#eye spots definitely makes sense for fae though. love a good eye spots fae..

[dire-vulture]

omg..since animals with eyespots generally have them to ward off predators..what are dragons with the gene afraid of

[luvvyouforever]

Hello!! I saw that your requests were open. Could you possibly do another Modern AU! Rhysand x College Student! reader fic? I loved the first one you posted and definitely gave me some comfort with how stressful college is 😭

I always liked imagining the ACOTAR universe in a modern au. Especially Velaris in a modern setting.

Hope you are doing well and taking care of yourself💜💜

hi! absolutely dear <3 i tried to include more velaris in this!

comfort on the bridge - modern au!rhysand x college student!reader

↳ a night out in velaris ought to clear your worries about upcoming exams. does it actually, though?

↳ modern portrayal of velaris, mentions of self doubt and stress, reader is studying to be a teacher but it could be replaced with any major/focus. this isn't my best work, i'll admit, and it did take me like two weeks to completely finish but here you go!

↳ divider art from @firefly-graphics

usually, there was nothing better than a night out on the town in velaris, surrounded by the inner circle and your loving partner, rhysand. very little made you more excited than getting dressed up with mor, pregaming with cassian, and flooding the dance floor of rita's. tonight, however, it was the last thing you wanted to do.

rhysand could sense your hesitance about going out, feeling the bond between you two grow shaky and antsy but there was no way you could bring yourself to say no to them. you were just more stressed out than you imagined possible and so much more was in your mind than getting drunk and dancing to fae pop music.

mortal college was more than you had anticipated. it was always your goal, far before your ears grew pointy and you became a part of the night court's defenders, to go to college and make something of yourself. rhysand encouraged you wholeheartedly, telling you over and over that it was a good idea, that velaris needed more teachers, that you could accomplish it.

and now, your college career was coming to a close which only meant certifications, exams, and papers that all required more of you than you could give. you could only remind yourself of the shining new generation of fae being born in velaris that needed teaching so many times.

all of those worries and deadlines could not be suppressed by the strong liquor going down your throat, leaving a harsh burn in its wake. nevertheless, you took every shot cassian offered and with everyone one of them, rhysand grew more worried.

"you're putting 'em down tonight, y/n!" cassian cheered as the clink of the shot glass hitting the bar rang through the room. "you want another one?"

"yeah, i'd lo-"

"darling, i really don't think you should have another drink. you'll feel terrible later," rhysand's deep voice sent shivers down your spine as his large chest came up behind you. instinctively, you leaned back into his warmth.

"no! we gotta have fun tonight! i can't let anyone down!" you rebutted. your hand reached for the drink on the bar but your hand was trapped by rhysand's before you could. "hey!"

without a response or argument, rhysand began to tug and you didn't put up much of a fight (you were positive that one wrong move and your lack of coordination would land you on your butt on the floor). cassian looked at the two of you, making brief eye contact with rhysand and he nodded in understanding. something was wrong.

"where are we going?" you asked your partner after you stepped into the fresh air of velaris. despite it being so late, the city was quite alive with people, bikes, lights, music, and sounds. it was a beautiful sight, one that usually caught your breath, but there were more pressing matters. like why did rhysand take you away from your fun? the worries were just now being forgotten!

rhysand didn't answer your pestering but instead led you down some streets, up one incline, and landed at an old steel bridge that was at a high enough point to overlook the streets below. it was a spot you frequented when stressed but you didn't know that anyone knew. of course rhysand knew.

without having to say anything, you both perched on the edge of the bridge, wrapping your legs around the posts. your arms brushed against each other and with a few deep breaths, you felt the alcohol begin to leave your system as quickly as it came in.

"what's going on? you're drinking a lot, you seem stressed. i feel it. i don't even have to look in your mind to tell," rhysand said softly. his violet eyes shined in the night and though his gaze was strong, you couldn't help but fall into it.

you sighed and leaned your forehead against the cool metal of the bridge. the sounds of your city flooded your ears and it washed you with some calm that you were searching for. "i'm just stressed. there's so much on my plate, so much coming up, and i don't feel smart enough or good enough for any of it." just speaking the words out loud felt like a weight being taken off of your body. surgically removed and thrown hundreds of miles away.

"tell me about it," your partner said. he wouldn't get it, necessarily, but sharing the weight would help.

"there's three certification tests i have to take, all of which are unnecessarily hard. and that's just so i can get my license to teach. i still have four exams, all worth well over a hundred points, and i feel grossly underprepared for each and everyone one of them. then there's this theory class that's all about best practices in education and research and i feel like i'm picking up none of it," you expressed. "i don't feel like i am going to be the best i can be for velaris. i want to teach them but i'm struggling to pass my class. how am i supposed to impart all of this amazing knowledge on them when i don't even know it?"

your head fell forward onto the bar again and you relished in the soothing feeling of it. down below, music and laughter erupted from a rooftop bar. you wished you could know what rhysand was thinking.

"you know...i think you're the most intelligent person i ever met-"

"that's not-"

"ah! ah! no arguing," rhysand cut you off. "as i was saying...you are the most intelligent person i ever met. the capabilities you have far exceed anyone in the spring court and hewn city combined. the passion you have for our city and its education is so admirable, y/n. everyone will be so lucky to have you as their teacher. the fact that you committed to going to mortal college just to provide the small number of velaris children with a proper education proves to me that the cauldron picked the most perfect person to be my mate."

looking at onto your city, rhysand's words sunk in. somewhere in a back yard, high fae children laughed cheerfully, clearly excited to be up later than what would usually be allowed. it was hard work but work that you were more than excited to be doing.

with a sigh, you leaned into rhysand's side, grateful for him being your rock. "will you help me study for the praxis?" you asked quietly.

rhysand's head dipped down and planted a soft kiss on your forehead. "me and all of velaris will help you through whatever you need, darling. and we will be there at your graduation, glamoured and cheering."

[euphoricpixiee]

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ night sky (rewrite): chapter one

a/n: i'm going through a dark time right now and I thought I would give this to the world again since it was made from one of my darkest times. I'm currently rewriting chapter two. I hope you all find this redefined story good or at least help you in your darkest times. I love each one of you and you will find your happiness, it's in our future.

wc: 1.2k+

warnings: dark themes, swearing, talk of mental health(?), etc.

pairing: fem!oc x ruhn danaan

Nothing she did was ever good enough. Zorya tried to be like her older sister, Fury, but she couldn’t capture the clever, beautiful, and level of her bravery. Thoughts of never living up to her parent’s expectations weighed on her. She sat on her bed with her laptop perched on her knees while she looked out into the night sky. It was beautiful and also haunting as she watched stars shoot across the sky. Maybe if she worked harder and didn’t take breaks, then she could at least be enough. That’s all she wants, for someone to look at her and tell her she’s enough.

Tears sting the rim of her eyes and her chest caves. She needed to get out of that house and get some fresh air. Yeah, fresh air will help. Whenever her anxiety grew within her, she knew she had been cooped up in the house too long.

Once she saved and shut down her work, Zorya threw up her onyx hair into a bun and pulled on a lilac sweater over the pink tank top she already wore. Then, she managed to get black jeans on without feeling like she tore up her room in the process. Her clumsiness wasn’t a good trait for her. When putting on skinny jeans, it’s a full-blown act not to fall over and/or break something. 

As she slipped on her sandals, she heard her father walking down the hallway and into the kitchen. If she was lucky she would be able to get out of the house without him noticing or paying any attention to her. Not that he did anyway. 

Gently, she opened her door and tiptoed her way down the stairs. From the stairs, it was a straight shot to the front door. But she froze the second she heard her father walking back to the stairs. 

Move your ass, Zorya!

Without another thought, she dashed to the coat closet and hid. If he knew she was sneaking out, he would definitely kill her and most likely ground her, even though she was old enough to make her own decisions, he still liked to make them for her and monitor her like she was a teenager. 

As soon as he shut his bedroom door, she pushed open the closet door and quickly exited the house. Swiftly, she made her way down towards the Istros and didn’t look back. 

____

Ruhn wasn’t entirely thrilled that he was a rebel now. He knew it was for the greater good but still, if everything went south, he would be dead. The same fate would happen to his sister if they found her, and he needed her for the throne. She was going to be the ruler of the Valbaran Fae, not him.

He watched the water ripple as several otters played out in the distance. He wished he could be as carefree as they were at that moment. He would give anything to go back to his sleeping in and partying all night days but now, it was always one big strategic move to get ahead of the Asteri. 

His thoughts faded as he sensed a female nearby. Her scent wasn’t familiar but it was calming. The clank of her heeled boots echoed through the air as she got closer but he didn’t look back at her. For the most part, he didn’t want to spook her but then again he wanted to see her. When he looked over his shoulder, his heart skipped several beats. She was beautiful and everything he thought was attractive in appearance. 

Please let her have a beautiful personality too…

____

Zorya stopped in her tracks as she saw a male sitting in her favorite spot on a bench that overlooked the waters. He had long braided hair and she knew exactly who it was. It was the prince. A true prince that glowed underneath the moonlight. Perhaps, she should have turned around and not bothered him but it was hard not to look away from him. He was beautiful in the most masculine way. Probably even the most beautiful male she’s ever seen. 

If only she was good at flirting and not awkward around other people, then maybe she would have a shot with him. Butterflies erupted in her stomach as she took a few steps closer to him and the waters.

“You going to stay back there or are you going to come to sit down?” His tone was anything but mean. It was a genuine question. So, with all of her courage, she got closer until she was sitting on the bench. Her cheeks had to have been red because a smirk tugged on the prince’s lips. 

“Sorry, I’m not used to others being here at the same time I am and I didn’t want to bother you.” She admitted. His violet eyes met hers and he grinned. 

“It’s alright, I’m not usually out here at this time.” Because he was always at parties with his friends, she assumed. But she didn’t say that. She only nodded once then looked out to the waters. “You seem familiar,” his eyes narrowed slightly at her, “like I’ve met you before.” 

Zorya quickly shook her head. He probably saw her sister in her and that’s why he might have recognized her. That could have been the only he could know of her. “We haven’t met but you may know my older sister, Fury Axtar.” The words left a bitter taste in her mouth as she said them. He only nodded once and then asked another question,

“Why are you out here by yourself? It’s not safe.” 

“Needed to get out of the house.” It was true but it wasn’t the full truth as to why she wanted out of the house. She needed to get away from her parents and get out of the house. They only made her anxiety worse whenever she was near them. And that happened to be every day. Ruhn hummed in answer and looked back at the water.

“Why are you out here?” She couldn’t help but be curious as to why the prince wasn’t at a party on a Friday night. Fury had always told her to stay away from who she called “the frat pack”. Fury told her everything from them doing drugs to sleeping with women at each party they held. 

It didn’t matter to Zorya though. Ruhn’s intentions were good as far as she knew, and that was all that mattered. 

“Just need to clear my head about some issues going on.” His nail polish was chipped on the edges and he twirled one of his rings around his finger, maybe from a nervous habit. She wanted to calm him but she restrained herself, but he wasn’t hers to calm.

“I can understand that. Maybe not your exact situation but something similar.” She twisted her fingers in her lap and lowered her head.

Ruhn glanced at her and she saw a flicker of something in his eyes but she couldn’t place what emotion it was. But after a beat of silence, he spoke, “Want to go to my house and hang out? I know you don’t really want to go back home. I have a few friends that can make anyone smile,” he said with a grin.

“I would love that.”

[misteria247]

Night Raven College was a lot different from what you'd remembered. Then again after six years of not seeing it, it was bound to change in some way. While the buildings remained the same it was quite clear that the Ramshackle Dorm had changed. Following closely behind Grimm with Elliott trailing behind you, you couldn't help but stare at your old dorm in awe. The once somewhat decrypted building was now somewhat restored, the grass area was kept clean and the garden by the graveyard in the back was in full bloom. As you looked at your old home in stunned silence, your beloved son Elliott peeked his face from behind you to get a better look. His bright green eyes seemed to sparkle as they landed on the graveyard and with it it's massive gargoyles that sat on display.

"What is this place mama.....?"

Elliott asked his tone curious and full of wonder. Grimm was the one who answered his question.

"This is Ramshackle, me and your mom's old dorm. Back in the day she was my minion, helping me become the greatest mage within our school!"

Grimm said with a large smirk. You rolled your eyes at the feline's words but didn't bother to correct him. Elliott's eyes seemed to widen even more, making your heart twist slightly as the expression made him look so much more like his father. Even though he had your luscious (H/C) locks, everything else was completely his father's. Grimm seemed to do a double take at Elliott his ears flickering.

"Wow.....he really does look like him doesn't he?"

Grimm asked sounding slightly dazed. You gave him a small smile feeling a sense of pride hit you.

"He definitely has his looks doesn't he?"

You mused much to your son's confusion. Grimm just gave you a small look and led the two of you into the dormitory. As soon as you stepped inside you were ambushed, three familiar ghostly figures coming at you, Grimm and Elliott. Your son let out a startled shout as he clung to you while you jumped before smiling brightly.

"Is that anyway to greet me?"

You asked somewhat teasingly. The ghosts froze before their faces broke out into large grins.

"(Y/N)!!"

They cried in joy quickly surrounding you to welcome you back. Elliott clung to you tightly obviously uneasy and you were quick to break it up. Three confused faces glanced at you before catching sight of your little one. Bringing Elliott gently in front of you, you gave them a smile.

"This is my son Elliott. Elliott these are the ghosts that me and Grimm roomed with while I stayed here."

You introduced them. Elliott shyly clung to your hand feeling suddenly put on display. The ghosts took a good look at your child their eyes widening.

"He looks like your one friend!"

The first ghost exclaimed in shock.

"Is he....?"

The second one asked tilting his head towards you. You gave him a nod to confirm his question and were met with startled looks. Before anymore questions could be asked Grimm stepped in.

"Speaking of Elliott, would you three keep an eye on him? I need to speak to my minion here."

Grimm said his tone surprisingly mature sounding. The ghosts were quick to agree and with an encouraging push from you for Elliott along with a thinly veiled threat to your old roommates regarding your son's safety, the trio left dragging Elliott along with them to show him around the Ramshackle Dorm. Once you were completely alone Grimm all but turned to you his gaze serious.

"(Y/N) how are you going to keep him a secret?? Just from one look alone anyone can tell that he's Tsunotarou's!"

The monster feline exclaimed startling you slightly. You couldn't help but feel a sudden sinking feeling hit you. You knew that in reality it wasn't possible to keep Elliott's existence a secret like you'd wanted to. It was nearly impossible to given that much like his father, Elliott had a tendency to disappear and explore different places. Anyone in Twisted Wonderland could see him and quickly connect the dots of who exactly his biological father was, given how famous Malleus was in this world what with him being the literal king of the Valley of Thorns. But the illogical side of you wanted to try. You wanted to keep Elliott's existence quiet, you wanted to keep him safe from the possible dangers that he could face should he be discovered. Not only that but you were afraid.

You had no idea how Malleus would react to the knowledge of having a son. While in your heart you wanted to believe that he'd love Elliott you knew that logically it might not be the case as much as the thought crushed you. What would he even say? Would he even accept Elliott as his son? What would those of his kingdom think? That their beloved king technically had a bastard child, who wasn't only part dragon fae but part human as well? What if......Malleus had already moved on? It'd been six years after all and a lot could happen in six years. For all you knew Malleus could already be married and have several children, having completely forgotten all about you and the feelings you both shared (the thought nearly made your heart shatter into pieces and your throat tighten). As if sensing your thoughts Grimm put a paw on your cheek. You blinked back the sudden sting in your eyes and sniffled.

"I.....I know I can't keep him a secret but Grimm it's.....it's been six years. What me and Malleus had.....is probably long gone. I can't just barge back into his life and tell him. It wouldn't be fair to him....."

You said sounding somewhat desperate. Grimm gave you a small saddened look before turning away, biting his lip.

"Well.....you may have to....and rather soon....."

Grimm said trailing off. You stiffened slightly at his tone, the sinking feeling you'd been feeling getting bigger.

"Grimm......what do you mean soon....?"

You asked nervous and slightly on edge. Your companion gave you a somewhat guilt filled expression.

"Well there's a reason why I'm here......the Headmaster Crowley has invited everyone from our old classes back for a reunion. So......Tsunotarou might be here sometime soon....."

Grimm mumbled ears flickering nervously. You on the other hand had seemed to stop functioning, barely able to process what Grimm just revealed to you.

'Malleus was coming back......Malleus was going to be here......he's going to see Elliott.....!'

The thought made you snap out of your terrified stupor and with an almost panicky response you grabbed Grimm and shook him slightly.

"Why didn't you say anything sooner?!?! For hell's sake Grimm!!! I've got to get Elliott and we need to leave now-!"

You were cut off mid panicked rambling by one of the ghosts.

"(Y/N)!!! We're so sorry!!! We only turned around for a moment-!!!"

The ghost exclaimed sounding extremely upset. You turned towards him, the world seemingly tilting as you realized that Elliott wasn't with them.

"Where's Elliott....?!? Where's my son?!?"

You asked fear creeping into your voice. The ghost flinched guilty before finally answering your question.

"We....we lost him."

