#hes getting raven clasps because his name is

[cleaverqueer]

about halfway through this black cloak im making my brother for christmas, should be finished by then even with the extra detailing i plan on adding! just hope the clasps arrive in time- when i finally pick some out X-X

[anantaru]

cw. yoru horny reloaded 3000x blast bubblegum flavor, someone take my phone away, fem! reader

aventurine gives your hips a good squeeze as he's moving you up and down when you ride him— and once he smiles, he sighs just a breadth away from your parted lips as he takes in your heavenly whimpers, pretty mewls and those trifling, little puffs of his name rushing to his ears.

you needn't worry, you see? because the way he he touches you every single time never fails to make you lose yourself, your sanity, your mind. what's left of you is but a sheepish smile, the combination of both triggering an extensive thrill of being penetrated so completely and holding you to his chest in such a protective manner was enough to make you find ease.

right. be relaxed. aventurine gets it. he does.

he wiggles your hips closer to his erection, spreading you open wide as to prod the tip of his cock at your pleasure points— and he grins once the action causes an illicit whimper, your body writhing into the unspoken command of slanting forward to feel him more, your legs spreading wider for his cock until his balls press deeper into your ass.

a fleeting, filthy grin twitches across his parted lips, "look at me," he commands as strong fingers tug at your hair, "you're so fucking good to me," he continues, out of mind, before clasping the back of your neck to pull you to his lips.

it's all too much, you twitch and writhe as your body shivers with hot flashes of ecstasy— the stickiness of sweat and arousal, the heavy and hot air engulfing your body and the restless ruts of aventurine pistoling into your cunt just right.

you're grinding into each other like two ravenous individuals who do not know any better, "shameless, those faces you make," he taunts, his teasing tone breaking on a moan as your body responds with a fast snap of your hips dragging his length within your pussy.

"it's your… fault," you warm breathlessly, "fuck— all y-your fault," as you squeeze your eyes together the very moment his hands bruise into your aching hips bouncing up and down his length.

his cock was captured in a delicious tangle of your walls that pulled achingly at his shaft, over and over, so close to milk him for all he's worth, until you're both coming apart at an impact of an orgasm so big, so massive, taunting the very breath of you.

©2024 anantaru do not repost, copy, translate, modify, claim as your own

[miss-yn-ln]

Darling - Giyuu Tomioka x Fem! reader

In which you and Giyuu have a rare, passionate night together before he leaves for a mission.

“Shhh, please don’t cry. I’m right here, darling.”

Warnings: emotional reader, crying, comfort, soft sex, creampie. Word count: 1.6k NOT PROOF READ

Giyuu's hand was warm as he stroked your side lovingly, gently slipping your night dress up in the process so he could appreciate your bare skin, peppering sweet kisses along your neck and shoulder. He was always so caring when he initiated your love making, but at that moment he was so tender it almost hurt your heart in the most beautiful way.

"I love you," he whispered into the skin of your neck as his hand slipped into your underwear, cupping your heat whilst you gasped. A finger caressed your clit in soothing circles, applying a precise amount of pressure to get you breathing heavily, he was keeping a steady pace that never wavered, allowing a familiar tense feeling to build up in your stomach. He kept the sweet kisses at your neck as your hips bucked wildly, squirming to attempt to ease the burning tension heightening inside of you.

Your eyebrows furrowed and eyes snapped shut in concentration, both of your hands were clasped onto Giyuu's muscular arm (which was supporting him to lay on his side) in a death grip to ground yourself. There was a second when the heat inside of you was scorching, burning your body that was as taught as a string about to snap. "Giyuuuu," you whimpered at the sensation, head thrown back into his toned chest, you needed him to keep going, to sooth the commotion in your belly before it overtook you and burned you alive.

"I know, y/n. I know." He whispered in your ear. The deep rasp of your name from his lips was the extra pull that put too much pressure on the string, because the second you processed it, the string snapped. The ferocious build up was soothed, leaving an array of shivers and tingles to travel along your body as you rode your high out, hips dancing along with Giyuu's hand to prolong the euphoric feeling for as long as possible.

You let out soft sounds of relief that made his body burn up as you finally relaxed into him after your earth-shattering orgasm, panting for breath. He pulled his hand out of your underwear, wrapping his arm around your waist and pulling you back into his toned chest, you giggled breathlessly causing the usual stoic male to smile.

"You okay?" The raven haired male mumbled into your skin, a short kiss pressed to the same spot after.

"Mm hmm," you hummed, running your hand along his arm, tracing the veins. He could almost hear the smile in your voice. Moments like these were the times you cherished. Being with a hashira meant you were rarely with your partner at all; he was dedicated to the Demon Slayer Corps and couldn't give you all of his time, so the small fraction of time you got with him was held dearly to your heart.

The small moments you cherished most, the things normal couples take for granted: the touch of his skin against yours, his voice when he whispered sweet nothings, his voice when he merely said your name, waking up to his beautiful face, staring into those godly, breath taking eyes. Every little thing about him: the way he breathed, the way he laughed, the way he moved.

You knew he had a mission tomorrow that required him to stay for a few nights; you could handle a few nights away from him, you could busy yourself. What you can never handle is the gut wrenching fear of him not returning. In the midst of your thinking, you didn't pick up on your emotions getting the better of you, not until you felt the hot drip of tears sliding down your pretty face and the soft shaking of your shoulders.

Through your misty eyes you could make out Giyuu hovering over the top of you, one of his hands cupping your cheek as he gazed at you with those gorgeous blues coated in concern. "What's wrong, talk to me y/n." His thumb wiped a stray tear, caressing the dampening skin with the utmost care.

"I-" you chocked on the next words and let out a little sob, hands coming to cover your face in embarrassment. His eyebrows pinched together as his worry escalated - had he done something to hurt you? Was he somehow too rough? He maneuvered himself to sit at the side of your bed, legs dangling off the side; his calloused yet gentle hands brought you to sit on his lap, your soft thighs on either side of his muscular ones.

You immediately found comfort in tucking your head into his neck, hands gripped into his clothing as if it would stop him from leaving you tomorrow.

"I-" you took a breath and tried again. "I r-really don't want you to leave tomorrow." You rushed the sentence out, your voice shaking throughout. The second you were finished the sobbing started again, you shook with each heart wrecking sound, latching onto Giyuu tighter.

"Oh, darling." He whispered, heart crumbling at the thought of leaving you. It was never an easy task but the way you were sobbing in his arms just made it almost impossible. He brought a hand to stroke your hair, shushing you gently. He was never good at comforting people, he's never been good with people actually. But you, his sweet girlfriend, were an exception. The years spent together made it easier for him to love you how you deserved, to comfort you, to treat you.

You're sobs turned to quiet sniffles upon hearing the pet name. Giyuu was never one for nicknames, he didn't throw around words like darling. That one word, that sweet little name, brought you so much happiness and comfort than any others could.

You don't remember how long you both sat there, basking in the comfort of one another, but at some point you had both disregarded the clothes you were wearing during long passionate kisses, and now you were hovering over Giyuu's length, his hands on your waist to guide you whilst yours were wrapped around his neck tightly.

He helped you sink down on the tip, eyes closing in bliss for a second at the feel of your welcoming warmth. Slowly, he guided you down until you took all of him, sitting atop of his thighs as your legs quivered. You felt so so full, he was reaching depths he'd never explored before in this position, already brushing against that sweet spot inside of you.

You rested your forehead on his, the both of you just gazing into the others eyes with the softest emotions. You needed to imprint this in your mind. A moment you'd never forget. "I love you," your voice was barley heard, the slightest whisper before it crumbled along with your exterior and you had soft tears dripping down your face again. "I love you Giyuu - don't leave, please don't leave," you helplessly whimpered.

"Shhh, please don't cry. I'm right here, darling." He soothed you, the hands around your waist began lifting you, using his strength to gently bounce you up and down his length. He was bobbing you with ease, as if it were no effort to lift your body weight at all, to him it wasn't - a pro of being with a strong hashira. He has never been a vocal man, but the change in pattern of his breaths and the few groans he let out were an indication of his pleasure.

All you could do was take the pleasure he was giving you, holding onto him like it would keep you sane, spluttering all sorts of phrases that made your lover smile at your hazed state, telling him he was "s-so pretty giyuuu," when you took the pony tail out of his hair, running your hands through the thick locks. Telling him how strong he was when he bounced you faster, telling him how big he felt when he brushed against your spot.

You felt your stomach start to burn; you were climbing up that mountain once again, desperate to reach the peak, but you'd already been there once and your body was exhausted with the efforts of going again - you started to doubt you were gonna get there. "Giyuu! Giyuu I c-can't!" You whined out desperately, hands shakily tapping his shoulders in your urgency. The flame was catching throughout your body, travelling with a ferocious speed, burning you inside and out. You needed it soothed, you needed that tense pain gone.

"Breathe darling, I'll get you there." He rasped in your ear through his deep breaths. He started to thrust his hips up into you, throwing his head back in pleasure when you started to bounce feebly on your own, desperate to get the sweet release. Now that he didn't have to lift you, he kept one arm wrapped firmly around your waist whilst his free one travelled to your burning core. The moans you let out when his thumb started swiping across your sensitive clit were a symphony Giyuu could never forget. The sweet sounds and the sight of your breasts bouncing, the way you'd call his name and gaze at him shyly, he was entranced and seconds away from giving you his seed.

After a few messy swipes of his thumb paired with his powerful hip thrusts, you were gone. Convulsing and whining, toes curling and cunt clenching, you were barley making sense. The second you felt his seed being pumped into you was when you completely went blank, the only thing you could get was whimpers of "love you" and breathless whispers of his name.

You both stayed in that position connected as one, panting and caressing each other in the post-orgasm bliss, kissing each other deeply, passionately. He stoked the bare skin of your back as he sleepily mumbled "I love you y/n".

You smiled into the skin of his shoulder, "I love you Giyuu."

[acey-wacey]

Heyo Meyo, I really liked your first year "meeting their future children" headcannons!

If its okay, may i request the same for Jade, Floyd and Ruggie?

I hope its okay? Nonetheless take your time, have a great day/night🤗

Hi hi! I'm so glad people like the future children series because I already have all the names planned out in my notes app >:)

...

🍄 Jade Leech 🍄

Now it's common knowledge that Jade Leech is not very easily startled.

But being ambushed by some toddler as soon as he left his room will definitely do it.

The little boy latched onto Jade's leg and started gnawing on his dress pants.

When he tried to pick the boy up, he just scurried up Jade's back, latching onto his shoulders like some kind of deranged monkey.

The boy managed to steal his hat and giggle like a maniac before you came running down the hall with two more children in tow: a little girl with her hands clasped curtly in front of her, not much older than the boy Jade has already met, and a baby that was fast asleep in your arms.

"Bruno, get off of your father."

You shot a look at the boy who was know chewing on Jade's hat.

He looked down in shame and crawled back down Jade's leg.

Through all of this, the normal-composed eel was quite confused.

It was an interesting and amusing sensation for him to be in the dark as he was usually privy to most of the happenings at Night Raven.

"His father?" Jade raised an eyebrow.

You sighed as the boy skittered over to you and wrapped his arm around your leg.

"I don't really know how to say this without sounding insane, but I guess this is nothing compared to what you're used to."

You gestured to the little girl who smiled in a sly way that reminded you of a certain eel.

"This is Veronica," you then gestured to the manic little boy who grinned and showed off his pointy teeth. "This is Bruno," then you nodded toward the baby. "And this is Damian."

"Whatever is insane about that?" Jade mused, stroking his chin as he assessed the situation.

"They're our children."

The only indication that Jade was at all surprised was the momentary widening of his eyes.

"Ah, yes. They must be from the future. Magical accidents like this happen all the time."

You felt heat rise to your face at how nonchalantly he mentioned your future children.

"But... They're our children. Is that not surprising to you? That we have children together in the future?"

Jade just smirked at you and moved forward to pat Bruno's head. The little boy chomped down on his finger but sheepishly retreated when Jade raised an eyebrow at him.

"Of course I'm not surprised. I'm aware of our mutual interest in each other and it's only a natural progression to get married and have a family."

Once the kids return to their timeline, you and Jade are apparently dating.

He never actually asked you out, but he had been observing your mannerisms and how you reacted around him, so he knew you wouldn't say no if he did.

...

🦐 Floyd Leech 🦐

You were sleeping in your bed at Ramshackle, peacefully dreaming of a world were Crowley payed his child support, when you were rudely awakened by a violent shaking.

You opened your eyes to see Floyd, hovering over you with a maniacal grin.

Oddly enough, you weren't even startled.

It's a common enough occurrence to wake up in the middle of the night in congruence with Floyd's whims.

"Hey."

You yawned, knowing there was no point in struggling once Floyd had you pinned down.

Your tired expression only changed to confusion once two other faces with grins matching Floyd's popped into your view.

"We have babies, shrimpy."

The two others were little girls, around 7 or 8.

They had the same sharp, toothy grin as Floyd and both sported teal hair, though one wore it in pigtails and one had it cut into a pixie.

"We have babies," you repeated, hoping Floyd would elaborate.

"In the future," he continued, radiating excited energy. It was far too early in the morning for you to be matching his manic vibes so you just nodded sleepily and smiled at the two girls.

"This is Giulia and Lilith," he pointed at the girl with pigtails then at the pixie cut girl. "They're our babies."

"We're not babies, daddy!" Lilith pouted at Floyd, making him soften just a little.

"They're our not babies," he smiled proudly at you. Both girls looked at you with the same expectant expression.

You groaned and rolled over in bed, capturing the two girls in your arms as you went.

"I'm much too tired and you're much too cute, so as confused as I am, it will have to wait until morning. Till then, we can snuggle."

"Snuggle!"

All three of them exclaimed, much too loudly for the ungodly hour.

You were simultaneously pounced on by three bodies, though Floyd did much more damage to your lungs than the lighter girls.

You snuggled into Floyd and kept an arm on each girl.

"Good night, Giulia and Lilith. I'm sure I'll meet you correctly one day."

...

🍩 Ruggie Bucchi 🍩

You hadn't even noticed much had changed until you payed a visit to Savanaclaw to see your boyfriend, Ruggie.

