they went through it and had walked the whole length of one street when suddenly the angel left him. It was only then that Peter came to himself. ‘Now I know it is all true’ he said. ‘The Lord really did send his angel and has saved me from Herod and from all that the Jewish people were so certain would happen to me.’

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 33(34):2-9

R/ From all my terrors the Lord set me free. or R/ The angel of the Lord rescues those who revere him.

I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise always on my lips; in the Lord my soul shall make its boast. The humble shall hear and be glad.

R/ From all my terrors the Lord set me free. or R/ The angel of the Lord rescues those who revere him.

Glorify the Lord with me. Together let us praise his name. I sought the Lord and he answered me; from all my terrors he set me free.

R/ From all my terrors the Lord set me free. or R/ The angel of the Lord rescues those who revere him.

Look towards him and be radiant; let your faces not be abashed. This poor man called, the Lord heard him and rescued him from all his distress.

R/ From all my terrors the Lord set me free. or R/ The angel of the Lord rescues those who revere him.

The angel of the Lord is encamped around those who revere him, to rescue them. Taste and see that the Lord is good. He is happy who seeks refuge in him.

R/ From all my terrors the Lord set me free. or R/ The angel of the Lord rescues those who revere him.

Second Reading 2 Timothy 4:6-8,17-18 All there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me.

My life is already being poured away as a libation, and the time has come for me to be gone. I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; all there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that Day; and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his Appearing.

The Lord stood by me and gave me power, so that through me the whole message might be proclaimed for all the pagans to hear; and so I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from all evil attempts on me, and bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation Matthew 16:18

Alleluia, alleluia! You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. Alleluia!

Gospel Matthew 16:13-19 You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church.

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ Then Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are the Christ,’ he said ‘the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[luhcifermuses]

━━ ⟢ ( 𝕄𝕀𝕃𝕆 𝔸ℕ𝔻 𝕁𝕆ℕ𝔸ℍ ) a playlist

A PLAYLIST BASED ON MILO AND JONAH'S DYNAMICS

GORGEOUS TAYLOR SWIFT

Ocean blue eyes looking in mine I feel like I might sink and drown and die You're so gorgeous I can't say anything to your face (to your face) 'Cause look at your face (look at your face) And I'm so furious At you for making me feel this way (this way) But what can I say? You're gorgeous

CLOSER NINE INCH NAILS

you tear down my reason (Help me) it's your sex I can smell (Help me) you make me perfect Help me become somebody else I wanna fuck you like an animal I wanna feel you from the inside I wanna fuck you like an animal My whole existence is flawed You get me closer to God

BAD IDEA RIGHT? OLIVIA RODRIGO

And I'm right here with all my friends But you're sendin' me your new address And I know we're done, I know we're through But, God, when I look at you My brain goes, "Ah" Can't hear my thoughts (I cannot hear my thoughts) Like blah-blah-blah (blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah) Should probably not I should probably, probably not I should probably, probably not Seein' you tonight, it's a bad idea, right?

LACY OLIVIA RODRIGO

Smart, sexy Lacy I'm losin’ it lately I feel your compliments like bullеts on skin Dazzling starlet, Bardot reincarnate Wеll, aren't you the greatest thing to ever exist?

I WISH YOU WERE SOBER CONAN GRAY

Nineteen, but you act twenty-five now Knees weak, but you talk pretty fly, wow Ripped jeans and a cup that you just downed Take me where the music ain't too loud Trade drinks, but you don't even know her Save me 'til the party is over Kiss me in the seat of your Rover Real sweet, but I wish you were sober

HEATHER CONAN GRAY

Why would you ever kiss me? I'm not even half as pretty You gave her your sweater, it's just polyester But you like her better Wish I were Heather Watch as she stands with her, holding your hand Put your arm 'round her shoulder, now I'm getting colder But how could I hate her? She's such an angel But then again, kinda wish she were dead as she

GOOD LOOKING SUKI WATERHOUSE

ou adored me before Oh, my good looking boy Play casino holes of my eyeballs Roll the dice on my thighs You stop for breath and I sped up Just to impress you

TEAR YOUR APART SHE WANTS REVENGE

I want to hold you close Skin pressed against me tight Lie still, and close your eyes girl So lovely, it feels so right I want to hold you close Soft breasts, beating heart As I whisper in your ear I want to fucking tear you apart

LOST ON YOU LP

When you get older, plainer, saner Will you remember all the danger we came from? Burnin' like embers, fallin' tender Long before the days of no surrender years ago And will you know?

USE ME PVRIS

You can use all of me Take a hint Baby breathe I can do all you need Take a hint Baby breathe And use me Ooh, ooh Light as a feather Your body's a tether I can wait here forever But I know you want it now Killing the pressure

TAKE ME TO CHURCH HOZIER

Every Sunday's getting more bleak A fresh poison each week "We were born sick", you heard them say it My church offers no absolutes She tells me, "Worship in the bedroom" The only Heaven I'll be sent to Is when I'm alone with you I was born sick, but I love it Command me to be well A-, Amen, Amen, Amen

MIRRORS JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

It's like you're my mirror My mirror staring back at me I couldn't get any bigger With anyone else beside me And now it's clear as this promise That we're making two reflections into one 'Cause it's like you're my mirror My mirror staring back at me Staring back at me

RIBS LORDE

We can talk it so good We can make it so divine We can talk it good How you wish it would be all the time The drink you spilt all over me "Lover's Spit" left on repeat My mom and dad let me stay home It drives you crazy getting old

MIDNIGHT RAIN TAYLOR SWIFT

Rain, he wanted it comfortable I wanted that pain He wanted a bride I was making my own name Chasing that fame He stayed the same All of me changed like midnight

ICARUS BASTILLE

Look who's digging their own grave That is what they all say; you'll drink yourself to death Look who makes their own bed, lies right down within it And what will you have left? Out on the front doorstep, drinking from a paper cup You won't remember this Living beyond your years, acting out all their fears You feel it in your chest

DO YOU LOVE ME YET? NOTHING BUT THIEVES

Do you love me yet? I'll make myself a fool for you Do you love me yet? Just tell me what I've gotta do Do you love me yet? Do you promise I'll be hitting it soon? Oh, if I can stop fucking around, I'll be worth a fortune Do you love me yet?

THE GREAT WAR TAYLOR SWIFT

All that bloodshed, crimson clover Uh-huh, sweet dream was over My hand was the one you reached for All throughout the Great War Always remember Uh-huh, tears on the letter I vowed not to cry anymore If we survived the Great War

NDA BILLIE EILLISH

I bought a secret house when I was 17 Haven't had a party since I got the keys Had a pretty boy over, but he couldn't stay On his way out, made him sign an NDA

GOVERNMENT HOOKER LADY GAGA

I'm gonna drink my tears tonight I'm gonna drink my tears and cry 'Cause I know you love me baby I know you love me baby I could be girl (Unless you want to be man) I could be sex (Unless you want to hold hands)

HONEY WHISKEY NOTHING BUT THIEVES

Black-hearted angels sunk me With kisses on my mouth There's poison in this water The words are falling out This air is getting so thin Go down, go down, go down The honey whiskey's kickin'

[introloves]

Omg you are the love of my life❤️ please please *please* write more of Tendou corrupting innocent Christian girls. It’s my oxygen❤️❤️❤️

— sacrilege + sacrilegious acts in a church + blow jobs + virgin reader + corruption kink + drug dealer! tendou tainting a poor little soul once again + praise + tendou being gross abt body fluids + a bit of choking + f! reader

he thinks you’re lying, he thinks your devotion to the church and god was all just an act. what good little brain dead church girls are so needy for something as carnal and needlessly dissected as sex?

after you asked him- with curious eyes taking shy glances straight at his clothed crotch- what it would be like to taste him, tendou immediately dropped you into your knees.

you hadn’t asked out right- but the question of, “what does a man taste like?” let him know what you wanted, what you needed.

so he takes pity on a poor sheltered little thing, naive to the nastiness in the world. naive to the nastiness and filthy being that tendou satori was. he preyed upon the weak, selling whatever they itched for, supplying them for anything their poor hearts desired.

but he thinks it’s different with you, your pull to him, asking him, depending on him to give you what you wanted makes him stay.

he hopes things are different with you, he doesn’t know what it is. maybe it was how nice and pretty you sounded the first time he fingered you against the church walls. maybe it was how shy you were after, offering him your number with shaky hands, scribbled on a piece of paper with looping handwriting, when he dropped you off at your house.

whatever it was, he knew you were just as sick as him.

he grabbed your shoulders, quickly taking a moment to place a sloppy and hurried kiss to your lips before pushing you down.

the sound of your knees hitting the ground cracked loudly through the chamber. the evening air moved through the empty church, whistled through slightly opened windows and chilled his exposed dick.

the pure lust dropping off the tip of him and right to your chin, makes you whine in disappointment. so close to getting a taste. it has tendou grab your face, forcing you up to meet him.

it makes you cry, makes your eyes glaze over in a look that begs for satori to ruin you against pale, slender fingers that hold your face in place.

“p-please.”

the plead leaves your lips like a prayer, quiet, and reserved for only him to hear.

“please what bunny? tell me what you want.”

the pressure from him has you squirming, hands tightly gripping your modest dress.

“i-i don’t know.” you whisper, pangs of arousal painting your poor little thighs.

ever since you met him, he’d be adamant about you not wear any underwear beneath your church clothes. knee length skirts and dresses the only thing keeping anyone seeing the cunt he hasn’t even fucked yet.

he’s been building you up to it, this was lesson two in the short time you’ve been with him. it’s all addicting, he wants to ruin you and you want to be ruined. you’re chasing the same high he gave you when he claimed you against the church that late evening. he supposes that’s his charm, everyone who crosses his path wants more from him. you were the only one he’d give anything for free though.

he was like an angel sent to you, and who were you to deny a gift from god?

he brings the tip of him back to your waiting mouth, watching as you instinctively dart your tongue out to meet him. you look seconds away from panting, acting like a sloppy little girl.

tendou pulls away before you can get a taste. tutting at the way you whimper, wide round eyes looking up in search for a reason for him pulling away again.

“don’t be so eager. what do good, christian girls say before a meal?” he questions, wrapping a large, hand around himself.

“w-we say grace.” you respond, heat pooling at your back, sweat forming along your brow, knowing what he’s going to ask of you.

“that’s right bunny. now, say grace.”

his words have you squirm, bringing to light how filthy you were for the willingness to suck his dick inside a church that counted on you to keep it nice and clean.

it’s remarkable how far from grace you’ve fallen.

but it’s also amazing how good it makes you feel. the thought of him taking you right against the pastors altar has plagued your mind since he’s met you. you can’t sit still during sermons anymore, maybe you were corrupted from the start, what good, god fearing church dweller comes up with such things?

it doesn’t matter, you suppose. not when someone who has eyes and a mouth as charming as tendou looks at you like this, cock hot and heavy, waiting to stuff your mouth with him.

a bead of precum falls to the floor, right next to your knees, staining the carpet.

“bless, o father, thy gifts to our use and us to thy service. for christ’s sake. amen.”

he gives you a smile, eyes shining deviously.

“good girl.”

he presses the glossy head right to your lips, pushing past your teeth to settle against your tongue. he tastes nothing like you’d expect, it’s all salt, a mixture of that and nothing you could compare it to. you can only say it has the taste of a man.

“ah.” the hiss he makes with the way your teeth barely scrape him makes you wanna go crazy. it makes you gush out another obscene stream of arousal.

“put your lips over your teeth bunny. -yeah just like that.” coaches you through it all, a hand placed firmly to your head, moving you up and down on just his tip, not wanting to scare you too bad.

you don’t know what to do, so you let him move against your open mouth. hips slowly warming you up to take more and more. it makes your eyes water, jaw hurting with how wide you have to keep it to fit him in.

but it’s all so worth it, watching his eyes roll the more he gets lost in using your virgin mouth to fuck himself.

