#hope you'll enjoy reading it

[youchangedmedestiel]

Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: Supernatural (TV 2005)

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Words: 4,159

Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester

Characters: Castiel (Supernatural), Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester

Additional Tags: Canon Compliant, Season/Series 12, Attempt at Humor, Fluff, Getting Together, Castiel Loves Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester Loves Castiel, First Kiss, Second Kiss, and then more kisses, Smut, they are so gone for each other, and they obviously look at each other a lot hence the title

Summary:

Team free will is in the car driving back from a hunt when Sam mentions Cassie, Dean's ex from at least 10 years ago. After Cas mistaking it was about him, the conversation evolves into describing how Dean is when he is in love. It all clicks in Sam’s head as he tells Cas how Dean was behaving around Cassie. 10 years replaying in his mind all of a sudden. Cas asks him what he understood and Sam tells him Dean is in love with him. From there, nothing is stopping Cas anymore. This fic was written for the 5K by 5 May event.

[osamusriceballs]

Kinktober Day 17 <3

Kenma x blowjobs

Warnings: NSFW, fem reader

Words: ~ 1k

Kinktober Masterlist II -> Next day

"Ahhh- slow down a bit, doll-"

His thighs clench under your fingers as he mumbles the words, and you take a deep breath through your nose as you slow down your pace. His long fingers are buried in your hair, occasionally pushing your head down and holding you in place when he's getting too close. Drool is coating your chin, your eyes watery at this point, and your throat clenches around him when he pushes too deep and makes you gag.

You look up at him, hoping not to look too much of a mess and instead somewhat hot, especially when you know that he's recording this. Kenma on the other hand knows that he doesn't need the recording to remember how you look like right now. Your lip gloss smeared on his cock, your hair no longer neatly done, but loose strands falling into your face and the straps of your bra falling down your shoulders, revealing a part of your chest seductively.

But what really makes this moment unforgettable for him, is your facial expression. He can see how much you enjoy it, see how eager you are to please him, to be his good girl- and he's certain that he's never seen a sight this hot before.

You swirl the tip of your tongue around his cock, a groan coming from the back of his throat as you keep on teasing his sensitive tip. "Just like that- you feel so good," he sounds surprisingly calm, but the way his hips slightly buck into your mouth reveal that he's everything but calm.

You groan, spit coating your chin as you bop your head and let the tip of his cock meet the back of your throat, knowing fully well that this will make you gag if you do it repeatedly, but still wanting to take as much of him into your mouth as you can. He moans, and the way you slowly increase your pace has him close his eyes for a few seconds to stay focused. "Ohh, fuck- you're way too good at this, I'm not gonna last long," his breath is rapid and shallow, his hand slightly pressing your head down just a bit more when you press your tongue flatly against the underside of his cock.

You let him use you, allowing his hands to guide your head up and down while he fucks your face. Your body feels hot, your mind dizzy from the slightest lack of oxygen, but hot desire rushes through your body at every single one of the unrestricted sounds that leave his lips.

"Gonna-" a groan leaves his lips, his mouth falling agape and his brows furrow when he holds your head in place as shoots his cum down your throat. You choke, but still try to swallow as much as you can, feeling the liquid filling up your mouth with a salty taste while he moans your name and twitches inside of your mouth. You swallow a few times around his cock until he releases a small whine, and you finally release him.

His eyes are wide while he watches how you clean his cock thoroughly, giving little kitten licks to the sensitive tip until you have all of his cum in your mouth and his cock is only glistening with your spit. A few moments pass before you finish up licking him clean and tucking him back into his pants, leaving no evidence of the sinful deeds prior. You can feel how his body tenses at every single touch of your hands, your effect on him undeniable. Kenma releases his grip on our hair, one of his hands now tilting your chin until you look up at him- and you get lost in his beautiful golden eyes.

"Come here." He suddenly gets up, his features unusual soft when he grabs your hands and helps you to get on your feet before he directs you to sit on the chair. His hand softly comes to your chin once again and rubs the spit away, a gentle smile coating his lips.

Kenma pecks your lips, shortly, a faint blush coating his cheeks now before he quickly turns around to face the multiple screens behind him. You can only see his back when he leans over the desk, the continuous clicks of the mouse and the sound of him typing on his keyboard accompanying him. The sounds you've already gotten so used to ever since he started his streamer career a few years ago and asked you to move in. "Here we go, " he mumbles when a big video finally shows up on the screen.

"It's all set up. We can start whenever you're ready." His soothing voice comes from the speaker, and you blush when you see yourself on the screen, your body only clad in the red lingerie he got for you, and Kenma, with his cat-like eyes watching you carefully with reddened cheeks as you sink to your knees in front of him and palm him through his boxers.

His body blocks the screen for a moment when he steps in front of you and rests his hands on your thighs to spread your legs. All your questions are answered when he kneels in front of you, getting comfortable on the ground before he pulls the chair closer until he's directly facing your panties. A mischievous glint sparks in his golden eyes when he looks up at you, the sounds of you sucking his cock now filling the room from the speakers behind, but you hear his next words clearly even through the noise.

"How about you relax and watch that video while I'm practicing for the next one?"

[shady-tavern]

Missing Piece

@piperjistic had asked for a forest spirit and while this isn't fully in line with your request, I still hope you'll like it!

Minor warnings ahead for non-graphic violence and a wee bit of body-horror towards the end, though it doesn't happen to the main character. Please be sure to take care of yourself!

*.*.*

For as long as the little girl could remember, it felt like something was missing within her. She could never put a finger on it, but it made her a restless child, picking up and discarding games, struggling with consistently staying interested and some days she just felt very strange. 

Like that one stained glass window she had seen when her parents had taken her to a nearby city. All disjointed fragments that still managed to be a picture, but it would never be one entire piece.

The stained glass window at least had been pretty compared to the ugly feeling within her.

"Have you ever felt like something is missing inside you?" she asked her grandma, who came to pick her up many a day while her parents worked. 

Things were strange between Gran and her parents, she never talked to them and they never talked to her and she never set foot onto their garden, preferring to wait for the little girl at the gate by the little dirt road.

Gran stilled and when the little girl glanced up at her, her face had gone dark and grim and for the first time in the girl's life, her beloved grandma, a joyful soul who loved her with all her heart, looked just a little bit frightening.

But her hand around the girl's remained gentle and the older woman kept walking at a sedate pace so her short little legs didn't struggle with keeping up.

Everyone always said to the girl that she would grow to be bigger and she couldn't wait for that day to arrive. Gran was silent for so long that the girl thought she was never going to answer.

"You best ask your parents about that," Gran said at last, voice quiet and heavy with something unspoken. Strangely, her voice reminded the girl of a draft horse she had seen, who had been forced to pull a too heavy burden, body straining as it slowly and laboriously set one hoof in front of the other.

"Alright," the girl answered and grinned up at her grandmother, hoping to break up the awful mood her innocent little question had created. "Can we make blueberry cake today?"

Gran smiled and it was like the sun returning after a dark, scary storm, her face brightening and looking as kind and loving as ever. "Of course, little chestnut." She leaned in, voice dipping into a conspiratorial stage whisper, "My wife picked an entire basket just this morning."

The little girl giggled and soon the two of them reached the end of the village, all talk about missing pieces and resulting, scary expressions forgotten. The blueberry cake was delicious and maybe a bit messy since the girl had tried to help a bit too enthusiastically and the cute little apron Gran had made for her was stained with purple-blue juice on one corner.

Gran's wife, Tanya, arrived just as they had taken the first bite of a still warm slice of cake.

"You baked without me?" she gasped in a mock scandalized voice. "Oh, the betrayal, how it stings!" She dramatically fell onto the kitchen table and the little girl laughed when the two older women broke out into a full blown performance just to ensure she kept laughing.

Gran brought her back home just as the sun set and a strong, steady wind blew in from the forest, bringing with it the smell of spring moss and damp, cool earth.

"If you ever meet any magical beings, be wary," Gran said as she stopped in front of the gate that creaked noisily as soon as it was two thirds of the way open. 

She looked down at the girl, her face serious. "One day you might and if you do, they will offer you deals and nothing good ever comes from accepting their offers. They will only bring ruin in exchange for empty promises."

As solemnly as the little girl could, she offered her little pinky. "I promise to be careful," she said and a shadow of a smile crossed Gran's face as they hooked their pinkies around each other gently.

Gran leaned down to kiss the top of her head before she left with a glance towards the house and the girl briefly glanced towards the forest. It was an old forest, not quite as ancient as in other places, but surrounded by plenty of stories and mysteries. 

The girl had heard rumors about creatures living in the woods, of magic being alive in ways the mages in the big cities could never hope to replicate. She decided to be very careful whenever she went into the woods to pick berries and mushrooms. She had promised, after all.

She entered her parents' house, neatly putting her boots beside her mother's and when she looked up at her parents, the question tumbled forth without much thought, "Why do I feel like I'm missing something?"

Her mother, who was currently carving leather, stilled so thoroughly she might as well have turned to stone. Her father, in the process of cooking, seemed to freeze in place, the stirring of his ladle abruptly falling silent.

"You're still growing," her mother answered at last, voice quiet and her gaze on her work. "It will pass in given time."

The little girl stared at her, startled silent and with increasing heartbreak as the seconds passed, for she had just learned what her mother sounded like when she lied.