That one sentence threw your world into chaos.

~~~~~

Being a magical being had it's perks, especially when you wanted to go off and explore. For Elliott it'd been an easy task for the six year old. Now said child was currently walking around what was considered a courtyard, taking in the sights and sounds. Despite being nervous and on edge from this whole endeavor, the fae child couldn't help but want to explore the place. It was rather large and vast and had many things a young boy his age wanted to see. Walking past the fountain he caught a glimpse of a pathway that was lined with statues. Curious he changed his course to explore the pathway, taking in the strange statues that decorated the trail. The first statute was that of a woman. Her stature was short and somewhat stout, a large, strange dress covered her. The gown was covered in hearts and in her hand was a small wand with the same pattern. A strange dark spot covered one of its corners, almost as if it'd been burned at one point. The second statute was that of a lion, its fangs pulled up into a sinister grin and a lone eye was covered in a jagged scar.

The third statute was that of a woman whose lower half was of that of an octopus, a piece of paper held in her grip. The fourth statue was a man dressed in robes and a turban, a staff shaped in the likeness of a snake held in his boney grip. The fifth statute was of a beautiful woman who carried an apple in her hand. The sixth was of a man covered in robes and flames, a sharp toothed smile on his boney face. The last one was of that of a woman, a large staff held in her grasp. A long robe like gown covered her but there was something else about her that made Elliott stop in his tracks to look at her. With wide shocked eyes Elliott sucked in a sharp breath at the sight of her head.

Horns.

She had horns, just like him. Without thinking about it Elliott removed his bangs from his face, revealing the small horns that grew from his forehead. Touching them he looked at the statue, a sudden feeling of confusion and awe hitting him. Elliott wasn't the only one who had horns. There was someone out there who had them too. It blew his mind, questions racing about in his head.

Was there anymore like her? What was she? Was she someone his mother knew? Did......did his father know her?

Elliott didn't know much about his father. His mother rarely talked about him, getting upset whenever the subject was brought up. All Elliott knew about his mysterious father was that he was someone who his mama loved more than anything in the world and that he could use magic just like him. Everything else was a mystery for the small child. Elliott felt his heart sink as he recalled all the nights he'd hear his mother's quiet sobs when she'd thought he was asleep. The lingering sorrow that always seemed to surround her no matter how hard she tried to hide it from him.

'And now mama's gonna be even more upset because you brought her back here. You don't even know if your papa is even here.'

The nasty thought made his chest hurt. He'd only wanted to make her smile, and while she'd been smiling quite a bit since they'd gotten here, his mother had also looked uneasy. Like she was expecting something bad to happen. Seeing his mother like that made him want to protect her even more, especially from this mysterious Tsunotarou the cat Grimm had mentioned. Getting lost in his thoughts the child hadn't noticed the sudden shadow that covered his form until a voice spoke up.

"Oi what's a kid doing here??"

The voice made him jump, the boy whirling around to see who had spoken. Having moved so fast he'd accidentally tripped over his own two feet causing him to fall into the statue and scrape his elbow against it. Pain shot through it and the scent of copper filled his nose. Elliott felt himself start to tear up and before he knew it he'd begun to sniffle. The owner of the voice, a young man quickly grew panicked at the sudden tears.

"O-oi! Are you alright?! I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you!"

He said panicked as he bent down to help Elliott up. As he reached out to grab him Elliott took notice of the man through his tears. The man looked to be at least a few years younger than his mother, large reddish brown eyes gazed at him with concern and guilt. Over one of his eyes was a heart that decorated his cheek, and his head was covered in unruly red hair. Elliott let out a loud hiccup as he tried to get his crying down, however given the stress and sudden injury he'd received it was rather difficult to. The man meanwhile watched him, uncomfortable and lost when another voice called out.

"Oi Ace! What are you doing-is that a kid!?! What did you do to him???!!"

The second man asked sounding instantly protective and scolding. The first man Ace sent a panicked look at the other man gesturing towards Elliott in an lost manner.

"I didn't mean to! I startled him and he got hurt and I have no idea what to do!"

Ace said panicked. The second man let out an exasperated sigh and with a practiced ease took over for Ace.

"It's okay little guy, we're not going to hurt you. My name is Deuce. Deuce Spades and this is Ace Trappola."

The man Deuce introduced himself. Elliott sniffled gazing at him before muttering back in a shaky manner.

"Elliott.....my name is Elliott."

Elliott said. Deuce gave him a small smile, helping him up the rest of the way to his feet.

"Elliott that's a cool name. Tell me Elliott are you lost? Do you know where your parents are?"

Deuce asked somewhat concerned. Elliott froze when he realized that he was indeed lost making him get upset again. At the small cry Deuce gave him a small hug, picking him up and holding him close.

"Hey, hey it's okay! No need to cry! It'll be alright we'll help you find your parents okay?"

Deuce said soothingly. Ace gave him a baffled look.

"We will???"

Ace asked only to be met with a dark teal gaze. Realizing that Deuce was serious he bit back his groan of frustration.

"Yes we will. Elliott do you know the name of your parents? Maybe me and Ace can help you find them quicker."

Deuce asked rubbing his back. Elliott gave a rattling breath and nodded.

"I.....I know my mama's name....."

He said in a watery way.

"That's great! Can you tell me her name?"

Deuce asked. The duo listened carefully as Elliott pulled himself together somewhat, unaware of the chaos that they'd be met with.

"Her name is (Y/N)."

*I know I'm supposed to be on hiatus but after doing the Thirteenth chapter for the Princess and her Dragon I was struck with inspiration for our lovely little family of two. I can't help but treasure my twst children sgdgdgdgg. Anyways sorry it's so short and crummy, but I hope it'll bring y'all some entertainment!! Anyways if any y'all read this I hope you enjoyed it!!!! Now back to my hiatus. But first!!! Tagging list!!!! @genshin-idiot @ditsy-anime-thot @ctannth @reaperfeels.*

[akingdomofswordsandstories]

Unrequited

azriel (acotar) x reader

Summary: takes place during acofas, you and Azriel are mates but he doesn’t know it yet, angst, fluff, and everything in between

*Also this is my first imagine ever so I'm sorry if it sucks lol! There will be a part 2 to this, but I am still working on it!!

word count: 3927

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

The winter solstice was in a few days and you weren’t sure what to get some of the inner circle. You walked briskly down the streets of the Rainbow, chilled to the bone due to the wind. You had made the dumb mistake of rushing out of the townhouse - to avoid any questions of where you were going - without taking your scarf. Your current outfit, which was a chunky knit blue sweater with leggings and boots, wasn’t enough to keep the chill away. But the cold wasn’t the most important thing on your mind. You had already bought presents for Rhys, Feyre, Amren, and Elain, but that left Cassian, Mor, and Azriel. Mor and Cass would be pretty easy to buy for, but you put it off knowing they would look through your room trying to find their solstice gift. But Azriel, that would be much harder.

Every waking hour, the shadowsinger haunted your thoughts. Something you had come to conclude was unrequited.

You had realized the mating bond between you two before he did.

It had clicked a few months ago while on a diplomatic mission. The aftermath of Hybern had left things chaotic, and if you were being honest, it still was. Rhys decided to send Cassian, Mor, Azriel, and you to travel to some of the other courts to bring back reports on the recovery after the war. However, traveling did have some dangers. While you were on your way back to Velaris from the Winter Court, your group was ambushed by a group of Hybern soldiers who had been hiding out in the mountains. Had it not been for Azriel’s wings shielding you from the initial arrows, you would’ve surely been dead, and that’s when it clicked for you. But like an idiot, you didn’t say anything.

You had thought if the bond had clicked for you, it would've clicked for Azriel too. You realized your mistake when Azriel hadn’t acknowledged any change between you two. You hoped that he would figure it out in the coming weeks, but he didn’t. You knew the same sort of situation happened with feyre and rhys so you still held out some hope. But as the months went by, and you realized the bond still hadn’t clicked for Azriel and it felt too late to tell him.

At least that was the excuse you made up. Truly, you were also afraid of the rejection that could have followed. You weren’t a fool, you knew him and Elain had some sort of connection, and that shattered your dreams even more. The possibility that he wouldn’t accept the mating bond to be with the fair skinned, doe eyed fae. Everytime Azriel was in the same room as Elain, she was the only thing he would pay attention to. During gatherings, you would plaster on a smile and act as if you were happy, but Cassian and Mor, your best friends, could sense your discomfort. They tried to ask you about it, but seeing as you would shut down anything they said, they decided not to pry too much. Amren ended up figuring out the source of your discomfort had to do with Azriel, but kept your secret until you would be ready to share it.

You came to the conclusion that distancing yourself from him would be the best option, so that's what you did.

You walked down the street till you got to one of the finest seamstresses is Velaris. Since you were an artist like Feyre, you decided to draw out a dress and have it made for Mor. The color was blood red, her signature. It was a silk slip dress that would come down to her mid-lower calf and it would be embroidered with a brilliant gold thread. You drew out a pattern of the sun, stars, and moon, which you hoped she would like. To go along with Mor’s dress, you got a jeweler to make a custom necklace and bracelet set to go with it. You designed more dainty jewelry that had gold stars with diamonds, since she was a dreamer.

You decided to design Cassian’s gift as well, creating a beautiful silver and black dagger with a moonstone on the hilt. It was a beautiful dagger, but you also made sure it was usable, because you would hate for it to go to waste. To add onto the combat theme, you also decided to buy him new fighting leathers with touches of red embroidery to match his siphons. Lastly, you bought Cassian a bottle of fae wine, which definitely wouldn't last long.

The last thing you got for all three of you was a friendship necklace. Although that sounds corny, the two of them had become such a positive force in your life and you couldn’t imagine life without them. Keeping with the celestial theme for the friendship necklaces, you bought a sun, a moon, and a star. The sun for Cassian, the moon for Mor, and the star for you. Although they are opposites in some ways, all three need each other, just like the three of you needed each other.

Now that you had gotten Mor’s and Cassian’s solstice gifts figured out, it was onto Azriel’s gift. You honestly had no clue what to get him. Due to distancing yourself, you weren’t sure if there was something that he wanted. You were positively stumped. Lucky for you though, you ended up spotting Mor in another shop a few stores down from where you were, most likely getting the rest of her solstice gifts. You decided to sneak up on her as a friendly prank. Grabbing her shoulders, you yelled in her ear, making her jump.

“Oh mother above, it’s just you, y/n! You scared the life out of me” Mor said.

“Doing some last minute shopping?” you asked. “I could ask you the same thing”. Giving her a playful smack on the arm, the corners of your mouth curled upward, even the simplest remark from her could make you smile.

The two of you were currently standing in front of a jewelry shop, looking at the collections of necklaces and earrings through the window. “Wow” you breathed out “These are all so beautiful”

“Indeed they are, although they’re quite pricey”

“How pricey is pricey?”

She whispered the amount in your ear and you stopped breathing for a second, “Holy Mother wow, that is quite the price tag. At least we can admire it from a far”, you laughed out. Even though you got a very generous salary from Rhys, you still felt guilty spending so much money on materialistic things.

After a moment you said, “Actually, since you’re here, I do need help finding a solstice gift for Azriel”, softening your voice at the end, “Any ideas?” you asked, drawing out the syllables.

“Well, I always get Azriel some cool towels, clothing, or a dagger!” Mor said. A small scoff came out of my mouth as I shook my head and raised my eyebrows. “Fine!” she exclaimed, “I may have overheard him needing a new leather sheath for Truth Teller.” grumbling towards the end. “Oh that sounds great, thank you for the help! Now let’s go off to the closest leather goods store and find a sheath!”.

“y/n! I still have shopping to do” a scowl appearing on her face. “Fine, I guess I’ll just call Cassian, cause his judgement might be better than yours, when it comes to knife related things of course” you said, baiting her.

“Ugh, I hate you y/n”

“I hate you too Mor”

“Fine, let's get going before I change my mind” she grumbled. Then we took off down the streets of the Rainbow to find a sheath.

The task was easier said than done, for you at least. Being indecisive and a major over thinker, you had looked through close to 100 sheaths, but none of them seemed good enough to hold the blade that Azriel never let anyone else touch. Except Elain.

While you were lost in your thoughts, you laid your y/c eyes on the perfect sheath. It had a bright cobalt blue stitching to match Az’s siphons. Along the tip and lining the top of the leather was a thin coat of silver plating with little sapphires embedded in the metal. You quickly snatched it up and paid a hefty price for it, but it was perfect.

“Thank god you finally picked one, it felt like we were in that store for centuries”. Mor sighed, probably a sigh of relief for getting out of the store, “But y/n, it’s perfect, I know Azriel will love it”

“Do you really think so? I just want it to be the perfect gift and I’m scared he won’t like it because what if it’s too simplistic and what if-”

“Hey! It's perfect! Don’t stress too much y/n. And for the record, I think that you’re an amazing gift giver - the amount of thought you put into gifts make it all the better.”

You could feel a blush creeping up your cheeks and mumbled a small thank you.

“Anyway while we’re here do you need to get anything to go with your solstice outfit?”

“Oh Actually, I was so stressed about getting everyone’s solstice gift that I forgot to buy my dress” your voice falling off at the end. You felt yourself being yanked to a harsh stop and the saw Mor’s face staring at yours, mouth gaping and eyes wide.

“Are you crazy?? Solstice is in 3 days and you still don’t have anything??? Oh honey, our shopping isn’t done yet.” And with that statement you found yourself being pulled into the nearest dress shop. After trying on nearly 20 dresses you finally found the perfect one, which Mor approved. It was a light blue silk dress that was more fitted at the top but flared down at your waist. It had a cowl neckline, a slit going up the side to the mid upper thigh, and accentuates your curves beautifully and has a slight shimmer to it. You looked ethereal in it

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

After your exhausting day of shopping, you couldn’t wait to get out of the cold. You swiftly walked back to the townhouse. Once inside you made your way to your room to set down the gifts, change your clothes, and grab your book. Then you quietly headed down to the kitchen to make yourself a cup of tea and sat on the couch to read. The house was quiet since all of the others decided to go to Rita’s tonight. You decided to stay home for some much needed relaxation. You opened your book and started reading. After a few hours, you felt your eyes drooping and eventually, sleep consumed you.

The loud noise of the front door caused you to stir and your eyes fluttered open. You were too exhausted to look so you just laid your head back down and tried to go to sleep. You could hear Mor whispering something and then felt yourself being lifted off the couch and being held close to a chest with your blanket still draped on you.

“Cass?” you whispered hoarsely along with a string of incoherent words

You heard a slight laugh “Not Cass but It’s ok, go back to sleep”. Then you felt yourself being gently placed on your bed and the sleep hit you before you could mutter a thank you.

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

The sun was setting towards the sea as you sat in the sitting room of the town house. You were in your blue silk dress with a glass of wine in your hand. Rhys and Feyre were by the mantel, quietly talking while Mor and Amren were across the room. Near the window I saw Elain, and from the corner of my eye I could see Azriel making his way towards her. My face fell but I quickly plastered on a smile, not wanting to concern anyone. Especially since today was also Feyre’s birthday and we had planned a surprise for her. Feyre thought she could slip her birthday past us, but we hadn’t forgotten. After a few minutes, Cassian made his way from the kitchen with the enormous cake.

You floated towards Feyre and gave her arm a light squeeze. “Happy Birthday, make a wish before the candles melt!”

She blew out the candles and then we ate cake before opening up the presents.

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

Rhys snapped his fingers and piles of brightly wrapped bags and boxes filled up the sitting room. Amren was the first to open her presents. Naturally, everyone got her something jewelry related. Amren opened mine and you saw a wide smile set across her face, she picked up the diamond necklace and nodded a ‘thank you’ your way. You returned the gesture back, a small smile forming on your face.

Next, Cassian handed Mor her present from him and she pulled out a-. You couldn’t believe what you were seeing. He bought her red lingerie. Your face turned slightly red, but the Mor said “Don’t let him fool you: he couldn’t think of a damn thing to get me, so he gave up and asked me outright. I gave him precise orders. For once in his life, he obeyed them.”

Then, you heard one sharp knock at the door.

Nesta.

You saw Cassian tense up a bit. Nesta walked in, linking arms with Elain. She got a glass of wine before heading to sit in a chair in the back of the room. The silence was deafening. Finally Varian started talking and the present opening resumed.

From Amren, you received a new calligraphy set. It was so beautiful and you loved it. From Rhys, you got some books. It was perfect since you loved to read, and they were ones that you had been wanting to read for a long time. From Feyre, you received a painting as well as a new paint brush kit.

Cassian made his way to you and set a gift down in your lap. You opened the dark blue box that Cassian had placed in your lap. He had gotten you a sky blue hardbound journal with a gold embossed star on it. You desperately needed a new one, and this was perfect. You walked over and gave him a hug, whispered “Thank you, I love it.”.

Next you opened Mor’s present. You nearly choked when you saw what she got you and your whole face heated up. She got you a matching navy blue lingerie set like the one Cassian bought her.

“Yeah, I wasn’t too sure what to get you so I thought we could twin”. You looked around the room and saw the others holding in their laughs. You could’ve sworn you saw a tinge of red on Azriel’s ears. You just smiled and mouthed a silent “I’m going to kill you, but thank you” at her.

There wasn’t anything from Azriel. Your heart twinged. Had you not been important enough? It was just a present you reminded yourself, fixing your composure before handing Cassian his present.

He ripped it open like an animal, squealing when he saw it. A promising reaction given the amount of thought you put into it.

“Did you design these? They look amazing!”

“Yeah, I’m glad you like it. It took a long time to figure out what to get for your dumb ass”

“You mean my cute ass”, you smacked his arm and then got up to give Mor her present.

You closely watched her reaction as she opened her dress and jewelry, a large smile spreading across her face.

“You really buy the perfect presents y/n, I love it”.

“Oh Cass, Mor. One more thing.” You pulled out the small boxes with the friendship necklaces and bracelets handing it to them. “This was just a little something extra I thought of, I hope you like it”. You knew you would have started stuttering and crying if you had said the meaning to them, so you just handed them notes instead. They read over them, eyes glossing over, and pulled you into a hug.

“This is the only time I’ll wear jewelry” Cass stated, causing you to chuckle

Then Mor said, “I am never taking this off” causing you to laugh again.

Finally, Azriel opened up his presents. He had opened up all the others. All that was left was yours and Elain’s gift to him. He found his way to your present first, opening it.

“A new sheath for Truth Teller. I heard you needed a new one” you quietly said.

He held your gaze and smiled, “Thank you, it's great”. Suddenly feeling exposed, you quickly gave him a nod.

Then he went to open Elain’s gift. “It’s a powder to mix in with any drink.” she said.

Silence.

Elain bit her lip and then smiled sheepishly. “It’s for the headaches everyone always gives you. Since you rub your temples so often.”

Silence again.

Then Azriel tipped his head back and laughed.

You hadn’t heard him laugh before, and mother above it was gorgeous. You had never heard a sound so deep and joyous, a sound which made your heart clench. A part of you wished you were the reason he was laughing. You forced on a smile and spent the rest of the night drinking away the slight pain in your chest.

You were exhausted by the end of the night, sitting on the couch with Cassian and Mor, Azriel and Rhys seated on the opposite side of you.

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw movement towards the door, and craned your head to see what was going on. It was Nesta making her way to the door. You felt the couch lift next to you.

Cassian. He had swiftly pushed past Feyre and went after Nesta. This wouldn’t end well.

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

Cassian had come back quiet and brooding, walking straight to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of liquor. You got up off the couch and followed him straight into the kitchen.

“Cass, let’s take a walk, yeah?”

“I just took a walk”

“It wasn’t a question”. You grabbed a white shawl and his hand and led him outside. “What happened?”

“What’s there to talk about? It was like all the other times. Why did I have to fall in love with someone who doesn't even love me back. Who looks at me like the Illyrian born bastard I am. Who hates the idea of being in the same room as me.”

You grabbed Cass’ hand, lightly squeezing it. “Don’t say that. Nesta, she,” your voice stopping for a second “She’s different. The way she handles pain and copes is different. Give her time. She just needs time. I know how much that may pain you, but you can’t rush healing”

You pulled him into a hug

“And for the record, I know the feeling more than you know” you quietly said “unrequited love”, head pointed at the ground.

Cassian tilted his head down to look at you, his face painted with confusion. You could tell he wanted to know more, but didn’t want to pry too much.

You hesitated before continuing, not sure if you wanted to reveal your closely guarded secret. “I-“ your voice faltering, “I found my mate”. The words seemed to have rushed out of your mouth and tears pricked your eyes as you said that. After months of hiding it, you had finally gotten it off your chest.

Cassian stood shocked, staring at you. “You found your mate? And you didn’t think to tell any of us? How long ago was this”

“I-, I found out who he was around the same time Rhys sent us on that diplomatic mission. And I didn’t tell anyone because he doesn’t even know yet.”

“That was almost 6 months ago, and you didn’t say anything?”.

The tears had started flowing at this point, “I thought he would figure it out. But by the time I realized he wasn’t going to figure it out, it was too late. He had already set his eyes on someone else. And I know I could never compete with Elain, even if I am his mate.” the last part slipped out without you realizing.

“Elain? What does she-“ his eyes widening “Does that mean Az is-“

You slowly nodded, tears welled up, threatening to spill out.

“Oh, mother…”, he pulled you into a tighter hug and that’s when the gates broke. You couldn’t hold back your tears as you sobbed into Cassian's chest, his hand stroking your back.

you must have been there for 15 minutes before you realized the other might start getting suspicious. Regaining your composure, you dried your tears and tried, to the best of your ability, to hide that you had been crying.

Looking back at Cassian, you gave him a slight smile before muttering, “Thank you. I’m sorry for dumping that on you, but please promise me you won’t tell anyone. Please.”

“Of course y/n, and don’t apologize, if it makes you feel better, it helped to take my mind off of Nesta and my own problems, which I desperately needed” he chuckled out.

With the smile still on your face, you linked arms with Cassian before saying, “Oh mother above it’s freezing, let’s get back inside before we turn into popsicles!”

He let out another laugh before the two of you made your way back into the house.

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

You walked into the house and your sliver of happiness was crushed as you saw Az and Elain sitting at the table smiling and laughing quietly to themselves. Elain had her sketchbook out, showing Az her plans for the garden.

Your distraught had been clear to anyone who saw your face, and you were too tired to realize you weren’t able to hide it fast enough. Not being able to view the scene anymore, you quickly got up, muttered happy solstice, and grabbed your coat and purse before heading out the door to your apartment.

While walking home, you were consumed by your thoughts. You hated the pangs of jealousy that coursed through you. You often found yourself jealous of her soft spokenness and kindness. You also found yourself jealous of her effortless beauty. It was something that kept you up at night. She was so likeable and easily approachable, something you wished you were.

You were so drowned in your own thoughts that you hadn’t noticed a male following you till it was too late. One of his hands clamped on your mouth while the other grabbed your waist and pushed you into the nearest alleyway.

The male pulled out a knife and your tears started to fall. You were terrified about what he would do to you. This could be the last time you would have seen your family. You were struggling and kicking against him but it was no use. Your senses were groggy from the alcohol and drowsiness.

You had been so stupid to walk home alone at 2 in the morning. No matter how angry you were, you should’ve just stayed at the town house.

Before you could realize what was happening, you felt a sharp pain shoot through your side.

The sound of a clatter.

Receding footsteps.

A crimson stain blooming.

Your body crumpled to the ground and your vision started blacked out. This was it. Nobody could hear you and nobody could save you.

[shyvioletcat]

Yeah... I'm the worst...

*Redid the tags, got told some weren’t working. Sorry*

~ Masterlist ~

~~~~~

There was an ugly silence in the room, no one quite knowing how to break it. A small sob had Rowan looking back at Lyria, her hand cradling her stomach. The gesture caused a pain so sharp in Rowan’s chest that he choked on it because of the lies that rested beneath her hand. He had no real sense of reality as he stood there looking between his wife and the man she had been unfaithful to him with. His brain was still processing what he had overheard.

