#essentially one word spoken by a character

[20dimensionsoftangerine]

I put some Very subtle foreshadowing in the latest posted chapter of Properties and I desperately wish I could point at it with a giant sign so you can all pick up on my fun foreshadowing

But I can't. That would be cheating. And spoilers.

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

Master Dialogue Writing Techniques for Engaging Fiction (For Writers)

(Beware, long post!)

As fiction writers, we all know that effective dialogue is essential for bringing our stories and characters to life. After all, the way our protagonists, antagonists, and supporting players speak to one another is one of the primary ways readers get to know them on a deep, intimate level. Dialogue reveals personality, uncovers motivation, and propels the narrative forward in a way that felt narration simply can't match.

But nailing natural, compelling dialogue is easier said than done. It's a craft that takes serious skill to master, requiring writers to have a keen ear for authentic speech patterns, a nimble handle on subtext and implication, and the ability to strike that delicate balance between being true to real-world conversation while also keeping things snappy, dynamic, and laser-focused on the story at hand.

If you're someone who struggles with crafting dialogue that truly sings, never fear. In this in-depth guide, I'm going to dive deep into the techniques and best practices that will help you elevate your dialogue writing to new heights. By the end, you'll have a toolbox full of strategies to ensure that every exchange between your characters is as gripping, revealing, and unforgettable as possible.

The Fundamentals of Effective Dialogue

Before we get into the more advanced nuances of dialogue writing, let's start by covering some of the foundational principles that all great fictional conversations are built upon:

Reveal Character One of the primary functions of dialogue is to give readers a window into who your characters are as people. The way they speak — their word choices, their tone, their body language, their turns of phrase — should provide vivid insight into their personalities, backgrounds, values, quirks, and emotional states.

Think about how much you can glean about someone just from how they communicate in real life. Do they use a lot of slang and shorthand? Are they verbose and flowery with their language? Do they struggle to make eye contact or fail to respond directly to questions? All of these subtle linguistic cues are powerful tools for crafting multi-dimensional characters.

Drive the Plot Forward While revelations about character are crucial, you also want to ensure that your dialogue is constantly pushing the story itself forward. Each exchange should feel purposeful, moving the narrative along by introducing new information, triggering plot points, creating conflict, or prompting characters to make pivotal decisions.

Dialogue that feels aimless or extraneous will ultimately bore readers and detract from the forward momentum of your story. Every line should have a clear intent or function, whether it's uncovering a hidden truth, setting up a future complication, or escalating the tension in a high-stakes moment.

Establish Distinct Voices In a story featuring multiple characters, it's crucial that each person has a clearly defined and differentiated way of speaking. Readers should be able to tell who's talking just from the rhythm, diction, and personality of the dialogue, without any additional context clues.

This doesn't mean every character has to have an over-the-top, hyper-stylized way of communicating. In fact, the most effective character voices often feel grounded and natural. But there should still be distinct markers — whether it's word choice, sentence structure, tone, or speech patterns — that make each person's voice instantly recognizable.

Convey Subtext While the literal words being spoken are important, great dialogue also traffics heavily in subtext — the unspoken emotional undercurrents, power dynamics, and hidden agendas that simmer beneath the surface of a conversation.

The most compelling exchanges happen when characters are communicating on multiple levels simultaneously. Perhaps they're saying one thing out loud while their body language and tone convey a completely different sentiment. Or maybe they're engaged in a subtle war of wits, trading verbal jabs that reveal deeper wells of resentment, attraction, or vulnerability.

Mastering the art of subtext is key to creating dialogue that feels layered, lifelike, and imbued with dramatic tension.

Strategies for Writing Snappy, Realistic Dialogue

Now that we've covered the foundational principles, let's dive into some specific techniques and best practices that will take your dialogue writing to the next level:

Omit Unnecessary Details One of the biggest mistakes many writers make with dialogue is bogging it down with too much extraneous information. In real life, people rarely speak in perfectly composed, grammatically correct full sentences. We stumble over our words, interrupt each other, trail off mid-thought, and pack our speech with filler words like "um," "uh," and "you know."

While you don't want to go overboard with mimicking that messiness, you should aim to strip your dialogue of any overly formal or expository language. Stick to the essentials — the core thoughts, feelings, and information being exchanged — and let the subtext and character voices do the heavy lifting. Your readers will fill in the gaps and appreciate the authenticity.

Master the Art of Subtext As mentioned earlier, crafting dialogue that's rich in subtext is one of the keys to making it feel gripping and lifelike. Think about how much is often left unsaid in real-world conversations, with people dancing around sensitive topics, conveying hidden agendas, or engaging in subtle power struggles.

To layer that sense of unspoken tension into your own dialogue, consider techniques like:

• Having characters contradict themselves or say one thing while their body language says another

• Utilizing loaded pauses, interruptions, and moments of uncomfortable silence

• Injecting subtle sarcasm, skepticism, or implication into a character's word choices

• Allowing characters to talk past each other, missing the unspoken point of what the other person is really saying

The more you can imbue your dialogue with that layered, emotionally-charged subtext, the more it will resonate with readers on a deeper level.

Establish Distinct Voices As mentioned earlier, ensuring that each of your characters has a clearly defined and differentiated speaking voice is crucial for great dialogue. But how exactly do you go about accomplishing that?

One effective strategy is to give each person a unique set of verbal tics, idioms, or speech patterns. Maybe one character is prone to long-winded, flowery metaphors, while another speaks in clipped, efficiency-minded sentences. Perhaps your protagonist has a habit of ending statements with questioning upticks, while the sarcastic best friend always punctuates their barbs with an eye roll.

You can also play with differences in diction, syntax, and even accent/dialect to further distinguish how your characters communicate. The key is to really get to know the unique personality, background, and psychology of each person — then let those elements shine through in how they express themselves.

Lean Into Conflict and Confrontation When it comes to crafting gripping dialogue, conflict is your friend. The most compelling exchanges often arise from characters butting heads, engaging in verbal sparring matches, or working through deep-seated tensions and disagreements.

Conflict allows you to showcase the high stakes, unresolved needs, and deeper emotional currents that are driving your characters. It forces them to make bold choices, reveals aspects of their personalities that might not otherwise surface, and generates the kind of dramatic tension that will really hook your readers.

Of course, you'll want to avoid making every single dialogue scene a full-blown argument. But learning to sprinkle in well-placed moments of friction, confrontation, and clashing agendas is a surefire way to elevate the energy and impact of your character interactions.

Read Your Dialogue Out Loud One of the most valuable tricks for ensuring your dialogue sounds natural and lifelike is to read it aloud as you're writing. Hearing the words out loud will quickly expose any clunky phrasing, overly formal grammar, or inauthentic rhythms that would otherwise go unnoticed on the page.

Pay close attention to how the dialogue rolls off your tongue. Does it have a smooth, conversational flow? Or does it feel stilted and unnatural? Are your characters' unique voices shining through clearly? Are there any spots where the back-and-forth starts to drag or feel repetitive?

Actively listening to your dialogue — and making adjustments based on how it sounds in the real world — is an essential part of the writing process. It's one of the best ways to refine and polish those character interactions until they feel truly alive.

Hopefully, this can help you all!

The key is to always keep your focus on authenticity. Ask yourself: how would real people actually speak?

Hey fellow writers! I'm super excited to share that I've just launched a Tumblr community. I'm inviting all of you to join my community. All you have to do is fill out this Google form, and I'll personally send you an invitation to join the Write Right Society on Tumblr! Can't wait to see your posts!

[utterlyotterlyx]

A Ballad of Storm and Shadow

Azriel x F!Reader

Part One

Summary - Rhys had been content in taking the darkest secret of his family to the grave, but when the threat of Hybern increases, he has no choice but to send a message to another world and pray to the Mother that his call is answered.

Warnings - angst, mentions of war, tension, fluff, touch of sadness and longing

This is a crossover series, some aspects will differ from that in the books. Physical attributes are described in this fic, it is essential to the storyline of the character

Rain spattered against the ledge, the open window allowing the tears of the sky to coat the black glossed paint with their sadness. Azriel watched them inquisitively, noting how each droplet fell further into the room than the last, his shadows pecked along the ground to dry the dampened spots and it was a welcome distraction from the conversation encircling the room.

The storm raged on overhead, cracks of lightening slicing across the sky every few moments, the clouds rumbling their anger throughout the city. A harmony to the idea of war.

There was no avoiding it. The war, that is. It had consumed Azriel's every thought as he played out every possible scenario in his mind, ones where they all made it out alive, and the ones where they all perished alongside Prythian. It was those visions that kept him up at night, flashes of Cassian's bloodied face lifeless against the earth, wings torn and soul withered, were enough to make him desperate enough to the point that he'd give anything to avoid it.

Azriel ran his marred hands over the curve of his leathers, soothing down each muscle and drifting over every glowering siphon attached to his body, doing his best to pull himself from the images that plagued his waking moments and sleepless nights.

If Rhys were speaking then Azriel would have been listening, but, surprisingly, he wasn't. Rhys stared dead ahead, nails digging into his nails beds and jaw clenching along with the reeling thoughts plaguing his own mind, staring right ahead at the corner of the table placed in the centre of the seating area at the River House. Azriel wasn't the only one who noticed, Amren had halted her words to slice through his train his thought, "Are you going to say anything?"

Rhys' gaze pulled from its formerly trained spot at the table edge toward his second in command, and it was clear that there was something he wasn't sharing with his family. His eyes drifted about the room, landing on each one of them in turn before they landed on Feyre and wavered slightly. Azriel couldn't blame his brother for his fear, he had finally gotten everything he had ever wanted after all the horrors he had endured, and now that picture perfect life was being threatened.

But something still wasn't right. Rhys was too consumed in his mind to pay any real attention to what Amren was saying, what plans were being spoken of, and that wasn't like Rhys. It wasn't like Rhys at all to blatantly ignore words spoken that could aid them in their collective efforts against Hybern. Azriel couldn't exactly be too picky about it though, considering he too was ignoring the firedrake fumbling plans into fruition, also too consumed by his own demons.

"The High Lords will be convening in three days time," his words were tense, his eyes burning, "Give me one night to think. We can start on this tomorrow," Rhys ran his hand over his face and leaned back in his chair, inhaling deeply and pinching the bridge of his now.

"The future of this continent, your home, is threatened, and you wish to speak of this tomorrow?" Amren scoffed, her silver eyes dancing under the faelight in warning.

Rhys rose from his seat, having had enough of the incessant drawls of war and death and offered Feyre his hand, a hand that she took willingly and stood at his side, fingers wrapped around his forearm and body drifting beside him, "Yes, I do. I cannot think when this is all you're speaking of, Amren. I am High Lord, and I need to think about how to spare my family and my people from this."

Instead of retorting in a way only she could, Amren contained her fury and buried it deep within her core, "Fine." Amren almost spat at his feet, but he paid no mind to it, he didn’t have the energy to go head-to-head with Amren that night, not when there was a much more pressing matter to attend to.

So, Rhys took Feyre to bed, and made sure that she was sound asleep before removing himself from her embrace. He threw an onyx silken shirt over his body but didn’t bother strewing up any of the buttons, content in allowing the night air to glide across his skin, he wasn’t sure how long he was going to able to appreciate its touch.

The High Lord of Night paced through the River House swiftly, not wanting to disturb any member of his family or alert them to his movements, and as soon as he stood on an ornately stunning balcony, the same he had stood on with Feyre that night on Starfall, did he unfurl his glorious wings and take to the skies, determined to reach the place that he hadn’t visited in over 200 years. A pool of starlight lay within a small valley within the mountains, not too far from the cabin but recluse enough for no one to be able to find it unless they knew that it lay there.

It had been too long since he had been there, but the all too familiar aura curled around him like a lost hound and pulled him down to it. The pool twinkled in greeting, reflecting the endless wonder of the sky above, and Rhys then remembered just how small it was, and just how long it had been since he peered into it or drifted his fingers along its rippling surface.

None other than he knew of what it truly was - not even his mate- it was a thin veil between worlds, a veil he used to send messages through often in hope that they’d find the one intended for, and he would wait for hours at a time for a whisper of a response. One time he had waited an entire day, desperate to hear her voice on the wind, hauntingly mesmerising like a siren to a sea captain, replying to his message with her usual level of warmth and understanding.

Then one day he just stopped visiting the place, the weight of her void had become too much to bear, too much that he had made the selfish decision to try and move on, to live his life in anyway that he could. Part of Rhys thought that she would have commended him for it, that she would have understood and that she was somewhere and knew of his strength, pain, and success of finding his mate.

But it had been so long. Rhys wasn’t sure if the pool was being monitored from her end, and he was terrified that his plea would fall upon deaf ears. But she was the only one who could help them, the only one powerful enough to give them any real chance of surviving. That power was the reason she had been sent away in the first place.

Rhys fell to his knees at the bank of the water, the contact of his markings without their twin flames in the snow causing the pool to ripple and hum with eons old yearning, and the stars within it began to glow, eager and ready to pull his words from his lips and sail them through the veil. He lowered himself to the surface, his face reflecting in the water showing him just how exhausted he had appeared, and the pool knew it, it knew of his desperation and rippled in a way that Rhys was sure it would split open at any given moment.

But, the water settled and shuddered, the gate between him and the one he thought of often still firmly in place.

"I'm sorry that it's been so long," he began, not knowing what to say to soften the blow but wanting to believe that she wasn't angry at him for it, and hoping that she too was thriving wherever her feet carried her. "If it means anything, I have missed you, and not a day has passed where I haven't thought of you," he fiddled with his fingers, his breath sending gentle wisps of steam rising into the air, "I found my mate. You'd like her, I think. She's my High Lady now, things have certainly changed."

"We are going to war. The Cauldron is in the grasp of our enemy and it threatens to devour the continent as we know it, and I fear that none of us with survive the destruction. I suppose I just wanted to speak to you, to say that I'm sorry I haven't visited in so long, and to let you know that I love you despite our distance. I may not survive what's to come, but I just wanted you to know that, and if there's any way you could come and save my ass then that would be greatly appreciated," he spoke the last words with a soft chuckle.

Rhys often thought of what she looked like, she had been only a girl when she was sent away, thrust through a portal with no way of knowing how to get back if she wished it. The day he heard her whisper through the pool had been the best day of his life, and on some level, he knew it still was in a sense. In those days, Rhys knew that she was alive, she may have been struggling but at least her heart was still beating and soul was raining havoc.

He wasn't sure of what he was expecting, he knew the chances of a reply were slim to nothing, but his heart still sank when the pool rippled with intoxicating silence.

Rhys waited another hour at least, but when the stars within the pool began to dim, he knew that it was time to leave. He rose to his feet, his soul solemn and heavy, and he couldn't bring himself to glance backward at the water as he ascended to the skies.

It was a pity really, for if he had turned around for but a moment, he would have seen the pool sparkle to life.

Azriel was curious.

It wasn't often that he found Rhys to be hiding something from him, or any of them for that matter. It was the beauty of their shared family, they knew all of the worst things about one another, from actions to thoughts, and nothing was counted as being too ferocious to accept.

But Azriel knew that Rhys was hiding something, his High Lord had been on edge from the moment he had returned to the River House after sneaking out that night, under the impression that no one had known of his time away. But Azriel knew everything, every single move was accounted for thanks to his shadows and his own keen hearing.

The Shadowsinger had merely thought that Rhys needed a moment to himself to think, but as the time stretched on, it seemed that Rhys was on a mission of sorts, and Azriel's suspicions became clear when he saw his brother the next morning, hair askew and eyes occasionally flickering through the window to a certain spot against the mountain face.

Rhys had worn the same expression for three days, not even Feyre could get him to talk to her about what it was that had him so concerned. But Azriel couldn't miss the longing in his eyes each time he passed by the window, like he was expecting someone to float up to the glass pane and solve all of their problems.

The day had come to meet with the High Lords, and the location had been set at the Dawn Court Palace, Thesan had always been the perfect mediator, besides, Cassian had been banned from Summer which automatically ruled that location from the list.

To Azriel's understanding, Rhys hadn't uttered a single word to anyone all morning, not even a single scold toward Cassian and Mor for their incessant bickering. It was worrying Feyre, Azriel noticed, he saw the emotion sketched into her furrowed brow each time she would try and speak to her mate to only be ignored. It seemed as though only Azriel and Feyre, and perhaps Amren, had noticed it.

The silence continued all the way to the Dawn Court, and Rhys' brooding only lightened when Helion appeared after his lacklustre greeting to Kallias and Viviane, spurring Rhys to remember the reason why they were there, what they had to do in order to give Prythian a fighting chance against Hybern and the Cauldron.

Helion jerked his chin toward Feyre, asking, "Does Tamlin know what she is?"

Rhys, his sadness wavering for a moment as they stood before the doors to the meeting chamber, spoke, "If you mean beautiful and clever, then yes - I think he does."

Azriel watched Helion closely, taking a tentative step toward his High Lord and Lady as the High Lord of Day sent Rhys a unimpressed flat glare, "Does he know that she is your mate, and High Lady?"

Ignoring Viviane's squeal, Rhys answered, picking a loose thread from his jacket and allowing it to float to the ground, "If he arrives then I suppose we will find out."

"I always liked you, Rhysand," Helion said after a lethally dark chuckle, knowing just how powerful he was in comparison to Rhys' brothers; he rolled his shoulders and glanced to Nesta, his gaze lingering whilst he enquired of who she was.

"She is my sister," Azriel didn't miss the muffled flinch that sliced across Rhys' face, "She will tell her story when the others are here."

Skittering steps against the pale golden stone pulled the attention of the Inner Circle toward Thesan who was surrounded by his highly alert Peregryns, beings who seemed a little too on edge.

"I hate to interrupt," Thesan drawled with wary eyes before they landed on Rhys, "But there is a woman I have never seen before in the meeting chamber, she says that you sent for her."

No one could miss how Rhys' entire body language changed from lax to urgent, his posture straightening and eyes boring into the doors of the chamber as though he could see through them; his breathing quickened, and it became apparent that whoever the woman was had been the cause of his ire for the last three days.

Begrudgingly, Rhys followed Thesan's order to wait for the others, Tarquin seemed less than pleased to be stood before Rhys, and it wasn't long until Beron and Eris rounded the corner of the corridor, sneering and spitting their horrid words, sending warning glares to Cassian and Azriel in particular for the scuffle between the two courts over the now High Lady of the Night Court and Lucien Vanserra.

Opening the doors, the woman lounging in the chair facing their entrance was not the person Rhys had been longing to see, Azriel deduced that much from the instant droop of his shoulders before he fully even saw her face. She sat in one of the deep rooted chairs, legs strewn over the arm and a dagger pricking into each one of her fingers, not hard enough to break the skin.

She was glad in a green dress that extenuated her long legs and her utterly wild scent had enveloped the room, a scent of lemon verbena and crackling embers, her blonde hair was well tamed and pinned backward in a loose yet luxurious ensemble, and power poured off of her in searing waves.

"And who exactly are you?"

A grin formed on her lips at the defensive question directed her way by Helion, and she rolled her eyes incredulously in response, sliding her legs from the arm and propping her elbows upon them, "Is that any way to greet a guest?" The tip of her dagger scratched into the wood of her seat, a curved and lethal weapon not of Prythian, "They really don't have any manners," she spoke loudly, directing the comment elsewhere.

Large hands clasped around the back of her seat and a flash of white hair reflected against the dying sunlight, "She did tell us that they were going to be apprehensive of us, Fireheart." The woman hummed, seemingly unphased by who she was trapped in a room with, anyone else would have been quaking in their boots at the knowledge of it.

"I didn't think she was being serious-"

"You haven't answered the question. Tell us who you are and why you're here, or-"

"Or what?" The woman's gold ringed eyes glistened, hungry and bristling with a flame Rhys, nor any of them, had ever witnessed. She rose from the seat, "You'll hurt us? I'd like to see you try."

Azriel stuck to Feyre and Rhys, sizing up the male with the tattoos in an ancient language littered down the side of his face, and that only seemed to make the male smirk, "Don't think about it. You wouldn't last a minute."

Tension simmered in the chamber, the High Lords of Prythian bar one faced the two strangers who looked much like them but were different in every single way imaginable.

Only when a click of heels entered the room followed by an exasperated sigh, did the two strangers grin, their offensive stance dissipating before Rhys' very eyes as they turned to make room for another.

"You'll come to rather enjoy Aelin's wit," a voice as mesmerising as the crashing summer waves called into the simmering silence, a voice so perfect that it had Rhys almost whimpering in disbelief as he took a step forward. Another woman appeared adorning a playful smirk, "And the vein in Rowan's forehead."

Azriel studied her, even his shadows couldn't stop themselves from peeking over his shoulders at the sound of her melodic voice, one so calming that it had them dancing toward it. She was by far one of the most incredible creatures Azriel had ever seen, dressed in an impeccable midnight blue gown that exposed her taut legs, allowing Azriel to see the two markings delicately placed below her knees, the twins to Rhys' own. Her hair was as dark as the night and swaying with each step, eyes as violet as the summer horizon that were lovingly teasing her companions, and she moved with a grace Azriel had never encountered in all of his years. A crown composed of onyx stone flowers and jewels curled around her head and glittered in the slowly decaying light, it was delicate and rested just over her ears, keeping her skin free from the imprint of it.

But it wasn't the crown nor the dress that had really stolen Azriel's eye, no, it was the pristine pair of feathered wings that were tucked neatly behind her back, not wings of an Illyrian, but wings of some form of angel Azriel presumed. They resembled the night sky, black and speckled with silver, and the longer Azriel focused on them, the more he struggled to believe that they weren't enriched feathers of pure starlight.

Rhys loosened a breath of disbelief, and his bottom lip quaked softly as he took her in, eyes trailing up her form and resting on her face, not believing who was stood before him but thanking the Mother all the same, "You came."

With her dress swaying in the breeze infiltrating the room from the open arches of the chamber, she faced Rhys and smiled sadly, taking a moment to drink him in just as he had with her before she answered, "You called."

"I didn't think you heard me," he took another step toward the curve of the pool, slowly but surely closing the gap between them, "You've grown."

"I've always heard you," their features were so strikingly similar, and Azriel was grasping onto any memory or mention of the female before his eyes, "And, if I hadn't have grown in over 500 years I'd be quite concerned."

Rhys laughed, throwing his head back and lips stretching into a smile of pure bliss, he didn't stop his steps this time, no, he allowed his feet to carry him all the way to her and bundled her up in his embrace, inhaling the scent of her deeply into his lungs "Hello sister."

Sister.

The two strangers, Aelin and Rowan, took a step back, serene smiles on their faces as they watched, seemingly understanding what it meant for the Rhys and the female, "Hello you," she replied, wrapping her arms around him and holding him tightly, "Someone mentioned that you have a mate now?"

Rhys pulled backward and sent her a look of wonderment, "I do. Feyre, darling? Would you?" He extended an arm out to her and Feyre wasted no time in joining him, "This is y/n. My sister."

"Well, half-sister, but we don't take notice of the specifics," she grinned at Rhys and softly nudged him, "It's an honour to meet you, Feyre Cursebreaker."

"How do you-"

She waved her hand dismissively, "I know many things."

"It's true, it's extremely annoying," Aelin spoke flatly nestled under Rowan's arm, the fire in her eyes softening.

Glancing about, Azriel became completely aware of just how much the beauty of y/n had captured the attention of all within the room, from the hue of her skin to the glossy black of her hair, from the curve of her jaw to the strikingly vibrant eyes that had stolen Azriel's breath from the moment the light had hit them.

She was undeniably Rhys' sister, but Azriel was sure that Rhys had only ever had one, and she died years ago.

"I'm sorry, but how?" Cassian couldn't help but ask, drawing the attention of everyone to him, he glanced to Azriel who shrugged, confirming that he knew nothing of the female before their very eyes.

Y/N smiled softly, her eyes dimming slightly and promised, "My," she looked to Rhys for a moment, "Our story-" her gaze returned to Cassian, but not before gently floating over Azriel and widening slightly, "-is one for a different day. Prythian is in danger and you need help, I'm here to provide it."

"What about us?"

"One more word Aelin and I'll send you back home, I'm sure Aedion would love to take your place."

Aelin gasped, "You don't mean that."

"Try me. See where you land this time round."

Aelin grimaced, recounting the time y/n had shoved her through one of her fancy test portals to only land in the foulest smelling swamp she had ever experienced. She kept her lips sealed and moved to the seat where she had been sat minutes before with a forced smile, prompting the rest of the occupants of the chamber to do the same.

The Shadowsinger moved with the rest of the Inner Circle, finding his place beside his High Lord and Lady, which was just a stones throw away from y/n, and he found himself completely lost in the scent of a brewing storm, his shadows unwinding from his body as it flooded his lungs and fighting through invisible storm clouds in order to brush against her for even a moment, to taste her skin and shudder at the power laced within it.

Crossing her leg over the other, Azriel watched y/n recline into the comfort of the seat, doing his best to not make his awe so obvious whilst she took a moment to gaze upon every person in the room, her eye lingering on a certain Autumn heir with a level of intrigue before she spoke with a feline grin, "So, you're all on the verge of death. Tell me more."

Author's Note

Trying a different writing style with this one - let me know what you think x

[normspellsman]

Tidal Wave

part one | part two

pairing: lo’ak x fem!human!reader

genre: angst, more angst, comfort (from tsireya to lo’ak + from spider to reader + from kiri to reader), & fluff (at the very end)

word count: 14.4k+ (holy fuck)

warning(s): suggestive content, crying, yelling, familial arguments, secrets are spilled (😬), neytiri + lo’ak arguing, mentions of violence + self inflicted injury (reader rubs skin raw), mention of incident at ta’unui clan, slightest lo’ak x tsireya, reader having self-deprecating thoughts, lo’ak being lovesick for reader, mention of lo’ak being sad, major character death, sprinkle of miscommunication / misinterpretation of actions, blood, slightest spider x reader, kiri + reader are bffs!, heartbreak?, cursing, & mentions of having little appetite

taglist: @bewbz2110 @httpjiikook @aonungsmate @cheyehc @ihave500hubbiez @heart-an0n @omnifanfic @toomuchtime02 @bigdikzaddy @anxietydrogz @myh3artttt @ancientbeing10 @yourusername1 @dearstell @goodiesinthecloset21 @iwannahaveaprettyaesthetic @thatonegirlwiththebeanie367 @arminsgfloll @optimisticblazetrash @liyahsocorro @universal-s1ut @amortencjja @sweetirilly @blushhpeachh @alohastitch0626 @btsiguess-kpop @ithinkimaslutforharry @zootymcnooty @zeeader @reallysparklychaos @zeida @coffeehurricanes @manumanulau @pumpararapam @ipang @willowcxmilee @audigay @sagaonpandora

word bank: sa’nok — mother, sempul — father, eywa / great mother — goddess deity that the na’vi believe in, tawtute — human; sky person, ikran — four winged creature used for hunting + flying, kehe — no, palulukan — thanator, sìlpeytsyìp — little hope (idk if it’s an accurate translation since i just put the words hope + little together), tulkun — whale like creatures, ilu — sea creature used for hunting + riding, yawne — beloved, & nga yawne lu oer — i love you

songs that i drew inspo from: a match into water by pierce the veil, gilded lily (sped up version) by cults, mr. forgettable by david kushner, & reflections by the neighbourhood

note: huge shoutout to @neteyamslovrr for helping me proofread this! ilysm baby 😭🫶🏼🤍 mentions of readers birthday takes place around 3-4 months after her & spider were kidnapped (so reader, kiri, spider, & lo’ak are aged up to 17-18). i imagined the events of atwow happening over a couple of months due to the fact that ronal is more visibly pregnant towards the end than when we first see her. so, just for clarification :)

Lo’ak had begged his parents the morning after to save you.

He pleaded and begged, getting on his knees as he sobbed into his Sa’nok’s thigh, covering it in his warm tears and snot. But, Jake’s answer stayed persistent: “They are strong kids, son. They will be alright,”. Of course, Jake wasn’t aware that Lo’ak and his other siblings heard what he had to say about you and Spider the night before during he and Neytiri’s heated discussion.

( “The kids know everything! They know where we live! Spider knows our whole operation. We are not safe as long as they have those two. They both can lead him right here! We are no longer safe staying here.” )

Lo’ak knew that neither you or Spider would ever give up the location of High Camp or of the Sully family. The both of you were loyal to a fault. Perhaps too loyal for your own good. It hurt to hear that his own Sempul would ever think that you would betray the family you grew to think of as your own. Lo’ak knew you better than anyone else.

Having to leave the Omatikaya and not even attempt to save you made Lo’ak resent his parents, his heart completely breaking into two as he got farther and farther from his home and essentially you. It was days before he had spoken to his parents after arriving at Awa’atlu, but it wasn’t like his parents sought out to speak to him either.

The more time he spent on the island, the more time he found himself yearning to have you by his side. To experience all of this with you. There was a constant hole in his chest that never left, deepening every time he thought of you. He had no way of knowing if you were being tortured at the current moment or even alive. He didn’t trust the RDA to keep you alive, especially once they saw how loyal you were to Jake and his family, disposing of you like you were nothing. You are everything to Lo’ak and it pained him to not know how you were doing or what was happening to you during your time in the enemy’s hands.

He could only pray to Eywa every night to keep you safe and spare you, fully aware that if she answered his call, she’d need something in return. And he was fully prepared to pay the price with his own life.

———

The torture they put you through was something you’d never would wish upon your greatest enemy.

They had ceased the torture on Spider, the orders being given to them by Quaritch. So, Ardmore turned to you and inflicted all kinds of pain and continuous torture onto you. The human boy begged Quaritch to put a stop to this, demanding him to let you go. But no matter how much Spider pleaded with the man or how many times he went over it with Ardmore, the woman didn’t budge. She was insistent on getting something out of you. But all she really got was memories and flashes of a tall Na’vi teen boy and nothing else. Things that were useless to her, so she punished you every time.

The first time you arrived at their base, their doctors had pulled you aside and assessed you. They deemed that you had multiple fractured ribs and a mild concussion, ordering Ardmore to let you heal before she decided to do anything. She agreed to it at first since she had Spider to get information out of, but once Quaritch told her that he was off limits and was going to comply with him and his team, she began to drag you out to the interrogation room and leave you in there for hours until you passed out.

It was the same routine for weeks. Wake up, get dragged to the interrogation room, receive endless amounts of torture for hours, pass out, repeat. Days began to blur together, not knowing where one began and the next stopped. It was all the same.

The first time you realized you had been in the RDA’s grasp for too long was the night Spider had snuck into your room and gently sang happy birthday to you. It must’ve been months then. Your seventeenth birthday was celebrated nearly a year before being taken hostage by Quaritch. Ardmore had deemed it best to separate Spider and you from each other, breaking down both of your support systems. That night, as you and the boy silently cried into the dark of your room, you lost all hope that Lo’ak was coming back for you.

It hurt too much to think about. But you knew, you knew that eventually, it was never going to work out. You were too different. Something was bound to happen sooner or later, ripping the two of you from each other and essentially ending the relationship you had with one another. You loved Lo’ak dearly but you knew that your love was never in the cards. It was something taboo, forbidden. You only hoped that Lo’ak was able to find comfort within someone else during this time. For you doubted that you’d ever see each other again. He needed someone like him. Not you.

———

Lo’ak had done everything he could to keep his mind off of you.

He needed to keep his mind off of you if he didn’t want to break down in the middle of the beach twenty-four-seven. So, he often spent more time training with Tsireya and got into meaningless fights whenever he could, angering his parents to no end. It worked at times, but often not, his mind always wandered back to you. Always.

“Lo’ak, what are you doing?” A soft voice asked, pulling the boy away from his never ending thoughts of the one person he desired to see.

“Moping,” he mumbled, crossed legged on the shoreline as he picked at the soft sand beneath him.

“I can tell,” she replied, taking a seat next to him. The boy next to her looked like a wounded puppy, ears drawn back as his tail laid limp beside him. Plus, he had a frown painted onto his face as he blankly stared at the sand below. “What is bothering you?” She asked, calmness etched into her voice.

Lo’ak hadn’t told her, or any other Metkayina for that matter, about you and the kind of relationship you shared. Sure he mentioned you and Spider and what happened before he and his family left to seek uturu from the reef people. But he never gave anyone the idea that he was in love with you. He didn’t know how any of them would react.

“Is it about the humans you mentioned earlier?” She added, filling in the silence that was growing between them as Lo’ak didn’t answer her previous question.

The boy only hummed, poking his fingers into the damp sand. He really didn’t want to talk to Tsireya about this. It risked the chance of his Sa’nok hearing or a stranger eavesdropping and telling everyone else in the village about how much he cared for a tawtute. It also hurt to talk about you. Because he knew once he started, he was never going to stop.

“I am sorry that they were taken. I know they meant a lot to you and your siblings,” Tsireya commented, truly feeling sorry for the young boy. She could tell that Lo’ak deeply cared for the humans and she couldn’t imagine losing someone that close to her like that.

A shrug from Lo’ak was his only response to the girl’s comfort, tears beginning to prick his eyes as he began to crave your touch and soothing lips against his. He began to forget what it was like to have your hands and lips on his own skin, making the hole in his chest increase in size.

“What were their names again?” She delicately asked, genuinely curious. Foreign things always interested the girl and she had never seen a tawtute before. So, befriending people that have, made her want to ask all of the questions she’s been dying to ask. The girl knew that her chance of meeting a human was extremely low before the Sully’s arrival, but that still didn’t stop her from wondering.

A small smile etched itself onto the corners of Lo’ak’s lips as he thought about you. Your name was probably his favorite thing to utter. It becoming a prayer during the darkest hours of the night, with you being the only one to answer his mumbled words. You were Lo’ak’s salvation and he never hesitated to remind you.

“(Y/N) and Spider,” he replied, fingers now fiddling with the anklet around his foot. You had made it for him for his fifteenth birthday. The poor boy had been so flustered while trying to tie it around his ankle that the woven material kept slipping through his fingers. You offered your help with a giggle, your soft fingertips causing fire to erupt against his skin as they trailed from his ankle bone to his calf in a teasing manner. If Lo’ak closed his eyes and tried hard enough, he could still feel the tingly sensation your fingers left behind in their wake.

“Those are…interesting names,” Tsireya giggled, testing out their names on her tongue, attempting to enunciate every letter and vowel to the best of her ability. “Humans have such weird names,” she comments, reflecting back on the time she briefly met Norm and Max when they came to visit after Kiri’s seizure.

Lo’ak only hummed in response, smile still on his face as he recalled all the memories he has of you. He missed you so much. He felt empty without you. He felt as if he had half a soul with you gone. His whole being ached to be with you, touch you, love you.

The Metkayina girl noticed Lo’ak’s almost blissful smile on his face, copying his actions. She could only assume that one of you meant more to him than the other. That the other held a special place in his heart. “Which one is it?” She asked, not trying to sound like she was prying. That was the last thing she wanted to do. She was just curious.

Lo’ak’s eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, “What do you mean?”.

“Which one has you wrapped around their finger?”.