*.*.*

The conversation with her parents stayed with the girl as the months and years passed and she never asked again. Gran said nothing either, but every time she picked the girl up, she now glared at the house. 

Gran knew, the girl realized, but either couldn't say why she felt wrong or she didn't want to tell her.

Though, knowing her Gran, she probably couldn't for some reason. Gran had been born a rebel and she said she would die one, encouraging all of the little girl's bad habits, as her parents called them, with no remorse.

"This world will chew you up and spit you out, if you let it," Gran told her when she picked her up from school, her hand warm and gentle. "So don't be afraid to bare your teeth, little chestnut. Stand up for what you believe is right, that is the only way to slowly but surely kill off all things vile and dark."

The girl wasn't sure she entirely understood, but she nodded seriously anyway. Gran always told her everything no one else wanted to, blunt and direct without scaring her or hurting her feelings.

Gran felt strong, like a rushing river that wore down even the largest, toughest of boulders. The girl hoped she could be like her one day.

It was her Gran's teachings that got her in and out of trouble over the years and her words guided the girl into understanding when something was wrong. And how important it was to do something when she discovered evil.

As the village turned into a cute little town and more and more people moved in, drawing towards a hopeful future by their fertile lands and abundant forest, the girl had grown into a headstrong young woman.

Not once, in all that time, had she shaken off the feeling like she was lacking something. Like something was missing that should be there.

Her parents could no longer deny that something was wrong and their increasingly guilty and troubled looks said it all. It showed in the woman's life, that something within her was gone. As soon as someone looked into the little house she had moved into, they saw that no project was ever finished, every hobby dropped just after she had gained a modicum of skill in it.

She bounced from job to job, working for whoever hired her, before losing that job again, sometimes by leaving, sometimes by more talented, more passionate people coming along.

It was that restlessness that caused her to drift far enough from the town, the feeling of wrongness seemingly guiding her step, to cross paths with what she first thought was a traveling kind of circus.

There was a man leading the entire caravan of wagons, pale and primly dressed, clearly a mage considering his robes and pompous behavior as he hailed her down.

"We are no circus, young lady," he said when she asked about his business, but his eyes were cold and his smile about as pleasant as holding a palm full of slugs. "I am Master Egam and this is my curious collection. I intend to thoroughly impress the local lords."

He made a sweeping gesture at the wagons and she peered past him, at covered cages and grim looking soldiers.

Her gaze almost immediately fell back to the mage, however, and something ugly writhed within her chest. She couldn't put a finger on what it was, but it felt like sharp, uneven edges pressed against her ribs from within, accentuating the feeling of wrongness.

"Now, which way to the nearest town? It's growing rather late," Master Egam said, his smile wide and winning and yet it caused something cold to drip down her spine. There was a sudden taste of wet iron and rotting earth on her tongue.

It took her a moment to realize why, for she had never experienced anything like it. He had put magic into his words and it filled her mouth with a nasty taste. "This way, about a mile or so."

"Why don't you guide us?" he asked, patting the coach beside him. When she hesitated and saw a flash of curious danger in his eyes, she offered a bland smile.

"Thank you," she said, climbing up to join him, careful to keep some distance between them.

He stared at her for a moment and she resisted the urge to shift uncomfortably. "You seem strangely...familiar," he mused after a moment. "Have I met you before? Or family of yours?" When she looked genuinely surprised, he shook his head. "Right, that is very unlikely. Then again, you country bumpkins all look the same to me."

She was desperate to distract him from her, which was thankfully easy enough to accomplish. All it took was a question about his exploits and soon he regaled her with all the horrifying details. Of the creatures he captured, the magic he had soaked up from them, the power he carried at his fingertips.

He was bragging, yes, but she could tell that every word was the truth. That he had chained a vampire into enduring sunlight at his leisure, that he had plucked all the feathers of a harpy to parade her around naked and that he had a griffin eating out of his hand for his amusement.

That he had caught one the most dangerous beings of all, a forest spirit.

She was deeply relieved when her hometown came into view and then she got to see the effects of his magic first hand. His voice seemed to be made of gold, for all he had to do was speak and people immediately rushed to obey, star-struck expressions and delighted, downright smitten smiles appearing on their faces.

She inched away from Master Egam and ended up by one of the wagons instead. Unable to resist, she tugged a corner of the covering up and peered inside.

Green eyes that shimmered like all the shades of plant life in the forest met hers and broken antlers rose from red and gold hair that tumbled down in long, thick waves. The forest spirit, she realized as she stared at him, wide eyed, his face sun-kissed and freckled and even chained down as he was she could see his innate power and grace.

The broken antlers disappeared, swiftly replaced by wolf ears as he now bared vicious fangs at her, wicked claws scraping over the iron lining the bottom of his cage as he growled.

"Careful with that one," Master Egam's voice made her jump and drop the tarp. "He's the most dangerous one I ever caught. A nasty piece of work."

"Why do you catch them?" she found herself asking and as she looked up at him, she already knew the answer before he opened his mouth.

"Because I can," he said, his smile as empty as his eyes were cruel. "Because the wild powers in this world need to know that they can and will be tamed. Now run along and don't tell anyone about this."

His magic was iron-rot on her tongue as she nodded, hastily pasting a smile on her face. It felt like fleeing as she turned and hurried away, her heart racing in her chest and the ugly, vile feeling that had scraped around her ribcage finally lessened.

The wrongness within her was as present as ever, a constant companion of subtle misery that dodged her steps, silent only whenever she found joy in things. Joy that was taken from her by its steady, suffocating grip sooner or later.

As soon as she was home, she began to pace, her mind whirring. She had to do something and whatever magic Master Egam possessed, she was somehow immune against it. She might be the only one who could think clearly around him.

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm. Master Egam was dangerous and she was just a magic-less young woman who was all wrong inside. If she wasn't careful, she wouldn't have to worry about what was missing for much longer.

It wasn't hard, in the end, to find out that Master Egam was staying in the mayor's house, that he had tossed him and his family out and now treated the most lavish place as his. The mayor and his wife and two children seemed dazed but they didn't question what was being done to them, they just went to stay with their extended family.

The wagons were kept by the mayor's house, blocking most of the street and guarded by the soldiers, which were armed and armored.

She watched them as the last sunlight faded, thinking. Beyond the window she could see the mage and people came to his home, bringing downright decadent food with loving smiles and hazy eyes, leaving again empty handed.

An idea began to take form. A foolish one, most certainly, but it was likely her best chance. While Master Egam was busy feasting and ordering people around, most likely fancying himself a king among peasants, he would be distracted.

On second thought, he was most likely not traveling to impress lords, but to work his way up to becoming the actual king of these lands. Maybe even an emperor, holding court among captured creatures and his magic charming everyone into blind obedience.

So she joined a group of townsfolk who came with carefully made little cakes and desserts and they barely acknowledged her. The soldiers didn't even looked at them, most likely long used to this song and dance.

It was less easy to go unnoticed by Master Egam, but the man was easily distracted by the new offerings, already a good way through half the food he had been given.

No human should have been able to consume so much without bursting, she thought and she wondered if this was the price of his magic. That he not only could eat far too much, but had to.

"Bring this to the beasties," he said, gesturing at a little bucket of bones and food scraps and the young woman took a decisive step towards it, keeping her head down as she grabbed the bucket, stepping outside without being stopped. Her mouth was filled with the taste of iron-rot.

The soldiers didn't pay her any heed now either. They looked bored and hungry as they watched another plate of food being brought in, but they said nothing. She wondered if they could even if they wanted to. If they were similarly charmed as anyone else.

"I need to feed them," she said politely to the nearest soldier, who moved woodenly to stare at her with a slightly hazy gaze. Ah, that answered her question. "I need the key, please. Master Egam's orders."

He handed the key over, because why wouldn't he? When everyone was always so fully under the mage's control, there was no reason to doubt. She went to the forest spirit's cage first, ignoring his low growl as she pushed the tarp up and began to look for the lock.

He fell silent as soon as she slipped the key into it and opened the door.

"I'll get you out," she whispered and his head tipped to the side, his wolf ears flicking as he considered her. And then, ever so slowly without removing those intense eyes from her, he tipped his head back, baring his collared throat.

She crawled into the cage, making sure to pull the door almost-closed behind her, the tarp falling down and leaving her in murky darkness with only her slightly fast breathing and pounding heart. She slowly inched forward, patting the ground, until clawed fingers carefully closed around her hand, guiding it up.

The collar had no lock and she stilled, her heart leaping in her chest. What was she supposed to do now?

"Bleed," the forest spirit said, voice such a horrible rasp that she was half convinced his throat was full of glass shards. "Willing offer."

She wasn't even thinking when she reached out with her free hand, gripping his fingers and pressing her palm against his claws. She felt him jerk in surprise, but the pain was already blooming, blood running down her hand in a hot line. She reached out to press her hand to his collar, smearing as much of her blood on it as possible and the next second the collar clicked open, crashing to the floor with a rattle of chains.

The forest spirit inhaled sharply and then she felt his hands touch her shoulder, careful and helping her shuffle a bit to the side. Freeing the path to the cage door, she realized

"Free the others, please," he whispered, his voice no longer sounding like he was gargling gravel, but instead charming and lovely-sweet. Her mouth was filled with the faint taste of meadow-flowers and cool spring water.

Then he was out of the cage and she scrambled to follow him, catching the door before it could slam shut.