He was carrying on with his usual duties, only there was a 7-year-old girl perched on his hip as he did laundry.

"Need any help with that?"

He turned around to face you with a clothespin stuck in his mouth.

"No fanks," he mumbled through his teeth.

"This a relative or are you just babysitting?" You gestured to the little girl who was sucking on her thumb and inspecting you carefully. She was a bit on the chubbier side and had bright, curious eyes that matched the color you saw in the mirror.

You assumed she was Ruggie's sister or cousin or niece because she shared the same splotchy ears that twitched with every subtle noise.

"She's my daughter actually."

You were physically taken aback by the confession.

Once he initial shock wore off, you laughed and brushed it off.

"Very funny. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Ruggie finished pinning up one of his shirts before turning to you with an expression of unexpected seriousness.

"I am being dead serious right now, Y/N. This is my daughter, Iris."

"You're only 17, Ruggie. She looks at least 6 and as far as I know, you were not a baby daddy as a pre-teen."

"She's from the future." He admitted, being genuine although a teasing smirk grew on his face.

"From the future...?" you hesitantly clarified, eying the child as she took her thumb out of her mouth to reach for you.

"Momma, can you hold me? Dadda keeps moving around," she whined, grabbing for you and nearly falling out of Ruggie's grasp.

You rushed to catch her and set her to rest on your hip, bouncing slightly.

It didn't escape you how she called you Momma and you also noticed how her skin color and hair texture were a blend of yours and Ruggie's, the course fur on her ears peeking out from under her hair.

"Is she ours?"

Ruggie didn't reply but just nodded, while he continued pinning up clothes.

"She's darling."

Ruggie hummed in agreement and satisfaction.

"Reminds me of someone else I know."

He bent backwards to face you upside down and puckered his lips dramatically.

You chuckled and leaned down to press a kiss to his lips before he resumed his chores in lieu of his previous contortions.

You smacked several kisses onto Iris's cheeks and temple, though she pouted and wiped her cheek both her sleeve.

You laughed at how cute she was and continued bouncing her as she laid her head on your shoulder and closed her eyes, tuckered out from watching Ruggie work.

"Sweet dreams, future princess."

[just-some-random-blogger]

Bright Eyes | 2

Part 1 2 3

Prince Aemond's marriage was borne out of necessity and political advantage. Let it never be said that he did not know duty, for duty was what kept Aemond Targaryen grounded. But in truth, the prince felt cheated by the match, for he felt his wife was getting scraps as her dowry. After all, she was chosen for him because of her family's wealth and resources. It was then rather scandalous when the icy prince became temperate to his bride.

Aemond Targaryen x Reader | 2k+ | cw: fem!reader, arranged marriage au, reluctant lovers ig, angst, family problems, typos, etc.

A/N: i'm finally posting the next parts because I finally finished p3 T_T HAHA This is part of the 'house of the dragon big bang celebration' that's also available on AO3 and my art was made by @ewanmitchellcrumbs <;3 yuh

Tagging: @pinksirensong @aralezinspace @delicious-xx @deniixlovezelda @targaryenmoony @risefallrise @slavyanskiyahui @thebullship @sa3losa @toodlesxcuddles @shygardengalaxy

I rap on Aemond's office door and rub my hands together as I wait.

"Enter."

I turn the knob and walk inside, "lord-husband."

Aemond lifts his gaze from his table. He spares me a second glance and turns back to his papers, "mmm."

I make my way towards him, hands clasped together in front of me. I stand there for a second, craning my neck to catch a glimpse of what he was doing. I could not make out his task and so I keep my silence, waiting for him to finish.

"Speak," he urges impatiently.

I flinch.

He apparently does not like that.

Aemond does not lift his gaze from documents.

I clear my throat, "I wanted to tell you that my mother and aunt will be visiting."

His brows furrow. He turns to me, "again?"

I lick my lips and rest my hands by my belly, "they've sent a raven. They are to bring me herbs to aid with conception, amongst other things. I suspect they wish to give me a lesson on mothering as well."

"Mothering?" Aemond's expression turns sour, "why in gods' name will they come here to do that?"

I purse my lips before answering, "it's been a month since we've wed. They were rather disappointed to know of the arrival of my womanly bleeding, and so they wish to help."

"And will they put a babe in you, wife?" Aemond raises a brow.

I turn to my feet then back to him, "they are concerned for me, my prince."

"Their concern is overbearing. They were here seven days ago," he gathers the papers and places them in a leather folder. He then stores the folder in his cabinet, "before they've even settled back in their houses, they've come again."

I release a breath and rub the back of my arm. That was the truth, plainly spoken. Still, I did not want to speak against my mother or aunt, nor did I want to stoke Aemond's annoyance. Instead, I smile and explain, "I will make sure to entertain them so not to interrupt you."

Aemond knits his brows and stands from his chair. The sound of it skidding back makes me cringe. He walks over to me as he says, "I've already been interrupted."

I suddenly feel guilty for bringing this up at this moment.

"When are they coming?"

I take in his annoyed features as he comes to my side. I rock on the soles of my feet and mutter, "later today."

Aemond's lone eye widens, "what?"

"They..." I sigh, "they did not yet leave King's Landing and booked lodging nearby."

Aemond's face falls. He releases an exasperated breath and pinches the bridge of his nose. He gives me a look, "and when did they send a raven?"

"... last night."

Aemond mutters something I've learned to be a curse word in High Valyrian, though I'm not sure exactly what it translates to.

I follow after him when he walks out of the room. I do not say anything, though I was rather agitated because of his reaction.

I wanted to explain to him that my mother and her sister has been this way since I was younger. They needed everything to be perfect, for wives had to be perfect. I grew up trying to uphold their standards, so the idea that I've simultaneously disappointed them to a point where they have to over and do something about it, as well as upset my husband because that they are coming to me, makes me want to retch.

"How long will this mothering lesson take?" Aemond asks.

I rush to his side and give him a look, "if I am careful not to trigger their sermons, an hour or two."

Aemond blows air out of his cheeks, "then I will go for a ride on Vhagar."

I purse my lips at the thought but nod, "I shall see you off."

"As you'd like," he mutters, not once looking at me.

"Aemond."

Aemond and I stop at the end of the hall.

I bow and smile at the man before us, "Lord Hightower."

"Grandsire," Aemond addresses.

Otto looks at the two of us and nods in regard, "I was heading to your office to see what's become of the plans I've entrusted to you."

I turn to Aemond when he does not respond immediately. I watch him purse his lips and huff through his nostrils.

"I'm nearly done. I simply wished to clear my mind a moment and get some fresh air," he motions to me, "my lady-wife is going to see me off on Vhagar."

Otto turns to me.

I offer his grandsire a smile, "he's been working tirelessly as of late. I think it will be good for him to take a break, my lord."

Aemond flattens his lips and nods.

Otto shifts his gaze back to the prince. He nods and gives a smile that does not meet his eyes, "I do hope you enjoy your ride, prince Aemond."

He nods, "thank you, my lord."

With that the two of us walk away.

Aemond sighs, "be sure not to trigger your mother and aunt's--"

We freeze when we hear women's voices laughing and chattering from afar. I turn to Aemond instinctively. He looks at me like he was ready to jump out of the window. My face falls when he actually walks towards the window and opens it. In my panic, I grab his arm and repel his movements, "my prince, please!"

Aemond shoots me a look then turns to his arm. He takes a moment before speaking, "what are you doing?"

I stare at him.

There is a sound of a passing carriage. Aemond's mind click, "I'm not going to jump," he says with annoyance.

Upon hearing this, I release his arm and take a step back from him.

Aemond shakes his head, "do you honestly think I would risk my life merely to avoid those women?"

I press my lips together.

He narrows his one eye, "you are aware I ride Vhagar, the largest dragon in all of the kingdoms."

I nod quickly, "yes. Indeed, my prince-"

"Then why do you insult me by insinuating I would jump out of the window to flee my-"

His words are cut short when he hears voices calling out my name. I stiffen and look over my shoulder. I reach out to Aemond's shoulders, urging him away. I turn to him and mutter, "you should go the other way."

Aemond raises a brow, grumbling, "and why would I do that?"

"You remember last time. They made you come with me to the maester and watch the whole time I was being examined."

"Well," he grunts, "that was a necessary occasion. I would not have known that you have unpleasant reactions to lavender and citrus had I not."

The thought gladdens me for a moment, but then I am overwhelmed by dread when I hear footsteps and louder calls of my name.

Soon enough, my mother and aunt are upon us.

We greet them, they greet us.

I allow them to coddle me then give me backhanded compliments. Aemond watches the whole time, then finally excuses himself, saying he had to attend to his dragon, but the ladies dug their nails into his arm, literally. I watched as the prince was cornered into staying with us. Mentioning that the Queen had endorsed this meeting really tied Aemond's hands behind his back.

Now, we were both imprisoned in the solar, listening to the two matrons muse about things that could help with conception, none of which were methods we had not already heard of from other people.

Aemond tuned out the blabbering, opting to stand by the window, looking out of the keep where he could have been right now had he just jumped from the window.

"And we've bought you some oranges," my mother says.

I watch as she motions to the last pouch on the table that I had not yet opened.

Aemond knits his brows. He remains leaned by the window but averts his attention inside the room.

I straighten from my seat and pour out the contents of the brown bag onto the table. There were various objects before me: teas, herbs, oils, clothes, toys, and now fruit.

I turn to my mother and smile. I say for the twentieth time, "thank you."

"It's all the way from Dorne, niece," my aunt says with a smile, "I saw them in the market and bought some for you. I remembered how it helped me during my time carrying your cousins."

I smile at her, "how kind of you, my lady."

Aemond straightens from his spot as the two older women begin to reminisce. He recognizes the story; it was one they had told the last time they were here. He watches as I smile and nod regardless of this. He wonder how many times this story must have been recounted.

I smile at him when he walks over.

My aunt's story is cut off short when Aemond reaches for a vial on the table. He uncorks it and gives it a whiff. He turns to me, "lilac?"

Before I can respond, my mother does so for me, "lavender."

Aemond turns to her and corks the vial. He places it back on the table and hums, "lavender."

We lock gazes for a second then he walks back to his spot by the window.

A whole hour passes before my mother and aunt leave.

When they do, I am wholeheartedly relieved.

"You're going to eat this?"

I turn to Aemond as he walks over to table and grabs the orange. I spare him a glance and begin to tidy the table, "no."

"Then why did you accept it?"

I knit my brows, "my aunt troubled herself in procuring it. How could I say reject?"

"How could you accept, knowing you body rejects it?" he places the orange down and motions, "and the lavender. From your own mother."

I instinctively take the vial and push it aside with the oranges, "she does not know."

"Then why didn't you tell her? What mother wants to harm her child?"

"She does not want to harm me. She did not harm me," I turn to him, "I'll simply give the oranges and the lavender away. It'll be as though I was never given it."

"But you were," he retorts, "and you did nothing. What if someone had done the same to our child? Would you not say anything then either?"

"That's not the same."

"If you can't protect your body now, how will you protect it when you're carrying my child, or when they are born."

I take in a breath, "evidently, I am unharmed, my prince. And even now you are here also caring for me."

Aemond scoffs, "you think I can coddle you like they do?" He leans down, "I have an entire kingdom to look after, and I do not have time to mother the woman who should be mothering my children."

With that, he pulls back and walks off. I watch him as he heads for the door, "where are you-"

"I wanted to ride Vhagar, and now I will," he mutters just before exiting the room.

I huff and turn my attention back to the table. I tidy everything up and place the oranges and lavender into a separate pouch. I gather everything and head to my chambers.

I stop when I hear my name get called.

I smile at the approaching man and curtsy, "my lord."

Otto walks over to me, brows furrowed, "what is all of that?"

"My mother and aunt brought them for me."

He raises a brow, "have the servants bring them to your room." He immediately calls out to the hall for a servant then turns back to me.

I offer him a smile and thank him.

"Where is your lord-husband?"

"He is... still on dragonback."

Otto looks at the pouches in my hand and takes them from me, "you wouldn't happen to know about the plans I tasked to him. I need them now, finished or not."

"He keeps them in a file in his office, my lord. Did you check?"

Before he replies, a servant girl comes forward. She greets us and Otto immediately hands her the pouches. Once his hands were free, he turns back to me and says, "I did, but I've not the patience nor the time to find which drawer it's stored. If you know where it is, I would appreciate it if you brought it to me."

I bow my head in regard, "of course, Lord Hightower."

Otto nods, "good girl," he walks off, "I trust that you do so in haste."

"Oh, my lord!" I grab one of the pouches from the servant and check its contents.

Otto turns to me.

I hand him the pouch of oranges and lavender, "I cannot have these, so you should have them instead."

The man eyes the pouch and takes it from me. He checks its contents then nods in regard.

I nod back and smile, "I will find your plans at once."

I instruct the servant girl to take my things to my chambers and I head to Aemond's office.

It doesn't take much for me to find the plans Lord Hightower required because I remember where Aemond stored them away.

I glance upon the files and realize it was a list of complaints from lords and what the crown would offer to do for them. Some of the proposals were rather farfetched, some of them were effective but expensive. I take a separate piece of paper and write down some of the solutions I could think of, especially in parts where Aemond did not put anything.

I do so as quickly as possible and head to Otto's office. Before I do, think of leaving a note in case Aemond heads to his office looking for the papers.

When I get to Lord Hightower's office, he was preoccupied with his work so doesn't spare me a glance when I come in. He does mutter a quick thanks when I give him the plans.

Later, when I was about to get ready for bed, Aemond finally comes back. He bursts into the room and immediately barks, "you gave my grandsire the plans?!"

"He asked for them. He said he needed them, finished or no-"

"But they were not finished!"

"They are finished," I correct.

Aemond is about to speak but then he stops himself. He shakes his head, "what?"

"I wrote some alternative plans on a separate piece of paper."

Aemond's eye widens, "you what?"

Before I can explain any further, he is out the door again. I huff and follow after him, "Aemond!"

"You meddled with official business of the crown," he hisses, "and you've posed as me while doing it!"