The question itself made Lo’ak blush, bottom lip going in between his teeth in an attempt to stop an even wider smile from making its way onto his face. Damn, he thought, she can read me like a book. You got to be more subtle man.

The boy gave her his answer, tail perking up and swaying to and from at the mention of your name, his body betraying him at trying to hide his affection for you.

“Can you tell me about her?” Tsireya asked, enthralled at how just the mere mention of your name influenced such actions from the Omatikaya boy.

Lo’ak didn’t need to be asked twice before he began to talk about you, barely taking any breaths in between each word he uttered. If only his Mother and Father could see how much love Lo’ak held for you. If only.

———

“Ready kid?”.

You’d rather throw yourself off the highest floating mountain than go with Quaritch and his team on their mission to hunt down Jake and his family. But, alas, you had to go. You had to go unless you wanted to continue to be tortured by the old blonde Captain. You hated that woman with everything you had in you.

Quaritch had promptly requested Ardmore to cease her torturous treatment on you, stating that he finally got a lead on where the Sully’s might be and that you were crucial to the plan he and his team were putting together. He needed you to go with them and he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. He saw how Jake’s son had reacted when he was teasing the boy about you. The boy cared for you and Quaritch was going to use it as leverage somehow.

“Don’t have much of a choice, do I?” You replied, eyes narrowing at the man in front of you. You absolutely did not want to go wherever they were going, but you didn’t want to stay behind and be tortured to death. So, you took the lesser of two evils (if you could even call it that).

Quaritch chuckled at your response, shaking his head, motioning you to follow after him. The man had taken a liking to you, much like he did with Spider. You weren’t afraid to express how much you disliked the man nor did you hesitate to express your distaste for the whole situation he put you in. He liked your bluntness and admired your loyalty to the Na’vi, even if it was a major inconvenience for him and his team.

You had only ridden on an ikran a handful of times before, Lo’ak only being able to convince you with his little pout and big pleading eyes. You never were a fan of heights and having to spend Eywa knows how long on an ikran to the next base Quaritch was heading to made you want to cry. At least with Lo’ak, you knew that he’d always catch you if you began to slip. But with Quaritch, you were confident he wouldn’t give two shits if you slipped off the flying creature.

“I am not getting on an ikran with you,” you commented, hands on hips as you approached the RDA Avatar soldiers and their ikrans. You were very surprised that the whole group managed to, successfully, claim an ikran within only months of being on Pandora whereas native Na’vi trained their whole lives for this. It all left a bitter taste in your mouth when you thought about it.

“You’re not, sweetheart,” Quaritch answers, turning back towards you once he reached his bonded companion.

The ikran was probably the most beautiful you’ve seen, even with your limited experience with the creatures. The whole body of the animal was a deep navy blue, streaks of gold and orange decorating its wings. The animal itself was gorgeous. It was ironic how someone so evil and ugly had managed to tame something so beautiful.

“Spider’s riding with me. You’ll ride with Z-Dog,” he continued, clicking his tongue towards the tall Avatar woman, gently petting his ikran as he did so.

Your eyes were torn from the navy creature in front of you to the woman. Your blood went cold as you made eye contact, her hard stare boring into your eyes as she robotically chewed at the gum in her mouth. Great, you thought, I’m definitely going to die.

“We don’t have all day, kid,” Quaritch commented, already mounted on his ikran as Spider sat in front of him, eyes worriedly scanning your figure as you stood there frozen in place.

Your eyes then drifted from the woman to her bonded companion behind her, its face gently nuzzling into her side affectionately. Your heart clenched at the sight of the animal. It looked almost identical to that of your boyfriend's ikran. Lo’ak’s was an almost dark blue, gold swirling around its neck and wings. His companion shared many similarities to the one of his Father, the only difference being the black patch on his protruding lower jaw. Memories of when Lo’ak took you out for rides on his ikran flooded your mind, making the hole in your chest double in size.

“Let’s go,” the woman said, snatching your forearm in her grip as she placed you onto the creature, placing herself behind you as she made tshaleyu with the animal. The winged creature chirped in delight at the sensation and shrieked once it readied itself to take flight, wings twitching.

You braced yourself for the ride, both hands tightening around one of the ikrans queues, thighs tensing in anticipation. The rides you had with Lo’ak were much more smoother and gentler. Lo’ak made sure to put emphasis on how he dismounted from the ground, trying to make it as smooth as possible for you. His bonded animal always complied, never rushing when he pushed off the ground and into the skies above. You found yourself missing that process as you desperately tried not to slip off the poor animal as it ascended into the blue sky. It was rough, to say the least.

Once you reached an appropriate enough altitude, Z-Dog steadied and leveled out her ikran, halting the rough turbulence you experienced moments prior. The creature chirped once again, smoothly gliding through the wind.

You always loved the feeling you got whenever you were up in the sky with Lo’ak despite your anxiety regarding heights. He always made sure that you were okay throughout the ride as well as before and after the fact. But with the stranger you were assigned to, you found yourself wanting to hurl in anxiousness. You only hoped that this was going to be a quick and fast flight to wherever the hell you were heading to.

———

The minute you stepped into the small room the tulkun hunters had allowed you to occupy during your stay, you fell to your knees. Sobs racked your body as your mind replayed the scenes that you witnessed only minutes prior. Arriving at the Ta’unui village. The gathering of their people like they were sheep to slaughter. Quaritch threatening the Tsahik and Olo’eyktan of the clan. Lyle shooting and killing a sea creature on his Colonel’s order. The burning of the peoples homes. The killing of a Mother tulkun. It all kept replaying in your head, even when you moved to the even smaller shower.

You tried so hard to rid of the memories in your head, of the smell on your skin, of the guilt you felt. You rubbed at your skin until it was raw and hot and bleeding. The permanent reminder of just what your race is capable of slamming to the forefront of your mind. It all felt wrong. It feels wrong being here. Feels wrong to live on Pandora where its native species had to experience the pain and constant attempts of colonization from a different species. It all felt like you were contributing to whatever Quaritch had in mind. Even if he didn’t tell you any details, you still chose to come along. Maybe staying behind with Captain Ardmore would’ve been a better option. After all, it wouldn’t have mattered if you were alive or not at the end of it for you already felt dead inside. Nothing and no one would be able to bring you comfort from what you just saw and gone through.

“(Y/N)?” A familiar voice asked, it cracking from the amount of emotion the owner felt.

“Spider,” you whispered, curling in on yourself as you saw his figure standing in your doorway, tears streaming down his face.

The boy made his way to your bed, laying on it, facing you on his side. Not a word was uttered between you two, not needing any to communicate the type of comfort you both seeked from each other. And you stayed like that, facing each other and grasping onto each other's hands for comfort as you unknowingly fell asleep, slumber welcoming you into its embrace. But even your dreams weren’t a safe place. You dreamt of fire, of blood, and of death the whole night.

Maybe Neytiri was right. You should’ve never befriended the Sully children. You should’ve stuck to your own kind.

———

The second Lo’ak heard that a boy and a girl had been with Quaritch and his team during their attack on a nearby village, he began to ready his ilu for the trip. For getting you back.

The boy had paced back and forth from the edge of the mauri to his swimming companion, bending down to slip on the various of saddles the animal needed for riding. The creature chirped up at him every time Lo’ak bent down, seemingly encouraging him as he did so.

“What are you doing?” A voice asked, confusion laced in their tone. Lo’ak knew who it was before they even spoke. His Sa’nok had a bad habit of sneaking up on everyone, being too quiet for her own good. The hairs on the back of his head always stood up on end whenever he felt his Mothers presence behind him, alerting him of the potential rage he was going to face from the woman.

“To save them,” Lo’ak mumbled, too focused on saddling the right equipment on his companion, fiddling with the straps as he tightened them. The boy knew that his parents never really cared for either of your well-beings, it being evident in their body language and actions whenever he or Kiri talked about the things they did with the pair of you that particular day. If they weren’t willing to save you, then Lo’ak would take it upon himself to. He finally knew where you were after months of not knowing and he wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to have you in his arms again.

A growl emitted itself from his Mothers lips, her hand coming out to grip her son's bicep into her grasp, “Kehe!”.

Neytiri didn’t know why her son was so infatuated with you, a tawtute. She was always against her children from befriending you and Spider, glaring at your figures everytime you walked by at High Camp. Her son seemed to be closer with you than Spider. The fact always bothered her, making her skin crawl with anger. Angry that you were occupying her son's time when he could be doing other things, meeting other people, and talking to other appropriate women of the clan.

“You will not,” she continued, scowl painted onto her face as she glared down at her son. She knew that if Lo’ak were to continue with his plan and make it to wherever you were, that Quaritch wouldn’t hesitate to shoot or take him prisoner. She couldn’t have that. Neytiri needed all of her children within eyesight so she could look over them and make sure that they were safe. She wouldn’t be able to do that if her son went to you.

Lo’ak growled back at his Mother, ripping his arm out from her tight grip. The boy had his mind made up and nobody was going to stop him. He needed to get to you. He needed you.

“I will. Why do you even care? You haven’t bothered to talk to me the whole time here. The only time you talk to me is to yell or scold me for doing yet another thing wrong,” Lo’ak hissed out, teeth tightly clenched. “(Y/N) and Spider care about me more than you ever have!” He added, whole body shaking in anger.

Neytiri gasped at her sons exclaimation, lightly hissing at him, “How dare you think that? I love you, Lo’ak. But they, they do not! They are demons! They aren’t capable of such things as love.”

Lo’ak’s ears drew back to press up against his skull and his lips drew up to show off his pointed fangs, a very loud hiss escaping from between his teeth. The hiss sounded almost roar-like, drawing attention from inside the Sully mauri, ears and tails perking up in interest.

Another gasp escaped from Neytiri’s throat. Her son had never hissed at her like that. Sure he had hissed at her playfully when he was younger or out of annoyance whenever she tried to get him to open up to her. But he had never hissed at her so…possessively. The only time she had heard a roar like this was when her husband was fighting off Quaritch during the Great Battle and he threatened everything he worked so hard to build during his time in the Avatar program.

“They do! She loves me. She’s capable of it and so much more. But you are too stubborn and stuck in your ways to see her the way I do. She cares for me, loves me. That I know,” Lo’ak grumbled out, fangs seeming to get even longer as he brewed in his anger. “I see her and she sees me. Something you and Dad never do,” he finished, turning away from his Mother as he reached out to grab the final thing he needed for his ride to you.

“What do you mean, Lo’ak?” Neytiri asked, anger laced in her voice. She knew what he was insinuating, but she needed to hear it come from his mouth. To confirm her suspicions. To confirm or deny what she had been thinking for years.

“I mean that she is mine. She is the only thing that I was ever able to have. I see her. She has taken me heart, body, and soul,” he slightly hisses out, not daring to look at his Mother as he spoke. He knew that once the confession of his sins slipped from his lips, there was no telling what his Mother would do. He didn’t want to be in the crossfire once she decided to act upon whatever she was feeling, her not being a top priority in his life at the moment. You were the priority and he’d be damned if anyone stopped him from getting to you.

“No,” Neytiri whispers, “You did not. Tell me you didn’t!”.

There were many things that his Mother could be referring to, but he was pretty sure he knew what she was hinting at. It was something that he had planned on doing with you once he properly courted you and way further into the future. But, nothing ever goes according to plan in Lo’ak’s life. The first time you guys had engaged in such an act was months before you were taken hostage. You had never been to the Tree of Souls, it being nearly impossible for you to get to without proper assistance. Lo’ak had decided to take you to it as a surprise on your weekly date night. The two of you had been dating for a while but never went as far as kissing or wondering hands against skin. It all happened so fast. One minute Lo’ak was describing the connection to you, how it all worked and the next, you were under him squirming and calling out his name in pleasure. He knew that once such an act was done, he’d be tied to you forever. That in the eyes of the Great Mother you two were mates and forever bound to one another’s souls. After that, the two of you often found yourselves engaging to be together. Lo’ak felt as if it was another way he could feel connected to you without being able to perform tshaleyu. He never took the act for granted and always put your pleasure before his, worshiping every inch of your body before you could do the same to him.

Her sons silence was Neytiri’s answer resulting in her loudly hissing at her youngest son, almost matching Lo’ak’s moments prior. That was the final straw to have Jake interfere between his arguing son and wife.

“You gave yourself to her? To a demon? Agh! Shame! You have brought shame upon this family and yourself. You tainted yourself with a human. Someone who can’t give you a future!” She yelled out, angry tears running down the expanse of her cheeks. Intercourse before mating wasn’t something that was taboo in the Omatikaya culture, but it was expected of the Olo’eyktan and his family to save themselves before then, demonstrating their loyalty to the people and their future spouse. So to hear her son, the second born of the Olo’eyktan, engage in such an intimate act with a human nonetheless, made her want to pluck his eyes out from the sockets that held them.

“Woah! Woah! Hey!” Jake said, jumping in between his son and wife before either of them could jump at each other's throat. His front faced Neytiri while his back faced his son. “Hey! What’s going on?” He gently asked, bringing his wife’s face into his hands as he tried to get her to focus his attention on him and not Lo’ak.

“Your son has mated with a demon!” She spat out, disgust interlaced in her tone. The way she felt towards the situation was evident enough on her face. Her lips were drawn back to flash her fangs and her nose was scrunched as if she just smelt a pile of Palulukan dung.

Jake froze at the words his wife spat, eyes darting to his son behind him. Although he froze at the words, he wasn’t surprised. He had a feeling that you and Lo’ak were more than just friends. He often caught his son gently rubbing at the marks you left on his skin during dinner, a smirk dancing across his youngests lips. Jake’s not stupid. He was Lo’ak’s age once and understood the urges he faced. But, he was human then and the Na’vi have a completely different way of thinking and going about things like this.

Jake didn’t question Lo’ak about whether or not what Neytiri said was true, already knowing the answer. He only sighed in response and tried to coax his wife to calm down.

“Go back in the house, son. Now,” Jake demanded, shooting him a look that told him he wasn’t taking a no for an answer.

Lo’ak wanted to argue and continue with his plan on rescuing you, but he knew that his pleading would be worthless, especially after his confession. So, he begrudgingly desaddled his ilu and made his way into the pod, ignoring the looks of his siblings as he made his way to his side of the house, throwing something against the woven wall before settling down in the corner. Tears left his eyes as he sat there. He was frustrated. All he wanted to do was see and hold you, but it seemed as if Eywa wasn’t on his side once again.

Why Great Mother? Why do you do this to me?

His heart further broke at the fact that you, yet again, slipped through his fingers. It seemed as if the whole universe was against the two of you. But, the universe be damned. Lo’ak was going to get you back no matter what it took. He’d burn down villages for you, destroy planets for you. He’d do anything for you.

———

“They found out?” A soft voice asks, pulling Lo’ak out from his zoning out episode.

He only hummed in response, eyes puffy from all the crying he did that night. His Mother screamed and cried at him after she talked to Jake, calling him what everyone else does, a disappointment. He desperately tried to get her to understand how he felt about you and how much he cared for you. He wouldn’t fall in love with just anyone, so you had to be very special to be the one to hold his heart.

Neteyam had been the one to comfort him that night as Jake and Kiri consoled Neytiri, trying to get her to calm down so she didn’t disturb any other Metkayina trying to sleep or seek shelter from the storm. It had been the first time in years that Neteyam had held Lo’ak in his arms, turning him away from the sight of their Sa’nok as the elder practically held the younger in his lap. Neteyam felt bad that their Mother was acting like this. Like she too hadn’t fallen in love with a tawtute. No matter how long Jake stayed on the planet and mingled with the natives, he would always be a human at heart. It’s hard to break out of old habits and it seemed as if their Father began to fall back into his sky people ways as of recent.

( “It’s okay, tsmukan,” Neteyam had whispered, Lo’ak barely hearing over the dramatic wails of his Mother. The boy had long been done with his crying, just blankly staring at the anklet wrapped around his foot. The last remaining thing he had of you.

“She doesn’t understand,” the older brother continued, stroking Lo’ak’s braids with such a gentleness, he thought for a second that it was you who was holding him. He only ever experienced such a gentle touch with you. It felt wrong that it wasn’t. That it was coming from his brother and not you.

“She does not,” Lo’ak confirmed, burying himself further into his brothers body, actively seeking his warmth to combat the shaking of his own body. “She never will,” he continued, eyes hardened to a glare as he stared at the intricately woven floor. She will never understand, he thought to himself, anger and sadness erupting in his chest. )

“A lot of the people heard your Mother last night,” Tsireya spoke up, sitting next to the dark blue boy. She felt bad for the teen. To be in love with someone you could never have must be heart wrenching. “I am sorry she acted the way she did. I hope she soon comes to the realization that you do truly love her,” she continued, trying to offer up the best comfort she could.

“I don’t think my Dad cared. Probably already knew before I told them. But,” he croaked out, voice coming out coarse as a result from his crying the night prior, “He didn’t do anything to stop Mom from saying those things about her, about me.”.

Having his Father allow his wife to continually insult his lover and him had made Lo’ak bitter. How come he wasn’t able to defend the one he loved but it was alright for Neytiri to throw such hurtful words to her own son? It all seemed hypocritical, backwards.

Tsireya frowned at Lo’ak’s words. She truly felt bad for him. She didn’t think that it was fair for his own Mother to react that harshly to the news. Didn’t she too fall in love with a human? It didn’t make sense to her.

“Oh, Lo’ak, I’m so sorry,” she whispered out, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder in hopes to comfort him.

Nothing about this situation was ideal. Lo’ak wasn’t able to go and rescue you from the clutches of the RDA. Neytiri had scolded and reprimanded her youngest son for being in love, calling him all sorts of colorful names in the process. Jake hadn’t done anything to prevent his wife from her onslaught of scowls and hisses towards their son. The whole clan now probably knew about how Lo’ak was a sky demon lover. And Tsireya is the one comforting the boy when it should be his own family that we’re bringing him solace. It all became a mess so fast, everything crumbling down towards the ground within seconds.

Lo’ak only hummed in response to Tsireya’s sympathetic tone, too tired to give her an actual response. His eyes were bloodshot from all the tears he’s expelled over night. Lo’ak’s face was practically swollen from how hard he cried last night. He looked like a complete mess.

Eywa had to be punishing him for something for the deity that he grew up hearing about wouldn’t have allowed any of this to happen. Was it really that bad that Lo’ak loved you? That he loved a human? Surely the Great Mother held all of her children dear to her heart. So, why was she letting this happen? What was the bigger picture? What was the reason? Lo’ak wanted to know the answers to these questions so he could figure out why it was so wrong to love you when it felt so right to.

———

Pain spread throughout your lower back and hip, becoming warm as the nerve endings communicated with each other and the crushed blood cells came to the surface of your delicate skin. The minute Spider hijacked the ship and the vehicle surged forward, your body made harsh contact with the metal table in the middle of the room and the floor once it crashed amongst the jagged rocks.

“(Y/N)! You okay?” The human boy yelled out, scrambling up to his feet to get to your position against the floor.

A groan was your only answer, pulling yourself up the best you could before the soldiers and ship crew could grab you. You could feel the bruises already forming on your soft skin, heat spreading throughout the areas.

“Get them off the ship!” A voice demanded, catching your attention. Your heart dropped to your stomach upon hearing the words. They were going to take you somewhere farther from Lo’ak once more. Although you hadn’t gone down with Spider to see him and the others being held hostage at the front of the ship, you still didn’t want to be taken somewhere else where you most likely wouldn’t be able to see him again.

Hands wrapped themselves around your biceps, roughly pulling you up from where you kneeled, guiding you to the exit.

“Let go of me!” You hissed, ripping your arms from out of the strangers grip just in time to catch the mask being thrown at you by another.

“Put it on,” they demanded, putting on their own mask before looking at you as you put yours on, a scowl on your face as you did so.

The same person pushed you forward in front of them, urging you to walk forwards and down the metal stairs. You desperately wanted to push whoever was in front of you down the stairs and run towards wherever they were keeping Lo’ak and the rest. You only wanted to see him and make sure that he was okay. That he was still breathing.

“Make sure it’s tight,” a man commented, tugging on the side of your mask.

“She’s fine, dumbass,” Spider spat, pushing the man’s hand away from your masked face, putting himself between the man and you.

The man before you both scoffed and continued forward, leading the two of you somewhere on the ship where they kept their smaller boats.

Spider could sense your apprehension, grabbing your hand as the group of you continued to walk along the metal surface of the ship, shaking his head down at you as he dragged you besides him. He knew what you wanted to do, he wanted to do the same, but he knew that if you gave into that urge, they wouldn’t hesitate to shoot either of you on the spot. He needed to keep you safe not just for Lo’ak’s sake but for himself too. You were his lifeline throughout this whole awful experience. Your presence itself helped him in more ways than one whenever he felt himself start to slip through the cracks while with Quaritch and Ardmore. If the two of you were going to make it out this afternoon, he needed you safe and alive.

Another man had exclaimed for the group to hurry up before the last of the boats left without them, getting cut off at the end of his sentence with a sharp exhale and groan as his body was thrown up against the wall of the ship.

Two large blue bodies had dropped down from above, pushing and punching the human men surrounding you and Spider, effectively killing them as they jumped from body to body.

“Lo’ak,” you whispered out, Spider pulling your back into his chest, away from Neteyam and Lo’ak, being wary of their size and strength.

A smile painted itself across your lips once the familiar amber eyes you dearly missed made contact with your colorful ones, time seemingly coming to a halt as the both of you took in each other's presence.

Lo’ak seemed to have filled out a bit, his biceps and thighs much larger than they were the last time you saw them. His hair was pulled back, showing off his sharpened jawline and defined shoulders and collarbones. Back in the forest, he rarely ever had his hair up, preferring it down so your fingers could have easy access to them whenever you wanted to run your smaller hands through the braids. His midsection seemed slimmer and tighter, displaying his developing abs along his stomach. Lo’ak seemed more confident in his physique as he stood there in front of you. You could practically feel it oozing off of him. The reef clan must’ve prioritized his training during his stay, you concluded.

As you gawked at the significant changes to your boyfriend's physical body, he too had his eyes glued to your figure.

Although much hadn’t changed, you still looked beautiful as ever. You had your hair down, different from your typical braid or usual hairstyle. You deemed having your hair out of your face more practical during your time in the forest. It just made everything easier as you explored and ran about. Due to Ardmore’s negligence to your physical needs, you figured it was easier to have your hair down most of the time, having no energy to do it yourself when she gave you a break from her torturous pursuits. Your hair had gotten longer during your time away from each other, inches longer than it previously was. It framed your face beautifully Lo’ak thought, smiling at you.

But before either of you could run to each other and embrace, a soldier had begun to stir and get up, a gun clutched in his grasp.

Lo’ak whipped his head towards the noise, bringing up the gun in his right hand up without thinking, finger squeezing the trigger as multiple rounds of bullets penetrated the human in front of him. The man slumped back, falling dead to the floor.

The air then became tense, the moment processing in everyone’s head for a second. Then, Neteyam had gently grabbed Lo’ak’s forearm and urged him forward, walking backwards as Spider pushed you in front of him, following the Na’vi boy.

The two boys in front of you had effortlessly jumped down from the top of the stairs to the ground below, swiftly standing up from their crouch afterwards. Sensing your hesitation, Lo’ak wrapped his free arm around your waist and followed after his brother and Spider, holding you close to his side as he jumped down from the height. He only let go of your waist once you regained your bearings.

“Hello, ma sìlpeytsyìp,” Lo’ak whispers, free hand going up to your bare neck, softly grazing his thumb against the delicate skin.

“Hello, Lo’ak,” you whisper back, a smile on your face as you gazed at your lover. Oh how you wished you didn’t need this stupid mask so you could capture his lips with yours.

You missed the boy in front of you so much. It was hard to endure all those months away from each other. He consumed every single thought you had. So to have him in front of you, alive and breathing and not a figment of your imagination, made you want to crawl into his large arms and stay there forever.

Your small moment was interrupted by Spider, him exclaiming a thank you so much man as he turned towards the Na’vi teens.

Lo’ak had tore his eyes away from yours, staring at Spider as he thanked him and Neteyam for saving both of your asses back there. The blue boy smiled at his friend, going to express his welcome but his smile dropped as he saw the same Avatar soldiers from that night come into view, aiming their guns towards the group of teens.

As Lo’ak perked up to shoot at the familiar fake Avatars, Neteyam pulled him back just as quickly, ushering him and the lot of you to run and dodge the bullets as they fired and ricocheted off the railings and other obstacles between you and them.

“Go! Go!” Neteyam exclaimed, pushing the three of you towards a corner by the moonpool, snatching Lo’ak’s gun with a give me that!.

The older Na’vi began to shoot back at the soldiers shooting at you four, shouting at all of you to hurry and jump into the water beneath the opening in front of you. Before you could process Neteyam’s words, Lo’ak took you into his arms and rushed towards the moonpool, jumping over the railing and into the water. Cool water splashed against your body and sealed mask, making you involuntarily hold your breath as a reflex.

Upon breaching the surface, you exhaled the air you held, realizing that there was no need for you to hold it.

“That was insane cuz!” Lo’ak exclaimed, high-fiving Spider as he hollered back an excited hell yeah!. His arm around you had slipped from its grasp in order to hand out the high-five he gave Spider.

The three of you just narrowly escaped death and Lo’ak was hollering in delight from the adrenaline rush. Well, you thought, at least the sea didn’t change that about him.

The hairs on your skin stood on end once you heard the gurgle of Neteyam’s first gasp of breath after following you and the boys, diving into the water. Your body instinctively knew that something bad was bound to happen and you could only pray to Eywa that this wasn’t happening.

Everyone’s world stopped on its axis once Neteyam announced that he’d been shot, struggling to keep himself upright in the water. It was as if his own acknowledgment of being shot stripped him of his refined swimming skills, limbs not being able to keep up with the blood loss and shock of the event.

You were the first one by the boys side after the words fell from his lips, trying to help keep him afloat in the water. “It’s okay, Teyam,” you whispered, head barely above the water's surface as you kept the boy upright, “You’ll be okay.”.

You knew that your words were only empty promises. That realistically, Neteyam wasn’t going to make it. No amount of comforting whispers were going to cover up that fact or bring the boy some kind of solace from death's icy grip.

“Here! Get him up on here,” an unfamiliar voice exclaimed, drawing your attention from Neteyam to the owner.

A beautiful Na’vi girl had broke the surface of the water with a strange creature by her side. She gestured for you and the rest to get Neteyam up onto the animal so you could transport him somewhere where he could be helped.

The strange girls eyes fell on you, making your stomach drop and breath hitch in your throat. She must be of the clan that harbored the Sully family, you thought to yourself as you studied her much lighter blue skin and enchanting ocean blue eyes. Really pretty too.

“C’mon bro,” Lo’ak stuttered out, taking Neteyam out from your grip and into his, swimming towards the girl and her creature.

Spider had pulled you out from your stupor, tugging on your hand as he swam the both of you towards the group, grabbing the side of the creatures saddle as it readied itself to surge forward in the water. The boys hand had let go of your hand and went to grab your waist, pulling you flush to his side in preparation for the resistance of the water once the creature got the okay to take off. Your own hands wrapped themselves around Spider’s neck, muscles in your arms tightening in preparation as well.

Once Lo’ak situated Neteyam onto the creature behind him, he urged the animal to go forward through the bond, it hurriedly gliding through the water as it pushed against the current and new added weight on all sides.

You knew that once the five of you left the scene and headed towards somewhere else, everything was going to change. That it was all downhill from here.

———

Your hands were caked in blood. In Neteyam’s blood.

The red substance ran up your wrists and stopped at your mid forearm. The skin that was covered in it felt like it was on fire. It burned.

Your small hands that were desperately trying to slow down the blood pouring out of the boys chest were replaced by Lo’ak’s, his bigger body pushing you out of the way once Jake noticed your useless efforts and demanded his second son to replace your hands with his.

Tears spewed out from your waterline, falling down your cheeks and gathering at the bottom of your mask. Your throat burned from your suppression of sobs, desperately trying to escape from your sealed lips. You didn’t feel worthy crying and sobbing over the fatally injured boy in front of you. It was your fault he was shot. Indirectly or not, if Neteyam and Lo’ak didn’t come back for you and Spider, then he’d be fine and not bleeding out in front of his family. He wouldn't be laid dying in front of you.

You felt familiar, calloused hands wrapped themselves around your frame, bringing your body into their own.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Spider lowly whispered, bringing your face into his neck as you let out a quiet sob, leaning into his embrace. He knew that you were on the brink of breaking down and knew that you were keeping it in so as to not disturb the Sully family in their growing mourning. He saw the way Lo’ak pushed his way between you and Neteyam’s dying body, replacing your hands with his own against his brothers open chest. He knew that no one else around you would comfort you in the way that you needed, so he scurried to your side and brought you into his arms for the comfort that you craved.

You’ve never seen someone die. You’ve never seen someone die right in front of you. Your brain was scrambling to gather itself and process what was happening. But it was as if your brain couldn’t gather all the working pieces it needed and abandoned you in your own body, leaving you to pick up the pieces yourself and try to process what was happening.

Your body began to shiver as shock and adrenaline coursed through your veins, making your quiet sobs even harder to contain and actually keep silent.

The minute your ears picked up on Neytiri’s high pitched wails and screams, you knew that Neteyam had taken his last breath and finally joined Eywa in his afterlife. From that moment on, everything went by in a flash.

Neytiri, Jake, and Spider had left back towards the ship for a reason your ears didn’t pick up on, still ringing in the aftershocks of Neytiri’s screams. The Na’vi woman left on her ikran, it screeching as she made tshaleyu. The both of them took off in a blur from the speed of the animals ascent. Spider left you with a gentle kiss on the forehead and a promise that he’ll come back, smoothing down your damp hair before following after Jake. And Lo’ak. He only spared you a small glance before telling the reef Na’vi girl to stay with Neteyam’s body, gently patting her cheek before he hurried off to follow his Father and Spider.

Even though your mind struggled to process and piece together what just happened, it was still able to process the soft touch Lo’ak bestowed upon the girl in front of you and the sympathetic look he gave her before he left. How she reached out for him as he walked away and the look on her face as she watched. Oh.

Your heart broke at the realization. Lo’ak finally found someone that was suitable for him. Someone that was able to give him the future he deserved. Someone that was able to give him everything you couldn’t. And more tears fell from your eyes, heart crying out at the heartbreak.

Neytiri was right. You should’ve stayed with your own kind.

———

You didn’t stay long for Neteyam’s funeral. As soon as it ended, you treaded your way out of the water and walked somewhere secluded.

It was too much being there. It was hard watching Jake and Neytiri place their eldest son down onto the orange glowing tendrils. It was hard watching him be absorbed by them, disappearing into the glowing mass. Guilt riddled your consciousness, yelling at you that you shouldn’t be there. That it was your fault that he was with Eywa now. That you took away Jake and Neytiri’s firstborn son from their grasp too soon. You felt that your presence itself was a reminder as to why Neteyam was no longer breathing.

So, you sat yourself in a secluded area on the small island, situating yourself between the large rocks that perfectly hid your smaller frame. You didn’t want anyone disturbing you, especially Lo’ak. You didn’t think you’d be able to face him again after tonight.

“You suck at sneaking away, you know that right?” A soft voice spoke out, making you jump in response from its abrupt reveal. You had been sitting in silence for a couple of minutes before you were interrupted.

Turning your head, you saw Kiri standing there, face still painted in the white substance her Mother lathered onto her face before attending her elder brother's funeral. She held a small smile in your presence, leaning down to properly sit by your side.

You only hum and nod your head in response, turning your gaze back towards the lapping waves against the soft sand of the shoreline. You felt unworthy of the girl's presence. Like you shouldn’t stare at her for too long or else Eywa would strike you down with lightning for it. Unworthy of still being her friend even after what had occurred hours prior.

“I do not blame you, (Y/N),” she spoke up, large amber eyes glued to the side of your face. “None of us do. It was not your doing for what happened that night. You were not the one with the gun,” she continued, her blue five-fingered hand coming to rest up against your shoulder in comfort.

Growing up, Kiri always knew what you were feeling by just seeing the expression on your face. It was a bit weird growing up. She knew what you felt even before you could process it yourself. But, oftentimes, you were grateful for someone like Kiri. For someone who knew you so deeply that they didn’t need words to confirm how you felt. She just knew.

Kiri did truly mean the words she spoke. She did not think that Neteyam’s death was yours nor Spiders' doing. You two were just kids who were taken hostage and desperately needed saving. You are just kids. Your whole lives were a cause of an unfortunate event but that doesn’t mean that everything bad that happens to her family and to the other natives of Pandora were solely you and Spider's fault. The two of you shouldn’t carry that heavy burden.

“But, if Lo’ak and Neteyam didn’t come after us – ” you sputtered, tears already welling in your waterline as your throat began to tighten with emotion.

The Na’vi girl knew where you were coming from. What your thought process was and how you felt. A perk of being one of your good friends she supposed.

“But nothing, (Y/N),” she cut you off, voice firm and absolute. There was no way you were going to change her mind about the situation at hand. It wasn’t your fault. Period.

“Neteyam and Lo’ak chose to come after you and Spider. They both knew of the consequences that came with following after you. No one except Quaritch and his men are to blame,” she said with finality, not needing you to further intrude on what she said. No matter how hard you’d try to convince her that it was your fault, she wouldn’t believe you. Her mind had already been made up and you weren’t the one to blame.

Only more tears began to gather and spill from your eyes at your friend's words. It was nice to hear that she, and most likely everyone else, didn’t blame you for what happened. But it didn’t help ease the guilt you felt. Nothing could aid in the guilt you felt deep within. Perhaps with time it would go away, but even then, you highly doubted that.

“Lo’ak still loves you if that is what’s causing this worry,” Kiri whispered out, only loud enough for you to hear just in case anyone else was wandering around.

During their stay at Awa’atlu, Kiri could tell that your absence had deeply disturbed her younger brother. It was evident in everything he did. Lo’ak always had a frown on his face and found excuses to pick fights with Ao’nung and his gang of friends. It was like he didn’t have a reason to behave accordingly or live anymore. Like his sense of self was lost when you were taken by Quaritch and his soldiers. He desperately missed you and she could tell that the only thing he wanted to do was get you back and have you in his arms once again.

Your stomach turned in knots and your heart stopped at Kiri’s comment. Did he really? What about the girl that helped you that night?

“I – I’m not too sure about that. What about the girl?” You asked, face damp with tears. You saw how Lo’ak treated her that night. How he gently put his hand on her cheek and how she reached out for him with a call of his name before leaving the both of you on that rock with Neteyam’s body. How he barely spared you a glance before leaving.

You were confident that he had finally found the one the Great Mother had destined him to be with. You knew that your time together was limited, the clock starting the minute you confessed your feelings to the teen boy. It broke your heart seeing him act that way with her but you knew that he’d eventually come to his senses about you and want to pursue a Na’vi who could actually give him the future he deserved. If anything, you were pleased that he found someone like him. He would no longer be held back by you.