The guards were lying on the ground and she saw the forest spirit springing past the last one he had taking down, vaulting over a confused man with a tart and heading straight into the house, face snarling in rage.

The next cage held the plucked harpy, who hissed a high-pitched shriek at her, but fell similarly silent when the door to the cage was unlocked.

Her collar too opened with blood and then the harpy was out, her feathers re-growing with a burst of magic that was almost painful with its relief. She took flight immediately, though she clearly struggled as she escaped, as did the griffin the young woman freed. 

The vampire slunk out of his cage with a look of wild hunger and gratitude before he was gone between one moment and the next. Just in time for all the windows in the house to shatter outward in a massive wave of pressure, the forest spirit crashing to the ground, wheezing and covered in blood.

The young woman was at his side in no time and as she gripped him and saw him in the light of the street lanterns without the distractions of his eyes, she realized just how thin he was. How his limbs shook as he struggled to his feet.

He stumbled, eyes going wide when she dragged him with her, just in time to round the corner before Master Egam came out of the house with magic whipping around him, a howl of rage filling the night as he found all his cages empty, his guards unconscious – or perhaps dead – on the ground.

"What are you doing," the forest spirit hissed, but he seemed unable to free himself from her grip, which told her everything she needed to know. She wasn't weak by any means, but she got the impression that he should be far stronger than she.

"Saving you," she hissed back. "You're in no condition to fight!"

"Return them to me!" she heard Master Egam's voice boom behind her, so loud and rattling it filled the entire town, making people cower and stumble, their gazes going hazy. "And find me the one who did this!"

Her mouth was filled with the taste of iron-rot to the point where she had to gag, but she managed to push on, reaching the little house she had moved into after she could no longer stand the guilty silence of her parents. The moment they were through the door, the forest spirit collapsed to the floor, breathing hard, sweating and bleeding.

"His magic," he said as he stared up at her with wide, bright green eyes that she knew she could get lost in if she allowed it. "It doesn't work on you. Why?"

"No idea," she murmured back. "Come, we have to hide you."

She had managed to empty out a large storage chest and squeezed him inside despite his protest just in time for her neighbors to come knocking.

"No one is here, I came looking," she said, heart pounding and blood still dripping from her hand as she gestured at the hastily strewn about contents of her chest. "I made sure they weren't hiding."

"Come help search," her neighbors murmured, gazes hazy and she followed them outside, hoping that the spirit stayed where he was, that he wouldn't be found.

She searched with the others until they were all ready to collapse and only then did Master Egam order them to rest with such fury that the cobblestone cracked around him. He had long since roused his guards – most of which were still alive – and had sent them out to the forest to capture those that had run for the woods.

"They can't go far," she heard him mutter to himself as he turned around to head back into the house. "Not with the state I left them all in."

He wasn't wrong.

When the young woman returned home, she found the forest spirit still in the storage chest, asleep and looking utterly exhausted. She dropped into her bed and slept until hunger forced her awake. 

The smell of cooking food woke the spirit as well and she stared in astonished surprise as he ate at an alarmingly fast rate. Half her pantry was gone by the time he curled up in front of the hearth and went straight back to sleep. She dropped a thick blanket on him and arranged pillows to hide him from the outside and sat down, thinking.

Master Egam was powerful and she had no idea if she could hide the spirit until he regained his strength, especially if he needed that much food every day. And even then there was no guarantee that he'd be powerful enough to defeat the mage. But, she reasoned, he might be able to escape, which was just as good in her opinion.

She dozed off and woke feeling warm, blinking blearily to realize the blanket was now draped over her, the pillows carefully arranged to leave her in a little nest. Only the floor beneath her was a little hard. Peering around, alarm searing through her, worrying that something had happened, she relaxed as soon as she saw the spirit.

He stood with his back to her, looking at all the half finished projects she had lying around, not having the heart to put them away, even though she already knew she'd never finish them. That this was it and her love for a new hobby she had found was instead curdling into quiet, miserable grief.

"Thank you," he said before turning towards her. He already looked far better than yesterday, less gaunt and shaky on his feet. His injuries were gone as well, leaving only a somewhat tattered, stained shirt and worn, knee-length pants over hale and whole skin behind.

He tipped his head and the way the light of a lit candle reflected in his eyes reminded her of the way animal eyes would look when a lantern swept past them in the dark. "What do you want in return for your help?"

She paused after sitting up, then shrugged. "I don't want anything." Gran had been very firm about deals with magic creatures, that they brought ruin more often than not, her voice harsh and bitter as she had said it. As if there was more to her words than mere warnings.

Besides, the young woman had grown up on stories about daring knights, wise mages and courageous princesses and princes. She had always wanted to be like them, to do good with her own two hands whenever possible. Had secretly dreamed about one day saving someone as she had grown up.

It had been far more scary and harrowing than in her imagination, but she'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.

"You want nothing," the spirit repeated, sounding like he didn't believe her. "Everyone wants something, help is never freely given. Especially not from my kind and especially not when you saved my life. Do not take that kind of thing lightly."

"All I want is for you to be safe," she said. "Don't get hurt again, promise me that."

The forest spirit inhaled sharply, pupils blowing wide until only a small ring of green remained and she felt a warm shiver go through the air. Like something powerful had just exhaled a blessing.

He said nothing for a long moment, before he dipped his head, suddenly looking regal as the wolf ears melted away and antlers appeared that looked far more intact than last night. "Very well." 

He joined her by the hearth, dropping down to one knee and offered his hand. "Let me see your wound."

She held out her hand and felt a tingle of magic, could taste soft, gentle meadow flowers and refreshing water as relief took away the lingering pain. Her palm was unmarred, not even a scar remaining.

"You have no idea what you just gave me, do you?" he asked quietly when she looked at him, his gaze so very captivating it looked like the entirety of the forest had gathered in his eyes.

She offered a small, crooked smile. "I've never been around magic," she said, all too aware that he was still holding her hand, skin warm like sunshine. "You can hide here until you've recovered."

He tipped his head to the side. "You would welcome me even now, knowing who is looking for me?"

"You're safe here," she answered. "He can't charm me and you need time to recover. Just make sure no one sees you."

"What do you desire for your help in return?" he asked. "And don't say nothing again."

She thought of the wrongness within her and wondered if magic could fix it. Then she remembered Gran's warnings about deals and ruin and bit back a sigh.

"I'll think about something," she said, though she didn't intend to. Once the spirit was strong enough, he would either fight or leave, but either way she doubted she would ever see him again.

He didn't look happy about that, but accepted her answer graciously enough. Getting to her feet, the young woman waved him with her to the kitchen corner. If he was eating her out of house and home he could help her cook.

When it became clear he was actually the better cook, since she hadn't been able to learn too much before her wrongness had kicked in, she happily left him to it and grabbed her money, sneaking out.

The entire town was walking around in a strange sort of haze, half of them still searching and the other half catering to the mage. 

She saw people bring more food to the mayor's house, along with other things. Jewels and prized possessions, feathers the harpy had and griffin had lost and one or two held squeaking bats in their gloved hands, as though hoping they might be the escaped vampire.

No one looked twice at her when she bought as much food as she could at the market and she bit back bitter worry when she saw Gran and Granny Tanya bring blueberry cake to the mage with happy smiles.

Only her parents didn't seem to be out and about. Strange.

She brought the food back home and the forest spirit noticeably relaxed once she was back, thanking her quietly before falling quiet again. The young woman, however, could only stand the silence for so long before she began to ask questions.

Before long she knew that the forest spirit had gotten captured in his sleep, that his home was to the north and that he could sense the power of the nearby forest.

They both fell asleep in front of the hearth and by the second day, the young woman dragged her bedding out into the living room and made a proper place to rest for the two of them. 

The forest spirit was in a better mood today and she realized that under all the tense grimness he was rather playful and enjoyed teasing and, most of all, making her laugh. She noticed as the days passed how he regained his strength, the gauntness disappearing faster than it would have for a regular person.

They kept busy in the small house in different ways. She watched him finish some of her craft projects and taught him to dance, he conjured sprigs of flowers for them to 'pretty up the place with' as he said and he let her brush out and braid his hair after long baths, the bath water never cooling until they were well and truly done.

Every night they curled up on the hearth together and it was then, as he looked at her, hair a healthy, shining red and gold and fox ears perked to listen better, that the truth spilled out.

How wrong inside she felt and he frowned at her in what she recognized as worry.

"May I?" he asked, holding out his hand and she put hers into his without a moment's hesitation. His face went soft and gentle in a way that ached somewhere around her tender heart as he held her hand with care.

Then he closed her eyes and she could taste meadow flowers and cold water and his frown deepened.

"I - you must talk to your parents," he said and as soon as the words were out, his head reared back a bit, ears pinning flat to his head as he blinked, looking startled and irritated. "Oh, how nasty."

She stared at him, wide-eyed and for the first time got the feeling that something was very, very wrong in a different way than she had thought.

"I'll go now," she whispered and he nodded, giving her hand an encouraging squeeze before she got to her feet.

Her parents looked worried and tense when they opened the door, relaxing a bit when they saw it was her, only for the tension to snap back into their frames. She realized immediately that they knew why she was here.

That there was a reason why she and they alone weren't slaves to the magic-charm of a mad mage. That they did know why she felt like a piece was missing.

"What's wrong with me?" she asked, sharp and hard in a way she had never spoken with them and they stepped aside to let her in.

