#gay exophilia

[nine-of-words]

No Vacancy (Part One)

M Merfolk x M Orc Reader

STORY TAG || NEXT

Wordcount: 2981

Content Warnings: Astraphobia, Spawning, Slit Fingering, Oral Sex (Reader Performs)

Originally I planned on posting this for mermay, but the passage of time is my greatest enemy. :')

Well… This is about as prepared as you're going to be for this cyclone.

You've battened down every hatch. You've checked and double-checked the stabilizing wards. You’ve readied your backup generator, just in case a rogue, magically charged wave manages to overload the ship’s ley grid.

You’ve convened with your singular, unwaveringly faithful employee, Rosing - whom could care less about the coming storm, which she referred to as a ’drizzle’. 

Ah, to have the calm confidence of a middle aged kobold woman…

But most importantly, you've assured your passengers that you've run this open ocean route through heavily stormy conditions hundreds of times before and are well equipped to handle it, so they don’t need to worry.

That didn't stop some of them from continuing to fret - landlubbing tourists in the above deck rooms, of course. The merfolk occupying your various submerged rooms below deck haven't expressed so much as a peep of concern. They never do.

Now watching the heavy rain start to roll in, you can't help but think of how difficult it would be to swim in those storm churned waters.

You're at full capacity now, and you had expected your merman friend to stop and rest as he usually does during his longer courier runs, but you haven't seen head or tail of him yet.

You have found yourself looking out at the water more than once, absentmindedly scanning the spaces between white caps for his bright blue dorsal fin cresting the surface. 

Eyes skimming the water one last time as the downpour becomes unbearable even for you, you sigh, and head back inside to your cabin.

He probably just didn't need to stay this time, you assure yourself. You just hope that he’s somewhere safe from the impending storm.

You strip out of your rain gear in the open bridge area before walking into your sleeping quarters, so as to not make any puddles on the floor. It doesn’t take long for you to fall asleep after climbing into bed, more fatigued than you realized and rocked to sleep by the familiar roll of the ocean.

You wake later with a start to the sound of something heavy thudding loudly on the deck above you, audible even over the howl of the strong winds and pelting rain.

What was that? 

Probably equipment or supply crates bumping against the gunwales from the force of the storm. Usually nothing to worry about, but that sounded louder than normal, and something may have broken loose despite your detailed preparations. At worst, a thrill-seeking passenger decided to take a stroll in the storm and is in grave peril…

Caution wins out, and you rouse yourself from your comfort.

Hurriedly, you jump out of bed, pull on your raincoat and the pair of waxed trousers you have set out for tomorrow, and step into your boots. You have the foresight to grab your handheld spotlight as you head out of your cabin to go investigate.

The raging winds whip about you as you take a step out onto the open deck of your ship, shielding your face from sea spray with your forearm, your free hand holding you steady. Your eyes follow the beam of light through the poor visibility, searching for the source of the noise.

A lone crack of lightning streaks across the sky, making the hair on the back of your neck stand on end.

It doesn’t take long to locate a familiar pop of vibrant color. Beautifully reflective azure scales illuminate under the focused beam of the spotlight, stark against the greyed out haze of your surroundings. 

Sprawled out across the wooden planks is your dear friend - mostly limp and listless, being tossed around across the slippery surface with the force of each strong wave. He's managed to wrap the guide rope up around one of his hands, holding on for dear life as he's pelted by the elements.

"Noa!" You shout to the merman over the tumult of wind and rain and thunder, your body rushing into motion without active thought.

He weakly lifts his head at your voice, but if he responds, it's completely drowned out. He’s not shifted his tail into legs for some reason - so you steel your resolve to carry him in.

After stowing your spotlight in your pocket and waiting for a break in the onslaught of waves, you heave the merman’s body up with a grunt of effort. There is a surprising density to his athletic, piscine form, like that of most merfolk. 

The motion of hauling heavy loads of fish may still be second nature, but you've grown a bit soft in the middle since your fishing boat days. Life as a ferry ship captain carting tourists around the various island chains of the Indra-Thalassic isn't anywhere near as physically grueling - something you're thankful for, even if it makes this situation slightly more challenging.

You wobble slightly on the path back, your boots threatening to lose traction on the slippery deck from the uneven weight. 

Much more distracting is the feeling of his damp, smoothly scaled body against your fingertips. You can’t help the way you feel about him, despite how much you’ve tried to quash it over the course of your friendship… And you certainly don’t think it’ll ever be reciprocated, so you’ve resigned some time ago to continue to keep it to yourself. 

He would have to be the one to initiate a relationship anyway, due to Orcish standards…

But now is not the time to ponder this. So you brush those thoughts away, and try hard to focus on getting you both back to safety.

Luckily, you know your ferry ship like the back of your hand, and you manage to navigate back into the main cabin despite the treacherous weather and low light.

You carry your friend across the threshold like a prized catch. The heavy door shuts on its own behind you with a thud.

“Can I get a room?” Noa asks wryly, his voice tired.

You can't help but laugh.

"Boat's full up." You say simply, and then think to clarify as you glance out the porthole; "But I’m not turning you away in this mess. You can share my cabin for the night."

“Thanks.”

“You alright?”

“I’ll live. Just… too tired for legs right now.” He weakly motions to where his tail sways beneath your grasp.

"Got it. ...Now where to put you, then…" You wonder aloud. “Ah, I know.”

You enter your personal quarters, pass the alcove where your bed is, towards the head. The compact corner tub seems a good enough place as any to store a merman that’s physically incapable of shifting at the moment, so you carefully deposit him there.

“Huh. Neat.” Noa remarks, leaning back against the broad edge of the tub and removing his waterproof courier pouch. His bright eyes run over the bathroom fixtures in interest, his coiled braids quivering softly with the slight movement of his head.

From what he’s told you of his life, he hasn't spent a lot of time on land, so you have to wonder if he’s ever even seen a bathtub in person before.

“You must be cold and sore after all that.” You sit on the edge of the tub and turn the faucet, letting comfortably hot water rush over his flank and begin to fill the tub.

“Ah… That’s… nice.” He relaxes considerably.

"Why on Hearth were you out swimming during a cyclone?”

"Couldn't pass up the job, the gold was way too good." He sighs, holding a spread hand to his brow. "But the storm came in too fast, even for me."

He always seems to be working himself too hard. It makes you worry for his health…

“Mmn. How’d you get up on deck?”

“Jumped.” He says, far too nonchalantly for the impressive feat of agility he’s describing.

"Ah." You chuckle in admiration. “You’re amazing.”

“Keep telling me that and my head will get fat.” He smirks.

“Where were you going that was that important, anyway?”

Noa simply growls, throwing his head back in frustration and scrubbing his face with his palms.

"Sorry. That bad?"

"No. Just- don't worry about it." His brow knits, and his tail slaps the edge of the acrylic in irritation with a hollow thump. "I just… had a second stop there’s no way I’m going to make now. Stupid delivery held me up…"

“Hmmm. That’s rough.” You rub your beard, steering the conversation to a topic that will cause him less distress. “...You know, I don't think I've ever seen your colors like this. Did you always have so much purple in your scales?"

Noa’s scales are usually a gradient of blue and white, with stark white horizontal stripes lining his sides. But now his fins are an almost ultraviolet purple, with the darkened shade of his blue scales making the purple accents pop. The small, thin fins on his hips flutter rhythmically under the rising water.

"No, it's… seasonal."

That makes sense, you suppose. You don’t see him much at all during the migratory months.

“Suits you, is all.” 

You chat a bit more, until the tub has sufficiently filled. You cut off the flow with a metal squeak of the knob and rise to your feet.

It’s difficult to pull yourself away - you would spend so much more time with him if you could. And you may or may not be enjoying this view… as guilty as you feel for it.

"I should get some more rest before daybreak. But I'll be right over there if you need anything." You motion to where your bed is nestled into the wall.

"Thank you again." Noa nods, the grateful smile and sense of relief in his body language more than enough gratitude. "For always being here when I need you."

"Haha, not a problem at all, my friend."

You second guess stripping back down to your underclothes now that you have company, but your desire for comfort wins out. The humid air from the storm all but requires it. 

So you do, and quickly switch off the lights before returning to your bed for some much needed rest after all this excitement.

You hazily wake up what must be a few hours later, to the sound of water sloshing and wet footsteps. It'd be irritating being woken up for the second time in one night, if you weren't used to it coming with the territory. Something always needs attention on a boat.