“You never gave me a chance.”

“Have you told him that the baby may not even be his?”

Rowan’s knees went weak and he thought he may start vomiting. This was a joke. Some sick cruel joke his friends had decided to play on him, Aelin always liked to pull a good prank. But the longer he looked at Lyria and from the look on her face the way she was trembling… this was no joke.

“Rowan. We–”

“No,” Rowan said, not bothering to look at the other man in the room. “This is not coming from you.”

Rowan’s brain was finally catching up with him and he had so many questions. The first and foremost was how exactly Sam rutting Cortland got to be standing in his kitchen as a possible father of the baby his wife was carrying.

“I want you to leave,” Rowan said to Sam. “I’m leaving this room and I want you gone.”

He didn’t bother to address Lyria as he left the kitchen and started down the hallway. She had two options here, she could come and find once showing her guest out or she could leave. Rowan hoped that for the sake of his sanity she chose the former. A dilemma struck Rowan as he stood in the hallway, only overhearing hushed sounds of conversation through his home. Where was he going to go? He didn’t want to have this conversation in the bedroom, it felt too intimate as the ravine between him and Lyria was gaping wider by the second. He wasn’t going to go back out to any of the rooms beyond the hallway and risk running into Sam again. That really only left him one option.

Rowan turned the door handle of the baby’s room and stepped inside.

The walls were painted a soft yellow, bits and pieces of baby paraphernalia were stacked in piles around the room that they hadn’t got around to sorting through. Seems they had a few more things they needed to sort through.

The fact that Sam was possibly the father of the baby had him reeling. Aelin and Sam had been broken up for a while now. Rowan had liked the guy, but he could tell that the two of them weren't meant to be. Sam and him were close to friends by the time the relationship fell apart, not enough that once Aelin had let him go Rowan had kept in contact. There's was a lot of missing information between then and now. Gods, had Aelin known and not told him? Is that why she had been getting progressively more distant over these past months?

Rowan waited, the feeling of wanting to empty the contents of his stomach returning in full force. His ears were straining for any indication that Lyria was still house. The front door closed and then he heard soft footsteps. She went to the bedroom first, saying his name softly–her voice wavering. She obviously didn’t find him there so she finally came to him. The door squeaked as she pushed it open and Rowan made a mental note to fix that before the baby came, he didn’t want them waking up because of the noise. That thought had him closing his eyes and leaning on the box that held the pieces of the cot, not even knowing where his future was heading.

Lyria was silent, waiting for Rowan to say something. So he did.

“Why?” he asked simply.

“I don’t know,” Lyria said quietly.

“Yes you do,” Rowan said coldly. “Stop trying to spare my feelings. Just tell me.”

Lyria walked over to the rocking chair in the corner, the only real piece of furniture in the room and eased herself down. At any other time Rowan would be over there, helping and hovering. But right now he was rooted to the spot.

“It was just after we had that big fight, the one about my car,” Lyria explained. That had been well over a year ago, this wasn’t the cause of the current problem. “I went out and I randomly ran into Sam. We got talking, he’d just had that messy breakup with Aelin so we were commiserating together. We exchanged numbers.”

“And then what? Swapping numbers doesn’t get you pregnant,” Rowan said as he finally turned around.

He saw Lyria in the chair, head tipped back as tears ran down her cheeks. “It was another fight, over something stupid I can’t remember now, and I told Sam and we went out and we got drunk. We’d been texting for a while, we had become friends and talking almost every day. Then suddenly that line blurred and we were more than that and that night he asked me to come back to his place, you’d headed out of town so I said yes. We had sex back at his place, and it was the worst mistake of my life.”

Rowan remembered that, he had the same blip in his memory over what exactly the fight was over, but he remembered leaving town overnight for work. He had tried to call Lyria so many times but eventually giving her the space he interpreted her silence to be asking for. And the truth of it was worse than he could have ever imagined.

“He loves you,” Rowan said, even though they broke his own heart.

“Yes.” Lyria’s reply came out with a sob.

“And do you love him?” At this point Rowan felt as though he was digging his own grave, each question and answer taking him deeper.

Another sob tore from Lyria and Rowan’s heart betrayed him, forgetting about his own pain and anger. All he wanted to do was hold his wife, kiss her and dry her tears, tell her none of it mattered. But still, he held back. He wanted to hear the answer first.

“No,” Lyria said but it lacked conviction. “I don’t know. But I know that I love you more.”

“That’s no consolation prize there, Ria,” Rowan said bitterly.

Lyria didn’t say anything, she just continued to cry and now was rubbing her stomach. Rowan had done that countless times, he had felt that baby move, talked to them, assured them that no matter what as their father he would always be there. But now…

That final question loomed in front of him, ready to drag him over the precipice of no return. Despite it all, Rowan couldn’t explain how the smile appeared on his face as he readied to say the words that could potentially haunt him for the rest of his life. He wouldn’t ask directly, he couldn't. Instead he’d delay the swing of the axe.

“Do you know?” He was a coward for delaying. “Do you know who the father is?”

Lyria nodded tears cascading over her cheeks, he watched them fall one after the other as she nodded, and he could tell her lies had reached their end. Hoping, more than believing that she was resolute in giving him an answer.

Rowan’s voice was so hollow he barely recognised it in his own ears as he said, “Tell me.”

~~~~~

There was a sturdy knock at the door and Aelin pushed Fleetfoot off her lap as she went to answer it. The food had arrived much quicker than she thought, she was always far too impatient to watch the actual delivery process on her phone. She tended to just get angry at the route her driver made or yelled when the wait time would randomly fluctuate. So instead she would place her order and just wait for the text. Aelin smiled at the prospect at take-out arriving, though on her way she realised that she hadn’t actually received the text indicating it was in fact here. Shrugging to herself as she swung the door open, assuming that the delivery guy had just forgotten. However, that smile fell when she saw who stood in her doorway.

It was Rowan.

~~~~~

Yeah, I'm definitely the worst. This one seems short but I promise the next one will make up for it. 

Tags: @fucking-winchester-trash​ // @literary-licorice​ // @galyxsy // @tangledraysofsunshine​ // @highqueenofelfhame​ // @3am-reading​ // @soup-that-is-too-hawt​ // @aelinfire-bringer​ // @nalgenewhore​ // @highladyofthesith // @http-itsrebecca​ // @sleep-and-books​ // @alifletcher2012​ // @westofmoon​ // @sleeping-and-books​ // @ttakeitbacknoww​ // @armixers-unite // @mariamuses​ // @chocolate-eating-bitch-queen​ // @velarian-trash​ // @queenofxhearts​ // @heroesofterrasen​ // @highladyofstoriesandmusic​ // @empire-of-wildfire​ // @camerooonchiu​ // @crackedship​ // @lowhangingtreebranches​ // @over300books​ // @yourwhisperingshadows​ // @thesirenwashere​ // @tswaney17​ // @impossiblescissorspeachpaper​ // @cat5313​ // @judelovescardan​ // @flowerspringsea​ // @chaoticskyy​ // @the-regal-warrior​ // @fanfictrash3000​ // @blueeyes425​ // @starseternalnighttriumphant​ // @bamchickawowow​ // @thehuntressofmoon // @giorgia-the-trashpanda​ // @flora-and-fae​ // @thereaderandfangirl​ // @illyrian-bookworm​ // @chemicha​ // @meltalgel-ig​ // @gay-book-nerd // @that-odd-puzzle-piece​ // @i-love-all-books // @in-love-with-caramel-macchiato​ // @girl-who-reads-the-books​ // @hizqueen4life​ // @the-third-me​ // @queen-of-glass​ // @bestmelle​ // @cursebreaker29​ // @b00kworm​ // @superspiritfestival​ // @aesthetics-11​ // @maastrash​ // @mynewdreamwasyou​ // @the-last-apprentice​ // @charincharge​ // @firestarsandseneschals​ // @scarznstars​ // @absolute-dissapointment // @thesurielships​ // @df3ndyr​ // @trinitybailey2003 // @hellasblessed​ // @booknerdproblems​ // @rowaelin-cressworth​ // @sevenfreckles-for-sevenloves // @rolltide7​ // @scandinavianromantic​ // @tillyrubes10​ // @starwarsslytherin​ // @minaidss // @paytin77​ // @jesstargaryenqueen​ // @anntheintrovert​ // @starbornvalkyrie​ // @loudphantomdragon​ // @woollycat22​ // @claralady​ // @perseusannabeth​ // @fangirlprincess09​ // @maddymelv // @sierrareads​ // @more-espresso-less-depresso-xx // @jlinez​ // @lysandra-ghost-leopard​ // @rowaelinismyotp​ // @pullnpeeltwizzlers​ // @anne-reads​ // @jadeaffliction​ // @gracie-rosee​ // @elriel4life​ // @miserablesmusings​ // @tothestarswholistentodreamers // @littleboxofthunder​ // @empress-ofbloodshed​ // @booksbqueen​ // @rowanwhitethornisbae​ // @aelin-queen-of-terrasen​ // @alyx801​ // @amandaswallowtail​ // @louiseleblancdiggory​ // @abookishfreak​ // @danibutterr​ // @thegreyj​ // @thenerdandfandoms​ // @castielspelvis​ // @swankii-art-teacher​ // @grandma-noob-lord​ // @vanzetanze​ // @lizzyfirebringer // // @endlessdaydream​ // @magnifique1807​ // @sis-it-dont-add-up​ // @thenerdfandoms​ // @post-it-notes33​ // @ae-lingalathynius​ // @whythefuckdoiexist​ // @highlady-brittney​ // @story-scribbler​ //

[twstoric]

my all (for you)

𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒏𝒚𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒂𝒔𝒌𝒆𝒅: uh hi, can i request leona x gn!reader x malleus, with both of them "fighting" over reader's attention as they have sex? maybe a bit of breeding kink as well? >///<

𝕡𝕒𝕚𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘: leona kingscholar x gn!reader x malleus draconia 

𝕤𝕦𝕞𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕪: it’s a dangerous game you’re playingーnot only with competitive beasts but also ones driven to stake their claim over you

𝕨𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘(𝕤): rough sex, possessive behaviour, intentions of breeding, biting/marking, powerful beings acting not so powerful ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕕 𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥: 2.2k

𝕟𝕠𝕥𝕖: i’m crying i’m supposed to be resting but my brain was like “wehh” and i survived on high sugar to get this done smoothly but-! please enjoy, loves!!

ﻌﻌﻌﻌﻌﻌﻌﻌﻌﻌﻌﻌﻌﻌﻌﻌﻌﻌﻌﻌ��ﻌﻌﻌﻌﻌﻌﻌﻌﻌﻌﻌﻌﻌﻌ

“Mh- lheー” you bite your tongue harshly, breath stuttering in your throat as you stare at your legs, unmoving as if you were paralyzed. You fucked up- or at least you almost did but it’s a futile wish to hope that your minor slip up wouldn’t go unnoticed. Trapped in between two beasts, every word that comes out of your mouth is carefully analyzed; figuring when you’ll scream the name they want to hear. 

Leona breathes a small chuckle, yanking your legs closer to the edge of the bed where he’s kneeling close to. “So quiet suddenly, herbivore? Come on, you can scream my name all you want,” he kisses the inside of your thighs, lips pressing fire against your skin as the brunet settles both your legs over his shoulders; not allowing you to hide anything.

“Hm? I believe the name that was uttered was mine.” Malleus tugs you closer to him, almost pulling you entirely away from the other dorm head if Leona hadn’t been gripping you so tightly. The dark fae settles behind you, holding you up and pressing his torso against your back. His lips trail invisible lines over the expense of your neck, fingers teasing the skin under your shirt as he rides the material up over your chest. “Don’t be shy now, dear. Say my name louder.”

Your face flushes, closing your eyes as if trying to block them out. There’s a building heat in your stomach, coaxed and played around with by the two dorm heads but the problem isn’t that the pleasure they give you can be overwhelming—it’s more as though the silent competition they’ve played when it comes to you is starting to drive you a little insane. 

Whenever Leona would bring you to completion with the slow drag of his tongue against your sensitive nerves is ripped away when Malleus pulls you far away from the Savanna prince and monopolizes your lips with a deep kiss; shoving his tongue down your throat and tasting every inch of your mouth.

Similarly, whenever Malleus pours ecstasy into your mind with the soft curls of his fingers against your good spots, mouthing kisses against the skin of your neck, Leona shoves him away, grabbing you by the wrist and trapping you under him away from the Prince of Thorns and makes it a point to bite deep markings into your neck; the clear indication of his claim on you. 

The cycle repeats for too long and too often that whenever you touch near the height of completion, you’re not surprised that it’ll be ripped away from you soon enough. Children, honestly. You’re dealing with children. 

“Please just- d- do something quick,” you huff, closing your thighs between Leona’s head and tugging at Malleus’ hair to coax him near your mouth. If you don’t come soon, you’ll definitely go insane—in a sense, anyway. But you will rip their heads out. Princes of a country or not, they’ll feel your wrath-

A small gasp leaves your throat, suddenly ripped away from your inner turmoil seems to amplify the shock of being fingered. Leona’s hand drags against your walls in an easy motion, the map of your insides printed inside of his head and he knows just how to push all your buttons. 

You don’t get to focus on the King of Beasts when Malleus' hand settles on your neck, sliding up to cup your jaw and turning your head around to crash his lips to yours. His other hand snakes around to your front, scratching at your skin with his nails lightly until he settles over the hard bud of your nipple. 

The Dark Prince holds your jaw with careful fingers, turning you around to watch Leona who’s already lapping at your greedy hole like a hungry man. He alternates between biting your inner thigh and fucking your insides with his tongue and fingers.

“I have a proposal for you,” Malleus whispers, voice deep with desire and echoing in your mind. He licks the skin behind your ear and you moan at the perfect stimulation to your ears and the curl of Leona’s fingers. “Shall we see who can bring you the most pleasure..?” There’s something mischievous glinting in the bright green of Melleus’ eyes. His smirk is wide and handsome, perfectly shaped lips curled in a way like an impish child. 

Your breath grows heavier, impossibly turned on by the proposal and it takes a small nod of your head before Malleus rips you away from Leona. The latter growls in warning, tearing the bed sheets when his fingers take hold of them. “What the fuck are you doing?” He spits out, following after you and narrowing his eyes dangerously. When Leona’s fingers curl around your ankle, he visibly relaxes—as if touching you momentarily satiates his anger. 

Malleus hugs you to him like a prized doll, chin placed on your shoulder and staring back at Leona head on. “Should you be able to bring pleasure to this beautiful body,” the ravenhead starts, spreading your legs apart and Leona’s eyes trail down at the way you’re presented to him. “Then I admit defeat. You are most suited for my beloved.” Malleus sighs in mock sadness; nuzzling close to you before his smirk returns. “But should I emerge victorious…” he smiles, not needing to finish. 

The bet is easily agreed to without acknowledgment. When the prize is you, then there’s no need for hesitation. 

You’re transferred to Leona’s arms easily, lips instantly captured in a bruising kiss. The brunet pushes you down (you didn’t notice Malleus had already moved away), finally getting rid of the shirt you’re wearing and laying you bare. “If we’re talking about the one who can pleasure you, then it’s definitely me,” Leona growls, flipping you around and pulling your hips flush against his.

Your hands latch onto the bed sheets in anticipation, not having to wait long as Leona eases in easily, the smooth drag of his cock filling you to the brim. You’re moaning loudly, hips held up by Leona’s hands as he savors the way you greedily clench around him. “That’s it,” he encourages, rolling his hips until he’s flush against you and drawing out a moan from the both of you. 

He murmurs something you can’t hear but everything blanks when the brunet pulls out slowly, veins dragging against your walls deliciously and snap back in with a force that makes you collapse. Leona doesn’t mind the way you’re unable to stay up, only clutching at your hips and dragging you back so each thrust meets with a loud smack. 

You’re cruising loudly, frantically searching for something to hold onto before dark-painted nails come into your view and Malleus is intertwining your fingers together. He pulls you upright, settling you over his lap and holding you like you’re a precious child. The way he holds is so contrasting to the bruising grip of your hips that it distracts your mind a little.

That is, before Leona hits that sensitive bundle of nerves and you’re gasping helplessly, falling into Malleus’ lap with each abuse of Leona’s cock against that spot inside. You faintly hear the small chuckle Leona let’s out, his grip adjusting on your hips and angling his thrust to make your brain melt.

Malleus holds your face gently, brushing the sides of your face and coaxing you closer to his cock. Your mouth suddenly feels so empty, drooling at the hard display of the ravenhead’s cock; already calling for your attention. 

Malleus doesn’t tell you to do anything, hands busy tracing the shape of your features and you can see the adoring stare he gives you without having to look. Almost shyly, your tongue traces the underside of his cock, soft moans leaving your mouth when you can feel Malleus shudder. It encourages you to go further, kissing his head lightly before welcoming him into your mouth.

Your body feels like it’s burning. The obscene thought of how you might look—taking two large cocks of perhaps the two most notorious dorm leader’s in NRC. Your mouth sucking and worshipping every rigid vein of the future King of The Valley of Thorns and your hole greedily taking every inch of cock from the Prince of Afterglow Savanna; not only are you taking the cocks of royal lineage but they’re so determined to drown you in pleasure.

The loud smacks of Leona’s pelvis against your ass rings loudly in your ears. His cock stuffs you full—stretching you wide and pumping euphoria with each vigorous thrust. Leona growls dirty words behind you, his voice floating deep in your head with each thrust of his hips.