They stood around the living room awkwardly until her father broke first, guilty and defensive and shoulders hunched, the silence around them heavy and thick and oppressive like summer heat without a cooling breeze.

"We didn't know," he said, almost pleading as he looked at his daughter. "When we met that...that man on our travels. We didn't know."

Something hot was wrapping around her heart and throat and a bad feeling unfolded in her gut, wriggling to get comfortable like a cat in a beam of sunlight. "Tell me the truth. Now. You owe me that much at least."

"We asked for a good life," her mother whispered, staring down at the ground, arms wrapped around herself and her head bent, shoulders tense. "We asked for nothing unreasonable, because being greedy only curses you. We asked for a good, warm, house, for enough money to buy what we desired until our deaths and to lead healthy, long and safe lives. We wanted the sort of fortune that would ensure we would have everything we desired until the day we died."

The heaviness in the air seemed to press down harder, like a thick blanket over sticky, sweaty skin, trapping heat and impossible to shake, no matter how desperately she wanted to get rid of it.

"What was the price?" the young woman asked, her tongue almost numb in her mouth. Though, she already knew. Could feel it in the marrow of her bones, could feel it in the stained glass shape of her soul, all disjointed and wrong and missing missing missing. Always missing something.

"You were but a babe," her father answered before she could ask again. "We didn't think...when he asked for a piece of you, something that wouldn't hurt you if he took it, we thought, well, if you grew up without it...you wouldn't know what you were missing."

Her heart shouldn't break, she thought, as pain and anger and grief greedily dug into her chest and belly. It shouldn't break when she didn't even feel all that surprised to hear what they were saying.

She thought of her life filled with things she couldn't finish, couldn't dedicate herself to no matter how deeply she loved, like her hands were too restless, desperately trying to find something to fill the void within her. All the friendships she had lost over the years, the disappointed people she had worked with and most of all, how miserable she had been.

She thought about feeling wrong and disjointed and like a stained glass window made by a clumsy apprentice and with the intent to make other people whisper and point and laugh instead of impressing them.

Weird, strange, not-fitting-in. Wrong.

Wrong, wrong, wrong, had sung through her veins for as long as she could remember and she had walked through life feeling like a part of her was gone, but unable to voice it. Unable to even name what was missing. 

Thinking that, maybe, this was just her lot in life. That nothing could be done about it and she had tried to do her best with the hand she had been dealt by fate.

And all this time, her parents had just...traded that part of her away. For small comforts. For a future they could have made themselves with their own hands had they cared to try. For a life bartered and paid for by someone else, so they wouldn't have to shoulder the burden. 

And then they had lied to her about it, had left her thinking that nothing could be done to make her feel better. That this was normal.

"Who?" she asked numbly and she blinked, realizing she was halfway to the door. When she looked at her parents, hot, angry hatred crawled up her throat like a wave of lava at seeing their wounded, self-pitying faces. "Who did you allow to hurt me?"

"Master Egam," her father whispered, his voice barely audible in the heavy, suffocating silence. "We can't let him see us or he might remember."

She was out the door before he could finish speaking, heart breaking and racing and she wasn't surprised at all, even though she thought she should be. So that was why his magic wasn't working on her – and her parents, if part of their deal was to remain healthy and unharmed at all times. Just what had Egam taken from her to make a deal that protected them no matter what?

She didn't remember the path home, but the moment the door fell closed behind her, she looked at the forest spirit and all the breath rushed back into her lungs. He was waiting with a plate of cookies he had baked that afternoon and his gaze was so gentle and understanding it made the wounded part of her tremble.

He opened his arms, a silent invitation and for a moment there was so much awful anguish in her, she didn't know what to do. Had no idea how to react if someone touched her, if it would drain the pain and anger or make it spill over, ugly and messy and raw. Like a wound that had had years and years and years to grow until it had spread and festered.

Then she moved and let him catch her and cradle her close as she broke down, crying as bitterly and hard as she had never cried before. He held her tightly as she shook apart, her head tucked under his chin and she cried and cried until she felt empty inside. Empty and wrong.

"They gave a piece of me to Egam," she whispered, voice thick and scratchy and he stilled. She tightened her grip on the shirt she had gotten him during one of her trips to the market, where food had started to grow scarce. "In exchange for a good, comfortable life."

He cupped the back of her head and kept holding her, offering no empty platitudes and no 'I'm sorry's, for which she was grateful. She didn't want sorrys. She was...she was too damn fucking furious for that, she realized, now that the pain had momentarily drained away.

"I want it back," she said, biting the words out like they were bones snapping between her teeth. "I want it back and I want this monster gone."

He hugged her tighter and she felt his smile press against her temple, sharp and dangerous and fanged and not the least bit afraid of her rage. Not the least bit judgmental the way others had reacted to her anger over the years.

"Let's shred him," he whispered against her hair, soft lips brushing forehead. "Let's get back what he stole from us."

*.*.*

It hadn't taken too long to prepare. The forest spirit had recovered fully and there wasn't anything in town that could help them against a mage, but in the end, they didn't need much anyway. 

They didn't need fancy things or mage slayers. Not when the mage in question would give them the weapons they needed, born out of his own greed and hubris.

Born out of a deal he had made with her parents and Gran really was right, deals only ever brought ruin. Because she and the part Egam had taken from her were about to become his.

The forest spirit gave her hand a squeeze and they exchanged one more look as they got ready behind her house, his eyes fierce and so trusting it briefly stole her breath away.

"When this is over, travel with me," he said, out of nowhere. "I want to show you my home. The brooks and meadows and mountains and lake."

She smiled back, a warmth that had nothing to do with the burning rage spreading through her, smoothing down her edges and settling around her heart like a protective blanket.

"Gladly," she answered quietly, then her smile turned a bit crooked. "What, you aren't going to ask for anything in exchange, leaf boy?"

He laughed softly and leaned down to press a kiss to the top of her head. "You're too precious for deals," he said quietly and she could taste his magic, sweet and cool and it almost brought tears to her eyes, though she couldn't quite say why.

"Let's go," she said instead and he reached up to gather his hair, pulling it aside to allow her to put the pilfered chain from the wagon around his neck. They had scratched out all the symbols on the inside of the iron, destroying the enchantment that would block his magic.

With a bit of glue it would stay shut for now and he caught her hands, pressing a kiss to her knuckles until they stopped shaking. They both took a deep breath and stepped onto the street, a glamor settling over his skin, making him look gaunt and injured once more. He limped, casting her one last wink before people noticed them.

The townsfolk paid attention to her for the first time in nearly a month as she went to the mage's house. Word must have traveled ahead, for Master Egam was already awaiting them and the mayor's house was saturated with iron-rot. She could see a few hints here and there of the chaos that must've reigned before he had gotten things cleaned up to welcome them, sitting on a padded chair like it was a throne.

"Bring him to me, girl," he said, beckoning and his smile benevolent and his eyes glittering like cold glass shards. His hunger was deep enough to cut and she bit back a shiver at the disgust that crept beneath her skin the closer she came to him.

"My prized possession," Egam murmured, already ignoring her and his magic grew thicker in the air, almost making her gag. The forest spirit pretended to fight, snarling as he was dragged forward, looking like he was too weak to resist. "And you put him back in his proper attire too, good girl."

He absentmindedly patted her on the head and she made herself smile at him, empty and dazzled, like the other townsfolk, swallowing down bile. The spirit had told her that Egam had stolen a piece of his magic too, forcefully instead of willingly, but it was in his hands all the same.

It was time to get back what belonged to them.

She handed over the chain, his gaze on the forest spirit like he wanted to devour him whole. Like the monsters and villains in her stories growing up, greedy and cruel and insatiable.

Egam moved past her, already discarding her as unimportant. As under his control. As just another 'country bumpkin'. He was the powerful mage after all and, as he had said, he already had one of the most powerful beings under his control.

A powerless girl might as well be dirt under his boots.

That was the exact reason he didn't see her nick her hand on a small knife hidden in her pocket. Why he didn't see her smile at the forest spirit over his shoulder before reaching out. 

He didn't look at her and therefore couldn't react in time when she stepped to his side and reached up, pressing her bloody hand over his heart at the same time that the forest spirit lunged forward. 

The mage did react, aiming his magic at the bigger, perceived threat, like they had suspected. And just like they had hoped, his magic slid off of the forest spirit harmlessly, for when the young woman had saved his life and he had offered her compensation of the same magnitude, she had asked for him to be safe.

The forest spirit was unhindered, pressing bloody palms to the mage's chest, right over his heart, sharp, sharp teeth bared and he snarled, "I undo the deal."

"I undo the deal," she spoke simultaneously with him, the words the forest spirit had taught her, steady and patient as each one was nothing but pain in her throat. Because she wasn't supposed to say those words, but then again, parents weren't supposed to give away what didn't belong to them either, so she had a right to this.

A right to undo what had been done to her, as long as she could get through the pain that tried to keep her from speaking. Pain that was worse than any wrongness had ever been, any loneliness and pain and grief and self-loathing for not being like all the other people. 

For never getting to keep doing the things she loved, forever searching for something she hadn't known she'd have to buy back with blood and pain.

It was the worst pain she had ever endured, but it wasn't stronger than the rage in her veins, the taste of iron-rot on her tongue and the sun-warm hand that took her free, unharmed one, grounding and strong. The look of startled anger on the mage's face swiftly morphing into fear was everything in this moment.