He quickly makes his way down the hall. I have to sprint to keep up with him and gather my skirts in my hand.

"Grandsire," Aemond calls the moment he opens the office door.

I release a breath and heave through my nostrils, following after my husband as he walks into the room. I watch as Otto barely lifts his eyes from his paper, "yes? Need anything?"

Aemond stops in front of his desk, "the plans. My wife said you asked her to give them to you, finished or not."

"Yes," Otto says simply, "they're here," he flips a page, "well done."

It takes a moment for those words to register, and when they do, Aemond's eye widens. He stands in disbelief.

I look at him and his grandsire. A moment passes and I decide to take his arm, muttering we shouldn't disturb Lord Hightower anymore.

"Wait, the plans were well done?" Aemond asks.

Otto stops what he was doing. He looks at Aemond then sighs, "they were rushed but better than what I've gotten from others."

Aemond's lips part.

Otto raises a brow, "do you expect a prize for it?"

The prince turns to me then back to the man, "I didn't do those pla-"

"Don't be silly!" I cut him off, "you did the plans as well as you could."

Aemond eyes me as I pull him close.

"Prince Aemond attended to a lot of husbandly duties, which was why he had little time to attend to that," I smile, "I am glad to hear that his plans are still well done regardless."

Otto turns to me, Aemond, then his papers, "you should continue to direct your efforts into producing children."

I give a chuckle that no one reciprocates. I tug Aemond back, "good night then, my lord."

Otto hums, once again not sparing us a glance.

I release a sigh once we exit the office.

"What kind of proposals did you give?" Aemond asks.

I turn to him.

I do not get to respond when he presses, "why didn't you let me say it was your doing?"

Though his questioning was rather hostile, I offer him a smile, "they were proposals you would have thought of anyway. Your grandsire was pleased. Why change that?"

Aemond pulls his arm out of my grip. We stop to stare at each other in the middle of the hall.

"Whatever it is you think you're doing-"

"I'm not doing anything besides doing my duty as your wife."

Aemond's jaw hardens. He looks me up and down, "what did you do with the lavender and oranges?"

"I gave them to Lord Hightower."

Aemond furrows his brows. He stares at me for a moment, debating my words as he did, then walks off.

I allow him a few paces head start before following after him.

[axjil]

🎪 :: a night to extol ୭̥

❥ pairing: circus acrobat!levi x fem!reader

❥ word count: 600+

❥ summary: during a performance held by the circus, you are enamored by a certain acrobat.

the red-and-white striped tents were only going to nest here for a month or so.

once word spread and newspaper articles headlined that the famous band of ragtag performers were making a trip down to your city, locals raced to get their hands on the sand-colored ticket at the ticketing booth.

your family was no exception. mother was eager to attend such a riveting event, citing it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. father, with his high noble status, secured 3 tickets quickly without encountering any problems. not only that, but you all were given the privilege to sit at the front row.

now, you donned elbow-length clover green gloves, the silk tight around your arms. the bustle under your skirt was a similar shade of green, with matching emerald earrings to perfect the look. sitting all the way at the front wooden bench, your hands were clasped together on your lap, belly bloated from the amount of caramel apples you consumed before entering.

there was a multitude of circus tents, but the one you were inside was elephantine. it wasn’t long before the show began. the crowd oohed and ahhed at the numerous acts that took place at the centre of the ring, every entertainer generously given their time to shine. the clowns that tumbled around and made everyone guffaw in amusement. the juggler that showed off his ability to keep 2 knives in the air. the contortionist that twisted and turned his limbs so precariously that it put everyone in a frenzy.

but nothing could prepare you for the acrobat that swung from one trapeze to another, showcasing his agility and strength.

it was oracular. how did he do it? and yet so gracefully and with such ease? those impossible and inhumane stunts that if he slipped up just once would cost him a grave injury? but of course, the man must’ve trained his whole life for this.

you couldn’t take your eyes off him.

he had eyes that looked like a passageway to a sea of steel.

the man appeared to be around your age. he was beautiful, with his raven hair disheveled and a hardened expression tattooed on his face. a lean yet muscular physique that was well capsulized by the green tight-fitting pants he wore, leaving him shirtless. the sweat dripping down the side of his forehead glistened as he rolled his shoulders, a grunt escaping his lips when he exerted all his might to swing from one of the trapezes and onto the stage.

the audience erupted into applause, except for you. you were in too much shock from admiration to clap along. and the man must’ve noticed, because he was staring right back at you now.

oh no.

heat crept up from your neck to your cheeks in embarrassment, but your shamefulness was disrupted when the acrobat suddenly appeared to be grabbing something from his behind. his hand reappeared holding onto a rose, which he then tossed towards you, landing marvelously on your lap.

you gasped, lifting the rose to inspect the little wonder for a few seconds before lifting your head up high again.

the acrobat locked gazes with you even from afar, giving you one last fervent stare that seemed to last longer than it should have before proceeding towards the back exit, giving you a chance to get one last glimpse at his back.

your heart shattered a little in disappointment after losing sight of him.

you were desperate to know more about him. what was his name? where was he from? how long had he been traveling with his circus? was what he had just done a sign of affection? you wanted to know everything.

although your eyes were still glued to the ringmaster that finally took centre stage, your mind was somewhere else. a fantastical reality where it was just you and that acrobat alone. with your fingers still clutching the bleeding red rose.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🌹 ⋆⁺₊ ༉‧₊˚

[marvelmusing]

An Era of Power

Part Nine

Pairing: Aleksander Morozova x Fem!Reader

Summary: Armed with knowledge from the library, you’re ready to face Aleksander now that he’s returned. But when a young Grisha faces a frightening ordeal, you end up confronting Baghra instead.

Word Count: 1.8K

A/N: this has taken me ages to get right so I hope you guys enjoy this next part, I’ve missed writing this story.

My Masterlist • Series Masterlist

The sun is setting as you walk through the hallways of the Little Palace, sharp golden rays of light illuminating your path.

Even now, hours after Baghra's revelation, your mind is muffled by nervous thoughts and frayed emotions. There's a dull ache behind your eyes, no doubt caused by reading for far too long. But you couldn't stop.

Answers still allude you, but two things are certain. Baghra doesn’t deserve your trust, and as much as it hurts, neither does Aleksander. The books in the library hadn’t outright confirmed the word of either of them.

The Kirigan line had been documented perfectly, something that was a surprise given the Little Palace’s lack of an archivist. That alone made you suspicious. Perhaps there was some truth to Baghra’s accusations.

But just because Aleksander was older than he had told you, didn’t mean that anything else she had said was true. After all, you hadn’t told him how old you really were. It doesn’t mean he’s planning to use you, or the Fold.

Your thoughts continue to tear you apart as you open the door to your bedchamber, but you still notice the envelope that had been slid under the door by someone.

There’s quite some weight to the parchment, and Aleksander’s handwriting is recognisable immediately. You read over the words carefully. He briefly explains that he’s been called away to deal with an issue in Chernast.

Before you can help it, you’re thinking about the stag. Baghra’s words echo in your mind: it’s likely he will search for it himself and simply return with your new collar. Something painful twists in your chest at the thought, and anxiety fills you. What if there is no emergency in Chernast? What if he’s on his way to kill the stag?

Tilting the envelope in your hands, you tip it to one side and a silver necklace slips out onto your waiting palm. A thin chain, with a circlet of silver - the sun in eclipse. His symbol.

The ache in your heart softens, and you clasp the piece around your neck. The metal is cool against your skin, and you ignore the shiver that runs down your spine and the twisted thoughts that goad you. A placeholder collar.

You fall into an unsettled sleep that night.

»»---------------------►

A week later, Aleksander returns.

You cross paths with him in the entrance hallway to the Little Palace. He has snowflakes in his hair, bright white against the darkness of his raven locks. The snow on his kefta melts quickly, dampening the fabric as he looks over you.

“General Kirigan,” you say in quiet greeting, and he inclines his head, saying your name with a softness that has the entire week worth of anxiety and overthinking fading away.

Everything will be okay.

Your lips are parted, the question already on your tongue, asking him for a moment alone to talk through everything you have learnt since the last time you saw one another. To demand the truth from his own lips.

Then an Inferni - Polina - comes rushing into the hallway, gasping for breath with a frantic expression on her face. She nearly slips on the floor as the wetness on her boots meets polished marble.

Aleksander halts her, encouraging her to share what’s wrong. Both yours and Aleksander’s expression drops as she explains that a young tidemaker had fallen into the ice of the lake during a lesson with Baghra.

She’s barely finished explaining before Aleksander orders her to fetch a healer. His voice fades into the distance as you rush out through the hallway, gravel crunching under your feet as you run towards the lake.

The snowfall is light, allowing you to make your way to the lake without too much difficulty. There’s a few Grisha at the edge of the lake. They share panicked looks and anxious words as they try to figure out how to reach the boy.

The child in question is almost in the middle of the lake, his arms clinging to the ice as half of his body is already submerged in the freezing water.

Panic clouds your mind for a moment, but the sound of Aleksander’s voice pulls you out of it as he asks whether a tidemaker had been alerted of the situation. Had he run after you? Turning, you see him beginning to remove his kefta. Grasping at his sleeve, you stop him.

“I can keep the ice from cracking. I’m the only one who can reach him safely.”

Aleksander holds your gaze for several seconds, studying every emotion swimming in your eyes. The fear and the panic. You’re certain that he remembers the nightmare you had shared with him. He knows you’re thinking about your childhood friend, the boy you couldn’t save from drowning under the ice. But you’re stronger now.

You won’t let any more Grisha children die.

Aleksander nods, settling his palm over your fingers. His touch provides a surge of confidence as his power brushes against yours.

Then you’re turning away, focusing your power on the ice in front of you as Aleksander issues orders to the Grisha standing on the bank. There’s a powerful heartrender attempting to keep the boy’s body temperature up, but he’s too far away and she won’t be able to reach him for much longer.

Drawing your power into your hands, you keep your palm steady as it faces the ground you stand on.

Then you take a step onto the ice. There’s a sickening crack as the ice begins to break, but you don’t allow it to shatter. It remains frozen in time by your power and a shaky breath of relief falls from your lips.

Despite the pounding in your heart and the anxiety urging you to hurry, you step evenly over the ice. With every snap and groan of the ice you push down your fear.

Once you’re close enough you begin to speed up the freezing process of the ice beneath your feet, creating a solid floor for once you pull him out. Now you’re close enough to see the boy properly.

“What’s your name?”

There’s tears glistening in his eyes, but he swallows quickly and answers you,

“Georgi.”

As you settle down onto your knees carefully, you tell him your name.

“The ice around you is quite thin, it won’t stay frozen for long without me holding it. To pull you out, I have to use both of my hands.” Georgi nods in understanding. Very few Grisha can use their power without their hands. “When I grab onto you, I need you to wrap your arms around my neck really tight, okay?”

“You’re going to get me out?”

The fright in his voice tugs at your heart, and for a moment you imagine the ice breaking, plunging you both into the water. You nod.

“It’s going to be alright, Georgi.”

You solidify the ice surrounding him as much as you can, but with Georgi moving constantly to stay above the water, the ice doesn’t remain frozen for long.

“Ready?”

He nods.

“On three.”

You’re mostly speaking to yourself, preparing your power to hold onto the ice for as long as it can.

“One, two, three.”

As you finish your countdown, you grasp hold of Georgi and pull with all your might. His clothes are heavy with water, but he clings onto you tightly. You hear the ice snapping under your knees as the cold water soaks through the arms of your kefta as you fight to pull him free.

Once he’s clear from the water, you pull his body against yours and throw the two of you onto the ice you had thickened. Georgi is shaking as he grips onto you.

With one hand, you summon your power, keeping the ice completely still, frozen at a thickness akin to mid-winter. Relief fills you, but you can hardly process it as your heat beat echoes in your ears. The snowfall is heavier now as it lands in large clumps that cling to your frozen kefta.  

Slowly, you manage to carry Georgi back to towards solid ground.

Once you finally reach the edge of the lake, your legs give way. As you stumble forwards, a handful of Grisha take Georgi. Someone wraps a kefta around him and a healer steps in to examine him before they begin walking him back towards the Little Palace.

When you sink to your knees, exhausted, Aleksander is by your side. He wraps his kefta around your shivering body, and despite the chill of the frozen air some of his warmth spreads over your skin.

His fingers curl around your wrist, his thumb smoothing over your pulse point as it continues to pound violently. The soothing feeling of his amplification has your eyes growing heavy as your forehead presses against the warmth of his neck.

Struggling to keep yourself from falling into him, you force your eyes open. Then your gaze falls on Baghra. Displeasure twists at her features as she observes you and Aleksander, and anger thrums through your body.

“You’re still here I see.”

A startled scoff leaves your lips.

“Did you think telling me running was useless would make me try it just to spite you?”

Aleksander looks between you and his mother, confusion barely visible in his eyes as you stand to face her. A demeaning smile twitches at the corner of her mouth before she nods towards Aleksander.

“He will find out what you are soon enough.”

At that, you go still. Aleksander has always told you how incredible you power is. That it is a gift. Baghra has done nothing but shame you for being different – deep down you’ve always feared that she’s right.

There is a darkness in your soul. An anger you have never forgotten, made dangerous by the magic ripped from the making at the heart of the world and forced into you. The merzost is still there inside you, all it would take is one tug.

Now, with your adrenaline running high, it begs you to answer its call, to release it all. The pain, the fear, the anger. Centuries worth of it.

He will see what you are. An abomination.

Darkling’s have been a source of fear and suspicion among the otkazat’sya for centuries. Perhaps it’s time you give them something new to fear. But you cannot do that if you spend your time cowering from an old woman, even if she has the same power as the man beside you.

She must see the shift in your expression as you step closer.

“He has his Grandfather’s eyes,” you say in a low voice. When her brows draw together you tilt your head towards him in clarification. “Aleksander.”

The corner of your mouth twitches with a smirk as you catch a glimmer of uncertainty in her eyes, you can practically see the questions flying through her mind as she processes your words. Understanding dawns on her, that you had met her father – Ilya Morozova.

