#i've wanted to make this list for a long while

[k-dgn]

Chapter 2: The First Test

13k Words

Time seemed to pass by in a blur. You wanted to make sure you were prepared, so you spent every waking moment trying to come up with as many different ideas and concepts as possible that you wanted to pitch to Mina hoping you would find something she would like. A few days later, you finally got the long awaited text from Sana telling you where and when to meet.

On the day of the meeting you arrived early, wanting to leave a good impression. Sana had chosen a different café than the one at the JYP building you had met her at previously. It was pretty low-key as far as storefronts were concerned, and was two stories tall. The upstairs even had a secluded loft area perfectly suited for your planned get-together. After getting your drink and making your way up, you sat down on the couch and let out an anxious sigh. You then pulled out your phone and messaged Sana.

Y/N: Hey! Just letting you know I'm here already, waiting upstairs.

SN: Ok! We’ll be there soon ✌️

A few minutes passed by but they felt like hours. Eventually, you heard footsteps coming from the stairs, as well as the sound of that signature giggle that could only be coming from none other than Sana. You turned to face the stairs just as they were coming up. Sana was wearing a tight-fitting pink top that exposed her perfectly toned midriff and a pair of equally tight-fitting jeans.

Following closely behind her was Mina, wearing a long-sleeved striped knit top, black leather skirt, and black knee-high socks. Both girls wore hats and face masks in an attempt to hide their identities from the public, but one look into either of their eyes would have given them away in an instant.

You took one last nervous deep breath before waving from your seat to call them over. Sana quickly spotted you and started to make her way over, Mina in tow. As they approached, they removed their masks while you rose from your seat and got up to greet them. You opened your arms, a cue Sana took up almost immediately.

“You're early this time!” Sana exclaimed as she came up to hug you. “...Why weren't you this early when you met me for the first time, huh?” Even now, the girl just loved to mess with you. You rolled your eyes and tried to laugh it off.

“Oh, you know. Just wanted to leave a good impression this time around.” You replied with a cheeky grin. Sana pulled away and stuck her tongue out at you before laughing again. She then stepped back in order to introduce you to the other girl who was just watching everything unfold. Her hands were covered by her long sleeves, and she had brought them up to her face, cutely covering her mouth. 

“Y/N, this is Mina,” Sana said as she nudged Mina’s arm. “Mina, Y/N!”

You extended a hand and put on the best smile you could. Mina’s eyes turned to crescent moons as she reached out a hand to shake yours.

“It's nice to meet you, Mina. Thank you for meeting with me today!” You said confidently. You shake her sleeve covered hand, and couldn't help but to notice that she had the gentlest touch.

“Nice to finally meet you too,” she replied, quickly eyeing you up and down before lowering her hand. She was so soft-spoken you almost had trouble hearing her, so you mentally noted to pay extra attention whenever she spoke. “You know, I've heard a lot about you from Sana.” 

“Ah…good things, I hope?” you say, your eyes darting to Sana for a moment who was smiling while holding up a peace sign. Mina just laughed and nodded as the three of you sat down around the coffee table.

The next bit of time was spent going over the list of ideas you had prepared on your phone. Mina was sitting across from you, legs crossed with her elbows on the table and one hand resting on her chin. Her eyes were locked on you the entire time as you led the conversation. You started by asking her what sort of vibe she wanted to go with for the shoot and went from there, detailing your ideas and seeing what she was receptive to. Though she didn't speak much at all, she would nod cutely and smile whenever she did like something. Whenever she did want to voice an opinion you made sure to listen close, taking down notes throughout the entire process.

Meanwhile, Sana was sitting back in her chair next to Mina. Every now and then Mina would turn to ask Sana for her opinion on something and she’d give it, but for the most part Sana was content in letting the two of you hash out business. She was more curious to ask Mina about some other things later anyway.

30 minutes of discussion later, you felt satisfied with the info you'd gathered from your meeting. You put your phone away and smiled back at the two girls. “Alright, I think I can work with these ideas. I can let you know as soon as I have the final draft proposal ready. It shouldn't take more than a few days if that's alright with you?”

“Yeah, that's ok with me” Mina says, flashing you a glimpse of her gummy smile before she quickly covers it with her hand. You smile back and let out a nervous chuckle. For someone as visually stunning on stage as Mina, getting the chance to see this side of her up close was nothing short of breathtaking for you. Sana notices the way you look back at Mina and knowingly smiles to herself.

“Great! Thanks again for meeting with me today. Unfortunately I have to get back to my studio now to finish up some prints for another client today. Is there anything else you wanted to discuss?”

Mina shakes her head then turns to look at Sana. Sana looks at the two of you and satisfied with the way the meeting turned out, clasps her hands together proudly. “Nope! I think you guys covered just about everything. Mina, do you want to give him your number or should I?”

Mina smiles back then reaches into her purse to get her phone. She hands it over to you and you input your info before handing it back to her with a smile of your own. You then collect your things and bow slightly toward the girls before bidding them farewell and heading towards the stairs. Once you were out of earshot, Sana looks back over and playfully nudges Mina’s side jolting her out of her trance. Unbeknownst to you, she'd been looking in your direction the whole time as you left.

“Sooo, what do you think?” Sana asks smugly.

“He's...very nice," Mina shyly says with a soft giggle. "I think working with him will be a lot of fun.”

Sana then starts rocking back and forth in place. “Right…and what about the “other” thing we talked about?” Sana asks with a grin, obviously trying to insinuate something else entirely. 

Mina knowingly tilts her head and turns to face Sana, mirroring her cheeky attitude. She knew exactly where Sana was going with her question. 

“Oh…” Mina sighed. “Yeah. He's hot.”

—

The next day, you were back in your studio putting the last touches on your latest project. You had told yourself that after this job was finished, you'd be free to devote all of your time towards working on the draft proposal for Mina and her shoot. You honestly couldn't wait to get back to working on that, so you rushed to finish what you’d started. After one final look-through, you decided that you were happy with the final product and sent it off. You slumped back in your chair, yawning as you stretched out your arms. You'd just spent the entire day working, so suffice to say you were feeling exhausted. Still, you were content to know that you'd now be able to fully shift your focus over to Mina and her project now. As luck would have it, your phone chimed with a new text. You reached over to see a message from an unknown number.

MN: Hey, it's Mina. You wouldn't happen to be busy right now, would you? I had a couple more ideas I wanted to run by you.

Y/N: Hey! You caught me at a good time actually, I just finished up work for the day. What’d you wanna talk about?

MN: Actually, would you want to meet up then? I think it'd be better to talk about it in person.

You took a brief pause before responding. You were a bit taken back because the timing couldn't have worked out any better for you. After collecting yourself, you start to type again.

Y/N: Sure, just let me know where!

Mina then forwarded you an address and said you were free to come whenever. Not wanting to keep her waiting too long, you quickly gathered your things before closing up shop and hopping in your car.

—

Mina was looking at herself in the mirror, trying out various poses and angles. In truth, she had ulterior motives in inviting you over to her place that night, spurred on by a conversation she’d had with Sana earlier in the day over text before she ended up messaging you. She thought back to that as she continued adjusting her outfit.

SN: Stop thinking too hard and just call him! I promise you he’s really fun. Besides, I wouldn't share him with you if I didn't think you'd have a great time.

MN: Ugh, I know it's just…Idk, won't he be weirded out if I come on too strong? It's not like I do stuff like this as often as you do…

SN: Oh, Mina. Trust me, that’ll be the last thing he's thinking about when he sees you. I know how you are and I know he can handle you 😉

Back in the present, she struck one more pose before cringing at herself. At that moment, she decided that she’d put off her original plan and would instead wait and get to know you a little better. Just as she was about to start changing, she heard her doorbell ring. In a panic, she quickly threw a sweater over her outfit before scurrying to answer her door.

—

You were about to reach for the doorbell again when you heard the door unlock and open slightly. From behind the door, Mina’s head shyly popped out, her face a bit flushed.

“Hey! Is this a bad time…?” you ask tentatively. “No, no it's fine! Please, come in,” Mina responded. She disappeared behind the door before opening it to let you in. After entering her apartment, she closed the door behind you and leant her hand on it. You looked down at her to see she was wearing an oversized white sweater covering her whole upper body. Her legs were bare, and you couldn't quite make out whether or not she was wearing any shorts. You decided it’d be best that you try paying no mind to it. You were in her home after all. She briefly caught your eyes wandering however, and adjusted the hem of her sweater downward while you quickly averted your eyes. The both of you let out a nervous chuckle.

There was a brief awkward silence as the two of you stood there, both of you unsure of who would make the next move. Mina snapped out of it first as she shyly made her way past you and  down the hall. You gave her some space and followed behind her. 

The two of you entered her living room. You took a moment to look around and admire the scene. Mina’s place was spacious to say the least, as expected of an idol of her status. It was decorated with a quaint, minimalist aesthetic that suited her. The room was furnished simply. On one side hanging on the wall was a giant flat screen TV and beneath it was an entertainment center. Inside, you could see all the various gaming consoles she owned, and you best believe she owned them all. Across from this was a rather comfortable looking couch. Mina picked up a small cushion to hold on her lap before she took a seat on said couch. She then gestured for you to join her by patting the open spot beside her. You happily made your way over.

“This is a really nice place, Mina.” you said with a warm smile as you took a seat next to her. 

“Oh, thanks haha. It's not much but it's enough for me” she replied coyly.

“No kidding. With a TV like that, I wouldn't blame you for never wanting to go out!” 

“Ugh, finally someone gets it. If only my members felt the same way…”

You got the vibe that she may have been a little nervous being alone with you, so you tried to lighten the mood. You opened with some more small talk, asking about which types of games she liked to play in her free time. It seemed to be working as you started to notice her easing up. She was surprisingly easy to talk to once you got on a subject she was passionate about. After exchanging pleasantries a little while longer, you decided it was time to get down to business.