“What? What girl? What are you talking about?” Kiri asked, shock and concern laced within her voice. She knew that Lo’ak was too in love with you to look at anyone else the way he looked at you. So your words confused her immensely. Why did you think he no longer saw you?

The blue girl ransacked her brain for the girl you were insinuating Lo’ak was into. She kept drawing blanks, until her mind settled onto the one person that was a great comfort to Lo’ak during their stay.

“You mean Tsireya?” She asked, a barely audible giggle coming out of her mouth.

To be frank, Kiri found the situation a little funny. Lo’ak was such a lovesick puppy for you that he often refused to talk to anyone who wasn’t you. He continuously asked about you before the two of you got together, always bothering Kiri as she made her way back from the lab. He also handmade many jewelry pieces for you, even if he sucked at it and needed Tuk’s help. Why would you think his affections would change that fast?

“She’s pretty,” you hum, eyes still glued on the moving waves in the distance. Really pretty. “She’s good for him, Ri. She’d be able to give him the future he deserves. Plus, Neytiri would actually like her. It was never in the cards for us,” you finished, voice now eerily calm and void of the sadness you expressed earlier.

Kiri’s mouth fell agape at your words, eyes widening to the size of yovo fruit. What the fuck?

“(Y/N), you cannot mean that. Tsireya and Lo’ak are only friends. That’s all,” she began, trying her best to save you from your overwhelming thoughts before they consumed you whole. “He still loves you. Please believe that,” she pleaded.

You finally tore your gaze from the water and up towards the glowing amber orbs of your friend. “He left me there, Kiri. All alone with no goodbye. Barely even glanced my way before he followed after Spider and Jake,” you confessed, heart breaking all over again at the memory. It was hours before they all returned to the rock. Spider was the only one to comfort you as Lo’ak was too busy with Tsireya. The rest of the family barely even spared you a glance as they pulled each other into an embrace.

Oh, Kiri thought, ears pinning to the sides of her head. Did she interpret Lo’ak and Tsireya’s body language wrong? Were they more than friends?

Neither of you uttered another word, sitting peacefully side by side as the two of you listened to the soothing sound of the lapping waves against the shore. A war was occurring within your head and walls were built to protect you from the oncoming grenades you were sure would be thrown at you by your lover once he confessed that he was no longer in love with you. If you could even call him yours anymore.

From afar, the subject of your conversation was watching the two of you converse. He so desperately wanted to run to you and gather you into his arms and keep you there forever. But, he knew that you were no longer his. He saw how Spider treated you so gently. How he placed a kiss on the crown of your head before scurrying away to lead Jake to the ship. How he was the first one to comfort you when they arrived, beating him in embracing you and soothing you as you sobbed against his bleeding chest. And even though his heart was breaking at the possibility of you no longer loving him, he only wanted you to be happy and if that was with Spider, then he’d let you go.

———

Days had passed since your conversation with Kiri. She had never left your side since, wanting to be there for you as you navigated your grief and heartbreak. Your words still stunned the poor girl. She was sure that you were wrong but she would admit that it was awfully suspicious the amount of times she saw Lo’ak and Tsireya together. And always seeing them together, especially after you pointed it out, didn’t help. Kiri was so sure of her brothers love for you that she nearly laughed in your face once those words left your mouth. But, she too began to doubt the affections her younger brother held for you.

Kiri often spent most of her time around you, but during the times she wasn’t able to, Tuktirey had no problem keeping you company.

“No! You’re doing it wrong,” Tuk exclaimed, groaning over your lack of weaving skills.

The young girl had been attempting to teach you the new way of weaving she had learned during her time on the island. She was so excited to show you what she had learned over the months that she nearly crushed your smaller, human body in a tight hug upon hearing your agreement. The young girl profusely apologized when she heard your panicked wheeze against her collarbone, quickly getting to work after.

“I’m sorry, TukTuk. Weaving’s never really been my thing,” you apologize, gently smiling at the child next to you. She was so excited to show you how to weave the Metkayina way, her eyes practically glowed in excitement once you agreed.

“It’s not your fault, (Y/N). I struggled with it too for some time. It just takes practice,” she responded, a large gummy smile directed your way. “Plus, that just means I can make you more!” She added, trying to lift up your dampened mood.

It seemed as if everything bothered you these days. Like everything was a reminder as to why you’d never be good enough for the secondborn Omatikaya prince. A reminder of the things you couldn’t give Lo’ak. Of the things you couldn’t do to please your mate. Weaving was a huge part of the Omatikaya culture, allowing one to express their gratitude and affection towards their intended. Something that you lacked severe skill in. Sure you could make a few bracelets here and there but it was nothing compared to those of the native Omatikaya who put so much effort into their weaving, going as far as making their own unique weave pattern for their beloved. Even though you wanted to refuse Tuktirey’s plea, for it was another painful reminder that you could never have Lo’ak, you still accepted it and endured the emotional turmoil you experienced. You wouldn’t allow your own feelings to stump Tuk’s happiness and eagerness to share with you something new she learned.

“You can make me as many as you want, Tuk,” you replied, a small smile gracing your lips as you gently patted her head, ruffling her hair in the process. The young girl shrieked at your action, pushing your hand away from her freshly braided hair, giggling afterwards.

You desperately missed moments like these during your captivity. You missed playing around with the Sully children and hearing Tuk’s high pitched giggle as she ran away from your hands as you reached out to tickle her. You missed Kiri’s wise words as she spoke about whatever came to mind. You missed Lo’ak’s comforting embrace as he enveloped you into his arms whenever you needed it. You missed Neteyam’s kind nature, helping you out whenever you found yourself falling behind. You’d always miss Neteyam, his absence another reminder as to why you would never be enough for the one you loved.

A loud cough from the doorway of the marui pod broke you and Tuk out of your giggling fit, both of you whipping your heads to the figure standing in front of the opening. Your heart dropped at who was in front of you.

“Mom!” Tuktirey squealed, jumping up to her feet and towards her sa’nok.

You could tell that Neytiri wasn’t excited about your presence, her hardened glare never leaving your face even as she bent down to embrace her youngest child. Over the course of the days following Neteyam’s funeral, Neytiri was colder towards you and Spider. She rarely ever let her children see you and often fought with Jake on this matter. She always argued about the same thing. How you and Spider weren’t good for her children. How the both of you deserved to be with your people. How you bring nothing but pain to this family. That if Jake never took the both of you in, they wouldn’t be in the position. You heard most of what she was yelling about almost every night, your shared guilt with Spider growing evermore.

“I…uh…I think I should get going Tuk. I just remembered that Kiri wanted to show me around somewhere,” you awkwardly said, smiling at the young girl before quickly heading out, barely giving her enough time to say her goodbyes to you.

You sped walk out from the Sully’s pod and onto the soft sand of Awa’atlu. You knew that you were no longer welcomed in Neytiri’s presence and you respected her wishes by excusing yourself and making your way out. It was the least you could do considering all that she went through.

Hours passed by with you sitting in the same place Kiri found you days prior, just thinking. Something that you found yourself doing way too often. It was hard to get out of your head and even harder for others to help you out of it. Most days, Spider wasn’t even able to help you with your problem and he almost always was able to save you from your own mind. Today was no exception regarding getting yourself stuck in your head and going around in circles.

“(Y/N)?” A soft voice asked, effectively pulling you out from your stupor.

Your eyes shifted from where they were glued to onto the person standing next to you, making your whole body tense and stomach churn in anxiety. Tsireya.

The light blue Na’vi girl stood in front of you with a look of concern etched on her face. Her skin was covered in a thin line of droplets, a clear sign she had just came back from a swim. You wondered if she felt bad for you and approached you out of pity. If Lo’ak had told her about your past together and if she was approaching you to inform you about their new union. If she was here to tell you about what her and the other Metkayina thought of you, preparing yourself for harsh insults and words.

“Are you okay?” She asks, sitting on her knees as she leaned forward a bit, big blue eyes practically staring into your soul.

Your eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. You were usually very careful in how your body reacted whenever you got stuck in thought. Always giving yourself time to release the tension in your body and relax before returning back to the thought you put on pause. So you were very confused as to why Tsireya was concerned with if you were okay or not.

“You just…seemed lost in thought.” She says, hands gently folding together in her lap. “I’ve noticed that your hair,” she points to your eyebrows, “come together when you’re thinking. Lo’ak does the same thing.”.

Your heart sped up at the mention of Lo’ak’s name, only for it to drop again once you realize who’s talking to you. Keep yourself in check (Y/N), you thought to yourself, you’re in the prescence of Lo’ak’s mate. Of course she knows things like that about him. You shouldn’t act like this.

“Oh, yeah. I’m fine!” You reply, a half assed smile creeping up on your lips, not quite reaching your eyes like it usually does. There was no way in hell that you’d tell Tsireya what was going on inside your head. That wasn’t a burden she needed on her shoulders.

The girl didn’t look too convinced at your response but didn’t push it further. She only nodded and continued to look at you, big eyes studying your human features. Tsireya had rarely seen you around and when she did, it was very brief before you disappeared out of sight again. So she couldn’t help but look at you as you sat there. You were very pretty, she noted. No wonder Lo’ak fell so helplessly in love with her, she thought. Your beauty was something Tsireya had never seen before.

“Tsireya!” A gruff and deep voice shouted, catching the girls attention as she turned her back towards the voice. It was her Father.

“Oh. I’m sorry (Y/N), but I have to go. I do hope you feel better soon,” she quickly said before walking away, her tail swinging gently from side to side as she strides away.

The whole encounter you had with the girl made you even more confused and sad. She was so nice to you. She gave you no reason to hate her. But you couldn’t help but feel it as she left you there, longing for the life you could never have.

———

“You’re being so sulky,” Spider murmured, arms crossed as he watched you stare at your food in front of you.

Norm and Max had cooked dinner nearly two hours ago and you were the only one who hadn’t finished your plate. You didn’t have much of an appetite these days either. You were too occupied with thinking or trying to avoid Lo’ak at all costs to properly eat. You knew it wasn’t something you should be doing but you found yourself doing it anyway.

“You haven’t even talked to him! You don’t know if it’s true or not,” he continued, sick of seeing both you and Lo’ak moping around and avoiding each other at every turn. He’s told the both of you multiple times to just talk about it but the both of you were too stubborn for your own good.

You ignored Spider’s comment, rolling your eyes at the boy besides you. You really didn’t need him meddling in your business.

Your silence was Spider’s last straw as he slammed his hands against the metal table, surprising you and making you jump back at the action. Your plate shifted and jumped in its place, the fork clattering onto the floor.

“Fine. If neither of you want to talk this out on your own, then I’ll do it for you,” he exclaimed, jumping up from his seat and hauling you up from yours by your arm.

“Are you fucking crazy?” You screamed, trying to pry Spider’s fingers off of your bicep.

He only scoffed at your response and shook his head, leading you to the entrance of the lab that sat in the secluded parts of the island, tossing you a mask before shoving you out of the metal lab and out into the Pandora air.

Shortly after the events with Quaritch and the tulkun hunters, Norm and Max had decided that it would be best if they put one of their smaller labs on Awa’atlu for the two of you. It was definitely smaller than the lab you lived in at High Camp, but you didn’t complain. At least you had somewhere to go and hide whenever you didn’t want to see Lo’ak that particular day.

“You fucker!” You shouted, banging the flat of your palm up against the glass of the door. Spider only ignored your calls from the inside, eating your untouched food. You groaned in frustration as you watched the boy simply devour your cold food.

Rustling of leaves were heard from your right, making your heart stop in its confines in anxiety. Your breath hitched in your throat as you slowly turned your head to see who or what caused the noise, especially this late at night. Your stomach dropped to the floor once you saw those familiar amber eyes peek out from behind a shrub.

“Lo’ak?” You whispered, not trusting your voice at the moment.

Upon hearing your voice, the culprit perked up, completely revealing themselves to you.

“Yawne?” He asked, unsure if he should move closer to you or stay where he was. Lo’ak had been craving to be in your presence ever since his brothers funeral. He only wanted you in his arms again and even though he had you back, he didn’t completely have you.

The two of you stood there, in front of each other for a while, neither of you daring to move closer or speak up first.

It was strange to see you after not having seen you for months. You looked the same but didn’t at the same time. Lo’ak didn’t know how he didn’t notice the first time he saw you on that ship. You looked more mature. Like you had seen or experienced something you shouldn’t have.

“How are you?” Lo’ak asks, finally breaking the awkward silence between the two of you.

You internally scoffed at that question, shaking your head as you did so. Yeah, I’m totally fine. Leaving me with your dead brother for hours didn’t do anything to me at all.

“Fine,” you answer, beginning to try to open the lab door with all your might, shaking the lock. Spider must’ve locked it from the inside or something, you thought, promising yourself that you would choke the boy out once you got back into the lab.

Lo’ak flinched at your rough voice and repetitive shaking of the door, ears drawing downwards as he watched. He’s never seen you act so violent before. Never seen you so desperate to get back into the lab. Usually, back in the forest, you’d do anything and everything to stay out of the lab for as long as you could. So to see you act the opposite made Lo’ak frown, especially since it was because he was out with you.

“Yawne,” Lo’ak tried again, taking a step closer to you before quickly drawing back as you scowled at him to stay where he was. “What is wrong? Talk to me, please,” the boy pleaded, tail falling limp between his legs.

“I told you. Nothing. Nothing is wrong,” you replied, eyes never leaving the stupid handle of the door you were trying to pry open.

Lo’ak knew you were lying. Something was most definitely wrong. He could see it in your eyes. How badly you wanted to share whatever was bothering you but something withheld you from uttering the words. It made him ever the more desperate to get you to talk to him.

The boy knew that showing up at the lab unannounced wasn’t going to get you to talk to him, especially since he too was also ignoring your existence. That he’d have to try harder in order to get you to speak with him.

“Yawne –”.

“Stop! Stop calling me that! I am not your yawne!” You shouted, ceasing your prying of the locked metal door. Hearing that term come out of his mouth made you want to cry. It made you want to scream, kick, and hit him for calling you that when you knew that he called another it. He had Tsireya to be his yawne. That was no longer a title you held.

Confusion and hurt spread itself across Lo’ak’s face, brows furrowing together in confusion. What did you mean? Why were you no longer his beloved?

“Why? Why not?” He shouted back, anger quickly arising within the teen boy. “What have I done to make you angry with me?” He asked, ears drawing further downward and pressing harder against the side of his skull.

You wanted to pull at your hair in frustration and anger. You just wanted to go inside and pass out before having to face the Sully family again. You wanted Lo’ak to leave you alone in your heartbreak. To stop haunting your dreams. To stop reminding you of the life you longed to have with him.

“Nothing and everything, Lo’ak!” You screamed, finally fed up, “You have done nothing and yet have done everything to upset me. First, you leave me with Neteyam for hours. You left me alone with the body of someone who I loved. You left me alone in my grieving. I had to wash away the blood and grime from his body as you did what? Fight Quaritch? Get Spider nearly killed? Then…then you touched her so lovingly. So gently. When you barely even spared me a glance. You comforted her and hugged her so tight to yourself that I couldn’t tell where you started and she ended.”.

“I only wanted you to comfort me. To hold me as I cried. But you were too busy with her. And I understand, Lo’ak. I do. As much as it pains me to realize and say it. I know that you and Tsireya are together, a thing. It’s as obvious as the mask that I need. And it’s okay. Really. I knew that whatever this was, it wasn’t going to last. I am human and you deserve so much more than what I can give you. I cannot give you children, make the bond with you, or even be properly considered one of the People. You deserve someone who could give you that. Give you everything and more. I mean, Tsireya is Tsakarem for crying out loud! She is much more suited to be your mate than I am, Lo’ak.”.

By the time you were finished with your speech, your chest was rising up and down dramatically, trying to gulp down air as quickly as the mask would let you. You knew that once you expressed your feelings and how you felt, it would change everything. So in order to ignore Lo’ak’s intense gaze and to prevent yourself from succumbing to the need to cry, you began your attempts at trying to open up the locked door or at least trying to get someone’s attention so they’d save you.

Your hands began to hit the door again, switching to messing with the door handle after a couple of beats pass with no one coming to your rescue.

“I confessed.” Lo’ak blurted out, desperation covered his face. His ears were fully up in alert, twitching at the sound of your hands stopping against the hard metal of the lab.

You stopped your movements, standing on the stairs of the lab in shock, trying to process the words that just came out of the boy's mouth. Confessed? What did he mean by confessed?

He needed you to know that what you were saying wasn’t true. That he wasn’t seeing Tsireya and that he’ll never see her in that light as he sees you. That his heart only held love for you and no one else. That your entire being consumed him heart, body, and soul.

“I told my Mother about us. About our relationship. About how much I love you. About how much I adore and see you. About that night at the Tree of Souls. I told her everything,” he rambled, tears clinging to his waterline as he tried to hurriedly blink them away. “She wasn’t happy about it, obviously. But, I didn’t care. I still don’t. Tsireya and I have never and will never be a thing. My heart only beats for you. My lungs only breathe for you. My body and soul only long for you. Everything is only ever for you, ma yawne. I hold so much love for you that it hurts. Did you know that the afternoon I heard of a young boy and girl being held captive at the Ta’unui clan, I almost immediately took off on my ilu to get you back? That I fought with my Sa’nok over you? That’s when I told her. Everyone heard and I don’t care that they did. I would scream out my love for you on the highest floating mountain if you asked me to. I’d do anything for you, (Y/N). Please, please believe that.”.

Lo’ak took in deep breaths once he finished his speech, desperately trying to fill his lungs with air after depriving them of it. He hoped that what he said was enough to get you to see how he felt about you, how he still felt about you. And if you didn’t, then he’d try again and again and again until he ran out of air to breathe. He needed you in his life. He didn’t care that you couldn’t bare him children or make tshaleyu with him. All he needed was you and that would be enough for all of his lifetimes.

“Lo’ak,” you croaked out, hot tears running down your cheeks and gathering at the bottom of your mask. You had no idea that he felt that strongly for you. Sure he mentioned some things from time to time but he never seemed this serious about it. You could feel the emotions of his words as they hit you square in the face.

“I don’t care if you can’t carry my children or that you can’t make the bond with me. I don’t. I only care that you’re in my life and that you love me just as much. You have been such a big part of my life for so long that I can’t imagine you not in it. Nga yawne lu oer,” Lo’ak finally finishes, kneeling on his two knees to get to your height, gently taking your softer hands in his rougher one’s.

All of the doubts you had about yourself and the relationship you had with the boy in front of you vanished the moment he touched you. Like everything else disappeared and it was only you two in the world.

“I am so sorry if it seemed like I had any interest in Tsireya, my love,” Lo’ak whispered, bringing your hands up to his lips as he pecked them with a kiss, “To be honest, I thought Spider and you were a thing as well.”.

At his confession, you bursted out laughing, not being able to hold in your reaction to the ridiculous thought.

“I know, I know,” Lo’ak tsked, shaking his head, “I had asked Spider about it and he had the same exact reaction. He wouldn’t shut up about it either, telling me how ridiculous I was for thinking such a thing. As well as how much of an idiot I was too.”.

“Well,” you hummed, taking your hands out of your boyfriends and placed them onto his blue cheeks, “I guess we’re both idiots then.”.

Lo’ak chuckled at your response, shaking his head as he finally brought you into his arms, immediately burying his head into the crook of your neck as he got a sniff of your dearly missed scent. Your arms wrapped themselves around his neck as he held you close, almost completely enveloping you in his body.

“I’m sorry for assuming,” you speak up, fingers running through Lo’ak’s braids. You felt bad for immediately assuming Lo’ak would move on that fast and get with Tsireya. You knew it wasn’t something he’d do but your overwhelming insecurities took over.

The Na’vi boy only hums, burying his head farther into your neck. “It’s okay,” he said, “I did the same. Nothing to stress about now. I got you back and that’s all that matters”.

The two of you sat there for what felt like only minutes but was hours in reality. The sun had begun to poke through the horizon, sunrise vastly approaching.

“Wanna go inside? We could spend the morning sleeping and cuddling if you want,” you suggest, eyelids getting droopy as your lack of last nights sleep began to catch up with you. You shifted your head so it laid on Lo’ak’s shoulder, yawning as you did so.

Your lover only nodded in agreement, delicately moving into the small lab and removing your mask from your face, placing a kiss on your forehead as you began to snore in Lo’ak’s arms. He smiled down at you before making his way to your established room, content with how the night turned out.

As he gently laid you in the soft bed and tucked the both of you in, he knew that he’d gladly spend the rest of his life with you so as long as you pleased. That there was no one else but you that he truly saw himself with. The teen would do anything for you, no matter what it entailed.

[mayullla]

Title: A Cruel Punishment

Character(s): Viscount (Unnamed character/original work)

Summary: You were cast aside by your fiance, a prince who fell in love with another woman. You were called an evil woman and you thought you would be sent away yet instead you were given to another. Your hands trembled when you read the contract that you would wed a terrible man.

Tags/Warnings: male!yandere, fem!reader, viscount!yandere x fallen aristocrat!reader, both are adults, general yandere themes, manipulation (both physical and mental), power imbalance, forced marriage, corporal punishment, loss of control, womb tattoo that is not sexual, forced servitude, 4.7k words

Part 2 is here!

This was your punishment.

You did try of course. You tried everything in your power not to have this happen… Yet no matter what you did you were treated like a villain in front of that girl. Tears in your eyes as you watch the man you have loved hold another woman with such care while looking at you in disdain and disgust like you were the devil. 

After misunderstandings and misunderstandings, your fiance has cast you aside for the girl who had become the talk of the aristocratic society. You were also spoken of, as the wicked one who lost her fiance to some countryside noble girl. The lady who was cruel and cunning. A bully towards those who could not speak up for themselves. A noble who had set up her own fall.

Yet that was never the case. You were nothing of that sort yet no one believed. When cautious eyes stayed away from you, not wanting to be caught in the waves or rumors. When those who cared for entertainment smiled at you wickedly, watching everything around you collapse. Those who didn't care turned their backs towards you walking away.

Maybe you should have tried harder… but it was too late. Kicked out of noble society, you awaited your punishment.

You thought you would be sent to a monastery. A punishment to banish the cruel women of nobility. Yet just before you could step foot towards that place, you were dragged back to where you were. 

They had no place for you. Food and water, none of that nor a place for you to sleep. For you, a far worse punishment awaited you. As you stared at the letter sent to you your knees fell to the floor. 

A marriage arrangement contract with the viscount. Cursive, beautiful, and elegant... it was terrifying.

There were many rumors surrounding him, he was someone who always smiled yet the more sharp ones could see the cunningness and hunger in his eyes. There were many rumors around him, that even while handsome many sound-minded women stayed away from him. For those ladies who did not, it was long before they suddenly disappeared, fell into madness or their family suddenly became bankrupt. 

There were rumors that circulated around the nobility that the viscount was dangerous, had a hold of the black market, and dabbled in dark magic. But there was no concrete proof, there was nothing. It was impossible to find information that the rumors were true and those who tried to unravel what was covered could only regret it.

The moment you read the contract that he would have you as his wife it was as if cold water was dumped onto you. Fear encased your heart as you wondered if this was your punishment. 

Those who have heard of this news wondered if you would even be alive after your marriage with that man. Some thought that you would not last even a month later found in a ditch somewhere body chopped into pieces, while organs were sold to the highest bidder.

You were scared as you were essentially dragged to his mansion, under the guise that you and him should get to know each other more before marriage which was in two months' time. Reaching the place and forced to sit down in the guest waiting room, your hands shook as you held your teacup to your lips, you could not focus on the maids bringing desserts. Seconds felt like hours till he finally showed, the same smile on his lips that felt nothing more than a mask. It was obvious that he was hiding something. 

He never tried to hide that smile, in fact, you have never seen another expression on his face other than that sly smile. Maybe already confident that no one would ever find those secrets.

You were cautious of him, having met him a few times at parties and balls you have always kept your guard up and alert around him, never once able to feel comfortable when he stared down at you like a predator watching its prey. You always tried to avoid him, and when you could not you could only sigh in relief when the conversation ended and the two of you separated.

Yet here you were.

"I hope you didn't wait long." He gently asked, taking a seat on the sofa in front of you. The servants had silently left the room after he had motioned them to go out (a flick of his hand) leaving only you and him alone. You shook your head telling him that it was fine that you didn't wait long which he looked as if he had brightened considerably. 

"Then please be comfortable. I do hope the tea is to your liking."

His sly smile never left his face.

It made it difficult to actually make yourself comfortable when you didn't know what he was actually thinking. The short small chat between you and him felt too long as he asked about your likes and dislikes, hobbies, and such. Drinking your tea, you were parched from all the talking and your nerves had somewhat calmed down but you tried your best to hide the tremble in your hand. 

"You must be sad that you have broken up with your fiance." Looking up you looked at the smiling face of the viscount from your tea. His elbow on his crossed knee while he rested his chin on his hand, "You have been his fiance ever since you were little kids. Why do I imagine it is still difficult to separate when you have been together for so long."

You froze at his words, the hurt in your heart that of what happened just a few days ago was still fresh from the pain. "I pitied you. Such a lovely lady, that looked like a rose wilting as others laughed at a beautiful thing. Why when I heard that they planned to send you to the monastery, I only thought it was unfortunate." He sipped his tea calmly as his eyes watched you, as your hands tightened around the teacup fear climbing up your body as you tried to lean away but were unable to because of the sofa.

"...I am sorry... what are you trying to say?" You didn't understand if he was trying to offend you or if he wanted to show his pity. 

You felt a wave of dizziness wash over you.

"Hmmm, for you my dear what I mean to say is that I found it tragic to send such a beautiful lady away." Tilting his head, his sharp eyes staring at you. You tried to concentrate on his words, yet you were struggling. "Then I thought that having you in my grasp would make for such a fine idea. You wouldn't have to go but instead be able to stay and I will get to keep you for myself. Of course, you would need much training before I would release you back into the noble society just like that."

Huh? You tried to listen, yet his words and face started to become a blur. Dizzy and tired you thought as you placed a hand on your head wondering what was the matter with you and if the stress from everything finally caught up to you. It was hard to understand his words, yet you could remember the mocking tone of it. It was getting harder to keep your eyes open.

"It seems that medicine is finally working. Don't worry dear I have made sure just to give you a tiny dose."

There was a sound of glass breaking, wondering what happened you tried to get up again yet were unable to when a hand placed itself on your cheek. The warmth of it was enough to get you to close your eyes. The last thing you heard was his voice.

"Such a cute little dove. Sleep love. When you wake up you will have no more rest. I will train you to become a fine lovely wife just for me and in the eyes of society."

After that darkness was all you could see, consuming all light.

Waking up, you had a major headache. Slowly moving as you push yourself up from the bed when you hear a door open and shut. "You are finally awake."

Opening your eyes, you looked around wondering why you were hearing a somewhat familiar voice when you realized where you were. In a dark room with no windows all except a lamp that lit up the room. There was almost no furniture except the bed that you lay on with expensive sheets and blankets. You suddenly moved alarmed by where you were when the clanging of chains tugged your leg preventing you from getting farther.

Putting force into your leg to pull the chain, you yelped when a sudden pain sprang on your bosom. Grabbing your stomach you looked down to see a crest. A beautiful yet erotic design was laid on the lower side of your stomach through the sheer nightclothes. “You are finally awake! You have slept for quite a while now… three days actually, but I had to make sure that you would not have any irreversible damage from the seal.

"Where... where am I?" You looked at him bewildered, fear and distrust shown in your eyes as you watched him walk closer to you.

"You are in the room you will stay for a little while till our wedding." You raised a brow at his words, surprised and in disbelief but he only chuckled. "My little future wife, my adorable pet, your surprised expression is just so cute. Even since a long time ago, since we met each other the first time I always had this fascination towards you." 

Bending his hips, you and him looked face to face at each other. There was a certain twinkle in his eyes, one that you often see in the past whenever he looked at you. "You see it was something like a love at first sight. While I never believed that at first, I realized that it was indeed true when I first laid eyes on you. Such a prim and proper little lady, trying her best to hide her struggles from the pressure of being the finance of a prince while smiling. Seeing you made me wonder what other expressions you have other than the ones that you show in public. I don't know why but I have a hard time getting you off my mind. And the more I thought about you the more I.. fell."

"Quite the love story is it not? However, you have already belonged to someone else, to that foolish and without a lick of sense or talent prince. I do not understand what you see in such a useless buffoon." Dry words of distaste made you flinch. "But it seems I must only do so little to get him out of your side. Why, he himself volunteered to get out of my sight."

You looked at him alarmed at his words when he suddenly grabbed your chin. Examining as if you were a product that he bought. "He is quite the lustful man, don't you think? Falling in love with a woman when all she did was sway her hips and fall in his arms. That woman is a seductress. Her eyes were very greedy for things that didn't belong to her. I have a distaste for such harlots, I prefer the more meek ones, the little mice or loyal dogs."

Placing your hand on his arm you attempted to get out of his hold. "Stay still dear, I have to check if they did anything to your love face dear. I wasn't able to really examine your face much when I was so busy placing that seal." You yelped when your body suddenly didn't listen when you tried to get away. Your own body started to inch closer to him and stayed still.

"It seems that the seal is working quite nicely don't you think?" His smile could not help but widen a little more as he watched your frantic eyes, asking what he had done to you. "Your little seal here is just to make sure you are properly going to follow with your training and not run away. I had it created just for you when I heard that your fiance wanted to break up with you."

"It is just a simple commanding seal, you are quite the doll but even so I prefer my lover to be well collared just in case she had any thoughts of leaving." Your eyes watered at his words, terror seeping into your veins at the implications.

“My beautiful dove, you belong only to me.”

Things went down from there, forced into his every whim you were forced to study and learn to be the perfect wife for the viscount. Whenever you made a mistake there was a punishment. You learned how to care for the mansion. Yet the more you looked the more your blood became cold.

He was a cruel man. No matter how much you begged the servants to let you out they would not. Instead, they would report your actions to their master which would result in you being punished by him. You felt nothing more than dirt when he hit your hands if not your calves with a rod, tears in your eyes as you were forced to listen to his cooing, words of love, speaking of pain as he was forced to punish his oh so sweet lovely dear who just never listened to him.

You didn't want him anywhere near you, but you stifled all your complaints when you watched his eyes become cold the moment you tried to take a step out of line. So you kept it to yourself as your legs in his commands stayed still, as you showed your hands so that he could smear medicine on where he hit. Wanting nothing more than to hide yourself when you were forced to help him move your skirt so that he could place that cooling medicine in your calves. You were ashamed and embarrassed yet you could not do anything. 

Nothing at all.

Yet the more you stayed in this nightmarish mansion the more open secrets you found.

"I heard that you have caused some trouble with the maids, you know they would be the ones serving you later when you marry me. You should be kinder to them." 

"What happened to them..." You asked, shivering as you pushed yourself further on the bed, wanting anything but to be near the man who was the cause of it.

There was a rumor actually going around one of many about the servants in the viscount's house. When a person enters the mansion as a servant or maid there is a chance you will never see them again, and even if you did they would become a whole different person.

The viscount must have done something, something to make sure that whenever they went out they looked normal to an extent yet at the same time would rather kill themselves than leak a single word about their master. Except for a few who told you about the food and baths no one really spoke unless spoken to. Yet even then there was always this lifelessness in their tone, dead.

They were unbothered by what their master was doing to you, not one reaction did they create when you begged them for help. They wore blindfolds, the viscount didn't care for them but it feels that it was his way of showing his care for you. (Or maybe he wanted to see the shock in your eyes the moment you realize what actually happened to them.) It was by mistake you took off the blindfold of the maid, as you held your breath at their dead, hollow eyes lacking life. There was nothing in those eyes as if there were no memories, no life, nothing. 

They were nothing more than living dead puppets.

"What did you do to those people..." You whispered, flinching when he took another step towards you. Tears were in your eyes as you watched him stop as if to think. You were scared, frightened of what he would do. Could do to you. You thought those were slave tattoos that were banned from the kingdom due to how they would cause painful physical harm to the person, how it was inhumane. Due to its nature, the king banned it a few generations ago. 

"How..."

"Pfft." You flinched at the viscount reaction, trying to hold his chuckle at the back of his hand as he looked away for a moment. After chuckles and coughs escaped his lips he looked back at you again, walking closer to you again. "My dear, your mind thinks of amazing situations. Even I know that slave seals are banned in the kingdom. Why would I risk myself for something like that? I would also be placing you in danger when you are going to become mine soon."

Not that you weren't already. You saw it in his eyes, that he looked at you as if you were his own property.

Taking a seat on the bed that you were chained to he looked at you tilting his head, his smile was mocking as if asking if you were really that dumb. "You are just so cute dear. Let me explain it so that my fiance would understand." Raising his hands he motioned you to come towards him.

You didn't move, still scared, shivering like a small mouse much to his annoyance.

You yelped when your chained leg was roughly grabbed and pulled toward him. You looked fearfully towards the viscount who was staring down at you, his smile gone just for a moment. He raised his hand again, and you could not help but close your eyes till a hand touched your face in a gentle manner, it felt nothing but nauseating "Come here dear, get up. Let your fiance comfort you from your anguish."

But you didn't move, holding your hands near to your chest as you looked at him with fear. You were scared, so scared at the thought that the viscount would make you the same as those lifeless servants. Yet you were suddenly forced up but an invisible thing holding your arm roughly pulled you towards the viscount who caught you in ease. 

"Wha-" "Oh, so eager." That mocking tone again, so close to anger but also amused.

You yelled again, looking at your arms as they moved to their own accord around his neck while your legs also moved by themselves placing you on Viscount's lap. "So eager and so cute... Did you want to jump into my arms that much?" you heard him whisper in your ear as your face heated up in mortification, yet it was obvious that you were shivering still in fear, unable to forget what you saw. 

A small sound escaped your mouth as your body flinched when he wrapped his arms around your waist holding you tightly. "You are shivering dear, were you that afraid? I am sorry love, I should have been the one to come instead of the servants but you need to be punished after what you have done yesterday." Another tiny sound escaped your lips when he started to pat your back, tears flowing down your eyes. From the outside point of view, you looked like nothing but a tearful lady crying in her lover's arms begging him to forgive her, while he was nothing but patient.

You were glad that you could not see his face, as your tears stained the shoulder of his shirt. Patting your back his arm went back to hugging you tightly as he placed a kiss on your shoulder. It brought a chill down your spine. "Those servants are like this because I had to be sure that they would never leak any dangerous information. Many had tried already, I had to be cautious dear. I knew you would be scared of them so I had them cover their eyes." 

He placed a kiss on your shoulder again this time a little nearer to your neck. "The slave seal is banned and I would never dream of using it, so I made one of my own. The kind that is similar to the slave tattoo but would never hurt the wearer, it just keeps them in a trace, a dreamlike state, and only listens to orders."

You wanted to push him away, yet your arms that hugged his neck were locked in place, as your leg tried to curl around his leg without your command. You knew that he wasn't telling everything, that there was more to it as you wonder about the seal right below your belly button.

Your breath hitched when you felt him place his thumb on the seal, as you froze in your spot. Watching your reaction he laughed again, a laugh that sounded so cruel to your ears as he adjusted your body to move closer to him than what was before. 