Taking another step closer, you raise your chin as you hold her gaze.

“You have no idea what I am.”

The smirk lingers on your lips as she stands in stunned silence, and you step back slowly.

“Think about that, the next time you underestimate me.”

With that, you turn and walk back to the Little Palace.

»»---------------------►

marvelmusing Tag List: @dreamlandcreations @blanchedelioncourt @idaofinfinity @slytherheign @ellooo0ooo @vixenofcourse @dumb-fawkin-bitch @jane-arthur @ilikefictionmen @budugu @watersquirtpewpewboomm @mysweetlittledesire

AEOP Tag List: @budugu @agentstarkid @seraferna @watersquirtpewpewboomm @marvel-ousnesss @venomsvl @cynthianokamaria @dumb-fawkin-bitch @intothesoul @rainbowgoblinfan @000rpheus

Aleksander M Tag List: @nyctophiliiiiaaa @jazmin2211 @wooya1224

BB Characters Tag List: @rachlovesactors @noortsshift @aikeia @weallhaveadestiny @two-unbeatable-beaters

»»---------------------►

-

[glystenangel]

can i request a yuji x megumi fic inspired by Strawberries & Cigarettes - Troye Sivan pls🥹? megumi being the one coming up to yuji asking to light his cig? fluff, romance, PG, no curses

Strawberries & Cigarettes🍓🚬

Strawberry!Yuji Itadori x Cigarette!Megumi Fushigurou

summary/tags/warnings: everything in the ask, yuji and gumi are hs seniors (so 18), slightly ooc bc i am a firm believer that gumi inherited some suaveness from toji, also megumi has green eyes here bc i like his manga color palette better, short and sweet, kissing, also most of what's mentioned in the song bc i luv that song too, smoking obvs

thank you for requesting and i hope u enjoy<333

_________________

“Hey, you got a light?”

At first, Yuji doesn’t think he heard that right.

“Me?” He points at himself, and the mysterious, raven haired boy in front of him nods.

Yuji had been in his usual thinking spot at the park, the swing set, when he heard the crunch of boot soles on the sand in front of him.

Now, this boy is standing here. He looks to be the same age as Yuji, and the uniform he has on is a pair of crisp navy blue pants with an untucked white button up. He seems a bit taller than Yuji, but it could be because of the slimness of his features. The point of his nose is sharpened at the end of a high nose bridge, and the planes of his pale cheeks and jawline have a delicate edge to them. He also has a sullen yet sharp look to his face, dark and messy locks of hair with matching lengthy eyelashes to frame unreadable green eyes. 

Whoever he is, Yuji can only describe the stranger as very pretty.

Suddenly, it might be best to stop staring.

He pretends to search his pockets, and then offers up an apologetic smile, “I’m sorry. I actually don’t smoke.”

The boy looks down at him with no emotion, and Yuji is taken aback yet again by how his eyelashes fan over his cheeks.

He really is one of the most beautiful people Yuji has ever seen.

“Oh, that’s alright. I’ll just go to the convenience store then.”

“Okay.” Yuji says dumbly, unsure of how to respond to that.

The boy walks off without another word, and Yuji watches him go until the top of his head ducks into the convenience store across the street. 

After a few minutes of confused silence, Yuji is surprised to see him return and sit down in the swing next to him. 

He lights his cigarette with a practiced flick of his fingers, and then turns to Yuji after taking a long drag.

“So,” Tendrils of gray smoke curl around the striking verdant color of his eyes, “What’s your name?”

Yuji hadn’t expected him to come back, let alone converse with him.

He blinks, and then smiles while sheepishly rubbing the backside of his undercut, “Uh, it’s Yuji! Yuji Itadori.”

Delicately balancing the cigarette between his lips, the boy holds out his hand, “Megumi Fushigurou.”

Yuji takes it, trying to ignore the heat creeping up behind his neck from the brief clasp of palms, “Where do you go to school?” 

“The high school on the west end of town. I’m a senior.” Megumi juts his head sideways, tapping ash onto the playground sand.

“Ah, okay. Me too! I go to the one over there though.” Yuji points, and Megumi’s eyes flit towards the distant red bricked building at the tip of Yuji’s finger.

“Cool.”

Yuji nods in agreement, and then decides to blurt out a question before the lull in conversation can get too awkward.

“So, why do you come to this park? It’s a bit far.”

“It’s my smoking spot. I used to live in this part of town. Old habits die hard, I guess.” The corner of Megumi’s lip slightly curls up, and then he gestures to Yuji with the end of his cigarette, “You?”

“I just moved here a month ago. I figured this would be a good thinking spot.” He runs a hand through the petal hues of his hair, hoping Megumi doesn't find him stupid for whatever reason.

That’s when Megumi fully grins, and Yuji can’t help but notice how much that small shift in expression makes his heart pound.

“Great minds think alike, don’t they?”

Yuji swallows at the amusement in Megumi’s voice and gathered in the corners of his mouth. How the sun seems to flock to his smile and the spark of happiness in his eyes.

Somehow, he manages to answer.

“Right.”

“So,” Megumi pushes the swing back with his heels, “What exactly do you think about here?”

_________________

As time passes, Yuji keeps staying at the park later and later just to talk with Megumi. 

He finds out his birthday is December 22nd, that he has 2 pet dogs, and that he likes to read. Nonfiction, specifically.

There seems to be a lot to find out about Megumi’s habits too.

Yuji notices that he always closes his eyes when he lights his cigarette, able to sense the end of it and the warmth of the flame. When he talks about something he’s really excited about he instinctively looks to the ground, as if he wants the Earth to listen to his passionate exclamations and see the soft joy in his beam. Whenever Yuji buys sugary snacks for them to share, Megumi will insist he doesn’t like sweets, but always picks out the strawberry flavored pieces to eat.

Sometimes, Yuji wonders if Megumi notices similar things about himself. If he piques Megumi’s interest more than the light brush of their cheeks every time they embrace in greeting or when they both laugh way too hard at the stories they tell each other, bonding over rare high school triumphs and pesky lows.

In the quiet lulls throughout his day to day routine, he wonders if Megumi could like him.

Tonight, that train of thought seems to haunt Yuji as they’re pointing out constellations above their heads and avoiding the dim street lights bordering the park by sitting in the grass.

“That cluster looks like a bear.” The stars speckle the emerald in Megumi’s eyes, and Yuji has a hard time tearing his gaze away long enough to acknowledge the celestial formation Megumi is pointing at.

“It totally does! That one kind of looks like two people kissing. Gross.” Yuji gently pushes Megumi’s elbow to another spot in the sky, and Megumi tilts his head as his elbow relaxes against the subtle touch.

“I think it’s nice.” He seems to consider the blanket of stars before him for a moment, “Two people or two boys?”

Megumi lowers his hand, turning to face the utter shock forcing Yuji’s jaw open before he snaps it shut with a nervous bite.

A long silence peppered with the chirp of crickets stretches between them, and Megumi is still staring at Yuji.

He can practically feel the weight of it as Megumi observes the way Yuji stiffens in his seat, all patience and expectations.

Yuji runs the palm of his hand over his mouth and then behind his neck, “Uh-”

“Hey! Curfew ended an hour ago, you boys need to come with me.” 

The pair quickly jolt up as a patrol officer walks towards them while wagging a chastising finger, and Yuji gives Megumi a quick glance before grabbing his hand.

“Come on, run!”

He tugs the stunned boy along, adrenaline rushing heat to his skin, especially once Megumi seems to register the instruction and intertwines his fingers with Yuji’s as they pick up speed.

“You kids are in big trouble!” The policeman pants, trying to catch up with them and the static of his radio clicking on.

“Where should we go?” Yuji yells, constantly checking his pace so Megumi doesn’t fall behind.

“Over here!” Megumi shoves Yuji into an alleyway, and the chainlink spread across its middle almost knocks the breath out of him.

“Shit, there’s a fence.” The dark haired boy groans, and Yuji wastes no time chucking his backpack over.

“Come on, we gotta jump it!” Yuji hops up the barrier and clambers over, reaching a hand down to help Megumi and hauling him onto the other side.

Once they’re safely away from the fence, the rushed footsteps of their pursuer race right past their hiding spot, but even then Megumi keeps a finger to his lips as he and Yuji head to the end of the alley. The narrow space opens up behind a bustling cafe, where the distant call of orders and the clang of kitchen utensils offer enough cover to ease their shared panic.

“I think we lost him.”

Before he can help it, Yuji doubles over with laughter at Megumi’s declaration.

“That was a close one!”

“Too close.” Megumi chuckles, breathlessness lacing the rare sound, “That was crazy.”

He takes out a half full box of cigarettes and his lighter out of his pocket, and Yuji springs at the chance.

“Here,” He slides the lighter out of the other boy’s hand and flicks it on, “I got it.”

Megumi gives him an unreadable look, but then automatically closes his eyes and leans towards the lighter being held between them.

Even though the flame is small, it fans over the fine expanse of Megumi’s face, etching dark orange shadow and smoothing light into every defined feature. His cupid’s bow pokes out a bit more when a cigarette rests between his lips, and the glow of fire makes the shape of it nearly irresistible.

Yuji can’t look away, even when Megumi appears to sense him looking and opens his eyes.

Pretty doesn’t even begin to describe Megumi anymore.

The flame disappears with a shaky drop of Yuji’s hand, “Sorry-”

He isn’t sure why he’s apologizing, he just feels like an idiot.

Silence and darkness hang the apology in the air, and Yuji can tell Megumi is inhaling from the dot of burnt scarlet floating in front of his nose.

Blue moonlight is dousing his shoulders and sinking into the midnight ink of his hair.

It’s beautiful.

A few more drags, and then Megumi crushes the embers beneath his shoe.

Yuji feels the pure scrutiny of his stare as Megumi takes his face in his hands and soothes his thumbs back and forth over the olive toned skin just beneath his cheekbones.

His heart is pounding in his chest, and he imagines that it's racing at nothing less than a rate of 60 miles per hour.

Then, Megumi inches even closer, eyes focused and staring only at Yuji’s parted lips.

He can already feel the kiss coming.

“You have nothing to apologize for.”

With that sweet reassurance, Yuji melts into the subsequent kiss Megumi carefully presses to his lips.

Immediately, he tastes sugar and smoke rings. 

Like every long night and daydream he spent thinking about Megumi, it left Yuji wanting to kiss him forever.

_________________

Later that night, Megumi drives Yuji home and they hold hands as they make their way to his front door.

“I like you.” Yuji says, grinning at the way the tips of Megumi’s ears darken with blush.

Even flustered, he manages an endearing, “I like you too.”

The rest of their walk is quiet with newfound bliss,  but once they make it to their destination, Megumi shyly runs his thumb over Yuji’s knuckles.

Yuji smiles at the motion, because Megumi’s flingers are thinner than his and he finds the size difference in their hands too cute for words.

“Is it alright if we kiss again?” Megumi asks, and Yuji nods with butterflies filling his stomach.

“Really? I just smoked, you don’t mind it? I should’ve asked earlier.”

He looks imploringly into the bright copper of Yuji’s eyes, and Yuji shakes his head before running a thumb over the swell of Megumi’s bottom lip.

“I like it. You taste like strawberries and cigarettes.”

_________________

End Notes:

this was cuteeee! thank you for requesting💗❤

I rarely write bl but i do like how this one turned out :) hope you like ty again!!

[evereinefaust]

. . . ⇢ ˗ˏˋ 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲 ࿐ྂ

Pairing: Yuuichirou Hyakuya X afab!Reader X Mikaela Hyakuya

Synopsis: In the midst of a day at the carnival with friends, MC finds herself caught between the affections of childhood friends, Yuu and Mika, who compete for her attention.

Word Count: 2,267

"[Name]-chan~!" a certain lavender haired girl called out.

Hearing her constant yelling outside your house, you grumbled in your sleep, positioning on your sides to get a better sleep.

"[Name]-chan!"

"What?!" You bolted upright, brows knitted together in annoyance as your hands formed into a fist, clenching on your blanket. Your half-lidded eyes stared at your oak wood floor.

"E-eh..."

You turned to your side and saw the gang standing outside your room, your door opened. A grinning Shinoa, a poker-faced Mitsuba, a sweat dropping Yoichi, a blank-faced Mika, and a nervous Yuu and Shiho. You glared hardly at them as purple aura emerged from your body, surrounding around you.

"What?" You calmly asked, trying to compose yourself.

"Well, we are wondering if you want to join us—"

"Nope," you bluntly said, cutting off the poor Yoichi who 'eh?!' in surprise, covering the blanket over your face as you went back to bed.

"Come on, [Name]-chan~ it will be fun~" Shinoa went to your sides and poked you.

"Stop it, it's annoying." You groaned then buried your body deeper into the mattress.

A sigh escaped Mitsuba's lips then went out the room, she motioned Shiho and Yoichi to come with her, in which they obeyed. Yuu decided to convince you to come so he went to the bed and kneeled down.

"[Name]?"

You poked your head out of the covers and looked at him. You can't stay angry at Yuu and Mika since they're your childhood friends. And of course, they're not annoying like Shinoa.

"Yes?" You asked, though you obviously know that he'll ask you to join them.

"If you're free today, will you join us? We're planning to hang out at a carnival since there is a festival going on." Yuu explained.

"And there will be fireworks too, your favorite, right?" Mika added, flashing you a smile that could melt your heart.

You hid your blush from them by covering your face with your blanket. "S-sure... just let me refresh for a while. Having you guys invade my house, especially my room, made it hard for me to think."

Yuu sweat-dropped as Mika sighed.

"Well, it was actually your mother's idea to go straight to your room to wake you up, since she said that you're a heavy sleeper when having your little siesta." Yuu laughed nervously as he stood up, rubbing a hand behind his head.

"Yeah, right." You rolled your eyes because of your mother. "Wait for me in 5 minutes. Tell mom that I'll be joining you guys."

Yuu and Mika smiled while Shinoa just grinned. She grabbed the boys out of your room and closed the door behind her.

You sighed, removing the blanket from your face, before smiling at the thought. "Fireworks, huh?"