“So, you wanted to discuss some more shoot ideas?”

Mina paused for a moment, remembering why she really invited you over before suppressing those thoughts. “Oh yeah, right. Shoot ideas. I did have an idea for a concept and I wanted your opinion on it.”

You turned your body to face her, propping an elbow on the back of the couch. “Let's hear it!”

“Well I like all the concepts you've pitched so far but…I was thinking that I wanna do something a little more…bold?” 

You raised an eyebrow, trying to follow along. “I see. So you want to try more of a chic or fierce concept?” you prodded, testing to see if you were on the right track.

Mina quietly huffed to herself before trying to convey her thoughts again. “No, not exactly. I was thinking of trying out something more…sexy.”

You made an “Oh” face as you sat up, straightening your posture back forward. Mina in return shyly hid the lower half of her face behind her hands as she saw you finally connect the dots.

“You know what, yeah! I definitely think you can do something like that,” you say, trying your best to keep your composure. “I've done a few shoots like this before. Let me see if I have any stills saved on my phone.” You whipped out your phone and started scrolling through your gallery. You remembered back to a time last month when you were booked to shoot for a lingerie line, so you quickly scroll until you find some photos from that shoot.

Mina slowly leans closer, peering at your screen from over your shoulder. When you got to the photos in question, you turned your body to face her again and presented her your phone. She gracefully took it from you and began swiping through as you looked over her shoulder this time. The pictures were of various models in different lingerie attire, all shot in black and white. As Mina continued to swipe through, she seemed to be impressed with your work…until she got to the end of said shoot. Both of you froze as your eyes grew wide. On screen now was a photo of yourself, shirtless on that same set.

“OH! Sorry about that one,” you nervously said as you grabbed your phone from her still frozen hands. “I was just uh, testing the lighting on set and uh, yeah…”

Mina took a deep breath and cleared her throat before finally collecting herself. “No, don't be sorry, it was my fault for swiping too far. The shots are really good! That's definitely what I was envisioning so how about we try something along those lines?” She asked.

You nervously placed your phone back in your pocket, hoping to quickly move on. “Oh, ok then sure, if that's what you want…”

Mina turned to face you with a slight conviction in her eyes. “Mhm! In fact, wait here for a second, I have an idea.” With that, Mina jumped up from the couch, tossing the cushion aside as she waddled her way out of the living room towards her bedroom.

—

When she got to her room, Mina closed the door behind her before leaning back and sighing. After seeing that photo of you, she realized that you were everything Sana had described you as and then some. She had already quietly thought you were attractive, but that photo all but solidified her desire for you. At that moment, she decided to go ahead with her original plan. Mina walked over to the standing mirror in the corner of her room and took off her sweater, revealing the black lingerie outfit she had originally intended to surprise you with. She then walked into her closet, picking out a matching pair of thigh high stockings and heels to complete the look. After checking herself one last time in the mirror, she took a deep breath and left her room.

— Back in the living room, you took the little free time you had to organize your pictures in the phone's camera roll. Work can stay in work, but those self-portraits? Let's move those into a private folder. You were thinking hard about other pictures you still had that needed to stay hidden next time a client asks for examples, and a couple came to mind. Some barely safe for work behind the scenes pictures Sana let you keep, mostly because they wouldn't have had any real impact beyond some buzz for a week if they were to be leaked. You thought that it’d be a waste to delete those, so into the private folder they went.

You were just about done wrapping up the most crucial parts of your organizational efforts, when you heard a door opening and closing. You put your phone back down on the table in front of you and looked up to where the sounds were coming from. Standing in the doorframe was Mina, her arms awkwardly to her side, her hands meeting each other in front of her waist, her knees pointing slightly inwards. It was clear from her posture that she must have been feeling either shy or embarrassed. You weren't really sure why, because she looked absolutely stunning. Clad in a black lace bralette, a black pencil skirt, a black blazer and matching lace thigh highs, finished off with black pointed-toe pumps.

"How's this...?" She asked you, her voice soft and quiet, and her eyes unable to meet yours.

You were almost too stunned to speak. Was it really okay for you to see this? Your body couldn't help but react as well, but you had to stay professional. She's just asking your opinion for a shoot, stay calm. You somehow managed to form a reply: "Wow, Mina, this outfit looks amazing on you!"

Your response seemed to have eased her mind a little, as her eyes now finally managed to look into yours. "Really? Do you think I’d look better with it on or off?” Unfortunately you didn’t quite pick up the second half of her sentence due to her soft-spokenness, only picking up the initial “Really?”

You were undeniably nervous yourself, so responded to her supposed questioning for affirmation with "Yeah, absolutely! You really captured the concept!" thinking you absolutely nailed it. Mina let out a small, frustrated sigh in response, but recentered herself and followed up by taking a seat on the couch again next to you.

"How much longer do I have you for, oppa?" Mina asked you calmly, albeit with a hint of hesitation as her voice trailed off. Your heart nearly skipped a beat upon hearing her call you oppa. Surely she calls every older guy oppa, right? This is not flirting, act normal, you kept repeating to yourself.

"Oh, I don't have any other plans left today. I can stay for as long as you'll need me!" You face Mina again, a reassuring smile on your face as you flex your arm in a move attempting to signify your willingness to do whatever work you'd have to. This comforted Mina some more, as her worries that she would be inconveniencing you by asking to meet with her after just finishing a long day at work quickly washed away. She placed a hand in front of her gummy smile and let out an endearing chuckle.

"Maybe we could do some practice shots? If that's okay with you? I'd compensate you for your work, obviously." Mina requests of you, gathering her courage and laying her hand on your thigh, unmistakably communicating how she intended to compensate you. You, unfortunately, had spent too much time in Sana's presence lately, and had learned to relegate almost all casual physical touch to just that. Touching for the sake of touching, nothing more.

"Okay, sure! I didn't bring my camera with me though, so will it be okay if I use my phone?" You shoot up from the couch, already getting yourself into position to capture her beauty as she sits before you. Mina looked a little shocked from your sudden withdrawal of her touch, but relents and nods in agreement to your proposition. You quickly change some settings in your phone camera to get it ready for the shoot. "All set! Are you ready?" you ask her before readying your camera.

"So... how do you want me?" She asks you a little sultriness in her tone, staring at your camera, her cheeks displaying the slightest tint of red. You were so absorbed with your camera, you missed all these bodily queues.

"How about you face me, cross your legs and lean back a little on your arms?" You respond in an earnest answer to her question. Mina's brow furrows, wondering if she's not being straightforward enough or if you're just refusing to go along with her advances. She shakes off the thought and does as you request, her gaze instantly shifting from her usual shy demeanor to that of an industry veteran in the blink of an eye. Her eyes become sharper, her gaze fiercer, her body language more charismatic, and her presence more demanding. It's as if she’s flipped a switch and has become an entirely different person. You take a moment to focus yourself, and begin snapping some test pictures. The scene before you looked undeniably erotic, as her thighs squeezed on top of one another. She held her posture at an angle through which she was leaning with her arms slightly behind her and puffing her chest out slightly, causing her blazer to part slightly. You almost felt yourself waver but you steeled your resolve to remain as professional as possible.

"Let's take a look, shall we?" You propositioned. Mina's gaze softened. She smiled and tapped the couch next to her, indicating to you she'd like to take a look, but that you'd have to come over and show her. You managed to successfully read her body language this time and made your approach, taking a seat next to her. Mina huddled up close to you with her side leaning against your arm as you held your phone out and showed her the myriad of test shots you took of this first pose. "So, what do you think? Is this what you had in mind?" you inquired.

"Hmmmm, I think they're good, but I also think that I want to try something even more bold" she responds pensively, her hand balled into a fist on her chin. You were taken aback because in your mind, her current outfit and pose were already quite bold for your average idol. No matter what reservations you may have had, you weren’t about to deny Mina’s requests however.

"Did you have something in mind?" you inquire. You knew from experience that it was best not to suggest something in such a precarious situation, as you were still in the process of exploring your clients boundaries and did not want to ruffle any feathers. Best to let the client  communicate what they desire in such situations, assumptions can be treacherous, you thought to yourself.

"Can you maybe show me those pictures from earlier again...?" she asks, the fierceness completely eroded from her voice. You looked back at her, thinking you knew exactly what she was asking, and began to open up your “Professional Shoots” album again. She nods as you begin to scroll through, but manages to scrounge up enough courage to raise her voice a little. "No, oppa... not those ones. The picture of you that I saw." This time your cheeks turned red, but not just a little. It was safe to say that this was the last thing you had expected her to say. *That* picture was only shown to her by mistake after all. Nevertheless, you agreed to her demands. You pull up the picture of yourself sitting on a stool, one leg raised up with the other on the floor. You're wearing suit pants and nothing but a blazer adorning your torso.

"Did you bring a tablet or some other device by any chance? Maybe you could set it up on the table over there with that picture and I can look at it while trying to recreate it..." She continues asking, her shyness seemingly dissipating as she grows more comfortable in making demands.

You were a little uncomfortable with the thought of you putting those pictures on display, as a couple of rogue swipes could lead to your illicit relationship with Sana being exposed. Nevertheless, if Mina made the request, you couldn't possibly say no, and luckily for you you had remembered to pack an extra tablet. You set everything up exactly as she had asked before getting back to your position. You couldn’t help but to wonder what about these pictures seemed to serve as inspiration for Mina, but you gave in either way.

"Good to go?" you asked, checking one last time if everything was set up in the way Mina wanted it. She was sitting on the couch, her hands clutching her knees tightly, staring down at her lap. She didn't respond to your question, so you figured she was just mentally preparing herself for the test shots. You decide to address her once more. "Whenever you’re ready". You hold up your phone in position ready to take a picture whenever she strikes a pose. She lifts her face up, takes one last glance at the tablet and shifts her demeanor once more.