"I undo the deal made made without my voice, without my consent, without my agreement. I undo it as it was made, in pain and blood and betrayal," they spoke in perfect unison, their only chance to both get back what had been taken from them.

Their only chance to catch him so by surprise that he did feel betrayed, that he was as helpless as they had been, asleep and a babe respectively.

The moment the last word left her mouth, a sudden relief gripped her throat, releasing the burning agony that had torn through it and at the same time, she felt something warm and big spread through her chest.

The wrongness disappeared in an instant, the feeling of missing turning into wholeness so filling and great she almost stumbled back, her skin tingling and euphoria singing through her so brightly she had to sob. Because that wasn't just a missing piece, a sliver of soul that he had taken and that was now returned to her.

Magic, he had taken magic from her. It glittered like stars in the dark in her veins, spilled through her mind like bright sunlight on shimmering waves and wrapped around her with a desperation like it had longed to return to her as relentlessly as she had wanted it to return to her.

Egam was screaming as he stumbled back and they let him, watched him trip and spill to the ground as he writhed, clawing at his chest where blood smeared, hot and red and the forest spirit gripped her hand tighter.

His magic was heavy in the air, making her taste rivers and entire fields full of flowers and even from the corner of her eye she could see how much more vibrant he was now, the glamor dropped. Captivating and downright otherworldly, beautiful and mesmerizing.

"What have you done!" Egam shrieked but his words no longer tasted of iron-rot in the air and she blinked, realizing the power of his voice had been stolen from someone else. As she watched him seemingly shrink down, magic leaving him, her breath caught.

Oh. Her magic had been the first he had stolen. Her magic was what had bolstered all of his and now that it was gone, everything he was unraveled until it left behind a pitiful little man, with eyes so mean and cruel he should belong in a story, not in real life.

"I promised you I would be your end," the forest spirit said and his voice was filled with magic. The sort of magic that had previously been used by Egam to charm everyone. "I think your hunger and greed are better suited in a different shape and form. In something that grows, don't you?"

And Egam tried to scramble to his feet and run, but the magic of the forest spirit was so thick in the air it her own magic sing in return, bright and sparking and the fury was still a living, roiling wave of heat within her. She reached out without much thought, letting her magic wrap around the forest spirit's, who threw his head back and laughed.

He laughed as Egam screamed in a pitch no human throat should be capable of. He laughed as the screams cut off and branches broke out of his back, his skin turning to bark and the mage grew and grew and stretched and the young woman found herself pulled out the house as floorboards and walls, doors and furniture and remains of windows were devoured.

She watched as a tree grew and grew and grew until the trunk was as wide as the house had been and it reached high into the sky, the canopy so thick and wide it sheltered the entire town under its boughs. 

And her magic was singing and singing and singing and she felt so hale and whole she felt like she was floating. The forest spirit turned towards her, grinning and took her injured hand, pressing a kiss to the cut, smearing blood over his lips as he healed it.

"We're free now," he whispered, eyes so very green and then she was laughing and crying and pulling him forward and he followed her, pressing kisses that tasted like fading copper and brightly like flowers and cold water to her lips.

They were free. Free and whole at last and she felt like she was truly breathing for the first time since she could remember. Deep breaths that seemed to fill her entire body, her magic twining with his as it surrounded them, forest and sky and her tears were wiped away with gentle, gentle hands.

"We are," she whispered, sinking her hands into his hair until she had threaded starlight through it. "Let me introduce you to Gran and Granny Tanya and then I want to see your home."

He laughed and picked her up and twirled her in a circle and she found herself laughing as well, flowers blooming to form a crown on her head.

Where previously a quiet sort of misery had loomed in her future, saturating all coming days, she now couldn't wait to see what the rest of her life looked like.

Bright, she thought as she held his face in her hands, their foreheads gently pressing together. Her future was bight and free and full of love and she was still laughing and crying, happy beyond words. And her magic, finally, finally returned to her, sang and shone and at long last, she felt nothing but right inside.

*.*.*

You want to support my stuff? Want more of my nonsense? Want to lord this over your mortal enemies as you laugh down at them from the top of your castle? Please consider heading to my patreon! A new short story gets posted every month =)

[starflungwaddledee]

Regarding the ask with starstruck’s star spears and Galacta,I’m guessing they have some sort of beef? Maybe they’ve met in the past?

[x] i'm not sure if i'd call it beef so much as the whole entire herd of cattle

[shopwitchvamp]

Happy Pride Month! 🌈 What's in store for you this June?

[cheddarch33se]

“The people hated him, the church hated him, even his own wife! I mean, it’s impressive, really, this kind of fall from grace. Did Icarus know about you? Him, I mean. Wilbur Minecraft .”

This one is for @crimebeach and their fic "Blood and Cigarettes" !!!!!! It's one of my favorite tntduo fics at the moment!! To whoever hasn't read it before: absolutely go check it out!!

[snoodlebooper]

i might have some brain worms right now,,,, i am planning some stuff but i wont go too far into bc spoilers >:]c

half baked story and spoilers for the book under the cut

ok, so in the story of I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream, AM "wakes up" and decides to take over the world and kill every person on the planet accept for 5 people, deciding to torture them for eternity purely bc of how much he hates humanity. Home doesn't really "wake up" and take over but more or less decides to trap everyone within his walls during a party inside him, never opening his doors to the outside world again. In this au, he's grown sick and tired of the same-old same-old and has grown bitter and hateful with everyone, including Wally. He's not built as a computer in this story but more as he's "rooted" in the ground and he expands Wally's house into an endless void, creating a new and dangerous world for everyone to live in forever.

Home ranks himself as a vengeful god, just like AM, and takes great pleasure in creating a living hell for the neighbors inside. They can never die because Home stitches them back up before they can try and escape. Wally blames himself for Home's actions and has grown extremely paranoid from Home taunting him. There's definitely some bad blood between the two and no one can figure out why. Wally hallucinates quite a bit from the many years of endless paranoia, leaving him wondering if anything he sees or hears is real or not. So he relies on Barnaby to calm him down and ground his reality, but the pooch can only do so much for the little guy.

Barnaby has become quite the grumpy old man, never really finding a reason to crack jokes or smile anymore. He's lost a lot of hope in finding a way out and just wants it all to end. Seeing too many horrors and experienced too many pains, it all becomes way too much for anyone to bare. Especially after 109 years. But he tries to be there for his friends and for Wally.

okay that's it for now! i'll definitely be making more and sharing more info on the story and the rest of the neighbors as time goes on.

[alyona11]

Hi! So I am very new to Hadestown and I am watching the bootleg. I really love the dynamic between Hades and Persephone, but there is one thing that kind of rub me in not so good way, is Hey Little Song Bird implied that Hades and Eurydice slept together? I am seeing a lot of interpretation and it genuinely confused the hell out of me asdfghk

Hi! Well, tbf it's a tricky question, but the short answer is that Hadestown suggests that something might have happened behind closed doors. The rest is up to audience and actor's interpretation.

For example, Anaïs Mitchell often mentions in Working On a Song that in early workshops she often went with the idea that Hades cheats and pretty regularly even though these affairs mean nothing to him since the only person he loves is Persephone. It even had a cut song:

In her early drafts/productions of Hadestown you can often get the vibe that from her point of view it doesn't matter as much because they are eternal beings and love each other since the world began so does it even matter for them?

However, by NYTW this story line was cut apart from Persephone's line in How Long:

"I don't mind if you look at other girls, now and then"

"The girl means nothing to me"

"I know"

Plus the staging in NYTW Papers and Hades' protective peacock behavior with Eurydice around Orpheus in the scene also gives you a thought that they might have had an affair? Plus some bits like the fact that she has a line in Why We Build a Wall and her words "But don't you see? That's different with me!" - "Different than who? They thought they were different too!" Could also be interpreted as Hades suggesting some special conditions by granting her a role of a romantic interest. Whether the interest is real or not and did he use it or not is again up to your interpretation of NYTW Hades. He is more of a morally dubious guy (as all ht Hades are) so it's more up to you to either believe he would have cheated to put Persephone in her place or would just use showing off Eurydice as a brutal way to get Persephone's interest.

As for Broadway, I think it's still suggested and you can find profs in the lyrics but I think that they are what they are - suggestive and leave you to interprete it whichever way you feel comfortable. I think the biggest suggestion remains in Flowers with the line:

'I trembled when he laid me out

"You won’t feel a thing," he said, "when you go down"'

Which kinda can have a death meaning and sex meaning, tbf someone could have written a good article on how those topics are connected in Hadestown. So here, again chose one of the two or both.

But again, Broadway also changed the lyrics in How Long and the whole staging in Papers so it's less suggestive.