After you fixed yourself, you exited the room and went downstairs. You can hear laughter and fighting in the living room and so you sneak up and took a peek inside. And as usual, you saw the pinkette and the raven haired boy having a staring competition with each other, sparks of rivalry in between.

"Hey, hey, hey," you smiled then leaned on the door frame, arms crossed.

Everyone looked at you as the two stopped their little contest.

"Ah, you're already awake~" your mom chimed as her eyes lit up, hands clasped together in front of her chest.

"Well, I can't probably go back to sleep without someone annoyingly continue to disturb me," you said and glared hardly at the Hiiragi, making the others know who you are referring to. Shinoa just smiled at you sweetly.

Mitsuba sighed. "Anyways, thanks for welcoming us into your home, Mrs. [Surname]."

"Oh, no! It's fine, you're my [Name]'s good friends, after all." Your mom gave them a smile.

"Okay guys, let's go," you called out to them and they nodded, standing up from their seats.

"Have fun everyone!" Your mom called on you as you and gang are standing outside of your house.

"We will!" You shouted back.

"And oh! Yuu-kun, Mika-kun, please take care of my [Name]!"

"We will!" The black-haired male replied.

"Please don't worry," Mika assured and smiled.

"Mou!" You pouted and puffed your cheeks in all cutesy, face flushed by your mother. "I can handle myself, thank you."

"Okay, then. Have fun!" Your mother chuckled.

"Yes!" With that said, you and the gang walked your way down the pavement towards the known carnival place.

Once the gang entered the park, you can only stare in awe at how much the park had changed from the last time you saw it. A lot of people are roaming around, playing at game booths, eating or just loiter. A slim hand slipped itself into yours and you instantly tensed up at the touch. Your flustered face turned and saw Mika staring back at you, a slightly pink tinted his cheeks.

"M-Mika-kun...?" You asked, unsure of his actions.

"The crowd is thick and I don't want to lose you, your mom might throw a tantrum because of it." He explained, looking back to the crowd to prove his point.

"Y-yeah... right..." you answered, a part of you want to sweat-drop of thinking of your mom having a fit.

Unbeknownst to you, Shinoa is a grinning mess for watching the cute scene and Yuu can't help but scowl at his brother.

"Okay, guys!" Shinoa's voice caught everyone's attention.

You and the others turned around to face Shinoa. And once you did, you could feel a shiver run down your spine after seeing her expression. She is already grinning from ear to ear, a mischievous glint appeared in her eyes. Whatever she is thinking, you don't want to know it.

"Since we are now at the park, I am actually thinking of going in pairs to have fun."

"Who will pick the pairs then?" The brunette asked.

"We'll decide with this!" She pulled out 7 sticks from who-knows-where. You instantly know what it is for. "Since we are 7 right now, there will two pairs and a trio. I had prepared this before we left."

"And we're gonna pick who we are paired with, right?" Yu asked, looking at Shinoa who nodded to answer his question. Somewhere deep in his heart, he wanted to be paired with you and spend the day having fun, he is also somewhat jealous because of the intimate gestures his brother is giving you earlier.

"Let's get this over with." Mitsuba sighed then got one stick.

Yoichi followed after the blonde, then Shiho, then Mika and Yuu at the same time. You and Shinoa are yet to pick. You glanced at the lavender-haired Hiiragi and gave her a nervous glare but all she return to you was a cheeky smile, shoving the two remaining sticks closer to you. You sighed then grabbed one.

"Okay! Removed the white tape from the bottom, there you will see a color. The persons with the same color will go together as pair or trio." After that, everyone did what Shinoa instructed and ripped the tape, revealing three colors—red, yellow and blue—indicating that there are three separate groups.

By now, Mika already removed his hands from yours(for which you are grateful for but soon missing his warmth) and ripped the tape revealing a blue tipped stick.

"I guess we're a pair then," you said then showed him yours.

"I couldn't ask for more." He chuckled.

"Oi! I got blue!" Yuu yelled and raised his blue tipped stick. Your heart dropped at seeing this.

"Stop your yells, idiot! We don't want any passers-by to stare at us like we're crazy!" Shiho smacked the ravenette's head in annoyance, a tick mark appeared on his forehead.

"Ouch! What the hell is that for?!" Yuu rubbed his head then come to touched the redhead's forehead. After a while, the staring contest started.

"H-Hyakuya-kun, Kimizuki-kun, please calm down." Yoichi tried to make them stop as he sweat-dropped.

"I can't believe that I'm paired with this girl..." Mitsuba's eyebrows twitched in annoyance as she stared at the yellow tipped stick. The said lavender haired Hiiragi just smiled sweetly at her.

"W-well... Yuu-kun," you rubbed your temple and called out to him, hoping that somehow, he and Kimizuki would stop for once.

"Hm....? What is it, [Name]?" He asked and turned his full attention towards you.

"Mika-kun and I got blue as well." You said then showed him your stick.

Yuu's green eyes blinked a few times before pink dusted his cheeks. He then comes to you and pulled you into a hug, a gesture which surprises you.

"I'm glad to be your pair, [Name]!" He gushed. You just stood there shocked. He then pulled away and stared into your [e/c] orbs, hands on your shoulders. "I promise to make your day the best!"

The blonde male just glared at his brother for a good minute before breaking their moment. "Ehem!"

Yuu instantly removed his hands from your shoulders and both of you looked at Mika.

"Let's go." Was all he said before interlocked his hands with yours and began to walk.

"H-hey! Wait for me!" Yuu called out and caught up. Mika just looked back at Yuu and glared in which the ravenette didn't hesitate to return.

By now, you and the others are already separated and had your time with both Hyakuya brothers. You can't help but notice that they are trying to get close to you every now and then. They would also scowl and glare at each other when you're not watching. At first, you and the boys went around to admire all merchandise. But then they started to buy you anything that you want. Then they played games to win prizes for you. Of course, you accepted the gifts but somewhere deep in your heart, you wanted them to stop giving you all of these, it made you feel a bit guilty about it.

After the game, the three of you rested first on a bench with the foods that you guys recently bought. Yuu tried to feed you takoyaki, in which you humbly decline but insisted anyway. Mika would let you drink his beverage whenever you are in need of liquid, and of course, you being oblivious that he already drank it also.

Yuu notices this then started glaring hard at the male who returned the favor with a smirk. And so, Yuu had his ways. After eating, your trio went around once again to admire the scenery and everything. During that time, he had excused himself from buying something. Mika was delighted by that then entwined his fingers with yours. You didn't question him this because you know that he thought you might get lost, the crowd is getting thicker after all.

After Yuu came back, he held an unwrapped lollipop and handed it to you. Your eyes brightened up at the sight of your favorite [f/f] lollipop and didn't hesitate to shove it in your mouth. Unknown to you and to Mika, the ravenette boy already licked the lolly before giving it to you. Now he already had an indirect kiss with you as well.

"Wah~ I'm tired!" You yawned as your trio walked towards a grassy field.

"You're right, it's getting late now," Mika stated, still holding your right hand.

"Let's rest over there. The fireworks are gonna start in a few minutes," Yuu informed, pointing a finger to an open grassy field. His other hand entwined with your left(yes, by now, Yuu started to hold your hand as well).

"Sure." You nodded and walked towards the place. The boys following beside you.

After you and the boys settled down on the grass(with you in the middle, of course), you turned to them and smiled.

"Thank you guys for this day."

"It's no problem." Answered Mika as he focused his gaze on the skies, awaiting the fireworks with his cheeks painted red. Luckily for him, the skies were dark and so you didn't see his blush.

"You're always welcome, [Name]." Answered Yuu as he averted his gaze to the side to hide his blush from you.

"Actually..." you turned around to see Mika staring at you. His handsome features up close made your face heat up.

"We've been thinking..." this time, you looked to Yuu and saw his face inches away from yours. You could already feel your heart's gonna explode any moment now.

"That we............" and as on cue, the fireworks exploded in the sky, making Yuu's statement falter by the loud booms and earning your attention as you instantly switched your focus on the colorful sky.

And once you did, the two didn't hesitate to use the opportunity and kissed both of your cheeks at the same time. Your heart skipped a beat, yours eyes wide and face flushed. The two pulled away then gave you a sweet smile while interlocking their fingers with yours.

"We love you, [Name]."

[darklydeliciousdesires]

Who Loses... Wins - An EZ Reyes/Reader Smut Short.

Teasing cockwarming with EZ? Why, yes. Have at it. 

Words - 651

Warnings - Smut below the cut. Under 18? Please do NOT engage!

“Oh god… fuck. You ain’t gonna make this easy, are you?”

“Just because you set me a challenge, it doesn’t mean I can’t counter-screw with you.”

He raises an eyebrow. “What an interesting choice of words.”

“Yeah,” you agree, leaning to kiss him. “Kinda obvious in the antithesis of our current situation.”

Squeezing your inner muscles around him again, a saturated clasp against his hot rigidity, you watch EZ bite his lower lip, grunting quietly. Another clench, and his eyes close, a frown creasing his forehead. “God damnit.”  

His challenge was to see how long you could sit still with him inside you, no rocking against him, no movement of your body at all that involves you sliding upon his cock for friction. He never stated, however, that you couldn’t give said cock a damned good grasping within the soaking clutch of your walls.  

It’s killing you as much as it is him, but you’re loathed to let on, loving that the ace he presumed to have up his sleeve has well and truly been transferred to yours. He’s dying, dying to throw you your back and pound the hell out of you, drag your pussy with brutal, voracious thrusts, but losing and EZ Reyes have never particularly gone well together.  

Clench, release. Clench, release.

“Dying to give me the kind of dicking down I’ll still be feeling in a week?”

He snorts, his hand grasping your hair, pulling your head back to expose your neck, laying kisses at the column of your throat. “Honey, I’ll fuck you so damned hard, your ancestors will feel it. All you gotta do is lose.”

This is a tricky notion to contend with, for someone just as stubborn as he, which is exactly what you are. You could get fucked into oblivion, but you’d lose. Would you, though? You’d get exactly what you want, after all. Your squeezes around him, of course, leave you just as longing as he.  

Win, or lose? Win... and get what? To wait for longer, or lose, and get him right now?

“I give up.”  

You expect to be set upon with ravenous intent, except that doesn’t happen, EZ instead making his big cock twitch within your heat, evoking a soft gasp of incredulity. “Oh yeah, baby girl. Two can play the twitching game.” Doing it again, he laughs, halting you when you attempt to begin bouncing upon him, strong hands gripping your waist, preventing your movement. Damn him.  

“What happened to the ancestor disturbing dicking down, then?”

He chuckles, kissing you, his cock quavering within you a few more times. “I have to make sure you really, really want it before I do.”  

“You ain’t gonna make this easy for me, are you?” Your echoing of his earlier statement prompts a smug smirk, EZ pattering his fingers up your spine, his cock flexing again, right against your sweet spots, your little gasp making his insides prickle pleasantly.  

“No. I’m gonna make you beg.”  

“Bastard.”

“Ah, ah. No name calling, querida, else I’ll force you to sit here on it for hours.”  

Damn him, damn him, damn him!

“I want you to fuck me, EZ. I want to feel every last single, solid inch of this gorgeous, long cock piledriving into me, get you all wet with me, fuck, I need it, I need you so badly. Please, I’m begging you. Pound my tight little pussy. I know you love me, but shit, I want you to fuck me like you don’t.”

The surprise isn’t the speed he flattens you onto your back with, it’s the fact that he manages not to lose tangency where you’re deeply fused, his cock only slipping from you a few inches before he ruts with power, daggering into you sharply, forcing a shrill cry from your throat as he goes about rearranging your guts with wickedly furious snaps of his hips, utterly ploughing you into the bed.  

Sometimes, losing feels good.  

A/N - Did you enjoy it? Rewarding your hard working author with a comment and reblog goes a long way :)

[endless-bunny]

Pathfinder Iconics Comparison Part 4: Classes Who Got Demoted

[Part 1: Classes with Different Iconics] [Part 2: Core Classes] [Part 3: The Remaining PF2 Classes] [Part 5: Prestige Classes] [Part 6: Who's left?]

We've now seen all 23 of the character classes from PF2, but classes are only part of the story. PF2 is big on granular customisation and one of the big ways you can customise your character is with Archetypes.

Instead of taking abilities from your main class, you can instead opt to take features from an archetype, representing a more focussed area of combat or magical specialisation. A couple of the classes from PF1 exist as archetypes in PF2.

Arcanist

Enora (she/her, Halfling)

The Arcanist is an interesting case. In PF1, it was a Hybrid class that prepared spells like a Wizard but cast them like a Sorcerer. In PF2, it's been expanded into an archetype called "Flexible Preparation" that any prepared spellcaster can take, with "arcanist" being specifically the term used by Wizards.

I love the colouring on Enora's new artwork. All of her key features are here, from her cloak to her accoutrements. Looks like she has a sextant hanging off her belt. Although there is that green wand/staff that she seems to have misplaced between editions. Maybe she broke it (Arcanists in PF1 can destroy magic items to absorb their powers).

Interestingly, this specific illustration of Enora doesn't appear in the body of the book, Secrets of Magic, at all. Instead, it's only featured on the contents page. It might be the only illustration that doesn't appear at least nearby the rules it relates to. This is possibly because the Flexible Preparation archetype is pretty wordy and has a big table, so there's not space for a picture. Still, it's a shame that Enora has been consigned to the frontmatter, a fate I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy.

The Arcanist appears in the Advanced Class Guide for PF1, and in Secrets of Magic for PF2.

Cavalier

Alain & Donahan (he/him, Human [Taldan])

The main difference between Alain's PF1 and PF2 designs is that he isn't drawn by Wayne Reynolds. Most of the elements of his outfit and equipment are still present, but he's lost some colour in the transition to the new edition (which is the opposite of what we've seen for the Core classes). I do appreciate that Donahan, his horse, gets to share the spotlight in PF2, since his connection to a mount is kind of the thing that defines a cavalier.

The Cavalier appears in Advanced Player's Guide for PF1, and in the Advanced Player's Guide for PF2.