“give it a suck.” he grits, greedy with lust. it’s all he needs to cum, the unmoving, dumb look on your face as he uses you got to him more than he thought it would.

you try your hardest, lips sealing around him, cheeks hollowing in to do as you were told.

he shakes, you can see the clench of his stomach, already lithe muscles even more prominent with every contraction.

your eyes widen at the first jump of his dick, but the surprise is short lived as you feel his cum hit your throat.

it makes you gag, chokes you unexpectedly. you try and pull away, but satori is quick to grab you.

“where do you think you’re going.” he spits, watching you struggle against his hand, trying to push away. your hands come up to dig into his thighs, trying to pull away. but he’s strong, still dumping string after string of his cum inside your mouth. it doesn’t taste good, salty and bitter, you want it out of your mouth. but you swallow, not wanting to get his cum on the church floor.

you’re crying, nose running, spit free falling from your mouth with every choke you cough out around his dick.

tendou doesn’t think you’ve ever looked prettier.

finally, once the last drop of him hits your mouth, he lets go. you come off with a sputter, hand coming up to rest against your throat.

he’s on you in seconds, holding your face up to look at him.

“you did so good bunny, made me cum so hard.”

his words make you feel good, make you proud that you could bring him to that point.

he thumbs away tears, spit, whipes your running nose with the sleeve of his jacket, before kissing you. shoving his tongue inside your mouth to lick you clean of him.

when he pulls away, you two are connected with a string of spit and cum.

it’s a reunion of something so human, so disgusting. the seed of man lying deep in your tummy, there’s nothing more holy.

[undermattsun-archive]

wow skate rat suga would make me do some unholy things... my ass is definitely thinking

(skate rat) sugawara koushi x reader | w.c 1.4k

u-unholy? u can’t just say that,, sigh

18+ university age | pls read all warnings

tw sacrilegious, tw gaslighting (if u squint), tw dubcon (once again if u squint), tw face fucking, tw public sex, tw crying, tw oh god, tw once again DO NOT READ unless you are prepared for sacrilege

“We can’t be up here.”

You pull away from Suga, panting slightly, cheeks warming at the sight of him with scarlet, swollen lips and a sinful look in his eyes.

“Why not?” He mutters closing in to lick a stripe against your throat, you stifle a moan, shaking your head.

“Because we’re in a church! And I think there’s 5 o’clock mass,” you wiggle around in his lap, the bruising grip on your thighs telling you he has no intention of letting you go, “seriously Suga.”

“So? You didn’t have a problem bringing me up here in the first place, it’s fine you said no one comes up here anyway and we’ll be quick.” His smile is borderline innocent and most of all tantalizing, holding a promise of something ungodly and delicious.

“Promise? We’ll be out before mass?” You chew at your lip, a tingling feeling filling your chest at the hungry look in his eyes.

“Don’t you trust me?” You don’t, not in the slightest. But God, your curiosity is getting the best of you, a tinge guilt forces you to make a note to pray an extra rosary before bed. With a sigh, you nod your head and Suga relents his grip, letting you slide off his lap and kneel before him.

The tiny round window glows behind him with a golden light, sparking a false sense of awe at how it circles his head like a halo, how it makes him look almost holy seated before you on the pew. You watch silently as his hands make work of his zipper, pulling out his hardening length, the reddening head mouthwatering. You surge forward but just as you wrap your fingers around the base of his cock, his hand comes over to cup your cheek.

“Say it.” In an instance, the remaining hints of feigned innocence dissolves, his eyes darken with greed and his mouth twists into an almost sadistic smirk. You purse your lips and nod, guilt rippling through your body.

“Bless us o lord,” your tongue flicks over the head of his cock, “for these thy gifts,” you sink down halfway, pulling up quickly and keeping your lips pressed against the tip “which we are about receive,” you inhale shakily as a bit of precum smears against your lips, “from thy bounty,” you stick your tongue out swirling it around the tip, “through Christ, Our Lord.”

“Amen.” He muses, his fingers twisting in your hair is the closest to a warning you get, you let your jaw drop as he thrusts his up into your mouth. Tears sting at your eyes as you feel him hit the back of your throat, you try to relax, attempting to adjust to the sharp movements. He snickers as you gag and choke when the tip of his cock grazes the back of your throat, he holds your head there, revelling in the lewd sounds of you struggling to handle his cock crammed into your mouth.

“Cute.” He coos cruelly as he pulls you off, a thin string of spit attaching your lips to his cockhead. He gestures for you to stand up, and with a lick of your lips you rise slowly.

You know the drill, what comes next is shamefully familiar. You teasingly drag your fingertips up your thighs, hiking up your skirt, letting you hook your thumbs in the waistband of your panties. You gradually inch them down, biting your lip at the way Suga’s eyes are pinned to the flimsy piece of clothing.

“Why thank you.” He plucks the article from your hands, offering another toothy grin before tucking them away into his back pocket. He pats at his lap so casually, as if he isn’t asking you to ride him in a church. You straddle his lap carefully, sliding his length against your slit, teasing your clit against his tip.

“Hold on.” He gums against your throat, nipping at it playfully as you feel a hand settle under your thigh while another snakes around to allow him to prod his fingers against your cunt. “Can’t have you screaming like last time.” You shiver at the memory of him fucking you without prep on that hidden bench on campus, your loud whines drawing the attention of campus security.

“Just, quickly okay?” You whimper as he pushes in his index and middle, scissoring them in a more methodical than pleasurable way. Without fail he continues to suckle along your throat, working his way down to your collarbone. He clasps his teeth down on the exposed skin as he retracts his fingers, shifting again so that he can grip his cock, aligning it with your entrance.

“Go for it.” He goads, leaning back against the pew, letting his slick covered fingers run up your thigh and settle on your waist. You roll your eyes at the command, but let yourself sink down on his length, thighs burning from how you’ve been tensing the muscles. He always lets you set the pace, he always lets you have just enough control to not scare you off, to keep you crawling back for more.

With a hand planted on his shoulder and the other gripping tightly to the front of his white Dickies shirt, you rock your hips, the wood of the pew singing in tune with each thrust.

You try to quicken the pace, trying to avoid the chance of being caught, but with the tightening hold on your waist and thigh, Suga makes it rather clear that no matter what, you’re at his mercy.

The sound of a door squeaking on hinges and the faint mumbling of chatter freezes your motions, panic rising in your throat as you widen your eyes at Suga. He looks eerily serene, as if the sins of your actions hold no weight, you shake your head frantically as his hands shift to dig into your waist. Another mock innocent smile spreads across his lips as he impales you on his cock, slamming into the sensitive bundle of nerves. Your fingers fly into your mouth, biting down harshly to stifle the indecent sounds threatening to spill from your lips.

The pew groans below you two, but as people begin to file into the main hall of the church below, their chatter drowns out the immoral psalm of your bodies. His unyielding motions build that sinful pressure in the base of your core, you mumble his name as you drool onto your fingers, eyes squeezing shut as that heady and gluttonous sensation ravaged your body.

“We’re not done yet.” His declaration punctuated by him ripping your fingers out of your mouth and pressing a chaste kiss to your lips. He pulls you off of his length, forcing you onto your feet and spinning you around. He grabs at your waist, lifting your skirt and grinding his slick length against your ass.

“Might as well watch mass.” The words register late as he shoves you forward, your hands flying out to brace yourself against the rail, giving you a full view of the crowded hall below. The large golden crucifix fixed on the altar glaring back at you. Humiliation seeps into your skin, cheeks aflame at the depravity of the situation.

As shame fills your mind, you can’t help but let the tears stinging at your eyes spill over as Suga rams back into you. You dig your nails into the wooden bannister, the music of the opening psalm silencing the idle chatter, punctuating your misdeeds.

“Look, processions starting.” His lips graze the shell of your ear as he continues to pound so shamelessly into you. Your eyes focus through the tears at the priest and altar servers moving down the aisle, you shake your head again, unsure what you’re trying to communicate to the man taking you apart with each thrust.

“Gonna cum,” He drags his tongue against your ear, “c’mon, I know you want to, too.” He sneaks his hand across your waist, slipping his fingers through the waistband of your skirt, and down down, down, until his fingers are pinching and teasing at your clit.

“Hnn.” You slap a hand over your mouth, face searing as you clench down on his cock, pleasure crashing through you like a waterfall. Your body quivers as Suga’s hips stutter, you can’t help but bask in the sensation of him filling you with his cum. He pulls out slowly, twisting you around to face him, he smiles sweetly at you.

“I’ll catch you later, think I’m late to the sesh.” He pecks a kiss to your forehead as he tucks himself back into his pants, turning on his heel and leaving you leaning against the bannister to stew in your heathenous actions.

[kanonsarchivedblog]

Runs In The Family, Part V: Amen

Rating: M

Warnings: Catholic Guilt, Funerals, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Past Child Abuse

Word Count: 2,194

Characters: Edward Nygma/The Riddler, Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow

Author's Note: Bonfires are fun. So are soothing, hot baths with the weird old man who has a thing for making people so scared they have a heart attack- that you fell in love with.

Last round of warnings: Catholic Guilt to the Max, anti-religious rhetoric, mentions of almost being killed via baptismal pool.

On the plus side, there's some nice Scriddler content at the end for y'all.

Amen.

October 5th, Sunday Evening

The car idles on the side of the road, pulled off far enough onto the shoulder that no one should have any issue with getting past. The autumn sun was dipping beneath the horizon; the deer would be running soon. He needs to keep driving; he’s still two hours away from Gotham, and then it’ll be another forty minutes until he can pull into his driveway. Yet he sits on the stump in the field, staring at the ruins of a church. It hasn’t seen any packed Sundays in a good decade- possibly longer, he wasn’t sure. A car hasn’t gone by in over an hour, now- not since he pulled off to the side of the road suddenly. His breath fogs in the air before his face.

“Yer never closer t’God than when yer sittin’ all alone, wit’ not’in but the sound o’ nature around ye.” Jackie’s voice echoes in his mind. He’d been eight years old; the rifle was nearly as big as he was. It was the one and only time he’d ever taken him hunting. And even then, they never caught anything. Jackie had shit aim with a gun, and Eddie didn’t know how to shoot the rifle at that age.

Funny. Now, he can do parlor tricks with a handgun.

And now, sitting in the silence of a field as crickets crank out their songs, he’s never felt farther from God.

“Ironic, isn’t it?” He muses softly, hands clasped before him. “I was raised going to Mass on Wednesday and Sunday- not every day, no, we never were those people. But every Wednesday evening, and twice on Sundays- as if that would wipe away the sins that taint the Nashton family.” A bitter laugh spills into the evening, startling a squirrel from drawing close. “So, is this some strange form of karma? Finally?”

He rises to his feet, marching towards the Church. “Oh, this is just rich!” Footsteps echoed as pristine Kensington Derbys meet with what was once beautiful mahogany flooring. Now, it was dry rotted and speckled with holes; the walls that surrounded him were covered with graffiti. What once had been pristine was now ruined.

How ironic.

“You- how dare you sit upon your throne and try to command our lives!” The words bounce off of the walls, ricocheting back to him as if it were God’s voice mocking him, mocking his words. “You, holy and pure, o great creator! How dare you sit and choose who is holy and who is not. What gives you the RIGHT?” His voice breaks in a way that is painful; his voice aches, but his words continue to spill out. “I was EIGHT when he sent me to the hospital for the first time! Eight years old, and I begged and pleaded with you AND YOU WERE SILENT! You never answered ANY of my prayers!”

A bible was sitting in a pew. One lone bible.

