#i have fcg as the one pulling her away because i figured the rest of the party wouldn't want to stop her from biting ludinus' throat out

[undead-knick-knack]

@the-relvin-temult Is this what you had in mind?

[flailypichu]

Everyone collects themselves after that near death (not even near death, they watched him die and reform) experience and decide to put off the trip to the moon for at least a day, just to breathe and process. And make sure Ashton doesn't explode again. Like, really make sure.

Fearne doesn't make eye contact with him, each clop of her hooves sounding deep in his body as she gets further away. She links arms with Imogen and Laudna, who glance back at them with twin worried and frustrated expressions. Ashton doesn't think he burned any bridges today, but a few of them are heavily singed to match the rest of him.

FCG and Chetney help them up to their rooms, where Lord de Rolo has banished them to recuperate, Lady Allura still stunned behind him while he gave the order, face blank as she processes what could have happened. The smaller members of the group aren't honestly that much help when it comes to his movement, but if FCG could be pale, they would be, so Ashton lets them hold his hand and appreciates the warm flow of healing still being pumped into him.

And that leaves Orym. Quiet by nature, Ashton is disconcerned to find him near silent. He appears to have retreated into some sort of training, because even though he can see Orym moving slightly behind him, the halfling makes no noise. It's not until they reach the room Ashton was sharing with FCG that Orym says "I'll take them. I bought some healing potions before this, that I can use if we need to. You two get some rest, that took a lot out of you, Letters."

FCG pushes one last burst of healing into Ashton and squeezes their hand. With a firmness rarely heard, they say, "we are going to talk about that later. When I've gathered my thoughts." Ashton wants to bring him in for a hug, but the body language says he wouldn't be welcome. Tomorrow, maybe.

The two of them transfer his care to Orym and Chetney gives a small wave, pulling a lingering FCG into his room. Ashton can hear him muttering something to FCG but doesn't try to make it out, focus narrowing to the small figure standing like a statue in front of him.

Orym also hasn't met his eyes once since he opened them. Ashton waits.

With a hand on his thigh, Orym pushes him into the room and shuts the door. The silence presses in on them, and Ashton almost breaks the silence, but knows any words he wants to say need to take a back seat to whatever is brewing in Orym.

"What was that." Orym's voice comes flat like a bit of flint, wanting to be struck. Ashton chooses his words carefully.

"The stronger I am, the better chance we have to win this fight. The shard made me stronger."

"The shard made you dead." And Ashton does flinch at that. A tiny convulsion of muscles he doesn't have, at the pain in Orym's voice that's seeping into the coldness. "You exploded, and you reformed, and we watched while only two of us could do anything at all." His fists shake by his sides and with effort he flexes them and sits down on the bed. Ashton doesn't sit next to him, but on the floor in front, forcing himself to look up into eyes that swell with tears. Ashton makes an aborted movement towards Orym's hands, stopping themselves at the last moment, only for Orym to close the gap and squeeze.

Tears begin to slip silently down his cheeks and Ashton doesn't regret his choice - he's alive, he has more power with which to help his friends - but he regrets that it caused these tears. "I'm alive, I made it. Orym-" and he rocks back with the force of Orym throwing his arms around them. Long buried instincts kick in and he lifts his arms to return the embrace. Orym has always been careful with his touches, especially with Ashton, and the intensity of this one gives him pause. Orym pulls back and runs his hands through his hair, making it stick up with sweat.

"You idiot -" and suddenly Ashton is being kissed for the second time that day. After the shard settled he'd felt warmth flood his body, and then recede to a gentle simmer. It comes rushing back with the feel of Orym's chapped lips pressed to his, and he rests his hands on Orym's waist, unable to do anything more than helplessly kiss back.

And as soon as it started, Orym retreats and is halfway to the door before Ashton stands up with some notion of stopping him. But Orym stops at the threshold, turning back to say, "I don't know if what I'm feeling for you is going anywhere, but you dying before I can figure it out isn't going to help anyone. Stop throwing yourself into danger, Ashton. Please." And with that he's gone.

Ashton stands stock still, lips buzzing, new arm tingling. "Well, fuck."

[superbat-is-king]

At first, Fearne thinks the twin looks of relief are because they’ve finally found each other again. Overjoyed at their reunion, and sandwiched in between a much needed group hug, she doesn’t notice until after they’ve broken the embrace. She doesn’t notice, or maybe ignores, that their relief is also twisted up in sadness.

When she sees Imogen and Laudna hold onto each other like they’ll never let the other go again, when she sees Ashton give FCG the most affectionate fist bump they can muster, that’s when she realizes… twin looks?