"I'm ready." She says, conviction and charisma oozing out of her. She lifts one leg up on the couch, and rests the other on the floor, mimicking your pose. She folds both her arms behind her back, and keeps it straight as she sits on the couch, seemingly fidgeting a bit. You assumed, with the reference picture on display, any changes she made were deliberate, and started shooting pictures. These look good…but they’re not much different from the others we took. What gives? you wonder.

Suddenly, the reason for the fidgeting of her hands behind her back becomes clear as day. Her bralette falls to the ground, which she kicks out of view with her leg that was resting on the floor. Her breasts are now more exposed with the inside of her cleavage fully on display. Her black blazer just barely covered her nipples as you started wondering if it was really okay for you to see her like this. You don't relinquish your professionalism however, and remain focused on taking the best pictures you knew you could. Your body's reaction was another thing entirely though, as you quietly attempted to shift your stance. You were sure that Mina would be able to see the outline of your growing erection through your pants now if she looked towards your bulge, so you did your best to hide it.

Mina holds her position for a little while, the entire time staring straight into the camera for the shot. In a way, it felt like she was staring straight into your soul rather than the camera, and you found yourself incapable of averting your gaze. Before changing positions, her brow furrowed and her expression briefly became quizzical. Slightly frustrated now, she sighed then adapted a seductive look once more. This time, she grabbed the inside seams of her blazer, and threw the piece off of her shoulders. All it was covering now was her back and her forearms, her petite yet elegant breasts now on full display. It took all of the willpower you had but you remained stoic. If this was the kind of shoot Mina wanted, then this was exactly what you would give to her. You kept taking pictures. Her expression was confident, charismatic, and her side profile was showcased immaculately in an elegant, almost ethereal way.

Despite her advances, Mina's failed attempts to goad you into making a move on her were causing her to become more and more frustrated. She was almost embarrassed at how easily you were able to ignore them, not knowing the toll it was taking on your mind to remain professional. You watched as she sat forward and reached out towards the tablet, swiping on it to find more sources of inspiration. You then notice her gain a shocked expression for a split second before she repositions herself. You couldn’t really see what picture she had swiped to, but hoped for the best either way. She then stands up in front of the couch and walks a little closer to the camera, bends forward, uses her arms to push her tits together to form the perfect cleavage amount for the camera, and tilts her head to the side as she shoots a sweet smile directly at the camera. You knew this pose. This was the same EXACT pose that Sana had struck for you in a photo she had sent to you a few weeks ago. You couldn’t mask your shock as you stumbled backwards a bit away from Mina. Her smile quickly transformed into a frown in response to your actions. 

"Oppa. Do you not want to fuck me?" She asked you in a serious, almost scathing tone. "I have been dropping hints for you ever since you got here, and all you've done is brush them off in favor of your job as a photographer." You were flabbergasted. Sure, she was dropping rather obvious hints but you thought you were being respectful by not reading too much into anything. What a fool! you exclaimed in your head. "Oh, ehm, I mean, I didn't mean to, I didn't know-" You stutter and mumble, absolutely clueless on how to proceed.

"Is your career more important to you than getting a chance to fuck me?" She asks you again, clearly upset with how the evening has been going. She takes a step back while still facing you, inching backwards until she feels the couch against her calves, and letting her ass plop down on the couch. She crosses her legs in a matter-of-fact way and then crosses her arms as well, shielding her breasts from view. "I know you're fucking Sana. This is your chance to fuck me. So I will ask you one last time, and clearly so that there is no confusion whatsoever. Do you or do you not want to fuck me?" she asks curtly. Her shy, innocent persona is gone. Something had awoken within her, and it was angry.

You were not only shocked by the sudden shift in her demeanor, but also by how forward she was in confronting you about your trysts with Sana. No matter the case, you decided that this would be something you would have to sort through later, as you did not want to pass up on the opportunity being presented to you now. "Yes, Mina. I absolutely want to fuck you." you responded to her, as you closed your phone and put it away.

"Good”, Mina replied through pursed her lips. “Since you don’t take to hints very well, I guess I have to spell everything out for you tonight. Now come here and take out your cock." she demanded, her eyes sneering as her right arm uncrossed from her chest and stretched out in your direction, her index finger pointing at the ground in front of her. You had disappointed her enough tonight already so there was no more room for error. You immediately did as she asked and dropped your pants and underwear to the floor, stepping out of it. "Start stroking” she commanded. Mina repositioned herself, giving you a full view of her exposed chest. Your mouth began to salivate as your mind began to run rampant at the prospect of ravaging her breasts. Her next command snapped you out of your lust-fueled daze. "Tell me what you like about my body. I want to hear what you want to do to me." "Fuck, Mina, I want to come over and hold you by your tight, sexy waist. I want to kiss your perfectly flat belly, and suck on your delicious looking tits. I want to rip that skirt off of you and bury my head in between your thighs. I want to pick you up and fuck you against the wall with your legs wrapped around me", you rambled, as you wasted no time in spitting into your palm, using your saliva as lubricant to start stroking just as she had commanded. You leaned backwards, giving Mina both a better view of your abs as well as a more vertical viewpoint of your cock. Mina’s lips curled into a seductive smile before she bit her lip. Each depraved act you described prompted Mina to nod in return, biting her lip even harder before she began to fondle her own tits. She was clearly putting on a show for you in an attempt to get you even harder than you already were. "Do you want to come over here and fuck me with that cock?" she asked as she spread her legs, granting you the sight of her black lace underwear. Once again you decided to be more proactive than you had been earlier in the night so you approached her slowly, taking off your shirt as you made your way over. Mina grew an excited smirk on her face as you walked towards her, the intense eye contact between the two of you never breaking. You were almost within range to grab her by her waist when you suddenly felt something sharp dig into your abdomen.

"Ah, ah. I asked what you wanted to do. I never gave you permission to actually come over here and fuck me, toy." Mina told you off in a demeaning tone, a cold glare freezing you in your tracks as her right heel dug into your flesh preventing you from going any further. Your expression was that of a deer in headlights, as you were under the impression that you had finally gotten the read on her. "Now get on your knees if you want to end this night inside me." She commanded once more, like a queen on a throne giving an irrefutable command.

This kind of experience was new for you, but you weren't against it. You couldn't deny her actions were turning you on, and your cock was beyond rock-hard at this point. You did as she asked of you and slowly lowered yourself to your knees. She placed the heel she had on your abs back on the ground before spreading her legs, exposing what was hiding beneath her mini-skirt once more.

"Rip my skirt off of me." Mina commanded as she leaned further back onto the couch while looking down at you. You looked back at her apprehensively, wondering what her game plan was.

"Are you sure...? These clothes look expensive." you responded, which made her sneer as her lip “tsked” towards the upper right corner of her mouth. "Do it." 

At that moment, you decided that you would not question her authority for the rest of the night. You placed your hands on her stomach, slipping your fingers under the fabric of her skirt. You gave Mina one more look as if to ask her if she was sure, but her deadpan stare back at you gave you the greenlight you needed. You took a deep breath, and exerted all the force you had in your arms in divergent directions, ripping the mini skirt cleanly in two before discarding the halves and exposing the full beauty of her hips, thighs and underwear. Mina leaned forward a bit, impressed by your display of physical prowess, and placed one hand atop her underwear, right over her pussy. You only caught a glimpse, but you were pretty sure that there was a damp spot on her underwear before she hid it from view. She didn't keep you guessing for long however, as she slid two fingers under the side of her panties and pulled it aside to expose her dripping desire for you.

"Praise my thighs, but not with words. And don't you dare touch my pussy." Mina ordered. You looked her in her eyes and nodded, acquiescing to her demands for now as you placed your lips against the inside of her right thigh just above the seam of her thigh high stocking. You planted a soft kiss before following it up by your teeth grasping at her stocking and pulling it away from her thigh, only to let it snap back in place. Mina flinched, but she didn't say anything. You wanted to press your luck by teasing her, but you had to be careful. So long as you did what she told you, you believed you could add your own little spin on things.

You moved your head slowly from one thigh to the other, leaving a trail of kisses as you went back and forth intermittently. Each time you shifted, your face inched closer and closer to her pussy. It was clean shaven, clearly communicating that she knew how she wanted this night to go since before inviting you. Her scent was different from Sana's. Though it was less sweet, it had a deeper fragrance to it, but it was equally as intoxicating. You found yourself getting lost in the smell of her pussy, and were so distracted by it that you didn't notice her stocking covered feet escaping her heels next to your knees until they were both pressed against your cock. The soft feeling of her lace covered skin was addicting as her feet wrapped themselves around your member. They then started to move up and down your shaft, eliciting a stifled moan from you directly into her thighs.

Ever since her touch reached you, you had lost your focus and were repeatedly kissing the same spot on her right thigh. Though you noticed your focus slipping, you couldn't resist her warning any longer. You moved your face closer to her pussy and decided to risk it all. Your tongue lapped at her dripping vagina, eager to get a true taste of her juice while you prepared to accept your punishment for disobeying her direct order. Contrary to your expectations, Mina placed the back of her hand against her mouth and let out a soft moan right as your tongue made contact. You took this as your queue and continued. You slowly started moving your tongue up and down covering as wide an area as possible in an attempt to find her clit as fast as possible. As you were picking up your pace, you felt Mina do the same. Her feet had started to match your rhythm, and your competitive instincts took over. When you found her clit, you began to flick it with your tongue. The frequency of her moans increased, while her upper body started to sink deeper and deeper into the back of the couch.

You placed your lips around her clit and started applying some soft suction before examining Mina's reaction. Both her legs and feet tensed up in response before they pushed hard against the base of your cock. Only when you let up on your assault of her clit did her feet relax and go back to slowly stroking you. You could feel her thighs twitching softly against the sides of your head, signaling to you just how sensitive she was to your actions. In all fairness, you weren’t in any better shape either. As her footjob continued you felt yourself getting closer and closer to cumming, but your competitive instincts (the ones finely honed by the countless instances of playing your little game with Sana) had now started firing on all cylinders. You went back to flicking her clit with your tongue, only this time with an increased pace. You did not want to cum before Mina did, so you decided to pull out every trick in the book. You began forming every letter of the alphabet with your tongue, right on her most sensitive spot.