Vigilante

The Red Raven (he/him, Human, PF1 vs. PF2)

Of all the direct comparisons we've seen so far, this is the only one that I would say is a strict downgrade. For some of them, it's just a question of preference but the PF1 Vigilante art is so gorgeous. That vibrant red, the stoic expression, and all the weaponry, it illustrates everything you need to know about the Vigilante class.

The PF2 Vigilante is not just disgustingly coloured, but the expression is so ugly. The pose is slightly more interesting, looks a little bit more like a superhero rogue ("superherogue"?) but I don't think that's a fair exchange for what we lost.

The character's design hasn't really changed much. The design of the boots is slightly different but that might be a side effect of the funny way Wayne sometimes draws feet. He's got a new cloak clasp and he seems to have lost his whip, plus the specifics of his cloak are a little different, he doesn't seem to have the front piece.

The main "deal" of the Vigilante is a secret identity. The Vigilante is a masked persona that the character assumes, and they lead a double life. On a completely unrelated note, here's a human noble from PF1 named Aric. Don't know what he's doing here, he's clearly not the same guy as the Red Raven.

Aric (he/him, Human) (PF1)

The Vigilante appears in Ultimate Intrigue for PF1, and in the Advanced Player's Guide for PF2.

Antipaladin

Urgraz (he/him, Duergar [Deep Dwarf])

The Antipaladin is, as the name suggests, the antithesis of everything the Paladin stands for. While the Paladin is a paragon of goodness, a holy knight that fights on behalf of the downtrodden, the Antipaladin is selfish and craven, and will do whatever they can to get what they want.

In PF2, the Antipaladin isn't its own class. Like the Paladin, it exists as a subclass of the Champion, and like the Paladin it is only one of three Champions of Evil. A Lawful Evil Champion is a Tyrant, a Neutral Evil Champion is a Desecrator, and the Antipaladin is Chaotic Evil. There are also, apparently, Champions of Neutrality, but we don't have any rules for them as of yet, and given that the Pathfinder Remaster is going to remove Alignment, it seems unlikely we'll get them in so many words.

The Antipaladin is also interesting because, while the Iconic Antipaladin is officially Urgraz, as seen above, he's not the character used to illustrate the class. Instead, it's this guy.

As far as I can tell, this guy isn't a character. I don't know if he has a name (I'll call him Viktor for now, after the alias assumed by Clancy Brown's character, the Kurgan, in Highlander).

In PF1, Viktor seems to revel in being evil. He's a villain that's having fun with what he does. He seems to have lost his joie de vivre in PF2.

The second image here is one of my favourite PF1 illustrations. It just raises so many questions. It's supposed to show Seelah suffering a moral quandary, unable to decide whether she should go to the burning orphanage or the Antipaladin's castle, but

Who put those signs up? How long has the orphanage been burning that they felt the need to put signage for it? Unless that's its name, like it's the "Duncan J. Burning Memorial Orphanage" or something. Why is Viktor just standing right there?

The Antipaladin appears in the Advanced Player's Guide for PF1, and the Advanced Player's Guide for PF2.

Shaman

Shardra Geltl & Kolo (she/her, Dwarf)

This last one is sort of a cheat, since the Shaman doesn't exist as a character option in PF2. Instead, this illustration of the Iconic Shaman Shardra comes from Lost Omens: World Guide. She's used here as an example of a Rivethun Dwarf.

Most of her outfit is intact, she hasn't undergone too many changes. Her clan dagger and satchel are still very prominent on her belt, but she doesn't have her mace or censer with her. Her headdress and other accessories are all pretty much one to one.

In PF1, the Shaman was another Hybrid class. Its parent classes are the Oracle and Witch. The Oracle and Witch both gain their powers from abstract entities, and the same is true of the Shaman, who communes with the spirits of nature to gain its powers.

The Shaman appears in the Advanced Class Guide for PF1.

The PF1 Iconic Shifter from Ultimate Wilderness, Zova, also appears in an illustration in PF2's Lost Omens: Mwangi Expanse but it's not an individual character shot like it is for Shardra, so she's not included here. There might also be PF1 Iconics in other Lost Omens books, but I haven't looked through them all in great detail. Do let me know if I've missed something.

Next time we'll take a look at the remaining Prestige Classes from the first edition Core Rulebook. Like I mentioned in the previous post, they aren't characters per se, but it's interesting to see how the characters have been translated over.

[masontalo]

«Bridge»

«on…»

- Hey, are you okay? I can feel your anxiety, - Raven said.

Farz now gave some of the control of his body to Raven, but only one eye and mouth.

- Yeah, it's okay. It's just that guy from the cafe. - Farz was talking when Raven interrupted him.

- Can't get out of your head?

- Something like that. Usually these things go away quickly, but this guy's been on my mind most of the time.

He took the jacket and slipped the sleeves into it.

- Yeah, I noticed that. - Raven continued. - What do you think you're going to do about it?

- What can I do about it? Wait for it to go away.

Farz yanked the doorknob and was about to leave.

- Hey, Farz, where are you going? - Sid asked, sitting on the couch eating animal crackers.

- I'm going for a walk. - The man replied.

Sid immediately returned his gaze to his phone and replied simply:

- Okay, bye.

Without answering him, Farz walked out of the apartment, and afterward out of the house. He walked in a random direction.

- What do you think after all? - Raven asked after five minutes of walking in complete silence.

- What's there to think about? Just some random guy Sid pissed off, nothing out of the ordinary. - Farz answered a little irritated.

- I'm surprised he didn't hit him.

- Judging by the reaction, he could have, or even wanted to.

- Maybe he was afraid of the public looks?

- I don't know. Why are we discussing him anyway? Don't we have our own problems?

Raven didn't answer that, feeling a little awkward.

It was the end of the day, and Farse was tired enough as it was. And then there were the questions about the no-name guy.

- It was the first and last time I saw him. - He started talking again. - What's the point of remembering again?

There was only silence from Raven as well. It didn't take an hour for Farse to realize that he had reached the end of the city. He'd been so engrossed that he hadn't felt the distance.

- Have we reached the edge of the city? - Farz asked, as if it wasn't obvious.

- Yes, you're very engrossed in thinking. - Raven replied.

- It was a rhetorical question.

The girl was silent again until they reached the bridge. Before they reached the bridge, Farz stopped, because he saw someone. It didn't confuse him at first and he just kept walking, but as he got closer, he recognized him. It was the guy from the cafe. What's he doing here?

Raven stopped controlling Farz's another eye as he walked over to the guy.

- Are you going to jump? - He asked, walking up to the guy.

The guy turned sharply to Farz, eyes wide open. He obviously hadn't expected such a sudden appearance. But when he got the gist of the question, his eyebrows narrowed and he turned his gaze back to the water.

- No, I'm not. - The guy answered gruffly.

Farz stood beside him, putting his elbows on the railing.

- Why are you standing there, then? - Farz asked.

The guy silently looked under the bridge, Farz looked the same way and saw five people sleeping, apparently drunk or stoned.

- Oh, - was all Farz could say as the guy shifted his gaze back to the water, hands clasped on the railing. - Then why don't you go home?

- I have nowhere to go. - The guy said, pressing his lip together.

Farz raised an eyebrow.

- Really? - He asked.

- Yeah, I live with those bastards, but sitting alone in their house is kind of embarrassing, - The guy replied, lowering his head and the volume of his voice.

Farz thought for a few seconds, looking at the guy, but finally said:

- You don't look like them.

The guy raised his head and looked at Farz with surprised eyes.

- What do you mean?

- Well, you don't look drunk or high. - Farse hastened to explain himself.

He could see the relief in the guy's eyes when he answered:

- I don't do drugs and I don't get that drunk. I've only recently been sold alcohol, though only with a passport.

Farz was already surprised.

- You're twenty-one?

Now they were both looking at each other with wide-open eyes.

- Yeah, what's wrong? - The guy asked.

- You look twelve! - Farz exclaimed.

That angered the guy.

- And you look fourteen!

Farz shut up looking at the guy, the guy did the same looking at Farz. But eventually they just started looking at the water again.

They stood in awkward silence for a while. But Farz decided to continue talking:

- You were pretty pissed off back then.

The guy turned his head toward Farz.

- Then?

- Yes, in the cafe.

- Were you there too? - he could hear the boy's voice getting quieter again.

- Yes, I was there with my friend and..." But before he could finish his sentence, the guy put his elbows on the railing and closed his eyes with his hands.

- I'm so, so ashamed. I got angry for no reason, and-" He fell silent. Either he didn't dare finish or he didn't know how.

- Whoa, whoa, whoa, it's okay, it's over. - Farz hurried to calm, or shut up, the stranger.

Silence again. A long and awkward silence. What is there to say? The guy had just tried to shut up and calm down, should he continue to try to apologize or just shut up?

Farz sighed and extended his hand to the guy as if for a handshake.

- I'm Farz Murphy.

The guy took his hands off his face, looked at Farz, and then at his hand. After a second of hesitation, he shook his hand and answered:

- Vayt Black.

- You have an unusual name.

- You have too.

They could quibble like this for a long time. It was partly starting to get annoying, as the awkward pauses would get more and more embarrassing and uncomfortable.

Farz casually looked under the bridge again and saw this drunken company, who would not show signs of consciousness for several more hours. It was unclear why, but he had an idea in his head, which he voiced without thinking:

- Why don't you spend the night at my place?

Vayt's eyes widened and his eyebrows rose.

- What? - he thought he heard him.

Farz realized his mistake, but it was too late to refuse.

- It's pretty late, and you have nowhere to go. Why don't you sleep at my place tonight? - Farz smiled awkwardly while saying that. - I feel sorry for you.

Vayt froze. He said nothing for a couple seconds, trying to formulate a sentence. Farz was beginning to hope he wouldn't agree.

- I'm not bothering you, am I?

"Fuck", - was the first thing that came to Farz's mind. Good thing it wasn't on the tongue.

- I don't think you seem like a calm guy. At least you're calmer than you were then. - Farz said with his hands in his pockets.

Vayt sighed.

- Okay. I promise it's just for one night. I'll leave right away in the morning, - Farz hadn't even asked him to do that, and Vayt had already promised.

- Well, all right. Let's go, then. It's getting dark. - Farz said, turned and walked toward town.

Vayt put his backpack over his shoulder and followed him quickly, as if he was afraid of getting lost. He was trailing a little behind, as if on purpose, as if he was afraid, though not surprisingly, they'd known each other less than an hour. Because Vayt was trailing behind, Farz kept having to turn around. It would be a bad idea to lose sight of him. There was no telling what might happen. They'd file a missing person report, and Farz would be the last person to see him. They'd charge him and put him away. That's the last thing he needs.

- Listen, before we get there... - Farz started to say, turning to look at Vayt. - ... I want to warn you that I don't have any sleeping places in my apartment. There's a bed and a couch, but both are occupied, so...

- Don't worry, I'll sleep on the floor. For me it's not crucial. - Vayt replied with a slight smile.

"Since that's the case, it should be fine. Should I tell him that I also don't have a third blanket and pillow?" - Farz thought a little anxiously.

They walked in silence the whole way, which made the way back seem longer, but Vayt seemed to just stare straight ahead, only occasionally noticing when Farse turned around.

In the elevator, Vayt watched his movements carefully. Once they reached the floor, they entered an unlocked apartment.

- You don't lock the doors? - Vayt asked.

- No, they've been a lot of trouble, - he said.

- Like what?

Farz sighed and answered as politely as possible to the overly curious new acquaintance:

- Maybe I'll tell you next time.

As soon as the door closed Vayt saw Sid asleep on the couch and his face twisted a little in a disgruntled grimace, remembering the incident at the cafe. But that expression quickly faded when Farz turned to him:

- Is everything alright?

- Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry, I was just thinking, - Vayt said, starting to walk deeper into the apartment.

Farz cleared his throat.

- Listen, I'm sorry, I don't have another blanket and pillow....

Vayt started talking quickly again, to calm Farz down, and quietly, to keep Sid from getting woken up:

- It's okay, really. I'll just sleep in the corner of the room, it's fine. Thanks again. And good night. - Vayt finished with a nervous smile. He was still embarrassed.

The apartment was relatively clean, because Raven cleaned it from time to time. But Vayt didn't seem to mind the mess, either. He just sat down against the far wall, took off his sweatshirt, lay down, put his backpack under his head, and then covered himself with the sweatshirt. It was pathetic. But it seemed fine to Vayt. Farz didn't say anything last, just turned off the light and went into his room.

"Weird guy", - he thought as he changed his clothes and went to bed.

It was a long day.

In the morning, at seven in the morning, Farz came out of his room. The first thing that caught his eye was that there was no body in the far corner of the room. This surprised Farz, he looked into the bathroom, but he wasn't there either. In the kitchen it was the same, only there were two plates on the table, which were covered with other plates.

At that moment, Sid walked up to him.

- Why are you standing here? Is something wrong? - He asked.

- No, just...

Before Farz could finish, Sid noticed the plates and came to the table.

- What do we have here? - Sid asked, picking up the plates.

There was breakfast, not surprisingly. Scrambled eggs, sausages, and pan-fried bread. Farz's eyes widened in surprise.

"Those products weren't there." - He thought and immediately went to the fridge. What was left over from cooking Vayt left behind. - "He bought groceries? What time did he wake up?"

- Wow, Farz, you cooked this? Amazing, considering your love of cooking. But why did you cover it with plates? - Sid spoke, turning to Farz.

- I didn't cook it. - He answered and closed the fridge door.

Sid raised one eyebrow and put the two covering plates together.

- You didn't? Who did then? - He asked.

Farz sighed and looked at Sid.

- Remember the guy from the cafe you made piss off?

- The short one like you?

Farz wanted to snarl, but suppressed the urge.

- Yes, that's him, - He rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. - His name is Vayt. When I was walking around yesterday thinking about some things, I bumped into him. We got into a dialog and I ended up asking him to spend the night here. You were asleep when we got here. You didn't hear anything this morning?

Sid put two plates in the sink.

- I heard the sound of water running from the faucet in my sleep, but I thought it was you. Did you seriously let a strange guy into your apartment?

He didn't answer, for he didn't know why he'd suggested it or why he hadn't kept his mouth shut. Farz's eyebrows arched. He didn't understand another thing. What had Vayt done it for? He wanted to thank him? He left no note, no phone number. And he washed all the dishes. That's weird.