The room is filled with the smell of sex and the wet sound your mouth makes with every suction on Malleus’ cock; impossibly large and your jaw aches from the sheer size. Stopping seems impossible for you—despite the ache, you’re kissing and tracing every inch of the dick in your mouth, Malleus cooing and praising you for taking him so well.

The two dorm leaders seem to be nearing their limit, evident in the way Leona’s thrusts slows and switches to a more impactful force and the way Malleus’ fingers tighten just the slightest bit on your head, hips bucking up into your mouth. 

Feeling the building coil in your stomach, your hips buck back onto Leona’s whilst your hands massages Malleus’ balls. The two groan loudly, pressing deeper into you and the warm gush of their cum emptied into you makes you reach climax with a loud moan, body convulsing into sensitive twitches. 

It’s after a few moments where you bask in the afterglow that Malleus is the first to pull away; gently maneuvering your head into a more comfortable position and pushing his cum back in your mouth with his thumb. “You did wonderful, my love,” he praises, petting your face and kissing your lips languidly. 

Leona stays buried deep inside you, making sure his come isn’t wasted but he’s collapsed over you and is essentially crushing you. “Leonaa,” you whine, hissing at the way his cock shifts inside you. You’re too sensitive for this. “Get off. You’re heavy.”

The brunet grunts in response, turning around and you yelp when instead of pulling out, Leona settles on dragging you along with him. You’re on top of him in this position; his cock stays plugged inside your hole and you splutter when Leona grabs the back of your knees and spreads your legs apart. 

“Don’t think it’s over yet,” you visibly freeze at his words, the lion smirking in response. “Competitions are really troublesome…How about we just see who’s child you’ll have? There’s a saying where a true man’s strength can be measured by who’s able to knock up their mate.” 

You feel like punching things and screaming what an absurd saying that is and that you doubt the legitimacy of such a saying but you feel a new pair of hands settling on your knees.

Malleus crawls in front of you, a smile on his lips much too amused to be considered kind and you gape at him when his fingers trail over your stomach. 

“I’ve been told that the superior seed will most definitely be able to impregnate a beloved,” his voice grows thicker, face inching closer to yours. You feel Leona mouthing the skin on your neck, fang scrapping lightly in a teasing manner. Malleus slots his mouth against yours, his equally sharp fangs teasing the skin of your bottom lip. When he pulls away, all you can do is blink hazily at his words, “Shall we find out?”

You feel the faint twitch of Leona’s cock inside you, Malleus already teasing your stuffed hole with the tip of his. “I- I don’t think- that- that.. I don’t I can..” The air in your lungs dissipates until it grows harder to breathe, mind numbing with too much thought and too little at the same time. 

Before you can further suffocate yourself in your own thoughts, Leona sits up. His hands stay secured under your legs and keep your spread apart. Your vision is suddenly only filled with the way Malleus is smiling gently at you, hands coming up to gently smooth over your cheeks to ease your worries. You feel Leona give you comforting kisses on your neck and shoulder, easing the tense muscles and coaxing you to relax. 

The gentle ministrations over your body makes you loosen up and Malleus draws your attention back to him when he holds your face. “Then… one at a time, hm?”

Leona laughs at that, marking your neck once again and giving you a shallow thrust, his cock feeling much bigger than it did before somehow. 

Your eyes widen in alarm, mouthing some words that don’t come out of your mouth. Malleus laughs softly, gliding a finger down your jaw and under your chin to level your eyes with his. Green emeralds seem to glow dimly; mischief stretching over his lips. His hand settles over your stomach and you moan softly when he applies soft pressure, emphasising the size of the cock inside you. 

“You may think it would be difficult to.. conceive but,” he kisses your lips, whispering against your skin as if revealing a secret; “In a land filled with creatures of magic… Anything is possible.” 

[lcveblind]

Character Interview || Repost, don't Reblog

NAME  :   Edeline Galherth

NICKNAME  :  Eda or Edel ( for more private settings in which only those closest to her may use or know ) and her/your royal highness ( a title in which she has not heard from for quite some time other than Cadius, her shape-shifting dragon guardian ).  

AGE  :   22

SPECIES  :  Human

—— Personal! ♡

MORALITY  :      lawful   /   chaotic /   good   /   neutral   /   evil  /   true .

RELIGION  :   None

SINS   :    greed   /   gluttony   /   sloth   /   lust   /   pride  /   envy   /   wrath  .

VIRTUES :     chastity   /   charity   /   diligence   /   humility   /   kindness   /  patience  / justice.

KNOWN LANGUAGES :  English 

SECRETS  :  No one knows that the princess' curse was one she had willingly wished upon herself--and from a Fae, no less! Her father, the King, had nearly declared banishment and war with all magic casters after discovering his daughter's fate, and it had taken both the Queen and little Edeline to convince him to rethink his course of action ( especially since there were rumors of an oncoming war with the neighboring kingdom, but that is something the princess did not need to know ). But something needed to be done. So whenever a magic user had been apprehended for breaking the law, the King had, for some time, had ordered crueler punishments—-not cruel enough to spark anger, but enough for one to sense that something was amiss. Seeing her father's rage, Edeline had not said a word about what had truly transpired in the forest. Since then the princess has harbored guilt for nearly causing harm to all who use magic, even if she may be also scared of them from then on.

—— Physical! ♡

BUILD :     scrawny   /   bony   /   slender   /   fit   /   athletic   /   curvy   /   herculean   /  pudgy  /   average   .

HEIGHT  :   5’4”

SCARS   /   BIRTHMARKS  :  Are marks made by the Fae considered scars when one has specifically wished for them? Whatever the answer, the color of Edeline's eyes are now pink as a sign of the curse that was placed upon her.   

ABILITIES   /   POWERS  :  Love at first sight. Yes, it is exactly as it was said; Edeline has the ability to make anyone--regardless of who they are and what their situation may be--to fall in love with her. An insatiable, everlasting love that can border on obsession if one is particularly unlucky. How does that work? You may ask the Fae ( but that is inadvisable, least you want to be led astray ).

RESTRICTIONS  :  Unfortunately for poor Edeline, her power is more of a curse than a blessing ( which was actually the case ). There is no way to control her ability aside from either a: gouging her eyes ( that was vehemently dismissed as an option by all ), or b: blindfolding her. Even now as she lives far away from her parent's castle and in the abandoned cathedral does she wear the blindfold, just in case there may be those unlucky enough to stumble upon her.

—— Likes / Scents! ♡

FOOD  :    Oh, Edeline had just loved crabs. It may not show on her face, but you can most definitely see it in how eager she is to eat them. When she came to love eating them, rumor has it that she hadn’t been eating very well when the King and Queen were away on a diplomatic meeting. You can imagine how much chaos the castle had been in during that time, especially the chefs! My, what a sight it had been, seeing them rush in and out with a different platter of food each time... I’m sure half of them was beginning to resent the dear girl before she spotted one of the servants eating a set of fried crab legs from the market. It was a rather unhealthy dish, so she was limited on how much to eat, but thankfully she’s been taught to take bites of her favorite food alongside the food she doesn’t like to eat. One wonders if she still likes the idea of eating crabs, though, now that she’s living by the sea. 

DRINK  :   Tea! Goodness, the girl loves tea as much as she loves the ocean—-a tad bit too much, in fact. Before she had been sent away to live in a desolate village on the very edge of the kingdom, the princess would have daily little tea parties with the servants of the house before calling on other royals her age. If one can recall correctly, her favorite flavor had been... Lavender? Yes, that had to be it. It’s one of her favorite smells too, after all.

PIZZA TOPPING  :  She has... not tried pizza before, in her main verse. But! She does quite like the vegetable toppings in her modern verse.

COLOUR  :    Pastels for sure, but more so on blue.

MUSIC GENRE  :    Apparently some acoustics, sprinkled in with some classical and a dash of accapella. The sea is plenty music enough for the princess too, though.

BOOK GENRE  :     Do not tell the King or Queen this, but romance—-but just not any old romance, either. She had loved romantic stories that included fantastical stories of traveling the world when she was younger. Something about seeing the world for her own eyes with someone there beside her, she said. Sometimes the story did not even need to have romance in it at all to intrigue her, if only because there was a grand tale hidden within it. A sad thing to recall once one remembers her situation.

MOVIE GENRE  :    Non-applicable to her main verse, but in a more modern one she’s most definitely love rom-coms! Or those with more fantastical adventures like one with a certain lightning-shaped scar on his forehead, ironically enough.

SEASON  :     Autumn, if only for the way the sea’s winds begin to slow and the tides of the ocean calm down, and spring—-for its abundance of flowers and sea creatures alike.

CURSE WORD :  None. Absolutely none. What makes you think someone as gentle as the princess would be able to curse? ( You did not hear this from anyone, but it’s Bloody Wanker. Dear Eda seems to find it quite the funny curse word despite not never using it. When others say it, however... ) 

SCENT ( S )  :    The salty scent of the sea air lingers in this one’s form. So too does the smell of dust and old fabrics, a hint of lavender and... is that a tinge of blood?

—— Fun Facts! ♡

BOTTOM OR TOP  :  Do not ask her this in front of Cadius. He will be obliged to either melt you with words, touch, or acid.

SINGS IN THE SHOWER  :  It started as an activity she and her mother would do together when she was but a small child. It seems the habit has followed her into her later years.

LIKES PUNS  :   Edeline does like them to an extent. The more clever ones are ought to get a nice chuckle from her, and she may try to partake in making one every now and then.

Tagged by:  @coollyinterferes ( Thank you so much for the tag!! I know you tagged my other blog, but Edeline was really tugging at me for this one it seems ^^; )

Tagging: @thcscrpent, @specialgels, @gnjou​, and anyone else who’d like to do this!

[the-neverletmegoxo]

The Fae and the Prince

Author: Ok so i can’t stop writing LOL. Please please enjoy!  Reblog, Heart, blah, blah, blah!

Summary: Reader and Sabrina are now in Pandemonium and finally meet Caliban... but trouble is brewing.

Part 2:

Tears were rolling down your face. You couldn’t believe it. Your mom had been lying to you your entire life. I mean I guess you could understand as to why she kept this kind of secret from you, to protect you, but at the same time, you couldn’t help but think it was because it was easier for her. The brisk air made you clutch your jacket closer to your body.

Greendale was a creepy town, especially at night, but for some reason something felt off. It felt like someone was watching you. You glanced at the forest’s edge, a few minutes away from Sabrina’s. Something caught your eye. A pair of glowing green eyes were staring right at you. For a mortal, this would be alarming. A mortal would run, but they drew you closer. They were hypnotizing. You were in a complete trance.

“Y/N!?” you heard a muffled shout call your name but you didn’t turn your head away from the luminous orbs.

“Y/N come on! We don’t have much time!” Sabrina snapped at you.

You turned your head towards her and told her you were coming. You turned back towards the line of trees. Nothing. The eyes had vanished.

You made your way up to Sabrina’s room, but you couldn’t shake all that had just happened. Your family history, the world being off kilter, those eyes. Those eyes..

“You ready?” Sabrina’s voice brought you back to reality.

“Yes, ready”, you said.

You grabbed each other’s hands and started chanting in Latin a spell out of a book Sabrina had borrowed from Ambrose.

“Don’t let go of my hands and repeat after me: Ut me ad locum, infra eum locum. Ut me ad locum, infra eum locum. Ut me ad locum, infra eum locum.”

A gust of air that made the pages in the spellbook flutter violently. Yours and Sabrina’s hair whipped dramatically as a blue light flashed before your eyes. Suddenly you weren’t in her room anymore. You had never been to Hell before, but this is not how Dante described it.

You looked around court and it was glorious. Everything was so intricately decorated. The throne that Sabrina was supposed to claim was made of pure gold. There were skulls covering the entire thing, with a plush, red velvet spot to sit on. The rest of the room was illuminated with a red glow, and the room smelled of bergamot. This is definitely not, what you thought hell would be like. You turned toward Sabrina who had ventured off to Lilith to explain our plan of finding the first unholy regalia.

“And who might you be?” a husky voice whispered behind you.

You turned around to find yourself staring at the man from the beach Sabrina had described to you. His eyes were so… green. You let a gasp escape as he gave you a devilish smirk. ‘No, it couldn’t be’, you thought to yourself.

“Caliban! Stay away from her!” Sabrina yelled across the court.

“Caliban”, you said under your breath. You glanced back up at the Prince of Hell himself. He stared at you as if he was looking right into your soul. His eyebrows furrowed together as if he had seen something puzzling.. As if he figured out who you truly were.

“Y/N. That’s my name,” you said to him.

“Y/N,” he repeated back to you in a way that you had never heard your name said before. It sounded ethereal, angelic, like someone had swirled their finger around the rim of a crystal glass. He brushed his shoulder past you as he made his way toward Sabrina. His eyes never left yours. Finally, he turned toward Sabrina, “What are you and your friend doing here in pandemonium, don’t you have a crown to find?”

You finally let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding. Hell, almighty he was absolutely.. You didn’t know how to describe him for fear you would do him injustice. His bronze hair fell just below his jawline. It had a distressed wave to it that made you want to rake your fingers through it. He was wearing nothing but leather pants and an elaborate leather vest, that’s it. His chiseled chest peeping through the pieces of strewn together leather. You couldn’t help but stare as he spoke with Sabrina. Not realizing you were, he caught your eye, and you jolted yourself back to reality. You glanced back towards them and he was still staring.. This time with a grin that made you stomach drop.

“Sabrina you must deal with the Hell Kings now. They want to hear about your planned reform for Hell”, Lilith said in an exasperated tone.

“I can’t leave Y/N here on her own! Especially with this one near”, gesturing towards Caliban.

“Sabrina it’s fine! I’ll work on the task we came down her for.”

“And what might that be, love?” Caliban looked at you with his dreamy emerald colored eyes.

“None of your business, prince”, you said glaring at the god-like form in front of you.

“Ok, Y/N. But please, please be careful. Lilith will you watch over her.” “I can’t. As your regent I must accompany you at your meeting with the kings.”

“Sabrina I’ll be fine. It’s just a library.” “Alright but stay there until I get back. As for you Caliban, stay away from her.”

“I can’t make any promises, princess.”

Sabrina showed you the way to the unholy library. On your way there, you couldn’t help but curse at yourself for how foolish you were acting. He was the prince of hell for crying aloud. Nothing can happen between the two of you. Especially considering the fact that you were half angel. There has to be some god-forsaken rule about your kinds… ‘oh god Y/N, don’t even think like that!’ snapping at yourself for even thinking like that.

You and Sabrina arrived at the mausoleum of a library. As a book nerd and historian, it was your dream come true. It had the tallest ceilings with a Michelangelo-type painting on the ceiling of Lucifer’s fall from heaven. You chuckled to yourself, for you had seen the Sistine Chapel and laughed at the fact that this was the imitation of the great painting. You walked through the white marbled room. Each row of books had a Corinthian column in front of it. You touched the cold stone and couldn’t help but feel as though someone was behind you. You quickly turned around. Nothing.

“Hmm. Ok let’s start with ‘H’ there’s gotta be something on Herod” you said to yourself.

You meandered through the row titled ‘H’ and found something on Hephaestus, god of blacksmiths thinking that that might kill some time and maybe you could find something on crown making. You found a few more interesting books. One on Hecate, goddess of witchcraft.

“That one would be helpful for Sabrina! Mother of witches.. maybe we could contact her or something”, you said to yourself. Your finger trailed along the dusty, marble shelf. Just as your fingers were reaching for History of Hell you felt a breath on the back of your neck. A chill ran down your spine. You turned around and Caliban was standing inches away from you.

“You sure you wanna checkout that book, love?”

“What are you doing? Why are you in here?” As you took a step back. In perfect unison he took a step as well.

“Well, love, I came to check up on you. And glad I did as I see you were about to touch something you shouldn’t have.”

You could sense the innuendo in his voice. “What are you talking about? It’s a library for goodness sake. What harm could come from a book.” You smiled to yourself for just having quote your favorite move, The Mummy.

“You’d be surprised love. We are in Hell.”

You laughed nervously as you looked up to the Adonis-like man staring down at you. The electricity between the two of you was undeniable. You glanced down at his exposed chest and for some reason was able to hear nothing but his breath. In and out. In and out.

“Y/N? You there, love?”

“Would you stop calling me ‘love’? It’s getting quite old and I’m not even your love.”

“So you think..” Caliban said under his breath.

You heard what he said but didn’t say anything for fear that you might reveal that you felt something towards the prince. You scooted past him with an armful of leather-bound books stacked up to your chin and made your way towards the mahogany table in the center of the room.

“So, what are you anyway?”, he questioned.

Your eyes went wide and stopped mid-step. Hoping Caliban didn’t notice you set the books down on the table. Pivoting towards him you glared, brows scrunched together.

“What are you talking about? I am mortal. I’m one of Sabrina’s friends from Baxter High.”

“I don’t believe you Y/N.”

After him saying your name you wish he was still calling you by the pet name he had given you.

“I am a human being. What else would I be? I’m not a witch or else I wouldn’t need any protection from Sabrina.”

“No, no. you’re right. There’s just something about you. You have this aura around you that I can’t read.”

‘So now he’s a medium? Who the hell is this guy?’ you thought to yourself.

He continued on, “It’s just when I meet someone who is not of this world I can sense it. I can read them through their eyes. Your eyes are very telling, yet they don’t reveal anything except for the fact that you know things. You’ve seen things, not in the cunning sort of way, but in a way that you know how people feel, what the earth feels.”

The last sentence he said made your stomach drop. ‘How did he know all of this. You had just met him. Lord Y/N he’s the Prince of Hell. Get that through your head.’ “I really don’t know what you’re talking about, please I have to help Sab—.”

A horrifying screech interrupted you mid-sentence. In one swift motion Caliban put his body between you and the ghastly sound. You threw your palms over your ears in an attempt to muffle the wail that came from the other side of the library. Caliban grabbed you by the wrist and pulled you into one of the rows of books.

“Wha—” you tried to say, before he put his palm over your mouth. Slowly he pulled his palm away and put his index finger over your lips, tugging down your lower one slightly. He glanced down at your plump lips. Your eyebrows raised in annoyance saying ‘This is not the time, bro.’

After a few moments you heard nothing. Looking up at Caliban for reassurance he shook his head saying ‘Not yet.’ Not a second after you heard what sounded like talons clawing at the marble floor. It sounded like nails on a chalkboard, but worse. Your eyes went wide, as Caliban swiftly pulled you into row ‘K’. Thank god you were wearing your boots without that clicky-heels or this could have been a very different situation. The prince of hell pulled you in front of him, while his back was against one of the marble columns.

You didn’t know what was following the two of you and you especially didn’t know a way out. You craned your neck to see if you could get a better look at the monster. It was no use. You could only use context clues to figure out what was hunting you down. ‘The screeching howl, the talons tapping, not being able to make any noise.’ Your mind remembered back to a story your mother had told you as a child, about demons of hell. There was one that stood out to you for being the most frightening.

“A Gallu!” you mouthed to Caliban.

His eyes went wide, confirming your hunch. He nodded his head for he knew what to do. “Stay here,” he mouthed back to you.

He placed you in the position he once was and made his way towards row ‘M’. You prayed to.. you didn’t know who to pray to anymore, you just prayed Caliban had a solution.