Mina's moans kept increasing in pitch and frequency, until suddenly both of her thighs started to squeeze tightly against your head. Her hips began to buck violently. I win, you thought to yourself, a feeling of smugness overwhelming you. Mina’s chest heaved up and down as she tried to calm herself, her feet slipping off of your cock before she propped herself up on her elbows to get a good look at you. While you thought you had softened her up and convinced her with your skills, you couldn't have been more wrong. You slowly backed away and sat back on your heels, trying to read her expression. 

"I warned you not to touch my pussy." She looked down at you, her eyebrows coming together in an angry scowl. If it wasn't for the seductive smirk that crept up on her face a moment later, you would have thought you had wasted any chance of continuing this night any further. "I'm going to have to punish you for that, toy." You feel the heel of her foot on your left shoulder. Before you can protest, she shoves you back as you fall back onto your ass. You look back to her with wide eyes, shocked at her sudden forcefulness, but are met with a devilish grin from Mina. She was excited for whatever she had planned next, and tonight you just so happened to be caught in her sights. Mina quickly got up and walked over to one of the side tables by her couch. She opened its drawer and pulled out a small black object, smiling at it before turning to face you once more. Her expression then turned back to that of a calm, almost menacing look.

“You. Sit back on that chair across from the couch. I'll only say this once. You are not to touch yourself. Do you understand?” 

You look up to her like a deer caught in headlights. You were always the one who took the lead in your sex life, and had never been commanded like this before. This situation was an all new sensation for you. You were at a loss trying to make sense of how the normally calm and demure Mina could have such a fiery side to her, but a small part of you was growing excited to find out what else she had in her. The corners of your mouth curled into a slick grin as you brought a hand up to wipe the remnants of her juices from your lips. You looked Mina in her eyes and nodded slowly.

“Good boy.” Mina commended as she retook her place in the center of the couch. You got up and walked backwards until you felt the chair behind you, letting yourself fall back into it. You placed your arms on the armrests and looked back towards Mina intently, spreading your legs so that she could get a good look at your still-fully erect cock.

Everything Mina did, she did at an excruciating slow pace. No matter how simple the movement, her smoothness combined with her intense gaze to ooze raw sex appeal. First, she sank backwards into the couch, getting herself into a more comfortable position. She kept her knees close together as she brought them up, all the while maintaining her vixen stare on you. Mina then fully extended her legs upward, pointing them towards the ceiling as she hooked her fingers around the waistband of her panties. In one smooth motion she removed them, trailing the fabric up her marble-like legs before bunching it up around one of her feet. She then slowly began parting her legs into splits, her gaze never once leaving yours.

Your eyes widened and your mouth instantly watered as she exposed herself to you. Your cock was already standing at full attention from her earlier teasing. It twitched ever so slightly in excitement, a movement Mina caught onto and grinned at. You gulped as you gripped down hard onto the armrest to stop yourself from violating her only rule.

Mina then slid one of her hands down her torso, stopping between her legs and cupping her pussy. She kept her fingers close together and started rubbing her lips, cooing soft yet barely audible moans as her eyes remained glued on your throbbing member. In her other hand, she held a small black object no bigger than the size of her thumb. She brought it to her face and ran it across her lips. She then held it slightly in front of her face as she shifted her lidded gaze to meet your eyes.

In yet another agonizingly slow motion, Mina stuck her tongue out and ran it from the base of the object to its tip before giving it a soft peck. Though you were separated across the room from each other, you could almost feel whatever she was doing to the thing she was worshiping in her hands. A bead of sweat rolled down your brow as you fought against the urge to get up and pounce on her with every fiber of your being. You had a death grip on the armrest, your veins popping out of your toned forearms. Seeing how much you were struggling only motivated Mina to keep pushing the envelope. She decided to kick it up a notch. After bringing the it’s tip to her lips, she then closed her eyes and opened her mouth just enough to engulf the object.

“Mmmmmm…..” Mina moaned out, sucking down hard as she withdrew the object from her lips. You bit down on your own lip, trying hard to stifle your reaction to her obvious ploy. You didn't want to give her the satisfaction of knowing the effects she was having on you, but suffice to say your body language was betraying you.

She kept up her act, each time exaggerating her moans more and more while also squirming her body trying to get a rouse out of you. You sat up in your chair and sighed, wanting so badly to look away and distract yourself. You tilted your head downward averting her gaze, but your eyes kept stealing glances at her wanton figure. 

Mina had you in the palm of her hands and was not about to let up any time soon. Satisfied with the lubrication of the object, she pressed a small button on its underside. It sprang to life in her hand, vibrating in short pulses as Mina grinned. She knew that the next thing she had planned was sure to make you break.

She trailed the object down her torso, holding it just above her skin so that it barely grazed her with the slightest touch. When she got to her pussy, she spread her lips with her fingers from one hand while she teased herself with the vibrator in the other, before lining it up to her entrance. She hummed out her pleasure, prompting you to look once more. When she caught your eyes and saw the pain hiding behind them, she smirked to herself and decided to go for the kill. 

“Oppa~!” Mina cried out. You could only watch in anguish as she pushed the vibrator into her dripping pussy. Her legs tensed up rhythmically as each vibration sent shivers coursing throughout her body. To her, masturbating with a vibrator had always felt good, but doing so now while also putting on a show only served to further intensify her pleasure. You could feel the pressure building up to an all-time high in your cock now and subconsciously your hand was just about to try and relieve some of it; however, by the grace of some divine entity you found the strength to hold back. You sank back into your seat and groaned out in frustration.

As you shifted uncomfortably in your seat, Mina took your groans of longing as music to her ears. Though she was frustrated earlier in the night when you weren’t picking up on her hints, having your full attention now was exhilarating. She kept playing up her moans, leaving you no choice but to force yourself to look away. The melodic tones of her cries paired with the sounds the vibrator made as she methodically pistoned it in and out of her were killing you. At this moment, you wished for nothing more than to be the reason she was experiencing all of that pleasure. If she was being honest with herself, a large part of her wished for that as well. Sana had spared no details when she would talk about you to her, and she was looking forward to seeing what the hype was all about. When she finally got a chance to see what you were working with, she almost decided to throw all of her plans out the window and pounce on you but she refrained. She needed to first establish who would be in control when it was time. She needed to know if you’d be strong enough to handle her needs, or if you’d break like all the other toys she’s played with prior to this night.

Mina held out for as long as she could. She did not want to push herself over the edge, instead deciding that she wanted to let you do the honors as a fitting reward. With one last drawn out breath, she slowly pulled out the vibrator.

“Mmm…this has been fun oppa, but I’m afraid it won't do. Why don’t you come over here and help me out?” She offered. Her tone was a stark contrast of both playful and conniving. You looked over to see she had sat up from the couch with her hands at her side and her legs crossed. She was looking back at you while pouting cutely, but you knew hidden beneath that facade was a succubus eyeing her prey. What sort of game is she playing now, you thought to yourself. Wary as you were, before you even realized it you had gotten up and started making your way to her. Mina’s pout slowly transformed to a delighted grin as she repositioned herself to lay fully on the couch, tilting her head and letting her hair fall to the side as she licked her lips.

When you got to her, she motioned for you to bend down and take a knee. You were now up close to her, taking in the sight. Only a pair of lingerie stockings adorning her legs prevented her from being completely nude. Your head turned as you took in every detail of her goddess-like body. Her pussy looked even more delicious now as it glistened in the dim lighting. Mina took one of her soaked fingertips and brought it up to your face, running it across your lips once before pausing and pressing lightly against them. You took the cue and opened your mouth slightly, closing your eyes as you focused all of your senses into fully savoring her taste. Mina grinned at this before withdrawing her finger and lightly holding your chin turning it to face her.

“As a reward for not touching yourself, I’ll let you touch me. Go ahead, oppa. Make me cum.” Like a light switch being flipped, you instantly got excited once again. She let go of your face and laid back, running her hand through her hair as she awaited your next move. You placed your left hand by her head to support yourself as you leaned to the right, reaching your right hand to one of her knees. Slowly you trailed it up her thigh, lightly tracing her skin with the most gentle touch you could muster. You repeated this motion on her other leg and back again, each time getting closer and closer to her mound. When you finally did reach it, you decided to prolong it a little bit. She’s had her fun, it’s time I gave her a taste of her own medicine, you thought to yourself. You then proceeded to graze your fingertips around her pussy, never once actually penetrating her. You’d rub circles massaging her on the outside, but you didn’t want to give her that satisfaction just yet. After a couple of passes, you were stopped abruptly in your tracks by a sudden sensation. You looked down to see that Mina had snaked her hand up your leg without you noticing, and now was gripping your shaft, albeit with a little too much force for comfort. You froze and winced a bit as you looked down. 

“Oppa.” Mina said. You slowly looked to your left to find that she was staring back at you with an almost blank expression. A bead of sweat rolled down your temple as her grip tightened. “I don’t like being teased.” In that moment, you came to the conclusion that the girl lying before you was not one to be trifled with. For someone known for being so quiet, reserved, almost timid even, seeing this side of Mina was throwing your whole perception of her out of order. You thought you had her all figured out, and that you’d know how to please her even better than she knew herself; however, you’d now come to learn that she was actually quite the confident woman who knew exactly what she wanted. That confidence caused you to become even more attracted to her than you already were. Alright, Mina. Enough games, you thought to yourself. Without saying a word, you simply nodded slyly before turning your attention back towards your hand. You ran your fingertips along her slit one more time to lubricate them before deftly positioning your middle finger at her entrance. In one quick motion, you pushed inside while curling your finger back upwards. Mina gasped at the sudden penetration, but her surprise was quickly washed away as she adjusted, closing her eyes and sighing with a big smile. You felt her let go of your cock and place her hand on your forearm by her head which saddened you a little, but you kept your focus on the task at hand.