“You were supposed to give me an answer, a way out. You, o holy one, were supposed to help me, to save me! But you didn’t- you left me to suffer. You left us to suffer! You could have taken him at any time, given us a miracle, a damned blessing in disguise but NO.” He kicks a pew- too hard, he feels something crack in his foot, but oh, he’s too fired up now to stop.

So much so that he doesn’t notice the tears that are streaking down his flushed cheeks freely. He never had been good at staying in touch with his emotions.

“I was FOURTEEN when they shipped me off to that damned CAMP. FOURTEEN, JESUS CHRIST. Are you listening? Can you hear me now as I bare my soul to you and metaphorically flay my back for sins that are not my own?” A laugh echoes around him- his own laughter, he realizes distantly. “That’s when I realized you were a sham. You were nothing.” His gaze drifts, falling upon the bible. A small smile curls his lips. “You were nothing, and you are nothing. Nothing more than a figment created by men so that they could have someone to blame when things go wrong, when nothing seems correct, to punish those who don’t fit into their world view.” Leather clad fingers grip the bible in one hand. He digs around for a moment in his coat pocket before grasping the small metal object.

“Jackie swore up and down that all I needed was to be fixed. That I could be fixed, that I wasn’t a faggot. That this camp would heal me. And you know what? You know what, God?” He holds the bible up, watching the way the last rays of sunlight drift through the broken windows; golden and pure. “I wished that they had succeeded in drowning me, there. I wish that they had held me under the water of their baptismal pool for a minute longer, let it fill my lungs instead of pulling me up and out and letting me vomit all over myself a horrid mixture of water and what I had for dinner the night before. Maybe then I wouldn’t have become who I am now.” The flames from the lighter lick at the pages of the bible, quickly catching the thin parchment. “But I suppose that’s too late, now. After all, one cannot kill what one did not create. I was not created by you- I was created from Pam spreading her legs for the worst man in Frenchtown during a one-night stand that ended in a shotgun marriage. But that’s your problem, now. Not mine.”

He drops the burning bible onto a pile of old hymnals, watching the paper catch quickly- and then the carpet, which begins to spread to the old, rotten wood. He stands a touch longer than he should, letting the heat envelope him. Turning on his heel, he made his way out of the quickly-catching place of worship. His cheeks were flushed, but once he stepped outside into the cool air, he felt the dampness left behind by his tears.

He felt the pain racing up his leg with every step.

He felt the bone-weary ache.

Edward sunk to his knees in the field and let out a scream that had birds shooting from their nests, taking flight in the early night sky, as flames began to lick up into the sky.

He isn’t sure how long he knelt there- long enough for the field to start to catch, for the distant sound of sirens to begin wailing. By the time he reached the outskirts of Gotham, it was almost ten at night. His house swam into view as he pulled up at almost ten forty-five. Jon’s truck was parked in the drive- that old piece of junk.

How it still ran amazed him.

He didn’t bother pulling into the garage; didn’t grab his suitcase out, nor his cellphone. He could see Jonathan moving about, turning on lights- he must have heard him pull up. Limping his way up to the front door, he could feel exhaustion settling across his form. A bath would be nice, but he might fall asleep in it. Maybe Jonathan could join him and keep him awake. That would be nice.

Faith wasn’t home; their car was nowhere to be seen. A job, then. That’s fine. They don’t need to witness this.

Jonathan meets him at the door. “Y’look like shit.”

“I feel like shit.”

“Why’re you limpin’?”

“I do believe I kicked a pew too hard and broke my foot.”

“Jesus H. Christ, Eddie,” Jonathan shook his head as he reached out, taking hold of Eddie’s hand to draw him close. He let him, not fighting for once, no dancing out of his grasp. Jon’s arms wrap around him as he steps into the house, the door getting kicked closed by Jon’s foot.

They stood together for a long moment- possibly many; he wasn’t sure. He also wasn’t sure when Jonathan removed his glasses for him, or when he loosened his tie and slipped it over his head. He barely existed in this moment, only breathing in the scent of the body wash Jon had used.

“Y’smell like fire.” Jon mutters as he pulls back, brows furrowing as he looks Edward over. “Didja go to a bonfire or somethin’?”

“Along those lines,” he jokes softly, shaking his head as he moves away. “I’ll call Ronan in the morning for my foot. I just want to sit in my bath and soak away today. Care to join me?”

“Lemme help ya,” he slips his arm beneath Edward’s left arm, taking on the brunt of his weight as they climbed the steps to the second floor. “You call Harley yet?”

“No. Can you shoot her a message and let her know I’m home?”

“I will, pumpkin,” he presses a kiss to the side of Eddie’s head. Once they reached the bedroom, Edward slipped away to the bathroom, not bothering to close the door as he limped his way to the bathtub. A hiss escapes him as he reaches over the edge of the tub to turn the faucet on, letting the water heat up for a moment before plugging the drain. His gaze drifts, studying the choices of scents to soak in- before choosing a soothing chamomile and lavender blend. That’ll help the last bits of anxiety leave his system. Aromatherapy was a very real thing. He could hear Jonathan talking- of course he called Harley instead of texting. He didn’t like texting- would rather talk to someone, hear their voice. Rolling his eyes and ignoring the way his chest suddenly felt warm with fondness, he worked on stripping out of his suit, tugging off his socks with a hissed curse, he had to take a moment. “Fuck,” he muttered, shaking his head.

Good fuckin’ job, Eddie. It doesn’t look broken; hopefully, it’s just a fracture.

Trousers, underwear (for once, not a thong!), shirt, and jacket discarded in a heap on the floor, he sank into the hot water with a sigh as Jonathan slowly sauntered his way in, already stripped down to his underwear. “Comfy?” Jon asked as he discarded of the last bit of cloth, stepping down into the tub behind Eddie.

“Very,” Edward sighed, leaning back against Jonathan as his eyes slid shut.

“How’s Susan?”

“Grieving. But she’s good. As for the rest of my family, I do believe I will not be returning to Frenchtown until I die.”

“Ya wanna be buried there?”

“Fuck no! Toss me in a fire and spread my ashes somewhere nice.”

“Cremation, then?”

“I don’t intend to become people soup.”

“People soup?” Laughter bubbled up from Jon, and a moment later, Eddie was laughing, as well. Arms slipping around his waist lazily, Jon let his chin rest on his lover’s shoulder. “... Wanna talk?”

“I burned down a church.” Edward admitted, brow furrowing as he reached up to lace his fingers through his. “After the funeral.”

“Ya don’t believe in Hell, then?”

“What do you believe?”

“Well…” He shifted behind him, lips pursing. “I believe in a higher bein’- y’know, somethin’ to give hope to people. But I don’... Believe in a singular God, if that’s what yer askin’.”

“Agnostic, then?”

“Sorta.”

“Mm. I don’t believe at all. I haven’t since I was fourteen and had a group of so-called preachers try to drown me in a baptismal pool.”

“What.” Jonathan tensed behind him; Eddie sighed, bringing their entwined hands up out of the water. “What the fuck?”

“Conversion therapy camp. I was fourteen; Jackie’s idea.” A shrug raises his shoulder. “That killed the idea of a God- as if the hospitalizations and the beatings and the unanswered prayers hadn’t already killed it.”

“The metaphorical nail in the coffin.”

“Bingo bullseye.”

Silence settled between the pair as they sat, soaking in the warm waters- until Jonathan moved, and realized that Edward’s breathing had evened out into deep pulls. A small chuckle slipped free as he reached over, freeing the drain. “Eddie, bed time.”

“Mm,” Edward hummed, emerald gaze blinking open. Not quite awake, but enough to get up and clamber out of the tub. Jon held out a towel for him; he took it and dried off lazily.

Jonathan watched as Eddie stumbled to bed, barely managing to drag on a pair of sweatpants before he collapsed onto his bed. Fully dried, he followed after the exhausted genius, tugging on an old Guns ‘N’ Roses shirt that had seen better days (was this his? Or Eddie’s? He wasn’t sure), and a pair of pants. No socks; not tonight, the house was warm enough, and with Boudica and Cleopatra curled up at the foot of the bed, he won't need any extra heat. Long fingers reached over, switching off the light before following Edward into bed, pulling the blankets up over both himself and his lover.

“Jon?” Edward mumbled as he curled closer, tangling their legs as he pressed against his side.

“Eddie?” Jonathan replied, slipping an arm beneath his pillow.

“I love you.” The words are soft- not a mistake. They didn’t say the words often, only when something had happened.

Leaning in, he pressed a kiss to his head. “I love ya, too, Eddie.”

[autumnslance]

((Shadowbringers post-5.3. NSFW for naughty language and a scoundrel scandalizing his girlfriend.))

The ceremony was lengthy, the lists and speeches interminable, and Aeryn struggled to not doze off. She shifted in her seat as the sermon continued.

Thancred dropped his arm from the back of her chair to her shoulder. “Sleepy?” He pitched his voice so only she could hear.

“Mm-hm,” she replied, then whispered, “How’re you staying awake?”

She realized it had been a mistake to ask when a wicked grin curled up his lips. “Well,” he murmured. “I’ve been thinking about all the carnal things we’re going to do when we’re alone later.”

Her eyes widened and the heat bloomed on her cheeks. “Thancred,” she hissed, sitting up straighter.

“What?” he asked, amused. “Woke you up, didn’t it?”

“The worst,” Aeryn muttered fondly while he snickered.

She counted up to two minutes before he leaned close. “Now that I’m thinking about it, though…”

“Thought you already were?”

“Your jacket will have to come off.”

“It tends to when retiring for the night—”

“So I can put my hand on the back of your neck to hold you in place when I bend you over the nearest table.” The hand on her shoulder slid over until his fingertips were brushing the nape of her neck under her hair and collar.

Aeryn sucked in a breath, heat flaring once more...and not just in her face, godsdamn him. “This isn’t appropriate,” she whispered, eyes darting to check if anyone else had heard as she adjusted her seat again to cross her legs.

But the Warrior of Light and her companion were in the Fortemps box, high in the rear of the small auditorium, the other Scions having found reasons for their absence, including Alphinaud; not even their resident diplomat wanted to sit through another Ishgardian ceremony as a favor to their highborn friends. The heads of the elezens in the seats in front of them were barely visible, and heavy drapes separated the other noble boxes, forcing one to lean forward to glimpse other High House attendees—she had waved to the disgruntled-looking Stephanivien de Hailenarte earlier, presence no doubt forced as he always preferred to be in the Manufactory.

They were as alone as they could be in such a public venue.

“No, I suppose not,” Thancred agreed, sounding far too amused and looking completely at ease as he leaned back in his seat. His fingertips continued to tease her neck.

She counted another minute while the priest droned on before Thancred’s fingernails ever so gently pressed into her nape while he whispered, “Nor would it be appropriate to mention how much I wish to push up that skirt to sate my curiosity; full tights, or stockings? If the latter, are you wearing garters?”

“I’m not telling you,” she hissed, highly aware of his hold on her neck. She tried to pay attention to the priest once more, but her pulse was growing louder in her own ears and prevented any comprehension.

“I’m hoping for stockings,” Thancred mused. “Then they can stay on as I run my hand up your thighs until I find the hems of your smalls.”

Aeryn bit the inside of her cheek and tried not to squirm. She wasn’t giving him the satisfaction yet.

“I shall run my fingers where fabric meets skin,” he said, speaking in the rumbling purr she enjoyed him using in the bedroom which was not helping. His fingertips still massaged her neck. “Until I hear that delightful little whimper you make when about to beg of me.”

She was certain her face was on fire now.

He leaned close. “Only then, darling, will I test to see just how wet you’ve gotten,” Thancred’s whisper was a thunderous growl in her ear.

Aeryn’s boot hit the floor more heavily than she intended. She tried to look casual as she recrossed her legs and swallowed. She was not telling him how heated she was getting now.

“I haven’t decided yet,” he continued, lips brushing her earlobe. “If I’m going to remove your pantalettes entirely, or pull them just far enough aside to ravish you with my hand.”