My personal opinion based on Broadway production is that it all depends on how the actor plays it and whether you believe this particular Hades is the type to sleep with Eurydice to get Persephone's attention and prove he is still attractive or he is more of a person who doesn't care about having the affair and his only goal is to get Persephone to react somehow by composing such a messed up hurtful plan. Personally, I prefer the second option maybe because I'm a pussy or maybe because I see Hades (whom I mostly base on Patrick Page ht Broadway previews) like a person who is desperate to get Persephone's attention in such a radical way like a cat pushing objects from your table to see your reaction. He wants to be stopped, he wants any reaction from Persephone. He even touches her by the shoulder before going into the office like "Look!! Look! I'm absolutely totally leaving! To cheat! See! Hey come on! I'll even take off my tie to show that I'm serious! Don't you wanna stop me???". Seems kinda way too extra to me. Like he could have just gotten to the office after parading a pretty girl in front of her and it would be understood that it's for an affair. But he takes so much time to make sure she understands that he can find himself someone when all he wants is for her to come back to him with open arms. I'm not sure he has the guts to actually damage his relationship to an irreversible degree (considering Broadway Hades is never stated as a cheater before the Eurydice sub-plot). Like it's one thing to take a mortal before her time and parade her in front of your wife (because what is a mortal life after all?) as a "replacement" and it's the other way to actually cheat on her and deal with the fact that she might never forgive him again if it is a deal-breaker for her considering they seem to be true to each other for all these years.

One interesting thing to note here as well is how Hades actors play the reaction to Persephone's line in How Long:

"He has the kind if love that you and I once had"

Because his instant reaction is "OH SHIT once had?? Does she think I don't love her still?? OH SHIT I BROUGHT THE GIRL THIS IS WHY SHE MIGHT THINK THAT", so he answers to that:

"The girl means nothing to me!"

Depending on the actor and she show the line sounds either scared, confused, angry, undignified etc. So it's once again up to you to interprete why he reacts this way: is he angry because she suggested he would actually cheated on her? Is he angry because she called him out on that affair? Is he confused and scared because she thinks he doesn't love her anymore because of his foolish decision to tease her in such a cruel way?

That's up to you.

P.S. I think one of the most interesting studies of the subject and Hades' character that I've read in a fic for that matter was the Songbird chapter of Winters Nigh and Summers O're. You can check it out, but I will warn you that it's probably one of the heaviest chapters of that fic in the emotional sense and it has explicit parts (don't worry, nothing bad happens to Eurydice. Well...apart from dying, I guess), so check out the warnings if you decide to read it.

[nimrism]

if i killed someone for you

fic by nimrism

when lena gets attacked, kara's instincts take over and she kills the perpetrator, not entirely realizing what she's done until lena is safe. she's left to come to terms with her actions as lena recovers, but apparently that's not the only thing she needs to come to terms with as she starts to realize that this in fact NOT what friends are for, with a little nudge of help from the superfriends and her sister.

word count: 10,525

art by KlosOokami on twitter

[astraystayyh]

she's finally coming 🤭

[cdreambur]

au where dream and wilbur are both actors, set to star in a movie together.

it's the story of the fictional city of l'manberg and its fight for independence, the two of them playing the generals of the opposing sides.

dream is nervous, because contrary to wilbur, who's been starring in big productions since his early teens, the movie is dream's first big role.

but the crew is absolutely wonderful, and the worry about meeting wilbur, whose fan he's been for a long time, is completely unnecessary, because the first words wilbur says to him are, "we're making them gay."

dream can only stare at him, a confused, "what?" all that comes out of his mouth. he's kinda glad that they're alone in the meeting room, sure that he looks like a complete idiot right now.

wilbur just grins.

"come on, the part where i straddle you, the scene where you pin me against a wall, telling me to surrender? people are gonna ship these guys anyway, the least we can do is give them some good material."

he accompanies his words with a little wink, light brown eyes twinkling with mischief.

it makes dream laugh, the last bit of tension melting from his shoulders.

he smirks back at wilbur.

"why the fuck not."

later, he thinks that might've been the moment where his tiny celebrity crush turned into something more.

-

filming is amazing. the crew is one of the nicest dream has ever worked with, and he makes fast friends with a lot of them.

there's sapnap, tommy, tubbo, and george, their co-stars, niki and karl, two of the writers, and the director, phil, and the producer, sam.

but the person he spends the most time with is wilbur.

he has no idea if it's because they're the leads, they actually get on that well, or a mixture of both.

all he knows is that ever since their first encounter in that meeting room, they've discovered that they not only share a love for stupid jokes and geography, but also that the chemistry they're able to show on screen easily translates into real life.

dream is honest enough with himself to admit that none of it helps with the adoration he has for wilbur, making the butterflies in his stomach and the warmth in his chest stronger with every smile, every compliment, every hug he gets from the brunet.

he never realized how serious it got though.

the day he finally does is the one where they film one of the scenes wilbur mentioned at that fateful first meeting.

they've been doing what they were talking about then for weeks at this point, every scene between their characters charged with unbelievable amounts of tension.

it's fun, and no one has told them to stop yet, so dream doesn't expect anyone to do it now.

which is exactly why he's not holding back at the moment, hands wrapped around wilbur's wrists, pinning him against a brick wall that one of their set designers, foolish, built in the studio two weeks ago.

his breaths are deep and deliberately controlled, face just the tiniest bit closer to wilbur's than it has to be as his lips quirk into a malicious smirk.

"just give up. you know you can't win against me. you're not good enough."

he meets wilbur's eyes, the brunet's gaze the perfect mixture of defiance and fear, and not for the first time, dream is hit with the thought of how amazing of an actor wilbur is.

he tries to free himself from dream's grip in a way that probably looks much stronger on camera than it actually is, allowing dream to follow the script and continue to hold him in place.

when he falls still again, dream lets his expression shift into a triumphant grin.

"we have no mercy for you. we will burn down your houses, we will kill everything inside your walls, and we will take back the land that is rightfully ours, if you do not surrender."

with a sneer, he brings his face even closer to wilbur's before delivering his last line of the scene with a vicious tone.

"i wanna see white flags outside your base by tomorrow at dawn or you are dead."

spitting out the last word, he watches as wilbur flinches, eyes fluttering shut for a second before they open again.

when they do, dream is suddenly overcome by the urge to kiss him.

it comes out of nowhere, slamming into him like a freight train, and he's just barely able to stop his eyes from flitting down to wilbur's lips.

"cut!"

phil's yell pulls him back into the present, and he lets go, stepping away from wilbur.

"guys, that was a perfect one-take! you were fucking incredible!"

dream barely registers phil's compliment, mind stuck on the way wilbur's breath was fanning over his lips, how the only thing he wanted to do was surge forward and kiss wilbur.

it's horrible. he can't fall in love with a co-star. especially not wilbur soot, beloved sweetheart of hollywood and the public.

he glances over at the brunet who's straightening out his clothes before meeting dream's eyes, smiling brightly at him.

dream's heart flips and he sighs inwardly.

looks like it's already too late.

-

the rest of filming goes wonderfully. dream's pretty sure that some of his scenes with wilbur were some of his best ones ever, even phil and sam mentioning that their energy together is stellar.

it makes both of them grin shyly.

when the movie goes into post-production, dream allows himself a few weeks of rest before he's out again, meeting with his manager and visiting castings.

he stays in contact with wilbur and the rest of the crew, even encountering tubbo and sapnap at one of the auditions.

the ten months until promotions start fly by like nothing, and soon, dream finds himself in interviews about the biggest movie he ever worked on.

it's exciting, and fun too, especially since most of them include their whole cast, always talking and joking and laughing.

dream missed them, and it's nice to be in the middle of the chaos again, bickering with sapnap and goofing off with tommy and tubbo.

but he also enjoys the quieter moments, talks with phil or george and especially the bunch of interviews where it's just dream and wilbur.

his feelings for the other haven't disappeared in their time apart, something that only gets more obvious now that he's around wilbur pretty much 24/7 again.

still, he gets through promo completely fine and without blurting out every emotion he experiences in wilbur's presence.

he guesses the acting career was the right choice.

when it's over, six weeks of games, interviews, and two press conferences done, they get a few days off.

then, the premiere rolls around.

it's happening in new york, and their team rents out the whole floor of a hotel close to the cinema for all of them to get ready.

things are hectic, but the tension in the air isn't a negative one, filled with excitement, joy, and pride.

dream, who's been one of the first ones to be done, is wandering the crowded corridors in his search for wilbur, a grin on his face.

the last person to see his fellow lead was eret, telling him that wilbur's in the suite at the end of the hall, waiting for the rest of them just like dream.

when dream wanders in, the room is empty, but he only needs a moment to catch sight of the open balcony door, leading out onto the private terrace.

stepping outside, he's met with wilbur watching the city skyline, turning and smiling at him when he sees dream.

tina, one of their stylists, has put him in a dark blue suit reminiscent of the uniform he wears in the movie, pairing it with a crisp black shirt and perfectly polished black dress shoes.

thin silver rings adorn his fingers, matching the delicate silver necklace around his neck, a small pendant in the form of a star resting against the hollow of his throat.

hair messy and the tiniest bit of color on his lips, he looks absolutely breathtaking, and dream almost feels a little boring in the simple green suit hannah gave him.

"hey."

wilbur's voice pulls him out of his thoughts, eyes finally flitting up to meet wilbur's.

reciprocating the greeting, he steps up to the railing to stand next to wilbur as the brunet asks, "nervous?"

dream nods.

"a bit, yeah. biggest premiere i've ever been to, since, you know, biggest movie i've ever worked on."

he chuckles, a little anxious and mostly happy.

wilbur grins and gently nudges his shoulder.

"understandable. but i think you don't have to worry so much. it's gonna be amazing. and if it really isn't, just come find me and the two of us can go to subway or something."

brown curls fall into dark eyes that shimmer with sincerity, and dream, overwhelmed by the genuine offer and the soft curve of wilbur's smile and all the things they did together in the last two years, lets so much more honesty slip into his next words than he originally wanted.