You slowly started to pump your finger in and out of her, moving it around to truly feel her walls. You took your thumb and started massaging her on the outside. Mina’s breaths began to pick up, signaling to you that she was getting into it. Her body did its part to lube your finger up nicely as your job became easier and easier. When you opted to have your ring finger join in on the fun, she let out a sharp hiss of approval. “Just like that, oppa, yes, right there~” she cooed. While the hand she had on your forearm gripped it tightly, her other hand made its way to her head as she writhed in pleasure. She kept her eyes shut and eyebrows furled as her lips parted letting out sharp tsks. She arched her lower back, bucking her hips up to meet your hands while you started finger-fucking her in earnest. Her petite chest jiggled ever so slightly. They looked far too tempting to be left unattended, so you leaned down and kissed around one of her nipples before locking your lips around it and sucking hard. She was loving all of the attention, and finally moaned out loud right by your ear. You could tell she was getting close when her chest started moving erratically. You leaned back, wanting to get a good look at the girl below you getting absolutely lost in lust. 

“Cum for me, Mina!” you roared with your hand moving at a furious pace. 

She couldn’t hold on any longer. “AHHH~~~!” she shrieked out. She was like a woman possessed the way she let go of herself. Her left hand gripped the back of the couch while her other hand’s nails began to dig into your skin. Her entire body seized up as her orgasm took control over her. Wave after wave of pleasure coursed through her body as her eyes rolled back. Her chest heaved frantically as she tried to hold on to her sanity. Juices freely squirted from her pussy, utterly soaking the spot on the couch she lay on. You did your part by slowing your pace to help her ride it out. Once she had calmed down, you retracted your fingers from inside of her, gently massaging her ravaged pussy before leaning back to catch your own breath.

The two of you stayed as you were in silence for a bit collecting yourselves. When she finally turned her head to look at you on the floor, she shyly flashed you a smile before covering it with her hands. You chuckled at her cuteness. She slowly sat upright and reached out a hand towards you to help you stand before her. She brought up her other hand so that now she was holding both of yours. 

“Thank you for that. It’s been…a while since I’ve had someone do that for me.” Mina said quietly.

“Hah, please. The pleasure’s all mine. That reward was more than worth it.” you replied with a deep satisfied sigh. Mina tilted her head to the side and gave you a quizzical look when she heard this.

“...You think that was your reward? Oh, Y/N. We're just getting started.” It was your turn to look at her confused. In an instant, you saw a fire light in Mina’s eyes as her lips curled into another mischievous grin. Before you could say anything, she pushed you back down to take her seat on the couch and quickly straddled you. She pinned your shoulders to the back of the couch with her hands while she adjusted her lower half. Your hands found themselves on each of her thighs, holding on tight as she got herself more comfortable. Mina brought her face close to yours, so close that you thought she was going in for a kiss. Her scent was so intoxicating that you couldn’t help but lose yourself in her all over again. You closed your eyes and pucker your lips waiting for her to make the next move, but what she did next was not what you were expecting at all.

From the corner of her eyes, Mina saw you readying yourself for what you thought would be a wonderful kiss, but she had other plans in mind. She brought her lips close to yours, but at the last second she swerved her head to the side and dove towards your ear, causing you to kiss her cheek instead. Your eyes opened in confusion. Suddenly, you felt one of her hands grab a fistful of your hair. She yanked it back hard to the opposite side, making you wince in pain. She leaned back in your lap  to get a better look at you. When you got a chance to reciprocate, you found yourself trapped in her grasp as she gazed back down, licking her lips like a hungry predator ready to devour her prey. 

Devour you she did. She quickly dove her head back down beside yours, kissing it wildly as she trailed hickies up the side of your neck. When she got to your ear, she nibbled it softly while giggling, sending goosebumps down your spine. All you could do was sit there holding on to her waist and thighs as she completely had her way with you. While her left hand held your head firmly in place, her other hand freely explored the rest of your body giving soft squeezes everywhere each time she moaned into your neck.

Her upper half wasn’t the only part of her body putting in work either. She had adjusted herself in a way that the folds of her labia were hugging the underside of your shaft. As she worked your neck with her mouth, she slowly grinded her hips into yours, running her folds along your shaft. She was still very much wet from your pleasuring prior, so it was easy for her to glide along your length. Mina would grind her pussy up your cock slowly, stopping just before her entrance would reach your tip before crashing back down. It was almost too much sensory overload for you no matter where you looked and felt, but you weren’t about to tell her to stop.

Mina continued worshiping your body until she felt like she needed you to do it again to her. She pulled back from your neck until she was sitting deep in your lap. She yanked your head back again, this time facing the ceiling. With her free hand, she grasped onto both sides of your cheeks prompting you to open your mouth. She then leaned forward and positioned herself above you, gathering some spit in her mouth before letting it dribble out right into yours. 

“God, Mina…” you groaned as you swallowed it down. You couldn’t get enough, and she was more than happy to deliver.

She did this a couple of times, smiling wickedly as she watched your throat bulge out with every gulp you made. Satisfied, she used the hand holding your head and pulled you in close to her chest, wanting you to ravage her chest much in the same way she had your neck. You wasted no time and began suckling her breasts, nibbling on her nip before moving quickly over to the other making sure they each got the same love and affection. Mina threw her head back as you did this, all the while never stopping the grinding of her hips.

As Mina reveled in your assault of her chest, your urges for more started stirring up again. Slowly, you wrapped one hand around her lower back while your other crept its way up the side of her body. When she threw her head back again, you took your chance and acted quickly. The hand moving up her body moved to grab her by the neck, squeezing down not enough to suffocate her, but enough to cause her to freeze in place. Mina’s eyes shot open as she looked back down at you, only this time it was clear who was in the driver’s seat. She placed her hands on your chest to support herself while you pulled her in close with your hands. 

“I think I’ve indulged you quite enough for tonight, Mina…” you sneered. Mina looked on helplessly, frightened as she thought to herself whether or not she had pushed you too far. You brought her to mere inches from your face and smiled back at her evilly, now finally in a position to assert some level of control. You could tell she was starting to get actually frightened, so you chose your next actions carefully. 

“You said you don’t like to be teased? I don’t either.” you say solemnly with a smirk. Before Mina has a chance to protest, she sees you wink an eye at her. She breathes out a sigh of relief before returning your knowing grin. That was all she needed to see to know your true intentions. You loosen your grip on her neck and trail your hand back down her side. Meanwhile, Mina adjusts herself up to give you space to reach under her while also placing her hands on your shoulders. You both look down as you grip the base of your shaft holding it steady while Mina moves to line you up with her entrance. The two of you join foreheads and with everything in position, she breathes out and nods before lowering herself onto you.

The moment you entered her, you were enveloped in such warmth and tightness that you threatened to bust right on the spot. You could feel her releasing short puffs of air as she took you in inch after inch, both of you moaning in unison. When you had fully slotted in, you held each other close for a moment to let each other grow accustomed to the new feeling of being one. Mina was still sensitive from earlier and you had yet to find a release of your own, so even the slightest movement from either of you was magnified to new heights. After you felt comfortable enough to keep going, you lifted your head and brought a hand to Mina’s face to clear the hair behind her ear. Her head was still down and her eyes shut tight.

“You ok?” you asked tentatively. Mina took a deep breath before she finally lifted her head. She replied with a satisfied smirk, wiping away any doubt or worry you may have had.

“Mhm, why? Is that all you’ve got?”

You couldn’t help but grin back, admiring her confidence once again. “No shot. We’re just getting started, right?”

Then it was off to the races. Mina initiated the pace as she started bouncing in your lap, but it didn’t take long for you to meet her. She whipped her head back and moaned loudly, not giving a damn about her neighbors hearing her. “Ahhh fuck! Yes!” she exclaimed. With one hand you gripped her waist to support her ass while the other found its home on one of her boobs. Mina kept both of her hands on your shoulders as she continued to grind wildly into you. Every once in a while when she’d come down, she would squeeze her thighs and core on the rebound back up, ensuring you felt the maximum amount of tightness her body could give you. 

As the two of you continued to go at each other, Mina’s skin began to glisten from the work she was putting in. You didn’t want to miss your opportunity so you decided to mirror what she had done to you earlier. You caught her off guard by grabbing some of her hair and yanked her head back to expose her neck. It hurt her a bit, but the immense amount of pleasure she was feeling far outweighed the pain. You then leaned forward with your tongue out and gave her a long lick from her chest to her jawline. Mina cooed out her enjoyment before she came back to her senses. Feeling that her control of the situation was beginning to slip away, she decided to remind you of your place in the only way she saw fit. When you pulled back, she surprised you with a sharp slap across your cheek. The suddenness of it all shocked you, but she then immediately caressed your face before bringing you closer and surprising you yet again, only this time with a kiss.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment as the two of you sank into that kiss. Your hands trailed up her back softly, wanting to pull her in as close as possible. She kept both of hers close together cradling your face. As good as the rest of her body tasted tonight, nothing compared to the taste of her lips. They were sweet, tender, and moved with such a burning passion that you couldn’t quite describe. You pushed your face into hers not wanting it to end, but deep down you knew that this would be the first of many, many to come. Mina broke away first, pulling back while still holding your face as she longingly looked in your eyes straight into your soul. You just gazed back, lost in the moment. 

Mina smiled before she placed her hands back on your shoulders. She lifted herself up and resumed fucking you, but this time it was different. She purposefully moved much slower this time around. Much more deliberately. Instead of riding you wildly and treating you like her plaything, she was making it a point to really grind into you. With every bounce she rolled her body up while gyrating her hips to give you the most pleasurable experience imaginable. For the first time tonight, she was not out to seek her own pleasure. She was seeking yours.