Warmth touched your neck, his lips touching your neck. Hugging your waist tightly, it was suffocating yet it made him excited, the obsessive love in his eyes so painfully obvious, "My love, I would never do that to you. Your lovely face devoid of any feelings would only hurt me more. To make you a mindless thoughtless servant, that I could never do to you. You just need a little training compared to them..."

"Look at me." Your head did not listen to you, you did not want to look at him. Yet you had no choice but to show your crying face to the man who made you like this. Forced to make eye contact, you saw his obsessed greedy smile as he looked at your face. His eyes swirled with a crazed delight. 

You hate it.

You unconsciously jumped when he touched the seal again, there was a static that ran down your spine when he touched it. A foreign feeling that you didn't feel when you touched the seal yourself. Confused, you looked at him, eye round and asking which only made him laugh even more, "You are so adorable." He whispered as he pulled you closer so that your chests were touching. "So adorable, and mine. Forever mine." He whispered, your arms still wrapped around his neck he continued to mumble those words over and over again. His embrace tighter and tighter making it harder to breathe. "I will train you to become a lovely lady, that any other men and woman would look upon you with envy, yet your thoughts would only be infested with me."

Your body moved without your consent again, hugging just as tight. You didn't want this. "So cute. So cute. God it is so fun to watch you. Your body is still shivering and tears are still in your eyes. You are so cute." He laughed as he continued to say the same thing over and over again. "And you will be all mine officially too. Soon dear, in a few months you will be mine but for now you need to stay here okay? You still didn't finish your punishment too for slapping your poor fiance."

You flinched as he looked at you, feeling an immense pressure that was pushing you down the smile calculative and mischievous, "If you kiss me I will forgive you dear." He told you tilting his head.

You want anything but that, yet when you tried to push him away your body did anything but that as your hands on his shoulder pulled him closer instead. 

This was your punishment.

Yet nothing changed even after that. Nothing at all when your eyes were forced to read the books that talked about a prim and proper lady.

Every day in your mind you thought that this was your punishment. That you were weak, that you didn't know. Those misunderstandings between you and the prince were caused because you didn't try enough. The Viscount fed you well, even when you didn't have an appetite you tried to eat because of fear, cause you were fearful of the servants who looked after you. You were dressed "well" and taken care of. 

However, rather than a human you were almost treated like a doll. The chain was always there on your foot rather than useful; it was a reminder that you were trapped here.

Morning you were forced to study, manners that you learned when you were young you were forced to learn again with the viscounts teaching. He was more strict than your previous teachers, forcing you to do the same sets of movements again and again, from how you eat and how you drink tea. He wanted all the mannerisms drilled into your head so that you would be perfect. To how you walk and hold a teacup. You whelped in pain when he whips you from the small mistakes you have made. Your calves burned in pain and so did the palm of your hands.

Dancing was hell, he found everything wrong with each step. If you weren't able to do it, the punishment was simple as your body was forced to do the same movements over and over and over again. Depending on how skilled or how bad you were you could only become better as you were forced to dance the same song for hours on end. Your body holding the pose of holding the viscount shoulder and hand as he went away telling you to be good and continue practicing telling you that he would come back when he finishes work.

When he came back, you were sweating with a feverish tired look to your face as your body forced you to continue moving to the steps of the dance. More often than not you would fall into the arms of the viscount much to his delight. Asking if you finally memorize each and every step. Sometimes you could not answer too tired to do so and sometimes he was forgiving, other times not so much. You yelped in pain when you heard the loud smack, even while carrying you in his arms he was strong enough to hold you and land a slap on your butt for not answering. You would answer as soon as possible after that, scared that he would hit you again. 

It seems that much as he loved perfection, he also adored how fragile and weak you were in his arms. This idea of you being only able to rely on him. As he kissed your feet after taking off your dance shoes, watching you with a crazed lust in his eyes. Unable to pull away when all your energy had been taken away, you could do nothing but close your eyes away from the viscount and his taunting love.

There was even more training after that, he made so that each step you took reminded you of him whether that be the stinging pain of your butt after you had made the mistake of unconsciously trying to avoid him, or thin and revealing the clothes he made you wore were.

Silks and satins, short and over your knees essentially underwear in your eyes when the world viewed the showing of ankles to be too seductive and immoral dresses were the most covered-up clothes you were allowed to wear in the mansion. You hated the feeling of lifeless eyes that the servants had watching you.

And if he was feeling rather sadistic, he would mockingly manipulate your body to play to his whims.

On the day of the marriage, you could not help but stare at yourself in the mirror. You don't remember how many days you were trapped in the Viscount mansion. You wondered if you were broken, broken to the point that you had no willpower to even make a peep at your sufferings. You have long given up, too afraid of something worse you choose to fall. You were too afraid to resist and for him, this was nothing more than amusement. A satisfaction that you were his.

You could not run away, not when he held power over you. Not when he could manipulate your actions and steps. Nothing belonged to you, your life was signed away long ago ever since he saw you.

You thought of yourself as a marionette yet to him he thought of you as his lovely bride.

[alisonfelixwrites]

sunlit. - muse one shot [harry styles au]

//

part two.

summary: in which Eden just graduated and spends her summer holiday with her father and stepmother in their italian house, and Harry is the mysterious, older neighbour her father doesn't want her to talk to.

A/N: this has been on my wattpad for a while but i recently rr it and re-fell in love with it, so i wanted her to have a tumblr-moment too :))

word count: 22,915

CW's: age gap, SMUT! oral (f & m receiving), rimming (f & m receiving) spitting, choking, degrading, unprotected sex, public sex, voyeurism, anal play (if you squint), spanking (if you squint harder)

_________________________________________________________

Eden had to admit that standing in front of the house she’d spent the next few months at, she wasn’t seeing what she had expected.

Her shoulder-length chocolate hair was wispy and in her face, her hand hastily moving up to tuck it away behind her ear, “Oh.” She mumbled.

“You like it, hon?” Her father closed the back of the car, “It’s cute, huh?” 

Eden nibbled her lip, eventually pushing her sunglasses up in her hair to keep it away a little bit in the warm wind. “Yeah.” She breathed, settling on that answer. Her dad chuckled and walked up next to her, “I know, I know. It needs a little bit of love, but the inside is so charming. We fell in love with it and you will too, promise.” He placed a kiss to her cheek before hauling her suitcases in, “We’re so happy you’re here! Colleen is very excited to spend some time with you.”

Eden exhaled and forced a smile, “I just… I thought you said we were close to the city?” She walked up behind her father towards the small, typical Italian house. Sure it had a lot of character, but for one – it looked tiny and second of all, Eden had paid attention during the car ride to notice they hadn’t passed by anything that looked like a bar or a store in at least forty minutes.

“Yeah, you just take the bike down the hill and then the train. There’s a little grocery shop down the hill with like a coffee house too, but the nearest city is about an hour by train.” He casually explained.

“An hour?!” Eden shrieked, being ignored by her dad who simply kept walking. Eden tilted her head back with a groan, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“You’ll love it here!” He shouted in an attempt to convince her. Eden rolled her eyes and took her bag, walking into the house behind him. Her nose scrunched up at the welcome-mat that said live, love, laugh! in front of the front door.

The coolness of the house welcomed Eden though as she stepped inside with her slippers on. She closed the heavy door behind her. The house was tiled in a reddish-brown colour, which was so typical for a house like this. 

Eden exhaled another breath as she carefully stepped in, following the shadow of her father. The house smelled like citrus, Eden noticed. It was fresh and clean and she clutched her bag around her shoulder. She turned the corner to be met with a small kitchen, Colleen by the counter with an apron on.

“Eden!” She gasped, opening her arms wide to hug the daughter of her partner. Eden forced a smile, “Colleen, hi.” She gently hugged her back as Colleen squeezed her painfully. Her bouncy blonde curls smothered Eden and her perfume was heavy in her nose.

Colleen’s arms felt tight around Eden and she let go a few seconds after Eden was already uncomfortable. She took a quick step back, having near forgotten how… smothering her stepmother was. Colleen was loud, bubbly and very present in any company. Eden was much more soft-spoken than her and preferred to sit in silence or by herself.

No matter how badly she tried to like Colleen – who essentially did nothing wrong – Eden almost felt like she was too kind. And no one could be that kind. Eden had to do nothing more but let out a little yelp as she stubbed her toe and Colleen was ready to drive her to the hospital.

And Eden felt somehow frustrated by it. And it frustrated her even more that she had no good reason to dislike Colleen who did her best to be liked by Eden, the only daughter of the man she loved and moved to Italy with.

“Welcome to our crib!” Her father grinned as he put her bags down and spread his arms, “Darling, we are so happy to have you here! You’re gonna have the summer of her life.”

Eden forced another smile.

When her father decided to move to Italy a few months ago, Eden had felt multiple emotions at one. She felt sad to be far away from him and not see him as much anymore. At the same time, she saw an opportunity. An opportunity for warm, Italian summers. An opportunity for a tan, lots of red wine, limoncello and Aperol Spritz by a pool as she strolled around little towns and met strangers in hot bars.

What she didn’t expect was a remote, little house with no sign of human life in sight.

Eden let her eyes glide around the house. It was full of personality, like her father had promised. She saw little touches of him and Colleen around the interior, but mostly they had adapted a very typical Italian style and left most of their personal belongings back in England. 

“Haven’t even been able to properly congratulate you on graduating.” Her father stood behind Eden, placing his hands on her shoulders. Eden felt a warmth spreading through her chest, welling up with pride as she breathed out a chuckle, turning around, “Thanks, dad.”

“A famous photographer in the family.” He joked and Eden blushed a little, a smile playing on her lips. Colleen smiled as she took the coffee pot in hand, “Any thoughts on what you’re going to do now?”

It was the inevitable question, and one that made Eden’s stomach clench. Her smile dropped immediately and her father shot her a sympathetic look, squeezing her shoulders again, “Eden will find her way. It’s summer break now after studying for years in a row. Freedom, hm? You deserve it.” He softly defended her. Colleen said nothing and Eden smiled at her father, “Yeah. Just a few weeks of uninterrupted sun.”

“You’ve come to the right address.” Her father smiled. Eden tried to feel excited, but standing in the house she was meant to spend a few months in, her enthusiasm deflated a tad. She rubbed the back of her neck, “I’ll just put my things upstairs?”

“Yeah, you can go explore.” Colleen waved her hand to the narrow stairs, “It’s upstairs to the left.”

“Thanks.” Eden softly smiled. She took one of her bags, leaving the other one downstairs for now. The stone steps didn’t creak like the stairs at the house in England did. The heat of the upstairs of the house greeted Eden as she reached the landing. 

The hallway was narrow as Eden took a left, glancing into the first room. It was quite the small room and was basically filled with boxes and storage, things her father and Colleen had yet to unpack. Eden exhaled a breath and continued, the second room being much more tidy.

It had a small double bed pushed against the wall opposite the window. White sheets covered the mattress and there was an old wooden dresser and a little desk in the corner. It wasn’t too decorated for the rest, but Eden enjoyed the simplicity of it. 

Walking into the room, she realized this was home for the next few months. And all of a sudden, a feeling of homesickness washed over her for no specific reason. She sat down on the edge of the bed, staring at the blank walls. Sun came through the cracked window. 

Coming to Italy for a few months after graduating was probably the most spontaneous thing Eden had ever done. But it was all fitting in with how she felt right now. Chaotic. 

All throughout college, Eden had one goal. Graduating. And it was as if she didn’t realize that she worked towards that for the longest time and once she finally reached it, it felt oddly… unsatisfying. 

She had reached that goal, and now there was just a big glob of nothingness, of no perspective, of just… empty. And Eden spiralled. While her friends enjoyed their graduation and their months of holidays and freedom and no more exams or deadlines, Eden bolted.

She broke up with her boyfriend, booked a ticket and left everything and everyone behind. And once again, coming to Italy was her perspective and her goal and now that she was here, it’s like she felt empty again. Eden bit her wobbling lip, overcome by emotions. And she sighed before leaning her elbows on her knees, “What the fuck are you doing.” She whispered to herself. 

The loud bark of a dog pulled Eden out of her thoughts, jumping up slightly from the noise. She narrowed her eyes, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear before getting up and walking up to the window.

The view from Eden’s window showed the narrow grass path that wrapped around the entire house, connecting the small front yard to the backyard. A fence separated their yard from the neighbour’s, which is where the dog was barking.

It wasn’t just one dog and Eden’s lips curled up into a smile. She saw a large border collie excitedly wagging its tail and jumping around the garden, playing with a much smaller Maltese dog attempting to keep up with the collie’s pace.

Admittedly, the neighbour had the house on the street that everyone wanted and the one Eden was currently in, was like its ugly sibling. It was about double the size of her father’s and Colleen’s house and the yard was even bigger. And to top it off, the house had a pool.

One glance into the backyard of their own house and Eden winced under her breath, realizing there was no pool here. Her chest sunk a bit as she exhaled, really trying to see a silver lining here.

Deciding Eden had to get out of the mood she was in, she simply put her bags down and opened one up, pulling out a pair of denim shorts to change out of her jeans and be a little less dressed in these hot temperatures. 

She put on a pair of slippers and redid the clip in her hair, hopping down the stairs again. Her father and Colleen were talking in the kitchen and Eden walked past them, offering a brief smile before her hand reached for the doorknob to find the garden, “I’m just going to check out the garden.” She spoke.

Colleen glanced at her father, who simply nodded and let his daughter exit the house.

The hot, humid air of southern Italy hit Eden’s face after leaving the coolness of the house. She did inhale a deep breath though, feeling as if she needed it. The grass underneath her feet was crispy from the heat and crickets could be heard all around. The house had a beautiful view of the hill with a bunch of grape vines. The little town could be seen from here, all the way at the bottom of the hill.

Eden put her hands on her hips and looked around, her face lighting up when she saw the two dogs again out of the corner of her eye.

“Oh, hi.” Eden cooed, walking towards the fence. The border collie excitedly wagged its tail, jumping up a little as Eden approached. She crouched down, smiling at both dogs who panted and continued running circles. The smaller Maltese stayed close and Eden put her hand through the fence to pet its head. 

“Hey!” A voice made her jump up and Eden quickly rose to her feet, seeing a man emerge from the house next door. 

The dogs quickly approached him, circling around his legs. He wore a pair of bright blue shorts and a large white button-up, sunglasses on his nose and no shoes on. 

“Oh.” Eden swallowed, “M-Mi scusi signore.”

The man continued walking up to her, a thick frown embedded in his forehead, “Shit.” Eden muttered to herself, fiddling with her fingers, “Stavo solo osservando i – uh… i tuoi cani.” She tried in her best italian, “Mi dispiace. Non… non avrei…” She stuttered before exhaling, “fuck, I don’t know how to say that in italian.”

“Your Italian is shit.” His voice sounded deep as he stood a little bit away from her, his hands on his hips.

Eden exhaled a sigh of relief, “Oh, you’re British? Thank god.”

He didn’t respond and Eden cleared her throat, “Like I was attempting to say,” she chuckled, “I shouldn’t have just touched your dogs. I’m sorry. They just looked very cute.”

The man took a step closer and flicked his eyes to his border collie, “Did you give them any food?”

“Food?” Eden raised her brows, “No, I didn’t.”

“Good. They’re not allowed food from strangers.”

There was a moment of silence between them and Eden’s eyes dragged up his body. She saw tan legs, scribbly tattoos around his knees and muscles that bulged without him even flexing. 

“I-I just moved here, by the way.” Eden pointed her thumb to the house behind her, “I’m sure you’ve met my father and step mother. I’m Eden.” She extended her hand to shake his. He hesitated for a moment before stepping up to her, “You moved in? You live here?” He checked.

Eden used her free hand to tuck some hair behind her ear, “Yeah, for the summer. I think. I haven’t really decided yet.” She shrugged before nibbling her lip. He swallowed and also extended his hand, shaking hers, “Harry.” He introduced himself.

“Nice to meet you.” Eden smiled. “And sorry again.”

“That’s alright.” His voice sounded a bit softer, all the anger having disappeared from him all of a sudden. Harry even put his sunglasses up in his hair and more of his face came into view. Mossy green eyes met her dark brown ones. The slight wrinkles by his eyes indicated that he was a little older than her. Harry had chestnut hair that was wavy on top of his head. 

Eden’s eyes dropped to the moustache above his top lip. She fought her blush, realising that the man in front of her was plain gorgeous and she just got off a flight and didn’t wear any make-up. 

“So – uh, have you lived here long? Or just vacationing? Since you’re British.” Eden tried to start a conversation. Harry’s attention went back to his dog circling his legs, his palm brushing the head of the border collie, “A while, yeah. And no, not vacationing. I live here full-time.”

“Oh.” Eden nodded at the information, “Your house is really nice.” Her gaze drifted to the house behind Harry before darting to the pool. She offered him a small smile, “Perhaps you could show me around a little bit?”

Harry glanced at her, tilting his head to the side, “Show you around?”

“Yeah.” Eden casually shrugged. She popped her hip out and pushed her chest up a little, “Or I could go for a walk with your dogs if you want me to. It’s not like I have anything to do here.”

Harry just stared at her for a bit and Eden felt her heartbeat increasing at the depth of his gaze. It felt like he could see right through her and her flirting ways. As a last resort, she shifted on her feet a bit, “Or if you’d ever be so kind to let me take a dip in your pool on a hot day, that’d be appreciated.”

“A dip in my pool?” He questioned with raised brows, a hint of amusement to his voice. Eden breathed out a chuckle, biting her lip again before shrugging, “Yes. It’s not like you can take a dip in mine.”

Harry felt himself near choking on a breath, her words having a clear double meaning and it seemed like Eden realised it too, gauging his reaction. Harry swiftly licked his lip as he exhaled, “We’d have to be acquainted for that. I don’t really invite strangers into my house.”

“Well, we are acquainted, aren’t we? You know my name, I know yours. We shook hands.” Eden tried to joke and Harry narrowed his eyes again, trying to analyse Eden. She was… flirting with him. Bold. 

“We’ll see.” He ended up muttering, offering her a small smirk, “You might have to try a little harder than that to be acquainted.”

Eden batted her lashes, “If you’d let me.”

There was silence between them, both staring at the other. Harry was intrigued, for sure. She didn’t have a shy mouth and she was pretty for sure. But he also knew it was a bad idea. Just as he thought that, the back door of Eden’s house opened, her father – Ron – popping his head out, “Darling? Dinner’s ready.” He called for her, giving Harry a stiff, polite nod.

“Yep.” Eden smiled at him before turning back to Harry, “So, I’ll see you around?”

He softly cleared his throat, “Sure.” It was nothing but a mumble, hardly convincing himself. If she was Ron’s daughter, she couldn’t be older than… twenty-five. Chances were she was a bit younger even. And he was well in his thirties. 

With that, Eden turned around and headed back into the house. Harry couldn’t help but stare at her ass before exhaling a breath, shaking his head to himself. A young, hot new neighbour wasn’t in his cards for the summer.

“C’mon, girl.” He scratched Sadie over her head, the border collie still circling his legs before they also headed back inside.

“Sooo…” Eden spoke as she pulled back the chair at the table to have her first dinner in Italy with her father and Colleen, “I met the neighbour.”

“We noticed.” Her father mumbled, “sounds like he said more to you in those few minutes than he’s done to us in months.”

Eden raised her brows, “Really?”

Colleen scooped the spaghetti up on her plate, “Mhm. He’s a bit quiet. Which is alright, you know. Rather a quiet neighbour than a bad one.”

“True. But he’s… I don’t know.” Eden’s father shrugged, “He’s unfriendly almost. Like… moody. Every time he says hi or smiles, it’s forced. And he’s always on his own. It’s just weird.”

“He’s just a bit of a loner.” Colleen defended Harry as she sent Ron a slight scowl. Eden started eating her spaghetti, “What does he do for a living?”

Ron shrugged, “See? It’s things like that, that we don’t know. That’s not normal. We have no idea what he does for a living or if he even works. He’s here all the time.”

“Well, maybe he’s got some underlying health issues like you.” Eden softly spoke up, carefully eyeing her dad. Eden’s father had multiple heart attacks in the past which is why he was unfit to work another day in his life. He got paid by the government instead until he retired. Colleen had inherited the entire fortune of her deceased husband who had no other family and they had no children.

Colleen shot Eden a wink, “Exactly. Don’t judge a book by its cover. That man just likes being by himself and he’s not the most sociable person. That’s no crime.”

“Still, I think he’s bad news.” He kept his ground, “So I’d really prefer you not hanging out with him or anything.”

Eden rolled her eyes, “Dad, seriously. I know I’m living in your house right now but I’m twenty-four. You can’t just tell me who I can or can’t talk to.” 

Ron just mumbled something under his breath and ate his food as Eden chewed slowly, her thoughts with Harry. Tanned skin, tattoos visible through the white linen of his large shirt, deep green eyes. She kept seeing him and her legs near jittered to go back to the fence and continue talking to him.

He was gorgeous, so, so attractive. And Eden had an instant crush. 

Later that night, the fatigue of the flight and travel caught up to her and she tiredly moved up the stairs. Her father had brought her bags up a bit earlier but Eden near fell asleep in front of the television before hauling herself upstairs. 

The ventilator in her room was a gift from the heavens as she sat down on the mattress and exhaled a heavy sigh. She stifled a yawn and undid the clip in her hair, running her hand through it. Once Eden got up to close the blinds, she paused in front of the window.

Because there, separated by two little lawns and a fence, she could see Harry through the window in his house. Eden tilted her head to the side, wondering if it was his bedroom. And what it looked like. And if he spent the majority of the time there by himself.

As if on cue – or alerted by the light on in Eden’s room – Harry’s head shot up. He wore the same clothes as earlier and squinted for a bit, making Eden chuckle. She smiled softly and lifted her hand in a wave, noticing Harry breathing out a chuckle before he mimicked the move and waved back.

Maybe summer here would be more fun than expected after all.

***

Harry couldn’t think straight.

It had been a week. A full fucking week of tossing and turning in his bed as he had his mind with Eden. For some stupid reason. She was pretty, sure. But Harry knew there was one more thing about her which is why he couldn’t get her out of his head, yet refused to admit it.

He refused to admit he couldn’t get her out of his head because she was unattainable.

She was at least ten years younger than him and the last thing he needed was yet another woman misreading signals and assuming they were in a serious relationship before he inevitably broke her heart again because love just wasn’t in the cards for him.

Not that he was so hurt by someone it couldn’t happen anymore, but Harry just wasn’t a romantic. People bothered him quickly and he always preferred to be on his own. He sometimes liked dating someone, but after a while they always wanted more. And he could never give it to them.

For most people, it was normal. You like someone, you hang out with them and at a certain point you want to be with them all the time. That point never came for Harry. He liked hanging out but somehow always felt a sense of relief when they left. He just preferred living by himself and controlling when or where he met up with someone.

Which is why he didn’t date, he just fucked. And even then – when he clearly stated beforehand that he wasn’t looking for a relationship – he always ended up being the asshole who broke their hearts. 

He couldn’t exactly have a casual fling or a one night stand with the girl who lived next door. Especially because her father always shot him dirty looks and it’d get out. And Harry really liked this house and didn’t want to move. Not even one bit.

He didn’t miss England anyway. He didn’t miss anyone or anything, he never had. Moving countries on his own was the easiest decision ever. The only thing he took with him, were both his dogs.

His finger mindlessly scratched underneath Lola’s little chin, the fluffy Maltese on the bed with him as he stared up at the ceiling fan. 

The worst part is that he had seen her all week. Every morning, she jogged past his house and down the hill to get her workout in. Skimpy shorts and a sport’s bra, he could see her physique and forced himself not to drool. And every evening, he saw her through the window. Her waves got a little more spontaneous before she closed the blinds and the lights turned off.

And then he laid in bed, thinking of her. She was forbidden fruit and it only made him want her more. The more he told himself he couldn’t, the more he wondered what she was like.

So luck would have it that when Harry decided to clear his head and walk down to the little village for some groceries, Eden just exited her house in a sundress and slippers, a tote bag over her shoulder.

“Hi!” She bubbled, waving at him. Harry winced under his breath, wondering if he could just… slip back inside his house and leave her be. If he could pretend he wasn’t on his way down and came up with an excuse to not go with her – because he knew that’s what she’d ask.

Eden approached him with a soft smile. Her hair was back in a little butterfly clip and she pushed her funky green sunglasses up in her hair, “Are you also going to the village?”

Harry exhaled a breath, running his fingers through his hair, “Yeah.”

“Oh, great. Me too. Trying to brave the heat by going before noon.” Eden seemed to near have a skip in her step, her excitement and spontaneity something Harry had to get used to. He was by himself so often, he just was used to calm and quiet. Eden was like a hurricane, bubbly and very present. He noticed immediately that when they had walked a few steps, her mouth just didn’t close.

“So how did you end up here?” The inevitable question came and Harry stuffed his hands in the pockets of his shorts. His worn-out Vans slid over the gravel road they were walking down on and he kept a bit of a distance from Eden. Not that he couldn’t inhale her citrus-smelling shampoo from a mile away. She smelled fresh and soft and he forced his thoughts to stay pure. The same way he forced his eyes to not focus on the deep V-line of her sundress that showed off the swells of her breasts and he had even gotten a peek at the lace border of her bra. The same way he focussed his eyes not to stare at the length of her legs when a gust of wind exposed the slit in her right leg to bare most of her thigh.

Instead he just shrugged, “Prefer it here. The weather’s nice, food’s good, people are okay. And the dogs love it here.”

“Hm.” Eden nodded, “And do you work here?”

“My companies are based in London. I own a few but I don’t actively work in them anymore. I appointed different COO’s to do that for me, so I can stay here.”

Eden found herself impressed. He couldn’t be older than thirty-five yet here he was, basically retiring in Italy with his two dogs. He owned multiple companies but didn’t work, just made the money for it.

“And you’re only here for the summer?” He changed the subject. To be fair, it was awkward as fuck between him and Eden. Yet she didn’t even seem to pick up on that, telling stories with wide hand gestures in all her excitement while he was slowly dying inside because he wanted to drag her in a bush and kiss her stupid.

She nodded at his question, “Mhm. I think. I mean, I can stay longer if I want to, it’s not like I have anything or anyone waiting for me.” She shrugged her shoulders, “I just graduated and I’m not sure what to do in life, so…”

“What degree do you have?”

“Photography.” 

“Hm.” Harry hummed, “’S a tough field.”

“Sure is.”

It was silent again before he spoke up, “So what kind of photography do you do?”

“So I started out doing portraits but… I don’t know, over the years I just realized I’m better at motion pictures. So things that move, lots of light and people around. Like in clubs or something. I’d really like to be a tour photographer maybe. All of last year I was at this strip club every week to take pictures, that was fun too.”

Harry frowned, “At a strip club?”

“Yeah, like for advertising. I like to take these sort of blurry pictures. So for stripping, that was amazing. Because it’s not too naked or provocative, but more so erotic and artsy. It’s what the owner was looking for so I was in there one night every weekend for the website and socials and stuff.” Eden explained.

He didn’t really say anything, but soaked in the information. Their walk continued in silence until reaching the village, Eden fanning herself with her hand as they slowly strolled around. The markets were still up and so Harry and Eden each took their turn in ordering a few things.

“Red wine?” Harry questioned as Eden put the bottle in her bag. She curled her lips inside her mouth, “Mhm. Dad and Colleen are out tonight, they’re going to this play. So I have the house to myself and I’m cooking and drinking and listening to Arctic Monkeys.”

“Try to keep the volume down.” Harry mumbled, signalling the vendor that he wanted to buy some fish. Eden snorted under her breath, “Yes, dad.”

Harry rolled his eyes and made his order before looking at Eden over his shoulder, “Are you always such a brat?”

“When it’s called for.” She sweetly responded before taking a step closer to Harry again, “But trust me, most of the time I’m really good and do as I’m told.” Her voice took a near purring hint and Harry’s ears turned pink from the way her eyes dropped to his lips before she bit hers and turned around, walking up to where they sold the fruit.

Harry accepted the fish he purchased and strolled behind her, nodding at the vendor as Eden made her purchase of some cubes of watermelon.

“Want some?” She turned around and offered Harry one but he shook his head, “No, thanks.”

Eden shrugged, popping a cold cube of watermelon into her mouth with a soft moan, “Wow, that’s good.”

They eventually moved to sit on a bench, overlooking a square. Harry’s heartbeat bounced as Eden sat close to him, still slowly eating the watermelon. He saw a drop of the juice running down her chin and his fingers dug into his thigh to stop himself from scooping it up. 

Eden couldn’t help but behave this way around him. She hadn’t missed the way he looked at her and there was no denying the clear sexual tension between them. She couldn’t get him out of her head, so maybe one night together was just all it took to soothe that ache and have her moving on. So she flirted, and flirted, and flirted some more.

Harry didn’t exactly seem to pick up what she was putting down, but watching her now as she ate the fruit, he near seemed in pain. And Eden loved it. She swept her tongue over her bottom lip as she finished the jar of watermelon and then turned to Harry, “How long have you lived in Italy for?”

“Couple of years.” He responded, taking a sip of the water bottle he had brought. He stretched his legs out, ankles hooked over one another as he leaned back into the bench, soaking up some sun. Eden slowly nodded at his words, “And do you like it here? Or are you just wanted by the police in England or something?”

Harry chuckled, “Not wanted by the police. Just wanted some peace and quiet and it’s not like I left many people behind. I fly back every now and then but decided to come live here full-time about six years ago.”

“And you’ve always lived in that house on the hill?”

“Yep.” He nodded before clearing his throat, “How about you? Are you having fun here?”

“It’s… yeah.” Eden carefully spoke, nibbling her lip. Harry let her take her time and eventually she took a breath, “I just feel like it’s not really the solution to my problem. I thought I’d get more clarity here but in honesty, I’m just running. Graduating is fun and all, but I just feel insanely lost at this moment, and I have no idea what I want to do with my life whereas it seems like everyone around me does.”

Harry hummed, “Trust me, lots of people are faking that.”

“Maybe.” Eden leaned back a little more, her leg swinging a little as she continued, “It’s like I had a bit of a crisis and needed a complete change, thinking it was going to solve everything. But my problems are still here, only now I’m in the sun in Italy.”

“Seems as good a spot as any to think about life.” Harry offered and Eden smiled, “Mhm. I just got sick of my friends all knowing exactly how their life was going to pan out. Some had insane plans for the summer, wanting to do festivals and parties and I’m usually one for that but I just skipped it all this year and came here instead. Even dumped my boyfriend. Just… a completely new start.”

Harry turned his head to face her, “You dumped your boyfriend? How long were you together for?”

Eden puckered her pink lips in thought, “Probably a little over a year, so not that long.”

“Was he a dick?”

“No.” Eden chuckled, shaking her head, “He was nice. We just… didn’t end up having that much in common. Like I was attracted to him and he was attracted to me and the sex was so amazing, but there wasn’t much more than that.”

Harry found himself slightly surprised. It was his issue with any partner ever. The sex was great, the emotional connection just wasn’t there. At least not for him. With Harry though, it never lasted over a year. And especially when he still lived in London, word just got around and no one really wanted to go on a date with him anymore. He was labelled a player and a heartbreaker.

“I mean, sex is an important part of any relationship.” Harry argued softly, “But I suppose it needs more than that.”

Eden nodded in agreement, “It does. But it is an important part.” Her eyes flicked to him, “You know… You could join me this evening. I’ve got plenty of stuff to cook for two.” She innocently shrugged.

Harry exhaled shakily, “For two, hm?” He tilted his head to the side, “Are you trying to seduce me?”

“I wouldn’t dare.” Eden softly smiled, tipping her head back to catch some sun while simultaneously pushing her tits out. Harry quickly looked away and Eden shrugged, “But you know, always welcome at the house of Eden. You know what it means, right?”

Harry swallowed, “What?”

“Place of pleasure and delight.” She murmured. 

Harry tried to control the shaking of his leg, flicking his eyes back to her to notice she was staring right back at him already, an amused look on her face. Harry held his composure, staring back, “Is it?”

“You have no idea.”

Harry didn’t respond and Eden nibbled her lip, “Unless – of course – you have a partner or something to get back to, or that you already made plans with.”

“I don’t have a partner.” Harry muttered and Eden arched up a brow, “Really?”

“Why do you sound surprised?”

“Because,” Eden shrugged, “you seem like the person men and women throw themselves at.”

“I am.” Harry agreed before a small smirk formed on his lips, “I guess I’m just hard to please.”

Eden wanted to moan. 

Her tummy clenched as she stared back at him. They were close together and she really, really wanted to dip her head and kiss him. It seemed like they had a bit of a power play going on, because Harry now held the upper hand. It was clear in everything. The cocky smirk, the easy eyes, the comfortable position he had.

And Eden wanted control back, “How do you like to be pleased?” She purred.

“I like to be pleased by someone who doesn’t have a smart mouth and doesn’t behave like a brat.” He instantly fired back. Eden held her breath, excitement running through her veins, “So you like control?”

Harry didn’t respond but his lip twitched slightly, his smirk growing. And Eden mirrored him, batting her lashes as she scooted even closer, their thighs touching, “Good. I like being controlled.”

Their eye contact was heavy until Harry turned his head, shaking his head softly with a smirk playing on his lips, “Something tells me you don’t.”

Eden near crawled up on his lap, “Only one way to find out.”

“We really shouldn’t.” Harry stayed level-headed, shaking his head at her. Eden was a little taken aback but rolled her lips inside of her mouth, “Okay.”

“Not that I don’t want to.” Harry shrugged, never really passing on an opportunity for casual sex with a girl as pretty as Eden, who then also was witty and quick on her feet and made his stomach flutter in anticipation. He could picture her with little horns on and he’d take much pleasure in taking her down a peg in the bedroom. She could be a challenge.

But there were too many red flags and Harry had to be the responsible adult. There was an undeniable attraction for sure, but acting it out wouldn’t be a good idea.

Eden could see the hesitation in his eyes and worried she maybe came off too strong. She had to admit that coming to live in Italy, she expected to be closer to a city so she could go out and party and bring home whoever she pleased to have the summer of her life. The only thing here was a very hot neighbour who then apparently refused to go there with her.

And Eden had an itch that needed scratching.

She exhaled shakily, “Well, if you change your mind… you know where to find me.”

***

And Harry was on the fucking verge of changing his mind. If Eden had been on the forefront of his thoughts the past week, it definitely hadn’t gotten any better after their little conversation on the bench. 

She liked being controlled and she wanted to please him. Harry came home to put his hand down his pants and rub one out, finishing embarrassingly fast after all the built-up tension. And she fucking knew what she was doing. She knew he was lusting after her, that he found her hot and sexy and that he was attracted to her.

In a way, she was playing him. Acting innocent but being a little devil deep down. They hardly knew anything about one another but somehow they didn’t care to. It was physical and that was that. Harry didn’t need that emotional connection and Eden just wanted to get laid. Still, it was a fucking bad idea. She’d be here the rest of the summer and Harry couldn’t predict how she’d behave. Either she’d start behaving like his girlfriend and he wouldn’t be able to get rid of her, or she’d give him the cold shoulder which would turn things just plain awkward.