[sannflwrr]

Cat Ears

Author: sannflwrr

Pairing: Jungkook x MC

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: cursing, use of guns, mild description of a gunshot wound, mutual pining lol, MC has a helmet with cat ears

Summary: In a world of cute bikers and exhilarating city nightlife, Jungkook finds himself running from trouble when he encounters a bitter ex. A blessing disguised as a curse, his long-time (and current) crush arrives just in time to save him. Will he have the courage to confess to her, or is this yet another attempt at failed love?

Jungkook knows he made a terrible terrible mistake. It probably was not a good idea to enter the casino where his ex fling usually spends her evenings. That’s where they had met, though it had been a while. She hates him, Jungkook doesn’t really care about her enough to have an opinion. But he knows she hates him, yet he chose to enter the casino where she’s at. And he chose to piss off the owner of this said casino, knowing well that he definitely cheated during gambling, and that the owner happens to be his exe’s older cousin. Apparently they are close. Apparently her enemies also happen to be his.

So, it definitely makes sense why Jungkook is running a mile a minute down the windy streets of the city, half laughing and half crying. He’s definitely in a predicament, originally knew where he was going, but not so much anymore. Why does he choose to voluntarily throw himself in these situations? Maybe the thrill. He doubts it though, there is nothing exciting about ten bad guys chasing after you, definitely armed and well built. His shoulder has already been grazed by one of their appropriately aimed bullets, and though it hurts like shit Jungkook does not let the pain slow him.

Things change of course, when he reaches a fork in the road, buildings obstructing his view on where exactly each direction leads. The one on the right leads to darkness, and the pathway on the left leads to darkness. He can definitely see them catching up now, each second only lessening his lead over them. Things change of course, when I show up. Peering over a rooftop, I laugh at his current situation before hopping down from the roof to the concrete, readjusting for a moment. Jungkook looks at me in shock, about to ask what the hell I’m doing here before I yank on his wrist, pulling him into the left path. Then we’re both running this time, I’m surprised that I keep up with him.

“Fae.” He breathes out still in mid sprint, and looks at me desperately. “What?”

“Watched this whole situation from the roofs.” I explain, pulling him into yet another skinny alley, just to catch a breath. “Made me laugh honestly. Now what did you do this time?”

He has big eyes, ones which are still looking at me in surprise. Did I just confess to stalking his little chase from the beginning? Yeah. Does that mean that I admitted that I actually keep an eye on him? In my eyes, it does, but Jungkook is pretty dense. I doubt he’s seen through my actual intent on the words.

“Ex.” He groans. “Cheated.”

“You…you have an ex?” I ask, this time it’s my turn to be surprised.

“No! No. She’s a past fling. Got pissed at me when I broke off whatever the fuck we were doing, haven’t spoken to her in months.” He doesn’t know why he’s rushing so fast to explain the situation to me. Well maybe he does, scratch that. Jungkook definitely knows. “Showed up at the casino where she usually is, kind of caused a scene by cheating in bluff, she already had a grudge so that made it ten times worse when they caught on. Sprinted when I got the chance.”

“Sounds like a bitch.” I muse, scanning the coast. They’ve run past the both of us now. Any minute, they will come back to this specific hall. Jungkook and I have around thirty seconds tops to run. “You had me there for a second. I didn’t think you were the type to have exes.”

He scowls. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Player maybe?” I tilt my head, grinning at him teasingly. I notice him inhale when I nudge my nose closer to his face. “Maybe you’ve never actually dated someone before.”

There is something about me, I guess. Jungkook does not know what it is, but it’s been there for a long time. Like a small pink glow, only growing brighter with every moment he spends with me. It’s not a crush, though it used to be.

Nah, Jungkook is in between the stage of falling and fallen.

Then my face shifts back to seriousness, stepping back as if nothing had just happened. Maybe it’s an excuse to myself of keeping my hand closer to his, I tug on his wrist, fingers deftly looping around his skinny one, then pull him further down the alley.

“My bike is further down, maybe three or four blocks away.” I whisper, careful that it doesn’t echo around the buildings near us. “You always wanted to ride it, didn’t you? Now’s your chance.”

“You want me to drive?” He gapes. Jungkook is normally pretty suave, has a smart mouth and knows how to keep his calm and cool. Around me though, that does not seem to be the case. He seems borderline ready to either piss his pants or kiss me. I wouldn’t mind if he did the latter, to be honest. “Drive your bike?”

“Why not?” I snort. “But rules are that you have to wear the helmet. No buts.”

“It can’t be that bad.”

I laugh again, only to be cut short when we hear the yells of This way! following shortly after us. He curses to himself, and it’s his turn to pull me into some random corridor. We keep doing this, slowly confusing his pursuers. Even if they did catch up, if they did find us, I’m positive we would be able to take them. Jungkook is pretty strong. No, he’s really strong. I know how to fight, my style is totally unorthodox but it works. Consists a lot of screaming and acting like a madwoman, but it has a high success rate. We could take them, but then I notice the graze on Jungkook’s shoulder.

“They’re trying to shoot you?” I ask, shocked. “It’s not that serious!”

“She really hates me Fae.”

“Why?” I look at him pointedly, the expression which he does not like to see. It’s hot when directed at others, but Jungkook winces when I force it at him. “What did you do? Did you knock her up?”

“No! I don’t know, she told me that she liked me…wanted to take things to the next level. I guess I rejected her pretty bluntly.” I mumble.

“And why did you reject her? Not that I really need to know…” I trail, now more curious than annoyed. Because of you! Jungkook wants to yell in my face, and practically declare his infatuation for me. How much he thinks about my freakishly crazy laugh, the fact that I drive a motorcycle in itself rather than a car, that I’m honest, I don’t pick sides, don't choose favorites. Everything about me screams badass to him, in a non-seductive way. Screams the fact that he is totally bananas for an unpredictable and crazy girl. A ridiculously pretty girl.

“We should go.” He mumbles close to my ear, then starts up into a jog once more. “How far?”

“The block over.” I finally say, unsettled by his sudden choice to evade the question. “Jungkook?”

He turns around once, and I toss the keys. “Go crazy.”

“I love you!” He shrieks, before hooting loudly and bolting off in the same direction. His statement has a platonic undertone to it, I know, yet it makes my stomach flip in a way that it hasn’t before. Maybe it’s the fondness for him, I don’t know. I push it aside, and pick up my pace, catching up to him where he stays seated at the front of my bike.

“Cat ears?” He asks, gesturing to my black and purple helmet. Two large cat ears sprout from either sides of it, a cute accessory. “Seriously?”

“I told you. Rules and rules.”

“So be it.” Reluctantly, he places the helmet over his head. I try to stifle a laugh at how he looks, knowing that he’s glaring at me from underneath it. I press the button which lowers the shield.

“To be fair, Jungkook. You actually look a lot cuter in it compared to Jimin.”

“Jimin?” He questions, then narrows his eyes. “You let him ride your bike too?”

“Yeah I was drunk. He took me back to my place.”

“Is that where we’re going now?” He asks quietly after pulling up the guard, looking ahead at the exit. I prop a leg over the bike, fixing my hair momentarily in the mirror. His head shifts to look at the bike mirror, then back ahead.

“Yeah.” I nod. “Can't go to your place obviously, they’ll be expecting that.” He starts the engine. “Besides, you’re injured.”

“I’m fine.” He mumbles, though pretty muffled under the helmet. I scoff. “Yeah right. If you don’t get that looked at, you definitely won’t be fine later on.”

Maybe he would’ve said something snarky in response, but Jungkook doesn’t. Instead his breath hitches when my arms slide around his waist, wrapping him in a tight hold. I hesitate for a second, then rest my chin on his non-injured shoulder.

“You sound nervous. Don't be; I wouldn’t have let you drive my bike if I didn’t trust you.”

Then Jungkook starts moving. Good timing too, just as he begins to twist the throttle, the goons reappear for another encore. I retract one of my arms from him, sweeping down to the compartment hidden near Jungkook’s leg.

“You have a gun?” He asks, awkwardly accelerating at an odd incline. I turn back to shoot at the nearest one to us. Catches them off guard. I snort in satisfaction, with the distance he’s already covered, it’s safe to say the two of us are out of aim for them. Especially with the trivial handgun. I put back in its original spot.

“Yeah. Second Amendment and all.”

“Remind me to never piss you off.”

“I don't think you could if you tried, Jungkook.”

Content with my words, I chose not to say anything for the remainder of the ride, just taking in the colors and lights of the city as we pass. Thousands of thoughts race through Jungkook’s head, simmering him into silence. I have never hugged him before, this would be a first. Though it makes his insides do a weird jig, it doesn’t sit as well knowing that Jimin also got to drive me on my bike. And since he has this silly little crush on me, maybe it’s the fact that Jimin got to drive me home which makes him jealous.

He knows the way to my house, since he’s been by a couple times before. The first time was when I had people over for drinks. That had been fun, Jungkook was surprised I even thought to invite him. But Jungkook doesn’t know how much I think about him too. Though I don’t say it aloud, I think about him quite a bit. The second and last time was when I had asked him to pick up some things for me from the drugstore nearby. My bike was at the mechanic for maintenance, and it was too cold to be out. Though he does not have a bike, Jungkook does have a car.

He parks the vehicle smoothly, and I move away from him. I don’t speak the entire way up, careful not to attract any noise or attention. After unlocking the apartment door, I shove Jungkook inside first, before glancing both ways warily, and shutting it behind me. The tension is obviously there, even I can feel it. Jungkook’s eyes follow me wherever I move, even from flipping on the lights, to heading straight to my closet. After pulling out a hoodie, I chuck it back at him.

“Take off your shirt. After I wrap your shoulder, you should put this on instead, it’s clean.”

“Is this mine?” He asks softly.

I falter, then nod. “Yeah. You don’t remember giving it to me?”

“No I do. I’m surprised you still have it.”

Something about those words, I don’t like them. Why would he think I would deliberately give it away? His hoodie? Maybe I give off the impression of a dismissive girl, who doesn’t look too much into the small things, but I do. Jungkook doesn’t know how much I like that specific sweatshirt. Is there anything special about it? No. But it smells like him, and I happen to like how Jungkook smells. It feels like he’s in the same room as me, even if he’s off on the other side of town, running away from his ex’s bodyguards.

“Why would I give it away?”

“I don’t know…” Jungkook finds himself mumbling, suddenly unable to meet my intimidating gaze. “didn’t think you really wanted it. Most people keep clothes they like.”

“You read into me too much.” I mutter, more to myself than him. “No Jungkook, I like the hoodie.” I wear it a lot, but I don’t include that part to him. Jungkook has an ego, and I don’t want to take any part in raising it from its bed. When he pulls off his shirt, the sleeve caked in dry blood, I grimace at the ugly sight.

It’s not really that bad, considering there is no bullet lodged anywhere, but there is blood. After disinfecting it, but to his discomfort from the constant stinging, I wrap his shoulder in a white gauze. His arm is hard under my fingers, yet another reminder of how muscled this man is. When I step back, he looks over to inspect my work.

“Impressive.”

“You still should see the doctor.” I respond, definitely concerned. “That is a lot of bleeding.”

“Sure, whatever.” He’s in the middle of pulling the hoodie over his shirt when he pops the question. “Hey Fae…can I crash here for a little while?”

“Yeah, of course.” I don’t hesitate in my response, simply moving from the couch to my kitchen. The fridge door is cracked open, I raise my half finished soda can to my lips. “Stay as long as you want.”

“Thanks.” I don’t look in his way, so I don’t know if he’s looking at me. But he is, definitely following my small movements as I continue to drink from my can. He has a multitude of questions he wants to ask. Would I be mad if he told me he had a big fat crush on me? Would I be mad if he kissed me? Do I possibly like him back? Rather than be blunt like Jungkook normally is, he takes a completely different route.

“Do you like Jimin?”

He notices me almost spit out my drink into the sink, though the visual is funny — in another situation he would have laughed — but this question makes him nervous. I look at him in disbelief.

“Jimin?” When he nods, I blink. “No I don’t…why?”

“Oh.” Jungkook glances away, taking a particular interest in the photo frames on my wall. “Dunno’. I was trying to figure out whether he liked you or not.”

“There’s no way he would.” And I sound pretty insistent. “No possible way. I’m pretty sure he’s into that one dude who sings at the karaoke bar.”

“Oh. Really?”

“Yeah. Ask him about it, maybe he’ll actually tell you. He wouldn’t tell me a single thing about it when I tried bringing it up when he was here the other day.” I sigh. “And well, even if he had, it wouldn’t work out. I don’t like him like that.”

“Oh.” He repeats. I glance at him for a longer time now, wondering if he’s going to say anything at all. When he doesn’t, I don’t even bother to cloud my disappointment. Turning away, I chuck the can into my recycle bin, taking a hand through my hair.

“Okay!” I slam my hand onto the counter, then plant myself down on the couch next to him. Jungkook seems startled by the sudden loud noise, and even more so now that I’m only a couple feet away from him. “Talk now. Why are you acting so weird?”

“I’m not.”

“Okay let me rephrase.” I take a deep inhale. “I don’t know if it’s just me reading into it too much, but you seemed way too hesitant to tell me why you ended things with your past fling. And that weird cold shoulder you gave when I mentioned Jimin driving me to my place?” I stare up at my clock on the wall. “I mean normally people are completely blind to mutual pining, but for some reason with you and I can completely see through you. Just be honest with me Jungkook; do you like me? Because honestly when you were wearing my helmet earlier today I was trying so hard not to kiss you.”

He blinks, twice, very wide eyed. Looks like that motherfucker Bambi, I just want to squish him. Then glances at me.

“Was I that obvious?”

“To me; yeah.” I snort. “I didn’t understand at first though, I thought you were just going through mood swings.”

“How did I not know that you…” He breathes, cheeks definitely a darker shade of pink. “How?!”

“Well, I did get pretty pissed when you mentioned an ex. Did you not notice?”

He shakes his head woefully.

“Well,” I trail off. “I don’t know. Kinda’ wanted to punch you and then punch that bitch.”

“That’s hot Fae. I’m already imagining it.”

I laugh, about to say something, but that’s forgotten when he kisses me. Good, what a hopeless idiot. I was waiting for him to make a move, looks like he finally did.

[letsbenditlikebennett]

Drawing Daisies, Pushing Daisies || Ariana & Luce

TIMING: January 8th PARTIES: @divineluce & @letsbenditlikebennett SUMMARY: Luce gives Ariana yet another memorial tattoo and some secrets come to light.  CONTENT: Some mentions of grief and the situation with Lydia (domestic abuse/promise binds), use of needles in relation to tattoos. 

When she had first gotten the tattoo of wildflowers on her arm in honor of Celeste, Ariana hadn’t planned on her arm becoming a memorial. As it stood, she kept losing people she loved and wanted to carry them with her. Wanted to make sure she never forgot them and the lessons they taught her. One of these days, she was just going to get a completely silly tattoo. Today was not that day, but it was nice to dream. She walked into the familiar tattoo shop and waved as she spotted Luce at her station. It looked like she was mostly set up and ready to go even if Ari was running a few minutes early. She always enjoyed glancing at the art on the wall as she was in the shop. There was some new floral work up at Luce’s station that she looked at for a moment before taking her place by Luce. “Hey,” she said, “As always, thanks for drawing up something so great. I promise my next tattoo is going to be silly and not a memorial piece.” Her hand flew over her mouth as she realized her error, “I really need to not use that fucking word.” 

 Ariana wasn’t someone that Luce would claim to know well, but she knew that the girl had been through some shit. Fuck, the wildflowers on her arm were proof enough of that. So, when Luce had gotten the email about drawing up a new design, she’d been happy to do it. Art had the power to help people and so did tattoos, even if boomers liked bitching about how they were destroying common decency. If a back tattoo of Post Malone sparked joy, fuck, she’d do it. Which, thankfully, that wasn’t the case. No, she’d requested something with flowers and an old vinyl record, which had been a simple enough design that Luce could fit to match the girl’s pre-existing tattoos. “Yeah, for sure--” Luce started to say before her eyes widened. Glancing to the open door of her room, Luce walked over and shut the door, giving the two of them some privacy. “Memorial piece, huh?” She said cautiously as she went back to her desk, pulling the stencils she’d printed out for Ariana to look at. “I’m sorry to hear that… you lost someone.” Another someone. 

 With the door closed, it dawned on Ariana that she could talk more freely. Not that she really had any true scope of what human hearing could truly pick up over the music playing in the shop. It wasn’t like she had a point of reference. Maybe she’d ask Luis one of these days when he was a little more in tune with who and what he was now. For now, she focused on Luce and the stencils she was pulling out. “Yeah,” she said as nonchalantly as she could, “As the okay DJ Khalid would say, another one.” Nope, that felt wrong. Was she really getting to a point where she joked about the darker things in life? “That was a bad joke.” She shook her head and instead explained, “Remember the article about that one bitch in the paper? Whole horror house thing. Well, this one and the bat one are courtesy of that bitch.” She wasn’t even sure her name deserved to be spoken. That bitch seemed to sufficiently cover things anyway. She glanced over the stencils and pointed to the one she liked best. Though her sense of color was off, the yellow in the daisy seemed to be the brightest. Just like Todd had been. “Thanks,” she said softly, “It is what is. But I like that one.” She pointed to her favorite. 

 As the girl let out a wry, bitter joke, Luce did her best not to react. Everyone dealt with grief in their own ways. She knew that better than most. Her encounter with the tree dude in the forest was a reminder of that. He’d seen what she’d done in her rage and grief. Pulling out one of her trays, she busied herself pouring out some ink. At the mention of that bitch in the paper, with the horror house-- Luce’s hand slipped, black ink bottle spilling onto the silver tray. “Shit!” She swore, swiftly capping the bottle and grabbing some paper towels to wipe up the ink. Lydia. Lydia. She was talking about Lydia. “How do you know about Lydia?” Luce asked cautiously, still tentative about saying the woman’s name. She’d felt the Fae promise burn in the back of her throat before and, even though she knew it was long gone, there was still a part of her that shied away at the idea of saying the woman’s name aloud. “I, uh… Yeah. It’s a good one. I think it’s my favorite out of the bunch. They symbolize purity, innocence.” She said before biting her cheek. “Was your friend… were they in that house?”

 The sound of ink falling to the tray made Ariana flinch slightly. It only slightly startled her. More than anything, she was perplexed. Her head tilted and she looked at Luce curiously waiting for an explanation only to be met with a question. “Wait, how do you know about Lydia?” It was safe to say she was a pretty big part of Lydia’s crimes coming to light and ultimately Lydia’s death though she didn’t wield the knife herself. “Lydia and I… well, there’s a lot there. Mostly her murdering my friends and binding me into something that would have inevitably killed me and a bunch of other people had Kaden not saved my ass. Then I was the “unidentified teen” in that article.” Her fingers did air quotes as she said the unidentified teen. She was unsure if she should mention the whole getting Lydia killed thing. While she knew Nell would understand, but she had no idea where Luce stood on being a murder accomplice… even if said murdered person was actual trash. “My friend was definitely that.” Both Todd and Sammy had a very genuine way about them that made her wish she could have shielded them from Lydia. “Three of them were, yeah. Managed to save one of them… and another person, too.” 

 Luce didn’t want to say it. She should have kept her mouth shut, because of course this would be how the train of thought would go. How did she know Lydia? She couldn’t just tell Ariana that Lydia had… helped them sacrifice a man in the name of vengeance and retribution. Prepping her machine with steadied hands, Luce swallowed. “She had me locked in a promise too. I didn’t know about what she was doing at her house, but I knew that she was capable of some fucking awful things. So.” She paused, glancing down at the stencil as she pressed it against the girl’s skin, leaving an impression on Ariana’s arm. “When someone told me there was trouble, I went to help.” Help. That was a watered down version of the truth. She hadn’t helped anyone. Clearing her throat, Luce nodded, “Shit. I’m sorry… that you lost them.” She said, glancing back to the tattoos that decorated the girl’s arm. This poor fucking kid. Because that’s what she was, a kid. She didn’t deserve this. 