Your hands were laid on her ass as she settled into a nice, slow pace. The change-up in her tactics would soon prove to be your downfall as you felt your climax quickly approaching. 

“Ughh…M-Mina…I-I’m close…” you panted as you clutched onto her.

“Ok…let me know, oppa. Don’t finish inside me” she whispered back.

You nodded as you shut your eyes, trying desperately to hold out for as long as possible. Mina turned up the intensity of her grinding, digging into you even deeper than she had before. She once again cradled your face wanting you to look at her. When your eyelids finally opened, you were met with one of the most beautiful sights you’d ever laid your eyes on. Mina's eyes were lidded, and the corners of her lips had curled into the slightest of smiles. In that moment, you felt the last of your strength being sapped away, but you no longer cared.

“Mina…” you moaned out. 

Mina knew what was coming and was fast to act. She quickly hopped up from your lap and got to her knees between your legs. Before you realized what was happening, she had your shaft in both of her hands and was stroking vigorously. When she sensed you were about to pop, she instantly wrapped her lips around your cock and started swirling her tongue around your tip as she continued stroking with her hands. If all that wasn’t enough to send you over the edge, the eye contact she made with you next did the trick. With a gasp, you began unloaded burst after burst of cum straight into her mouth. All of the pent up energy from her earlier teasing only served to make this climax all the more intense. Your hand subconsciously moved to the back of her head to hold her in place, not that she would have tried to leave anyway. Even though she thought she was ready for it, the first shot caught her off guard and she hummed out in surprise, but she quickly swallowed what she could to make room in her mouth for more. Eventually your orgasm subsided as you lost all feeling in your lower body. Mina did her due diligence and sucked hard to get as much of her hard earned cum as she could before releasing you from her mouth with a pop. She then closed her eyes and dropped her head to your thigh, sighing as she still held on to your cock.

You leaned your head back in exhaustion staring up at the ceiling, haven given everything you had inside of you. You took a couple of deep breaths while feeling Mina's head rest on your thigh and her hand still gripping onto your cock as if to stabilize herself. Mina looked as exhausted as you were, but she met your gaze with a warm smile. She then started moving again and pushed herself up on your thigh, bringing her face moving closer to yours. Her face stopped right in front of you, just close enough that you could feel her warm breaths exhaling onto your skin. You were gazing into each other's eyes, and you couldn't help but expect another decisive kiss from her. But it never came. She kept her distance as if couldn't seem to move any closer to you, regardless of how much she tried. After a couple of seconds of looking at you, Mina averted her gaze from you again and her cheeks, flushed as they already were from exhaustion, seemed to have grown an even rosier shade of  red. It seemed to you as though her proactive demeanor had faded, so you decided to give her what you thought she wanted.

You moved your face closer to hers and planted your lips onto hers. She pulled back at first from shock, but quickly sank deeply into the kiss, her entire body relaxing in the process. You both parted your lips to make way for your tongues to meet each one another. You took the initiative to explore her mouth, sensually prodding and gliding over her tongue.A slightly sour, yet salty taste permeated her tongue which you presumed to be yours. You didn't mind however, as the orgasm she gave you to produce that flavor made anything worth it. She pulled back from the kiss first, her tongue lingering slightly outside her mouth and a trail of spit connecting her tongue to your lips as she backed away.

"That was amazing, oppa... I hope you liked it too." Mina quietly spoke, her confidence clearly wavering, almost a guilty look on her face.

"I loved it. We should do this again sometime." you replied, comforting the shy girl. Her face lit up with the hope that she had finally found someone willing enough to submit to her, but strong enough to put up a fight, something she had always desired.

Mina's tight grip on your cock had softened, turning into a sensual light touch. Her wrist started moving up and down, and her hand followed the motion limply.

"It's still hard...Usually they've flatlined by now?" Mina muttered underneath her breath, her eyes fixated on your cock which was still standing resiliently. She couldn't seem to take her eyes off of you, and was unable to resist letting her hand give you an incredibly slow and weak-gripped handjob.

"Yeah, I guess this is as good a time as any to let you know that I basically have no refractory period. I'm not sure why, but... yeah." you explained to her, the occasional moan slipping out through your answer.

"So you could cum again right now if you wanted to?" Mina asks, as you perceive a spark light up in her eyes. Her hand picked up its pace ever so slightly.

"Yeah, I suppose I could," you answered with a hint of pride in your undertone, almost goading Mina into finishing what she was starting.

"Should I go slow or fast?" She asked, her gaze finally shifting away from your cock and towards your face. It seemed like she was genuinely curious as to what method would send you over the edge the fastest.

"Hmmmm...Kind of fast, but with a loose grip? And lots of spit. Use your other hand to put pressure on the base of my cock with a tight grip too, maybe?" you earnestly directed. She looked at you with her right eyebrow slightly raised, giving you a look as if to teasingly let you know she thought you had a lot of demands. Nevertheless, she complied, hanging her head above your cock's tip while using her free left hand to hold her hair back behind her ear. She  opened her mouth and slowly let a dribble of spit coat your member. Afterwards, she used her left hand to grip the base of your cock firmly and applied some downward pressure, just as she was told. The grip of her right hand didn't change but her tempo certainly did. With a rapid pace, she jerked you off with pure intent.

After about a minute of this, Mina tilted her head up to face you. "Can we kiss?" Mina asked, her eyes unable to meet yours and staring downwards shyly. You nodded your head yes as you let out a soft approving hum in between your moans. You leaned forward a little and Mina met you halfway, your lips and tongues meeting each other once more.

You almost got lost in the feeling of her soft hands engaged with your dick and her even softer lips wrestling against yours for control, that is until a wave of electricity surged through your body yet again. You wanted to pause so you could tell Mina that you were close to cumming, but she had no intention of stopping. All that came out of your mouth were muffled moans directly into hers. You started cumming again, half of your load landing on your own exposed chest, the other dripping down both of Mina's hands. The feeling of the warm liquid running down her fingers finally got Mina to stop, and she let go of the kiss.

"Could you hold my hair up in a ponytail for me?" Mina asked, pleading with her eyebrows scrunching upwards. How could you ever deny her request? You did as she asked, holding her hair together in a bundle behind her head. "Thank you." she whispered before shooting a half smile at you. She then brought her hands up to her face, licking all of the cum off of her hands whilst never once breaking eye contact with you. Next, her head moved down toward your chest as she stuck her tongue out. She slid the tip of her tongue across the crevices of your abs, slowly licking up every last drop of cum your second load had to offer. Once she was satisfied, she sat back and wiped her lips with the back of one of her hands and let out a satisfied hum.

"Huh, so it really is true. Sana mentioned you had stamina, but this is absurd." Mina commented, clearly impressed.

"Yeah, about that. What exactly did Sana tell you about?" you responded curtly, finally addressing the annoyance you felt with your casual relationship being outed.

"That you were really good at fucking, and really good at fucking for a long time..." Mina timidly replied, clearly having picked up on your frustration.

"So just so we’re clear, you know that it's just a casual thing, right?" You asked.

"Well, yeah... That's what she told me you were into anyway, and also why she kept reiterating that she thought I'd like spending some ‘quality’ time with you. I did by the way, in case you were wondering",  Mina continued to explain apologetically. 

"So you knew about all of that and still set this thing up tonight? Do I take it that you also want something casual with me…?" you asked, the annoyance in your voice now replaced by that of intrigue.

"Pretty much? It's like you said. We should do this again sometime!" She responded with a hint of glee in her tone, a gummy smile starting to form as the tone of the conversation shifted.

"Hmmm, well, as long as you're okay with it. Besides, the sex was fucking amazing." You relented.

"As long as you still put up somewhat of a fight when I tell you what to do, oppa! It’s no fun when they just mindlessly follow my orders" She responded cheerfully, throwing a cute wink your way before letting out a giggle with both her eyes closed in crescent moons. —

The sexual tension between the two of you settled down as the two of you grew more relaxed with the reality of the situation. You ended up talking a little more about the shoot that was actually still set to happen after she explained that it was not just some ruse to get the both of you out of your clothes.The end concept would feature a little less nudity however, but you completely understood why. As the night ran late, you packed your stuff and prepared to go home. You had said your goodbyes to each other already and were heading for her door, but you were suddenly stopped by Mina chasing after you. She grabbed a hold of your arm.

"Before you leave! Would it be okay to send me some of those pictures you took?" Mina asked, grasping for breath, somehow still showing hints of timidness despite your time spent together that night.

"Oh, the test shots? If you want, I can edit them tomorrow and send them to you after?" you replied with an assuring smile, trying to ease her worries.

"No, not those. The photos of you..." she replied, her cheeks going beet red once more as she sought something else in the room to look at. You couldn't deny you were also feeling a little flushed, but you were flattered nonetheless.

"Oh. Oh!" you responded before scratching the back of your head. "Right! Sure, let me do that real quick." You chuckled nervously as you quickly grabbed your phone, debated which pictures you felt were your best shots, then sent them over to your new lover.

"Thanks, oppa. Have a good night and get home safe!" she answered back, still too shy to face you head on, but mustering enough courage to add some volume to her farewell. "Yeah, have a great night too, Mina!" you responded with a big smile on your face. You then turned away and finally took your leave for the night.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: First of all, thank you to everyone for all of the overwhelming support of our first chapter! When we first started writing, we quite literally could have never imagined the buzz it would have created if we ever decided to post it for others to read, so once again, THANK YOU! We told you before that the last chapter was only the start, and we can’t wait to let you all fall a little deeper into our world!

[storiesfromafan]

Rumours - Buck x Reader

A/N: okay, this is my first attempt at good old Gale 'Buck' Cleven, so please be nice 😅 And I am sorry in advance if its not that good haha.