“Where’s Orym?” She asks, smile still spread wide, looking around the forest they’re in.

If she didn’t want to acknowledge something was wrong before, it’s hard to deny now.

Because now Ashton is looking down, at Chetney, at Grass, anywhere but back at her.

Because now Laudna has black tears collecting in her eyes, hands squeezing tighter around Imogen’s.

Then she notices the sling on Ashton’s back. One that looks eerily like the one he used to carry Laudna back then. They start to undo the knot to lower its contents to the ground.

“No,” Fearne says, taking a step forward. “No, that’s not—” She pauses, unable to look away as the genasi bends down to pull back the shroud. “Stop.”

Ashton does, just lets a hand hover over the fabric. They still can’t look at her. “I— Fearne, I’m so sorry.”

“Stop,” she repeats, “It’s not— it’s not.” She kneels, barely registering that Chetney has skittered over to her side, the rest of the Bells standing quietly in a half-circle before them. Deanna and FRIDA have hung back, expressions of worry and curiosity gracing their features.

Fearne grips the edge of the shroud, slowly pulling it down, until brown hair is visible, until his face is visible. She calls his name once because he looks a little like he’s sleeping. (But she knows better, because he hasn’t looked this peaceful in a long time.)

“What the fuck happened?” she demands, though it comes out pleading.

“We got into some trouble,” Ashton starts. “He tried to… he did save me— and Laudna! We didn’t see— we were going to find someone to heal him, and then we found you guys!”

“He died protecting you? Why didn’t you help him!?”

“I tried, Fearne, I did, but we didn’t have any potions and I don’t have that kind of magic,” Laudna exclaims, despair in her tone. “But it’s only been a day, not even a full day! We can help him, right? We can find something?”

The magic is already sparking at Fearne’s fingertips before Laudna can even finish her sentence. She brought him back before with this, obviously she can do it again. She sends the revivification spell through his still body, and does what she knows can work. “Hey, best friend, you gotta come back, ok, please? We— we’re here, we’re all here, we're back! Just missing our fighter!”

He lies there, unmoving.

“Hey… hey, Orym?”

FCG wheels over, spindly fingers reaching out towards her. “Fearne, that only works one minute after they’ve—”

“I can do it!” She snaps, putting both hands over his torso and trying again, even though the magic has already fizzled out, even though she doesn’t even have the components needed. She can’t do it again. “I can— FUCK!”

She looks up at everyone there, searching their faces, all broken, all helpless. “Deanna? Can you-? You have to have something!”

The gnome shakes her head, apology on her lips.

“Ok, then, what do we do?” The druid asks, gathering up her friend again, cradling him close to her. Mister crawls out from under her hair then, and climbs onto her shoulder. He paws at Orym, screeching quietly, eyes fixated on him. “Wha— what can we do? We should call the— umm, Pike, right? Imogen? She can get him back!”

“Yeah, yeah, of course!” Imogen nods, one hand letting go of Laudna’s and finding Fearne’s. “Messages are still— they’re still not working, but that’s ok! We- we just… we need to figure out what’s going on with the solstice and- and the teleportation circles and we’ll find a way to Whitestone!”

“Here, let me—” Motioning for the faun to pass him towards them, FCG gently bumps heads with the halfling, a spell coursing through to bless him. “There, it’s like what I did with Laudna, so his body stays protected and we can have more time to get him back.”

“As long as the spirit is willing,” FRIDA adds and before the thought fully leaves him, he knows he’s made a mistake.

Fearne whirls on him, a fire rapidly simmering behind her eyes. “Why would you say that? You don’t know him! Orym would never leave us, leave me, like that!”

“No, no, we don’t doubt that!” Deanna jumps in, bailing the aeormaton out. “FRIDA just means it does get… more difficult to come back the longer— at least, that’s sort of what it was like for me.”

"I'm sorry, who the fuck are you?" Ashton questions, though no one has a chance to answer before Fearne gets up, her little spoon laying limp in her arms.

“Well, ok… then, I’ll just get him back now!”

“Fearne, we will,” states Chetney with conviction. “But we can’t right this second. Where would you—?”

“I’ll figure something out! The magic here is all— what if we take too long? What if Pike can’t-?” She doesn’t allow herself to finish, just shakes her head clear. “I need to go home— Nana… she’ll— she’ll know what to do!”

“Yeah, yeah, Nana Morri, that’s a good idea!” FCG chirps, wheeling back the way they came. “We just have to find our way back to the gateway! Let’s go!”