More than anything, you're confused. Then, you remember - Noa is in your cabin tonight. 

"Nnnh-?" You go to say his name, instead being abruptly silenced by the sight you register.

Noa is standing on his own strong legs at the foot of your bed, water rapidly wicking off his completely bare skin. The saturated color of his scales is even more apparent in the brief flashes of light from the storm outside.

"Cold." He says simply, quietly, staring you down with a strangely intense look in his eyes.

Ah, the tub water must've gone cold.

You grunt in acknowledgement, holding up your quilt and motioning for him to join you without putting too much thought into it. 

Noa doesn’t seem to need an explicit verbal invitation, climbing up onto your raised bed without a problem.

But rather than the slightly awkward warmth of sharing a blanket at a platonic distance you were expecting, you get something much different.

He straddles you, his weight pressing sweetly against your groin. From this angle you have a clear view of the pink flush on his lower stomach, framing his swollen, needy genital vent, even in the low light.

“Noa?” You finally inquire, your voice still froggy as you let the raised quilt slip from between your fingers. Certain parts of your body are waking up faster than others.

“I was going to Spawn. That's where I was headed,” He finally admits in a pained, breathy response. “Thought I could make it in time… But…"

Well, the subtext there is pretty clear.

You’re stunned for a moment, unsure that this is really happening, or if you’re still dreaming. It’s not every day the object of your unrequited affection crawls into your bed and essentially asks for sex.

Noa presses his hips flush against yours and grinds, restless and agitated in his movements, as if you needed any more confirmation of what he wants.

Your body has taken little time to react, given your pre-existing affection for him. You can feel the persistent throb of your newly erect cock as it prods against Noa’s pelvis.

You know you shouldn’t… that this will end in heartache, like it normally does for you… You’re fairly sure Noa isn’t typically into men and is just desperate, and that never ends with anything that lasts longer than arrival at the next port.

…But it’s him. 

The rubbery soft skin gliding against your own makes your head empty of any other thought, valid concern or not. Not to mention the pressure and movement against your loins starting to let it take the helm over your brain.

“You know I need something a little more direct than that to work with.” You say, the taboo of initiating on your end the only thing still holding you back.

“Please,” Noa all but begs, his voice shuddering. “I need… Nngh… Help.”

Thunder cracks outside, breaking the silence, followed by a flash of lighting illuminating Noa’s form on top of you.

Ultimately, you are weak. You can’t resist, and start rubbing yourself against him in turn from beneath.

An excited, ragged sigh escapes Noa’s chest in response.

Oh. You definitely need to hear more of that.

You reach down, drawing a line with a finger along the edge of his swollen slit, enjoying the way he squirms at the sensation. Then you press your finger inside, immediately sinking in deep from the copious amount of natural lubricant.

Noa gasps in surprise and a brief look of panic flashes across his face, before it’s completely obliterated by an expression of enjoyment, his eyes glazing over from watching your fingers thrust in and out of his own body so easily. The muscles around his opening start to contract rhythmically around the intrusion, squeezing you.

You pull your fingers out when you feel Noa’s phallus start to emerge, rigid but still slightly squishy to the touch.

Noa shifts to hover over you, balancing his weight on his palms and knees, and you allow yourself to be pressed back against the bed. The ends of his braids tickle your exposed chest.

“Aah- Never done this out-  outta the water.” He chokes out in warning. “Or with a man-”

You want to reach upwards - hold the back of his neck firm and kiss him - and for a moment you’re tempted to act on the impulse. But, you resist.

"It's not all that different." You reassure him. “I don’t have any lube at the moment, so my mouth will have to do.”

Noa grunts in approval, clearly fine with whatever he can get at this point.

You hook your legs on the edge of the bed and shift your body downward using your calf strength. Your mouth trails down Noa's chest and torso as you go, until you're at hip height, staring down his now throbbing cock.

Grip firm on his hips, you guide him into your mouth. Noa, unsurprisingly, tastes a bit like the ocean, a subtle hint of salt pooling on your palette..

He immediately lets out a shuddering gasp that morphs into a groan, hips bucking forward in automatic, biological need.

Your curved tusks press against the firm muscles of his inner thighs, his skin soft and ticklish against your facial hair. 

After adjusting his knees into a position at your shoulders slightly more conducive to pumping, he tests the roll of his hips. You grunt encouragingly, sucking and pressing your tongue along the underside as he moves, pulling an eager groan out of him.

It doesn’t take long for him to become comfortable with the motion, and he starts to shamelessly and forcefully thrust into your mouth. The tip of his cock repeatedly jabs at the soft flesh at the back of your throat. The urge to gag is strong, but you manage to tamp it down and relax your throat. You dig your calloused fingers into the side of his thighs, bobbing your head against his strokes.

Despite being fit and having enough stamina to swim cross-ocean for a living, Noa is clearly already worn down from his recent ordeal; already at his limit barely after starting.

In what seems like no time, Noa lets out a string of breathless grunts and his struggling thighs tremble around your jaw. You’re nearly blinded by his vibrant colors that seem to literally light up the dark cabin - The stripes on his sides flicker in phosphorescent white, like the streaks of lightning outside. 

Cum shoots down your throat without you even needing to swallow, completely coating it. The subtle salty taste from before is a full-blown brine now.

Noa rolls off of you and limply collapses onto his back against the bed, chest heaving for air so deeply you can see the pink flash of his gills peek out between his ribs each time his lungs expand.

“T-Thanks- Sorry? Nngh-” He gasps in shame, looking like all his life force has left his body. 

“No problem at all.” You say, a bit hoarse, rubbing your throat.

By the time you’ve fully caught your own breath and propped yourself up, he’s already out like a light, fast asleep exactly where he landed.

You let out a sigh of a laugh, and get up to lumber into the head to take care of yourself.

Not the least sleep you’ve gotten in one night in this line of work…

>> ✨ MASTERLIST >> ☕ KO-FI

[itstheendofthegoddamnworld]

47 idc what creature as long as it’s lgbt

I was gone for a bit, but let's continue Monstober before October is over! This monster is a minotaur.

https://itstheendofthegoddamnworld.tumblr.com/post/663839364948918272/monstobermonster-sentence-starters-nsfwsfw - Monster sentence starters

47) Stop pushing everyone away.

He sulked as he moved, a heavy mass of muscle moving as one, crashing things in his way.

It was similar to a bull, bulldozing its way through to destruction, and it could only take you to stop him.

"My love, your anger will not stop my concerns." You wavered, watching cautiously as your lover whipped his head around back to you, steam seeming to pour off his body.

"It's easier said than done," he grumbled, pawing his large at the ground to assert more dominance. "Calmness is not my forte."

"I know, I know," you had to decide quickly whether to stand in front of him or allow his rampage to continue, "but perhaps we could talk this through a bit better-"

"There isn't much to discuss," he grunted, "you worry always too much."

Your heart clenched at his words, and you chose to ignore his insult. "I worry for a reason, my love. I care about you-"

"Like I said, you worry too much," he laughed wryly. "Leave me to it."

You could feel your anger begin to slowly match his. "Do you seriously think I'm going to allow you to destroy our bedroom? I would much rather talk to you than have you bottle your feelings."

The minotaur looks at you for a moment in disbelief, as if your words are as foreign and spoken in dead tongues that he had to understand.

"I just," you clamoured, "I worry about you and I don't like seeing you like this, nor do I like being left out of this. We're a team, aren't we? We talk our feelings through." You sighed defeatedly, "So, please, stop pushing everyone away."

There is an awkward pause between the two of you, and you can't decide to walk away and let him cool down, but you're surprised when you're embraced in the warm arms of your lover.

Hugging you tightly to his broad chest, you practically smushed as your feet dangled off the ground.

"I'm sorry," he mumbles earnestly, and you're surprised to hear the pain in his tone. "You're right, you've stuck with me through thick and thin, and I push you away so often. I'm sorry, my love."

You blink stunned, embracing him just as tightly as you can back. "I know... how about we start off slow, and talk how you're feeling through?"

[squishysoftmonsters]

Triggers : Sexual Content/Somophilia/Expansion[Mature +18 Minors/Ageless DNI]

💚Imagine the entire wang of harpy lover while trying to sleep go inside,your organs shifting just to fit the sheer size,nuggets slapping your cheeks as the thickest of creams covers your innards. You remained asleep as he held the nape of your neck in his jaws,nailed hands cutting your soft human flesh.