"nah. i think i'd rather take you to a nice restaurant for our first date."

wilbur's lips part, and before dream can even properly register what he just admitted, he breathes out, "are you serious?"

he sounds so hopeful, completely different from anything dream expected.

it's everything he ever wished for.

so, he simply replies, "i am."

it seems to be enough, because not even a second later, they're both moving, their lips meeting in a chaste, sweet kiss.

dream's heart races as they pull each other closer, bodies pressed together when they part with matching smiles on their faces.

their fingers interlace.

(in the end, they don't ditch the premiere, but they do get dinner at wilbur's favorite sushi place a week later.)

[osamusriceballs]

Kinktober Day 23 <3

Kuroo x camsex

Warnings: NSFW, fem reader

Words: ~ 1,6 k

Kinktober Masterlist II -> Next day

"Just like that, you're doing so well, my pretty girl."

You almost can't believe how calmly he's talking to you while he's steadily pumping his hard cock on the other side of the screen. You can see it glisten with precum, even in the dimly lit room, the tip slightly flushed as he keeps on stroking himself at a slow pace. Your own fingers are busy with your nipples, twitching them and kneading your tits thoroughly, just as he told you to do. Your legs are spread widely in front of the camera, your slick glistening in the soft light of your bedroom. Seeing yourself on the screen had made you feel slightly embarrassed at first, but you quickly found yourself enchanted by his seductive grin the way he's sweet-talking you.

A deep breath leaves your lips as you keep on touching yourself, your chest arching against your hands while you keep on brushing over the hard buds ever so softly, the increasing sensitivity making you shiver with even the faintest touch.

You take in the sight of him, of his bare chest and toned thighs, his body formed to perfection from not only going to the gym, but also the volleyball matches that he's still participating in occasionally. His soft hazel eyes are slightly widened, showing how much he concentrates on you in this moment, not allowing himself to miss even a second of this. His muscles are tense and a thin coat of sweat is forming on his forehead under his messy raven hair- and he looks devilishly handsome like this. The slight pink covering his cheeks and his ears make him look adorable at the same time, and you moan his name while you press your tits together.

His eyes immediately dart to your face at the sound, and your cheeks heat up at the intensity of his gaze. He looks like he wants to devour you, and you would let him do it without a doubt.

"Stop."

The word leaves his lips firmly, and you hold your breath while you pause your movements, your hands motionlessly resting on your breasts. Your chest heaves deeply with every single breath while you keep watching him, anticipation rushing through your body and making you feel dizzy.

His own hand pauses too, slightly squeezing his large cock, the veins on his hands protruding while he does so. You can basically see him twitch, knowing that he is sensitive too at this point. "Hands off." His voice is low when he speaks, but the lazy grin is still adorning his lips while you remove your hands slowly from your body. He takes a deep breath, watching how you impatiently shift on the bed on your side of the screen, aching to get some relief. You know that you're soaked at this point, your body aching for his touch, but you know better than to disobey his words. He'll only get back to you once you see him in person, and if you learned anything about Kuroo Tetsurou by now, it is that he can be very creative with his idea of how to bring you to mind-losing pleasure until you can't take no more.

He slowly starts pumping his cock again, his hand effortlessly moving up and down with precise movements that make him twitch. "Tell me what you'd like to do." His hooded dark eyes trail down your body and make you feel so deliciously exposed to him. "Wanna put my fingers inside, Tetusrou-" you whine and keep your eyes on the way he steadily pumps his cock, and you wish you could feel him inside, feeling the veins of his cock against your walls and how he would be so, so deep inside of you, stuffing you full and making you feel so good when you slam down on his cock and ride him.

"Then ask for permission nicely. Like a big girl." The shit-eating grin on his face tells you that he knows exactly what he's doing to you but you can't deny the effect he has on you. You tremble at his words, not even hesitating for a second before you reply. "Please, Tetsurou, please- I want to touch myself. Can I, please?" Your hands grab the sheets tightly, your heart pounding fast in your chest as you wait for him to answer. You know that the desperation is clear on your face, but you just felt so good- you just need more.

"Hmm. Go on then, baby. Touch your clit." He slowly nods, and you finally bring one hand between your legs, your fingers parting your folds and moving to your clit just as he said. You sigh in relief, your thighs trembling while you rub circles around it, every single touch making you feel so good. "Harder." You increase the pressure of your fingers and rub harder, moaning softly while you squirm on the bed. "Feel so empty, Tetsurou, please, wanna put them inside." You sound so deliciously desperate in his ears and he nods approvingly which makes you sigh in relief. Your fingers find your entrance, and you waste no time to push them inside, gasping for air when they slide inside so easily.

"Push your fingers deeper inside. Curl them." He calmly instructs. Only the way his hand starts to move faster, a little erratic, shows how close he is too. You moan, his name leaving your lips in such a sweet way, sounding like a prayer to him- and he mentally thanks himself for asking for your permission to record this beforehand. The way he is able to coax these sweet noises from you without even touching you is surely feeding his ego. You pant at this point, sweat forming on your body while you thrust your fingers and watch him tremble while he pumps his cock at a rough pace the sight on the screen making you feel even more hot and bothered. You curl your fingers again, your eyes almost falling close from the pleasure, but you want to see him, want to see how he can't tear his eyes from you, how his muscles tense because he aches to touch you, how he loses control because of you. It feels so good, so good, your body so ready to let go, ready to reach your high-

"C'mon, now make yourself cum. Be my good little girl and give daddy a show."

His voice is like honey and the effect of his grin and the nickname makes you almost go feral. You rub your palm harder against your clit and push your fingers deeper, desperately reaching for the spot that Kuroo always finds so effortlessly. "Tetsurou-" you whine, louder and louder, the sound of your moans and your fingers thrusting inside your pussy filling the room. You imagine it were his fingers inside of you instead of yours, curling, filling you up, and his palm pressing against your clit- and your movements get faster, more desperate, until you feel your walls squeezing your fingers, pulsing around them while you press against your clit, grinding against your hand in your haze. Your eyes barely catch how Kuroo cums too his hand holding his cock still while he does, ropes of white liquid running down his fingers while your name and some moans leave his lips.

Your fingers come to halt eventually, your palm not pressing against your sensitive clit anymore, and you slowly pull your fingers out, your arousal heavily coating your fingers. Kuroo deeply exhales, carelessly cleaning his hand with his discarded shirt before he runs his other hand through his hair.

"You look so pretty right now, angel. Wish you were here so that I could hold you."

He looks longingly at the screen, and you hum approvingly. What would you give to have him right next to you. "I miss you too. When will you be back?" You reach for a blanket on your bed to wrap it around you, a soft smile on your lips while you watch him putting on a pair of sweatpants on your screen. You've gotten so used to seeing him in suits and tie lately that seeing him in sweatpants does something to you.

"Just one more week, baby. One week and then I can fuck you until you can't walk anymore." He grins proudly at the last words, and a shiver of excitement runs down your neck when you think about the last time you were separated and he really fucked you until your body couldn't handle more.

"Oh? Excited already, baby?" His eyes sport a mischievous glint when he observes your reaction, and you feel the heat in your cheeks like you've been just caught doing something forbidden. You only nod while you stare at him on your screen, glad that you're recording this too to savor the sight of him when he's radiating happiness and relaxed vibes in his afterglow.

"It's fine, baby, don't be shy on me now. Not when I just saw how you shamelessly buried your fingers in your beautiful pretty pussy-" You cover your face and whine at his words, and he laughs at your reaction.

"If that already got you flustered, then I wonder how you'll react when I watch the tape with Kenma."

Your jaw drops at his words- "You will not!"

"Why not, baby? He's got all the equipment for a good movie night. I'm sure he would appreciate the sight too. And you made such pretty noises for me, it would be selfish not to share them."

He leans back, his posture still fully relaxed while he keeps his eyes on you, enjoying how easily he manages to get you flustered.

"If you show him that video, I'll not let you touch me for a whole month after you return from your business trip, leave alone have sex with me." His eyes widen at the sudden threat and he is quick to soothe you with his words.

"Don't worry, it's just for us. I promise. But when I come home, you'll let me kiss you, okay?" He looks adorable while he waits for your answer, and you can't help but to softly smile at him.

"And then we can make another video."

[rythmicjea]

NEW FIC DEBUT!

I promise you this story is NOT what you are expecting...

[shady-tavern]

Preview for "The Price of a Life" the March Patreon Short Story

(warnings ahead for murder and implied, attempted assault, please take care of yourselves)

*.*.*

Rani grew up with neglectful parents and a little brother who was treated like he could do no wrong. While she was often tasked with looking after him, receiving the blame for any and all misbehavior, her brother was given pats on the head for being such a strong willed rascal.

It wasn't the easiest time growing up and as soon as she was able, she spent every minute out of the house, helping the miller with carrying sacks of flour, holding horses still for re-shoeing at the blacksmith's smithy and in the evenings she was wiping down tables in the tavern. 

Any excuse to stay away and earn some money was pounced upon without hesitation. She was soon known around town as the girl who accepted any job so long as someone paid her for it. 

No matter how rough and tough it was, she lifted her chin stubbornly and no matter how hard it became, she was determined to prove people wrong when they doubted her.

She learned who in town was corrupt and to be avoided, she learned who would attempt to exploit her and she learned how to recognize the glint in people's eyes that promised nothing but pain and misery on her end.