She could practically feel his smirk as she gripped the armrests and tried to focus on the priest expounding at the podium. The man’s name escaped her at the moment.

Thancred made a long, thoughtful “hmm” noise; that was utterly unfair. “I suppose it won’t matter when I’m stroking you until you come for the first time for me.”

“We are in a church,” she hissed, trying to ignore the sudden throbbing between her thighs. While Aeryn didn’t believe in the gods anymore, she knew he did—if he had the shame to behave.

“And?” he asked. “Only men have such hangups, not the gods themselves. Especially if one’s studied them and what they get up to, and just why certain places are considered sacred.” The casual brushing of his fingertips over her neck still was not helping. “If I could I’d have you right here, as Thaliak did Azeyma in what became one of their holiest temples.”

“You are making that up,” she said, voice hoarse.

“I’ll show you the texts,” Thancred replied. “Perhaps after having you over the table. I think slowly to start with,” he added idly. “Just to feel you, tight and warm around me, savoring you over and over, building the pace and intensity until you come for me again.”

The auditorium burst into polite applause, startling her and drawing attention to the stage. The small squad of knights being honored for their deeds on the Gyr Abanian battlefields stepped up to receive their awards and promotions.

Aeryn took the opportunity to breathe, clapping as well. “Remind me not to ask how you handle boredom again,” she muttered, attempting to sound grumpy and knowing she was failing.

Thancred chuckled as he joined the polite applause, her neck regretfully free of his touch now. “Kept us awake through that sermon, didn’t it?”

“You’re just hoping I jump you as soon as we return to my room,” she accused in a whisper that didn’t sound as disgruntled as she wished.

“I would definitely count that as a bonus,” he replied. “I have to admit that I wonder what it would take to get you to ‘jump me’ before we reach privacy.”

“Not happening,” Aeryn retorted, attempting to refocus on the stage as the priests and officers went over each knight’s deeds.

“Are you sure?” Thancred asked, that dangerously amused tone returning. “You’re so quiet, it wouldn’t be difficult to find an alcove in a side hallway, perhaps an unused confessional, and press you against the wall, lifting your skirt and legs.” His hand now rested over hers upon the armrest, his thumb rubbing gentle circles on her wrist.

She tried to affect a scowl while continuing to watch the stage. Soon enough, Thancred rumbled a thoughtful “Hmm.” She watched him from the corner of her eyes.

“But if the goal is to get you to initiate, then perhaps you’d prefer to pull me into a dark side room or corner and make me lean on a wall while you get on your knees. I would muss that lovely hairstyle you’re wearing, though.”

Aeryn took a deep breath before she could respond. “I can hardly manage that properly in private, you’ll be sorely disappointed if I try in public. Which I won’t,” she hastily added, seeing his grin.

“Practice makes perfect, darling, and you have been improving,” he assured her, giving her hand a squeeze. “Besides, it would give me cause to reciprocate. That’s what you really enjoy, isn’t it? Me on my knees instead, scribing you poems directly until you’re shaking?”

The imagery was in her mind now, damn him, remembering keenly the last time he had spoken a poem between her legs; his tongue and fingers had left her on the edge of bliss for the better part of an hour before finally tipping her over.

“Of course, then I might actually have to cover your mouth, as you almost make noise when I extol your virtues upon your virtue.”

She eye-rolled at that. In part to cover the little thrill up her spine when he spoke of keeping her quiet. She might have to examine that in more detail later.

“I believe in that case I would bring you close, then wrap your legs ‘round my waist and fuck you against the wall until we’ve both had our pleasure.”

Aeryn bit her lip. His precise deployment of profanity had caused another heated surge low in her belly.

“Then we’ll retire to your room, and then I’ll bend you over the table for more.”

“Think so?” Thank goodness, she managed not to squeak.

“Assuming you’re amenable, of course,” he whispered, giving her hand another squeeze. The ceremony was nearly over.

“I suppose you’ll have to see. When we’re in private.”

He chuckled again, and she did her best to pretend to ignore him in favor of what was happening on stage.

The end of the service and the following hour mingling in the hall removed most of the scandalous conversation from her mind. Aeryn and Thancred wove through the crowd, greeting old friends, smiling and nodding as they were introduced to various people, and otherwise engaged with the upper crust of Ishgardian society until Aeryn’s head spun.

Some baronet was standing far too close and acting far too familiar; she was ready to snap when Thancred stepped in, offering an arm. “Beg pardon, but they expect us at Fortemps Manor,” he said smoothly, smiling at the baronet though his eyes glinted with warning.

Aeryn tucked her arm in Thancred’s. “Of course. You must excuse us, ser.” She barely gave a nod before Thancred pulled her away. “Thank you,” she murmured as they wound through the press of people, hardly thinned despite the hour.

“We should have left a quarter bell ago,” he replied. “You were close to overwhelmed.”

She gave his arm a squeeze. “Not so long as you’re around to keep me steady. Or rescue me from obnoxious nobles.”

“More rescuing the nobles from you,” he replied dryly, smiling as she laughed. He guided her down a narrow stairwell, away from the main hall and exit of the cathedral. “We should be able to leave through a side door to avoid the crowds. But first…” He veered, pulling Aeryn through a door into a small storage chamber, rows of robes hanging along the walls, shelves and boxes of other vestments filling most of the room. Only a narrow space next to the door was free of clutter, and that was where Aeryn’s back pressed as Thancred initiated a passionate kiss.

The earlier conversation flared to the forefront of her mind. Her face—and other parts of her, dammit—heated again while he held her close, the kiss long and deep and oh so promising.

Eventually they pulled but ilms apart, Thancred letting out a satisfied sigh as he leaned his forehead against hers. “I needed that.”

“You’re rather intent on this little fantasy of yours, aren’t you?” she murmured affectionately.

“I perhaps did work myself up, teasing you,” he responded, voice low. Beneath the amusement was a desire that made her breath catch.

Aeryn cleared her throat. “Well, that’s your own fault. We’d best be getting home…”

His hands ran up and down her arms. “You are so…Coerthan tonight.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?” She arched her brows.

“Outwardly acting the prim and proper maid, while truly you want very much to be completely undone,” Thancred murmured in that delightful low bedroom voice as they kissed again, his hand on her hip pulling them together and now her heart was racing.

Aeryn pushed him away, holding a finger up as he affected a pout. “First, I am not, you’re being ridiculous—”

“Always, where you’re involved, but you really are—”

“And second,” she continued, a touch exasperated. “We are still in a church and need to return to the manor.” He gave her an expectant look. She sighed. “Once there, I may be persuaded to let you have your way with me.”

“May?” Thancred grinned.

Aeryn smiled oh-so-sweetly back. “Depends how cold the walk between here and there is.”

“I feel compelled to point out we have a perfectly warm room right here.”

“Absolutely not.”

“For an adventurer, you’re certainly lacking a sense of it.”

Aeryn rolled her eyes and gently shoved him aside, leaving the storeroom. Thancred laughed, catching up and reclaiming her arm. “Very well, my dear. Allow me to escort you, and I shall hope you are very cold and require warming once we are within the privacy of the manor.”

Her blush returned and she sighed again, though it turned into a bout of giggles as they left the cathedral.

[dissapointedelbow]

Junior Year Changes. Ch 1

     "Lord, abide in us and help us to continue abiding with you even after we have left this building. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen." The priest was saying his closing prayer. And after that, it was the cue for the choir to sing a hymn as people left and some would stay and worship more or even go to confession.

     "Blest are they, the poor in spirit 

     Theirs is the kingdom of God

     Blest are they, full of sorrow

     They shall be consoled…" The choir sang and it echoed the church. I was in the choir singing. I have been a part of the choir for some time now and I for one think we sound amazing. After the song ended I went to the pew where my mom and dad usually sit but in their place was my boyfriend Liam, He had a flash t-shirt on and his big round glasses.

     "I left my church super fast just to be here to pick you up." He said with a stupid grin on his face.

     "Well thank you, kind sir," I said while laughing.

     “I love you Mia Mathews, and that means I should do whatever I can for you.” He got up and hugged me. I love his hugs. "I will pick up Ryder and I will drop you girls off at the lake for a bit. I will then come and pick you up at four and we will spend the rest of the day at your place." He said confidently. He usually forgets plans so when he remembers them it makes me happy.

     I get into his beat-up little maroon car, which at this point smells like fast food and body odor. It's not a very long car ride to get to Ryder's place so we just put on our worship station until we got there. We arrived outside Ryder's house and honked the horn.

     Ryder came running out. She was very pretty. She was of average height and has a very very good sense of style. Her hair is dark blue and always has a side part and it is cut just above the shoulder. Today she was wearing black denim jeans, a blue crop top, with a black skull with a white rose where its ear would be, on the front, and her trademark black Crocs. 

     "Hey guys, miss me?" She asked as she climbed into the back seat.

     "Always," I replied. Then I handed her the aux to put on our favorite playlist so we could jam on our way to the lake. It's about a twenty-five-minute drive to the lake and we stopped for Arby's on the way. We also sang every word to every song that came on. It was fun.

     "Ok, we're here." Said Liam.

     "Thanks, babe, now be back here at exactly six o’clock we will be waiting."

     "I will, I love you see you then!" 

     "Bye, love you"

     "Wow, y'all are gross," Ryder said teasingly as we walked away from the parking lot towards the trail.

     We walk along the trail for only about 3 minutes then we arrive at the beautiful lake. Not many people come here and right now we are the only ones there. The lake is man-made but still beautiful. The trees are all different fall colors already and the sun is right above us and it reflects off the lake so beautifully.

     "I love the lake this time of year." Said, Ryder

     "Me too," I said as I put my stuff down at our picnic table. We both sat down and grabbed our sandwiches from Arby's.

     "So, if you were to describe your summer in one word, what would it be?" Asked Ryder

     "Perfect," I said, looking at the sun reflecting off the water. "What about you?" 

     "Rollercoaster"

     "Why rollercoaster?" 

     "Because a lot of really good things happened but there has also been some bad so it was like a rollercoaster. Why did you pick perfect?"

     "Because I have nothing to complain about, I have an amazing boyfriend, an amazing best friend, I'm starting my junior year with all honors classes, and I became k

head of the church choir."

     "That makes sense," Ryder said. But when she said it I noticed a twinge of sadness or jealousy in her voice.

     "I'm sorry your summer wasn't perfect. But the least I can do is make the last day of your summer a perfect one!" I say as I pull out my phone and start dialing. "Hey. Can you come to get us early?"

     "Yeah. Is everything ok?" Liam's voice came through the phone.

     "Yeah, we just need to do something spontaneous for a change."

     "Okay, be there in a few minutes, bye love you."

     "Bye love you." I said looking at the time, "It's two-thirty he should be here by two forty-five."

     "Where are we going?" Ryder asked excitedly.

     "You'll see," I said as I texted Liam, "We are taking Ryder to Dinopark." Dinopark is an amusement park close to where we live and it's really cheap and dinosaur-themed. Ryder loves dinosaurs but never got to go to Dinopark.

     "I really want to know now though!" Ryder said giving, me pleading eyes.

     "You'll see!" I said sternly while gathering our things. By the time we get back to the parking lot, we see Liam's car pulling up.

     "Hey, babe thanks for the spontaneous ride," I said

     "Ok, someone needs to tell me where we are going!" Ryder said impatiently.

     "No one neeeeds to tell you where we're going. Besides surprises are fun." I said while smiling at Liam. I know she is going to love it.

     After that Ryder plugs in her phone and starts playing her music and honestly the car ride was a lot of fun. It took us about forty-five minutes to get there. When we finally pulled up and Ryder saw where we were. She almost died of excitement. We then parked the car and got out. Ryder couldn't stand still.