Furthermore, he never wanted her father and stepmother to find out she had fucked her much older neighbour. Even if he didn’t necessarily have a connection to them either, they were still neighbours. Harry took it into account, how perhaps one day he’d need to drop off his dogs for an emergency. He needed the reassurance that he could count on them.

He lived a quiet, secluded life here and in no way wanted to fuck that up.

But it wasn’t easy when she behaved like that. Prancing around her room with hardly any clothing on, knowing full well he could see her. 

All throughout the evening, he had snuck glances. Walking his dog for the final time that day, he passed by her house to notice the car being gone. Music came from inside, just soft beats which was not what he had expected. He could imagine her dancing around the house with a bottle of wine in her hand in just her panties. 

And so Harry stopped himself from knocking the door to go back into his own house and brood some more.

Shit like this always happened. He met someone, got borderline obsessed with them, fucked them and then it was all over. 

And so Harry decided to go to sleep and just get her out of his head. Tiredly, he dragged himself up the stairs and into his bedroom, instantly glancing out the window to see if Eden was there perhaps. He was met with a darkened room on her end, and so he walked around to get ready for bed. 

By the time he was back in front of his window to close the blinds, his heart near stopped when he noticed her lights were on too. Squinting, Harry could faintly see Eden moving around the bedroom. In lace underwear and nothing else. She held a glass of red wine in her hand that was almost done, and she finished it in one sip before putting it down somewhere.

With her back to him, she then climbed up on her bed.

Harry held his breath, seeing the curve of her behind as she pushed her ass out, on her knees on the bed. 

He should’ve looked away, and he knew it. But he was in a trance. In a trance when Eden sat up and split her thighs over one of the pillows she grabbed. He was in a trance when she tipped her head bac and her hips rolled on their own accord. He was in a trance when she was humping the pillow to get herself off. 

Harry gulped thickly, watching the way her body rocked itself into the pillow. Eden leaned forward to arch her back but flipped her hair back, her hands grabbing fistfuls of the sheets as she sped up a little bit.

He could see the curling of her toes as she continued riding the pillow, her body moving itself in sultry waves. She threw her head back again, espresso-coloured locks casting down her back as her mouth was open. Harry wondered if she was moaning. Whimpering. Screaming.

He stood completely frozen, watching the girl in the neighbouring house ride herself to an orgasm and before he knew it, his hand was in his pants and Harry wrapped his fingers around his aching shaft. His breaths turned short as he pulled in languid motions from base to swollen tip, speeding up when he noticed her speeding up.

His heart stopped for a short moment when Eden seemed to look at him over her shoulder, but she quickly diverted her eyes again and continued. She leaned back now, hands cupping her own tits as she ground down into the pillow harder.

“Fuck.” Harry whispered, tugging his cock. The house of Eden, a place of pleasure and delight. An fucking hell, it really was.

And as Eden shuddered and shook and her hands turned white from gripping the sheets, Harry finished inside his boxers. He moaned, feeling the pulsing of his erection as he spurted out cum into his pants. His bicep bulged and he hissed through his teeth, trembling on his knees.

Eden seemed to slum down, her chest heaving as she relaxed, her thighs still shivering. Even if Harry’s vision was slightly blurry, it felt like he could see all of her very up close for some reason. Every detail, every ridge, line and bump of her. All the curves, freckles, dips and every clench of her muscles.

He stayed in a trance for a moment longer until Eden moved, and right as she turned around, Harry ducked behind the wall to hide himself. His breaths were heavy and he didn’t dare looking. In fact, he slid down to a seated position against the wall and waited at least ten minutes. With filthy pants, a filthy hand and his heart hammering in his chest. When he finally dared having a look, Eden’s blinds were closed and her room was dark.

***

“So how was the play?” Eden asked as she sipped coffee in the morning. 

Colleen and her father had returned in the early hours of the morning after Eden had long gone to sleep. She didn’t hear them return, her mind too dazed on the wine and her orgasm to hear or sense anything. 

“Really good!” Colleen chirped, “We had fun, stayed for a drink.”

“Hey – uh, Tony said he saw you and the neighbour at the market?” Her father questioned as he bit his toast. Eden lifted her eyes, “Who’s Tony?”

“He sells fish down in the village. Said he saw you two together.”

She frowned, a thick crevice etched between her brows while putting her mug down, “Are you spying on me?”

“What?” Her father chuckled, “Of course not, honey. He was there too and asked how we were, I said my daughter moved to town for a few weeks or months and he recognized you. New people are a big deal here, Eden. It’s a small town so everyone knows everyone.”

Eden rolled her eyes, “So what if I went to the market with him? We happened to be going in the same direction.”

“I’ve told you before, I’d prefer you to stay away from him.” Ron frowned, “He’s too mysterious.”

“He’s not mysterious.” Eden laughed, staring at her father in disbelief, “You just don’t know him.”

“Oh, and you do?! Eden, he’s literally ten years older than you.”

“What’s that got to do with anything.” She challenged and Ron clenched his jaw, “He’s too old to be your friend or whatever you want him to be.”

She narrowed her eyes, “Whatever I want him to be?” She repeated, pressing her lips together, “Why don’t you just call me a whore while you’re at it?”

“Eden!” He yelled and she raised her brows, “Hm? Seriously, what is the big deal with me having a fucking conversation with the neighbour? Did he piss on your flowers or something? You’re acting like we’re about to get married.”

He let out an aggravated breath, “Enough! It’s seriously impossible to have a bloody normal conversation with you.” He then got up to his feet, “As long as you live under this roof, you’ll do as I say! Or you can just go back to your mother!”

Eden felt like she got punched in the throat, staring up at him in horror. He was breathing heavily, glaring at her while Colleen stood off to the side, holding her breath.

“Seriously?” Eden muttered and he took a breath, “Seriousl-“

“Well, seriously fuck off!” Eden yelled, pushing her chair back before storming up the stairs. Her blood pumped through her body in rage as she harshly slammed the door of her bedroom, feeling fucking seventeen again.

The divorce between her parents was something that would forever haunt Eden. Ever since her mum and dad broke up, she felt like she didn’t belong anywhere. Her mum’s house didn’t feel like home, this didn’t feel like home.

And him saying that, just poured salt in a fresh wound that was attempting to heal up. Eden felt like an intruder everywhere. Her mum had a new boyfriend, her father had Colleen. He had sounded excited when she asked to spend the summer here, and after hardly one fucking week he had told her to go back to her mother.

Who would tell her to go back to her father.

Eden needed fresh air, so after changing into a bikini and putting a cap on top of her head, she headed back downstairs. She avoided the kitchen and living room at all costs, sneaking out the side to find a spot in the garden to tan a little bit. She had a book with her, and headphones to close off the outside world. Perhaps that way, she could pretend she was by herself.

The blue of the water in Harry’s pool looked inviting, but Eden knew better than to jump his fence and claim his garden for her own. She found a corner of the garden where no windows could spot her. She’d let her father think she was brooding in her room until he was ready to come apologize to her. 

And if he didn’t, she’d look for a flight tomorrow.

Eden had only been sitting down for about ten minutes until she heard a splash from the side. Sitting up in the sunbed, she squinted her eyes to see waves in Harry’s pool. Only seconds later, his head came up as he shook his hair out and puffed out a breath. 

His tanned skin glistened in the droplets, sunlight brightening him up. His two dogs excitedly jumped in the pool too, making an even larger splash. Eden peeked through the bushes to see him grinning and playing around a little.

His smile was beautiful, she felt. 

Last night when he looked at her through his window, he wasn’t smiling though. Eden could be mistaken, but if she wasn’t, it’d mean he was jerking off while she was humping a pillow. His lips had been parted, his brow scrunched up in delight. The rhythmic bulging of his bicep could mean he was stroking himself, but Eden hadn’t seen anything below his hips.

If she was correct, Harry had seen everything. And she had wanted him to.

She had sat waiting for him for the largest portion of the evening, hoping he’d come knocking on her door to fuck her into oblivion. Instead, she drank wine and danced around the house, enjoying being by herself for once. And he never showed up, so she decided to let him see what he had been missing out on.

Harry stayed in the pool for a little longer until hoisting himself out. Eden drooled at the sight of his back, so many muscles flexing and making him look absolutely incredible. Harry reached for a towel off to the side of the pool as his dogs also climbed out. He turned around, and the view made Eden’s throat even more dry.

Tattoos, so many of them. A well-defined six-pack of abs. The cross pendant glimmering in the sunlight and resting between small curls of chest hair against his sternum. He was ripped and so fucking gorgeous. Eden hardly realized she was clenching her thighs together as she stared at him.

Harry wrapped a towel around himself and shook out his hair at the same time his dogs shook out their manes. It was a funny sight, the three of them coordinated like that.

And Eden was too horny to let the moment go by, so she got up her feet, “Hi.” She spoke.

Harry was actually rather close to her, but Eden had been hidden by the bushes. He flicked his eyes up, towel wrapped around himself to dry off. He licked his lip, putting on his sunglasses, “Hey.” His voice sounded raspy and the real reason Harry put on his glasses was to check her out without giving anything away.

Eden was in a two-piece. A dark blue one, at that. Matching his own swimming shorts. The panties looked like they were a thong, bands sitting high up on her hips and nothing but a small triangle covering up between her legs.

Her tits near spilled out of the top, a simple bandeau bikini for minimal tan lines which also pressed her chest up more. She looked fucking delicious. 

“Getting a tan?” He asked, slowly walking over to her, the fence once more separating them. Eden scratched the back of her neck, “Yeah, something like that. You too?”

“Mhm. ‘M behind the house on the other side so I can hide beneath the trees a little bit. Full sun is too hot.” He explained, pointing to where Eden could see just a tiny sliver of one of the sunbeds on the other side of the house, hidden from the house she lived in for now.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Eden fanned herself, “it is very hot. Our garden doesn’t really have any shade.”

Harry shifted on his feet a bit, “I take it you don’t want to go back inside either? I heard shouting earlier.”

She huffed out, pressing her lips together before shaking her head, “Nope.”

“I have an extra sunbed, if you want. You can swim too, cool off a little bit.” It was out before he realized it, but Harry realized he really was in no fit state to talk normally to her when she stood like that in front of him.

Eden raised her brows, “Really? Oh my god, I’d love that.”

“Sure.”

“Thank you so much, Harry. Let me just,” she turned around and Harry’s eyes dropped to her ass, seeing that it was indeed a thong. He groaned under his breath as Eden picked up the few things she brought. Her book, a towel, headphones and sunglasses. Her slippers were on her feet and she casually threw all of her stuff over the fence.

Harry chuckled as she then put her foot up on one of the wooden bars, “Wait, let me –“ He stepped closer, holding out his hands as Eden gracefully climbed the fence, accepting his hands before she jumped over. Her tits jiggled and she offered him a breathy grin, “Thanks.”

Bending down to retrieve her things again, Harry swallowed thickly. He snuck a glance behind him and led Eden to where the sunbeds were. “D’you want anything to drink?” He checked.

“What’re you having?” Eden took a seat on the free sunbed next to Harry’s after brushing off some fallen leaves. The dogs were sniffling around her legs and she gently petted them as Harry put on a flannel to cover himself up a little bit. It was checkered and he left it open, running his fingers through his hair to comb his wet locks back a little bit, “Sangria.”

“Sounds good.” Eden smiled, her eyes not so subtly drawn to his torso and his chiselled abs. Harry nodded and stepped inside of the house to get her some sangria, giving himself a small pep-talk in the meantime where he vowed to stay strong and not succumb to the flirting ways of Eden. Not even after secretly watching her masturbate the night before.

“Thank you.” Eden smiled as Harry handed her the glass and sat down on the sunbed next to hers again. They were shielded by some trees and off to the side of his house, facing the other direction than Eden’s house. No one could really see them here in Harry’s little side garden, which was the perfect spot for some sun and shade.

“They’re not bothering you too much?” Harry nudged his head in the direction of his two very excited dogs. Eden smiled and shook her head, “Absolutely not. I love dogs. What’re their names?”

Harry leaned back a bit, “Sadie is the big one and Lola is the small one.”

“That’s cute.” Eden murmured, scratching both dogs before taking a sip of her sangria, “Are you sure I can take a dip in your pool? I’m honestly so hot.”

“Mhm, of course. Just don’t piss in it.” He joked and Eden threw her head back in a laugh, Harry smiling along as she giggled, “That’s the first time I’ve heard you making a joke.” She teased, getting up from her seat. Harry’s eyes were glued to her ass as Eden walked up to the side of the pool, graciously diving in. 

All he could think of when watching her body, was how she moved when fucking that pillow last night. Delicate lace hugging her figure as she rocked back and forth and touched her own chest, looking so… seductive and sexy.

He took a breather, drinking more sangria as he lounged on the sunbed, hearing Eden splashing around the pool as the dogs joined her. He heard her giggles as she spoke softly to his dogs, petting them. Harry hastily took another sip, downing his glass. He felt blood rushing to his cock, especially when Eden got back out of the pool. She kicked a ball to occupy the dogs before making her way back over to Harry, water dripping down her body.

Harry’s throat ran dry as he diverted his eyes, clearing his throat and pretending to glance at his phone for a bit. Eden stood in front of him, wringing out her hair before tucking it behind her ears. Even just being in the sun for a few seconds, it was like she couldn’t remember the coolness of the water she just came out of.

Or it was Harry’s presence making her feel that hot.

“Your pool is heavenly.” She exhaled. Harry offered her a brief smile but didn’t exactly look at her. Eden put her hands on her hips, “You can look, you know?”

Harry pressed his lips together, shaking his head softly, “I think it’d be inappropriate.”

“But it wasn’t inappropriate last night?”

His head shot up in shock, a hint of pink rising up his neck and his cheeks as he stared at her. Eden smirked softly, “I saw you.” She took a step closer to Harry, eventually sitting down on the sunbed with him. She was so close, he could feel the coolness of her body from the water radiating to his warm skin.

Harry swallowed and tipped his head to the side, analysing Eden until it clicked for him. He narrowed his eyes, “You did that for me?”

“You enjoyed the show, didn’t you?” Eden murmured, scooting a little closer. Harry held his breath, the new information seeping into his brain. She knew he was watching, she wanted him to watch. She did that, knowing he was looking at her through his window.

“You’re insane.” He lowly mumbled and Eden bit her lip, “Well, I was waiting for you.”

“Eden.” Harry warned as she moved, lifting up to sit down on his thighs, straddling him on the sunbed. She pouted, something that made Harry’s heart skip ten beats. With the sun shining behind her, she looked absolutely angelic. The tiny bikini did a shit job at covering her up and her wet skin quickly dried from the temperatures.

“Why not?” She whispered, “I want it, you want it. Just… just once.”

Harry let out a breath and leaned back, swallowing thickly, “How old are you?”

“Twenty-four.”

Harry narrowed his eyes, “Are you lying to me?”

“No.” She quickly shook her head, “I promise. Twenty-four.”

Harry slowly nodded, “You look younger. And that’s why we can’t do this, I’m thirty-three.”

“I don’t mind.” Eden shook her head, scooting up a little on his thighs. Her eyes dragged over Harry’s toned body, the flannel loosely hanging around his shoulders, “If anything, it’s even sexier.” She rasped, “Boys my age are so immature, I need a real man.”

“You need a real man?”

She nodded, “Uh-huh.” Heat seeped into her bones, blood rushing between her legs at the closeness of their bodies, “I need to be fucked by a real man.”

“God – shit.” Harry cursed, “When I invited you here, I thought you’d behave.”

“I am behaving, aren’t I?” Eden panted slightly, “’M just begging for you.”

Harry’s eyes stared at her, sitting on top of him. Her chest heaved in shallow breaths and he swallowed, “You are. Just a pathetic, little thing you are, hm? Need to be controlled so bad, can’t even keep yourself in check around me. You want me so bad.”

“I do.” She moaned, “Please… I just want –“

“Shut up.” Harry muttered, making Eden’s eyes widen as he stared at her, “I don’t care about what you want. I’m in charge. Always.”

Eden panted out, her eyes hazy as she stared at him. Harry’s eyes darted over her face, “So pathetic.” He tutted, the tip of his index finger dragging up her thigh, creating goosebumps in its voyage, “I could just use you, hm? I could just… do whatever I want to you and you’d take it like a good girl just because you’re so desperate for me.”

Eden’s thighs tensed as she tried to listen to him but the words sounded so hazy to her. She just swallowed dryly and nodded, causing Harry to smirk and exhale a breathy chuckle, “Fucking pathetic little whore, you. Nothing but a little cockslut, hm? Should’ve known.”

“Fuck.” Eden whimpered, scooting up higher on his lap. Her hands found his chest, nails digging into his skin as she urgently rocked her hips into his growing length. Harry’s eyes fluttered at the stimulation, Eden tipping her head back in bliss from the relief of her clit rubbing into his swimming shorts.

“Fuck me.” Eden moaned, arching her back as she continued grinding into him, “Please, fuck me.”

Harry’s tongue poked the hollow of his cheek, “Think it’s that easy? You strip in front of your window and you get my cock?”

His dirty talk was so effortless, leaving Eden shaking and trembling. She could moan when Harry’s hands were suddenly on her hips, pushing her off. Eden was too stunned to react immediately, but found herself straddling just one of his muscular thighs now. She exhaled a sharp breath while staring down, seeing her legs split over the tiger tattoo on his leg.

“Go ahead.” Harry rasped, folding his arms back behind his head as he shot her a cocky look, “Ride me, do what you wanted to do last night. ‘S what you wanted, isn’t it?”

Eden shook her head, “I-I want your cock.”

“Brat.” He hissed, sending her a glare, “Said you’d behave, said you’d take whatever I give you. Well, this is what you get. For now.”

It sounded like a promise. Eden licked her dry lips. Behave now, get fucked by him later. Good. She shuddered just thinking about it, imagining him taking her from behind as she laid immobilized on the bed, perhaps even tied up, and he spoke to her in that low tone with those filthy words as his dick destroyed her.

Eden’s thighs tensed and Harry felt it, smirking slightly as he dropped his eyes to where Eden started grinding into his thigh. Her hands were on his chest still, holding herself up as she rolled her pelvis to rub into him. Just like with the pillow, his eyes were focussed on the way her body moved, the muscles she flexed, the breaths she held and the little moans she let out.

He had expected her to be loud for some reason, but she was biting her lip, whimpering out softly as she closed her eyes and worked herself on top of him. And Eden could feel his eyes on him, making her feel more powerful than she dared to admit.

She moved one hand, cupping her breast over her bikini top to give herself a squeeze. Harry’s eyes zeroed in on the touch, his fingers gripping the sleeves of his flannel to keep himself from pulling her top down and see all of her.

Next, her hand moved lower over her torso and down her hip before she shortly lifted off and hooking her bottoms to the side. Harry’s eyes bulged when Eden exposed her pussy and sat down again. A shaky moan left her lips as she picked up her pace again. Harry saw the glistening of his tiger tattoo, Eden’s wetness and arousal leaving a trace.

He was mesmerized, his arms still behind his head as he let her use his fucking leg to shamelessly ride herself to an orgasm. 

“Doing so good.” Harry murmured, eyes gazing in on the way her pussy lips spread over his thigh and her clit brushed his skin. He hummed at the sight, licking his lips, “So hot, Eden… Jesus.”

“Want you,” She panted out, “fuck – please… I need you.”

Harry swallowed, “’M right here.”

“No, you.” Eden choked out the words, “God – just fuck me.” She leaned over him, her forehead leaning against his. Their noses brushed together as she arched out. Harry tasted the sangria on her lips, “Sei così sporco,” He groaned, “implorando il mio cazzo in questo modo.”

“Holy shit.” Eden squeaked, “More.”

“Io che parlo Italiano ti eccito?” Harry smirked, “Puttana del cazzo.” He whispered, “Such a fucking whore, just look at you…”.

Eden moaned, “God – fuck, I’m gonna cum.” She whimpered, “Harry, I’m gonna cum.”

“Good girl. Brava ragazza.” He murmured, “I bet that little cunt tastes so sweet, hm? C’mon, look at me when you cum for me.”

Eden forced her eyes open, her body slumping in fatigue as sweat pearled her hairline. “O-Oh god,” She moaned, “yes!” The choked whimper escaped her throat as she sharply bucked forward and electricity shot through her body, toes curling as her eyes screwed shut.

Harry watched as she came, shaking, whimpering, deliriously grinding. Creamy arousal leaked from her to wet his thigh. He couldn’t even feel the pinching of her nails in his skin, too mesmerized by the sight in front of him. 

“’S a good girl.” Harry cooed, brushing his nose into Eden’s as she panted out sharply, her ears ringing. “Harry,” She murmured, cupping his cheeks. His eyes widened in surprise when she kissed him. He hadn’t expected it one bit, her lips on his. It almost seemed like Eden didn’t realize she was doing it, her eyes staying closed, just a soft kiss to his lips before she kissed his chin and then his jaw.

His eyes fluttered in delight of her gentle kisses, sponging up and down his jaw while her hands roamed his chest. Her fingers moved lower to his abs and then finally the waistband of his swimming shorts. That’s when Harry snapped out of it.

His eyes opened and he inhaled a sharp breath. He was painfully hard and Eden’s delicate touches didn’t necessarily help his cock twitching, “What are you doing?”

“I want to touch you.” Eden panted, opening her eyes finally. She looked drunk on her orgasm and Harry huffed, “Told you before, I don’t care about what you want. This is on my terms.”

“Harry, I want to touch you.” Eden repeated. His jaw tensed as he used both hands this time. His fingers came down on her cheek in a slap, making Eden gasp before he grabbed her chin and held up a finger of his other hand, “No.” He repeated.

Eden hardly seemed fazed by his slap, her cheek stinging deliciously. Her entire body trembled as Harry held her up by her chin and held up his finger in front of her in warning. But Eden didn’t feel too warned, ignoring him once more as she opened her lips and sunk down on his finger to suck it into her mouth.

Harry’s eyes glazed over in lust as he watched, Eden with drunk eyes and her cheeks hollowing out around his digit. She took him all the way, tongue swirling around before she moaned. Harry snapped out of it again after a moment, grabbing her throat instead to yank her up. She gasped as he squeezed her throat warningly, “Eden.” He hissed.

“I want to please you.” She wheezed out, making Harry choke her harder. Her eyes closed as she fought for air in the best way, her head growing dizzy as she still sat on his lap. Her hands clawed at his chest. Harry released at the right point, leaving Eden with a headrush so strong she near fainted.

“You still want to please me?” Harry taunted, “I’ll make you choke on my cock like that.”

Eden softly coughed, still held up by Harry’s hand around her throat as she managed to nod, “Yes – please.”

He smirked wickedly, shoving her off his lap. Eden stumbled a bit as Harry laid outstretched on the sunbed, swallowing as he reached for his cock in his shorts, pulling himself out. Eden felt weak on her legs when she watched him jerking off slowly, and she found herself on her knees at the end of the sunbed after a minute.

The hot tiles burned her knees but she didn’t care one bit, stroking her hands up Harry’s shins to urge him to scoot closer to her. He did, pulling his cock in slow motions as he inched closer to Eden. He decided to give her a moment and do her own thing before fucking her throat, but Eden seemed to have other plans.

Harry’s eyes widened when she stuck out her tongue to lick up her own release left on his thigh. She licked over his tiger tattoo before hovering over his hard length, spitting back onto him. 

“Fuck.” Harry whimpered, throwing his head back. Eden took the lubricated head of his dick between her lips, tasting the mixture of them together before sucking on him. She made him see stars in a matter of seconds, her mouth tight around the swollen tip of him as she flicked her tongue over his slit continuously. 

Everything in Eden’s movements showed Harry how fucking desperate she was to have him like this. He had her in the palm of his hand, she’d do everything for him. It’s what he wanted, it’s the challenge he liked. Taming her, shutting up that bratty mouth of hers and control her.

“Deeper.” He ordered. Eden batted her lashes at him, sucking on his tip only. Harry had pink cheeks from how heavily he was breathing. Eden popped off, licking her spit-slicked lips, “Make me.”

Harry clenched his jaw, “You’re fucking unbelievable.” He grabbed the back of her neck to force her down. Eden’s eyes widened slightly as he pushed her all the way. Her eyes pinched shut at the burn in her throat as he made her take him deeper. Harry had an impressive length and Eden sucked in a breath through her nose as her airway was restricted.

“There we go, that’s it.” Harry exhaled in bliss, feeling the tightness of Eden’s throat as she contracted around him, throat closing up with a gag from how deep he was. Harry licked his dry lips, “This what you wanted, hm? Wanted it to hurt? Wanted me to fucking bruise your throat? Finally shutting up that smart mouth of yours.” He snarled, using a grip on her hair to pull her off. 

Eden coughed and wheezed, lines of spit falling from her lips and webbing between his tip and her mouth. Her eyes watered and Harry stared at her, smirking softly, “You look pretty like this, Eden. Fucking destroyed cockwhore, so desperate for me.”

Eden licked her lips as she gathered herself, her throat already raw. She put her hands behind her back and shot him a nod. Harry huffed out a chuckle at her eagerness, “Fuck, you’re a dream. Pinch my hip if I need to stop.”

Eden nodded and opened her mouth, allowing Harry to push her down again. It was the nastiest blowjob he had ever gotten. Eden was just a mouth for him to use, not stopping him once as he thrusted up to fuck her throat while holding her head down. Tears leaked down her cheeks as she choked and gurgled on him. Harry’s moans were hidden by the bite on his lip, “Yes, all the way, take me all the way… fuck, feels so good.” He praised her, “Good fucking girl, such a tight throat for me.”

Eden hardly heard him, her vision blurred with tears and her jaw and throat aching as Harry used her and ruined her. She’d bruise and be sore and be without a voice, but it’s what he wanted and she let him want it. She let him take it. The elastic band between them had just exploded and now she was here on her knees, sucking him off with her father in the house next door.

She managed to open her eyes, seeing Harry blissed-out. His face was scrunched up in pleasure, every muscle in his body flexed as he held both hands in her hair to pump her up and down on him. His mouth was open in breathy moans whenever he hit the back of her throat and soon enough, he harshly bit his lip, “Fuck – Eden, ‘m almost there.”

Eden didn’t even have the chance to ask him if he wanted to cum in her mouth or on her face or on her tits, he finished before she could blink. Him being almost there apparently meant he was literally right there. With just one more thrust up in her mouth, Harry threw his head back and came deep inside of Eden’s throat.

Her airway was restricted, spurts and spurts of his hot cum filling up her mouth and her throat. Eden wheezed and coughed, but Harry held her there. Only when she violently slapped his hip, did he open his eyes and let her go. Eden disengaged immediately, ears ringing with panic as she felt most – if not all – of his release spilling down her chin, down her throat and onto her chest as she stumbled back and fought for a breath. 

Her cheeks were pink, her head dizzy and her throat sore as she coughed. Her arms trembled holding her up and her chest heaved in short, quick breaths after being choked by him. Harry hardly seemed to care, laying on his back on the sunbed with his head tipped back and his eyes closed, ragged breaths escaping his mouth.

Eden continued coughing, catching her breath as her chest burned and her tongue felt thick.

With Eden’s mouth leaving him so suddenly, Harry’s hand wrapped around himself again. Hissing in sensitivity, he gently stroked himself in the aftermath of his orgasm. Torturing himself almost. Eden stared as his thighs twitched and he seemed on the verge of pain and discomfort, pumping softly to get the final drops of cum out before he literally shuddered and finally disengaged.

He lazily blinked his eyes open, flannel hanging open over his chest, “You okay?” He checked, panting.

Eden managed to nod, “Yeah.” She rasped, her voice raw and her throat aching. Harry fought his smirk at her wrecked state and pushed up on his elbows, “C’mere.” He patted his thighs and Eden slowly climbed up her feet while Harry tucked himself back into his shorts.

Her legs shook from the lack of oxygen as she sat down on Harry’s thighs again to straddle him. His hands easily found her hips to pull her a little closer. His eyes gazed over her face. Red rimmed and wet eyes, swollen lips and his release basically everywhere. Harry loved it, painting her like this. Claiming her. She hadn’t exactly managed to swallow much and most of his cum was running down her chin, the column of her throat and glistening on her chest.

“Ragazza sporca.” He whispered, leaning forward to let his tongue drag over her skin. Eden’s brain near exploded when she watched him, his tongue running below her collarbone to taste himself. He hummed, licking up everywhere he could reach and swallowing down his own release. 

“Close your eyes.” Harry whispered. Eden panted and did as he asked, closing her eyes. She flinched in surprise when he spat on her face, spit mixed with cum dripping down her cheeks. Eden opened her eyes again, realizing he told her to close them as to not get cum in her eyes. It was thoughtful on the one hand, but Harry had a wicked smirk on his face as he watched her so filthy.

He licked his lips and squeezed her thigh, “Così carino.” He murmured, eyes slowly dragging up her entire form. 

Eden seemed at a loss for words and Harry chuckled, his eyes sparkling. She was surprised when he put his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her in, crashing their lips together. There was pure filth between them and when Harry’s tongue pushed into her mouth, Eden reacted by bringing her arms around his neck.

Her fingers cradled his jaw to tip him back, pressing herself all the way against him. She had to say the kiss surprised her. Passion radiated between them, but Eden it was just an aftermath of whatever sexual had just happened between them. It was lust. A craving. Two consenting adults wanted to rip each other’s clothes off and there was nothing wrong with that.

“Fucking sexy.” Harry lowly commented, eyes darting over Eden’s face where his cum was still streaking down. Eden grinned softly before darting her tongue out to lick over her bottom lip, tasting him a little bit. Harry bit his lip as he watched her swallow. 

Eden looked smug with herself, being able to wreck him at least a tiny bit even if she was the ruined one. Because even if she had an orgasm not even fifteen minutes prior, she wanted more. She was throbbing. Her fingers trembled as she refrained from pushing him down and riding him properly. Right here. 

But on the other hand, she didn’t feel like being rejected all over again. The begging was fun, the playing was fun, as long as she knew someone would inevitably give in at the end. And with Harry, she wasn’t sure.

So Eden got up and ran a hand through her messy hair before turning around and heading back towards the pool. Harry raised his brows, watching her as she walked away, “Eden, don’t you dare.” He warned, his jaw dropping when she dove back into the pool. He jumped up his feet, “Eden! My dogs swim in that water!” He referred to his release transferring from his skin into that water.

Eden came up to the surface with a giggle, “Oops.”

***

It was a few hours later – when Eden felt like toast – when she decided to head back over to her father’s house. 

Her and Harry had been lounging around the pool in the sun, hidden by the trees. They had been mostly in silence, sharing a few words here and there but nothing big or revealing. Eden had the feeling both her and him didn’t really mind. They didn’t exactly need to know one another or put up this façade that there was anything more here than sex.

Maybe it would even burst the bubble. Maybe they’d realize they actually don’t like one another and then all magic would disappear. So they didn’t say much, simply enjoyed the comfortable silence between them as the crickets made noise enough.

“Thank you for letting me stay for a bit.” Eden was gathering her things and Harry looked at her from his laying down position on his sunbed.

Truth was, he would’ve dragged her into the house if his dick was up for it. But he simply wasn’t. He ached, so sensitive still from her blowjob that it would physically hurt his balls to have sex right now. Eden looked absolutely delicious and the memory of her face with his cum painting her, entered Harry’s brain.

She had looked like absolute sex. A sight so erotic he wasn’t sure if he had ever witnessed anything like it before. Most women got shy or overly slutty when he came on their faces. They either hid, or made it a very over the top show of wanting it in their mouths.

Eden had simply looked… comfortable almost. It was fucking sexy. And she had sucked him dry. He had abused her throat, but even if he was fucking up into her mouth she had still managed to actually suck and use her tongue. 

Harry shifted slightly in his position, dragging his eyes up her form. Now that he’d had a taste, he for sure knew he wouldn’t be able to stay away anymore. The forbidden fruit he had taken a little bite out of, needed to be devoured. And he knew she wanted him to. 

It’s why he had found himself slightly surprised when Eden hadn’t made a single flirtatious remark in the past few hours. It was just the two of them here and in all their past encounters, she had been all over him. She had seduced him, pulled out all the moves to get his attention. And now she had him all to herself and Eden didn’t try to get him to blush even once. 

Harry wondered if what they had done was enough for her. Or if he had maybe done something wrong. 

“Sure.” He cleared his throat, getting up too as he put his hands on his hips, waiting as she gathered her things. Harry offered her a small smile, “Let me know if you need to cool down again.”

“Well – uh…” Eden flicked her eyes to her father’s house before pressing her lips together, “I might be going back to the UK sooner than anticipated.”

“What?” Harry frowned, “Why?”

She breathed out a chuckle, “Because I don’t feel too welcome here. A-And maybe I should just bite the bullet and start looking for jobs instead of running away.” The argument with her father was fresh on her mind. He wanted her to stay away from Harry and all but near slut shamed her for seeking his company.

And here she had been, riding his thigh and giving him a blowjob. Eden knew she had a free sexual life that would disgust some if not most, but somehow it stung that her father though that about her. Eden tried to be a bad bitch most of the times and faked it until she made it, but her façade could drop in the blink of an eye when someone close to her commented on her like that.

“So, uh – yeah.” She shrugged, “it was nice meeting you, I suppose.”

“Hey, wait.” Harry frowned, “You’ve barely seen anything from around here, you haven’t explored. You can’t just… leave.”

“I mean, it’s not like I’m gonna be out of here tomorrow but I don’t think I’m gonna stay all summer.” She shrugged.

“You should.”

Eden turned her head to look at him and narrowed her eyes as Harry ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back, “You know, I could show you around some more. Just spend the day with me tomorrow. There’s this… art thing I wanted to see, we can take the car.”

Eden continued frowning as she crossed her arms in front of her chest, “What are you doing?”

Harry exhaled a breath, “What?”

“What are you doing?” Eden repeated, shrugging her shoulders, “You don’t have to… fucking take me out or anything. We both knew what this was. I’m not expecting you to be this nice guy all of a sudden. Yeah, I sucked your dick, I don’t need a medal for it.” She shrugged again, “Let’s just… leave it.”

Harry huffed and shook his head, “I’m not thanking you because you gave me a blowjob. ‘M just… trying to have you enjoy your summer. This place is nice, you know? Fell in love with it when I first visited and haven’t left since. You definitely haven’t seen it that way. And besides, you should take some time before you start working. You busted your ass in college and got your degree, so take the win and enjoy your time off. You’ll work for the next fuckin’ forty years of your life.”

Eden stared at him, both their stances showing some defence. She took a breath and slowly sighed it back out, “Yeah. Okay.”

“Yeah? You don’t have to talk to me if you don’t want to. Just enjoy Italy for a bit.” He shrugged, “I think you’ll regret it if you don’t.”

Eden felt surprised. This was probably the most Harry had spoken to her in ever. She timidly nodded, “Right.”