Warnings: angst, possible grammer and spelling mistakes

Prompt: “You think I wanted this to happen? You think I, of all people, wanted to fall in love with you”

Tag list: @strayrockette

When you signed up to be a nurse during the war, you had been scared of what you would see. And see you did. Many times you questioned why you did it. But meeting both Buck and Bucky, you understood why. They were funny and sweet guys. Buck the more level headed one, while Bucky was a wild card. You never know what he would do. You did what you did for them, and men like them. They needed someone that was like home while doing what they did and through this war.

They took you into their circle. Making it hard to say no to their company, which you were grateful for after a long day after being on stand by, as those injured came in for treatment. The hurt and broken men you saw, it was heartbreaking and soul crushing. Yet you did your job. Helping Doctors and tending to those in recovery.

Over time you found yourself having a silly crush on Major Cleven. And when it turned to something more – love – you thought yourself foolish. He had a sweetheart back home, waiting for him patiently. So you put those feelings away, in a box which you locked and hid the key.

Unfortunately, a few of the other nurses, ones who you think fancied Bucky more than Buck, had it out for you. For rumours started to make the rounds about you and your affections. The way eyes would watch you as you entered a room. Silence falling between those that had clearly been conversing before your arrival. And then when you heard what they were saying, it hurt. It hurt because these people, whom you thought highly of, had tarnished your reputation.

“She's trying to steal another woman’s man, how shameless".

“I heard she's thrown herself at Major Cleven and Major Egan. It's why she's always with them".

“I always thought she had no morals. She’s always too friendly with the Doctors".

That was just some of the stuff you'd heard. So you took to distancing yourself from everyone. Only being present during your shifts, meetings or at meals. Otherwise you were in your quarters, walking around the base or going into town. It was lonely being separate from everyone. But you didn’t want to stir any new gossip.

Currently you were taking a walk around the base, enjoying the nice weather. You had been over worked the last few days, having a moment like this was just what you needed. In the distance you could hear the air crafts being worked on. But other then that, it was quiet. A contrast to back home and where you lived.

If only your peace was to last. Coming up behind you, as you were looking off into the vast open area and the blue sky, was Buck. He looked worried as he studied you. It felt like forever since he had spoken to you. He was concerned about you and how you were taking the rumours going around base. Ones which he and Bucky had been working to clear up.

You heard the rustle of grass from moving feet. But you remained where you were, waiting to know who it was. You had a fifty-fifty chance on knowing who it was, though you hoped it was Bucky.

“Hey" came Buck's soft voice. And squashing your hopes on Major Egan.

“Hi" you replied, still not turning around.

There was a moment of silence between you both. You hoping he wasn’t here to talk about what people were saying. While Buck was trying to think of how to say what he was thinking. He wanted you to know he didn't believe what was being said, that he knew you were a nice and good woman who didn't deserve this slander.

“Look, about what I've heard” Buck began, making you stiffen. “I don't believe what anyone has been saying, you know that right? You're not that kind of woman".

You nodded your head slowly. “W-what have you heard?” You asked, not entirely wanting to hear his answer.

Placing his hands on his hips, Buck looked down, unsure if he should answer your question. “Let's just say what I heard, I didn't like. And both myself and Bucky have been doing our best to shut it all down".

That was when you turned around, a sad but thankful smile on your face. Seeing your face and how worn out you look, it pulled at Buck's heartstrings. He could see you were tired, but that was due to the busy last few days. But also he could see the toll how this whole rumour thing was taking on you. When you distanced yourself, it broke his and Bucky's hearts.

They had come to enjoy your company, and your spirit. The three of you always finding something to talk about or laugh at, though it was usually at Bucky's antics. He never understood how women could be so catty. But in some cases, men are just as bad.

“Everything will be alright" Buck said, looking you in the eye. “Give it a few days and it should start to go back to how it was...”

You frowned. “I'm afraid the damage is done Buck. Even if people aren't saying it, they'll be thinking it. I'll be surprised if I don't get pulled in for a meeting over it...”

“Bucky and I will stand up for you".

“That might not be a good idea. It may only make it worse" your voice weary, eyes falling to the ground.

“But none of its true, right?” He questioned, hoping he sounded worried and not accusing.

You should have said no right away, though it might have given him the wrong idea. But the prolonged silence didn't help either. You avoided his eyes as Buck tried to meet them. You turned away from him and wrapped your arms around yourself.

“(Y/N), none of its true...?” Buck repeated himself, now with worry.

You sighed. “No...except for one thing...”

Buck moved closer to you. “What is true? You have to tell me so I, Bucky and I can help".

Thinking he was going to place a hand on your shoulder, you flinched, taking a few steps back. “I-it's embarrassing...and childish...”

Buck remained silent, urging you with his eyes to go on.

You sighed. “I-it's my feelings...for you" you ended on a whisper.

But Buck still heard it. He had heard how some women had gossiped about you being in love with him. And he had found it ridiculous. You were friends, that was it. So he had thought. But now, from your admission, those women had been right. Which didn't help the unease he was feeling over it all. He felt angry that they had spread your true feelings. Feelings you had kept to yourself, never acting on. Unlike some women he had seen. They were more shameless then you.

“I see...” he stated, voice calm and gentle.

“Yes...now you know how silly I am" you started, feeling tears rise in your eyes. “How silly I am to be in love with you. When I know I shouldn't".

“It's alright" Buck said reassuringly. “It happens...”

Those words hurt, like a slap to the face. Like he was trying to play it off, or sweep it under a rug. Like it didn't matter. Well it didn't, but some kind of assurance would have been nice. But in stead, Buck was keeping you at arms length over it. And it sparked different emotions in you; anger, frustration, hurt and sadness.

“You think I wanted this to happen? You think I, of all people, wanted to fall in love with you” you said with a strained voice. Tears in your eyes, which you were managing to hold back for now.

The look on Buck's face was like pity, how his eyes looked guilty and in despair. “(Y/N)...” his voice soft and weary.

“No Buck, don't" you held up a hand. “I don’t, can't hear it". A tear escaped and ran down your cheek. “I don't want to hear your kind words, as you let me down...I know you have Marge. And I shouldn't have let myself get carried away with being around you and Bucky. But you were both nice to me, the company that I needed. Yet I let my feelings get away from me...”

You dropped your hand, your shoulders slouching slightly as you looked down. Unable to face the gorgeous Major who'd stolen your heart. From the dashing smile, to his warm heart dancing with Meatball, and everything in between. Major Gale Cleven was the man of your dreams, but he belonged to another. A woman that Buck spoke fondly of on the nights when you had to bunker down as bombs went off near by. A woman that made you feel less than in just about every way, except being a nurse during the war.

“Marge is a lucky woman...” you stated with a small laugh. “You're lucky to have a woman like her waiting for you back home...no doubt you'll both be happy" you voice dropping at the end.

It was silent after that. You having said your piece, something that shouldn’t have been aired out, if it wasn’t for the other nurses. Buck was quiet because he was processing your words. Which struck a cord in him. And dare he say that he felt for you. Over this time together, bonded in the worst way, he had grown closer to you. He sort out your company and spirit, especially after returning from a mission that was tough. He revelled in your sunshine. Seeing you like this hurt his heart.

Neither knew what to say after all that. Buck had opened his mouth and closed it a few times. Hoping when he would go to speak the words would come to him, but there was nothing. He should have agreed with you, and said he appreciated your affections. But he couldn't. Because a small part of him liked this, and wanted it from you. And even a part of him at one point had entertained the idea of you.

But he let it be just that, a thought. He had a girl back home waiting, a sweet thing who wrote him letters and cared. Could he really lose that? Or juggle both? No, he wasn't that kind of guy. Yet Buck had feelings for you, that weren't entirely friendly.

“F-forget this ever happened Buck...” you said softly, so softly that Buck wondered if you spoke at all.

And with that, you took your leave. Heading back to your room. Back to solitude and your thoughts. It wasn't great, but its all you had till either people stopped being asses. Or the war was over. Which ever happened first.

[lovemyromance]

your posts are literally the elriel bible, I don't think i've disagreed with a single one.

In general, elriels agree on a lot of things which is why it's so odd to find EL/GAs fighting with themselves over "elriels say elains gonna be a warrior" and "elriels say elain's gonna save illyria" because I have never EVER seen a single elriel say such a thing. I saw a long post from some elucien about how elriels self-insert and then they listed a long list of things about what canon elain is - except i don't think elriels would even disagree with what they were saying?

It got kind of muddy when they started trying to claim that "canonically azriel only lusts after elain" but whatever - you get the point. Why are they putting words in our mouths?

Thank you :) I know I always excessively post about elriel (because I'm pretty sure I have the attention span of a squirrel), but some days these petty arguments really make my eye twitch.

Idk why antis seem to think Elriels want Elain to be some warrior, savior of Illyria, High Queen type character. I thought we've all been pretty vocal in wanting to keep her femininity and her kindness and finding strength in her compassion.

If it's because the fanarts....well I think we've all established that nobody is really claiming fanarts to be canon. I think that goes without saying when we have fanart of an Elriel family with Illyrian offspring - or when Eluciens have fanart of Elain looking happy around Lucien lmao. Both are not canon. Who cares - it's fanart? It's not like we really going to pretend that all their fanart is canon either?

Because canonically - Elain can't stand Lucien. Canonically, Azriel has literally never touched Gwyn.

There are basic traits to these characters that nobody can deny. But the antis always have a way of adding additional, personal bias into things. They say Elain's not a warrior - cool, that's true, that's canon – but then they take it a step too far and try to claim its canon that she abhors all violence and she would never touch a dagger and she would hate Azriel because he's a warrior.

Canonically, Elain killed the fucking King of Hybern. She might not crave violence (oh- also what an odd thing to claim - that ANY character loves violence, btw), but she has already proven to be violent when needed.