 Ariana hadn’t thought it was possible to hate Lydia more than she already did, but her having Luce locked into a promise as well seemed to do the trick. Somehow, even in death, she just kept getting worse. Her hands clenched into fists, but as it stood, Lydia couldn’t do this to anyone again. “Bitch,” she mumbled to herself before adding, “Her, not you obviously.” It was the next part that made her have to refrain from tilting her head as Luce placed the stencil on her arm. Help, what did she mean by that? Was she the person Athena had gone to for help while Ariana went with Kaden and Agatha to rescue Chloe, Todd, and Kelly? That had to be what she meant, right? She’d been so caught up in trying to deduce just what she meant by that she barely noticed the cool feel of the stencil on her arm. “Help,” she said slowly, “Did that help happen to be teaming up with a blonde warden?” She didn’t want to totally give Athena’s identity away if that wasn’t the case. She also didn’t want to just assume Luce had been down to help kill Lydia. Not that she judged it. Unless Lydia died, all she was ever going to bring to the world was pain. Then there was yet another apology for all she lost. “Thanks,” she responded instinctively at this point, “It is what it is, but I’m getting by.” And she was. Some days better than others, but it was getting by all the same. 

Ripping open a new pack of needles, Luce fitted them into her machine and pulled on a pair of gloves as she settled next to Ariana. The machine buzzed in her hand, the hum familiar and comfortable as she readied herself to begin the tattoo. But, before she pressed the needles to Ariana’s skin, she blinked in surprise at the girl’s words. If she wasn’t holding her machine, she might have flinched at the mention of a blonde warden. But she was a professional. And she wasn’t going to fuck up a tattoo, not even now. Swallowing, Luce glanced at Ariana. “She convinced me to go with her. Well,” She paused and pressed the tip of the machine to the girl’s skin, ink dancing at her fingertips, “I let her talk me into it.” Luce said, not wanting to say anymore. If Ariana knew who Athena was, then she probably knew what Luce’s brand of help had brought about. “Getting by,” Luce echoed with a small laugh. “As someone who’s been getting by for a while, I’m real fucking sorry that you’re in the same boat.”

 The buzz of the tattoo machine was slowly becoming familiar to Ariana. It was even becoming comforting in a way. It was gentle on her ears and she grew accustomed to the dull pain that came with it. She could tell her question through Luce for a loop though. Given, it meant she helped kill Lydia and Morgan had mentioned it wasn’t so kind, but she wouldn’t shed any tears over a murdered serial killer. One who’d hurt her and too many people she cared for. So kept her arm still and quietly said, “Thank you. I really didn’t want her going on her own and I had to get my friends out of her house.” Even if it wasn’t entirely successful. It didn’t make her feel any comfort to know Luce had been just getting by too. She knew about Bea and she knew how much losing a sister sucked. Even getting her back, she’d never be able to erase that experience. The feeling of the needle on her arm kept her steady and resolved, if only so she didn’t ruin her own tattoo. “I’m sorry, too. It’s a pretty shitty boat. I’d much prefer one of those all inclusive cruises if I have to be on any boat.” Focus still on keeping still, she softened her features, “I know I’m young, but if you wanted to talk about any of it, I’m a pretty good listener. If you’d rather not, that’s chill, too.” 

 Thank you. Those weren’t the words Luce wanted to hear, but how was Ariana to know that? She’d killed again and while Lydia was hardly an innocent… that didn’t change the fact that she was someone who posed no real threat to Luce or her family. She would have plagued some other town, some other people. Perhaps Luce had done the right thing getting rid of her. But even if it was, she hadn’t done it for the right reasons. “Are you and her friends? Athena?” Luce asked, the words careful as she focused on her work, making the lines nice and neat. “Yeah, I could do with a fucking cruise right about now.” She said with a nod. Pulling back, she dipped the tip of her machine in the ink and glanced at Ariana’s arm with a gentle but meaningful look. “You’ve got enough of your own stuff to deal with. I’m not going to add to that. But, thanks for the offer.” She said with a nod. “This town… demands a lot from the people who live here. I’m real fucking sorry that you moved here.”

 It dawned on Ariana that maybe thank you hadn’t been the right thing to say. Especially when she was able to piece together just what Luce had done to help. She wasn’t sure being thanked for murder was something most were comfortable with. She’d always been a bit impulsive with her words so she decided to gloss over it and acknowledge Luce’s question. “Oh, she’s my girlfriend actually,” Ariana answered, still not quite used to using the word. Talking with Luce and the dull pain that came with the tattoo made it easier for her to sit still, something she normally struggled to do. Even the daydream of a cruise would typically make her want to immediately jump into the ocean for a swim which was decidedly not so safe in White Crest. “I’d say I’d keep an eye out for raffles, but I’m pretty sure all the prizes in this town are also cursed. Fuck, it’d probably be a damn mime cruise.” Her face visibly cringed at the idea. It was okay that Luce didn’t want to talk and she would have shrugged if she hadn’t needed to sit still. “Everyone’s got shit to deal with. Offer still stands if you ever need it… or even just need someone to spar with. Not sure if you’re into that. I know Nell is. I think it helps.” While she knew Luce was right about this town being hard on people, she wasn’t sure she’d take back moving here. Even with all she’d lost, her and Celeste had both gained a lot, too. “I’m not,” she said surely. There wasn’t much she was sure of, but this she was. “As much as I miss Celeste, it was always just the two of us. She never had anyone to really talk to about things and she’d spent so much of her life trying to understand others. Make them feel seen and heard without ever really having that for herself and well, I think she may have found that in one of her friends here. I think maybe she finally got to be understood in ways I never really could.” She thought of Kaden fondly and knew he could relate to Celeste in ways she was never able to. In ways Celeste had deserved. She also knew Celeste wouldn’t want her to feel regretful. Though as much was easier said than done, she was trying. She added, “And I have so many people I love here, too. The loss, the pain-- it all sucks and some days it’s really  fucking hard, but there’s still so much good and so many people here I that I love.” 

 “Your girlfriend.” Luce echoed, doing her best to contain her shock. But it was impossible to keep the note of surprise from her voice. What the fuck was Ariana doing, dating someone like that? Not that… she could talk. Remmy had-- well. They’d never dated. Never really been anything. But, Remmy had been with her and they had been like Ariana. Someone good. Someone trying their best. So, what did that make her, then? “Sorry. I didn’t realize.” She said, hoping that the girl would leave it there. “I’m good.” She wasn’t, not by a long shot. But how could she explain to Ariana that she hated what she’d done? If Ariana was dating Athena, that meant something. And the fact she had wanted Lydia dead just as much as the Hunter meant more.”Thanks for the offer though.” She continued to run the machine along Ariana’s arm, the tip steady and constant as she made thin, precise lines. “It’s good. That you have people. It makes a difference in a place like White Crest.” Luce said because it felt like the right thing to say. She didn’t know. Not really. There were people here she loved, but at every turn, she’d run from them. “But yeah. It’s sure fucking hard here.”

 Ariana didn’t think too much of the surprise evident in Luce’s tone. After all, Athena was only just coming out to people and it probably came as a shock to most. She quickly added, “She’s only just starting to like really come out, but yeah, she’s my girlfriend.” Her voice was somewhat proud though the moment of pain that she had to force herself to sit still through got to her for a moment. Man, that soft side of the arm was not fun. Still, the buzzing of the tattoo machine was comforting in its own way. Then Luce said she was good and Ariana frowned slightly. Something in her doubted that, but she didn’t really know Luce well enough to push. “If you’re sure, the offer always stands. You and your sisters have always been good to me so you’re on the list of people I’d eat a mime for,” she cracked a small smile hoping to ease the mood a bit. It was clear Luce didn’t want to talk about things and she respected that, especially as the woman was currently drawing on her with a needle and all. She nodded in agreement, “It does. Makes all the other shit worth it. Not even sure where else I’d go, honestly. Plus, someone has to make sure Blanche eats food that’s not cheese balls.” Luce was right though. It was fucking hard. The last couple of months had given her some room to breathe and process all the grief, but there was still always that underlying fear when someone didn’t text her back right away that they were dead somewhere. “You got that part fucking right. But we’re tough, that’s why we make it here, right?” 

 Well. If they were dating, that had to mean that Ariana knew what Athena was, right? But, Luce swallowed as she wiped the excess ink away, Remmy had never known all of what Luce had done until it was too late. “I see. Well. Good for her.” Luce said, not really knowing how to reconcile this information. Ariana was a good kid, but Athena? Luce had been there, she’d seen how the girl had acted when they’d… taken care of Lydia. No, not taken care of. Who was she killed? Athena had killed Lydia and had convinced her to take part in it too. That unquestionable fact weighted heavily down upon her-- she’d helped get rid of Lydia. She’d burned her body from the face of the earth, wiped her existence clean. And she hadn’t had the right to do that. She could have lived with the promise she’d made to the Fae woman. But another town, other people, they would have been subjugated to the same horrors Lydia had brought here… 

 Clearing her throat, Luce focused back in on the conversation. “Trust me, you don’t need to go eating any mimes for me. Wouldn’t want you to go all stripey on me.” She said with an attempt at a grin. “It’s good to hear that Blanche’s got someone like you in her corner. That girl,” Luce said as she began to add in shading, running the machine over Ariana’s skin with a firm hand. “Gets into more than her fair share of trouble. But, I guess the same could be said for all of us.” Mulling over Ariana’s words, Luce shrugged. Months ago, she might have agreed. Being tough was all you needed, putting up a wall, handling things on your own was how you lived in this town. But now? “Sure is.” She said noncommittally. Changing the topic, Luce looked down at the tattoo. “I think we’re just about done with this. Just a bit more shading and we’ll be wrapped up.”

Ariana laughed a bit and refrained from shrugging, “It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve gone all stripey. I know how to fix it now at least.” Humor was one way to look past the alarming parts of turning silent and stripey like a freaking mime. How they managed to do that was beyond Ariana, but she sure as fuck didn’t like it. There was another small laugh in regards to Blanche. Her knack for trouble could be amusing, but more than anything she was worried for her friend as of late. Even when she was striped, she barely even got a laugh out of Blanche. “Oh yeah, she’s a trouble magnet for sure, but like, same here. Maybe the town is just a trouble magnet.” She watched as Luce continued shading in and said they were just about done. A few more jokes were exchanged before Luce did the finishing touches. She looked down at it for a moment. The yellow almost as lively as Todd had once been, the perfect little tribute to the friend she should have been able to save. Something to carry with her every day to remind her to be better for all the Todds of the world. “It’s perfect,” she said softly before following her up to the counter to finalize payment. And it was, even if it left her with a sort of bittersweet feeling.

[wordsablaze]

For The Greater Good

Everyone knows sacrificial rituals are bad news but Geralt and Jaskier have the displeasure of witnessing why firsthand... day nine of whumptober.

A/N: just to avoid confusion: jaskier is part fae and thus has magic :)) today’s pairing: geralt/jaskier | prompts used: take me instead / run / ritual sacrifice 

-

If there’s something the continent could definitely do with less of, it’s the dark rituals of mages.

“We are never taking a contract from this town again,” Jaskier mutters decidedly.

“Can’t take a contract if we’re dead anyway,” Geralt replies, his tone making it unclear whether he’s joking around or just very concerned.

Jaskier is most certainly not amused though. He glares at Geralt, wishing he could fold his arms instead of just standing there, hating how the witcher can be so casual about life and death and the grey area inbetween also known as their limited immortality. He loves him, sure, but he really hates his coping mechanisms sometimes. Most of the time, actually.

“You okay, Jaskier?” Geralt asks after a minute of silence.

He simply shrugs. “I haven’t succumbed to hopelessness, if that’s what you mean?”

Geralt snorts, then clears his throat. “The, uh, ropes aren’t too tight?”

It would be a comical question if the ropes around his chest weren’t, in fact, just a little too tight. But he’s not about to admit to that so he just offers his witcher a smirk. “Is that what you’re daydreaming about?”

This time, it’s Geralt who’s confused, staring at Jaskier with a mix of pride, disbelief, and irritation, which are usually his most common responses to these kinds of situations anyway.

“You’re awake,” someone - note, the mage who’d somehow gotten the upper hand on them - says from the doorway.

Jaskier rolls his eyes. “If one more mage carefully plans how to knock me out only to make a point of stupidly commenting on when I wake up, I’ll have enough inspiration to write my own reference book.”

“Not a bad idea,” Geralt chuckles.

Both of them gasp as the ropes around their chests tighten, pressing them closer to the stone pillars they’re secured to as the mage steps forward, curiosity glinting in his eyes. “I can’t decide who’s most likely to survive.”

“What?” Geralt asks on behalf of them both, his voice barely audible as he struggles to draw breath properly.

A second mage appears in the doorway, a frown on her face. “What is taking so long, Alfredd?”

“He’s just indecisive,” Jaskier answers brightly.

The woman glares at him before stepping inside, raking her gaze across each of them in turn. “Just pick the witcher, non-humans have always survived the longest,” she says eventually.

Geralt’s eyes widen but before he can protest against the plan he’s sure Jaskier has just made, the bard clears his throat pointedly. “Take me instead.”

“Jas, no - ”

“Why would we do that?” the man asks, cutting Geralt off as he moves to face Jaskier.

“You’re not human, are you?” the woman deduces, clearly intrigued by his proposal if the barely hidden glee in her voice is anything to go by.

Jaskier winks at them. “Better someone who’s only partly human than someone who’s entirely human and just a little mutated, right?”

“Stop talking!” Geralt hisses because although the mages are none the wiser, he can smell all the fear in the room, and only half of it is coming from himself.

“Shut up, he’s right,” the woman says, flicking her wrist to undo the ropes around Jaskier, who promptly gasps and all but topples forwards, his legs unsteady under him.

“Jaskier!” Geralt shouts, and there’s an awfully loud sadness to his tone that makes said bard wince.

The woman takes a firm hold of Jaskier’s wrist, pulling him along and out of sight without giving them a chance to even glance at one another.

“You’re free to go, witcher,” the man tells him tonelessly, waving a hand as the ropes around Geralt loosen and he rather embarrassingly wobbles around for a moment before he can catch his bearings again. The mage is gone by the time he can feel his toes again.

Geralt curses.

He takes a moment to regret being kidnapped for some sort of dark magic sacrifice without his armour or his weapons but he doesn’t dwell on it, instead focusing on Jaskier’s scent to try and find him because that’s far more important.

It doesn’t take long.

Later, Jaskier will raise his eyebrows and tease that he was only so quick because the mages’ house consisted of approximately three and a half rooms. But in the moment, he doesn’t care for anything but the way Jaskier is kneeling on some sort of raised, glowing platform.

There are no ropes this time and he’s clearly only on his knees because he’s exhausted and unable to hold himself up. If that wasn’t enough on its own, the way his skin has taken on an alarmingly translucent hue, hinting at just how much he’s fighting whatever it is he’s clearly being sacrificed to, has Geralt’s heart clenching.

“Jaskier!” He yells as smoke begins to fill the room - that’s never a good sign, especially when it comes to rituals and even more so when those rituals involve complicated runes being drawn on the floor.

But Jaskier groans in pain before Geralt can come up with a plan, his face scrunching up as he throws out a hand towards the mages who seem to have finally spotted their unwelcome visitor.

“Run!” Jaskier yells at him, his voice trembling even within the single syllable.

Only then does Geralt realise his magic is probably the only reason he hasn’t yet been cursed to oblivion and back by one of the others. He doesn’t wait long before deciding to trust in Jaskier’s magical capabilities and taking the opportunity to render the mages unconscious before they figure out how to move again.

He can all but sense the tears that escape Jaskier as he struggles to maintain his defences both against the mages and for his own life force, even when the platform under him stops glowing and the ritual seemingly falls apart without its original anchors.

“You can let go now,” Geralt whispers as he reaches Jaskier, who manages a small smile before his eyes flutter shut and he slumps. Right into Geralt’s arms.

They both know Jaskier’s magic can be taxing but it’s never any less frightening to see the way he crashes after using too much, and it’s infinitely worse when Geralt knows he’s only done it for him.

Jaskier whimpers softly as Geralt lifts him upright and cradles him close but he doesn’t stir even as they leave, Geralt not really accidentally settling the place ablaze behind them - they’d caused Jaskier to burn out so it’s only really fair the favour is returned.

-

revenge is lit, am i right? (okay sorry, seeing myself out for that one)

-

thanks for reading! masterlist | witcher blog: @itsjaskier

[imagine-loki]

Soulbonds and Fairy Dust

TITLE: Soulbonds and Fairy Dust (rewrite) CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: 18/?

AUTHOR: nekoamamori ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine one of the fae has been helping the Avengers, jumping in to help them on missions and vanishing before Shield can bring her in.  Loki joins the team and convinces her to come talk to the team and consider joining before Shield takes more drastic measures. RATING: M NOTES/WARNINGS:  This is a rewrite of the original work of the same name.  Also on AO3 here

The entire court had to stand when Odin and Frigga entered the hall.  Thor had to rush to stand by his seat next to Odin’s, since he wasn’t in the right spot.  Oaf.  The king and queen made their way to the head table and Frigga kissed Loki’s cheek as she moved to take her own seat next to him.

Odin remained standing for a moment and it was he who made things worse on Sig’s nerves. “It is my honor to announce that Lady Sigyn Freyadotir, duchess of Asgard, Goddess of Fidelity has been found and returned to us after so many centuries. Not only that but she and my son Loki have become soulbound,” he announced, sounding proud of both of these occurrences.  Loki was surprised that Odin sounded proud about him, though he kept his expression carefully neutral.  He didn’t want the court to see that he was wary of Odin’s response.  He kept his expression calm, especially since Sigyn was digging her nails into Loki’s hand and had been since Odin spoke her full name with her titles. Loki covered her hand with his, trying to ease her nerves and fear.  He sensed her emotions and didn’t like them.

Names had power.  Sigyn knew that better than most.  And Odin had just announced hers for the entire court. Announced who and what she was like it was nothing.

And it scared the absolute shit out of her.

Odin finally sat and dinner was served. “Sorry,” Sig murmured to Loki when she saw nail marks in his hand while they were being served.  She used a drop of power to heal the marks she’d left.

Loki gave her a reassuring smile, gentle and loving and not at all like the dark prince that the court thought him to be. “Don’t worry about it, darling,”

“I wish he hadn’t done that,” she said softly, still on edge from having her name announced like that.  She was in the habit of hiding her truename.  “Also where in the nine realms did ‘Goddess of Fidelity’ come from?” she asked in shock, finally getting to that part of the problem.  She’d never had that title before she was taken.

“It was what you were supposed to be the goddess of before you were taken by the fae,” Loki explained.

“I don’t think I ever knew that…” she replied softly.  She couldn’t remember knowing that before and that didn’t seem like something she’d forget or make herself forget.

“I didn’t officially receive my godhead until I was around 500, but mother knew what I would be since I was a child.  I imagine it was the same for you.” Loki told her.

Sig considered that and nodded. “But you’re a prince. Of course, you’d receive a godhead at some point. I’m not royalty,” she reminded him quite logically in her opinion.