     We walked up to the entrance and Ryder looked like a little kid bouncing up and down. She was so excited. We all got wristbands for thirty dollars each, so we could ride all the rides. Ryder wanted to ride every, single, ride. There were twelve miscellaneous rides and three big roller coasters. Some rides were really boring but we rode them anyway. Like the pterodactyl ride, it was boring because it was meant for kids but Ryder wanted the full experience. She was a little nervous when we got in line for the Raptor Roller Ride, which was the smallest of the three coasters. She was so nervous, I thought she might burst. We got seated near the back and I sat in the middle between her and Liam and made sure she was ok. During the ride, she screamed very loud but in the end, she had fun and wanted to go again. After we rode every ride at least once, we got some food, and some cotton candy and cheese fries to bring home. We also played a few games like triceratops ring toss, beat the velociraptor, and dino balloon pop. I won a cute plastic dino from beat the raptor, Liam won an inflatable caveman bat on triceratops ring toss, and Ryder won a huge stuffed t-rex on dino balloon pop. After playing games we decided to head home.

     “That was amazing! Thank you so much, guys!” Ryder said enthusiastically. 

     “I think you deserved an amazing day. Everyone deserves one perfect day.” I said.

     “Yeah, plus we had fun too,” said Liam

     We all loaded into the car and put on the local pop radio station and Liam drove us home. We were all kind of tired but it was only six o’clock so we stayed up and sang with the radio. We finally pulled into the driveway of my house. My house is modern but still homey. We have a bigger home even though it's only my parents and me. My dad is the CEO of a local business so we are moderately wealthy. 

     We grabbed our stuff from the amusement park we headed inside and got settled in the screening room.

  “Hey guys, I have something I need to say before we pick the movie,” Ryder said nervously

     “Yeah, are you ok?” I said, noticing the sweat forming on her forehead.

     “Uh, yeah. I- uh. I’m- I’m. I’m gay! Uh yeah, I like girls.” she said. Her eyes were closed tight she was probably thinking the worst.

     “That’s fine, as long as you don’t hit on me I’m taken.” She said winking at Liam.

     “Ha, ha. You wish! I do have standards you know.” Ryder said in a mocking tone.

     “Wow, Mia is smoking, thank you very much,” Liam said in a defensive tone.

     “Ok guys let's just watch the movie,” I said. 

     I just want to say I do believe that homosexuality is a sin. I just didn't want to ruin her perfect day so I hid my beliefs. Also, she has been there for me for so long. Why risk our friendship just because I know she is going to hell? So we dropped it and watched “Clueless”. It was a fun night. Liam and Ryder left after the movie and then I cleaned up and went to bed. 

[iguanasarecute]

"FUCK. DATE. KILL." [Bakugou x Reader]

summary: the class 1-A had a late night game of "Fuck, Date, Kill." Obviously, you, that had been crushing on the Katsuki Bakugou, announced that you'll Fuck and Date him without hesitation. Your classmates didn't really mind this; they shrugged it off because it was just a fun game...or so you think. The ash-blond took this way too seriously.

warning: smut/lemon, curse words | number of words: 1,601

[Start]

The thunder of the abominable weather boomed in the living room. Familiar faces contained the room in their usual sleepwear; the sound of murmuring, laughter, and the tumultuous heartbeat of yours made you anxious.

Your purple-haired classmate, Jirou, verbalized, "I'll kill Sero," she glanced at him, and gave an unapologetic look, "Date Momo?" She exhaled, "Andddddd, Fuck Denki,"

Kaminari's face burned at her statement, your classmates nodded in the piquant information. Ashido cleared her throat while her eyes roamed at the circle of people, "So who's next?" your heartbeat growled louder and louder, sweat traced around your head, "(Y/N)! You haven't had your turn right?"

Your body tensed, while your eyes lit up to your classmates, who anticipated your notable reply, "Me? What— Why— What are we playing again—Uhhh... No thanks," You were dumb.

"Oh! C'mon. Everybody needs to say something," Kirishima retorted, as your eyes shift on the Ash-blond beside him, he was intensely looking at you with those fucking crimson-red eyes.

You can feel your palms overflowing with sweat, as you ponder. Should you spill the shit or nah? I mean, if not Bakugou, then who?

You exhaled deeply, "Kill Mineta," your head tilted to your Grape-haired classmate, "I'm really sorry Mineta,"

Hagakure giggled, "You're not the first one to say that," your female classmates bowed their heads to hide their laughter.

You chuckled, tightly closed your eyes, and inhaled, "Date, and Fuck Bakugou," you felt like hell was swallowing you, and fuck, you're happy to be swallowed, as embarrassment escalated throughout your whole damn body; you want to be anywhere except with your classmates.

You looked at the floor, avoiding to leer on your classmates' expression; but mostly at Katsuki Bakugou's expression. What the hell did he felt when those words escaped your mouth and traveled into his ears?

"Oooooh, what an unexpected combo," You heard Tsuyu's voice, while your eyes darted on the wooden floor.

-- --

While you were in embarrassment-land, your classmates had their turn on the game. It only took a couple of minutes, and you ogled at their confessions. Though, you did avoid looking at one of the familiar faces.

Before you knew it, a husky voice erupted the room, "The fuck, I didn't said I'm joining,"

Kirishima punched his arms, "Dude, everybody needs to join!"

"Says who?!" Bakugou growled.

Shouto rolled his eyes, "Bakugou, It isn't fair if—"

"Shut up you Candy-Cane reject!" The ash-blond slumped, as he clicked his tongue, "Fine, fine, fine!" His eyes glued on the floor, "Kill, fucking everybody. Date and Fuck..."  His crimson-red eyes looked up at you, your eyes went round as you felt butterflies in your stomach. WHO?!

He rolled his eyes, "Tch, I'm going to sleep,"

"HAHHHHH?!!!" Your classmates yelled, staring at the Ash-blond who's escaping the living room and heading up. He's a fucking asshole. A cute asshole, you thought.

— • —

The stomping of raindrops on the roof was calming. You opened the refrigerator to have a glass of water; your fellow friends now under their blankets, individually in their rooms, having a good night sleep.

A warm rough hand traced your hips, your eyes shot wide; while you were pushed on a wall. You panted and was apprehensive.

"LET GO OF ME!" you fought the tight grip on your wrists,

The figure silhouetted and clicked his tongue, grasping both of your wrists above your head, "Calm the fuck down!"

You shook your head, as your eyes adjusted and focused on the person. It was Bakugou, "Geez, I'm sorry. I was just...grabbed and pinned to a wall!" You scowled at him, "What are you expecting?! To thank you for..." You ceased when you melt into his gaze. His eyes were like looking through your soul, "Why are you here?!"

"Shhh. The extras are sleeping," He spatted.

You rolled your eyes, "Shouldn't you also be? You walked out in the middle of the game without saying—"

The ash-blond smirked, "You're waiting for my damn response, aren't you?"

A blush crept to your cheeks, you denied, "What?! Me? Pshhh- NO!"

His smirk was still on his face as he nodded looking down, "Well fuck. Okay, okay," he coughed, and glared back at you, "But do you mean it?"

Your eyebrows raised "Mean what?"

"What you said on the fucking game," his husky voice echoed.

Damn it, Bakugou. Ofcourse. You smirked, "Let go of me, and I'll tell you,"

The crimson-red eyed man clicked his tongue, while he released the grip on your wrists, "So you mean it?"

You stepped back and gave a playful smile, "On second thought, I'm going to sleep," you turned back, as his warm hands, grabbed yours. You looked back at him and folded your arms, "Fair game. You went off without responding; I'll go without responding. I'll go to bed now—"

"Do you mean it?" He repeated.

You hesitated to tell the truth, but his eyes were pleading. You nodded "Yes, I do,"

His eyes went round, as the corner of his mouth curved into a smirk, "Alright, alright, I'm going to bed,"

Your brows furrowed, "What? That's it?!"

Bakugou was still smirking, "Yeah, I think I'm fucking sleepy," he nodded, "You?"

You wanted to kill him. That's it?! You didn't even got a proper reaction. He didn't even acknowledged it! You rolled your eyes and acted like you didn't care, "Whatever, I'm going to bed," you turned back, and was about to take a step.

Bakugou's husky voice mumbled, "Want to go together?" you peered at the crimson-red eyes, glaring at you full of lust.

— • —

His soft lips met yours exactly when he locked your room. His warm rough hands clasped your hips, as he pushed you on your Lavender bedsheet. He traveled to your neck, biting and giving you love-marks, while you softly moaned. His hands grasped the hem of your shirt, about to catch your breasts, when your eyes went round and gently pushed him away, "Katsuki... I..."

The ash-blond glared at you in confusion, as if his dirty dreams of you were shattered, "Fuck.. did I do anything wrong?"

"What? No, no, no. It's just... you're just doing this because I want you; but you don't really like me right? You're just— "

His fingers touched your lips, "Are you an idiot? D'ya think I'll do those to you if I don't like you?" He smirked, "You were the person I wanna Fuck and Date, (Y/N)...."

"Really?" you whispered.

He smirked as he crawled back to you, "Ofcourse babygirl," he grabbed the hem of your shirt and get it off you, "Where were we again?" he sucked your boobs, and played with the other, you shrieked, and moaned.

"K-aaatsukiii," your gentle voice moaning his name, turned him the fuck on. He pulled down your pajamas and your underwear, while his iconic smirk stamped on his face.

"Damnnnn, you're so wet," He played with your clit and the walls of it. You felt his tongue touching it, as a finger went in your hole. You moaned loudly with his name, while he chuckled, "Babygirl, keep it down, you might wake someone up," he added another finger.

"KATTTSUKIIIII, UGHH!" your moaned in pleasure as he added another finger, "Bakug-UGHH..." He released his fingers on your tight hole, when his husky voice chuckled.

"You like that (Y/N)?"

You nodded and bit your lips, "It's unfair though..." The ash-blond stared at your exposed body, crawling near him. Your hands traced his abs below his shirt, while he intensely looked at your eyes, full of lust. "I've showed you everything... and you're still covered up..." you pulled his shirt above his head, revealing his abs.

Katsuki smirked, "Like what you're seeing babygirl?" you nodded, "Well, (Y/N), you can see more of that," his head bowed and gazed on his sweat-pants, where his cock traced. You sprinted and pulled his pants, then his underwear down.

Your eyes went round at the sight of his huge hard member that was trobbing.

He brushed his member on yours, as you moaned in pleasure, "Baby don't tease,"

Bakugou chuckled, "So we're really gonna Fuck," His cock slowly went in.

"UGHHH.... Kat---sukiii," when he fully entered, his husky voice moaned in delight and push-pulled in your hole.

"Babygirl, you're so tight," his sweat was dripping, while you clutched your Lavender-bedsheets, "Shit, shit, shit, I'm gonna cum,"

"Holy.... Katsuki," you moaned. He licked the mess he made you, as both of you panted. His back was lying down your bed, as he cuddled you in your sleep. The sound of thunder booming outside, and the moaning of both of you inside, came to an end.

Both of your bodies collided, exposed to one another. Bakugou chuckled, "Let's thank those extra fuckers. Without that damn game, we wouldn't be doing this," he placed a soft kiss on your forehead.

— • —

BONUS:

The ash-blond sprinted out your room. It was fucking morning. He hasten outside, hoping that nobody would be hanging outside (Y/N)'s room. His crimson red-eyes gazed on his route in-front.

Clear, clear, fucking clear.

"BAKUGOU?!" two voice thundered. It was Ashido and Uraraka.

Mission failed.

The male slowly looked back at them, acting like nothing happened, "What, you dumb fucks?!"

Ashido's eyes were still round, "Did something happened between you and (Y/N)?!"

Was he gonna deny? The hell not. He enjoyed what happened to both of you.