Unaccustomed to home life,their natural mating took over,saliva from their mouth keeping you pleasurably asleep as their wings flap from excitement. They snarl and bite harder,clawing more frantic as he orgasms,filling you with seed as you sleep,the glittery thick yet creamy leftovers spilling from your gape,being so full.

Your full belly gurgles as the harpy's soft eagle cries muffle in your neck.. You had consented,wanted to teach him how to mate properly,but was too tired to do so and the hybrid was desperate,as they were smitten with you,to claim you as theirs.💚

[satansfreshhottiddymilk]

Ramsuse n Ollie fuckin prt

TWO

[thetravelerwrites]

Yew (Part 1)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences  Relationship: Male Centaur/Male Centaur  Additional Tags: Exophilia, Centaurs, MLM Content Warnings: Amputee, Amputated Leg, Prosthetics Series: Part 12 of Monster Lovers: Shelter Forest  Words:  4,101

Yew finally gets his own fic! Yew makes his very first rescue: a surly centaur dumped on the side of the road. Please reblog and leave feedback!

Ethari was losing his vision rapidly. He hadn’t eaten in days, the fever was taking over his entire body, and the blood loss had rendered him extremely frail. The ranch hands had dropped him on the side of the road somewhere, but he wasn’t sure where. He kept trying to stand, but in his delirium, he forgot that his left foreleg up to the knee was now missing and unable to take any weight, so he continuously stumbled and fell into the mud of the roadside.

He fell for a final time, completely sapped of strength, and as he was losing consciousness, he heard a voice call out.

“I knew it! I saw someone! Mama, hurry!” 

In his dimming perception, he saw a dark face with green-blue eyes and a fluff of white hair haloed around their head. 

“You’re gonna be alright,” They said softly. “Everything’s going to be alright.” 

And Ethari passed out.

When he awoke again, he was inside a stall lying on rough burlap cushions instead of hay or straw and was covered with several blankets to guard against the winter cold. Panicking, he began kicking the walls with his back legs. He had been conditioned not to scream or yell, so kicking was the only means of rebellion or dissent he was capable of. So he kicked hard over and over, making a lot of noise in the process.

“Oi, oi!” A voice called. Ethari saw the face of a handsome man look into the open upper half of the stall door. He had blue eyes, tanned skin, and dark hair. “Could you keep it down? My wife is resting.” 

“Who are you?” Ethari asked aggressively, his voice raspy and harsh to his own ear. “What’s going on, where am I?” 

“Ugh, I hate dealing with pissy, angry males. Yew! Would you come and deal with this, please? I need to look after Hazel.” 

The handsome face disappeared momentarily, and the full door swung open, revealing that the handsome face was attached to a brown centaur body with black socks and a black tail, which flicked back and forth in agitation. He wore a bright red winter coat on his upper body and a matching riding blanket on his back. 

Seeing one of his own kind, Ethari relaxed slightly without realizing it.

“I thought she was feeling better,” Said another voice, almost chirpy sounding, and a beautiful, slender, black-and-white piebald centaur entered Ethari’s vision. Ethari recognized him as the person he’d seen when he was blacking out on the roadside. The skin of his upper torso was so dark that it was nearly black, contrasting starkly with his pale eyes, curly mop of white hair, and long, feathery lashes. He wore a black winter coat and riding blanket, both with intricate white stitching.

“She still needs rest,” The other centaur said, annoyed. There was a knock that came from somewhere in the building, and Birch’s head swiveled sharply to look in that direction. “Keep this guy quiet, would you? If she takes a bad turn, I’m taking it out on him, I don’t care how hurt he is.” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Yew said, waving him away.

The brown centaur dashed off, disappearing from view, and the black and white centaur came into the stall, which was spacious enough to allow him inside with Ethari comfortably. 

“Sorry about him,” He said, and it was then that Ethari realized he was carrying a tray with fruit and vegetables on it on one arm and a simple brown wool coat in the other. “He’s really touchy when it comes to Hazel. You shouldn’t move around so much, you know, since you were a proper mess to clean up. You've lost a lot of blood; it took my mother ages to stop the bleeding. There were bone fragments in the stump that had to be removed, too, and you’ve got a nasty infection. You’re gonna feel like pounded garbage for quite a while, so try not to reopen the wound and make it worse.” 

“Where am I?” Ethari repeated. “Who are you?” 

“I’m Yew,” The centaur said, setting the tray on a low table nearby. It was one of several items of furniture that seemed designed with four-legged folks in mind. “You’re in a guest stall at my parents’ farm, the barn specifically. You’ve been out for a couple of days. Mama was worried you’d starve. Here, put this on. It’s cold.” 

He held out the coat for Ethari to take, which he did, snatching it out of his hands roughly. Once he had shrugged it on, Yew reached out to touch Ethari, and Ethari flinched, slapping his hand away. 

“Relax, I’m just checking your temperature,” Yew said, knocking Ethari’s hand aside and placing his palm on his forehead. “You’re still feverish, but you’re not boiling like you were two days ago.” 

Ethari swiped at him, his anxiety spiking. “Get off me! What are you people going to do to me?” He asked indignantly, trying to back away from Yew but not getting far. 

“Nothing?” Yew replied, tilting his head. “Other than overfeed you, maybe. My papa is always encouraging people to eat more. Speaking of which, you must be hungry, right? Eat.” Yew motioned at the tray. “Don’t try to stand up yet. We’ve contacted my brother, Cetzu; he’s really good at carving. He may be able to fix you up.” 

“What are you talking about?” Ethari said distrustfully. “What do you mean? What do you people want from me?” 

“Like I said, nothing,” Yew said, moving toward the door. “Eat your food before you pass out again. Keep the noise down, though. Birch’s threats aren’t empty. If you disturb Hazel at all, he’ll knock you on your tail.” 

“I’m already on my tail,” Ethari said sarcastically. 

Yew laughed good naturedly. 

“I suppose that’s true. Eat.” And with that, Yew closed his door.

As soon as there was no one in sight, Ethari began wolfing down the food that was offered. He knew he would make himself sick doing that, but he couldn’t control himself; he was literally starving. Thankfully there wasn’t too much on the tray, perhaps because they knew he would have gorged himself if there was, so he wasn’t grossly over-full. There was a jug of water on the table and he drank deeply from it, not even bothering to use a cup.

After he finished, he made an attempt to stand, only to stumble and fall immediately. Groaning in frustration, he thumped his hands against the floor. Unable to move and suddenly exhausted, despite his anxiety and fear, Ethari passed out once more.

When he woke up again, it was dark. His stall door was open and there was a candle burning on the frame of the door. Yew was kneeling on his belly just outside of his stall door, knotting cord by candlelight. 

“What do you want?” Ethari snapped. 

Yew looked up. “Ah, you’re awake.” He set the cord aside and got to his feet, bringing in another tray of food and taking the empty one. 

“Why didn’t you just let me die?” Ethari asked. “What do you get out of helping me?” 

“Why would we need to get something out of it?” Yew asked, tilting his head again as if he didn’t understand. He reminded Ethari of a puppy he once knew, ages and ages ago. “That’s not something we care about around here.” 

Ethari grunted distrustfully. Yew knelt down next to him and regarded him thoughtfully. Ethari leaned back, glaring at Yew.

“Am I allowed to leave?” Ethari asked. 

“Well, sure,” Yew said. “If you really want to leave, we won’t stop you, but I… can’t imagine you’d get far at the moment. You can’t even stand up yet.” 

Ethari couldn’t argue with that, but he wasn’t about to say it out loud.

“You’re from a ranch, too, aren’t you?” Yew said suddenly. 

Ethari blinked. “Too?” He echoed, surprised out of his wary demeanor. He didn’t need to ask what kind of ranch Yew meant.

“Yeah,” Yew pulled his curly hair aside and showed Ethari the ear with the puncture hole in it from where the cattle tag had been. “My brother, Birch, and I escaped from one years ago when I was seven, from the big continent north of here. Did you escape too?” 

“I don’t know you. I don’t have to tell you anything,” Ethari said hotly.

“No, I know that,” Yew said, but he waited expectantly, his expression open and curious.