He chuckled.  “Darling, you are my best friend and have been since we were children.  You’re close to my mother and a noble of Asgard. All nobles receive a godhead,” he reminded her.  Clearly she’d forgotten.

Sig closed her eyes and seemed to have remembered something when she opened them again. “Mama was goddess of beauty,” she said softly as she remembered that tidbit.  Loki gave her a small sad smile and wrapped an arm around her reassuringly.  She gave him a small smile in return.  “I think the court is about to blow a gasket over the dark prince touching a lady,” she teased him to lighten the mood again.

He chuckled warmly and it was nice to hear the old familiar sound of his laughter again. “Like I care. They can think of me however they wish. It doesn’t faze me,”

“Sure it doesn’t, peacock,” she teased him warmly.

Frigga turned to her son during dinner.  “Have you been enjoying showing her lady around the palace?” she asked him kindly. 

“I actually haven’t had a chance to yet,” he admitted a bit sheepishly. “Though, on that note, there is something we wish to speak to you about after dinner. Without Father,” he added quickly, too vehemently.

Too quickly.

Frigga raised an eyebrow, but didn’t seem concerned about the request.  “Of course, darling,” she replied just as warmly and kindly as she always was. She gave him a conspiratorial smile.  “After dinner or after you have a dance with your lady?”

He chuckled. “You read my mind, Mother,” he said warmly

She laughed.  “I know you well, my darling,” she replied, then glanced at the morons’ table, where the morons were looking particularly hungover and subdued.  “Do you know what happened to Thor’s friends? They’re remarkably quiet tonight…”

Sig and Loki shared an amused look. “That is a long story, Mother,” Loki replied, since he didn’t really want to go into it right now. Especially if it could possibly get them in trouble.  Sig looked a bit sheepish since Thor wasn’t pleased with her for that trick on his friends. 

Frigga gave them both a knowing smile.  “And some things never change…” she said, clearly amused by their antics, especially since they hadn’t really hurt anything.

Loki chuckled.  “You know you love how mischievous I am,” he told her, giving her a boyish grin.  He was never so open with anyone else in the court other than his mother and Sigyn.

“It does tend to cause excitement around here. The palace is dreadfully dull without you. And mischief that leads to those three being quiet is definitely appreciated,”

Loki kissed her cheek. “It is dreadfully dull on Midgard without you as well, Mother. It is always good to come home just to spend time with you. And I’m happy to bring a little excitement back with me,” he added with a mischievous smirk.

“You shall have to enlighten me on how you subdued them though. It seems like a useful skill,” Frigga mused.  The morons were usually quite loud and obnoxious.  Their only redeeming quality was that they were skilled warriors.

“Let’s just say my soulbond has many tricks up her sleeves,”

“I expect no less of one who is worthy of your affections, my darling,” Frigga told him warmly before turning to Sig to try to goad she into speaking.  They’d both noticed that Sigyn had gotten shy with all the attention.

/What has you so tight-lipped, darling?/ Loki asked when he noticed how shy Sigyn had gotten.

/I… I’m just not used to positive attention anymore… especially from those in power…/ she tried to explain, though she doubted her explanation would be coherent to anyone besides herself.

/I’m sorry to hear that/ Sigyn heard understanding in his tone.  /But remember, you belong here. You have nothing to fear from my family. Besides the Allfather, the rest of us have nothing to hide from you/

/I know. It’s just hard. And they’re still expecting the little girl they knew. Also not calling her ‘mama Frigga’ anymore is hard~/ she whined the last, but she opened up more to Frigga when the subject changed from her past to safer subjects like general magic studies.  And Loki.

/My Mother would probably love to hear you call her Mama Frigga. I know she misses being called that. And I’m sure she realizes that you are not the same girl you once were. My mother is not naive/

/Probably is not enough when propriety and the royal family are involved/ she reminded him, noting that Frigga seemed happy that she was willing to talk about something, even if it wasn’t herself.  And Frigga was having a touch too much fun telling stories of younger Loki and Thor to make Sig laugh. 

Loki was getting more and more embarrassed by all of the stories and turning more and more purple in embarrassment.  “Mother, please~” he whined at a particularly embarrassing old story.  Frigga laughed and Loki’s whining and switched to a story of one of his accomplishments instead.

/She refuses to answer questions about herself more than what magic she’s studied. I had to get her talking about something/ Frigga explained to Loki telepathically.  Her cadence in the story she was telling didn’t change, so no one had any idea she and Loki were speaking.  It was a skill they’d perfected years ago.

/She’s still adjusting to being shown any form of affection. Life in underhill was not easy for her/

/I wish we knew what happened there. We might be able to figure out how to best help her/ Frigga replied.  She then, politely, to Loki at least, changed the topic of conversation to the differences between fae and Asgardian magic which is something Sig could lecture them on at length.

/I do as well. I’m sure she will tell me eventually but I do not plan to force it out of her./

/Wise decision, darling/

Dinner finally ended after a delicious dessert and Odin left the second it was over, claiming work to do. As soon as he was gone, Loki stood and held out his hand to Sigyn.  “Sigyn would you honor me with the first dance?” he asked her formally.

She looked up at him and gave him a warm, bright, smile as she placed her hand lightly in his, getting carefully to her feet.  “The honor would be mine, my prince,” she saw how much he lit up every time she called him that. 

He smiled brightly and led her straight out to the middle of the dance floor.  The pair drew the attention of the entire court because of who they were.  Her exotic looks and the soulbond marks didn’t help matters any, nor did Loki being one of the princes.  The music started and Sig took her position automatically, clearly knowing what she was doing.  She’d danced in the fae courts for centuries.  Loki took his position with her and the dance began.  They were both wonderfully graceful and a sight to behold, gliding effortlessly across the dance floor. They both appeared to be floating across the dance floor and their eyes were lit up in joy.  Sigyn didn’t notice when she started to literally shine with joy as she danced. 

They danced together for a long while before the spell of the music and memories broke around them and at nearly the same time they both remembered that they had to talk with Frigga about the fae doorways. 

Neither wanted the night to end, but duty called.

[5-falsehoods-phonated]

Overgrown Metal

Series Summary:  Almost two decades ago, the fae rose up from beyond the veil with technology far surpassing the human race, quickly taking over after laying waste to nearly everything in their wake. Now eight paths cross to right the wrongs on both ends, working to uncover secrets that would have rather stayed hidden

Chapter 6: In Search of a Market

Tws: brief mention of panic, if there are others to tag please let me know!

WC: 2766

General taglist (ask to be added or removed): @im-an-anxious-wreck @logans-library @janus-is-an-adorable-snek-boi

Leaning his cane carefully against the outer wall of the building Hyden settled down on the ground slowly and began arranging the sticks he had been picking up into a pile. Logan followed not far behind, sighing in relief as he slid off the heavy pack and gently placed it beside him on even ground. The last thing he needed was for it to tip and have to rearrange everything if his samples shifted around.

Hyden looked up from his work to eye the pack in annoyance. “We’d go a lot faster if you hadn’t brought your entire barn with you.”

“We’d also go faster if-” Logan cut himself off from snapping something he’d regret, cranky and tired as he was throwing insults about something no one could change was not a line he would cross. 

Hyden, stubborn ass that he was, decided to dig. “If what Logan?”

“Don’t.” He reached forward to place his hand on the pile, moisture collecting around it that was ficked into a container before he placed a finger near the pile again. There was a muted snapping sound as a single spark crackled in front of the shriveled wood, immediately catching and spreading to make a small fire for the night. It was hardly even dark yet but it was always good to stop early if there was a good resting spot to be had, especially with how unpredictable things could be the farther from the forest they ventured.

“I’m not stupid, Logan. But-” He held his hand up to cut the other off from whatever he was to planning to retort with. “I understand. Even if it is still an ungodly amount you took the bare minimum to continue your research. I’m only concerned about being caught out here, either by guards or beasts.”

They were both tired and on edge, running away from both the forest and avoiding whatever mech beasts they could until they found a better way to carry Logan’s portable, hashed together lab. It had been a few days since they had left and they had done nothing but walk, taking as little breaks as possible to cover as much ground as quickly as they could and they were both starting to feel the effects of it, Janus because of his leg and Logan because he simply wasn’t used to travel. He had stayed in the farmhouse for so long, becoming complacent in its relative safety that the thought hadn’t even crossed his mind to be ready to pick up and leave at any given moment. He only hoped he truly had grabbed everything he would need and wouldn’t be missing anything later when they needed it. Speaking of which-

“It isn’t what you're used to but this should hold you over until we can get somewhere that I can make more salve.” Passing a bottle of arthritic tylenol to the other he made a mental note to keep an eye out for the herbs he would need; he had been going to go on a trip soon to replenish his stock but they had left before he got a chance. Hopefully whatever he could scrounge up would be enough for now.

“Thank you.” They sat in silence, just staring into the dancing flames. Logan wanted to say something but really didn’t want to bring up another argument, content enough to wait for them to warm up before pulling anything out for dinner. They couldn’t cook anything for fear of the smell attracting anyone who might be close if they fire didn’t do it already, but preserved bread and some nuts were just as good...for now.

Hyden shifted into a more comfortable position, wincing slightly before settling his chin in his hand. “Either you start talking or I do and I’m willing to bet the last thing you want is news from the Court right now.”

Logan shuddered to think of the chaos it had most likely dissolved into by now, considering the state he had left it in. No, he definitely did not want to know what they had been doing all this time- for now at least. It was always best not to talk too openly about the affairs of the fae out in the open. “No, I was mostly wondering where we could go to stock up our supplies. We’ll need to soon depending on how far out we need to go before we’re safe.”

“Logan.” He looked up to see Hyden’s confused expression. “You do realize we’ll most likely never be able to stop right? Unless you want to go back and gain freedom somehow with brute force, but they aren’t going to stop looking just because you moved out of the forest. Your research isn’t exactly...encouraged.”

“It never was.” Logan mumbled, idly throwing a small stone into the fire to watch as the dirt it was covered in flared before soot began to coat it instead, pointedly ignoring the look he was getting.

“You don’t even know that you’ll find what you’re looking for.”

“I know enough to suspect and with the way things- Hyden those things were dead. They were hastily constructed, poorly made machines that could barely imitate the wobble of a toddler if left to their own devices. And then all of the sudden they were up and running and attacking like it was instinctual! We hadn’t even programmed that in yet.” Logan ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “It needs to make sense and my hypothesis is the only one I can think of-”

“You honestly think animals are running in little hamster wheels inside them to make them do things?’ Hyden smirked at the deadpan stare he received.

“That is not what I said and you know it.”

“Isn’t that why when they attack they still eat? To feed the animal inside?”

“Hyden-”

“I’ll stop.” He chuckled at the scientist's sour expression. “But honestly, animals being preserved inside for energy? I don’t think they’d be capable of such a thing in such a short time span.”

“At the level of desperation they were at before I left I wouldn’t put it past them. The beasts have the instinct to hunt and fight just like any other animal would- the only difference is they have specific targets in mind when they do it. I can’t fathom what else they could have done unless they were working on a secret program that I had no idea about- which is highly unlikely considering how high up in the project I was.” Sniffing indignantly Logan passed a few pieces of the crunchy bread to his companion, already missing his usual meals and wishing more than anything they were far enough out that they could catch and cook something.

“In answer to your earlier question,” Logan flushed with the realization he had forgotten what they had been originally talking about. “There’s a few settlements underground- some quite impressive- that we might be able to find to get more nonperishable items to have until we can get far enough away that trapping and cooking wouldn’t be an issue. We just need to find a river.”

“A river?”

Hyden nodded. “They’re used somehow to power the city. They’re humans, but they can be clever at times.”

“They’re just as smart as anyone else, we just beat them to the stupidity of ruining the planet.” Finishing his dinner Logan sighed. “The sooner we figure out how the beasts work, the sooner we can shut them off and lower the Court’s defenses. They weren’t relying on anything else when I was there.”

“That’s your plan? Shut down whatever gets in the way and just waltz your way back in?” Hyden snorted. “I’m sure they’ll all adore the scientist that abandoned his post coming back to give them a stern lecture on the importance of ethical science.”

“I’ll have you know I have a bit more tact now that I’ve spent some time away.”

“Oh honey, I love you so much but you blew holes straight through buildings and ran in a straight line through the forest to escape.”

Flushing, Logan looked away as the other laughed quietly. “It was a flight response and I didn’t think pulling the emergency evacuation switch had actually worked!”

“It was cute. Very subtle and very you. Though I do wish you would have waited for me, I would have loved to see you running through snap explosions like a dragon learning its magic for the first time.”

“It was a straight line!” 

“Logan a building fell over sideways because you blew through an entire support wall.” Hyden’s eyes crinkled with a fond smile. “That pout definitely helps your case.”

Hurrying to unfold his arms he took a few seconds to move oxygen away from the fire, letting Hyden rearrange the sticks so they’d stay as lit embers to keep them warm until they fell asleep. He yelped as his blanket was thrown in his face, taken out of god knows where just to spite him. Shooting the other a withering look he didn’t end up seeing he curled onto his side and sighed. Another night spent outside and another day spent walking in a random direction. Hopefully they’d come across a town soon.

He really hated the dry bread.

-----

“Wait Roman, is that it?” Virgil pointed to a spot in the middle of the river they had been following. The subtle line of foam could easily be missed if you weren’t looking hard enough but he and Roman had spent almost their whole lives learning to look for these subtle hints a town was nearby.

“Finally! Okay keep going this way, you circle back the way we came and look.” So saying Roman hurried over to where the line was and began walking out to the surrounding field while Virgil turned to look out from where they had already passed.

There wasn’t a clear agreement on what kind of settlement was better: one that was above ground with tall, thick walls to try and hold back the forest and mechs, or ones made underground that people hoped the forest would grow right over- and seeing how the mechs had never been seen digging into the ground there was little fear of it being destroyed. Underground settlements however, obviously didn’t see the sun like the ones above did, so they used water instead. The little line of foam signaled that water from the river was being redirected to a system of water wheels for hydroelectric power for the city. To keep it from flooding or corroding, the system was often just beside the river on the other side, where there would be a subtle exit for water to escape if the system failed. On the other side was the actual entrance, another hidden passage that would lead underground to the levels of the city beneath it. All they had to do was locate and identify the passageways and they’d be able to get in, get to the market to trade and get back out hopefully without too much hassle. It was a system that after years of traveling together they had perfected, however rocky their beginning had been.

He heard a shout from Roman as he was poking around in some grass, sighing in relief when he saw them waving him over. Readjusting the heavy pack he walked up to where there was a bump in the grass, almost like the ground had a pimple. Toeing around the edges however he could feel a thin seam that when lifted revealed a ladder about a foot away from the top.

“The entrance on the first try!” Roman declared triumphantly.

“Yeah now I won’t have to hear you complain about wet boots and pants the entire time we’re here.” Virgil teased. If they were unlucky enough to find the exit first, where there was just a straight drop to the water systems, they’d have to cross the river to find the entrance instead. The past few times had been like this with Roman complaining about being wet and both of them shivering miserably through the market the entire time. These trips weren’t fun to begin with but it added another layer when their clothes stuck fast and the cool air of the caves did nothing to dry them faster. Ignoring Roman’s pout he dropped down and began to descend.

The air immediately cooled as he surrounded himself with earth Roman shimmying down above him and shutting the entrance, encasing them in darkness. Taking a steadying breath he made his way down carefully, counting softly as he went so Roman would know when to step down. He was always very grateful the holes were wide enough to fit both them and their bags since dropping them down first wasn’t an option. The tunnel began to lighten the further down they went and Virgil let out a breath as his feet finally touched solid earth, reaching a hand out to steady Roman as they made it the rest of the way down as well. Gripping Roman’s hand tight to his so they wouldn’t get separated he squared his shoulders and narrowed his eyes into the meanest glare he could muster, tugging up his hood and mask and stepping forward towards the light.

In most underground cities the main markets were on the first level. A seemingly endless amount of stalls and shacks set up advertising a variety of goods and services. Further to the sides had buildings for general maintenance where workers that handled the waterwheels and  power lived...as well as other services that required walls to pay for. The second level was mostly housing with buildings set in place for doctors offices and more formal stores if you had something to pay the price with. There were also the occasional restaurant and place of worship and even a school if the city had resources and time for it. If and when these kinds of settlements had a third level- most didn’t for the sake of time and integrity- it would be where more housing and the darker market was set up. Typically normal people wouldn’t be carrying around mech parts to sell, as being a Hunter wasn’t exactly the safest job to have. To make sure civilian numbers didn’t dwindle since they were low enough as it was, selling mech beast parts was typically banned, though no one would question you if you just happened to have them and weren’t trying to sell them. 

They had heard a while back about a settlement further out with a thriving black market that used the metal and gears from the mechs to make prosthetics and sometimes weapons. Since mass production of anything was a no-go with the way the world was, this person was absolutely flourishing in their business, even if it was kept on the down low so as to only attract the attention of people who would be buying and selling rather than investigating. This is where they were headed to sell the parts they had been able to gather, eager to finally get a good price for everything and get enough provisions to get back on the road. Weaving their way through a sea of people and following the shotty directions they had been given a few weeks back they finally stopped at a building tucked innocently in a far corner of the marketplace, a small sign out front advertising medical care. Virgil looked to Roman and nodded, moving behind them as they approached to keep an eye on the surrounding area. Being this deep in the city was dangerous; if they were recognized here they’d be hard pressed to get out in time before they were caught, the thought of which had Virgil’s heart hammering in his chest as Roman gave a few sharp raps to the door.

He shifted his pack as footsteps were heard banging up to the door that opened moments later to reveal a tall, rather lanky man with wild curly hair and a neatly kept mustache. The shop owner opened his mouth to speak but stopped before he let a word out, squinting his eyes and staring at Roman hard. Virgil felt his heart beginning to beat faster, muscles tense and ready to run as his eyes darted from the man to Roman back again, half tempted to punch him out and run regardless of what his intentions were. Blood rushed in his ears as the others’ eyes widened, Roman standing frozen in front of him as he finally spoke.

“Roman?”

This work is also available on AO3!

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I have a lot to expand upo in regards to how magic works in this worked, which we'll definitely be exploring in later chapters. For now if you have any questions about, feel free to ask either here or head over to @5-falsehoods-phonated on tumblr. Anon is always on and I'd be delighted to answer any and all questions provided the answer wouldn't be a spoiler. Thanks for reading ^-^

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[shyvioletcat]

Rudely Interrupted

It Takes Two managed to get 20 000 hits on Ao3 and I wrote this little thing to celebrate because I was just so excited! (I also bought myself some delicious cookies) Thanks for reading everyone!

Ps. This is set just after the beach trip with the other couples.