He nodded, "Yeah,"

Ashido and Uraraka looked at each other as they smiled, "We'll keep our mouths zipped,"

END

by: i.k.

follow for more reasons to go to church! amen hallelujah

click on lemon emojis for more lemons:

🍋 ; 🍋 ; 🍋 ; 🍋 ; 🍋

[jackbabewang]

Deadly sin: Lust

Pairing: Jaehyun x Reader

Genre: Churchboy au, Smut

Word Count: 1,464

「 sorta church helper/choir member jaehyun who’s popular in your hometown and he’s really nice but then you were both at the same party one night you saw him being everything but.. and then he approached you telling u to keep it a secret then he does things to u 」 by @namphyun​

Note: There’s this similar scenario before so I’ll only write the later part of it ;)

Everything happens so fast. One second you were exchanging words with Jaehyun when he made his approach, and the next you’re being dragged away from all the fun for something even better.

Jaehyun pins you against the door as soon as it closes behind and crashes his lips onto yours. Large hands all over you as he plunders your mouth, tasting of alcohol—vodka, gin, beer, wine—it doesn’t matter which, on your tongue.

You can feel the hard planes of his chest, the muscles beneath your hands. You’ve forgotten everything about that has transpired in between. You’ve forgotten anything that stood between your bodies, besides the fabric of his shirt, separating your hand from the thud of his heart. The brandy which has entered your blood minutes ago rises to flush your cheeks.

Another caress of his tongue on yours. He slowly lifts the hem of your dress, exposing more of your skin as the fabric of his slacks brushing over. It awakens a deep yearning inside you. It’s a want so fundamental you can’t imagine how it has remained dormant in his presence until now. This version of Jaehyun is unforeseen however much needed, you need to have him close. To press yourself against him, violating your natural modesty.

As if he can taste your desire on your lips, his hand inches up to cup your breasts. Thumb and forefinger rolling, and you feel that touch clearly through the layers of fabric. A shot of pleasure went through. It’s almost too intense, too intimate for you to bear. You pull away, just so you can steady your hands on his shoulders.

He stares down at you with lidded eyes and flashes a brilliant grin. “I suppose…” he murmurs, “my secret is safe with you.”

You can’t answer, partially because the way he kissed you has sent your head spinning. Moreover you’ve possessed a secret within a secret, the larger secret being that you’re engaging in an unplanned and impulsive sexual activity, with the most loved church boy, at this wild, wild party.

Instead, you reach out and place your fingertips against his lips. His breath heats them with a kiss, gently nibbling them.

Overjoyed, you lean in and kiss him, slowly, leisurely, as if you have all the time in the world.

Jaehyun is impatient, though, he buries his face in your neck, licking and sucking harshly with the intent to drive you insane. You’re becoming increasingly wetter by the minute and before you know it, he spins you around and has your palms pressing flat against the surface.

His hands smooth a trail up to your bottom, gripping hard and kneading your rounded flesh. Finally he removes your sodden panties, dampness pooled shamefully between your legs. A physical proof of something you loath to admit but it feels just too good even without him doing anything. Yet.

“Look at you.” Jaehyun nudges your feet apart so your stance is wider than shoulder width. You obey willingly, only to gasp when he runs his fingers excitedly along your slit. Swiftly, he gathers your intense arousal and pushes them past his lips. “Mm… I love how you taste.”

With the same fingers, they slip inside your wet sheath and start the slow, torturous rhythm that has you falling apart in exactly 10.2 seconds.

“Do you want me entirely as well? Tell me. Tell me you want my cock deep inside of you, giving us both the pleasure we crave.”

Those filthy words spewing from his mouth, it’s unbelievable that he also sings to everyone of Christ, praises the name of Jesus and the Lord Almighty, forming prayers that help one’s soul finds peace.

“Please!” you find yourself blurting eagerly, in desperation.

“Oh, bitch,” he growls, quickly undo the fastenings that kept his hot desire in check. The solid bulge in his groin has been struggling to escape the confines of his pants.

Giving himself a few pumps, clear lubricating fluid flows from the tip of his throbbing dick. He lets out a satisfied groan as the head rubs against your passion-swollen lips, teasingly and repetitively. “Put it in yourself, baby.”

And you push yourself against him, moaning with the newfound pleasure when he easily slides right into you. The excessive wetness allows him to bottom out. So wet, the squelching sounds as he plunges in and out of you can be heard clearly over your moans and his grunts. Though whoever walks down the corridor will know the dirty doings, you care less of it.

Jaehyun fucks you mercilessly, punishing your pussy and you lost all control of your body. Nails clawing the door with nothing to hold on to, and it shakes vigorously with each snap of his hips, the hinges threatening to break off its place. 

He leans forward, pulling you flush against him and a hand comes to your breasts, tugging erected nipples. Meanwhile, the other travels south to find your clitoris, stroking, increasing his pressure on the sensitive flesh.

“F-Fuck Jaehyun… You’re s-so big… Feels so good…”

At that comment, he moves his mouth and nips at the skin behind your ear. “Amen to that,” his devilish chuckles send waves of shivers down your spine, you feel the wildness in him. Unaware, the tip of his pink tongue darts out to run over the shell of your ear. Trailing to the column of your neck and he bites down, clenching with his teeth.

Even with the things he’s doing to you, his hips never stopped in motion. Each thrusts hard and deep, penetrating and stretching you to accommodate his girth. It should have been uncomfortable. Hell, it should have hurt. But it isn’t. It is perfect. He is perfect, and your body takes him as if they’ve been designed for one another.

Wetness trickles down your thighs and he picks up pace again, his jaw clenches, his gaze focuses only on you. You clasp around him, wanting to make him feel good as well, wanting to give him everything you have to offer.

His thrusts become disjointed as he says, “I will cum inside you baby, I will.”

“Yes! Yes! Oh, God. Yes!”

Fire burns through, flooding every nerve from your toes to the top of your head with pleasure. Two more thrusts and he roars out his release, sending your own climax blasting through. He continues to plunge deep inside you, milking himself for every last drop of seed.

Again, he buries his face in your neck and withdraw himself, you groan at the feeling of loss. White, hot, mixture of fluid slowly oozing from your abused hole. Before it can drip to the marble floor, he catches with two of his fingers and dips it back in.

“So sexy,” he says with a strained voice. “You will do that again for me, I love to watch you cum, is my favorite thing in the world.”

The digits fuck in and out just as his cock took your pussy. Each pass of his fingers seem to send a surge of fire into you, edging the flames of desire higher and higher instead of sating them. Your eyes roll back from the enormous amount of pleasure. Two fingers become three, and he crooks them inside so they rub your quivering walls and hit a spot deep inside that has you biting your lips and thrashing your head. Your belly in knots and your knees buckle. Thankfully Jaehyun has an arm wrapped around your waist and hastily bring you to another orgasm. He pulls out his fingers, spreading the wetness over your mound before licking them clean. “Sweet cunt. My sweet cunt.” Somehow you feel yourself getting riled up once again at the sight of him sucking off your juices.

You press yourself against the door, catching your breath and slowly coming down from your high. It was all too much for you to take in, yet you survived his seductive tortures. He cleans you up naturally and fixes your dress, rubbing your sides in a soothing manner, “I’ll see you tomorrow, sweetheart.” He leans over, tenderly kisses your cheeks, your temples.

Who knew you’d walk in to this party and ending the night with a mind blowing sex, with a handsome man, probably not in an ideal place. A flash of cold clear panic rushes through your blood at the thought of what awaits you the next day. It’s a Sunday. The things you’ve done for tonight, how badly you need the blood of Jesus to cleanse them all. You’re ready to get down on your knees, wholeheartedly, begging for His forgiveness.

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

29th June >> Mass Readings (Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia & Canada)

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles 

    or

Monday, Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time.

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles

(Liturgical Colour: Red)

First Reading

Acts of the Apostles 12:1-11

'Now I know the Lord really did save me from Herod'

King Herod started persecuting certain members of the Church. He beheaded James the brother of John, and when he saw that this pleased the Jews he decided to arrest Peter as well. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread, and he put Peter in prison, assigning four squads of four soldiers each to guard him in turns. Herod meant to try Peter in public after the end of Passover week. All the time Peter was under guard the Church prayed to God for him unremittingly.

On the night before Herod was to try him, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, fastened with double chains, while guards kept watch at the main entrance to the prison. Then suddenly the angel of the Lord stood there, and the cell was filled with light. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him. ‘Get up!’ he said ‘Hurry!’ – and the chains fell from his hands. The angel then said, ‘Put on your belt and sandals.’ After he had done this, the angel next said, ‘Wrap your cloak round you and follow me.’ Peter followed him, but had no idea that what the angel did was all happening in reality; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed through two guard posts one after the other, and reached the iron gate leading to the city. This opened of its own accord; they went through it and had walked the whole length of one street when suddenly the angel left him. It was only then that Peter came to himself. ‘Now I know it is all true’ he said. ‘The Lord really did send his angel and has saved me from Herod and from all that the Jewish people were so certain would happen to me.’

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 33(34):2-9

R/ From all my terrors the Lord set me free.

or

R/ The angel of the Lord rescues those who revere him.

I will bless the Lord at all times,

his praise always on my lips;

in the Lord my soul shall make its boast.

The humble shall hear and be glad.

R/ From all my terrors the Lord set me free.

or

R/ The angel of the Lord rescues those who revere him.

Glorify the Lord with me.

Together let us praise his name.

I sought the Lord and he answered me;

from all my terrors he set me free.

R/ From all my terrors the Lord set me free.

or

R/ The angel of the Lord rescues those who revere him.

Look towards him and be radiant;

let your faces not be abashed.

This poor man called, the Lord heard him

and rescued him from all his distress.

R/ From all my terrors the Lord set me free.

or

R/ The angel of the Lord rescues those who revere him.

The angel of the Lord is encamped

around those who revere him, to rescue them.

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

He is happy who seeks refuge in him.

R/ From all my terrors the Lord set me free.

or

R/ The angel of the Lord rescues those who revere him.

Second Reading

2 Timothy 4:6-8,17-18

All there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me

My life is already being poured away as a libation, and the time has come for me to be gone. I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; all there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that Day; and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his Appearing.

The Lord stood by me and gave me power, so that through me the whole message might be proclaimed for all the pagans to hear; and so I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from all evil attempts on me, and bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation

Matthew 16:18

Alleluia, alleluia!

You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.

And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 16:13-19

You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ Then Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are the Christ,’ he said ‘the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

—————————-

Monday, Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time 

(Liturgical Colour: Green)

First Reading

Amos 2:6-10,13-16

Because of your crimes I will crush you into the ground

The Lord says this:

For the three crimes, the four crimes, of Israel

I have made my decree and will not relent:

because they have sold the virtuous man for silver

and the poor man for a pair of sandals,

because they trample on the heads of ordinary people

and push the poor out of their path,

because father and son have both resorted to the same girl,

profaning my holy name,

because they stretch themselves out by the side of every altar

on clothes acquired as pledges,

and drink the wine of the people they have fined

in the house of their god...

Yet it was I who overthrew the Amorites when they attacked,

men tall as cedars and strong as oaks,

I who destroyed them,

both fruit above ground

and root below.

It was I who brought you out of the land of Egypt

and for forty years led you through the wilderness

to take possession of the Amorite’s country.

See then how I am going to crush you into the ground

as the threshing-sledge crushes when clogged by straw;

flight will not save even the swift,

the strong man will find his strength useless,

the mighty man will be powerless to save himself.

The bowman will not stand his ground,

the fast runner will not escape,

the horseman will not save himself,

the bravest warriors will run away naked that day.

It is the Lord who speaks.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 49(50):16-23

R/ Mark this, you who never think of God.

‘How can you recite my commandments

and take my covenant on your lips,

you who despise my law

and throw my words to the winds?

R/ Mark this, you who never think of God.

‘You who see a thief and go with him;

who throw in your lot with adulterers,

who unbridle your mouth for evil

and whose tongue is plotting crime.