“I didn’t escape,” Ethari said eventually, if reluctantly. “There was… an accident.” He shifted his missing leg, and then stopped and winced when the pain got worse. “I couldn’t work anymore, so they were sending me somewhere, but I don’t know where. When they realized I was dying, they dumped me on the road.” He peered at Yew. “How did you know?” 

“You don’t have a tag like Birch and I did, but I can tell. You’ve got whip marks on your flanks and I saw what seemed like shackle marks on your back legs. I’ve seen enough of those in my youth to know exactly what it means.” Yew sighed despondently. “I didn’t realize there were slave ranches here.” 

For the first time, he looked sad and disheartened. It didn’t suit him, Ethari thought. He looked better when he had that big, dopey smile on his face.

“Officially, there aren’t,” Ethari told him. “It’s operating illegally, I gather. That’s why they were sending me away. I heard that legal ranches have to report accidents to the local lord, for compensation. I can’t collect compensation as a slave, and the owners can’t report and out themselves for owning slaves illegally. So they had to get rid of me. I don’t know what their original plan was. I shudder to imagine, though.” 

“Are there others? I mean centaurs, like us?” 

Ethari shook his head. “Only me and two others. They’re still there. They were sold to the ranch from the colosseum in the big city, what’s it called? Dunmountain? Around there. They have debts to pay, so they’re indentured. My mother was also enslaved there, but she died four winters back. I think she was indentured, too, but we never talked about it. She didn’t like to bring it up. But when she died, I inherited her debts, so…”

“Are there others besides centaurs? How many?” 

“A dozen, I think? There could be more I don’t know about, I was confined to the fields and the barn, so there were places on the ranch I’d never seen or entered.”  

“Where is it? The ranch, I mean,” Yew asked, a strange glint in his eye. A hint of anger, perhaps? Another emotion that didn’t suit his face.

“I don’t know,” Ethari admitted. “I was born and raised there. This is the first time I’ve ever been off the ranch in my life.”

“It feels weird, huh?” Yew said with a sad smile. “Like you should be doing something. You’re not used to sitting still in one place, right?” 

Ethari paused and nodded, grimacing. “I feel… off. Out of place. The ranch was terrible, but… it’s familiar. I know what to expect there. All this…” He waved at the stall and gestured at Yew. “I don’t know what any of this is.” 

Yew nodded. “It’ll feel strange for a while. Don’t worry. Everything will be alright.” 

Ethari couldn’t help but allow the corner of his mouth to go up slightly.

“You sound so certain of that.” 

Yew grinned. “I am.” Yew got to his feet and made to leave. “Eat and rest. Don’t worry about a thing. Mama will be in in the morning to check on you, but don’t be rude to her; she saved your life.” He pointed a finger at Ethari in warning, but Yew looked so unserious that Ethari nearly laughed. “One thing you gotta know about me: I’m a mama’s boy through and through, so don’t you go disrespecting my mama.”

Ethari snorted. “I’ll keep that in mind.” 

The next morning, Ethari was awoken by the door of his stall opening and an older human woman with greying hair entered, wearing a blouse and sensible trousers and carrying a bag.

“You’re not a centaur,” Ethari said. 

“Well-spotted,” She said with a lilt in her voice. “You’ll be hard pressed to find many of your kind on this continent. There are only a handful or so that I know of, besides my boys, and that includes you.” 

“You’re Yew’s mother?” 

“The very same,” She said, reaching out her hand for a handshake. “I’m Ryel.” 

Ethari didn’t take her hand, simply glared at it distrustfully, and she eventually dropped it. 

“I’m here to change your bandages,” Ryel said. “Are you gonna let me do that?” 

“Just don’t do anything funny,” Ethari said, leaning a bit so she could get to the stump. 

“I don’t have a funny bone in my body, child,” She said with a chuckle. Ethari suddenly saw where Yew got his sense of humor. 

“So, Yew’s adopted, then?” 

“Of course,” Ryel said, pulling off the dirty bandages. “All of my children are adopted. My husband and I can’t have children, so we opened our home to the ones who need one.” 

“How many kids do you have?”

“Certainly more than most, but we like it that way. There are always more kids that need homes, and we like being that home. We’ll likely be taking them in until we die, and our kids will continue the tradition. That’s why we started this place.” 

“Hmm,” Ethari hummed, and then winced when she began cleaning the wound. “Is that big brown asshole yours, too?” 

Ryel laughed. “Oh, yes, he’s mine. Don’t take his current attitude to heart, child. He and Hazel got married recently, and Hazel’s been in delicate health lately, and he’s a little frazzled. He’s normally more level-headed.” 

“I don’t care,” Ethari said. “I’m not going to be here long enough to find out.” 

“If you say so,” Ryel said. She began rewrapping the wound. “Although, I’d wager you’ll be here for quite a while. Cetzu, another of my sons, will be here in a few days. He runs an orphanage in Coleville and he hates leaving it for too long, but he’s agreed to help fit you with a prosthetic. You’ll have to wait a few months for your stump to heal before you can even start to get used to using it, but there’s no reason not to start making it now. It can be adjusted once you’re able to wear it.” 

“And how much is that going to cost me?” Ethari asked bitterly. “What am I going to have to do to pay you back?” 

“Well, that’s not necessary, but hands are always helpful,” Ryel said. “Besides, it’s the chilly season, so there’s really nothing to do at the moment. All the canning and jarring is done, and there are only a few winter crops out in the fields right now which they don’t need much tending to and pretty much grow on their own, so there’s not really any need for you to do anything besides recover.” 

He grunted, not sure if he believed her. 

“And more to the point,” She continued as she packed up the medical bag. “You’re not in any condition to be doing any paying back, as it is.” 

“I’ll accept that,” He said begrudgingly. “I guess I don’t need to worry about it for a while, then.” 

“No reason to worry about it at all,” Ryel said with a laugh. “Listen, son, I get why you’ve got misgivings, but really, we don’t expect anything from you beyond getting better. Whatever you want to do once you’re up and about is your prerogative.”

“If you say so,” He replied. 

“You don’t have to believe me, child,” Ryel said, standing. “Rest. Yew will be in soon with your breakfast.” 

“Why him?” Ethari asked peevishly. 

“I suppose he feels responsible for you, having been the one to find you. You’re his first rescue, after all.” Ryel sighed. “You don’t have to like him, you know, but he’s just trying to help.” And she left. 

It wasn’t so much that Ethari didn’t like Yew, it’s just that Yew… was too perceptive. He saw more than Ethari wanted him to see. It made him uncomfortable. And he was too… happy. Ethari was used to being surrounded by those who were beaten down by their lives and circumstances, so he assumed most people were like that. He’d never met anyone who could brighten a room just by walking in it, the way Yew could. It almost hurt to look at Yew. He was like sunlight, but the kind that suddenly flooded a darkened room that light hadn’t touched in years, blinding and painful.

Soon enough, Yew arrived with another tray, just as Ryel said, but Ethari was squirming by the time he showed up.

“What’s up with you?” Yew asked, noticing Ethari fidget. “Did you eat something bad?” 

Ethari growled. “I… have to…” 

“Hmm? Speak up, I can’t hear you.” 

“I need the privy!” Ethari said loudly, embarrassed. 

“Oh!” Yew said, seemingly unfazed. “No problem, I’ll help. Here.” Yew held out his hands. “Stand up. You can lean on me.” 

Still distrustful but slightly desperate, Ethari took Yew’s hands and, after some struggle, managed to haul himself unsteadily to his feet. Yew swung around and used his own body to support the length of Ethari’s body. Slowly, with a lot of help from Yew, Ethari was able to limp out of the barn. Some of the other stalls also seemed to be occupied, but the doors were closed so Ethari couldn’t see inside. 

“Are there other four-legged folk here?” Ethari asked. 

“There’s Reed. He’s a deertaur, really rare. He’s smaller than centaurs, but he’s got antlers, so he needs as much room as we do. I’ve never even seen another person like him.” 

“Neither have I,” Ethari said, surprised. “I wasn’t even aware there was such a thing.” 

“There’s one more, I fibbed. Reed’s daughter is half-deertaur, but she takes after him and has four legs. She got her own stall recently, just turned thirteen. She’s at that age where she doesn’t want to share a room with her parents anymore, you know.” 

“I don’t know, actually.”

Yew laughed. “His son, River, has two legs, like his mother, but he’s got hooves, too. He’s really unique. Lymera has hooves too, but she’s a fawn, so that’s not unusual. She used to stay in the barn, as well. She liked it better than the house.”  