“No, no, what about the solstice stuff? Your mom, Keyleth? You guys focus on that, I’ll go—”

“What?” Imogen interrupts, “that’s— no, come on, we’ll get Orym back first. That can wait. We’re coming with you.”

“It’s ok,” Fearne says, a bit tersely. “We need to figure out what’s happening out here with the arcana, divide and conquer is the best way.”

“But we just found each other again,” Laudna mumbles, a sad smile finding its way to her lips. “We should do this together. Like you all did for me.”

“What’s…” Chetney wonders aloud when he notices the conflicted glower on the faun’s face. “Do you not want us to come with you?”

“… not really.” Adjusting her hold on Orym, Fearne blows out a breath and rubs at her eyes with one hand. There’s a memory coming forth in her mind, one of a dark fey— of a fanged, soot-black skinned, angry version of her. She glances down at her one hand, forming the blackened claw-like fingers into a fist. “If this doesn’t work… I don't know if you'll like the person I'll become.”

When there is only stunned silence, she flicks her gaze back up to her friends, letting out a short laugh. “But you guys will figure it out, I know you will! So even if I can’t, I’ll come back and magic will be turned on again and we— we can try again, right?”

“Are… are you sure?” Imogen asks, stepping closer to her, cupping Orym’s cheek with her other hand.

“Yes,” Fearne nods. “I wasn’t there for him before, but I can be now! I’m going to get him back.” She looks at everyone assembled there for a moment, then turns to Deanna, lowering Orym down to her. “Can you hold him for just one second?”

“Of course.” Without hesitation, the cleric hands her staff off to FRIDA, taking him in both her arms.

As soon as she does, Fearne reaches out towards Bells Hells, pulling them all in for one more hug. Separately giving one to FCG and Imogen, she says, “he’s gonna be fine!”

“We trust you,” they reply in unison.

Doing the same for Chetney, she stoops down, lays her head on his yarn hat for a moment and declares, “I’ll be back before you know it! You won’t even notice I’m gone.”

“How could I not?” She hears him mumble back and bites back a snicker. “Be safe,” he tacks on, “bring him back to us.”

She turns lastly to Ashton and Laudna, holding her lost companions a little tighter and a little bit longer than the rest.

“Fearne, I really—” They both start to say, stumbling over their words slightly.

“I know,” Fearne cuts them off, nuzzling her head in between theirs. “I know it wasn’t your— We got separated and you got into a fight and… I know it can’t be helped, because that’s just the kind of guy he is! He’s selfless and protective and really, really great… so I am going to get him back, ok?”

“Ok,” is Ashton’s only reply.

“I wish you’d let us go with you,” Laudna laments, hand carding through seafoam green hair.

“I can’t,” Fearne reiterates. “If he’s gone…” she trails off. It’s not their fault, she knows, but she can’t help thinking otherwise. It’s cruel, she knows, but she can’t help the way she feels. “If he’s gone,” she whispers through tears, “I will never forgive you. I’ll never—”

She stops there, places one more kiss to Ashton’s head, squeezes Laudna once more, and turns to take Orym back.

“I’ll come back… We— We’ll come back,” she promises, “we’ll find you.”

With one last look at her friends, she leaves into the forest, Mister at her heels.

[yoiiink]

Long day

First piece of writing in a long time!

Ashton Greymoore X GN reader

Warnings: 18+, smut, choking, one bed trope, swearing, pet names (darling, babe), GN reader

I’d love constructive feedback, as I’m just getting back into writing!

Sitting around a tavern table, secluded from other patrons was Orym, Laudna, Imogen, Fresh Cut Grass, Chetney, Fearne, Ashton & you. It had been a long day and to wind down Ashton thought it would be fun to play a game he calls what the fuck is up with that?.

—

“Y/N, I’ve got a question for you.” Your heart skips a beat as you hear Ashton address you.

“Hit me.”

“People flock around you like birds and yet, you don’t go for anyone. What the fuck is up with that?” Ashton locks eyes with you as he asks the question. You felt your face heat up thinking about the true answer. It's because I want you. You clear your throat and your mind as you try to find an appropriate answer.

“Well, maybe I’m saving myself for a special someone..” You remark, leaning forward to rest your elbows on the wooden table. Intense eye contact is made and maintained, neither of you wanting to break it.

“I believe it’s my turn!” Fearne interrupts the staring contest between you and the barbarian. Realizing your flirtatious manners you quickly look away from them, your facing heating up yet again.