Sid clapped Farz on the shoulder.

- Well, the best part is you don't have to cook anything. Yes? - he said.

Farz looked at him and smiled a little.

- Yes, that's right.

[mystical-sleepy-musings]

ICELUS/PHOBETOR/EPIALES

Onerioi of Nightmares

Somber Icelus

With your nocturnal tribulation

Shadowy beasts bring terror

With a feather

Clasped in your hands

You whisper

"Herefore lies within me"

"The shadow of myself"

Gifting the one who he cares for so

Visions of truth and understanding

He cradles them in his arms

Safe from all negative emotions

Loving them

Protecting them

Straddling the line between fear and ferver

He coaxes them with a gentle hand

They take his call into the wafting shadows

He is the primal instincts

Left to be buried

But now

They arise from the depths of being

Living amongst our subconscious

Icelus

The Shadowy One

The Giver of Trials

The Bearer of Omens

My dear Icelus

This is my poem for you

|Confusing names|

Epiales is his Greek name (considering I got a lot of flack for saying Icelus is a separate deity from Epiales I'm just going to see them as the same because the first mention of Icelus/Phobetor's name was in a Roman writing "Metamorphosis" by Ovid. So technically, he is Roman but was still around in Hellenistic Paganism as Epiales in spg(possibly upg* but not sure tbh). But he prefers the name Icelus in my own personal experience so I am going to call him that

|My Experience|(*UPG)

*The freakazoid crazy but lovable uncle going through a midlife crisis. He is known to show up in dreams as beasts and animals. So I took meltonin, which apparently gave me night terrors, but I needed to see Icelus/Phobetor, so I had a dream, and this pale skinned, dark eyed being appeared in my dream . It was not Morpheus taking on the form of Dream of The Endless cause he had a fancy headdress with a red jewel in the center and long black hair with black lipstick and a sinister smirk. He was in all black but didn't know what exactly he was wearing since it was just his head and shoulders. But I knew who it was... Icelus. So apparently, he was the giving me the night terrors, not the meltonin cause the dream was calm and not as chaotic as usual when I take meltonin. I think Morpheus kept his word and kept his rowdy brother in check, so he had no choice but to stay in the form that he usually takes . It wasn't a beast it was him in his (human like(?)) Form . I think his true form is something so terrifying that mere mortals die or go insane from upon seeing it. He is rough around the edges(he has a mouth like a sailor) but is actually sweet....in his own way. Usually, he teases Morpheus (or me sometimes) to make me laugh, especially when I'm feeling upset. But he guides by bringing tribulations to help you get stronger and to bring you closer to understanding.

He has a wild flamboyant personality, which is a complete contrast to me and Morpheus who are more quiet and introverted. He is a major troll to me sometimes cause when I asked him for a sign, he acted like he didn't want to, but then a couple of days later, he sent a brown recluse spider. Icelus, compared to Morpheus dresses, very elegantly. He is usually seen in suits or elaborate robes with 6 horned headdresses with a red jewel crowning his forehead, but sometimes he opts for a simpler but still bedazzled headdress. Icelus used to have long waist length black hair but lopped it off when he saw Papa Emeritus 3 of the band Ghost. Those three markings under each of his eyes....well....they are eyes as well. This makes sense to me since he likes spiders and spiders instill fear in many people . Icelus has fangs, of course, but his wingspan is significantly shorter than Morpheus's since yes, he is shorter than his brother but still a bit taller than me by a couple of inches He is the youngest out of the three named Oneiroi

|Associations|

*Note that this is UPG*

Animals

Ravens and Crows

Nocturnal rodents like raccoons and Possums

Spiders(To me, his main animal he associates with)

Just creepy crawlies in general. The more legs, the better!

Earthworms

Bats

Snakes

Dragons and Monsters

Black colored animals(how he appears to me in dreams)

He is known for appearing as beasts and animals in dreams, so yeah, he loves a lot of animals

Colors

Red

Black

White

Maroon

Silver

Green

Misc Objects

Feathers

Skulls and skeletons

Gothic decorations

Bug and creepy crawlies decorations or toys

Anything Halloween or spooky

Anything related to Beetlejuice or the band Ghost

Also, he loves memes and cursed images

Sweets like chocolate and cookies

Jewelry (with gothic designs )

Planet

Uranus(he picked it, not me)

😏

Music

Heavy metal

Dark vaudeville/Circus music

Anything that is annoying to his brother Morpheus

Rap

Meme songs

Dubstep

Musicals

Ballads(only a few so far)

He loves Shanklin Freak Show , Ghost , Skrillex , Marilyn Manson ,

Tarot card

The Tower

Crystals

Black tourmaline

Onyx

Obsidian

Red colored gems

Herbs and flowers

Mugwort

Roses

"Anything that bites back" is what he told me

Poppies

|Working and worship|

Icelus tends to like dark spaces, which I learned by Clairsentience he likes to lurk in an unused bathroom in my dorm or currently in my apartment bathroom, laundry room or closet, so I tend to keep the light off in those area's. And whenever I turn on the light, my clairaudience picks up on him hissing. So keep that in mind when it comes to altar placement. Also, he is very good for shadow work and inner child work. He teaches me how to laugh and have a sense of humor since I'm usually very serious. He can be vulgar and rude at times, so keep that in mind . Icelus can be brutal at times, but through tribulations, he brings you to understanding. When it comes to banishing bad spirits, he will tear them apart, lol. Ie he very good at that!

Also bonus:

Icelus, to me, sounds like Alex Brightman as Beetlejuice from the musical . Imagining Icelus doing and singing "The Whole Being Dead Thing" makes it even funnier cause it's not hard tbh

This gif reminds me of Icelus

[just-some-random-blogger]

Idea for when the spirit moves you: reader asks Morpheus if they can decorate the palace for Christmas and do Christmas things like watch the nutcracker and other Christmas movies and listen to Christmas music, hot chocolate in front of the fire, snow things and dream pouts and pretends to be brooding but he’s soft and loves it

Christmas Lover

Dream of the Endless x Reader

Summary: Now that you had access to the largest hall ever and a supplier of all your dreams, nothing was going to stop you from enacting the Christmas you have been dreaming of since you were a child.

Word Count: 1k+

Warnings: Matthew the "Grinch" Raven, gender neutral!reader, reader is the type of person that plays Christmas music in september (auto jail), fluff, typos, etc.

A/N: this took a while to get back to but i have only one (1) assignment left SO I CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT AW YIS LETS GET IT I hope you like it baby <3 honestly dream could have been broodier in this but he's mostly clueless and just happy to be here AHHAHAHAH Tagging: @pinksirensong @deniixlovezelda @shadow-pancake9

"Boss, I think you should know something." Dream doesn't spare him a glance. But then Matthew says your name. Suddenly, Dream is all ears. The raven sighs, "I don't know how to say it." "Say it clearly, say it plainly-- no matter how bad it may be." "... ... ... you're dating a Christmas Lover™." "..." "and I don't mean how everyone likes Christmas, I mean the kind that-" Last Christmas by Wham! starts playing in the background. "THAT'S what I mean!"

"No, it's the wrong color, babe. It needs to be more blue."

Dream conjures blue Christmas lights.

"NO! I don't actually mean they should be blue. You know how in the color spectrum, some colors have a more blue hue, some have a more yellow-"

Dream conjures the same golden Christmas lights, but in a more 'blue' hue.

"That's not enough."

Dream changes it.

"Okay, now that's too much."

Dream releases a breath. Matthew squawks from the ceiling. Dream eyes him, hearing the faint 'I told you so' he muttered. Once he turns to me, his stern expression melts and he releases another breath. Out of nothing, he creates and gives me a clicker. I look at it as he places it in my hands.

"Whatever you think of will materialize after you press this button," he mutter as he clasps my hand, "but you must be careful not to-"

I do not let him finish as I think of a life size music box that was playing The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy while a dancing ballerina spins with the music.

My jaw drops and I fall to my knees when it appears before my eyes.

Dream grabs my hands and sinks down to me in concern, "my love-"

"THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER!" I exclaim grabbing his face, giving him an excited pouty look. I sniffle out of exaggeration then place a kiss on his shocked face before pulling him in my arms, "thank you, thank you, thank you-"

"That was the worst thing you could have ever done, ever! Like, ever! Like, in like the entire history of the Drea-"

"You have not seen the entire history of the Dreaming, bird."

Matthew turns to his master from his shoulder, where he was perched on. He watches the Endless' fond expression grow in the subtle way only one as he was ever capable of.

Matthew also watches as one of the HUGE toy solider nutcrackers begins to topple over because of how it was being hugged. Why were you hugging the nutcracker anyway? It's not like you conjured it up to be super soft and huggable.

I look up at the massive wooden statuette and feel my pulse quicken as I realize it was falling down on me. I let out a scream and attempt to flee, but then I feel hundreds of thousands of pieces of popcorn shower me. I catch my breath and look at the popped kernels around me. I turn to Dream, who was already looking at me.

"Popcorn!" I grin, pulling one out of my hair, putting it into my mouth, "and it tastes nice!"

Dream smiles back at me. He barely mutters, "does this great joy come badly to you, Matthew?"

Matthew sighs, "love is blind."

"What is that horrible smell?"

I perk up and heavily start sniffing the air, "oh my gosh."

Dream watches me zoom across the place.

Matthew takes flight, tailing me, "why do I feel like this has Christmas spirit written all over it?"

I reach the annex in the Dreaming that I conjured up, my temporary Christmas kitchen, and find, indeed, that what would have been my Bûche de Noël was now burning.

I cough when I pull the thing out of the oven, charred, smoking. It brings tears to my eyes for 2 reasons, #1, it smelled horrible, #2, I just ruined Christmas.

"What is the meaning of this?"

I turn with teary eyes to Dream, who comes up to me and grabs my face.

"I just ruined Christmas!"

Matthew eyes me from the 100 layers of blankets my head was barely sticking out of. I had been crying about my cake, as one does after ruining it. He hands me another tissue with his beak. I struggle to pull out my hand from the blankets but end up getting the paper from him.

I blow my nose.

Matthew sighs, "I'm pretty sure Christmas can't be ruined by a burnt cake."

"You don't get it, Matthew. This is Dream's first Christmas. All the best memories I have growing up was during the holidays and I just failed in sharing this thing I love so much by not being able to do the only thing I did myself for him."

"Yeah, but-"

"Everything up until this point was made by his powers," I sniffle, "and yeah, I used the clicker to get the ingredients for it, but I baked that cake! Except I didn't," I sigh, "It's my mom's recipe! I feel like I'm with her, being hugged by her, when I eat it... and I ruined it."

"... ... I didn't realize Christmas meant so much to you."

I snort, "yeah, you just think I'm crazy."

"I never said that."

"You didn't have to, it's written all over your-"

"I have these," Dream cuts in, holding a bunch of things in his hands. DVD cases. "I checked the archive of your memories and compiled all the films you loved watching growing up."

Dream sits next to me, eyeing the 1000 layers of blankets between us, then shows me the cases.

I begin to feel my chest constrict. I pout, "you did this for me?"

Dream's brows knit at my expression. He stiffens. He leans in, but is hindered by the 10000 layers of blankets. He clears his throat, "of course."

"Alright," Matthew decides, flying over to his master, "I see a Barbie film," he swoops in and grabs the CD, "we're watching a Barbie film."

I break into a grin and curl deeper into my blankets.

I notice how Dream uncomfortably shifts beside me 100000 blankets, so I offer, "do you want to cuddle?"

Dream looks at me, somehow shocked my the idea.

I struggle to open the blanket, but I eventually make room for him. I immediately latch on his arm and snuggle on his shoulder, giggling the way I always have on Christmas day, "I love Christmas cuddles!"

Dream pulls me close to him, looking down at my large grin, "I conclude the same for myself."

"Hey, Dream!" I raise my hands up and get to my tippy toes, "do you know what this is?" Dream looks at the thing I struggled to bring overhead. He places a hand on my side, so I do not topple over because of my stretching. He looks down at me, tilting his head, "I believe this is another Christmas tradition I will promptly learn about." I grin and nod, "this is called mistletoe." "Mistletoe," he nods back as he grabs the thing from my hand and holds it over our heads himself, "and you must hold it like this?" I chuckle, falling flat on my feet, as I snake my arms around him, "yeah, not really, but something really special happens when two people are underneath a mistletoe." "And what is that?" "They must, with absolutely no exceptions whatsoever, EVER, kiss." Dream's eyes crinkle, "I see." "NOT ON MY WATCH, FOOLS!" Matthew crows as he grabs the mistletoe from Dream's hand. He turns over, seeing it was all for naught as the two share a kiss anyway, "ew." Matthew croaks when he finds himself in a cage, "oh, come on!"

[imaginingmarvelandeverything]

Chapter 3: Broken Rules

Pairing: Morpheus x OC (Cassandra of Troy)

Warnings: mentions of death, mentions of violence, Morpheus is awkward

Word count: 1428

A/N: Here is chapter 3 of Fated and Forgotten! I am trying to alternate chapter POVs, so it will hopefully work going forward. Hope you like it!!

Main masterlist

Series masterlist

Ko-Fi

Morpheus knew entering into an agreement with a mortal was risky, unadvised even. His siblings would have a field day if any of them found out, which was why he planned to make sure they never did. But he couldn’t just let it go. Cassandra had power over the dreaming in a way he had never seen before and that worried him more than anything had in over a millennia. The curse was worrying, but he had no reason to believe it would impact the dreaming as it was bestowed by a young god in the waking world.

He wondered how she could stand it, being able to see what was going to happen to the people around her but not being able to do anything about it. It was hard for him to remember sometimes that he wasn’t meant to interfere with mortal problems, only to keep watch over a single aspect of their existence.

And yet here he was, breaking his own rules because he felt a pull towards her like none he ever had before.

The raven he sent to watch over her in the waking world had given him an insight into her life. She had many siblings, one of which was leading the Troy armies against the Greeks and only occasionally visited home. But he was curious about what had happened at the boxing match her father hosted in celebration for her brother’s visit. One contestant had defeated each of her brothers in turn before declaring he was Paris, the lost Prince of Troy. Her family seemed ecstatic, but Cassandra had looked white as a sheet.