Ethari made a face. “Why are you telling me all this?” 

Yew laughed again. “Because you asked?” 

“I didn’t ask for the roster of your family, I just asked if there were four-legged folks besides you and your surly brother.” 

“True, but it doesn’t hurt to know. Besides, talking takes your mind off the pain. Hurts more when you’re quiet, doesn’t it? Talking distracts you.” 

It was excruciatingly slow progress, but finally they reached the latrine at the edge of the treeline. It was far enough away that the smell didn’t reach the house of the barn, but that meant getting there was an undertaking for Ethari. He was exhausted by the time he got there. He was able to enter by leaning his body against the walls of the latrine and limping inside, but once he had finished his business in there, it took all his strength not to collapse. 

“I need to rest for a moment,” Ethari said, breathing heavily. 

“Here, let’s get away from the latrine first,” Yew said, swinging around to support him again. Yew managed to get him to a patch of moss before Ethari practically fell. 

“I feel like I’m gonna hurl,” Ethari said, his upper torso bent and resting against a nearby tree. 

“Try not to, it’s not good for our kind to vomit,” Yew said, holding Ethari’s hair. “We’re too similar to horses like that.” 

“I’m fully aware of that,” Ethari snipped. “But that knowledge doesn’t help me in this situation.” 

“You want a beer?” Yew asked. “Birch always drinks when he feels sick. Counter-intuitive, I know, but it seems to help him.” 

“A beer would be amazing right now,” Ethari admitted. 

“Be right back,” Yew said, and dashed off. 

Ethari tried to breathe through the nausea, willing himself to keep his breakfast in his stomach, and heard four legs trotting up. 

“I had to fight Birch to get it,” Yew said, handing Ethari a wooden cup. “He really doesn’t like you.” 

“I don’t like him either,” You said peevishly, taking the cup and gulping swallows of the beer slowly. “Don’t you drink? I’ve never met a centaur who doesn’t drink. We were allowed beer even on the ranch.” 

Yew shrugged. “It’s just not for me. I can supplement what I need from alcohol with other things. Besides, I prefer wine, but it’s hard to store wine here. I get it every once in a while as a treat, but I don’t need it all the time.” 

“And you call yourself a centaur,” Ethari said, snickering.

“Hey, don’t tease, I already get enough of that from Birch.” 

You drained the cup and handed it back. “Is Birch the only one who drinks around here?” 

Yew nodded. “Afraid so. If you need more, you’ll have to go through him.” 

“Can’t I just go through you? Wouldn’t he give you some if you asked?” 

“Well, sure, but he knows I don’t drink. You might want to work on getting in his good graces.” 

“Ugh,” Ethari grunted. “I just can’t wait to kiss that guy’s ass.” 

Yew laughed. “All you gotta do is be nice to Hazel. That’s his softest spot. He really loves her.” 

“Hmm,” Ethari hummed, pensive. “I wonder what that feels like.” 

“Me too,” Yew said wistfully. “I’m kind of jealous of them, to be honest.” 

“You’re too young to think that way.” 

“Am I?” He said, tilting his head again. “I don’t think so. I think it’s normal to think about things like this. Being in love with someone is nearly impossible in a place like a ranch, where people are just trying to survive, so I think it’s normal to wonder about what loving someone feels like. Didn’t you just say that?” 

Ethari snorted. “I guess I did. You’re still too young. You’re not even twenty yet, right?” 

“So what?” Yew said, shrugging. “I’m old enough to get married, so I’m more than old enough to wonder.” Yew looked up toward the house. “Ah! Cetzu is here. I expected him to take longer, but he probably just wants to get back quicker. He’s another one who’s a fool for his family.” 

“The orphanage director?” Ethari asked. “And wood carver?” 

“He’s really a jack-of-all-trades type. He’ll fix you up. Do you think you can make it back to the barn?” 

Ethari sighed heavily. “I’ll try.” 

“Let me know if you can’t. I’ll get the boys to lift you like we did the day we found you.” 

Ethari grimaced at the thought. “No, on second thought, I’ll make it. If it kills me, I’ll make it on my own.” He peered up at Yew in an unfriendly way. “Well… help me up, would you?” 

Yew laughed again. “Yes, yes, come on.” 

With Yew’s help, Ethari managed to return to his stall in the barn, though he was so exhausted that he hit the ground as soon as he entered it. He was breathing hard, his heart beating out of his chest. He was in immense pain from that small amount of physical activity.

“I think I’m dying,” He wheezed. 

“No, you’re not dying,” Yew said, helping him out of his coat and covering him with blankets again. “But maybe we should see about fashioning you some sort of bedpan, so you don’t have to move again.”

“That sounds like a nightmare, but let’s do that,” Ethari said. “I don’t think I can move again for a while.” 

Yew laid his body down next to Ethari, covering him with blankets and using his own body to warm him. 

“You’ll be alright, Ethari,” Yes said softly, patting his back. “Don’t worry. I won’t let you die. You’ve got your whole life left to live, now that you’re out of that place.” He pulled Ethari’s sweat drenched hair away from his face. “Don’t worry,” He repeated. “I’ll take care of you.” 

Ethari lost consciousness, the last sensation he felt were Yew’s fingertips against his forehead.

Since my work is no longer searchable, please do me a favor and reblog this story if you enjoyed it. Help me reach a wider audience! To help me continue creating, please consider buying me a Kofi, becoming a Patron, or donating directly to my PayPal!

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My Masterlist

The Exophilia Creator’s Masterlist

[ash-rigby]

*or nonbinary/genderqueer/fluid/agender etc.

[sinnersdekay]

Hmm, to have a pretty human sitting on my lap, softly whimpering and begging to be fucked nicely. We would have so much fun — marking their neck as I slowly finger them, edging them every now and then. Yeah, very nice.

[seyumei]

The day I fell in love with you.

[vesprynna]

A while ago I shared some OCs I had simmering in my brain juices after watching OFMD and Pirates of Darkwater again, and... I finally found some names and began writing a bit on their story. It's a work in progress, but I'm having fun world building with them so far ^^

Read on below for some colorful blorbo drabble c:

Randa is a young Sun elf living on a remote island paradise, but despite his idyllic homeland, he keeps gazing out at the ocean, wishing for more. Engrossing himself in tales of daring adventure, exciting seafaring and treasure hunting, his dreams of a life beyond his island rests on the wings of the gulls that fly out to sea. Across the very same ocean, sails a charming and mischievous pirate captain by the name of Baltan. Making friends and foes alike, he and his crew travel far and wide in search of treasure and adventure. Their freedom is highly cherished, and while Baltan feels like he should be satisfied with his lot in life... something still feels like it's missing.

As fate will have it, the two men will cross paths for better or for worse. Will Randa find the freedom he desperately craves, and will Baltan finally discover the treasure he's always been missing? Idk, I guess we'll find out eventually -_(ツ)_/¯

[nine-of-words]

No Vacancy (Part Five)

M Merfolk x M Orc Reader

PREVIOUS || STORY TAG || NEXT

Wordcount: 3028

Content Warnings: Smoking, References to Sex Work

This segment was emotionally exhausting to write (complimentary)

“Eat.” 

Rosing all but slams the bowl down in front of you, where you’ve been sitting in your cabin staring out the porthole, lost in thought. 

You’ve been so distracted with your agenda and the calculations you've been scratching out that you didn’t even notice that she must have started cooking when she entered the galley a while ago. But now, it’s hard to miss the warm, spiced scent of curry when it’s sitting right under your nose.

You’d been avoiding taking meals in general; you’ve had no appetite with the pit of worry occupying your gut. But this scent is almost enticing enough to make you forget about that for a few minutes…

You know better than to waste food she’s served you, so you do start to dig in. While you start pretty unenthusiastically, her cooking is too good to not end up eating voraciously before you know it.

“You can’t hide in your cabin forever.” The kobold woman scolds you unabashedly as she takes her own meal. She sighs. “Moping over a boy.”

Despite the chiding from someone less than half your size, having the company feels good after sequestering yourself lately. 

“I don’t plan on it.” You say, rubbing the back of your neck with your free hand. “After we drop these tourists off at the island, I’m going to make a small detour on the way back, but it might delay our arrival at port for a bit."

"Because of his issue?"

You did tell Rosing a good bit about what happened - she's just too good at extracting information from you, basically being your family at this point. You just tried to stay mindful of which specific details you shared, for Noa's sake.