R/ Mark this, you who never think of God.

‘You who sit and malign your brother

and slander your own mother’s son.

You do this, and should I keep silence?

Do you think that I am like you?

R/ Mark this, you who never think of God.

‘Mark this, you who never think of God,

lest I seize you and you cannot escape;

a sacrifice of thanksgiving honours me

and I will show God’s salvation to the upright.’

R/ Mark this, you who never think of God.

Gospel Acclamation

John 8:12

Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the light of the world, says the Lord;

anyone who follows me will have the light of life.

Alleluia!

Or:

Psalm 94:8

Alleluia, alleluia!

Harden not your hearts today,

but listen to the voice of the Lord.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 8:18-22

The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head

When Jesus saw the great crowds all about him he gave orders to leave for the other side. One of the scribes then came up and said to him, ‘Master, I will follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’

Another man, one of his disciples, said to him, ‘Sir, let me go and bury my father first.’ But Jesus replied, ‘Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their dead.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[dailyaudiobible]

07/02/2020 DAB Transcript

2 Kings 20:1-22:2, Acts 21:18-36, Psalms 150:1-6, Proverbs 18:9-10

Today is the 2nd day of July welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it’s great to be here with you today as we…well…we’re just kinda getting’ moved into this 7th month and just settling into the second half of the year and getting’ ready for the long walk in a few days, but we are here and we are here now and the next step forward will lead us back into second Kings. We’ve been reading the story about King Hezekiah and we have a few more days before we will conclude the book of second Kings and move forward there. But like I said, we are here. So, let's dive in. Second Kings chapter 20 verse 1 through 22 verse 2 today. And we’re reading from the Christian Standard Bible this week.

Commentary:

Okay. So, in the book of Acts we’ve been journeying with the apostle Paul for a while now, sailing around, watching churches form, watching antagonism grow, and watching Paul be thrown out of cities and move on to the next. And we’ve then seen him move toward Jerusalem and find that he's being warned all along the way that nothing…nothing pleasant is waiting for him in Jerusalem anyway. And Paul has been instructed by the Holy Spirit to go to Jerusalem, even though he knows that affliction and chains are in his future. So, Paul sailed back to Caesarea yesterday, which is on the Mediterranean coast of Israel and then moved and inland, south east up to Jerusalem. So, he's in Jerusalem today and he makes himself known to the Jerusalem church and they obviously know this is volatile situation and it's here that we see Paul is the lightning rod because he's been branded a heretic by some and is suspected of heresy by others among the Hebrew people and among the Hebrew people who believe in Jesus. So, it's very easy for us to simply see Paul moving around and telling people about Jesus and people pushing back on that and the Jews being jealous of him and pushing back on that and just think, “well…this…this is what it took to bring the Good News. It was opposed and evil was set against it. And those things all can be true, but underneath all that is the story of what's going on here in the early church. So, we had the Jerusalem Council which…which was a counsel that effectively attempted to answer the question, “who gets to be in? Who gets to be a disciple of Jesus? What do they have to do? What's the criteria?” This is a big deal in the early church because you have one side of things, the Hebrew side of things, very resolutely defending their position that Jesus himself was Jewish, he was a Hebrew rabbi, he commented and taught on the Hebrew Scriptures, he lived in a Hebrew context. It's just that he was the Messiah and fulfilled the law, which for them wasn't to say that the law is abolished, and no one should live in that context. Nobody was being told to jettison their Hebrewness or even their Hebrew religiousness. Jesus was the continuation of that Hebrew story, a story that has had its ups and downs over thousands of years by that time. We’re reading that story. We know it has its ups and downs as we read through it, even thousands more years in the future. But for these Hebrew believers there's no conversion. Their Messiah came. Like this is the fulfillment and they are going to continue to follow Jesus and continue to follow the law and revere it and live within its context, and that's what they believe anyone who wants to follow Jesus should do. And fair enough. That is a valid argument. On the other side you have people like Paul and even the apostle Peter, although we'll see later that the apostle Peter, kind of swayed back and forth…like was trying to live in both worlds and Paul confronts him about it and we’ll see this soon enough in the Scriptures. So, Paul has been ministering to the Gentiles. There has been a church council about this. Everyone has agreed, like nobody can obey the law perfectly. It's been done by Jesus, but nobody has ever since its institution has ever been able to live up to it perfectly. And, so, the argument was, these Gentile people who are coming to faith in Christ, do they have to become Jewish to follow Jesus, or can they just follow Jesus since they don't really know anything about Judaism? They haven't been raised up in it. They're not familiar with the culture at all. They are former pagans. That is a tough question to reason out if you are in this situation. And, so, what they did was take a cue from the Holy Spirit. In other words, it's too difficult of a situation to actually make a decision. But the Holy Spirit has made this decision because the Holy Spirit is coming upon Gentile people who are confessing faith in Christ. So, God is making this decision, not us. The thing is, not everybody was on board with that and still isn't on board with that. So, there is disagreement here at the very beginning. There’s disagreement about how things are supposed to work among the early church. So, Paul has his detractors who are believers in Jesus, but he has a vastly large amount of detractors among the Hebrew people because Paul is a trained Pharisee who has essentially, at least in their minds, turned his back on Moses, the Mosaic law with that God gave that has led this people and built their culture. He’s turned his back on this and is now claiming this Jesus guy and he's out spreading this Jesus message all over the world to Jews and Gentiles alike so that this doesn't really look like classical Judaism anymore. So, Paul is very easily branded a heretic in their minds they want to kill him. That's what's swirling around here. So, Paul coming back to Jerusalem where he was trained as a Pharisee, where he held the coats of people who work killing Stephen, the first Christian martyr, where he was getting letters from the high priest to travel around and round up these people, he shows back up in Jerusalem as an ambassador for this Jesus. So, the leaders of the church in Jerusalem are like, “this is a powder keg waiting to blow. Lots of people think they you are teaching things. You are…you are instructing Hebrew people to abandon the law and just follow Jesus. You’re saying all kinds of stuff and you are…you are in the heart of it all. So we gotta show the you know the culture, that they you understand and you observe the Mosaic law and that you are a Jew.” And, so, they come with this plan. There’s vows that are gonna be taken, there’s heads that are gonna be shaved, Paul's gonna pay for it. It's a very religious thing, that Hebrew people, very, very, very devout would do here. And, so, this is what Paul agrees to do and things are going well until he's recognized. So, we leave today's reading in the book of Acts and Paul is in chains, two of them to be specific, since the book of Acts gave us the detail. He’s chained with two chains. The people are swirling around this, like the mob mentality is in force and they're trying to kill Paul and it's the Roman soldiers that come in and pick Paul up and carry him out and we leave today's reading trying to figure out what's going on. That's where the Roman soldiers are, “what is happening? who is this guy? What has he done?” And what we’re goona see, even though we've seen some pretty amazing things happen on the journeys of Paul and with the establishment of the churches, that Paul will never be free again for the rest of his life but his influence is only gonna grow.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word and we thank You for this look, this ability to look back and look objectively at the difficulties that were happening and the challenges that were being faced. And that…that helps us to interpret our own times, but it also helps us in our own hearts and lives as we follow the paths of those who have gone before us. And, so, come Holy Spirit and continue to lead and guide our steps as we continue to become more and more aware of Your presence in our lives. Come Jesus we pray. In Your mighty name, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, home base and indeed where you find out what's going on around here.

And what is coming up and going on around here is preparations for the 7th of July, which is our own little family Global Campfire holiday. It’s a day we set aside, go for a long walk with God. It’s called the long walk and that's…that's it. Go somewhere beautiful. Go for a long walk with God understanding that this is the middle of the year and it's time, right? We’ve been too busy we’ve been too frantic. It's been too crazy out there and our fleeting prayers, yes, we are staying in touch with the Lord but we need a long walk and everything that we need to say needs to get said everything that we need to hear needs to get heard. It's a re-group, a re-centering as we prepare for the second half of the year. So, that's the long walk, that happens every July 7th. It's something that you do alone but it's something that we do together. And, so, you know, I'll be going for a long walk, knowing that I may be walking by myself, but I'm not alone. Brothers and sisters all over the world are doing the same thing and together we are listening for the voice of the Lord in our lives to give us direction in the…in the coming months. So, make plans for that. This year is a little special. We have a brand-new resource that's gonna release because it’s so…it wasn't made for the long walk but it's perfect for the long walk, it’s called Hearts, a contemplative journey. And it's a guided prayer and musical journey exploring the depths of the emotions of our lives that we've been experiencing and just inviting God fully into those specific things. Kind of a great way to begin a long walk, to just acknowledge some things, to invite God into those things and to find comfort in melody and music and harmony and nature and beauty and opening ourselves from the frantic chaos that has been swirling around us because it takes some time to quiet our soul to be still. As the Bible describes it like…like a weaned child at its mother's asked. And that's the place we’re looking for, is this place that transcends all of the anxieties and regrets that we’re facing, all of the prospects for where this is all going, all of our fears, all of our aspirations, to get behind all of that to where God is and to where we truly are. We live in these circumstances, but that's not us. That's just what we are conscious of and facing. But behind it all is place that knows that He is God and that we are in the palm of His hand and we just need to find that place and that place can be found like this, going for a long walk and pouring out our souls and being still and silent and drinking in the beauty of the day that He gives us each and every day. So, that resource is available on the 7th of July. It is available for preorder now so that will just be waiting for you on the 7th of July. Just look Heart, a contemplative journey or you can search for my name at the iTunes store or Google Play or whatever. You can preorder it now in time for the long walk.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link, it lives on the homepage. I am profoundly humbled, awed and ungrateful for your partnership, especially here as we move into and through the summer. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address, if that is your preference, is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

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And that's it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

[roraruu]

wip: friends

twilight au with no context 

Python’s always glad when he isn’t assigned to nightwatch. Usually, he sneaks off to the local tavern for a few drinks. Tonight is no different, save for the fact that Forsyth and Lukas are with him. The booth feels too squishy and tight with the two of them on either side, making sure he’s firmly locked in. They don’t want the young wenches coming back around their encampment to scream at Python or to drag his drunken ass back home. 

The waitress comes back with another round, spreading ale in front of them. Before he can reach out and sneak a glass between his hands, Lukas deftly pushes it away from him. The knight in red is obviously keeping count and already knows that Python’s a lightweight.

While Lukas and Forsyth discuss the problem of witches and the vampires, Python stares at the foam at the bottom of his ale glass, longing for another taste. He’s already bored out of his mind: if he was alone, he’d more than likely already be with a girl and be drunk, a whole level above sitting between two knights yammering on about how sad and poor that these women have become witches.

Python’s on the opposite side of the court. They wanted power, they got it for a price and that is all she wrote. He stares into his empty glass, thirsting for another drink. He eyes Forsyth’s full mug, and wonders if he will notice if he just sneaks a sip…

“Good evening gentlemen.” 

The conversation stops as Silque steps towards their booth. She’s in her white cleric’s robe, but there’s a cowl over her neck and shoulders and gloves on her hands. Overdressed. Could a sister enter a tavern or was there a holy law against that? Pythons sneaks a glimpse at Forsyth who looks as though his eyes are about to bug out of his head. ”Hello,” he stumbles over. Python snickers, and raises a few fingers in greeting. This will be fun.

“Lady Silque, I didn’t realize that you were coming out tonight. We could have escorted you.” Lukas says.

“I had some house calls to make tonight. And I needed supplies for the church.” She says over the din of a whining fiddle and stomps of feet.

“Care to join us?” Forsyth asks, fully returned to earth at last.

“I think I will pass.” She says, eyeing the glasses of ale. “It seems as though you all are celebrating.”

“Just to another sunset.” Python adds in brusquely. Forsyth jabs him between the ribs.