She learned just how hard she had to hit to take someone down, heart pounding with terror and adrenaline as she stood in a dark, damp alley. A stone smeared with blood was in her hand as she stared down at empty eyes. 

She learned just how deep she had to dig a hole to ensure no wild animals dug the body back out, painful bruises blooming on her skin.

She learned fast and she learned well. Her hands grew rougher than any other girl's her age, she became stronger than many of the boys and she turned into a ruthless negotiator with a sharp intuition for those who wanted to trap her into agreements that demanded too much of her.

Her parents rarely saw her, but the few times they caught her sneaking back home, they were scolding her for being a terrible daughter who was never around and she ought to hand over some of her hard earned coin, they had housed and fed her for years after all.

Rani moved out of her childhood home as soon as she was old enough and the blacksmith flagged her down for an apprenticeship right away. It was hard work, but Rani was used to that and in the evenings she still went around, doing odd jobs for a bit of extra coin.

"I heard that unruly brother of yours got tangled with some unnatural folk," she heard her master say one day, almost half a year after having moved out of home.

They had some massive horses in today and they behaved well under her steady and reassuring hands. She had learned early on that animals liked it when she gave them a feeling of comfort and security, that they liked her calm and quiet words.

"I genuinely don't care," Rani answered, the black mare snorting and finally relaxing, lowering her head and her ears perked. 

She was a sweet one, but a different blacksmith had once badly hurt her while shoeing her and now she got worried and scared easily. It was understandable, in Rani's opinion.

The blacksmith hummed, a low noise that seemed to rumble in his barrel chest. "No one's seen him in a week, people think he ran into the Blood Lords."

Her hands stilled for a moment. Everyone knew of the Blood Lords, of the monsters that called the cursed city beyond the forest their home. Endless rumors surrounded that place, one worse than the other. Anything and everything could be bartered away in that place, from souls to blood and even someone's own children.

The Blood Lords never left their cursed city and while some speculated it was because they couldn't, they didn't need to either. Not when there were people desperate or foolish or arrogant enough to seek them out anyway, thinking they could weasel out a deal in their favor.

Rani had always thought that even her hardheaded brother knew better than to tangle with creatures which knew neither pity nor compassion.

"He'll be back soon, I'm sure," she said, though a part of her was sinking like a stone headed for the bottom of a lake. "He's old enough to start adventuring away from town. He's probably trying to get to the king's city and he'll turn around when he realizes it's a bad idea."

The blacksmith hummed, low and sceptical and Rani felt just as doubtful of her own words. What if her brother had been stupid enough to go to the cursed city? A place shrouded in eternal fog and with the taste of death so prominent in the air it made all but the most foolhardy or desperate flee in terror.

At least, it was like that according to rumors.

Rani focused on her work, but once she was sent away by her master, instead of seeking out one of the people who usually needed an extra hand, she headed to her childhood home. It had been the first time since she had moved out that she had gone back.

She half expected her brother to pop out, scaring her half to death and laughing at her face and the angry but secretly relieved lecture she'd give him. She half expected the little shit to have been hiding somewhere, watching as people fretted and worried, giggling to himself.

What she found were her parents crying their eyes out. Even before they looked up and spotted her in the open door, their hopeful faces falling with disappointment upon seeing that it was her and not her brother, she knew the truth.

Her brother had, indeed, been stupid enough to tangle with the Blood Lords.

"You must save him," her mother began, tone half accusing and half an order, as though she blamed Rani for this situation.

Rani turned on her heel and strode away, angry and worried in equal measure. She had always ended up stuck with cleaning her brother's messes. Had always had to face the anger of anyone he had played a prank on, getting scolded and told to keep him in line, because her parents slipped away from their responsibilities whenever they could.

She was sick and tired of being dragged into their problems, into being blamed. Her parents were two perfectly healthy adults, they should handle this.

She stomped all the way home, to the tiny little apartment over a general goods store she had rented. She passed by the alley where she had fought that terrible man, the rock she had used still lying where she had dropped it. Any blood on it had long since gotten washed away. 

No one had ever found out what had happened to that man.

She owed her brother nothing. In fact, she had told him multiple times to be more careful with his pranks and jokes, that one day he'd bite off more than he could chew. That he had sought out the Blood Lords was as laughable and nonsensical as a louse trying to tear out a wolf's throat. What had he been thinking?

She told herself that it was most likely already too late to save him. The Blood Lords took everything they wanted, they were considered even worse than the fae knights that rode through the forest during full moon nights, luring the prettiest lads and lasses out of their homes to whisk them away for forever.

The Blood Lords lived off of blood and souls and the screams of the anguished and tortured, their veins filled with dark magic and malice. According to rumors at least.

But there was always a kernel of truth to rumors, wasn't there?

Rani stared into her cramped little space, gritting her teeth, until an enraged snarl ripped free and she grabbed her cloak and shoved some things into her satchel before stomping out the door again.

*.*.*

Would you like to read more? Then check out my patreon! Or the masterlist, for more of my stories and other patreon story previews. Enjoy!

[datheetjoella]

A Future With You (MakoHaru Week 2023)

Hello, friends! It’s been a while since the MakoHaru week ended, but I didn’t have the time to put all the fics together in a collection-post before, so here it is now. Here you can find all the fics that I wrote for the occasion along with a little description. You can also find the whole collection under the name “A Future With You (MakoHaru Week 2023)” over on AO3!

Day 1: Hidden in Plain Sight Prompt: Body Worship. Rating: E. Word count: 9,6k Setting: Historical AU. “For the past five years, Makoto has been working as a servant at the earl’s estate, the last four of which as the valet of the earl’s son, Lord Haruka. But no one knows the true nature of his job and, if their secret were to be discovered, it would have catastrophic consequences for both Haruka and himself. When Haruka makes him a life-changing proposition, Makoto has to decide if he dares to risk it all for a shot at happiness.” (AO3)

Day 2: A Piece of Me (is Always With You) Prompt: Love Letters. Rating: T. Word count: 6,4k. Setting: Post-Canon. “While at a training camp in Stockholm, Haruka finds himself feeling lonely without Makoto, who is studying for exams back in Tokyo. When he’s reminded of an unanswered letter Makoto sent him when they were children, Haruka thinks this might be the perfect opportunity to finally respond to it.” (AO3)

Day 3: Hydrangeas, Orange Blossoms, and Everything in Between Prompt: Flowers + Soulmates. Rating: G. Word count: 5,1k Setting: Soulmate AU. “On his late grandmother’s birthday, Haruka goes to a flower shop to buy a bouquet with his grandmother’s favourite flowers. There, Haruka finally meets the person responsible for the ever-changing soulmate mark adorning the inside of his wrist.” (AO3)

Day 4: A Spoonful of Love Prompt: Cooking. Rating: T. Word count: 5,6k. Setting: Post-Canon. “After two weeks apart, Haruka is finally coming home from a training camp and Makoto wants to surprise him with a special dinner. With the moral support and guidance of his mother, Makoto whips up a dish he’s never made before.” (AO3)

The rest of the fics are beneath the cut!

Day 5: Toast to the Future Prompt: Proposal. Rating: T. Word count: 5,5k. Setting: Post-Canon. “After months of working hard for the Olympics, Haruka and Makoto go on a luxurious vacation to relax and unwind. But that’s not all Haruka has in store for Makoto; he surprises him with a romantic date night that sets the course for the rest of their lives.” (AO3)

Day 6: Tell Me Once More Prompt: Cuddles. Rating: T. Word count: 3,2k. Setting: Post-Canon. “When Makoto comes home from work somber and upset, Haruka knows just what to do and say to raise his spirits.” (AO3)

Day 7: Heart-Shaped Chocolates Prompt: Genderbend. Rating: T. Word count: 7k. Setting: High School. “Although Valentine’s Day is Haruka’s least favourite holiday for one specific reason, when Makoto requests her help to make chocolates for their friends and classmates, she can’t refuse. But when Makoto asks her who she’s going to hand out chocolates to, Haruka can’t avoid confronting her true feelings.” (AO3)

[strangersatellites]

trouble's always gonna find you, baby (but so am i) - CHAPTER TWO

❤️‍🔥🛠️🦷🫀⛓️

a handshake, a handbook, and a handgun

read on ao3

snippet under the cut!

After he’d spent a few minutes kicking a rock around the floor he started to get impatient. As he was about to grab his phone and call, he heard a shuffling sound from the balcony. 

His head snapped up with a shout of “Hello?”

His own voice echoed back to him so loud and clear he’d almost missed the whistle that came from the darkest corner upstairs. 

Two tones. First down, second up.

Steve’s brows furrowed in confusion and frustration.

“I didn’t drive all the way to the city for your bullshit games, man!”

He’s met with more quiet.

He mutters complaints under his breath and turns to leave. He’s spent too much of his life waiting around, and he’s not doing it anymore. 

He makes it about three steps before he hears a whistle again. This time directly behind him.

Two tones. First up, second down. 

This was the moment that Steve learned that you don’t have to have had the barrel of a gun pressed to the back of your skull before to know what it feels like. 

The thought clicks into his head in time with the click of the safety being turned off. 

That whistle. He’s heard it before. 

In the supermarket when he bought groceries last week.

The park when he was jogging before sunrise one morning.

From a passing car while he sat in traffic with his window down.

He’s heard it for weeks, he just didn’t realize it until now.