"Yeah. It'll probably only take half a day. But I know you like to take your leave in port, so I wanted to make sure that was okay with you before committing to this plan.”

“Doesn’t bother me, if it’s what you need to do. Dancehall will still be there.”

That’s a pretty glowing endorsement from her, so you’re pleased to have the support.

The day after next, you've arrived at your destination and anchored your boat. Unsurprisingly, it’s begun to languidly drizzle while you’ve made your preparations. 

You pull on your raincoat and say your goodbye to Rosing. Then, you board your captain's gig and lower yourself into the water with the winch.

It's difficult to not second guess yourself, when it's just you and the sound of the outboard motor and the raindrops smattering loudly against the rubber hood covering your head. 

You are technically going against his wishes by getting involved, but… You know you can help him. You have the ability to easily solve his problem- how could you claim to love someone and sit idly by while they suffer? You certainly can't.

The rain is persistent the entirety of the short trip towards the other, looming ship, to the point of you wondering if the small dinghy will completely sink while you're gone as you secure it. …A risk you're willing to take, you decide as you climb out of it.

It’s been a long time since you’ve been on a working ship; a vessel that isn’t completely spotless as to not offend tourist sensibility, but one that exists in a constant state of semi-grime. Still, it’s far less disgusting than the deep permeating filth of a fishing boat - at least the rain is giving it a good wash.

It doesn’t take much time between someone spotting you as out of place, and you being escorted to the captain’s cabin. The cabin itself is pretty cluttered and dingy, but it isn’t its state of cleanliness that puts you at unease, so much as the poor lighting exacerbated by the weather. Every corner is coated in thick shadow, like a spectral hand could reach out and grab you if you get too close. You take off your raincoat and hang it on a nearby coat rack.

“Well, fancy seeing you here.” Uttar actually has a flash of surprise visible on his face before it swiftly vanishes underneath his hardened features. He motions to the ratty velvet padded chair across from him. “Folks tend to get lost.”

"Hello, nice ship you have here.” You take a seat and say, meaning it for the most part- you've been on much, much worse, after all. As far as fishing boats and pirate ships go, there isn't that much difference besides decor.

"My line a’work has it's perks. Better than breaking my back haulin' fish all day. But I’m sure you know all about that, yerself.” Uttar grins as he pulls a cigar box from his desk drawer. 

“True.” You have to question just how similar your work is now, but you can at least agree on that point…

"Now, what brings ya to my neck of the seas?" He slowly selects a cigar, and motions to offer you one. You decline with a subtle hand movement, so he puts the box away and proceeds to light his own. “Can’t imagine a little social call in this sort a’downpour.”

“No, this is more of a business matter, I suppose.” You chuckle, trying to break up the undercurrent of slowly building tension in the conversation. "It's regarding… a mutual friend."

"Well now, that does sound interestin'. I was under the impression that we didn't have many a’those left these days."

“Oh, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that. You seemed to enjoy yourself the other day, at least?”

“Didn’t say I didn’t, but I haven’t seen head or tail of you in near’a decade and then I see ya twice in a fortnight? Things don’t just go’n spring up like that without reason, as it were.”

He’s not asking the question directly, but it’s there all the same.

"The reason is Noa." You say, cutting through the niceties to the heart of the issue.

You dig a hand into the breast pocket of your kurta and set a neatly packed case of thin, flat traveler's gold bars on the desk.

Uttar takes a long drag from his cigar and rubs his wiry beard in thought, probably to avoid looking like a salivating hound upon seeing that much gold presented to him.

“Didn’t think ya the type of man that needed to buy himself whores.” Uttar sneers in a teasing, infuriatingly chummy tone. “Old charm not what it use’ta be?”

“Oh no, I do fine for myself in that area.” You keep your tone even and a smile on your face, even if the language choices he’s making really make you want to reach across the desk and throttle him yourself. “And to be as clear as possible, this isn’t for any service of his. It’d be to pay off his debt in full.”

“Surely ye understand why lettin’ ya just waltz in here and purchase one o’ me gold makin’ assets out from under me is a bad business decision.” He draws a long inhale of smoke, and lets it filter out through his nostrils, dubious. “Interest is the whole point of lendin’.”

“I thought you might say that… If it’s not enough, I can make up the remainder."

"A whole lot to spend on a ship with a broken mast, that." He mutters derisively. “Yer outta yer mind.”

“I feel quite sound of mind, actually.” You chuckle politely and unclench your jaw. You’re not sure exactly what he’s getting at, but the implication that Noa is broken angers you, regardless. “But thanks for your concern.”

Calm. Deep breath. You just have to get through this without trying to kill him, and it’s almost over.

"Oi… Fine. It's a deal." Uttar extends his free hand over the table for you to shake after a few more moments of deliberation. "But only because we got history, aye?"

"I appreciate it." You shake his extended hand.

The cabin settles into a somewhat tense, but not unwelcome silence while Uttar double-counts the gold tablets and scribbles some notes down in his own records as he goes.

But something that's been on your mind for a while just won't vacate the space. You know it'd be better to ask Noa directly, but you haven't exactly had the opportunity…

"I do have a question, if you don't mind me asking."

"Aye?"

"Do you know what his debt was for?"

"Dunno. Investigatin' sordid history ain't in my job description." Uttar shakes his head, knocking some ash into the overfilled tray. "These contracts don't track that sorta detail, anyhow. I can tell ya I bought his debt off a pleasure boat eastern like. So that leaves ya with what? Drinkin' or druggin', or gamblin', or fuckin' to excess - then tryin’a stiff the tab."

"That doesn't really sound like him..." 

"Oi? Didn't realize yer boy toy would come with some pricy habit or another?" Uttar laughs, making a show of pressing the stamp into the vermilion ink and then onto the paper. When he lifts the stamp, a bright red rectangle containing the Orcish characters for 'paid' remains, emblazoned across the section containing his information. "They always do. But we already shook on it all proper-like already, so no refunds!"

He slides the paper across to you.

You take the parchment. It feels strangely light, for how much weight it's been causing Noa to carry for who knows how long.

While scanning the information to make sure it's correct, you notice you overpaid by a considerable amount. But that's fine -  You can always refill your savings. What's important is the relief you're feeling on Noa's behalf. And honestly, you expected to be stiffed when you came here, so you're not exactly surprised. 

"Her Ladyship pick up her special cargo yet? …" Uttar speaks into the receiver he’s picked up from his desk. "Good. Bring 'im here." 

It doesn't take long for the cabin door to be thrown open and Noa to be thrust through it.

"Ugh, you don't have to be so rough, asshole! I know where-"

Then he sees you, and freezes in his tracks. He stands motionless as the cabin door closes behind him. 

"There he is!" Uttar coos facetiously and curls a thick finger at him. "C'mere."

"...Why?" Noa sneers in suspicion at Uttar, but is looking directly at you when he says it- as if he's questioning you as well, for entirely different reasons. 

"Just c'mere, you obstinate shit! Spirits, I don't know if I'll miss ya or be chuffed to be rid o’ya!"

"Rid of me?" Noa says incredulously, eyes still locked on you, before they settle on the paperwork and gold still strewn on the table. A panicked look crashes over his features as he puts the visual clues together.

But Noa still complies, moving to stand next to Uttar and spinning around when he motions to. 

Uttar produces a short, wooden wand from the pen cup on his desk; one carved with uniform runes, typical of the preloaded varieties you can buy in most magic shops, that are easily usable by non-magi. He presses it to the top of Noa’s back, right between the shoulder blades.

There is a small fizzle of magic at work, followed by a shimmering, nearly imperceptible shattering of something unseen. Noa raises his hand over his shoulder to rub the affected area, and when his hand moves, the small marking on his skin is gone too.

"There ya go," Uttar says with an almost bored air of finality as he waves his hand. "We’re all square. Trackin’ rune's gone. He's your problem now."

Even though he’s visibly mad at you and you definitely have more pressing matters that require attention, you can’t help but be struck with just how gorgeous you think he is. And you’re simply so pleased to see him again after how things were left, it’s hard to think straight with your heart hammering in your chest.

But to his credit, you’d be mad if you were left in the dark like this, too. You just have to get somewhere you can have a calm, rational conversation, and you’re sure that he’ll understand why you chose to do this.

You rise from the chair, rolling up the contract.