“Come by tomorrow around ten.” He stood behind her and patted her ass, “Off you go.”

Eden shook her head to herself with a chuckle before doing as told. She didn’t climb the fence this time but simply walked out of the front of the house and back into her father’s house. And later that night, she didn’t give Harry a show through the window. She simply closed her blinds, noticing the lights off in his bedroom but on downstairs.

She figured he was on his couch or something, watching something. Or perhaps he was out and left the lights on for the dogs. Or he just forgot.

Getting him out of his head, Eden went to bed and fell asleep easily. 

And when she woke up the next morning, she almost forgot she had met up with Harry. At nine thirty, Eden ran through the house to get ready and grab some coffee. Her father was working in the garden at this hour and Colleen and her had some small talk in the kitchen.

Eden didn’t let anything slip about her plans for the day. She simply said she’d go explore on her own and walk down the hill, perhaps catch a train. 

At ten a.m. on the dot, she sneakily ran over to Harry’s house to ring his bell. He opened up wearing shorts that showed off his tiger tattoo that Eden knew all too well. Pairing it with another wide button-up which was halfway open and a bucket hat on his head, Harry nodded at her, “Morning.”

“Hi.” Eden smiled, the short sundress on her body flowing in the air. It was a nice temperature at this hour of the day. Harry wore worn-off Vans on his feet and had sunglasses in the v-neck of his shirt, a tote bag around his arm, “Brought some fruit for the drive. You hungry?”

“I just had some toast, maybe later.” Eden awkwardly fiddled with her fingers before pressing her lips together, “Can we – uh, go? I don’t want my dad or Colleen to see me here.”

“Why not?” Harry frowned, grabbing his keys and leaving his dogs for the day. They had food, water and a secluded part of his garden to their use, plus the cold tiles of Harry’s airconditioned house.

Eden huffed and shrugged, “Apparently you’re a bad influence.”

“I’d say you’re the bad influence on me.” He smirked before locking up his front door. He then shortly dipped his head to press his lips to Eden’s temple, “Y’look pretty.”

“Stop.” She rolled her eyes, “Don’t do that.”

“What, give you a compliment?” Harry questioned, walking besides Eden to guide her towards his car. It was a rather old car, a pale blue with no roof and an old leather steering wheel. Eden found herself impressed with the vintage look of the car and put her stuff in the backseat, opening up the passenger door to climb in. Harry stood at the driver’s side, holding up the keys, “Do you have a license?”

Her face lit up at what she thought he was suggesting, “Yes.”

“Wanna try?” He smiled and Eden squeaked, “Yes!” She bubbled, jumping over the gear box to get behind the wheel, “Oh wait… other side of the road.”

“Yeah, but it’s easy. You’ll get the hang of it in no time.”

Eden bit her lip, adjusting the seat a bit, “Yeah, okay, I’ll try.” She accepted the keys and with a wide grin on her face, they were on the road in no time. Eden found herself relaxing in the car, her short brown hair flowing in the wind even if she put in a little scarf. The sun climbed up in the sky, warming their skin. No music was on as Eden followed the directions Harry gave her.

They drove past the little town at the bottom of the hill and drove further, onto the highway and little coastroads that overlooked the sea. Waves crashed into the rocks and Eden couldn’t wait to take a dip later. She had a feeling they’d come close to water and brought a two-piece in her bag. 

Harry eventually had her driving into a bit of a larger city where he let her drive through little streets that he seemingly knew like the back of his hand, “This is the largest sort of city close by.” He explained, “There’s cheap parking in there, if you take a left.”

“Here?” Eden pointed and he hummed, “Yep,” his hand found its way to her bare thigh as he gave a gentle squeeze, “’s good. Did you enjoy driving?”

Her skin burned as Eden tried to focus on parking into the space Harry showed her. She swallowed dryly, moving her feet to brake, shift and accelerate, “Mhm. It’s a nice car.”

“Sure is.” He agreed, “Fits you.”

Eden didn’t really respond, unsure of how to take his sudden compliments. Eventually they got out of the car and walked around for a bit, Eden not really knowing what the plan for the day was. She simply went with it and followed Harry around. They stopped for some bruschetta and cold water to hydrate before Harry pushed his sunglasses up in his hair and stared at Eden from across the little rounded table.

His facial hair was slightly longer than the day before, a moustache decorating his top lip and making him look slightly older. It was sexy, Eden thought. She kept her eyes low and finished up her little lunch while feeling his gaze on her, “Why are you staring at me? Do I have something between my teeth?”

He chuckled, leaning his chin on his hand, elbow popped up on the table, “Nope. You just look beautiful.”

Eden rolled her eyes, “Stop flirting.”

“Why? You can flirt with me and I can’t flirt with you?”

“I haven’t been flirting with you. We’re just… acquaintances.” Eden shrugged. Harry raised one eyebrow, “True. You haven’t flirted with me since yesterday. Since we… had sex.”

“We didn’t have sex.” Eden corrected him, “I grinded on your leg and gave you a blowie.”

The corners of Harry’s mouth curled up into a small smirk at the easiness of Eden’s foul mouth, “That’s true. But I’m curious… is that just it? We fooled around and you’re done with me now?”

Eden stared back at him, “What’s the matter, did I hurt your feelings?”

“Ouch.” Harry chuckled, shaking his head, “No, I’d just like to know.”

Eden leaned forward on the table, “You know when I asked you if men and women throw themselves at you and you said yes? You really can’t stand it when someone doesn’t throw themselves at you, hm?”

“Think you bruised my ego?”

She puckered her lips in thought and shrugged, “Sounds like it.”

“Well, if I remember correctly… you were the one begging for my cock.”

“True, I was. But… Well, it’s off-putting if you keep rejecting me all the time. I’m a little desperate but not that desperate. No means no. And you said no.” She shrugged. Harry frowned, “I didn’t say no, I said maybe later.”

Eden rolled her eyes again, “Look, let’s just forget about it. It happened, we both enjoyed it and now we just move on. No biggie.”

“So you don’t want me anymore?” Harry checked and Eden chuckled, “Nope, I’m good. Unless you’re offering yourself on a silver platter… Just saying I don’t wanna work for it anymore. So… maybe it’s your turn to seduce me if you’re that desperate for it.” Her voice ended in a purr and Harry stared at her, his stomach clenching and his face growing hot.

Eden looked at him over the rim of her glass, “Finally ready to tell me where we’re going?”

He cleared his throat, running his finger over his moustache, “Yeah, it’s – uh… an art expo here. From Marino Mazzacurati. He’s a s-“

“A sculptor, right?” Eden finished the words for him and Harry flicked his eyes up, “Yes.” He watched as Eden’s face lit up with a slight twinkle in her eye. A dimple popped in her cheek as she flashed her pearly white teeth. His heart slammed in his chest as she just looked so… pretty.

Her skin was radiant and she had that little scarf in her hair. Her prominent collarbones were accentuated by the thin straps of the floral, white dress she wore. It was simple but so cute.

“So you know him?”

Eden smiled and nodded eagerly, “Yes, I do. I-I’ve studied some of his stuff during college. That’s sick.”

“Yeah, I bought two tickets online last night.” Harry shrugged and Eden arched up an eyebrow, “You did? That’s… sweet.”

“Mhm.”

“Okay. I’m excited.” Eden smiled, “Can we go now?”

Harry chuckled, “Yeah, let me just pay first.” He was ready to get up and Eden frowned, “You don’t have to pay for me.”

“I want to.” Harry shrugged as he scraped his chair back. Eden simply stared at him, watching as he walked up to the cash register and handled their bill in Italian. Soon after, both walked the narrow streets again on their way to the art gallery. Sweat pearled at Harry’s hairline due to the heat as they sought to walk in the shadows to avoid sun and burn up even more.

“This is it.” Harry breathed, taking off his sunnies again now that they were in the coolness of the art gallery. It was rather deserted as the two entered and watched the sculptures. 

Eden tilted her head to the side, looking at a certain piece in a large room. She heard footsteps behind her, Harry coming to stand nearly with his chest against her back. The hair in her neck raised as he breathed down, “It’s quite rare how he managed to represent cubism, expressionism and realism.” He spoke.

Eden’s throat bobbed in a thick swallow, “Mhm. He started out as a gravestone sculptor in his f-“

“Father’s company, I know.” Harry spoke and Eden could hear the smile in his voice. They were silent for a moment until Harry spoke, “Do you like this one?”

“It’s part of the Wrestlers collection, right?”

“Lottatori,” Harry corrected her in the proper Italian, “is what we call it here.”

Eden breathed out a chuckle and stepped aside, moving onto the next piece, “Did you learn Italian when you moved here or did you know it beforehand?”

“I knew a few words beforehand, but I really submerged myself in it when I decided to move here. Even when I was still in London and I hadn’t made the move yet – but knew I was going to - , I was reading books and stuff in Italian, or watching movies with no subtitles. And then moving here… it’s such a small town that really not that many locals speak English.” He explained, once again standing behind Eden.

Eden didn’t respond and Harry’s lip twitched up in a small smile, “I’ve been complimented on my Italian by the locals, by the way.”

“Yeah, you sound good.” Eden murmured and Harry’s smirk grew slightly, “I remember you liking it.”

Eden’s face turned hot at the mention of his Italian dirty talk the day before. She gathered herself, Harry unable to see her face. She flinched ever so slightly when his hand came up from behind her, reaching around to gently grab her chin, “You have to look at it from this angle.” He murmured, tilting her chin slightly.

She held her breath as she let him reposition her gaze, seeing the sculpture from a different angle to have it make sense. She puffed out a small breath of air, “Oh. I see.”

They moved on again, Eden stopping at the next one, “This is Little Caesar, right?” She questioned before her eyes zeroed in on the little information tag by the sculpture. “Yes,” Harry confirmed from behind her, “pretty sure it’s a replica though. If I’m not mistaken, his original one was sold.”

Eden slowly nodded. Her muscles tensed when she felt Harry’s hand on her hip from behind, giving a gentle squeeze through the thin fabric of her sundress, “C’mon.” He nudged her to the side, keeping his hand on her to guide her to the next piece.

This time, he placed both hands on her hips, standing closely behind her and peering at the sculpture over her shoulder. When Harry didn’t feel her pulling away, he went as far as slipping his arms around her form to pull her into him. 

With her back against his chest, he encaged her. Eden exhaled a breath and relaxed into him. Harry hummed at the feeling, “’S good. Lean back.”

Eden heart thrashed in her chest as she did, breathing shakily. Harry’s hand slipped slightly higher until he palmed her breast over the dress, giving a squeeze to her chest before reaching higher to cup her jaw again and tilt her to the side.

His lips came down on hers easily and Eden whimpered in surprise, tensing up. 

Harry kept it modest and even slightly teasing, giving a soft yet deep and long kiss to Eden’s lips before pulling back. She chased him slightly, needing more but Harry didn’t give in. He had a slight smirk on his lips and then used his fingers on her chin to direct her eyes back to the art, “That’s where you’re supposed to be looking, mia dolcezza.”

Eden flushed pink as she blinked a few times, staring at the sculpture again even if her legs felt weak. She felt grateful for Harry’s arms around her, and he smirked wider upon feeling her instability. 

Continuing the teasing touches, they made their way through the gallery. Eden tried to get the control back though, so every time Harry tried to kiss her, she pulled back right before his lips touched hers.

It was a game. For the both of them. 

And Harry had a feeling that it would be, which is why he had something planned for the afternoon. A boat ride, a yacht, just the two of them. Out in the ocean, there were no curious eyes, no one to disturb them.

Eden felt on a fluffy cloud when Harry drove them towards the coast and the harbour. She couldn’t even explain her giddiness upon seeing the boat, which Harry steered. She laid on the deck while staring at him. Their sexual tension was high, the boat rocking to the waves as they were surrounded by blue water.

“This is insane.” Eden mumbled. Harry dropped the anchor as he joined Eden on the deck, sun warming their skin. He closed his eyes and hummed, tilting his head up to the rays, “Liking Italy a bit better already?”

She chuckled, “For sure. I could get used to this.”

“A rich gentleman taking you out? You know what that’s called, right?” He teased.

“As if you wouldn’t jump on the opportunity to be my sugar daddy.”

Harry threw his head back in a laugh, “No comment.” He then glanced at her, “Want some wine?”

“Oh! Yes, for sure.” Eden grinned, “Oh my god, this is perfect. I wanna stay here forever.”

Harry chuckled and got up again, ditching his button-up and using his time below deck to quickly put on his swimming shorts and grab a bottle of pink wine and two glasses. 

Sunglasses on his nose, he went back to the deck to give Eden her glass. He found her slipping off the sundress as she was on her knees, and he stopped in his tracks.

She was in her underwear, just a small thong and a lace bralette covering her private parts. He could see her nipples through the lace, and the tiny thong did nothing to conceal her. Eden arched her back, making it a show of taking the dress off before their eyes locked. She smiled softly to herself, seeing Harry with his jaw on the floor.

Getting up, Eden sought her balance on the wobbly boat, “Can I change downstairs?” She checked, “I brought a bikini.”

Harry’s throat felt dry before he forced himself to nod, “Y-Yeah.”

“Okay.” She sweetly smiled. It gave Harry a few minutes to gather himself, and when she returned she was in a bikini as pink as the wine he poured. It hugged her tightly, showing her nipples through the little triangles covering her up with an equally small piece of fabric acting as her bottoms.

“Thank you.” She accepted the glass Harry offered her before they took their spots on the deck, sipping some wine. Both were lounging on a fluffy towel, soaking in the sun. Harry couldn’t keep his eyes of her body while Eden tried her best to keep her eyes off his.

The tattoos, the tan, the chest hair… He was just irresistible. Is she wasn’t so proud and stubborn, she would’ve jumped him. But Eden had the upper hand and she wanted to enjoy it – even if she knew deep down she’d crumple if he even gave her the smallest amount of attention.

And when the silence took over and Eden drank her wine, she could just imagine herself slowly riding him here on this deck. Harry blissed out beneath her as she’d rock her hips into him, feeling him deep inside her. The sun would be going down, engulfing them in an orange hue as she’d grind to the motions of the waves and make his toes curl in pleasure.

Goosebumps rose over her legs before she cleared her throat, “I’m gonna take a dip.” She announced. Harry watched as Eden got up and stretched her arms, “You too?”

“Yeah.” Harry nodded, “I need some cooling down.”

Eden chuckled and put her glass inside of the little cabin before making a short run off to the side and diving into the cold water. Harry watched her disappear before she rose up a bit of a distance away, quickly followed as Harry too jumped in.

The bright sunlight reflected off the surface of the ocean and Eden smiled widely, throwing herself back to float in the endless pool of salt water. She heard soft splashing nearby and it came as no surprise to her to feel Harry’s hands on her waist, pulling her into him.

Eden giggled as his arms wrapped around her form, and with both of them no longer kicking up, they submerged. Eden closed her eyes, her teeth showing underwater as sound died down. Harry’s hands moved to her ass underwater, and it came as no surprise to Eden to feel a pucker of his lips against her own before he pulled them back up.

He coughed slightly and when Eden opened her eyes, she was met with a grinning Harry. He playfully splashed some water her way before diving back underwater to swim a lap around the boat. Eden climbed back up on the ladder in the meantime, dropping down onto the deck with a sigh to let herself dry.

Harry joined her a few moments later, water dripping down his abs as he let out a breath, “That felt great.” He commented, plopping down on his towel next to Eden, who hummed, “It did.”

Silence took over for a minute, Eden nibbling her lip until she sat up. Her wet hair dripped down her back but the scorching sun was drying her up quickly. She glanced at Harry, “Can you put sunscreen on me?”

Harry blinked his eyes open, “What?” He sat up, “Oh. Yeah. Of course.”

Eden sent him a sweet smile, “Good. Thank you.” And before Harry’s eyes, she reached behind her to undo her bikini, ripping the top piece off of her body. Harry swallowed thickly when Eden was left topless, his eyes shamelessly dropping to her soft tits.

His cock jumped in his swimming shorts as Eden rolled around to lay down on her front. Harry got the hint, reaching into one of the bags for some sunscreen before he hovered over her. Squirting the product in his hands, he started rubbing it into her warm skin.

Eden closed her eyes when he gave her a slight massage, the fingertips pressing into some sore spots on her back as he made his way down her back to the dimples all the way at the bottom. 

And he didn’t stop there. Eden bit her lip when his hands were on her ass cheeks. She knew her bikini bottoms were more of a thong than anything else, and that most of her flesh was exposed. Harry took his advantage, getting his hands on her, “Wouldn’t want you to burn this pretty little peach.” He murmured.

Eden softly hummed and he continued massaging her ass cheeks. Harry had his lip between his teeth as he stared at her plump behind, “D’you like it?” He asked. After a few seconds of silence, Harry glanced at Eden’s face to see her eyes closed. He clenched his jaw, bringing his hand back to deliver a sharp slap to her right cheek.

Eden yelped as she felt the sharp sting, immediately opening her eyes. Harry grabbed a fistful of her ass cheek in his palm, “I asked you a question.”

“Yes.” She breathed out, “Y-Yes, I like it.”

Harry hummed before pulling her hip, forcing Eden to roll over. Her tits bounced from the movement and Harry licked his lip, staring down at her again. Spreading more sunscreen around his palms, he wasted no time in placing his hands on her boobs to massage in the product. Eden held her breath, staring at Harry as he seemed mesmerized by her chest.

He kneaded softly before brushing his thumbs over her nipples, hardening them in a matter of seconds. He didn’t seem to mind that he used way too much product, covering Eden’s breasts in a white sheen of sunscreen.

“So filthy.” He mumbled, leaning down to let spit land on her chest from between his puckered lips. Eden moaned softly, feeling the warmth of his saliva on her skin before he spread that around too. His eyes looked glazed over, drunkenly staring at Eden as her tits glistened in his spit.

“Your turn.” Eden breathed, locking her leg around his thigh to flip them around. Harry’s eyes were wide in surprise when Eden climbed on top of him. Her hair was wild and untamed and she placed her palms on his bare chest, pushing her own tits together. Harry couldn’t keep his eyes away, breathing shakily at the erotic sight.

His hard cock was trapped in his swimming shorts, but he had no doubt Eden was aware of his erection. And that she was aware that she was the cause for it. She loved it, knowing she had a certain power over him. 

Harry stared up at her, illuminated by sunlight. His hands immediately smoothed over her thighs as she straddled him, sitting snugly up against his cock. “Sembri radiosa.” He mumbled, “come il sole.”

Eden breathed sharply as the Italian words tumbled from his mouth. Spreading the sunscreen between her palms, she then started rubbing the product into Harry’s chest. Subconsciously, her hips rocked into him simultaneously as the way she was moving her hands. 

“Fuck.” Harry sighed, dropping his head back and closing his eyes, giving Eden full control over his body. She stroked over his chest, up to his shoulders and then down his abs. He felt her shuffling down and then her hands were on his thighs. Moving higher, she pushed the fabric of his shorts up until stopping before reaching his dick.

Silently asking for permission, Harry realized. He kept his eyes closed, giving Eden equally silent permission by lifting his hips. She hesitated for a moment before sliding down the waistband of his shorts to free his cock.

“God – fuck.” Harry cursed, his fists balling when Eden’s hand wrapped around his throbbing dick. He was wet in precum, forcing himself to open his eyes and push up on his elbows to at least see the sight in front of him. Eden, topless, stroking him from base to tip with a twist in her wrist. 

She had her lip between her teeth, “You’re big.” She commented. Harry huffed out a chuckle, “Yeah. You still want it?”

“Mhm.” She nibbled her lip before releasing it with a pop, “It’s gonna hurt. I want it to hurt.”

Harry groaned and quickly grabbed her, pushing her on her back on the deck before his fingers fumbled with her bottoms. Eden assisted him, lifting her hips too so she could be as naked as him. Harry shuffled out of his shorts and pushed Eden’s legs to the side to spread her for him.

The boat rocked on the ocean as he stared down her bare cunt, wet in arousal as her lips were spread for him. He could see every fucking inch, hungrily licking his lips, “I can’t fucking wait.” He groaned.

“J-Just fuck me.” Eden choked out. She submissively brought her hands up over her head to give Harry all the room and space he needed, arching out her chest for him. He spat down again, using his fingers to spread it around her nipples as he breathed harshly, “It’s gonna hurt.” He warned.

Eden just nodded, “I know, make it hurt – please. I need it hard.”

“God, you’re such a fucking whore.” Harry bit, guiding himself to her. His tip caught with her entrance and Eden mewled, shuddering at the pressure. Harry stared down at where they touched, not pushing in more than just an inch, “Like that?”

“Fuck, yes!” Eden moaned. Harry panted out, “You’re so wet.” He whispered, watching as he pulled his tip back out, shining in her arousal. He dragged his cock up her slit, pressing into her clit. Eden shuddered and writhed more. A blurt of precum pearled her clit and Harry fucking lost it. Without more thought, he pushed inside of Eden in one swift motion.

She let out a high-pitched moan, clenching her thighs at the intrusion. It stung and hurt, but in a way so delicious her eyes rolled back. He was big, stretching her. And deep. So fucking deep. 

“Fuck, baby, haven’t even started and you’re creaming over my cock.” He taunted, although Harry’s voice slightly trembled too as he tried to hold himself together. Eden was wet and warm, and after letting her adjust for a bit, he could feel her completely melting and relaxing. 

“That’s good.” Harry praised, “That feels so fucking good… what a good, wet girl you are.”

Eden bit her lip and moaned, bucking back into him. Harry kept her legs wide open before he drew back and slammed back in. A gasp was stuck in Eden’s throat as her eyes bulged at the pressure, and Harry could only watch in awe as her tits bounced.

They were naked on the deck of a public boat, but no one was around them. The boat rocked a little and the sun was hot on Harry’s back as he sat on the heels of his feet with Eden in front of him.

He was fucking her raw, but neither cared. His cock was wet in her arousal, pulling back before pushing back in. Eden squeaked with every thrust, her eyes watering. 

After a few minutes of easing Eden into it, Harry got more comfortable. He leaned one hand next to her head, pushing her leg up with the other so her knee was against her shoulder and she was split wider for him.

“God – Harry…” Eden whimpered, “harder, please… harder.”

“Harder?” He panted, “You’re a fucking whore.”

Her eyes were screwed shut, “I am.”

“Tell me how often you’ve done this, huh?” He fucked her harder, his skin slapping against hers, “How often have you fucking seduced a man to spoil you and then fuck you like this?”

Eden couldn’t respond and Harry grew impatient again, raising his hand to slap her cheek, “Tell me.”

“I-I d-“ Eden gasped, crying out as Harry angled himself differently and screwed into her harder, “Such a dumb whore for cock.” He spit, “needing a rich, older guy to put you in your spot, hm? Need me to feel good. Need me to fucking destroy your cunt like this.”

Harry grabbed her hair to cock her head back harshly, Eden stretched out as she still refrained from using her hands. She had an adventurous sex life before, but she had never been fucked like this. On a boat, after just having a day full of tension altogether. And it just snapped. The touching just got out of hand and now here she was, with a man balls deep inside of her.

“Gonna let me feel this pussy cum for me?” Harry panted, popping his thumb in his mouth before pressing down on her clit. Eden shook and mewled as he drew tight circles, at the same time his cock kept brushing into her g-spot over and over again. 

“H-Harry – oh my god…”

“Feels good?”

She threw her head back with a moan as her tummy tightened, “Y-Yes, I’m gonna cum… Oh my god, you’re gonna make me cum.”,,

Harry held his breath when he felt it, her walls pulsating around him as her body trembled. Eden cried out curses, her hands finally attempting to reach for him. Harry caught her hands easily, lacing their fingers together as he pushed them back over her head and completely hovered over her. His hips didn’t let up, continuing to fuck into her in sharp, short pulses.

He watched Eden’s eyes water, the way her brow scrunched up in pleasure, the way her lips gaped. He spat in her open mouth and saw the way his saliva pooled on her tongue before she choked and coughed slightly.

Her orgasm seemed endless, Eden unable to get any air to her lungs as Harry relentlessly fucked her. And when she was on the verge of passing out, he pulled out sharply. Eden whimpered and shook as Harry grabbed her hip and rolled her around again. She was on her stomach, feeling his hands on her hips as he pulled her up. She leaned on her elbows as he pushed her knees to the side and slid into her again.

“God, y’feel so fucking good…” He moaned.

Eden couldn’t do anything but whine, feeling as her knees bruised from the hard deck, same as her elbows as she scooted up with each hard thrust of Harry’s hips. She was on the constant brink of pain and pleasure, letting him use her like a fucktoy but she wanted nothing else.

She was trembling, her lungs burning as she couldn’t seem to get a decent breath in. All the air got knocked out of her whenever his hips collided with her ass. Harry stared at the jiggle in her ass cheeks, holding his palms on her. Eden sunk down through her arms more to arch out, completely pushing back against him as soft whimpers filled his ears.

“Such a good, wet cunt.” Harry praised, slowing down just a tad as he felt his heartbeat violently hammering. He pulled out even, giving his cock a break before he leaned down behind her. Spitting down between her ass cheeks, Eden’s eyes rolled back when she felt his tongue wiggling through her pussy lips.

“Oh – fuck… yes!” She moaned, “Harry – oh my god.”

His tongue was salacious, slipping down to her budding clit to give a soft suck before moving back up. When he buried his tongue between her ass cheeks, Eden violently bit her lip to keep from screaming out. He kept her nice and spread, licking over her rim and eating her out with no shame in sight. 

Spitting down once more, Harry straightened up again. His hand took a hold of his cock, which he slid between her cheeks to tap over the tight ring of muscles. Eden choked out puffs of air mixed with whimpers as she pushed back against him, “P-Please… I need it.”

“I know you do.” Harry cooed, watching his wet cock sliding against her tightest entrance, “I know, you need me so bad… You’d let me do anything, hm? So fucking greedy.” He slapped his tip against her hold and Eden buckled through her arms, near biting down her own arm to suppress her whines. Harry watched her shake and shudder as he went further, teasing with the idea of intrusion as he placed his tip against her hole and threatened to push in.

“Y-Yes, Harry… Please.” Eden deliriously begged and he hummed, “Look at that, you’d let me fuck your ass. You really want it to hurt, don’t you?”

“Uh-h-huh.” Eden stammered, tears leaking down her cheeks as she felt herself going insane in anticipation. Her arousal was running down her thighs and she couldn’t remember ever being this turned on in her life. “You think you could take me?” Harry taunted, “Baby, I’ve already destroyed your tight cunt… you wouldn’t be able to walk.”

He couldn’t believe it. Unprepped and unprotected, she’d just let him use her. All of her. He knew that if he pushed her further, she’d truly let him fuck her there. But Harry still felt a sense of responsibility and at least a sense of care. She’d truly be in pain if he did that and even if she claimed she liked it when it hurt, he wasn’t sure if she realized what she was asking for.

“Little, ruined cumslut.” He tutted, “Go on, ride me. Show me how much you need me.” He pulled away completely, laying down on his back on the deck as Eden forced her limbs to move to straddle him. Her movements were uncoordinated, amusing Harry as she trembled and sniffled. His smiled faltered when she took a hold of him, jerking him off for a few seconds before positioning him at her entrance. 

The warmth of her pussy welcomed him again, Harry tipping his head back as his toes curled and he gripped her thighs. Eden took him slowly, inch by inch as he disappeared inside of her soft, wet pussy until their thighs touched.

“D-Doesn’t even feel like you’ve ever been fucked before.” He croaked, “Not by a real man, at least.”

Eden chuckled to herself, drunk on his words as she started grinding. Tears sprung to her eyes immediately at how perfect everything felt. Her tummy jumped in excitement when he continued brushing over her spongy spot up her front wall, sitting so snugly inside of her it was like they were meant for each other.

“Shit.” She sighed, leaning her head back as her hands braced themselves on his thighs behind her. Harry couldn’t help but just stare at the erotic sight in front of him. Eden working herself on top of him, her muscles working to keep her hips rocking. Her nipples hard, her stomach flexing as she rode him slowly and deeply. She bit down on her lip to keep her moans down and he just… couldn’t look away. Not even if he wanted. He couldn’t even blink.

They had been staring at art most of the day but nothing had made him feel like this did. She was just such a sight for sore eyes. So, so fucking sexy. 

His fingers found her clit again, Eden gasping in sensitivity when she could feel him touching her. Teasing. Flicking. Playing with her. She shuddered before slowly opening her eyes. Harry was bathing in the yellow sunlight, lit up completely but his eyes were on where they touched. Eden continued rocking her pelvis into him as his fingertips toyed with her nerves.

“D-Do you want me to cum again?” She breathed, fingers digging into his thighs when her entire body tingled in delight. Harry smirked, “Fuck, yes. You want my cum so bad, hm? Need to be fucking filled like a whore. You need it so bad.”

“I n-need it so bad.” Eden confirmed in a stuttering gasp, throwing her head back as the beginnings of her orgasm started. Her hips fell out of rhythm as she trembled in pleasure, Harry holding a steady hand on her hip as his free hand continued playing her clit. 

And just like with her first orgasm, he didn’t stop once she shuddered and cried out, he kept her going. Even when Eden tried to push his hand away with her eyes screwed shut. Harry didn’t oblige, instead wrapping an arm around her torso to pull her down. Her hands braced themselves as his cock slipped from her.

“H-Harry…” Eden slurred when his fingers abandoned her clit but moved to her opening, plunging two inside of her to replace his cock. While her body was dealing with the aftermaths of her second orgasm, Harry began building the third. 

Eden’s knees could hardly keep herself up when his fingers curled, and curled, and curled to massage her swollen g-spot until she gasped and cried and begged. He stared at her intently as he played her like only he knew how to. He knew a woman’s body well and was easy at picking up signals to figure out what they wanted or how they liked it.

Eden liked it rough and she liked to be pushed, so when she writhed in discomfort of an orgasm this long wrecking her body, he didn’t let up. “C’mon.” He panted, “Give me another one, hm?” Her arousal ran over his knuckles as he licked his lip, “Make it wet. Do what you do best and soak me.”

“I-“ Eden gasped, fully dropping her face into the crook of Harry’s neck as she slumped against him. Drops of creamy arousal fell from her, wetting his hand and part of his lap as she had a wet orgasm. Her body ached and felt tired all over, and her brain felt hazy.

“Fuck, good girl.” Harry kept fucking his fingers inside of her to keep it going until Eeden fully whimpered and protested. He was slow in sliding his fingers out, bringing them to his lips to savour that sweet taste. His tongue swirled around his digits as Eden laid motionless on top of him. He felt her ragged breaths into his neck, their sweaty bodies pressed together as she was cradled up on his lap.

Harry took a moment to catch his breath before nudging her to roll around again. She thudded on her back and he saw the pink in her cheeks, the fatigue in her eyes and the bliss written all over her face. He chuckled softly while hovering over her again, using his hands to split her knees.

With a kiss to her lips, Harry guided inside her again. Eden tensed and winced, but Harry hardly cared. The pressure at the bottom of his spine overwhelmed him greatly, and he needed to cum inside of her. “Fuck.” He breathed, their lips brushing together. He held her hands again, up over her head as Eden pliantly let him slam inside of her.

It was uncomfortable and she was sore, but the look in his eyes convinced her more than ever to let him have this. He looked animalistic and desperate at the same time. Like he needed this orgasm but only with her. Like it mattered that it was her he was finishing inside of and no one else.

“Baby.” He croaked, tipping his head back with a tightly clenched jaw. His eyes screwed shut, brows knitted together in pleasure as he panted out and fucked her deep. “’M gonna fill you up so good.” He rasped.

“Uh-huh.” Eden nodded, “Please, I need it all. Need you to stuff me.”

“Holy fuck.” Harry cursed in disbelief. He tried to keep his eyes open as he sped up more, harshly thrusting into Eden and gazing into her irises. His forehead dropped on hers as his orgasm started, noses brushing together. Harry moaned shakily, tensing completely. He grabbed her hands tighter, his knuckles turning white as he curled his toes and pushed as deep inside of her as he could, “Oh my fucking god.” He whimpered, “F-Fuck.”

Eden gasped as she felt him pulsing, his orgasm spurting out of him to coat her insides in a white, sticky mess. His hair flopped over his forehead as his jaw opened and he desperately gasped, “Eden – I’m… holy fuck.” He squeaked, voice cracking as he continued coming inside of her. She could feel his release leaking down the sides of his shaft, dripping down her pussy.

The sight had aroused her so much once more, and Harry was limp on top of her as he finally finished. His cock twitched against her walls and after some nagging from Eden, Harry managed to lift his head. 

“Scoot up.” She whispered. He blinked twice, “What?”

She shot him a look, “Scoot up.” She near pushed him off and then tapped her chest, “Here.”

Harry’s legs felt weak as he slipped out of her before doing as she asked. He could hardly think straight, and even less now that he was straddling her chest and Eden got to cleaning him up. Harry bit his lip as her tongue gently ran over his softening cock. He was slick and wet in both their orgasms, and she tasted the mix of them thoroughly by giving a gentle blowjob in aftercare.

“Shit, babe… ‘s so good.” He threw his head back in a breathy moan when he felt her angling up his softened prick to lick at his base and eventually his balls. Harry felt delirious in sensitivity. It was so painful but so good and delicious at the same time. He constantly had to bite his tongue, knowing he was a second away from begging her to stop but also wanted her to continue more than anything.

And then he felt her hands on his cheeks, urging him up higher. Harry felt the stinging behind his lids at the pleasure she wanted him to receive. His tired body did as she asked, and he felt her tongue on his rim next.

“Eden…” He moaned, trembling on his knees as he hovered over her face and she ate him out. His hand lazily stroked his half-hard cock, so twitchy and red from the hard fuck he had just done. Eden hummed, pushing her tongue inside of him to eat him out. Harry whined, shaking as he sped up his hand, tugging on his own cock and angling up to give Eden room to breathe through her nose. She’d bump into his heavy balls every once in a while, also licking that part of his body.

Even after the orgasm, he was still so ready to give more. And she could feel it. Sucking his balls into her mouth, she could feel him pulsing and near grinding down onto her mouth. Harry was overstimulated and sensitive, and quickly scooted back when he felt like he’d cum again. It was near impossible and his cock felt like he was about to explode. It worried him just a touch, the touch of his own hand felt burning hot as he squeezed around his base. Eden submissively stuck out her tongue but knew Harry had no intentions on finishing in her mouth.

He came on her face again, just a few blurts of milky come painting over her face and not a single drop actually landing on her waiting tongue. Harry cried out, shaking all over as he emptied himself once more. He had never had two orgasms this close to one another, and for a moment he truly feared he was about to pass out.

Eden hummed, stroking her hands up over his chest as Harry continued hovering over her. Eventually she assisted in laying him down next to her. He breathed heavily, sprawled out completely with Eden next to him. She laid on her side, gently playing with the chest hair on his sternum to calm him down. His cock was spent and laying soft between the fern tattoos on his hips.

Both didn’t say a word until Harry thickly swallowed, “Well, that happened.”

“It did.” Eden chuckled. 