PPS running into some tagging issues bar with me

~ It Takes Two Masterlist ~

~~~~~

It was not surprising at all how they found themselves in the current situation, all things considered. Aelin had taken the first shower, Rowan heading straight in after once she had appeared in their bedroom in her towel. He’d given her a look, but all she had done was given him a playful shove out the door. They were at home together today so Aelin didn’t bother to put on much more than one of Rowan’s t-shirts. By the time Rowan had finished his shower Aelin was in the kitchen eating the last of her toast. Then her boyfriend had waltzed right in, looking devastatingly handsome with his damp hair and bare chest, his athletic shorts sitting low on his hips. He’d come up behind her and wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck, letting Aelin lean back into his chest. She’d closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh scent of his body wash. It was a scent she had become obsessed with the past few months, a weird pregnancy thing according to Rowan’s book.

And his scent and warmth and steady hands was all it took for her to turn around and kiss him.

It didn’t take long for Rowan to lift her up onto the counter to more easily kiss her senseless, it took Aelin even less time to slide his shorts off his hips–Rowan kicking them away with a soft chuckle before kissing her again. His hands were firm on her thighs, pulling her just that little bit closer as best he could with her stomach in the way.

What was surprising was the lock on the front door unlocking and then the door opening, something completely unexpected for the two of them. For one stuttering heartbeat they looked at each other with wide eyes–then they were moving. Rowan helped Aelin ease off the counter, making sure she was steady before frantically looking around for his pants. Ever the gentleman, he now didn’t have time for that as the footsteps came closer. All he had time to do was drop to the floor as their guest finally came into view, Rowan’s head smacking soundly on the cupboard.

“Hey, cuz,” Aedion said, hands in his pockets. “How are you this lovely morning?”

Truthfully, Aelin was still trying to catch her breath from their previous activities, she knew her face would still be flushed from the heavy makeout session. But she tried.

“It’s great. Good.” Aelin kept in her cringe at her own words. “What brings you here?”

Because she may or may not be quite annoyed at the intrusion, but was trying her hardest not to show it.

“Just came by to grab something,” Aedion explained. “Is Rowan around?”

Aelin nearly choked and couldn’t help the quick glance at the floor where Rowan sat, knees up and looking downright horrified.

“He’s ah– around here somewhere,” Aelin managed to get out. “Why?”

“He said I could borrow the book.”

Oh. The book.

“Um, yeah. I… Rowan knows where it is.” This time Aelin couldn’t stop the face she made at her own incompetence. She should offer to get it, but she was not keen on showing exactly how little she was wearing. Granted, it was a lot more than Rowan was wearing at this current moment.

“You okay?” Aedion asked, no doubt picking up on her weird vibe.

“Mhmm,” she hummed, leaning a little bit closer to the counter.

Aedion looked sceptical. “So, Rowan is around, yeah?”

“Yes,” Aelin tried to say confidently. Then the idea struck her. “Bathroom, he’ll be out in a minute.”

There was the softest snort from next to her and she resisted the urge to glare at her boyfriend. Yeah, it was a flawed plan. She just needed Aedion to go towards the door again.

“Hey, um.” Aelin cursed herself, she needed to pull this together. “Did you lock your car? There’s been some issues with thefts from the cars in the carpark.”

“I parked on the street and most definitely did,” Aedion said with all the confidence Aelin wished she had. “While I wait, can I grab a drink of water?”

“No!” The reply was far too quick and the look that Aedion gave her just proved it all the more.

Aedion’s eyebrows furrowed as he asked, “Why?”

Aelin didn’t have a good answer, she was too busy thinking of something to do that she didn’t exactly notice Aedion stepping around the counter. But her mind managed to catch up but not quick enough.

“I would stay there if I were you.”

Aedion scoffed. “Why would I–”

There was a ghastly moment of silence as Aedion saw everything: Aelin wearing Rowan’s shirt, Rowan sitting there in the corner of the cabinetry with his shorts bundled in his lap. She had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing as Rowan gave her cousin a small wave.

Then Aedion slapped a hand over his eyes, his hip catching the corner of the counter in his rush to get out of the kitchen making him grunt in pain.

“Gods! Aelin!” Aedion exclaimed as he reached the empty space between the living area and kitchen.

“Don’t Aelin me. I tried to warn you,” Aelin said with a shrug. “And hey, at least I’m not the nearly naked one. Lucky you.”

“Really?” Her cousin was not happy.

Aelin shrugged again, feeling braver now that had the safety of the counter again and the cat was well and truly out of the bag. “I don’t know what you want me to do here. Rowan can go and–”

“Nope, nope, he can stay right there thanks.” Aedion was looking at the floor like he wanted it to open and swallow him up. “I’ll go.”

Aedion didn’t spare her a glance as he walked past the kitchen towards the door.

Aelin lent over the counter the best she could to call out to Aedion. “Did you want that book?”

“No. Just tell Rowan to bring it to work,” Aedin said without looking back.

Aelin laughed. “He’s right–”

“I know!” Aedion all but bellowed as he slammed the door behind himself.

The slamming door echoed around the apartment, then it was followed by Aelin laughing.

“It’s not funny,” Rowan said from his hiding spot.

“Oh, yes it was.” Aelin’s voice was shaking.

He stood finally, shorts in his hand. “If I could have crawled into one of the drawers and died I would have.”

Aelin laughed again, resting her hand on his chest, fingers rapping on his skin. “And you two had made such progress since the beach trip.”

Rowan’s hand rubbed at her shoulders as he finally laughed, kissing Aelin on her forehead. “Thanks for trying though. Commendable effort, although entirely not smooth at all.”

“Anything for you, my love.” Aelin shifted to the side slightly, so she could lean her chin on his chest as she looked up at him and grinned. “So, what do you say we carry on from where we left off before we were so rudely interrupted?”

Without anymore prompting Rowan’s hands began wandering as he grinned right back. “Anything for you, my love.”

~~~~~

I thought this up a little too late and it didn't really fit in any of the remaining chapters, so it'd a fun deleted scene. Also it is qyute kate so I hope it makes sense. Thanks again for all your support guys. mwah!

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[theskyeandsea]

High Tide || Jared & Skylar

Timing: January 15th, 2021

Location: Jared’s Farm

Tagging: @themidnightfarmer & @theskyeandsea

Description: Jared finds Skylar hanging around his farm. Something doesn’t seem quite right with her though...

TW: Drug use, addiction, violence

The trees were… loud. Skylar didn’t know how else to describe it, they felt loud. Not in a way that she could hear, but they just felt like they should be. Staring up at the sky, she continued to wander aimlessly through the woods, the sun casting a watchful eye on her winding path. Her feet felt light, so light, and the sunshine was so, so bright. Everything seemed to be shifting and sloping around her, as though the world was bending to accommodate her. She had a feeling it should be cold out-- there were puffs of vapor coming from her breath in almost cartoon-like waves-- but she couldn’t feel it at all. As she wandered through the woods, she put her hand out and ran her fingertips along something. A fence? A fence, a wooden fence. She bounced the palm of her hand against it, enjoying the feeling of the reverberations through the wooden posts before realizing that she was feeling something else. Something alive?

Glancing up, there was a half-second moment where Skylar wasn’t sure what she was looking at. The pills she’d taken-- minutes ago? Hours? -- had her eyes losing focus. But, dimly she became aware of long arcing horns and a low cloud of miasma coming from the creature’s nostrils. The instant she locked eyes with the strange monster in front of her, her breathing slowed and her limbs lost all sensation, while her body remained standing upright. Her gaze was trained on the beast before her and she stared into its abyssal eyes. But nothing mattered, nothing hurt, it wasn’t real, none of this was real.

Jared hadn’t felt melancholy like this for a long time. Not since his first holiday after Nell had left, and before a deeper feeling when his family had moved away leaving him behind. Lydia was gone, and worse even than her passing, he felt as if he shouldn’t grieve. She’d turned out to have done terrible things. Things he’d excused when she had sympathised with him, when she had seemed to share a plight with his kids, things like that were unforgivable. Working the farm had lost its charm as well. He still tended to his kids, but the love he had for the work was waning in guilt since he’d returned. He had a bucket in hand, a blunt knife in the other as he walked the perimeter looking for catoblepas saliva on the wooden fencing. It sold for an alright price in the mirrored district and he definitely needed the cash upon his return from migration.

His blood ran cold for a moment when he spotted a human figure horror almost managing to set in deep in his stomach, only to cheer up when he recognised who it was. “Skylar!” he called out. He reached out to her in greeting and stopped dead when he spotted who she was looking at. Jared took a few large steps forward and broke their eye contact. That wasn’t good, that was NOT good. Making eye contact was so so not good. He was connected to the beast but that meant nothing when they felt challenged. He put both his hands on Skylar’s shoulders to hopefully gauge whether the animal had managed to strike her into a catatonic state or not. “Hey, look at me?” he snapped his fingers, blocking her view of the creature with his own body. The nymph was forcibly smiling, and doing his very best to stay calm. This is why guests should come through the gates…

The eyes that stared back at her were the only thing that Skylar could focus on, even as she began to breathe in the purple smoke that streamed from the creature’s mouth. But, then-- feeling returned to her and Skylar was able to look up at a pair of familiar eyes. An ethereal sense of buoyancy filled her body and a smile stretched wide across her face.”Jared!” She said her eyes wide. “Hi! Oh!” She said, looking around at the crowd of animals on the other side of the fence, who’s heads were hanging low as they shuffled around aimlessly. “These are some really creepy cows. Are they your kids? Why do so many monsters like having weird skulls on top of their skulls?” She said, gesturing with a hand that seemed to shimmer and shift in her vision. Ohhhhh. Staring at her fingers for a moment, she paused before resuming her bright smile at Jared. “How are you? Sorry for just, you know, barging over here!” She said. 

The nymph fanned away the smoke as best he could, a solid eye on Skylar for any signs that she might faint. Jared matched her smile easily, but with a small amount of confusion in his eyes. He leaned forward on the fence between them and crossed his arms. “They are some of my kids, the rest are in the back pasture or in the barns,” he informed her as he would anyone who might have a less than predictable reaction his any of his animals. “Not monsters.” he does add gently however before tilting his head to the side. “I’m getting along, but hey you’re always welcome! Though I think it best the front gate be taken as the main option for a visit considering people get spooked easy around here.” After a pause he pats the fence and jerks his head. “Climb on over we can go to the house if you want? You can tell me what you’ve been up to…” he was suspicious of how vague she was acting, but at the same time he was never one to turn down company. The farm was a little too lonely and out of town to turn folk away. 

“Sorry, sorry, your kids.” Skylar said, enunciating the word with an edge of sarcasm in her tone. Just the idea of these monsters being Jared’s kids, his responsibility, it still rubbed her the wrong way. They were monsters, they were dangerous, disgusting creatures, just like her. And she was wrong, wrong, wrong. As Jared gestured at her to come over the fence, Skylar looked at the fence with a touch of apprehension. But, it was soothed over by a fresh wave of the blue mushrooms, the sensation filling her with a giddy excitement. She’d just go over the fence, she’d be able to hang out with Jared! And she liked Jared, she did. So she’d just… go over the fence and hang out with him and his monster kids. “Okay!” She said brightly, swinging one leg up onto the fence. As she did so, her body felt… so, so light, so much lighter than it ever had before. And before she knew it, she was floating dreamily over the fence. 

Jared took a few steps backwards, his head turning half way towards the one of his kids that Skylar had disturbed to see that it had vacated the area now that the chance for anything more than a look at the visitor was off the table. WHen the nymph looked back around with upset in his eyes at her tone(not that it was ever unexpected from anyone unlike him) but he turned and it was to see Skylar floating. Completely astonished Jared gaped. “I didn’t know Selkies could levitate holy cow!” he exclaimed with a grin beginning to form at the seemingly cool trick… that was until he recognised that it was so very unlikely that Selkies could levitate, he’d met a few by now and surely that would have come up at some point. His smile faded and he reached out to her just in case she was to all of a sudden fall from the air. The hovering she was doing turned from exciting to concerning very quickly as he put the vague way she was acting alongside it. “Hey uh…. You can’t hover like that on your own can you? You got a spell or something? You met a...any other of my kids before I found you?”

Lightness filled every ounce of her body and it felt as though Skylar was on a bed of clouds as she moved dreamily. The world tilted and shifted as she rocked her head from side to side, body swaying slightly as she leaned against the fence. Her fingers felt strange, like the fence wasn’t there, but instead it was the world that she held in the palm of her hand, spinning round and round until it was nothing but a blur of motion and bubbling happiness. She felt good. Better than good, she felt like laughter in a bottle. “Hm?” She looked down at herself and realized the reason she felt lighter than air was because… she was lighter than air. Her body was floating off the ground. “Oh. Huh. That’s kinda cool!” Skylar said as her tennis shoes pressed against the dirt and gravity returned. Smiling at Jared, she tilted her head. “One of your kids that wants to eat people or one of the hypnotizing ones like these?” She asked, pointing to the demonic looking creatures around them. “But nope, just those.”

“One in particular, but you’d definitely know if you had met her.” Jared mumbled watching the selkies' feet find the ground again. His hovering arms fell to his sides and he gave her a suspicious and concerned look. “So uh….floating powder? Don’t be telling me it’s fairy dust like in peter pan because I happen to be a fairy sort and we don’t dust.. I think.” He reached out to brush her shoulder as if he’d see something brush off that could explain her situation. There was nothing. He couldn’t quite wrap his head around this, and that was saying something. She just didn’t seem to be acting at all like the Skylar he knew. But he started to walk and gestured to her to follow at his side furthest from the catoblepas. “So uh… what’s going on bud?”

Idly running her hand against the rough wood of the fence, Skylar barely paid attention to Jared as he spoke to her. “Nope, nope, not fairy dust. Though a Fae gave me dust once and that was fun.” She said with a loose grin on her face as she thought back to the pretty powder that had glimmered in the darkness, like crushed pearls. She hadn’t questioned what it was, only tried it. It wasn’t quite for her, not really. Not like Bliss was. Bliss made everything better, just like Felix said it would. And so did the mushrooms that she’d swallowed, and the handful of pills she’d swallowed after-- no, she didn’t want to think about Erin and Leah and Morgan, staring at her, telling her lies. Looking over at Jared, she blinked. “What do you mean, what’s going on? I’m just…” She gestured to the woods around them, twirling around in a circle, the feeling of bubbles rising up within her. “Out for a walk. Enjoying nature!” She said, face shining with a bleary-eyed, chemical brightness.

The nymph was distracted for half a second by the idea that a fae had produced dust, but decided to write that thought off as a question to pester the people in the mirror district about for answers. The twirling felt out of character for her no matter how much she smiled as she did so. He’d seen her smile before, but never like this. His eyes met hers for the briefest second and he tried to duck to keep that contact. This was all wrong. But why? What had happened to her that had caused all this? Jared wished he was a smarter man, because he truly had no idea. He took a hold of her elbow gently and steered her towards the house back door as the front was currently locked. “You’re floating and stuff, that’s not….normal selkie stuff is it? Is this a selkie full moon kinda thing? Is this high tide selkie things?”

Skylar was more preoccupied with the way her fingers felt as she curled them into a fist-- it felt like her fingers were there, but they weren’t at the same time. Like her body was hers, but not hers. A giddy burbling laugh escaped her lips as she pressed her clenched hands into fists at her side, marvelling at the way her fingers seemed to slip into her palms, like the flesh was no boundary. At Jared’s questions though, her gaze soured. Selkie, selkie, selkie. He kept saying that word. She hated it, hate hate hated it. She was but she wasn’t, she was but she didn’t want to be. “High tide selkie things,” Skylar echoed, her voice high and sharp as she stared at her hands, fingers coming unstuck from the flesh of her hand. She hated the sound of that word, she hated it. She wanted to force the sound back down his throat, make him gag on it, make him choke on it, the way the word choked her every time she said it. Selkie. “Do you think I know what normal selkie things are?” She said, venom and vitriol in her tone as she reached out and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. Her grip was strong as the cocktail of drugs coursed through her veins and she let out a giddy laugh at how light he felt in her grasp. “Do you want to know what it feels like every time I say that word?” She asked, her fingers moving to wrap around his throat. 

Jared pushed open his back door and turned to look at her again, she was staring at her hands as she spoke and it was quite unsettling considering she’d never acted like this before when they’d met up. He might not know her the best, but he felt like he’d have at least noticed if she’d ever sounded like this before near him. Her voice was startling when she repeated back his words. He wasn’t sure whether that was due to him guessing correctly or something else. Of course he didn’t wait long to find out. His shirts stretched a little and then he was tugged roughly to make proper eye contact with her. The erratic change in behaviour shocked him, he was stuck for a moment simply lost in what was happening until he felt the need to cough as her hands shifted to tighten on his throat. He was a slow man so it took him a whole five seconds to react, and when he did he roughly ripped her hands from his neck, grip as tight as hers had been as he uses his leverage to shove her away, no thought in his mind lifting his leg as well to use it as extra force to create distance. “What the fuck Skylar?!” He chokes backing into the doorframe. 

The skin of his neck was soft as Skylar pressed her fingertips down-- but, before she could really latch onto him, she found herself being forced backwards. She stumbled slightly, her head swinging as she caught herself on the edge of the back porch. Another laugh escaped her lips as she stared at him, her pupils blown out and wide, the blue of her eyes barely visible. Movement erratic, she swayed from side to side as she lunged back at him with hands that had turned to fists. She swung wildly at Jared, catching him across the cheek with her knuckles. It all felt light and giddy and weightless as she moved back towards him, intent on throttling Jared once more. Nothing hurt her, not when all she felt was bliss. She reached out again, fingers outstretched and clawing towards him. “It doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter.” She said in a sing-song voice. 

His cheek stung as she landed a punch and his heart sped up but he had nowhere to back away to. Jared lashed out in return in a panic and lifted his knee into her stomach with force with an aim to wind her so that he could duck out of the reach of her fingers that seemed to be searching once again for his neck. His long legs caught on the many pairs of rain boots sitting outside the door, he fell backwards into the open door and scrambled backwards on his ass into the hall. “Skye, stop, what th-” his head collided with the table leg behind him painfully, having been too distracted to notice how far he’d travelled. His pained gasp was drowned by growling. The commotion had woken Cap, and the little raiju was buzzing with electric charge as it jumped off the stairs towards Skylar. He wanted to call Cap off, but Skylar was attacking him, and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to mask his fright enough to change the creature's mind. Cap advanced from behind Jareds head towards Skylar down the hallway, fur on end, teeth bared, and the sound of the visible electrical charge on his fur distinct. If Skylar touched him now she’d be electrocuted, although Cap had never managed to produce a lethal voltage or amperage it could do damage.

Skylar was barely aware that she’d chased him inside-- she just wanted to press her hands around his throat, to feel him gasp for breath between her fingers. She watched as he fell, his head hitting a table leg. He was saying something, but she didn’t hear and she didn’t care. She wanted to watch him choke on his words. Her leg pulled back to kick him in the ribs, but just as she was poised to attack, she saw something move in front of her. In her shifting vision, she saw a strange looking dog growling at her, fur standing on end. Freezing, Skylar stared at it, trying to figure out what it was. And as she did, she realized that the thing was buzzing with electrical energy. “Mmmmmmmm, nope.” She said with a shake of her head. Dogs, she hated dogs. And this one, it was wrong. “Another one of your kids?” Skylar sneered as she backed away from Jared. She hated it, hated them, hated everything in this town. 

The nymph was frozen to the spot watching as Cap took very slow decisive steps towards Skylar as she moved backwards. Jared pushed himself up a little and groaned as his head throbbed a little from the impact against the table. His eyes didn’t leave Skye as she backed out of the door. His heart was beating fast but his mind had calmed now that the threat was retreating. She sneered at him and his heart broke. What had just happened, what was going on? Something was wrong with her, it had to be right? She couldn’t have just done this… but her tone of voice spoke to him in a different way and his mind began to whisper different scenarios. Scenarios where she didn’t understand his kids, where she never had, and where she was a danger to them and him. She had to go, that much was clear. He stood slowly when she was backed out of the door and he reached out. More of his kids were near, if he could just ask them for help. They’d run her off the farm and...god them what would he do? Cap stopped at the door, but from the left of the house more noise could be heard. The doggles had emerged from the barn. “Get out of here, you’re not welcome anymore!” Jared yelled over the threatening barks.