“You heard him.” Noa shakes his head in disapproval and shrugs his shoulders, voice dripping with simmering resentment. “I’m your problem now.”

“I know this looks bad-” You begin to at least start some verbal damage control on the way out.

“It doesn’t matter how it looks. I don’t get a say in it, right?”

“That’s not the case at all-”

"This is all real sweet love reunion ‘n all. Real cute. But I’ve got things to do.” Uttar interrupts, kicking back in his chair and puffing his cigar with a shit-eating grin plastered on his face, reminding you that you are indeed having this quarrel with an audience. “So unless one of ya is gonna suck my cock, get off'a my fuckin' ship."

Noa doesn’t need to be told twice, or even very long to process the words - instead jumping at the offer to no longer be present. He storms out of the cabin, leaving you to hastily pull your raincoat back on and chase after him.

“Noa, wait-” You try to call after him to get him to slow his pace so you can speak, but he’s already out of earshot.

By time you get yourself together and get outside, you hear a tellingly large splash down below. You get back to the gig as fast as you can without risking your boots slipping on the wet surface of the deck, and get yourself into it. Luckily, it’s still floating, and you don’t need to spend any time bailing it out.

“Noa! Noa-” You shout at the water’s surface fruitlessly, knowing your voice won’t carry far underwater or through this wall of rain- let alone both. “Will you just give me a chance to explain?”

“Explain what?” Noa snaps in rage after his head crests the water near the side of the dinghy, water flinging off of his braids in a fine spray as he whips around to face you. "Was this the plan the whole time? You just wanted to buy me too?"

“I wasn’t buying you! I wouldn’t want that-”

“Oh yeah? Because that’s sure what it looked like!” Noa grips the side of the boat as he shouts, slightly rocking it to one side, his dark blue fin spines flaring straight out in anger. “I should’ve known when that sleazy bastard was cozying up on your ship that you were just as bad!”

Admittedly, that stings quite a bit.

“I’m not- you know that’s not true. I wanted to help you!”

“What do you not get?! I don’t want to owe you like that!”

“But you don’t owe me anything!”

“You say that now! But there’s always the expectation attached! It always comes back up! You think I want to try to go on with that always hanging over… whatever this is?! It will absolutely ruin it-”

“Noa, It was your gold!”

“...What?”

“It was your gold. You paid for it.”

“You’re lying- That doesn’t make any sense!”

“I’ve always hated taking gold from you for your room, ever since we became friendly. And especially when we got involved.” You struggle to explain, your voice starting to grow hoarse from straining to be audible over the heavy rain. “I meant it when I said it was on the house. But you were so stubborn about paying anyway…”

It’s a strange sight to see. Noa is dumbstruck, completely silent and nearly motionless in the water, despite the fact you know his tail must still be working to keep him afloat under the surface. Rivers of rainwater run down the slopes of his face and body, which he seems to be completely unaffected by, aside from the hazy nictitating membrane that slides horizontally across his eyes every now and then.

“...I had already set it aside. I wasn’t sure what to do with it. I have a big enough margin even without that room, and the ship didn’t need any pressing maintenance. I thought I’d just end up giving it back to you sooner or later anyway…” You continue, slightly unnerved by the sudden silence and the intense, unrelenting stare. “Then when I found out how badly you actually needed it- it seemed like the best use for it there could be.” 

The longer you try to explain yourself, the more you begin to doubt your decision - but when you think about what the alternative would’ve been, you just can’t bring yourself to regret it. Even if Noa never forgives you for your overstep, at least he’s free now.

“And you just… made all of these decisions on my behalf. Without even consulting me.” Noa cuts in, sounding more distraught than angry at this point. That’s still some small progress, you think?

“Noa… We both know you would’ve refused to let me help." 

Another pause. In this case though, it’s because you know that he can’t argue with you on that point. He would’ve never accepted the gold. He’s just too proud; too convinced that he can handle anything by himself.

“Stupid.” He says bitterly, so quiet now that you can barely make it out over the noise. “I didn’t ask for this. So why?”

Honestly, you can’t really argue with him that you haven’t been stupid; at least not about the way you’ve done things, if not the reason behind it. Sitting here in this dinghy that’s threatening to sink with the cacophony of rain pelting down on your head is making you rethink every single decision you’ve made along the way.

You should’ve just said something earlier - been clearer, or more direct in getting your feelings across.

No time like the present to change that, you decide, Orcish cultural taboo be damned.

“I love you,” You pull the now slightly soggy roll of parchment out of your pocket and hold it out towards him. “And I want you to be able to choose me, if that’s what you want.”

>> ✨ MASTERLIST >> ☕ KO-FI

[monstermag]

u bettah @running-with-kn1ves we want aalll the monster goodies

Our Spring Edition is set to release April 15 OMG!

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While summer isn't everyone's favorite, we're definitely looking forward to monsters in bikinis (hint, hint), tentacle beach parties, and whatever else your monster loving heart desires.

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[x-monster-in-the-closet-x]

Woman loving woman? No, you misunderstand. Werewolf loving werewolf

[rofax]

POP OUT THE WATER AND KISS YA BOYFRIEND

First schmoopy piece for Mermay 2022 UWU

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The husbands r in love your honor!!

Heres the lovely two, Lucian & Peony 💞

[thetravelerwrites]

Growing Pains (Centaur Dads)

Rating: General Audiences Additional Tags: Adoption, Gay Dads, Exophilia, Centaurs, Kids Series: Part 17 of Shelter Forest: The Towns Words: 2,068

When their son comes home from school upset, two centaurs must figure out how to have The Big Talk about what adoption means. Please reblog and leave feedback!

Rollie stalked through the front door with his head down and dropped his writing board by the hall tree. Without bothering to say anything to his fathers, he immediately went to his room, not quite slamming the door but certainly shutting it with more force than normal. Beyram, a Rahvan centaur, and Alphons, a Haflinger centaur, looked at each other in concern and made their way through the open layout of their cottage, knocking on their son’s door. Rollie was a bright, happy eight-year-old child, so for him to be silent and brooding was wildly out of character.

“Rollie?” Beyram asked. “Everything alright?”

Rollie didn’t answer. 

“We’re coming in, alright, son?” 

Again, Rollie said nothing, and his fathers eased the door open. Rollie sat on his bed with his arms crossed sullenly, a tear rolling down his face. 

“Hey, buddy,” Alphons said gently, patting his back softly. Both centaurs folded their legs carefully and knelt next to the bed. “What’s going on? What’s got you so upset?” 

“The kids at school make fun of me,” He said. “They said it’s weird that you both have four legs and that I only have two. They said it means that I’m not your real son.” 

Alphons and Beyram looked at each other and winced. They knew that they’d have to have this conversation eventually, but they hadn’t known it would be so soon. Rollie had only just started going to the local school, and while he enjoyed it at first, he slowly seemed to become more introverted. Now they knew why. 

“Listen, buddy,” Alphons said. “You are our real son. Just because we adopted you doesn’t mean you’re not our son.”

“Adopted?” Rollie asked, looking up in confusion. “What does that mean?” 

“Well,” Beyram began reluctantly. “Da and Pa can’t have babies like other families can–”

“Why not?” Rollie asked guilelessly.

“Oh, god, we don’t need to have this conversation too, do we?” Alphons said in an undertone. Beyram ignored the question.

“Since we can’t have babies the normal way, we decided to look as hard as we could for a child that we could love, and we found you and brought you home with us. That’s what adoption is. It doesn’t matter that we’re centaurs and you’re human, you’re still our son. You’re someone we picked out specially. We chose to love you and be your fathers.”

Rollie frowned, still looking confused. “I don’t understand.” 

Alphons and Beyram looked at each other, at a loss for what to say. 

“So… I am different from you? You’re not really my parents?” 

“No, that’s not it at all!” Alphons insisted. “Of course you’re our son! You can’t ever doubt that! You’re our son and we love you!”

“Listen, son,” Beyram said. “Let’s take a trip tomorrow. We’ll show you what we mean. Alright?” 

“A trip to where?” 

“The place we found you. It’s called an orphanage. It’s where you became our son. Would you like to go see it?”

After a moment of contemplation, Rollie nodded. “Alright.”

The next day, Rollie sat on Alphons’s back and the three of them set off for Coleville, where there was an orphanage that was run by a lizardman named Cetzu and his human wife. It took about a week for them to get there since they traveled slowly and took frequent breaks. They wanted Rollie to have fun on the trip as much as he could, so they went camping and mushroom picking and frog hunting and lots of little activities that Rollie loved to do. He seemed in much better spirits during the journey. 