He turned his head to the side to watch her, an easy smile on her lips as she stared back at him. She had used her hand to wipe off some of his release but hadn’t been completely thorough. He suspected she just didn’t care all that much.

“Still thinking of moving back?” He checked.

Eden bit her lip to fight her smile, “Well… I don’t know. You might’ve convinced me.”

“It was the art expo, wasn’t it?” Harry teased and Eden burst out into a giggle, Harry’s heart warming at the sound. He pulled at her arm, getting her to lay her arms over his chest and lean over him a little bit. He tucked her hair behind her ear, “I promise that if you stay… I’ll fuck you like that every day.”

“Every day?” Eden huffed, “Yeah, no, I’m not surviving that.”

He smirked, “I thought you liked it rough?”

“I do, but not every single day.” She got a bit more comfortable, her fingertip tracing over his eyebrow, “If you want to fuck me every single day, you’re going to have to be a bit… slower. Gentler.”

“Gentler?”

“Mhm. Don’t tell me you don’t know how to be a gentleman.” She smiled and Harry returned it, “Just made you cum three times, I’d say I know how to be a gentleman.”

“Harry.” Eden giggled, shaking her head to himself. He chuckled along, clearing his throat, “No, I get it. I’ll be gentler, promise. In fact…” He took her arm again and rolled them over, hovering over her again, “why don’t I show you how gentle I can be?”

Eden frowned until her eyes widened, Harry lips on her chest before he shimmied down between her legs, “Harry,” She gasped, “no, I can’t.”

“Shh,” He cooed, the hold on her thighs making Eden part her legs as Harry fit his shoulders between them, “let me return the favour, yeah?”

The words were stuck in her throat, and Eden dropped down on her back when his tongue flicked through her slit. She held her breath, the mix of pain and pleasure shooting through her. And where Eden feared it’d be mostly pain, she was proven wrong. Harry was slow and soft, his tongue gently licking through her folds to lick up any of their releases.

He kissed the inside of her thighs, even softly running his wet tongue over her pained clit until pushing her thighs up a little higher to give himself more access. His tongue pushed inside her pussy, flexing and sucking to get every single drop of their mixed orgasms. He hummed with closed eyes, hearing the way Eden softly moaned. Her fingers in his hair encouraged him, and her body arched to move with the pulses of his tongue. 

When there was nothing left to clean up, Harry lifted his head with a lazy smirk, “How’s that for gentle?”

Eden laid blissed out, a lazy grin on her lips as she chuckled, “So good.” She murmured, her body lax and unable to move. Her limbs felt heavy, and Harry felt the same way, laying down next to her again. His hand found her waist, and for the rest of the afternoon there was always some contact.

Even when they jumped in the ocean for another swim, he stayed close. They teased and whispered to each other, giving gentle kisses. He squeezed her ass softly whenever she was in reach and Eden often had her arms around his neck.

They didn’t talk much, both of them just not feeling the need to. 

This was physical, and they knew it. Harry could feel something in his chest whenever she was near, but it wasn’t enough.

It wasn’t enough at the end of the summer to ask her to stay. So he watched her leave.

For the past few weeks, they had spent a lot of time together. Harry and Eden got to know each other on a superficial level. She didn’t feel the need to share every detail about her life and he didn’t ask. Their dynamic was good, until it wasn’t. Until Harry wanted more. 

He felt something but didn’t know what it was. So it’d be unfair to ask her to stay for something he couldn’t promise or guarantee. Perhaps he only felt like he liked her because he knew she’d leave again. Perhaps if she stayed, he’d get sick of her and then he’d feel guilty.

So Eden was at his place one final time, putting her clothes on again after they had rolled around his sheets for the past hour. She zipped up her shorts and tucked her hair behind her ear, sending him a smile. Harry buttoned up his shirt again as he returned it.

Her hair was wet from the shower she just had in his bathroom. Even if they had sex multiple times a day, Eden always insisted on having a quick shower afterwards. Mostly to clean up his release as Harry always insisted in coming inside of her. After they had established a no-condom rule and Eden briefly opened up about how she was unable to carry children, he was quickly on board. 

They were only sleeping with each other and since a pregnancy scare wasn’t in the cards for them, there was no reason to deprive them of the pure pleasure of having raw sex.

And if he didn’t come inside of her, he’d come on her face or her tits. Never in her mouth. He loved it too much, watching his release drip down her body.

They were a great match, sexually, and it proved in neither of them being able to keep their hands off of one another in the past few weeks.

Eden had to admit she hardly spent time with her father over the course of the summer. She was more around Harry’s place than anything, sneaking over in the middle of the night without alerting anyone. Her father assumed she made friends somewhere, not knowing she spent most of her nights next door in the neighbour’s bed. 

Harry knew that once she left he’d still find bobby pins and parts of her scattered around his house. Her shampoo in his shower, her favourite tea in his cabinet, the dog toys she purchased for Sadie and Lola one day, her panties in his laundry. And her scent in his sheets.

She’d cuddle into Harry at night, the hot Italian air not stopping her from seeking the warmth of his body as she curled herself around him. He’d stir awake to roll around, grip her waist to tug her into his chest. And then they woke up with Eden breathing into his neck, her legs locked around his hips.

He had to admit the bed would feel big without her here.

But she was leaving. Today. Eden had been searching for jobs and finally got an offer back in London. She started in a few days and had to set some stuff up back at home, so she booked a flight. Harry could argue that she could work somewhere around here too with a degree like hers, but refrained from asking her.

His chest ached when they were at his front door. Eden closed up the final button of her top before Harry pouted in delight, batting her hands away to undo it again. She giggled as he leaned down to press a kiss to the swell of her breast, “Cancel your flight.” He mumbled into her warm skin. He pushed her against the door and dropped his hands to her ass, kneading her cheeks over the denim of her shorts.

“Harry,” Eden giggled, “I can’t.”

“You can.” He argued, brushing his nose over her collarbone before he kissed her jaw and eventually her lips. She closed her eyes, knitting her fingers in his hair as they kissed softly for a moment against his front door. Sadie and Lola were on the couch, watching the pair intently.

Harry tried to smile as they pulled back, but just couldn’t. He swallowed thickly, realizing he’d fucking miss her once she left. The lump in his throat felt tight and he didn’t know what to do besides kiss her again. Differently this time, and Eden felt it too. She was breathless and spinning as he passionately roamed his tongue around her mouth and fitted his body around hers.

He didn’t want to pull back but had to, gasping for a breath. Swallowing thickly, Harry brushed his nose against hers, “Don’t forget to text me when you land.”

Eden smiled, shaking her head, “I won’t. And I might be back sooner than you think.”

“Yeah?” There was a tinge of hope in his voice and Eden bit her lip, smiling, “Mhm. You know how close I am to my dad. And Colleen.”

He heard the teasing in his voice and breathily chuckled at her joke, “Sure. Your dad and Colleen.” He nodded.

“And the dogs. I’d miss them too much.” Eden continued.

Harry smirked and pecked her lips once more, “Anything else you’d miss?”

“I could think of a few things.” Eden whispered.

Harry smiled and stared into her eyes, “If you’re ever visiting your dad again… don’t be a stranger.”

Eden bit her lip with a smile, “What if I’m in a very committed, serious relationship by then?” She teased.

Harry chuckled, palming her ass to give a squeeze. His lips brushed hers as he smirked softly, “Bring him.”

//

sOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO do i need to write a part 2 to this orrrrrrrrrrrrr??

[vigilskeep]

when you first start the cousland origin, you can have some conversations with arl howe, teyrn cousland, and duncan that shed some interesting light on the political situation in ferelden. it’s definitely the origin where you get the most context on the rebellion and on cailan and his father. while howe isn’t exactly the most trustworthy of sources, he is also one of the most openly critical of cailan that we have access to, which i think is worthy of interest

howe remembers maric with what the toolset describes as “genuine fondness”: “your father hasn’t spoken of our time with him? that man took care of his friends. as they say, he was large as life and twice as tall!” i think we should pay particular attention to that man took care of his friends.

what howe’s talking about is a really important aspect of kingship, where you win the consent and enthusiasm of the nobility for your rule by offering rewards like wealth, land, and prestige to the loyal. kingship is always less stable than it’s portrayed, and this is one of the ways that kings must essentially sell to the nobility that answering to them is worth their time, which would be especially important in ferelden given everything we know about its culture. fereldans believe someone only has power when it is given by the loyalty of those below them, who have the right to freely rescind that loyalty. the dao codex says that “the sight of [fereldan kings] asking for—and working to win—the support of ‘lesser’ men is a source of constant wonder to foreign ambassadors.”

i suspect howe is remembering a maric fresh from the victories of the rebellion, who was able to reward those who had followed him with the spoils of those victories. at the end of the stolen throne, we see that in the final days of the rebellion, maric was killing those who had betrayed his mother to the orlesians even when they arrived under truce to meet him on holy ground. in dao, we see no lingering orlesian nobility except for those who married in and continue to be met with marked hostility. i think we can safely surmise that maric elected to make no conciliatory measures and give everything to those who had followed him; with the orlesians on the run and his people out for blood, he was in a strong enough position to do so, and it certainly served to win the fond memories of men like howe.

by contrast, howe goes on to say, “it’s too bad cailan isn’t half that.” the toolset notes establish very clearly that it’s the same issue, elaborating on howe’s thoughts: “bitter turn, i don’t get as much from the current king”, and “disdainful, i have no use for him, he does me no favours”. this isn’t a minor character detail, if howe’s last words when killed by the player are anything to go by. “maker spit on you... i deserved... more...” whatever it is that howe feels he should have been given, by the crown or anyone else, it characterises his actions and his defining treachery.

it’s in these same conversations that we see another side of this demonstrated. there are two points where howe can openly criticise the king, and bryce immediately admonishes him for both. one even has the toolset note: “speaks sharply, as a lord to a lesser man, not a friend to an equal”. it definitely comes across that way; the way he tells howe “that’s enough” is not far off the voice he uses when the player, his child, displeases him. bryce can’t tolerate any criticism of cailan, as the couslands in dao are ardent supporters of the king. to venture some hc, i suspect that this is not merely royalist fervour, and that howe’s resentment for having been given less is matched by bryce’s awareness of the precariousness of having more.

over the centuries, the theirins have consolidated their power and eradicated almost all the teyrns (the noble rank that is second only to the king). with the only other lingering teyrn being loghain, who is essentially part and parcel of the royal family, the couslands stand alone as the only real rivals to theirin power within ferelden. there are rumours that bryce was once considered for king instead of the theirins; he too could have decided to believe he “deserved more”. but unlike howe, and perhaps understandably given his strong position and happy growing family, he is satisfied with what he has. he will not take the risk of even the slightest challenge being made within his hall

(i expect that bryce’s satisfaction with the current situation further spurred howe’s dissatisfaction to its heights, given the complicated cousland-howe history and the fact that he was expected to accept a friend he had fought beside as a superior for the rest of his life.)

i don’t think howe’s judgement on cailan is likely to be without basis. we don’t hear about any victories the young king has to his name, from which he could have passed around spoils. (to be fair, cailan had harder luck than maric in this regard. a king who raises a successful rebellion gets to bring glory and prestige to everyone who follows him, whereas a king trying to rebuild after that rebellion mostly gets to bring, uh, taxes probably. especially on wealthy centres of trade like howe’s amaranthine, one might assume.) cailan also takes a far more diplomatic approach to the question of orlais, which perhaps predictably did not win over many nobles of howe’s generation. it makes sense that cailan’s strongest supporters would instead be men like bryce who hope for things to simply continue, peacefully, as they are. perhaps in another world where cailan had won the battle of ostagar, he might have earned wider respect. (you could actually argue on this basis that there’s more sense and purpose to cailan’s glory-seeking than he usually gets credit for.) but howe already acts before ostagar, which can only demonstrate his certainty in cailan’s failings at this point: his belief that even if cailan could win, he would not be stable enough to pursue justice for the couslands

[edgeray]

*presses my face against your tank* HELLO RAY !!! :D I AM FINALLY HERE !! MY BRAINCELLS HAVE COLLIDED AND PRODUCED A THOUGHT !!

or, er, sort of? more like a vague vibe, but i digress. basically, consider: pining arle. how does she realize her feelings for you? how does she cope? how does her behaviour around you change? does it? what is she thinking the whole time? when would she consider making a move? essentially i would like to see you psychologically pick apart this woman. go as in depth into her brain or inner monologue as you want !!! the set dressing can be canon or an au, i’ll eat it up regardless :)) and as a professional angst writer i know you can write some absolutely monstrous (/pos) yearning and i’m frothing at the mouth thinking about it 🤤🤤🤤 lookin forward to your thoughts but also take your time with it !!! godspeed 🫡🫡🫡

An Unfit Role 

(Arlecchino x GN! Reader)

A/N - Oh sev… you spoil me too much. You truly do. Somehow this turned into very ‘Arlecchino is a person'-esque and I don't know how but oh well. I don't know if this answered your questions very well, but hopefully this is what you mean by psychologically picking apart her! Was this enough pining? Content warnings / info - uhh none I think. just a lil bit of angst, 1.4k words

Arlecchino is many things. The Fourth Fatui Harbinger, a Snezynayan diplomat, the head of the House of the Hearth, and simply ‘'Father.’ She takes on many roles, and enforces them with an iron fist, every facade meticulously practiced and rationalized. Perfected as if she were an actor on a stage, every action and step is calculated beforehand. And if external factors or unpredictable variables crop up in the midst of her play? Well, a good actor knows how to improvise. Arlecchino is well aware of her roles, has memorized the lines and drilled through every movement. The Knave has many feats from each character she plays. A flawless performer, in those aspects.

A lover is not a character she can play. Someone who loves. It is a role that she cannot hope to touch, one she cannot imagine assigning herself too. She is far too inexperienced in what it pertains to. Her perception would grossly mischaracterize it, painting a rather crude display of what she knows of but doesn't know. After all, how could one act without an adequate example? No actor would want to showcase a poor impression of an original source material, an actor presents only their most remarkable qualities. A good actor knows what they cannot act, and it is this where her talents reach their limit. It is what her role as a ‘Father’ stems from; this inability to express something far too fragile and flimsy for her to hold. 

Of the few showcases of others playing the role, Arlecchino is knowledgeable enough that they are simply inept showcases. The Tsaritsa, who has shown the capability to act, and yet chooses to conceal her abilities from her audience. Crucabena, an unqualified actor, whose words dripped with far too much venom for the soft-spoken voice that she used. Perhaps Clervie was the only accurate and genuine actor able to play the part, but one cannot appreciate the traits of an unfinished story. And the naive Peruere, who could hardly imitate her counterpart, was maimed by Arlecchino’s own hands. It is here that she learns that the role of a lover earns no applause, because it adds little to the plot, and so it lacks a function in her story.  

Despite this, she finds herself in this scene, where she plays a character unlike her usual, an entirely new character involuntarily thrusted into her by the cruel machinations of her mind. 

It is a subtle thing. First, she was just the Knave to you. But somehow, among your presence, her facade slips, and she dons another character. 

She becomes a character who knows of nothing but the way her sight is captured by a singular person, a character whose dead heart begins to beat, daring to flutter back to life after it was painfully wrenched out of her chest by her favorite story's ending. She becomes acutely aware of this role when her eyes linger on you a moment longer than need be, when she indulges your empty but no less engaging conversations, when she familarizes herself with the particular fauna scent you carry. When she closes her eyes, your smile flashes through her mind, she knows she's fallen. 

An actor knows when to quit, when they misfit the character they're performing. And yet her mind remains stubborn. Acting a role one does not fit will only damage the actor's reputation, and she intends on abandoning it. But it is difficult for her to dismiss how much she yearns for a warmth that the blood flames in her veins cannot bring. It is difficult to deny that she is not momentarily blinded and stunned by your beaming expression, even when you are not looking at her. It is increasingly more difficult to control the pulsing underneath her skin. This is a character she cannot control, instead, it often feels that the character controls her. 

It is an unseemly, disgusting appearance for her. If it were physically possible, she would plunge her very own cursed, clawed hands into her chest, to grasp onto this fickle, volatile organ and crush it just to exhaust the remaining embers of a futile hope. If only it were as simple as that. Love is far too much of a complicated role for her, and yet it is somehow inescapable. Some sort of torment placed onto her by the archons. 

She can long, she can reach, she can prance around you, but never can she touch. For love imprints its scorch marks deeper than any weapon or assault. One of the lessons her story has concluded to. 

So, instead, she reduces its role to a minor character. She lets her stares remain, but she observes you from a distance. She does not dawdle a second longer besides you if she needn't be. She dresses the role of a lover as an observer. Everything she touches with these wretched, blackened hands soon turns into nothing but embers and ashes, and so the only way that you will remain is away from her.

On her desk, sits a vase with a single flower. It is your favorite flower, the flower that you smell of. It does not move from its place, nothing is done to it besides being watered. Its stem is so brittle, and the petals are far too easy to wither away.

(It is a reminder, every time she sits at her desk. Oh, how'd she like to stroke the patels with as much tenderness as she could muster. How'd she like to cradle it in her hands, this source of life, despite being so delicate, is so beautiful. How'd she like to be able to wake up everyday, and view upon this blossoming flower. But she is not a gardener. She knows nothing of how to make a flower bloom.) 

Humans are the only viable actors for the role of a lover. A curse is not. 

(In her dreams, sometimes you are in place of Clervie. Yet, like Clervie, the only moment she is able to cradle you is when her sword impales you. She will not let another flower wilt, she will not burn another flower.)

It is why you baffle her. Why do you gaze upon her with that expression, as if her claws are not one one more inch from piercing your skin and ripping into your flesh? How do you take her hands in yours, somehow slotting them as if they were always meant to, when they’re soiled with vulgar blood? Her cutting words and sharp tongue, how do they not dissuade you? How do you see her blackened skin, and not be driven away by such a mark of impurity and depravity? 

How could you not tell that she is improper for the role that you seek?

She wonders if a flower is a poor description of you. She wonders if you are instead a Sundew ensnaring a spider, unwilling to let it escape. No, perhaps that is not fitting for you, because you are unaware how effortlessly she can char you–unaware of the imminent danger that comes with keeping such a venomous creature.

Arlecchino is many things. She is a coward, if only for you. She cannot abandon her role, but she cannot perform better, floating in the state of inadequacy that she so despises. Playing a lover makes her foolish, and it is a compromising role. 

She is foolish, but she is despicable. She is selfish. And though she is perfect actor, even performers must fail to succeed. One day, her mental will and patience crumbles. She requests you into her office, your doe-eyed expression widens when she gives you the flower that sits lone in a glass vase on her desk. She tells you that you plague her thoughts, every feeling and emotion is muddied when they concern you, a culmination of things not within her grasp, not within her control. 

It is your performance that finally teaches her what she lacked before: playing the role of a lover requires another. It is a role dependent on another character, otherwise it cannot succeed. It matters not how experienced one is with the other, as long as the characters are committed to it.

There is another lesson that she learned from you.

“I cannot act as a lover.”

“Why must you act to love me?”

Love is a fickle, unpredictable thing. There is no words to be practiced, no actions to be scripted. 

Arlecchino is many things. A lover may be one of them. 

[scrimblyscrorblo]

Poe + Lovecraft fusion!!

I like playing with the idea of fusing characters and these two combined would be a force to be reckoned with. They’re mostly just really eepy

Eldritch God + Man who’s ability is essentially creating a fictional reality = a horrifying combination

They wouldn’t enjoy being a singular entity, however. I don’t think Lovecraft would like feeling the intense human emotion Poe always feels and I don’t think Poe would like being a literal eldritch horror.

This light show itself as them being very one track minded, there’s one or two emotions that they feel very intensely

And also I picture them maybe being able to manipulate ink like this, like they begin to start fighting and you see the ink drip off the book

There’s words but they’re in a language so old and dead it is only spoken by the gods

[dedalvs]

Hi! Hope you're doing well. I was reading a fantasy webcomic with some Deaf characters and was wondering: what adjustments to the language creation processes would a conlanger have to make for creating a sign language? Thanks!

The short answer is relatively few. Sign languages are languages and do all the same things with a different phonology. So long as you understand the phonology of a sign language you can create a sign language.

The long answer is here. That's a thing I wrote up called SLIPA (Sign Language IPA). Due to the fact that the potential for iconicity with gesture is greater than with sound there's a lot more onomatopoeia in a sign language than in a spoken language. To explicate, onomatopoeia in spoken language is a word that imitates the sound of the referent (splash, crash, plunk, boing). In a sign language, it's a sign that imitates the look of the referent (ASL TREE, for example). Since it's possible to be more iconic, sign languages take advantage of that fact. Consequently, you don't find sign languages that DON'T take advantage of it and are purely abstract. There are also things that are hard or impractical in a spoken language that are simple in a sign language simply due to the medium (e.g. full number incorporation in the ASL words for WEEK and MONTH). Finally, there are a lot of "on the fly" verbs that are created that have no obvious analog in a spoken language. It's something like the sentential words of a polysynthetic language combined with imitative sounds in a spoken language to describe a body in motion.

In other words, because there are things you can do in a sign language simply due to the medium that you can't do in a spoken language, sign languages often do those things. It would be strange (i.e. non-human) if they didn't. If you're aiming to create a secret sign language, perhaps you intentionally don't take advantage of those things. It's possible to create a purely abstract sign language, but it would be a fairly obvious construct the way Ithkuil is very obviously not a plausible human language (i.e. it could never have evolved naturally to be the way it is). This might be a fun thing to do for a fictional setting—a totally non-iconic sign language created for secret communication. This is, essentially, what I did with the Atreides sign language in Dune (as opposed to the other sign language I created for the first film that wasn't used). Even that one, though, takes advantage of iconicity in a way that a truly abstract sign language need not. This is because part of the secrecy of the language is the way it's used. Others aren't even supposed to see it—and if they do, they're supposed to dismiss it as hand twitches. You could make an obvious sign language (i.e. it's obvious these characters are signing to each other) but with really, really weird associations—like pointing to your interlocutor means "sky", where eveyrone looking on will think it means "you".

Anyway, just some thoughts. This is an underexplored area of conlanging, but due to the simplicity of video creation and sharing nowadays, it's something that's worth exploring. Back in 2006 when I wrote up SLIPA it wasn't practical to take videos and upload them. It was possible, certainly—we had high speed internet and websites—but we didn't have smartphones, I don't think YouTube existed yet, most frontend UI didn't have video embedding as a feature of its platform, etc. We were lightyears ahead of the internet as we understood it in the 90s, so 2006 would be much more familiar to the people of 2024 than the people of 1994, but smartphones and social media (and its infrastructure) really changed the nature of capturing and sharing video. Conlangers have taken advantage of that in every way EXCEPT creating, documenting, and sharing CSLs (created sign languages).

Like (I don't want to go off on a tangent here) you can have an entire YouTube account that is just a dictionary. ASL already does this. Go on YouTube and type "ASL sign for [whatever]". There are tons of videos that are like 10-15 seconds long that are just demonstrations of a single sign from different angles, all made by Deaf signers. And the videos don't need sound! You don't have to worry about audio quality, microphones, etc. You can actually use YouTube to document an entire sign language. No one's done it yet. Why not?

Anyway, those are my thoughts. Hope this helps.

[vidavalor]

Well, Aziraphale went Down like a...

Bullet = lead.

Ball = root word of balloon.

...lead balloon.

Loon (contained within balloon): a rascal.

Rascal: from rabble, meaning: a mob.

Loon: a diving bird. A bird with a love for diving into the sea.

Loon: a boor. Boor: from bovis & bos, meaning cow or ox.

Boor: a farmer; a dweller. Someone who is part of a community.

Loon: One who dives; a diver. A fall involves a dive.

Loon: A mentally unbalanced or an eccentric person; from lunacy.

Heaven's ideas are, as Crowley accurately put it, lunacy.

Loon: An ember-goose. Geese: you know, as Muriel would say: big, cross ducks.

Cross: to be upset, especially angry. You don't want to cross Aziraphale when he's cross.

Also: the thing Jesus was murdered on.

Embers: the small, still-burning bits of a dying fire.

But...

Embers: the small, still-burning bits of a dying fire that are often used to stoke that fire back up to a roaring blaze.

The essential element of a fire that never dies.

Lead: Alternate meanings: one who goes first..

...and one who acts as a guide. So, Crowley...

Lead: Alternate meanings: primary; main. The character whose story arc forms the outline of the story. So, Aziraphale...

Bullet: from French boulette, meaning cannonball and small ball.

Ball: a three-dimensional, round object. Also: a party.

Information that "goes down like a lead balloon" is information that generates a negative response in the recipient.

Like when you tell off a fascist floating head over Heavenly Zoom like the total badass that you are... but then he decides he doesn't like it so he lets Satan have at tempting you... and then Satan shows up the next morning looking like said fascist floating head guy to help with his temptation because the fascist floating head is the only person who can give you the power you think you need to more fully protect the love of your life... which also just so happens to be the only thing that would ever, ever, ever tempt you to Hell...

Aziraphale already having spoken to The Metatron the night before seems to be implied in this bit here:

A "Lead Balloon": A balloon made of lead, which is heavy metal. The heaviness of the lead inhibits the balloon's ability to float in the air. It is too weighed down to be its otherwise light, joyous, balloon self. Ahhh, the scent of Aziraphale metaphor...😊

A lead balloon, by design, is never going to be able to stay Up. It's unlikely it ever was truly, fully Up in the first place.

The lead balloon is always going to fall Down.

From its beginning, its fall has been inevitable.

To "bite the bullet": An expression meaning to accept an impending difficult situation or hardship and endure the pain of going through it with fortitude.

To bite a bullet (literally) is to successfully survive The Bullet Catch.

The expression is thought to have originated from doctors who would have patients bite down on a lead bullet in order to redirect their focus enough to help them endure the pain during an operation that was occurring without anesthetics.

I'm not suggesting any bullet-paralleling shenanigans here; Crowley is a metaphorical bullet here enough as it is. This kiss is as painful as an operation without anesthetics, though...

An operation (in espionage): organized spying on and manipulation of enemy targets.

An operator: an effective, clever manipulator.

A lift operator: a person who operates the buttons in an elevator.

As we know, in Britain, what Aziraphale gets into is referred to as a lift. In the United States, it is called an elevator. This lift/elevator is in the doorway to a pub-- The Dirty Donkey. Why this location for the lift/elevator, of all the shops on Whickber Street?

Are you going to be surprised at this point to learn that I think there's a word-related reason? 😂

Elevated: Slang for being drunk, off of the notion that being drunk is experiencing a kind of high.

A high, though, is not necessarily an experience of elevation; it is just a generic term for any mental experience that is outside the norm, due to the influence of an ingested substance or substances.

A high? Can bring you down.

In Crowley's foreshadowing/paralleling case in 1827, he was elevated from the laudanum-laced wine when he was dragged down to Hell.

Alcohol is what they sell in The Dirty Donkey where the elevator/lift is.

Alcohol is not a stimulant. It may appear to send you up... but it does not actually physically send you up, no matter what it appears to be doing on the surface.

Alcohol is a depressant. Alcohol sends your body down...

It also can come with a real crash down if you have too much of it. That crash down, as we know, is called a hangover. Remember when we heard that term used in S2?

From Crowley, when Hell first showed up on Whickber Street and started to circle closer to Aziraphale:

A hangover (one of two original meanings): a thing left over from before. Like the fact that Satan and The Metatron were pretty pissed off about the end of S1. Like the fact that S2's cliffhanger, hangover ending is going to carry into the plot of S3.

Elevated is a slang term that uses language of "going up" (elevated; high) to actually describe "going down" (drunk; depression).

That other, original meaning of a hangover, though?

A survival. 😊

[writers-potion]

Using Description and Setting Meaningfully

The setting, and a writer's description of it, is an essential part of any story. A good writer would use that setting for more than just a place for things to happen.

Use setting to emphasize other aspects of the story, such as:

Magnify the theme

Convey the general mood

Enlarge conflict

Magnifying Some Theme Through Description

Here's the thing about theme: modern readers aren't looking to be reformed. They wish to be entertained.

So, let description carry the burden of conveying the theme rather than you having to say it!

Side note: Theme is NOT a few haughty ideas you learn in lit class (like pride, beauty, everlasting love) but anything that you are trying to convey in a particular scene (like, trying to get a date). You can have several themes instead of one lofty philiosophical theme. That's fine.

The key here is to pick and choose the kind of details that contributes to the theme. A few examples:

Theme = oppression and manipulation of workers.

Aim = highlight deariness and tension

Setting: a break room in a factory

Details: slow ticking of a clock, raspy gurgling of a coffeemaker, completely utilitarian carpet and walls

Theme = teenager scheming a scam that his father already knows about

Aim = establish stealthy tension

Setting: the breakfast table

Details: toaster loudly launching two slices of bread at exactly the same moment that the teenager realizes his plan is ruined, catlike movements of the "stealthy"teen

Theme = a character's life is about to be transformed

Aim = show that change is imminent

Setting = train platform

Details: the darkness falling, colors of distant hills and the sky changining, the last train rolling in, workers happliy switching from "work mode" to "weekend mood" as the character waits for his train

Conveying Mood and Tone

The mood of a character determines how the story progresses.

If your main character is depressed, the plot will crawl on and take on a brooding, ominous tone. If he is determined, passionate and happy, the plot will speed up into loud, blowing action.

Often, the prevailing mood doesn't come from the character, but from the setting itself.

Again, let's explain by example:

Mood = Gloomy, baleful

Details: Sulphurous smoke, thick fog, horses' hoofs on cobbled streets, vendor's cries, unseen organ creaking out a sinister tune, sounds being muffled

Word choice is important. If you're conveying gloom, using strong verbs like creak, screech and adjectives like sinister and eerie.

Use sensory description: visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory and gustatory.

Another way is to describe simple actions:

Mood = irritation, aggression

Details: mashing the end of a cigarette in his plate, one draught of the coffee in his cup, wiping lips with his napkin - crumpling and dropping in on the table, standing up from the table, staring at the other person.

Mood = Giddiness

Details: flicking water from his glass on a lunch companion, twisting his napkin, playing with food without eating

Once you've established a prevailing mood, you've pretty much set the course of your story. No reader will expect the main character to party all night with loud rock music after a sinister description of his way back home.

Enlarging Conflict

Think of the things or actions that will eventually build up to the main conflict. Then, choose a setting that will naturally bring out such an action/ though from the characters in it.

Conflict = Woman hasn't spoken to her son for a decade and now, she has to confront him

Setting: House where she raised her son, among things that he hasn't seen in all that time, working bits of backstory into objects in the house (tie in a sofa, picture on the wall), mannerisms of the characters as they greet each other at the door.

Allow the setting to provide the little sparks that will blow up eventually. This way, you can effectively cut out that slow middle and jump into action without much effort.

Description is a matter of wordsmithing, of selecting preciosuly the right words to create certain meanings. Make every word and sentence count.

If you like my blog, buy me a coffee☕ and find me on instagram! 📸

[utterlyotterlyx]

A Ballad of Storm and Shadow

Azriel x F!Reader

Part Six

Series Summary - Rhys had been content in taking the darkest secret of his family to the grave, but when the threat of Hybern increases, he has no choice but to send a message to another world and pray to the Mother that his call is answered.

Warnings - mentions of pain, mentions of death, mentions of torture, angstttt, sadness, fluff

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five

This is a crossover series, some aspects will differ from that in the books. Physical attributes are described in this fic, it is essential to the storyline of the character

It had taken 17 hours for y/n to stir.

17 hours of Azriel sat at her bedside hating himself for allowing her to venture from the cabin alone and picturing himself grabbing her hand at the last second to stop her from leaving him.

17 hours of verbal beatings which would have been physical if it weren’t for his refusal to leave her side.

Aelin was furious, her wildfire blazing as blue as her eyes across each one of her limbs.

Rowan hadn’t spoken a single word, but his eyes didn’t leave Azriel for one moment, and he hadn’t unclenched his fists from the moment he had stepped foot into Prythian and scented the direness of the situation at hand.

Lorcan and Aedion also refused to move from the room, being her bloodsworn they had a duty to protect and serve her, and they felt as if they had failed in a sense.

Then there was Manon, the gold eyed witch queen with talons so sharp that they had drawn blood from Azriel’s arms when they coiled around him and demanded to know what had happened with a voice so venomous that he was sure she would drink his blood if she could.

In short, everyone despised him, and even Rhys was reluctant to offer a safe hand to his brother. Azriel understood, Rhys had only just gotten his sister back, and was feeling like a failure in his own way for sending her in the first place. Rhys was so ashamed of his request that he had allowed Aelin to preside over y/n’s care with Yrene, as well as the scouting missions she had ordered Rowan and Manon to embark upon to ensure that no attack would befall the city whilst y/n was injured and vulnerable.

The last 17 hours hadn’t been kind to y/n. Black poison poured from the bandages secured around her chest and abdomen, which meant that Yrene had to change them more often, and a fever so damning had taken over her body, causing the Queen of the Erilean Fae to sweat and shake uncontrollably whilst her body fought an internal war to win back her life. It was horrible to watch, and it all could have been avoided if Azriel had been there, flying below her and ensuring no one could pick them out of the skies, or if Rhys hadn’t sent them to begin with.

Azriel could picture it. A fond and vivid image of y/n flying above him. The rain would cause her raven black hair to stick to her skin, but it was the thin wisps of baby hair that stuck to her forehead that made the faintest of smiles to appear on Azriel's lips. Y/N seemed so unbothered up there, so... at home. Much like he found solace in the shadows, she found songs in the storms. A peace that could never be tainted.

That's what he willed himself to see when he looked upon her pallid, fever-stricken face. He willed himself to see the version of her that she would have wished. One where she was happy. One where she was plagued by serenity.

None of them could pinpoint how Hybern had known that y/n was in Prythian, or how they knew that she even existed in order to create the only poison that could be used to weaken and fatally harm her. Even Yrene had uttered that the ingredients were sparse even within Erilea. It meant that someone had spent valuable time collecting and crafting in order to inflict the pain onto y/n. Azriel swore to himself that whoever it was would die for it in the most curdling manner his mind could fathom.

It was within the thirty second minute that she stirred, her kaleidoscope orbs appearing beneath her fluttering lids and a small groan of torturous pain emitting from her lips. Azriel moved from the chair beside her to the mattress in a matter of seconds, disturbing the peace by shouting into the void for Lorcan and Aedion to call for Yrene, and the healer came quickly at their demands barrelling down the halls.

Yrene was closely followed by Aelin and Manon, the latter of which growled once she spied Azriel’s marred flesh tainting the purity of her queen. The red cloak of Manon swept against the stone beneath her feet, her claws were retracted but her teeth were poised to rip the throat out of anyone who got too close, Azriel included. Not wasting a moment, Yrene crossed the room whilst fastening her apron at her back, reaching out to lay her hand on y/n’s forehead and stealing it back with a hiss and the scent of burning flesh. “How are you holding her?” Yrene asked, perplexed, holding her burnt hand to her chest.