Silque turns her dark gaze towards him. Her lips curve into a warm smile. “That is truly something to celebrate. Life is precious.” 

Forsyth forces a laugh and eager agreement and out comes a cacophony of pleads for her to join them, that Forsyth will buy her a round or something to eat. She smiles politely.

“I have already eaten, and I’m afraid I don’t drink. But I thank you all the same, Sir Forsyth.” She says. “Although I do need to purchase a bottle of wine from the tavern keep.”

“If you don’t drink, then why are you buyin’ wine?” Python finds himself asking. Lukas gives him a warning look, but echoes his question. 

“Yes, I find that interesting too.” He says. “May I ask why?”

Silque nods and thinly smiles, plying their curiosity. “It will be an offering to Mila. I plan to make a pilgrimage to her nearest house.” She says. 

“Do you have an escort?” Forsyth. Ever ready to play the noble knight. 

“Yes, that would be wise, what with all the bandit incursions and unrest.” Lukas. Prepared for every minor mistake.

The cleric’s brow crinkles slightly. “No, I had planned to go by myself.” She says. “I had never had a problem before.”

“There are witches here now, and who knows what other undead creatures.” Lukas speaks again. “Allow one of us to accompany you, it would give us peace.”

“If you insist.” 

The archer rolls his eyes lamely. He can already see Forsyth jumping out of his skin to play the hero again. No doubt, Python would love the few days of silence and quiet, but the thought of having to hear Forsyth drone on about how “unbelievable” and “shrouded in melancholic beauty” the shrine was. It’s a hole in the ground that’s covered in moss, nothing more, nothing less—

“Python. What do you say to an excursion?” Lukas says.

His head snaps up. “Me?” He asks sharply. “Why should I go?”

“Your resistance to magic is greater than mine or Forsyth’s. Besides, I’m sure Lady Silque would be a wonderful influence on you.” Lukas says. His gaze falls on Python with sharp severity, as if he’s staring into his soul. He knows that look, telling him “pack your bags or go back to the training encampment”

“That is, if you can find the time to leave your camp.” Silque adds. “You have a different duty than my own. And if you wish to join me.”

He feels Lukas and Forsyth’s eyes on him and he sits back against the wooden boards. “Fine.” He says. “Leave tomorrow?”

He can already hear the double lecture coming from Lukas and Forsyth. Gods, his head will be aching until sunset. Then again, something about her is… different, almost attractive. Not in the typical way of dark eyes and a sultry smile. It is almost magnetic, predatory, like the gentle smile and holy aura is a mask, or something akin to the seemingly-gentle looks of a snowy fox. 

He wonders if there is anything hiding behind that smile. Her lips turn back up slightly, the smile not reaching her eyes so that it looks forced. It goes over Forsyth’s head for certain, perhaps even Lukas’s scrupulous gaze, but it doesn’t go past Python’s. He’s got the trained eyes of a hunter and a loveless man; he knows a fake smile when he sees one.

“Yes. That is amenable to me.” Silque says. “I’ll come to the encampment and we can leave then. The shrine is southbound from here.”

“Fine.”

Silque bids them farewell, heading to the bar to order a bottle of wine. Forsyth already begins his soon-to-be hours long lecture on how to treat Lady Silque while he is away with her. But Python ignores the drone of his voice and watches as she graciously takes the bottle of wine from the tavern keep into her gloved hands. She draws the scarf up and around her head, hiding her face.

---

Python lays in his tent for a while, listening to the quiet patter of rain against the canvas. It doesn’t come in, thank Mila, but it wakes him sooner than he’d like to be. 

He knows Silque isn’t… like them. She’s far from it, from the way she carries herself. In his mind, he tries to recall the hazy memories of childhood fairy tales. None stick, blending together to bastardizations of witch princesses and undead knights and necrodragons. 

He rolls over, tugging the scratchy wool blanket to his neck. She’s not a witch, she praises the Mother with every other word out of her mouth. Is there some inverse to a witch perhaps? If there is, he doesn’t know of it. 

But she’s not dead either. She’s not like a Terror, but she’s not… Human. She plays a good game of acting like it, but there is something about her that is so… inhuman, otherworldly.

Too many thoughts, and too early in the morning for them. 

He sits up and rubs at his eyes. He can already feel a headache coming on and it’s barely sunup. He grumbles, throws back water from the skin by his bedroll and reaches for a pack. He throws the blanket and whatever provisions he’s got hidden in here—just some hard bread and old cheese. In the corner, he finds a half finished flask and hides in the waistband of his trousers. He’ll sorely need it if he wants to make this trip. He assumes she’ll be praising Mila all the way down the valley.

Python stretches out, rolling his neck and throwing the bag over his shoulder. He pokes his head out of the tent and already sees Forsyth sitting up by the dying fire pit. He grumbles as the knight gets up from his seat. He’s barely out of the tent when Forsyth is on his way over. He stretches out again as Forsyth opens his yap.

“You’re not to make a fool of the army or our platoon!” Forsyth coarsely reminds him. 

“How am I supposed to enjoy myself then? This is like a mini vacation for me.” Python says as he walks towards the water well. He pulls up a bucket, dunks his head into the brisk water and pulls it out quickly. He can hear Forsyth continue to nag under the water. 

“It is far from a vacation Python!” Forsyth squawks as he shakes away the rest of the water. The knight grimaces as cold droplets hit his face. “There are witches out there and they could kill you in a split second!” 

“Gee, way to instil confidence in me—“

“This isn’t just you crawling back from the tavern, Python. If something happens to Lady Silque, you are responsible for it.” He says, his voice dropping to a beg. “The Mother would be furious if one of her daughters died to a witch!”

“It won’t happen,” Python says, patting Forsyth’s shoulder. The knight reaches out, taking Python’s shoulder. “Besides, she’s probably got some holy spell about her protecting her from sin and all that shit.”

“It’s obviously not working if she’s supposed to be protected from sin…” 

“Hey, I just like to have fun.” He says, pulling his hand away. He turns straight into Lukas, with Silque behind him. The cowl is around her neck, hiding her face. Must be religious wear.

“Good morning.” He greets to the both of them. “Python, Lady Silque is ready to depart.”

“You sure you wanna go in the cold and rain?” He asks.

“Yes.” She says firmly. “There is a cleric covering my patients but only for a short time. I must be as quick as possible.”

“Fine. I’ll be ready in a sec.” he says, glancing back to Forsyth. He leans down, watching the wide-eyed knight and picks up his bag. Again, he feels that magnetic attraction come back, surely something of her own concoction.

He hauls the bag onto his back, fingers finding his bow and quiver. He nods to Silque. “Lead the way Lady.” He says, smirking when he hears Forsyth grimace. 

Silque forces another smile and thanks Lukas warmly. She turns on her heel and begins to depart from the camp, their boots slopping in the mud.

“Thank you for accompanying me.” She says, glancing over her shoulder. Python slinks behind her. 

“No problem.” He says, more focused on the scarf around her face. It is made of thick material, almost like wool. It is dark blue, and embroidered with silver, the thread swirling and curving to make a design that his eyes can’t quite register. The edge of the scarf falls over her shoulder, the edge swaying against her back. One of her hands, still gloved, rests on the flap of a leather bag. It sloshes quietly, the wine inside.

He’s not a fan of religion or the Mother. Knows little of her tenets or holy texts or rules. He thinks this must be some form of modesty or religious wear as silence falls between them like snowflakes. The cleric clears her throat slightly, as if to get his attention before speaking again. “Sir Python, being blunt—“

“I’m not a sir.” He says. “Just Python.”

Silque pauses, continuing to walk ahead. She doesn’t turn her head this time. “Python, we should not be friends.”

His brow raises. 

“I heard what you said, about being a sinner.” She says. “While I thank you for taking care of the witches near my church, I do not want to associate with anyone—“

He feels it again. The aura of inhumanity. She speaks like someone from ages past. Hell, she acts like his great grandmother, what little he can remember of the old bag. 

“I got you.” He says. 

“Do you really?” Silque asks, turning around. The rain hits her face, sparkling against her skin. She looks almost like a Mila Idol, as if carved from marble and blessed. She looks… holy.

“Yes.” He says. “I have little intentions of being friends with you.”

Lie. He’s curious about what she is. Who she is. 

“I am glad we understand each other.” She says, turning back around. The walk is silent and his boots squash against the mud. 

---

The shrine is not far down into the valleys of Zofia. By the afternoon, the rain gets a little thicker, making it muddy along the trails. They slip, boots catching. Their clothes are soaked, bags too.

All of this for some stupid offering. He’s glad she doesn’t want to be friends. 

He’s waiting at the top of the hill while Silque searches for the entrance. He pauses, focusing on the edge of her scarf. The sun is going down and she loosens the cowl a little. His brow furrows when she comes back up to the top of the hill. 

“I’ve found the entrance, come on.” She says.

“What about your scarf. It’s coming undone.”

Her brow furrows as she touches the end. Realization floods her eyes as she pulls it back over her hair. “There.” She says. “Come on.”

He follows her down the hill, watching as she wrenches open the large stone doors. His brow furrows as she lets go of the knocker and steps inside the shrine, letting a worried breath escape her lips. He watches as she breathes a sigh and descends the dark staircase down. It looks like a crypt almost, a mausoleum to the departed souls that once lived close by. It’s freezing gold. Silque lowers her cowl and removes her gloves. Her baby blue hair is damp, turning a darker blue, almost indigo. 

He can hear hooting and hollering down below. Inhuman, gurgling sounds like a guts processing food. He looks at Silque who simply hurries forwards, the sounds of her shoes echoing through the hallways. 

A Terror moves out from a crypt. For a moment, it simply stares at Silque, who pays them no mind. And even stranger, they pay her no mind too. They look past her, like she is one of them. But when the Terror’s eyes focus on him, a guttural hiss bubbles up and echoes through the shrine.

He pulls his bow, quickly nocking an arrow along the indents of his weapon. With less than a breath, he shoots the Terror in the head, knocking it backwards against the old floor.

“Gods, what are you?” He snaps at her. Silque’s brow furrows now, more emotion than he’s seen her show in front of Lukas and Forsyth. “That thing didn’t even look at you!”

“I am a cleric of Mila.” She says slowly, almost repeating it to herself. “I’m under the holy protection of the goddess.”

“I find that hard to believe.” He says lowly.

“I do not care what plies you or not.” She snaps back, hurrying back down the staircase, into the glow of the shrine room.

Python cusses, makes sure the Terror is dead and pulls the arrow out of it’s decaying head. He follows after Silque, watching as she pulls off her leather bag and prepares to make her blessing.

---

Python didn’t realize he had fallen asleep. He opens his eyes to the sight of a Mila Idol. His eyes lazily flicker around the room until he hears the doors go again. He reaches for his bow, snapping up.

Silque slips in, a smear of blood above her lip.

“Oh, Python.” She greets. “Apologies, I did not mean to wake you.”

“You’re bleeding.” He says. 

“Oh?” Her brow furrows again, fingers grazing her upper lip. She stops and wipes it away with the back of her hand. 

“What happened, where did you go?” He asks.

“I just stepped out for some air.”

“And what? Did you hit your face or somethin’?” 

“Yes, I just…” her voice falters as she steps further into the Idol Room. “I needed time to think and I wanted to apologize.”

“Why?”

“I said that we shouldn’t be friends, not that I didn’t want to.” She says. “I find you… difficult to be around.”

“Not the first person to.”

“But you are doing work for church. Therefore I am indebted to you.” Silque says, the tips of her fingers raw. “I propose that we try to at least get along.”

He finds himself nodding. “Fine.”

“I am glad we understand each other.” She says, bowing her head slightly. Her hair sways again as she stands to full height. So strange, her emotions are like whiplash. He could play it off as a woman’s heart being fickle but it’s nothing so simple. There is something off about Silque, and he needs to know what makes her… different.