They reached Coleville and went straight to the orphanage, where Cetzu was outside, sweeping the front steps. Alphons and Beyram had sent a letter to Cetzu in advance, so he had been expecting them.

“This is where you lived before we adopted you,” Beyram said as they came up to the building. “You were only a baby back then, so it’s no surprise you don’t remember.” 

“I lived here?” Rollie asked. “Why?” 

Alphons nudged Beyram, and he fell silent. As far as they were aware, Rollie had been left on the doorstep of the orphanage when he was only a few days old. Thankfully, the orphanage regularly paid mothers in the town to be wet nurses for the infants, otherwise Rollie would have starved. They weren’t sure how to break it to Rollie that he had been abandoned, and had carefully avoided answering direct questions. They knew they’d have to explain it at some point in the trip, but they were dreading that conversation. 

“Welcome!” Cetzu said, rushing forward to shake hands with the centaurs as they arrived. Cetzu was quite tall, but the centaurs dwarfed him by a wide margin. “I’ve been waiting for you. My goodness, is this Rollie? He’s gotten so big!” 

Rollie wasn’t normally shy with strangers, but the nature of the trip had caused a bit of trepidation in him, and he hid a little behind Beyram’s foreleg. 

“Hi,” He said in a small voice. 

“Hello, there,” Cetzu said brightly. “I’m not surprised you don’t remember me, you were barely a year when you left us.” 

“Da and Pa said I lived here when I was a baby,” Rollie said. 

“That’s right,” Cetzu said. “My wife and I looked after you until your fathers came to get you. Would you like to come in and meet the other kids?” 

Rollie nodded and stepped forward toward the garden where about ten other children were playing. He only needed a small amount of encouragement before he was darting around with them, playing chase. 

“We really need your help, Cetzu,” Alphons said a little desperately. “We’ve been hedging the question, but we can’t avoid it forever. How are we supposed to explain that he was abandoned?” 

“Well, we don’t know that he was abandoned, necessarily,” Cetzu said. “It’s entirely possible that his parents died or met with an unfortunate fate. It does happen.” 

“You know what I mean, though,” Alphons insisted. “He keeps asking why. We don’t know how to explain it to him without hurting him.” 

“Well…” Cetzu said sadly. “There may be no avoiding a little bit of upset, I’m afraid. But your job as his parents is to reassure him that he’s loved. Regardless of why his birth parents gave him up, you chose him and you love him. Just make sure he knows that. That’s really the most important thing.” 

“Yes…” Beyram said, watching his son play and laugh. 

“Maybe ask the other kids to help you,” Cetzu suggested. “You’d be surprised how well kids grasp these concepts, regardless of their age. They’re all dying to get adopted. If Rollie hears how excited the kids are to find their own parents, he may understand how special it is to be chosen.” 

“That’s a good idea,” Alphons. “It’s is alright to talk to the children?” 

“Of course,” Cetzu said, stepping aside and waving to the children. “Go right ahead, I’m sure they’d be happy to.” 

Beyram and Alphons stepped into the garden fence. The kids stopped their game and gathered around the centaurs, their faces curious. It wasn’t surprising: centaurs were unusual here on this continent. Beyram and Alphons only knew of two or three others in the region, and they very rarely crossed paths with them. 

“Circle time, kids!” Cetzu said, motioning for them to sit. “Leave room for our new friends.” 

The kids circled up and sat expectantly. Cetzu sat with them and instructed Beyram, Alphons, and Rollie to sit alongside them.

“So,” Cetzu said. “Our new friend Rollie just found out he is adopted. What do you all think about that?” 

Every one of the children raised their hands. 

“Coby?” Cetzu said, pointing at a young boy of perhaps seven. 

“I think it’s great!” Coby said. “I can’t wait to get adopted!” 

“Why?” Rollie asked him. 

“Because I want to have a family, like all my friends from town. I want to have parents and siblings who love me.” 

“How do you know they’ll love you?” 

“Why would they adopt me if they didn’t want to love me?” Coby asked, his head tilted. 

Rollie looked introspective. “How come you don’t have parents? What happened to them?” 

“Nothing,” Coby said matter-of-factly. “They just didn’t want me.” 

“Why?”

“Rollie, that’s rude,” Beyram said in an undertone, but Cetzu shook his head. 

“It’s alright,” Cetzu said, turning back to Coby. “Do you want to answer that question?” 

Coby shrugged. “I don’t know why they didn’t want me,” Coby said. “But that’s not my fault. There’s nothing wrong with me. I’m great.” 

The other kids laughed, and Rollie cracked a smile. He still seemed a little confused, but he kept asking the others questions. The others had similar things to say, that they were abandoned or that their parents died or couldn’t take care of them for whatever reason. Beyram and Alphons weren’t sure if Rollie really understood, but they were happy he seemed engaged in the conversation. 

Rollie asked them if they really wanted to be adopted, and they all said yes. When asked why, the answer was the same: They wanted what every other kid in town had. They wanted a family. They wanted to be loved.

Rollie asked the other kids questions for hours, until the sun began to set. Cetzu invited the family to have dinner there, and they accepted. After dinner, Beyram and Alphons left a large donation to the orphanage and left for the local inn. It had a stable room that was rented out to four legged folks, and Beyram booked it. 

As they were settling down for the evening and laying out Rollie’s bedroll, Alphons asked, “Hey, buddy, how are you feeling?” 

“I’m alright,” Rollie said, getting under the blanket. 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yeah,” He said, looking up at his fathers, who were kneeling next to him. “I get it now. I’m special. That’s why you chose me, right?” 

Beyram smiled. “That’s right. You see,” He said, scratching his neck. “When Da and I got married and began living together, we always knew we wanted to have children, but we knew we couldn’t go about it the normal way. We always knew we needed to go about it differently than other families, so we knew we were going to adopt. It took us time to get the house set up the way we wanted and get everything prepared, but as soon as we did, we started looking for our baby.” 

Alphons nodded. “It was a while and a lot of trial and error, and we were worried we may not find the right one, but then we saw you, and it just clicked. We realized you were our child, and you always had been. It just took us a while to find you.” 

Rollie looked pensive. “What happened to my other parents?” 

Alphons sighed, apprehensive. “We don’t know, son. All we know is that Mr. Cetzu and his wife found you outside on the doorstep. There could be any reason why, but we don’t really know.” 

“Hmm…” Rollie hummed. “It doesn’t matter.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yeah,” Rollie said, standing up out of his bed and throwing his arms around Alphons’s neck for a hug, and then did the same to Beyram. “You’re my parents now. And you love me, right?” 

“Of course,” Alphons said, ruffling Rollie’s hair. “We love you very, very much.” 

“Absolutely,” Beyram said. “We’ve loved you since the day we laid eyes on you, and we always will. You’re our son.” 

“Then it’s fine,” Rollie said, getting back into his bedroll. “Goodnight, Da. Goodnight, Pa.”

“Goodnight, son,” Beyram said. 

“Goodnight, buddy,” Alphons replied. 

Rollie wanted to stay another few days before returning, so it was almost another two weeks before they made it back home. Beyram and Alphons were both worried that Rollie wouldn’t want to return to school, but contrary to their expectations, he wanted to return right away. 

When he returned home from school the first day back, he gave his fathers a hug around the middle and sat at his little table for a snack.

“How was school, son?” Beyram asked. “Did the kids pick on you again?” 

“Yeah, but I didn’t care,” He said nonchalantly. “They didn’t get chosen, so they don’t know anything.” 

Beyram and Alphons smiled, kissed the top of Rollie’s head, and gave him his apple slices.

Since my work is no longer searchable, please do me a favor and reblog this story if you enjoyed it. Help me reach a wider audience! To help me continue creating, please consider buying me a Kofi, becoming a Patron, or donating directly to my PayPal!

Thanks for reading!

My Masterlist

The Exophilia Creator’s Masterlist

[velvetandropes]

hey thar! thanks for the follow btw. just curious, which kind of monster/cryptid/eldritch being is your all time favorite?

He’s such a cutie~ I could just imagine being all squished up in bed. Also gives me very shy vibes. But I suppose in terms of horror he’s not up there on the list- still my favourite tho

But in all honesty I could never decide a true favourite!

Thanks for the ask 🤩