To Azriel, y/n felt hot, but not searing, not burning. From the beads of sweat that teared down her pallid cheeks, he knew that she was struggling to fight off the poison and the infection that came with it.

The Shadowsinger didn’t answer.

Instead, he kept his hazel eyes upon her face, tracing the slow beat of her eyelids and the quaking of her gasping lips as she attempted to form a word. “Y/N,” Azriel cooed gently, causing y/n to stop trembling for a moment, “To me,” he told her, pulling her darting eyes from the ceiling and to his face, “You need to save your energy and rest. Close your eyes and sleep. Let Yrene heal you.”

It wasn’t as much as a command as it was a plead, but she listened, shakily nodding her head and shivering into slumber, her chest rising and falling with uneven breaths.

He felt the golden eyes of the witch queen on the side of his face, Manon couldn’t understand how y/n hadn’t noticed her at her side, she couldn’t understand how y/n’s eyes found Azriel instantly over her own. Azriel moved his gaze to meet those orbs of gold and speckled black, refusing the back down even if he did find her terrifying. “She needs Doranelle,” Manon spoke, not to Azriel despite him being in her eye line, but to Aelin who stood behind her, and to Rowan who was propped against the doorway.

“We’re stuck here,” Aelin reminded her, making it clear that she had already thought the same but knew it was impossible without y/n’s power to rip open the fabric of space and time to take them there. Aelin dropped to her knees beside y/n, the fire coursing through y/n’s veins battling against her own, and she ran her fingers down the side of her face, worry clear and fear prominent. “This King,” Aelin spat, “Knows what he has done. Your war will be coming sooner than you think, and he’ll seek to destroy her along with it.”

“I won’t let him,” Azriel growled, tone low and threatening, and eyes peeking through the thickness of his lashes whilst his hand kept entwined with y/n’s like he was her link back to the land of the living.

Aelin honed in on Azriel, drinking in the dark possessiveness in his eyes and the way his shadows flitted over the skin of her dearest friend, almost as if they were trying to shield her from the world.

It wasn’t like Aelin truly blamed the Shadowsinger for what happened to y/n, she knew first hand just how difficult she could be when it came to anything she felt determined to do. In all honesty, Aelin blamed Rhys the most and had told him plenty of times of the fact. Y/N was Rhys’ sister, he knew how important she was to other worlds let alone his own, and he willingly put her in danger. Such motions threatened the survival of Prythian, and by extension, Erilea.

The feelings of Aelin were probably why Rhys had stayed away, waiting for the rest of them to leave for the evening before spending the night at her side, reading and telling her stories of their father and sister to then only leave at the break of dawn when Lorcan and Aedion would arrive. Azriel was the only one who stayed every minute of every hour, refusing to be anywhere else, out of guilt or desperation Aelin would never truly know, but part of her was thankful for it.

Do you see it?

Aelin craned her head over her shoulder to find Rowan’s orbs fixated on the pallid body of his friend and former princess, a woman he had spent centuries protecting and training. His sight pulled from her to Aelin and he nodded, eyes flickering to Azriel who had turned all of his attention back to y/n.

Yes.

The yawning of Aedion who was sprawled across a chair in the far corner halted Aelin from probing Rowan further. The unimpressed guise of the chamber fell upon him, “Tired, Cousin?”

Aedion shrugged, motioning to Lorcan with a wave of his hand, “She’s funnelling our energy through the bond. Forgive us for feeling a little lethargic, Aelin.”

“What do you mean? She’s funnelling your energy?” Azriel asked, brows furrowed and trying to grasp the meaning in his mind.

Sighing, Aelin explained, “Y/N is incredibly powerful,” she smiled upon y/n sadly, “There are aspects of her power that she refuses to use, abilities of the darkness that she inherited from her mother, Maeve. She can absorb strength from those sworn to her and from those who offer their power to her,” Aelin nodded toward Aedion and Lorcan with her eyes softening, “Y/N is absorbing the strength and energy from Aedion and Lorcan, they are her bloodsworn, and her body is in such a bad way that it seems the dark spots of her power are grasping onto anything they can to keep her alive.”

“It’s happened before?”

Aelin smiled thinly, trying to offer some comfort to Azriel who was beginning to understand the pain inflicted upon the woman before his eyes, but before Aelin could reply, Manon’s voice echoed between them. “Once. She was in a much worse state after she destroyed Maeve, her power was drained for the first time in her life, and she was severely injured from what Maeve did before the battle. All of that put her into a state of comatosis. It took her weeks to wake.” From the heaviness of Manon’s recount, Azriel knew just how close they were, all of them, so he understood why they blamed him, hated him.

“I’m sorry that I let her leave the cabin. I’m sorry,” Azriel spoke, staring right into Manon and trying to decipher whatever emotion lay within those cold golden orbs.

Rising to his feet, Aedion crossed the room, nudging a lingering Rowan on the way, “It’s fine. Y/N is a stubborn thing, she’s pulled the wool over all of our eyes at some point.”

“Like when she sacrificed herself to secure my freedom?” Aelin asked with a smile, leaning to run her fingers along y/n’s arm.

“Or when she trailed the ilken following Elide and I and slaughtered them all without us even realising it?” Lorcan huffed with amusement, creeping closer to the bed with humour in his eyes and his arms firmly folded over his chest.

“Then there’s Skull’s Bay,” Rowan almost sang, the words being the first noise he had made since he had arrived in Velaris and the room hummed in fond remembrance.

“And we won’t ever forget how she took possession of that burst dam and swallowed Maeve along with it. She saved us all that day, even when she was barely alive,” Manon spoke softly, a speckle of humanity shining through her soul shrouded in stone, “She’s family,” was all the witch queen said, an olive branch of sorts, an explanation as to why she had been so difficult.

Noting the concern in Azriel’s eyes, Aelin lay a hand upon his shoulder, gentle but unyielding, “She’s survived worse, Shadowsinger. Don’t underestimate her, you won’t survive the humiliation.”

Silenced followed after that, well, silence for Azriel at least. Whilst he traced the contours of her face, the rest of the room spent some time reminiscing, talking fondly of Erilea which Azriel somewhat listened to but didn’t engage with. All he could really wonder was what place could be so worthy of someone so perfect, and part of him wanted to walk the streets of Doranelle for a moment so that he would be able to understand it.

Only when Yrene would periodically swim by would Azriel lift his eyes to give her a thankful smile that she would return with an unspoken warmth. It seemed as though y/n had a family of her own, just like he did, a family not of blood, but of unbroken bonds and unyielding wrathful friendship. They’d all die for one another, it was something Azriel could resonate with.

After an hour, the doors to the chamber opened and Feyre stepped in, fumbling with her fingers and eyes floating through the room until they landed on Azriel and Y/N, and she found her heart fluttering at the way he looked at her, it reminding her of how Rhys’ gaze embedded itself into her at all times.

The expectant void of words caused Feyre to float back into the room, “Rhys would like a meeting. We should discuss next steps in this war and in y/n’s recovery. Yrene can stay with her, it won’t take long.” Aelin rolled her eyes but stood, muttering something about a false king under her breath which caused Rowan to chortle a laugh as they passed by Feyre. “You too, Az.”

“I’ll take care of her,” Yrene told him softly once she realised the reluctance in his eyes and the way his fingers curled tighter around her hand, “If anything happens, I’ll call for you. I promise.”

Stiffly nodding, Azriel stood from his seat that was imprinted with his frame, he pressed his lips tenderly to the pallid and slightly bruised knuckles of y/n before laying her hand softly upon the mattress and following after Feyre, stealing one last look at the fussing Yrene as her glowing hands floated over y/n’s torso yet again.

Azriel trailed behind the group, lingering at the side of his High Lady as they all sauntered through the halls of the House of Wind. Whilst pacing through the fortress, Azriel couldn't help but allow his gaze to float between each one of the other-worldly beings. Beginning with Aelin and tracking how her arm slid around Rowan's waist, to Rowan who placed a tender kiss upon her brow, to Aedion and Lorcan who were bustling shoulder to shoulder, clearly being too large for the width of the halls, and then there was Manon, red cloak swaying at her back and moon-white hair braided over her shoulder whilst her eyes darted past every doorway like she could see beyond them.

Yes, Azriel was very sure of y/n's safety being almost a guarantee.

With all of his watching and observing, he didn't notice the eyes of Feyre drifting over his face with a quirked smirk tugging at the corner of her lips, "You don't leave her side. Why?" Feyre asked quietly, catching how his eyes thinned slightly as he searched his mind for an answer that would appease her.

"I feel guilty," he tried to say, but the heaviness of his voice betrayed his words.

Feyre gently slipped her arm around his, resting her fingers on the indent of his elbow and pulling him into her side softly. "No. I don't think that's why," she gave him a pointed look, one loaded with knowing, "You feel something for her, despite only knowing her for a few days. What draws you to her?"

A more adequate question would be what didn't draw Azriel to y/n?

"I wasn't sure at first. If you had asked me why I couldn't concentrate at the High Lord's Meeting then I would have told you the truth. It was because of her. Not because she was new, or because I thought she was a threat..." Azriel trailed off, his voice softening and shoulders falling lax, like all tension had floated away, "It was because looking at her made me feel like I was finally home. There is a warmth within her, and a darkness that mirrors my own. She is fierce and tortured, but gentle in ways no one would ever be able to begin to understand. Y/N has spent her life fighting, being used for what she can offer but not being appreciated for who she is, and I think that I understand that."

"So, you seek to protect her?"

"No," Azriel sighed, looking to Feyre with a sparkle in his eyes that she'd never though she would ever get to witness, "Well, yes. But I seek to give her a life free of torment. A life of love and one void of the restraints of her station. I seek to be her freedom, Feyre."

The High Lady of the Night Court found herself blushing from sheer excitement. Feyre had noticed it the moment y/n had waltzed into their lives, limbs exposed and hair flowing, eyes glowing with the light of a thousand storms; she had seen something spark, a cog falling into place after so long tumbling around without purpose.

"Does it help that she is the most beautiful thing to walk the universe?"

Azriel scoffed, "Her beauty is incomparable to what lies beneath it," he told Feyre, glancing sidelong with a smirk, "But I suppose she isn't half bad to look at."

Feyre tried to conceal her chuckle behind her hand as they both entered the dining room that Rhys had converted into a meeting room for the sake of convenience.

It was clear that sleep had escaped him, and what was even more pristine was the fact that Aelin could not have cared less about it as she took her place at the head of the table, further solidifying her position as leader of their little merged group. Rhys didn't contest, instead he simply moved to the opposing end, motioning for Azriel and Feyre to take a place either side of him.

A usually convivial dining table now swimming with discontent from two sides.

Aelin assumed her usual position. Legs propped against the tabletop. Arms folded over her chest. Dagger gleaming in the pale lights and reflecting upon the ceiling. A warning. A dare.

"Have you figured it out yet?" Aelin's head curled to meet Rhys' sight, "Have you figured out how this world knew of her and the only thing that can weaken her?"

Silence consumed the room like thick onyx poison, drowning and dimming all forms of barely there happiness. Rhys shuffled in his seat. He had to send himself on such a mission since he knew that Azriel refused to leave his sisters side, and he had come up empty handed.

The location of y/n's downfall had been left void of any traces of armies and magic, the only sign of this incident occurring being the blood soaked earth where Rhys had stood for an hour cursing himself for even thinking about sending her away when he had only just gotten her back.

If he could, he would go back and rip the order from his mouth. He'd carve out his own tongue to keep her hidden.

"No," Rhys spoke roughly with a throat that hadn't been quenched by water in what felt to him like days. "I assure you that such knowledge has never reached Prythian. I sent word to Helion and Thesan, enquiring if such a poison were in any of their libraries. There isn't."

Lorcan scoffed and glanced to Rowan who had his lip curled upward into a snarl from his place beside Aelin, "And you believe them?"

Sprinkles of magic littered the air, casting a faint shimmer that filled the spaces of the open arched windows whilst the faint sound of laughter from the mouths of little ones echoed upward to the House of Wind.

"I do," Rhys gulped. The High Lord of the Night Court ran a hand down his face that was soaked with exhaustion. "Helion and Thesan aren't only High Lords of Prythian. They are friends of the Night Court, and their lives have been dedicated to research and healing. They would never withhold such information."

"Forgive me for not believing a word of it," Aelin muttered, fingers tracing along the hilt of the dagger on the table. "Your enemy knew that she would come. He knew she would come looking for him, and he knew exactly how to ensure her death. If it weren't for that last burst of power that brought Aedion and Lorcan to her position, she'd be gone." Aelin leant forward in her seat, feet falling flat against the ground and venom laced in her words.

"You foolish man. Sending not only your long lost sister but our queen into the belly of a beast without being able to ensure her safety. Your world isn't the only one at stake here. If she cannot recover from this then your world will perish, and our world will have lost its fiercest warrior."

Manon chuckled, pulling the attention of the room to her, and Cassian who was placed beside her leant away from the talons she was running the pads of her fingers down lazily. "In other words, if she dies here, we'll ensure that you do too. Or well, I will," Manon flashed her iron teeth at Rhys, causing Feyre to shift uncomfortably in her seat as her fingers became entwined in his own, allowing her power to ebb and flow from her essence in response to Manon's threat.

Remembering his position, Azriel's eyes manoeuvred over Manon, then Aedion and Lorcan whose fists were clenched but possessed tired eyes, before landing on Aelin and Rowan who were struggling to contain themselves. Tendrils of shadow scattered over his shoulders, dancing wildly in a brisk wind from an opened door, sauntering up and down and shaking in rhythm with a silent, reverberating thumping that was grasping at and rattling his bones.

"I think it would be wise to refrain from talking to my brother like that," the room collectively snapped its gaze to the doorway, and Aelin rose to her feet instantly.

Before them all stood a pale but healing y/n. She was grasping at her side but walked forward with a pride Aelin had never seen before, not in someone who was hours ago so close to the grave. There was something dark about her, the power itself or the contrast of her hair and eyes against her whitened skin Aelin wasn't sure. But what was clear was that she knew something, the truth and ire dancing in the dimness of her eyes. Something that could change the course of all of their fates.

Y/N's silver skirt kissed the ground as she stopped at Rhys' side, laying her hand atop his shoulder and squeezing it weakly, "I can understand being protective," y/n moved her eyes around the room, slowly raking over each one of her Erilean family, "But don't be mistaken into believing that threatening my blood is big or wise. I decided to take to those skies alone. It is my doing and mine alone."

Azriel felt his heart stop when her eyes finally found him, and he stood instantly, offering his arm and seat and feeling a sense of completeness when she accepted his touch and found comfort in the sensation of his presence behind her.

"Y/N-"

"I'm not finished," a voice of dread and death cut through the plea that fell from Aedion's lips, a voice of a ruler, a voice of one of the most deadly beings the universe would ever know. Inhaling deeply, y/n closed her eyes for a moment, as though she was preparing herself for something, and in sensing her discomfort and hesitation, Azriel lay his hand at the top of her spine, allowing every emotion and ounce of pain to wash through his veins.

Y/N visibly relaxed.

"In my sleep, the attack played in my mind over and over again, not like a nightmare, but in a way to make me see the truth. To push me to see beyond the pain," her eyes were downcast, but she moved backward into Azriel's hand, feeling a blanket of certainty and warmth coiling around her frame. "When I was flying over their camp, I felt the power of the cauldron. It was a drowning feeling, it made me feel confused almost, and I felt a certain type of dread. I was scared."

Y/N's eyes dragged down the table, settling on Rowan with eyebrows tight and fear visible within her irises. "There has only ever been one form of power that has ever made me feel like that. Maybe I was too wrapped up in what was happening to realise it."

"What are you saying, y/n?" Rowan urged, knuckles turning pale from his grip around the arms of his chair.

Without thinking about it, y/n's fingers faintly traced over the scar that had held Azriel's attention in the cabin. A morbid reminder.

"Dorian and I had a theory. That souls from our world didn't pass on into the afterlife but rather fell through the plains separating Erilea from other worlds. It had only ever really been a theory, but it was something that we couldn't stop thinking about. It haunted us in a way."

Because they had both lost a parent.

"But being here now with a poison in my veins so putrid and complex that no one from this world could have ever known of it. I realise what is happening." Aelin leaned forward, gaze flickering over the face of her friend until their eyes met. "There is only one person who knows how to make it. Only one person who would find joy in seeing me dead. Only one person who would seek to ensure the upmost pain. Only one person whose power terrifies me."

Aelin's eyes blew wide. "No," she spoke a hush above a whisper, "It can't be. She's dead. You killed her."

"What's going on?" Rhys entwined his fingers with those of his sister, feeling her fear bristling against the walls of her mind like a battering ram, splintering and wrecking the cage of her consciousness.

Realisation was floating about the room, to all those bar the Inner Circle. Rowan's head hung low, his eyes closed and nostrils flaring with each inhale and exhale, and Aedion couldn't lift his eyes from the tabletop.

"Maeve is here. My mother has come to punish me by devouring your world. Only when you're all dead will she kill me, and then can she conquer Erilea for the final time. Who knows, she might even keep me alive long enough to watch Doranelle and Terrasen burn." Y/N turned to Rhys, bottom lip almost wobbling, "I'm sorry. This is happening because of what I did."

Rhys dropped to his knees before her, taking her burning face in his hands and stroking his thumbs along her cheekbones. "We'll face it. We'll face her. And may the Mother grant her some mercy when I get my hands on her." He read the depleting light in her eyes, knowing that whatever energy she had been granted was wavering. "Let's get you back to bed. We can face this tomorrow. We still have time."

The High Lord of the Night Court went to hook an arm beneath his sisters arms, but she wrenched herself away to the side, still under the touch of Azriel, and looked upward to him. It was a silent plead, the widened watering eyes and a gentle shrug that lifted her shoulders.

Azriel moved instantly, scooping y/n into his arms and hugging her tightly into his chest, propping his chin on the crown of her head as he wordlessly carried her away.

Author's Note

I know it's been ages and I'M SO SORRY

Taglist

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[novlr]

can you give tips on how to change up character dialogue? all of my characters end up sounding the same and i'm not sure how to fix it

How to Write Unique Voices for Characters in Fiction

When it comes to writing fiction, creating unique and believable characters is absolutely essential. One important aspect of character development is crafting unique voices that reflect each character’s personality and background.

Understand your characters

Before you can write distinct voices for your characters, it’s important to understand who they are. Building out a solid foundation and developing compelling backstories is one of the best ways to ensure they always have unique voices. Here are some tips for getting to know your characters:

Write character sketches that detail their backgrounds, personalities, goals, and motivations.

Conduct interviews with your characters as if they were real people, asking them about their likes and dislikes, fears, goals, and more (the Proust questionnaire is a popular way to do this).

Imagine how your characters’ past experiences will change how they speak in different situations and when experiencing varied emotions.

Use description to enhance your characters’ voices

Descriptions can be just as important as dialogue when it comes to creating character voices. Here are some tips for using descriptions to enhance your characters’ personalities:

Use specific details to create vivid descriptions of each character’s body language, mannerisms, and behaviour.

Consider how each character’s mannerisms might influence their speech patterns. For example, a character who is shy might be hesitant to speak or repeat themselves frequently.

Pay attention to how your characters interact with their environment. Do they use their hands a lot when they speak? Do they pace around the room or sit still?

Use sensory details to create immersion. For example, a character who is nervous might sweat profusely or fidget with their jewellery.

Avoid stereotypes and clichés

When writing unique voices for characters, it’s important to avoid falling back on stereotypes or clichés. Here are some tips for creating characters that feel fresh and authentic:

Avoid using dialects or accents. Not only do these often rely on stereotypes, but they also break reader immersion unless authenticity is absolutely essential to the type of book you are writing.

Consider how each character’s background and experiences might influence their beliefs and values. One-dimensional characters built on clichés won’t have unique voices.

Think outside of the box when it comes to creating distinct voices. Instead of relying on traditional archetypes, consider combining traits from multiple sources to create something new.

How to craft unique dialogue

With the basics in place, how do we convert unique character voices into dialogue? Here are some tips for writing dialogue that feels authentic and unique to each character:

Read your dialogue out loud to hear how it sounds, and make sure it’s true to how you imagine your character to be.

Give your characters a unique conversational quirk that feels natural. An example could be that they call everyone “love.”

Vary the length and complexity of sentences to reflect each character’s personality and background.

Consider how each character’s education and experiences might influence their vocabulary and sentence structure.

Use dialogue tags sparingly to avoid detracting from the actual words being spoken.

Avoid using too much exposition or explaining too much in dialogue. Instead, let the characters speak when it serves your story.

By understanding your characters, crafting unique dialogue, using descriptions to enhance character voices, and avoiding stereotypes and clichés, you can create vibrant, engaging characters that will keep readers hooked from start to finish.

[weasleyreidstyles]

Serendipity

chapter twelve

summary: it was only meant to be a purely transactional relationship. he would help her strengthen her abilities in return for her getting his friends out of his father's nasty path. he didn't mean to fall for her, but loving her was the easiest thing in his dark world.

no use of y/n, but your general nickname is Meadow. all characters are aged up to be over 18.

pairings: mattheo riddle x fem!ravenclaw reader; platonic!slytherins x fem!reader; platonic!golden trio x fem!reader

warning(s): none

series masterlist; previous part; next part

The rest of March passed by at an excruciating pace. True to his word, Harry had essentially isolated you from everyone you held dear. He glared at you in the corridors when you passed by and you felt the familiar gutting feeling of guilt every single time. Especially when Ron had finally been released from the Hospital Wing.

You found out that Ron was finally out through Neville Longbottom, who had asked if you'd spoken to Ron since he'd returned. He looked surprised by your confused face and told you that he would be officially out after lunch that day. Not even Hermione had come to find you, not that you were entirely surprised. You had made your way towards the ward with Pansy's elbow crooked in your own, for stability, when the trio and Ginny exited the double oak doors.

The look that Harry gave you was gutting, but the look of utter betrayal on Ron's face made your heart stutter in your chest.

"Ron-" you begin, but he cuts you off before you can even begin to explain yourself.

"Don't." he spat, voice raspy from sleep. "Harry told us what you obviously weren't ever going to."

You inhaled harshly, the arm looped with Pansy's tightening imperceptibly. "Let me explain, please."

"I don't want to hear any of your excuses, Meadow." the way he said your name was so foreign to you. "How could you fuck the enemy? Seriously, you know who his father is."

He's not his father! You wanted to scream; to shout to the rooftops. But words had evaded you. Tears filled your eyes immediately and you barely hear as Pansy shouts at him, no qualms for the fact that he had only recently recovered from being poisoned by her friends.

Hermione and Ginny barely spare the two of you a glance as they push the two pissed off boys away and down the corridor, the sound of Hermione defending you and chastising Ron for his cruelty is merely a whisper to you.

Pansy puts a hand on your forearm, thumb tracing soft circles. She breathes your name so delicately that you're surprised you even hear it. "Meadow? They're gone."

Your breath hitches minutely and your lip trembles as the tears that had been collecting in your eyes, finally fall.

"Oh, honey." she murmurs before pulling you into the tightest hug ever. "It's okay." she says over and over as she comforts you. "If they can't see how extraordinary you are, then they didn't deserve your friendship in the first place."

You only sob harder.

"Let's go to my dorm, yeah." she says. "Have a girl's day, just us two?"

You nod once and allow her to guide you down to the dungeons, both of you ignoring the circle of your friends in one corner of the Slytherin common room, who look at the two of your passing figures in bewilderment.

You spent a whole weekend with Pansy. But the hole in your chest never seemed to go away, no matter how much the two of you gossiped and laughed.

~∞~

True to his word, Mattheo tried to help in his own way, by providing ample distraction in the form of siphon training. He had told you that his friends were willing to help you, too. It was the least they could do, he had said. And thank Merlin that they were so willing.

You had finally mastered effectively drawing an adequate amount of power from random magical objects that Mattheo would spell, but you couldn't fight the dizzying feeling that overtook you each time you succeeded.

One day, he came to you in the library, Blaise in tow.

"Hi boys." you say with a small smile, but Mattheo could tell that you were hiding your emotions from them – Harry, Ron and Hermione were only sitting a few bookshelves away from you and you had never felt more alone.

"Hello, love." Mattheo mumbled as he pressed a featherlight kiss to your cheek, taking the seat beside you and tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear before his hand rested on the top of your thigh. He watched as your pretty eyes brightened almost instantly, but the faint sound of Ron's guffawing laughter made them dim as if the light had never been present in the first place. His hand squeezed your thigh affectionately.

Blaise took the seat opposite the two of you and having grown used to the two of you acting 'disgustingly coupley' over the course of the month, he didn't react to Mattheo's blatent concern. You noticed that he toyed with some sort of spherical object as he made himself comfortable.

"What's that, Blaise?" you ask, and he holds it up so you can see a transparent glass sphere that was barely the size of a golf ball. You tilt your head curiously.

"It's a conduit." he says, dark brown eyes tracing the smooth edges with precision. "When you siphon from anything with a form of magic imbedded within it, like the ground or a person, you can transfer it into this and it will hopefully take on the strain of the power, while also giving you access to it."

"So in simpler terms," Mattheo says, hand stroking up your thigh lightly, "you'll be able to do what you've been successfully practicing without worrying about passing out. In theory."

"What do you mean 'in theory'?" you ask, turning to Mattheo, who looks contemplatively at the conduit in Blaise's hand.

"Well there's no information about it helping a siphoner. Only that wizards use them to trap an extra bit of their magic in, just in case their magical core is compromised."

Like a horcrux. You thought to yourself, not noticing the way Mattheo imperceptibly tenses. He had a constant foothold in your mind, because it brought you comfort. But he could hear every one of your thoughts.

"So we – well actually Theo – thought that it would work in the same way." He hesitated to mention that Theo had had a hand in helping you. You still had not spoken to him. Not since you found out about his obvious involvement in poisoning Ron. You hadn't so much as uttered a word to him: not when you're in class and certainly not during patrols. "He just wants to help."

"Right." you hummed, "Well hopefully it does. I don't particularly feel like passing out today."

Blaise and Mattheo exchanged a look that you failed to miss. You huffed.

"Thank you Blaise." you say, and through gritted teeth, you ask him to thank Theo too.

~∞~

By the time April had come around, you had made peace with the fact that your friendships with the Golden trio and company were well and truly over. Your time was spent with the Slytherin group in their common room, instead. You wondered how you'd gone so long without fully knowing the whole group (you knew it was because you couldn't think of anything worse than jeopardising your existing friendships at the time of getting to know Theo and Pansy last year). Being around them filled a void that you didn't know existed in the depths of your very being.

Blaise shared your affinity towards muggle literature (he was currently reading the Great Gatsby and the two of you found immense joy when raving about eachother's annotations and perspectives).

Enzo was one of the funniest people you'd ever met and both of you enjoyed pissing Draco off to the maximum. He was also very sweet and caring under his nonchalant exterior but his wit was sharp as a knife – your twin snark was received abysmally from everyone else.

Draco was a little harder to get along with, considering the hatred he harboured for Harry, but he was, perhaps, the most sympathetic with you (besides Pansy, Theo and Mattheo) over your lost friendships.

These people were the only ones who did not outcast you, because they understood you – even your own housemates saw how you had become distanced from your old friends and they began to grow weary of who kept you company instead.

You were a group of pariahs, a wide berth always separating you from the rest of the student body.

You couldn't find it in yourself to care.

You finally talked to Theo and he apologised profusely for his part in Ron's hospitalisation, as did Enzo and even Draco. But like Mattheo, they seemed to find great difficulty in explaining themselves to you, clutching at where their hearts were as he spoke, as if it was trying to claw its way from each of their chests.

That's how you figured out the Unbreakable Vow that came hand in hand with the Dark Marks marring their left forearms. Mattheo, Theo, Enzo and Draco could not utter a word of what they were tasked to do, otherwise they would die a slow and painful death. It gave you even more incentive to get them out somehow. It would be difficult, but you'd never stop trying.

The conduit that Blaise had given to you, lay against your collarbone on a dainty chain of sterling silver, gifted by Pansy. It had developed whorls of varying shapes and sizes as you practiced siphoning day after day and you could feel the hum of power within it. It would only be released upon you shattering the glass. You were gaining control with each practiced session.

You were sat with Mattheo in a quiet corner of the Slytherin common room, focusing on a box of marbles that he had charmed individually for you to practice. The hum of your magic was faint, but the indigo glow was bright and pulsing as invisible hands sifted through the glassy orbs collecting the surges of magic with each stroke, reflecting rainbows of colour across your faces.

He had thought of this idea one evening while you laughed with Enzo at Draco's expense. He had been admiring the way your head tilted back as you heartily laughed, the way your hair cascaded over your shoulders and over his hoodie that you donned, how your eyes sparkled under the low light of the common room. He thought it was possibly the most ethereal sound he'd ever been blessed to hear.

Mattheo began with small objects. Putting a little bit of his magic into them for you to siphon out. Your magical cores mingled and danced around eachother every time you did so successfully and your conduit would glow with a symphony of colour before it would extinguish until the next time you channelled the combined power into it. He found you extraordinary.

He knew he was treading on dangerous waters. He should've never let this thing – this beautiful thing between the two of you – get as far as it had. He should not have been the cause for your broken friendships. But he couldn't help it. He was addicted to you in all senses of the word.

He couldn't get enough. And maybe that made him selfish. But everything he did in this life was for his friends, his family. So he wanted to be selfish, just this once.

Because Mattheo Riddle was in love with you.

You had integrated into his found family with ease. He protects his family. So he would protect you, too. You had lost your old friendships, but new ones had formed. Fresh, pure and innocent.

But war has a funny way of sullying the beautiful things in life. It's only a matter of time before it's ravenous claws ripped through his brief moment of peace.

~∞~

i don't really like this chapter because of all the time jumps but i needed to speed through the timeline a bit lol

and it was mean tto be slightly more fluffy than the last few, but it seems that i just can't resist writing angst.

thankyou for all the love on chapter eleven though, it means so much 🥹🫶🏼🫶🏼

taglist:

(striked out users are ones that i couldn't tag)

@camille-1019 @lovelyygirl8 @xluansstuff @babeylover @thejadeazalea @undercover-smutlover @adhxmoony @dreamingofonceuponatime @thepassionatereader @urmomsgayforme5 @aphroditeisamilf @devotedlycrookeddonut @purplegirls-posts @nofacenonamelikekira @foxboyapologist @lafrone @lovely-maryj @nromanovaswife @leeknows-wife @dracygf @wildlyobserving @ravenclawprincess33 @melllinaa @vellicora @lantsovheiress @emiliahoward @stunkbiggu @vcosette @prongsprincessworld @mattiesgirl @rachmmb @x-kermit-x @sun-fiower-seed @cas-planet @certaindreampost @weirdowithnobeardo @mikalovesicecream @sunasbbie @rainy-darling @faeriepigeons @lovely-blackinnon @hiireadstuff @gimalo135 @elsafromcabinsix @moonlightreader649 @blueshome @nopedefe @spencerreidsthings @navs-bhat @agent-tempest @magimtz23 @y0urm0m12 @sbrn0905 @leona-hawthorne @whatsupb18 @moni-cah @taylorann2013 @unstablereader @gisellesprettylies @nat1221

[gynandromorph]

another little nofna style emulation comic i drew a bit ago that was primarily about why something can "look like words" when it isn't... it is possibly Legend's first time considering the involuntary nature of reading words. she can rationally know that she isn't looking at writing, but her mind continues to see words that she must try to decipher.

the comic ended up getting side-tracked, but i kind of just let these comics go where they go. it is the nofna spirit.

PS and Legend have probably only spoken several times at this point, as classmates. in my head, this is their first season of classes, and they have only just recently proceeded from practicing handwriting and making letters to writing out spoken word.

i imagine that letters and writing are not intuitive at all to people who haven't grown up with it. Legend knew how to read well before entering school. PS has not really internalized that letters represent sounds. she has seen her teacher or classmates speak words as they're writing lines, and later, other people can tell the words that were spoken while writing the lines. her penmanship is naturally excellent, and prior to this module, she was praised by her teacher lavishly.

i imagine that because MOST RODENTS become markscrafts, and rodents tend to be rather... prolific... in number. that classes for this profession would be fucking huge.

the teacher cannot individually dedicate attention to every struggling student, so the first practice is to pair two struggling students together who seem like they compensate each others' shortcomings and see if they can rehabilitate their grades together.

if students continue to fail despite peer review, that is probably the time where a teacher would talk to them privately or recommend a tutor, etc.

the classes also function by a "revise and resubmit" principle over an "extra credit" principle as it is the most direct way for students to figure out what they did wrong and the least amount of extra work for the professor.

their professor is a mouse; a tried to write the grade print small (called "mouseprint" in the canon).

PS's language here is very rough and strange; i imagine she has, at the VERY most, been exposed to common for only a year. she is maybe ~15-16 in age, psychologically. ever since i made her as a character, i assumed one of her core traits was a low drive to do work. she became a markscraft SPECIFICALLY because she did not want to put in the work to earn prestige or more credit. she picked the easiest possible career for her.

as a younger mind, and only recently introduced to the idea that she has to perform labor or GTFO society, her dislike of work is very obvious and she is not reserved about sharing it. she came from a life where she could volunteer to do small tricks for high value treats if she felt like it, and this life is comparatively brutal and demanding in her mind.

Legend's corsage is red star (Rhodohypoxis baurii) and PS's Leaf is a leaf from a large pineapple lily.

Legend is, conversely, probably 18-20 psychologically. idk, the ages are very weird with these animals. i've imagined her parents as highly Civilized people like XX's mother, but a little less strict. while many citizens of society hate wild people (presumably because many of them are serial killers who might serial kill them), not all of them do (example: nutsedge, who sympathizes with a Wild Hawk killing her classmates), and i imagined Legend's parents impressing into her rather strongly that she did not earn being born into a well-off family and physically gifted species.

of course, this didn't stop her from forming a superiority complex towards rodents anyway-- but, i think she's tolerating a significant amount of Weirdness from PS here that she extremely would not tolerate from someone she didn't assume was wild-integrating-into-society, from the constant touching, to the rude openness, the disdain for work ethic, the odd language usage, and the outfit that's essentially showing up to the study session in pasties and booty shorts.

it seems that in these stories, the animals attain a "fluent" level of speech in common relatively quickly (emancipation, secretary), somewhat influenced by natural talent; i think PS has a brute force spaghetti-against-the-wall approach that lets her just mimic as many phrases that she thinks are novel as possible. usually this is an option only available to toddlers who lack the self-awareness to feel embarrassment about constant awkward linguistic mistakes, but PS also has no cultural priming to be embarrassed of the behavior. you can see her parroting various things she's heard, such as "sooo much" as an emphasis phrase, and even "essentially" after Legend says it in passing. other more abstract phrases such as "with credit" or "okay" i imagine she knows simply by being exposed to them over and over again.

when the two get into deeper levels of literacy and markscraft classes, i imagine that Legend's knowledge of grammar and Big Words in general, combined with an ability to verbally express usually unwritten rules in the language, helped propel PS to a level of fluency that has her speaking like she was raised with it 99% of the time.