Throughout the rest of the evening, you two make quick glances at one another, eyes darting away when the other is caught.

“Well, I think it’s time to hit the hay.” Imogen yawns. Laudna stands and cracks numerous bones in her body.

“Yes, this was a lovely game Ashton.” The group eventually makes their way to their rooms. Laudna, Imogen and Fearne went down the hall, Orym, Chetney and FCG went next door, leaving you and Ashton to the final room. Whether this was purposeful, you didn’t know for sure, but you didn’t mind rooming with the Earth Genasi. Ashton entered the room after you, casually removing his jacket and setting his glass hammer by the door. You stand in the middle of the room, fidgeting with your hands before speaking.

“I guess we’re sharing…” They look back at you as a smirk grows on their face.

“You’re saying that like it's a bad thing?” his eyes scan your form, slowly and carefully, making sure to commit every part of you to their memory. You feel a shiver travel up your spine before a burst of confidence from the whiskey flows through you.

“Oh no, this is a good thing.” You purr as you approach him slowly, fingers gliding over his hard chest. Their eyes grow dark with interest as you tease him, waiting to see how far you’d push him.

“And why is that, darling?” The pet name sends a shock to your abdomen as he rests his hands on your waist. You inhale deeply before making yet another bold move, grabbing their chin and pulling his head down to your level.

“Remember when I said I was waiting for someone special?” your hot breath tickles his face and he takes a deep breath before replying.

“Yes..” as your other arm slides around their shoulders you make eye contact with them.

“Well, that special someone I’m hoping is you.” Not even a second goes by before he pushes his mouth into yours and kisses you aggressively. Your body jolts from his touch as he passes a hand down your abdomen. They pull you as close as physically possible, drawing out the kiss until both of you are desperate for air. As you pull away, you both inhale deeply, creating eye contact once again.

“Do you know how long I've wanted to do that?” He pants, drinking in every part of your figure with his eyes.

“I have a guess.” You shoot back, smiling slowly at him. He pauses, hesitating to speak.

“Can I- Can I touch you?” they whisper, their eyes even darker than before. Energy shoots to your abdomen again before you whimper back.

“Please.” He sighs gently before traveling his hand into your pants. Your eyes close softly as their fingers make their way to where you need them most.

“A-Ashton..” You mutter, mainly to yourself as he begins to slowly work you.

“Tell me what you want, babe.” they whisper in your ear, fingers moving painstakingly slow for your taste.

“How am I supposed to please you if you don’t tell me what you want?” He gently bites on your earlobe. Gods, you have so many answers. You knew what you needed the most though.

“Fuck me, please. Fucking break me.” Your eyes meet, you can feel him grow against your thigh. He whispers a gentle fuck before quickly removing his fingers, and throwing you onto the bed. You squeal softly, bouncing onto the bed as he removes his pants and boots before taking off yours.

“Gods, you are gorgeous.” He mutters to himself before pulling you to the edge of the bed by your ankles. Adrenaline pumps through you as he gingerly enters you. Both of you sigh in unison, feeling so full by him. They pause for a moment, letting you adjust to their size.

“Ash…” You plead, grabbing his hand and placing it on your neck. You feel him twitch inside you as he flexes his hand. Your eyes roll back as you moan loudly for them. His pace builds quickly, tightening the grip on your neck in intervals.

“You take me so well..” They grunt in between thrusts. You knew him to be incredibly strong and yet, you could tell he was holding back.

“Please Ash, give me all you got.” He grunts even louder, letting his senses take over before putting more power into each thrust, kissing the life out of you. He tugs at your hair before traveling that same hand to put pressure on your clit. Groaning into their mouth, you pull them somehow even closer to your body, relishing every feeling he provides to you.

“Can I-” “Please.” you cut them off, meeting their thrusts to reach your climax. He moans in your ear and releases in unison with you. After regaining composure, he starts to pull out of you before you grab him.

“Stay, you're so warm.” He twitches from your plea and nods, flipping the two of you over, putting you over them. You lay down on their hard torso, tracing the markings on their body and resting your head on their chest.

“Me?” he whispers, barely audible.

“What Ash?” You reply, kissing patterns on his chest.

“Out of all the people you’ve met, you chose me?” You sit up and look them in their sparkling eyes.

“I’ve only ever wanted you. You are the best person I have ever met.” Leaning forward, your lips meet his as you gently kiss him. This kiss was totally different from the ones before, this was filled with pure love and adoration. They sigh as you rest your head on their chest again, gently rubbing your back.

“You do know I’m an asshole right?” He teases.

“I am very aware.”