It had been two days, and she was yet to fall asleep and visit the dreaming. His raven watched her pace through her room before sketching a burning city and two figures under a wedding arch. Morpheus was curious. Constantly tending to the dreaming could get boring sometimes, and he welcomed distractions when they presented themselves. Cassandra was the most appealing distraction in a long time.

He watched through the raven’s eyes as her head finally started to drop and she fell asleep on the desk. He gave her time to slip into the dreaming before he plucked her out and deposited them both in the middle of Fiddler’s Green again. She didn’t even glance his way before she sat down in the grass, the silk of her dress pooling around her like water as she curled her legs beneath her. She fit in here with the colours, more so than he did.

“I do not think I have the energy to do whatever it is you want me to do tonight.” She said, running her fingers through the blades of grass.

“You have not slept for two days.” He stayed standing with his hands clasped behind his back. He felt uncomfortable and, not for the first time, wished he had his older sister’s way with mortals.

“In two years, my entire city will burn to the ground because my brother will steal a Spartan Queen, and no one believes me.” She ran a hand through her dark hair, causing the golden bangles on her wrist to softly clink together. “The prophecy gave no mention to the outcome for my family, so no, Onerios, I have not slept in two days.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “You do not like when I call you that.”

He wondered if his expression was always so easy to read. “It is not my name. It was given to me by mortals.”

“Then what shall I call you?”

“Dream or Morpheus.” He finally decided to sit in the grass, crossing his legs and leaving a good amount of space between them.

“Morpheus it is then.” She gave him a small smile.

He was surprised how much he enjoyed hearing her say his name. But he turned his attention to her hands as she turned her palm up and suddenly there was a butterfly sitting in her palm. It fluttered its wings and crossed the space between them. He held out his hand and it landed softly in his palm. The energy it emitted was different from the energy of his own creations, like it was on a different frequency.

He looked up from the butterfly to find her watching him. “Why did you choose snakes?”

She pinched her eyebrows together before her eyes widened slightly in realisation. “They are his biggest fear. His horse was bitten by one when he was a child and it threw him. He has been afraid of them ever since.”

“What did he do?”

“He tried to force himself on my maid. She is the closest thing to a friend I have, especially in the palace. My father has always looked the other way, but I could not stand by and do nothing.” She moved her hand over the grass in front of her and flowers bloomed in its wake.

“What do you think about when you create things here?” He asked, knowing full well if someone was to ask him the same question he would be unable to answer.

She looked up at him, her dark eyes taking him in. “I do not really think of anything. It is like a tug in my mind and whatever it is I create just seems like the correct thing to make at the time.”

He hummed and waved his own hand. A rabbit appeared from thin air and hopped over to her. She smiled as she reached a hand out and stroked through its brown fur. He felt a wave of fondness pass through his chest as the weight seemed to lift from her shoulders, if only for a moment.

“Sir?”

Cass jumped as his current Raven, Alexander, landed in front of them and spoke up.

“Yes.” He acknowledged the bird.

“Lucienne has an important matter she wishes to discuss with you.”

“Tell her I will be there shortly.” He said, watching as the raven flew off.

“The birds here can talk?” Cass asked, looking at the rabbit as if it might start talking next.

He felt the corner of his lips tug up. “Only my ravens. They were once mortals who became trapped in the dreaming when they died.”

“Does that happen often?”

“More often than you would perhaps think. But they have a choice, they can stay here or they can go with my sister to the sunless lands.” He stood from the ground.

“Your sister?” She mimicked him and got to her feet.

“I am afraid your questions will have to wait for another night.” He reached into his pocket and grabbed a handful of sand. “I will meet you here when I next have time, for now, I will return you to your own dreams.” He blew the sand towards her and watched as she disappeared. He followed suit and was soon stood in front of Lucienne’s desk in the library. “You have a matter you wish to discuss.”

“Sir, may I speak freely?” She pushed her glasses up her nose.

“You may.”

“I do not think it wise that you have entered into an agreement with the mortal, especially given that she is cursed.” She frowned.

Morpheus sighed. “Her curse will not affect the dreaming, and I need to understand just how much power she holds here. Nothing besides myself has ever been able to create dreams or nightmares. If she is to be a threat, I would rather know sooner than later.”

“Then may I suggest you ask one of your siblings for their input?”

“My siblings have their own realms to worry about. If Cassandra’s reach extends into their realms, I will involve them. But for now I think it wise they do not know.” If only so he did not have to deal with their judgments as well as Lucienne’s.

She raised her eyebrows. “And letting her meddle in the dreams of others?”

“I agree with her reasoning.” He simply said. “If that is all, I have other matters to attend.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Taglist: @yanna-banana @thefinalgirlpng @itshamleth​

He could tell she wanted to press the issue further, but didn’t wish to anger him. He left her to what she was doing and stalked back to his throne room, intending to come up with a plan for working with Cassandra.

Chapter 4

(shoot me a message to be added/removed)

[yuksterv2]

Confessions of a Friend

TLDR; this is set in an AU where Chrissy and Mike get to interact and become friends with one another. For the experience, Chrissy decides to work at Starcoart Mall where she meets the Scoops Troops and becomes involved in the Russian Plot line, hence her knowing of the Upside Down. Takes place just before Stranger Things 4, so around January/February of 1986.

Tw: depression/suicide.

In the moment, something caught in the back of Chrissy's throat- call it an involuntary reaction to the situation unfolding in front of her. It was almost unreal, like the dramatic climax to a novel that had the reader on the edge of their seat. It was comparable to that of losing a loved one, only that the dreaded hadn't come to pass; she could still do something. But she couldn't. In the moment, her feet were seemingly glued to the roof, confining her to the spot.

There Mike was, barely hanging on to the ledge whilst Chrissy stood a mere few feet away, unable to do anything. Some friend she was. No, this isn't about me, it's about Mike! Chrissy fought to make sense of the situation, but it felt like fighting a losing battle- like attempting to piece together a jigsaw puzzle using all the same pieces. She'd have to be strong for him.

For Mike.

Impossibly, Chrissy managed to will herself forward an inch and utter the boy's name, "Mike." The boy in question shakily turned his head, his cloudy eyes shrinking upon meeting Chrissy's green ones. They must have stood there staring at each other for minutes. Overhead, the raging storm had settled, painting an almost angelic scene. Finally, Chrissy took another step closer.

He loosened his grip.

"W-wait! Think about what you're doing!" Chrissy yelled suddenly, forcing tears she hadn't even realised she was holding back to spill out. Mike's throat seemed to tighten. "Why? Chrissy, why'd you have to come here and make things more difficult?" he asked. "I have thought about this, in fact, it took a few months of convincing to get myself here, so please go," Mike pleaded, his cloudy eyes now playing host to a miniature storm of their own. "I-I can't, Mike. If you ever did anything drastic, I would never forgive myself, so please, step down and we can talk," Chrissy said defiantly, taking another step closer. Mike didn't answer, nor did he do anything in protest, so she took another; she continued to cautiously waddle her way towards Mike one inch at a time. "You're hurting, a-and I've known for a while, but I never said anything; I'm a bad friend..." The boy shook his head, his wet raven locks swaying delicately. "Chrissy, don't-" But Chrissy beat him to it, "no, I-I have! Friends don't ignore each other's feelings just because they're confused with their own. I want to make amends. I want things to be better! Mike..."

Before Mike knew it, Chrissy was a mere few inches away, only the metal railing that separated the roof from a massive drop in their way. This close, he could clearly see the distraught look in Chrissy's eyes; his heart tightened up. She forced her eyes to meet his. "Mike, if you went away, I'd never get the chance to set things right." "But it's not worth it," Mike said plainly. "What?" Mike scoffed, tears seeping from his eyes and leaking into his mouth. "Surely, I'm not worth that much to you, I might be your friend, but it's not worth the hassle. I'm not worth the hassle! If I disappeared right now, it wouldn't matter!" "Mike, I think the world of you!" Chrissy bellowed, clasping the frigid metal railing firmly. "If you jump, you might as well be tainting the soil I stand on!" she shouted, tears now running freely and quickly down her cheeks.

Both seemed too stunned to speak: Mike at the words coming out of Chrissy's mouth, and the same for Chrissy. She had poured so many hours into keeping her feelings hidden just for them to come out in one moment of desperation. She had been weak. Once again, Chrissy had allowed her mouth to get ahead of her mind, and she would have to deal with the retributions of her actions. But not now- later.

Chrissy searched Mike's eyes pleadingly, but there was nothing; no recognition, hurt, nor careful consideration. It was then that Chrissy realized something. Her entire life, Chrissy had been scared to show anything so long as it reflected poorly on her perfect image; anything less than perfect was left in the dirt. To this day, she still grappled with this issue.

So did Mike.

Although it was in a different form, it was the same beast. By now, the rain had become heavy again, and so Chrissy took drastic measure. Without thinking, Chrissy jumped the railing, being careful not to slip on the water-coated ledge. The raven-haired boy turned to her with wide eyes, his face riddled with concern.

"It's okay," Chrissy said instantly, stalling her best friend's undoubted protests. "I won't do anything drastic so long as you don't." Mike stiffly nodded, not taking his brown eyes off Chrissy. "What is this?" he asked tiredly. "My way of showing you how much you mean to me, Mike," Chrissy answered, flinching as she momentarily glanced down at the steep drop; they were suspended at least five stories upwards, undoubtedly enough to kill them both. "I didn't lie. If you leave, then my life isn't worth living...so I won't, and you know that isn't a bluff." "But..." Mike stammered, a flash of recognition in his eyes. "Why are you doing this to me?" Carefully, Chrissy's hand snaked towards Mike's, causing the boy to momentarily recoil. "My entire life, I've been so scared of showing people what I'm really feeling," she admitted breathlessly, sealing her eyes shut. "But I'm weak and say things I'm not supposed to, so I have to punish myself sometimes," she continued, turning gingerly to Mike, open-eyed. "Do you get like that?"

Mike looked fearful to say anything, but Chrissy's understanding eyes burrowing into his eased the welling feeling. "Am I really that obvious?" "No, I've known you for years and I've only just realized it now after gaining some sense and stepping outside of my own bubble," Chrissy admitted. "I don't want you to feel pressured, but I want you to step out, too, okay?"

Timidly, Mike nodded, intertwining his fingers with Chrissy's after much scrutiny. Like film on a reel, her mind began to play several snapshots of time, all allocated to her and Mike. How hadn't I noticed the signs sooner? Now, as she played back long-forgotten memories, every pained smile of Mike's she called into question; which were genuine, and which were nothing but a façade? In every memory, no matter fraught or positive, Mike's smile never faltered.

He was being strong for us, but it was all a lie; I thought that this had only started recently, but the monsters weren't coming from the other world, they were coming from inside of Mike's head! How had she not noticed sooner?

"It hurts, Chrissy; it hurts so much," Mike said painfully, breaking into sobs every now and then. "I want to tell people so badly, but I-I feel like I can't, otherwise..." Chrissy stared at him dolefully. "Otherwise, what?" she asked, and Mike shrugged. "Otherwise, they won't think that I'm a man," Mike said, not taking his eyes from the cobble pathway below. "My dad, he doesn't really care about us - never has - but I still do. I feel like if I proved myself to him as a man, then he'll finally give me an ounce of affection, and if that means locking my feelings away, then so be it!" he continued. "But I've been weak- I've been weak and let you in! So, what am I worth if I can't even do that!" "Mike! Mike!" Chrissy exclaimed, which finally forced Mike's eyes to meet hers. "You've got nothing to prove to a man that has treated you that way your entire life; look at how he's gotten you- look what he's caused; he'll never change for you!" she said vigilantly. "I-I know this feeling...my mother sees me as nothing but a prize, and I've spent my entire life trying to please her insatiable expectations, but it was never enough for her; it was always about 'the next hurdle' and then she would expect me to breach it. I was like a mouse on a treadmill: running and running to get my reward, but it stayed at a distance- it always did, and so I turned away from her- I..." Chrissy ranted, but struggled to say the last part. "I found you, and you and everyone else have shown me more love than she did my whole life!"

Mike glanced downwards. "Oh, Chris, I'm so sorry," he said remorsefully. "I didn't-" he tried to say, but Chrissy cut him off. "You don't have to say anything. Truth is, I'm still getting over the actual hurdle that was my mother, but I've been making progress thanks to you." The boy blinked, his eyelashes doused in what could either be rain or his own tears. "Me?" "Yeah, you," Chrissy confirmed, nodding. "I realized that all I've ever wanted was love, but I was looking for it in the wrong place; it was right in front of me the entire time," she said, smiling fondly. "It was you, Mike, I..."

There was a pregnant pause, the only sound filling the gap being the constant barrage of rain beating against the tiled roof. It was as though the rain had synchronised with their own beating hearts. Chrissy opened her mouth, and the words she had kept locked up for so long finally flowed out.

"I love you."

His mouth was agape, too shocked to piece together words. "You don't have to say anything back, Mike," Chrissy assured him, clutching his hand tighter. "All you need to know is that you are loved, and I love the part of you that you really are," she continued. "I know my words won't mend what you're feeling, but I want to help you overcome it. So, could you do me a favour?" Chrissy asked, staring deep into Mike's eyes.

He nodded.

"Step away from the railing and come with me," Chrissy said, forcing a grin. "No promises it'll be any good, but I'll try and recreate that hot chocolate that your mom makes," she said jokingly, forcing a laugh out of Mike. "Okay, I'll hold you to that," Mike said, his faint smile down casting a ray of warmness on Chrissy's face, letting her know that, for once, it was genuine.

Carefully, they both stepped away from the ledge, climbing over the railings with much caution as to not accidentally slip. That would be a waste after all the effort I've just gone to. They thankfully made it over unscathed, unless you count psychological damage; Chrissy knew she'd dream about this horrid night for the rest of her life. Wordlessly, they both ascended the steps that led away from the roof. None of them minded the silence.

They'd spoken enough words to each other that night.