Canonically, Elain does use a dagger. Not just any dagger - Truthteller.

Nobody's saying she out here training as a Valkyrie at the HOW - but she's not just sitting here in frolicking in a meadow while the rest of her friends and family go to war. She was literally taken AWAY from the main battle in ACOWAR and she still showed back up to pull the most badass move in the books, saving everyone.

Idk what about that is so hard to understand. No Elriel has said she's gonna save Illyria (lol), no one has claimed she's going to be Enalius the Second, nobody is out here waiting for her to take part in the BR and also become a Carthyian.

Elriels like Elain as she is. And even though she's not a warrior, even though she doesn't enjoy violence, even though she isn't a Cartyhian – Azriel still adores her. Azriel still wants her enough to question his religion. That's literally in the books. I can give you the exact page number and quote. I don't need to do any "extra analysis"

You want to talk about canon? Let's talk about how Elain is so perfect that she has even the most brooding warrior falling for her. Let's talk about how Azriel was willing to fight in a blood duel for her. Let's talk about how she was so ready to have a tryst with the Spymaster under everyone's watchful eyes.

We don't need to change anything about Elain, certainly not to have her end up with Azriel. Elriel having feelings for each other is already canon. Elriels did not have to change a single thing about them for them to find each other. That was SJM, so take it up with her.

I mean - she kind of ate when she summed up their relationship in ACOWAR with that scene in the garden...they might not make sense on paper but there's something poetic about them

[neonhellscape]

okay its no secret i dont buy into marazhai being the persona he puts on. so as i've officially met him in game now, im making a list of all the in-game reasons i think he's a bit of an idiot [which i love btw. i find him far more compelling if he's a bit stupid/weird and he's trying so hard not to be but you just know nobody in commorragh is inviting him to parties]

the very first time you get a glance of him on a rooftop and. 'deal with this' "of course" proceeds to just walk off like 3 seconds after the other two

ambushes you. has you cornered. is in optimal position to kick your ass frankly, high ground and better weapons and utilising shock against you. ...he bitches at you for a while, gets insulted, then runs off into the forest with a maniacal cackle

heinrix fired a mild insult [considering what he's like to everyone else its barely an insult] and he took big enough issue with it to start saying how he'll break him and turn him into a pet. oh sure dude you're responding super well to this mild comment from the guy who accidentally insults everyone and their entire ancestral line at some point

i think it says something that he's learned to speak your language fluently too. that Has to be some kind of Yikes moment to admit publicly in drukhari culture. buried family secret great great grandfather drukhari-georg learned to speak mon keigh and now we claim he just spoke oddly because was shot in the head as a child to prevent the shame

he also knows the mon keigh lore that says youre a super special little guy as rogue trader and actually LISTENS to the fact you're the special little guy as rogue trader. and he does treat you as more equal/with more respect than the other characters. thats not just a drukhari culture yikes thats what gets you checked for a concussion or brain damage

literally socially atrocious enough its believed he's working with you [read: with you. not using you, not manipulating, cooperating. this is a big difference i feel] and only he himself doesnt believe it

ignore the fact he eventually DOES work with you which. is its own follow up statement

challenges you to fight him, to give chase then and there. i made him wait while i went through english government simulator where i queued for multiple days, did multiple day/week voidship trips back and forth, got distracted by accidentally starting jae's romance, pasqal telling me to servitorise her, getting blackout drunk with her, shipwide broadcast tm, giving her a voidship, her getting me a space cat, attacked by pirates, dealt with a plague, explored a few extra systems.......................

he destroys your palace. ...its rebuilt effectively within a week. most of the damage is in bodies which are just sent to the poor district to rot [almost feels worse than the damage done good job imperium]

the throne has claw marks. he could've blown it up or shot it or piled corpses on it but no he wanted to sit on the fancy chair and so turned into a common housecat mauling the sofa arm

how long was he just sitting there lounging on that chair? again see how long i kept him waiting. he was just sitting there trying to find a comfy position on this [for him] kinda small chair JUST so he could briefly taunt, break your window with his space motorbike, jump off the chair in a dramatic [but not gunna lie not that impressive] feat of gymnastics, then fly out. he doesnt even shoot at you as he leaves

i will continue my list as i see more that entertain me

[genericpuff]

Was your Kore/Persephone portrayal inspired by dissociative disorders? I interpreted it more as her dark internal monologue that she was suppressing. Like when you have dark thoughts of know things inherently, but try to rationalize your way out of thinking them. I figured it was just a more dramatic way of portraying intrusive thoughts.

Ahh this isn't really a question I can answer with a simple "yes" or "no". Especially when considering everything you just listed are often inherently symptoms of many interlinked mental disorders like DID and BPD haha (especially when it comes to the suppressing).

As I mentioned in my previous post I've been writing these types of characters for years. Uzuki is a big one that comes to mind. I love writing conflicts of the self, mind vs. reality, identity vs. instinct, past vs. present, etc.

CW: BLOOD/GORE, GRAPHIC VIOLENCE, DEPICTION OF TRAUMATIC BREAKDOWNS AND DISSOCIATION AHEAD!!!

(note the black and grey pages are read right to left like a manga, this was from my weeb days LOL)

It wasn't until years later after I was diagnosed with ADHD and autism that I realized my love for those tropes was rooted in something far more internal. Sure, sometimes a trope is just a trope, but now I fully understand why I've found myself pulled back to that trope time and time again, because I myself have struggled with a lot of the same internal conflicts that characters like Uzuki and Kore have struggled with. It wasn't just me loving a trope, it was me finding solidarity and representation in characters who shared my experiences, even if they were largely hypothetical or for the sake of creative expression.

That realization came long before Rekindled, of course, but it hit me like a sack of bricks when it did, as any realization of an undiagnosed disorder tends to do after years of thinking you're just "broken". That said, it's allowed me to explore these topics with even more nuance and understanding, while also pointing out my own weaknesses and blind spots in the pre-conceived notions I had about myself that I was then able to challenge once I knew what was really going on. It was still challenging as it was so personal, but it ultimately made me a stronger person and a stronger writer.

Skip to the future though with Rekindled, everything I just explained is why I was so interested in LO's AoW plotline to begin with, because a lot of it played to my own interests in those sorts of characterizations - consequently, it was one of the plotlines I wanted to overhaul the most when I started coming up with the basis for Rekindled, as I was disappointed that it was forgotten about over the course of S2 and completely retconned by the trial arc. In a weird way, it almost feels like all the time I spent working with characters like Uzuki was preparing me for a character like Kore/Persephone. And conversely, writing about Kore/Persephone has helped me harness my skills more which I can take back with me when it comes time to continue Uzuki's story.

All that said, mental disorders and neurodiversity were never "inspiration" to me when I was learning how to write and/or designing these characters, but that didn't make them any less intersectional. It was more like something that just came naturally to me as someone who is neurotypical and has diagnosed mental disorders (I am my own worst inspirations LOL) and I wanted more characters like that who weren't just automatically "villains". I try to always treat them with care to ensure that I'm being kind to both the characters as well as myself as someone who heavily relates to these experiences, but I'm also not really afraid to express the more "ugly" sides of those experiences either. Especially with characters like Uzuki who are largely problematic to their core in their actions - much of those actions, as I would learn about myself in my own healing journey as well, are often spurred on by a lack of care, empathy, and understanding in their unique struggles.

There is so much I'd love to say about Kore and Persephone's characterizations and what led them to this point, but I got about a paragraph in before realizing that it would be WAY too massive of a spoiler LOL I'm really, really excited to get into it - though nervous too - but I hope that, at the very least, readers can have patience for her as she goes through everything that's on the horizon. There are times it may get ugly, even outright bleak, but that is simply one side of the coin that represents her duality as a goddess - the dreaded Bringer of Destruction, and the merciful Goddess of Spring.

[dean-winchester-is-a-warrior]

The Quicksilver Princess Chapter 6

Series summary: A fantasy AU in which Dean is part of a long line of warriors who protect the kingdom. What happens when his rescue of the little princess with the quicksilver eyes gets him a possible future bride?

Series Warnings: Nothing major. Show typical violence. Fantasy violence. Smut. Angst. Fluff. Each chapter will have its own specific warnings. So, watch for those.

Chapter Warnings: None really. A bit of magical violence. A kiss. Some angst.

Pairings: Dean Winchester x OFC (Melissande)

Word Count: 7,907

A/N: First of all - I'm so sorry for the length of this chapter. There was a lot to get through. 😁🫣 Secondly, I'm so unbelievably happy that I FINALLY got to give this story an ending! I've loved writing it, but fantasy is tough! Lol! But I'm happy and proud of the story as a whole, so I sure hope you enjoy this final chapter. And to those of you who've read the story and encouraged me to continue, thank you so much for your patience.

I know OFC's aren't most people's favourites, but I encourage you to give the story a shot, and I hope you enjoy it. ❤️

Series Master List || Main Master List || Tag Lists

Melissande strained against the chains that held her immobile on the cold, stone table, even though she knew her struggles were pointless. She wasn’t nearly strong enough to break the iron binding her.

Layo’ita began to gather things from around the room, filling the pockets of the long black cloak she wore over her royal finery. She wore no elaborate headdress or hairstyle now, instead the wide hood of the cloak kept her face slightly in shadow. 

She gathered plants and herbs, potions, many colorful crystals, and a small silver dagger, preparing everything, and going about her evil plan while she spoke.

“You have no idea how patient I’ve had to be, how meticulous with every detail.” She looked back to where Yasa stood slumped weakly against the wall. Melissande was terrified by his increased pallor. He raised his head slightly to watch Layo’ita as she continued.

“It would have been much easier if you weren’t such a nosy, troublesome thing.” She said to Yasa, her tone annoyed. “I hadn’t planned on duplicating you until this one turned eighteen.” 

She waved dismissively towards Melissande. “But you just had to galavant off to your beloved Winchesters and try to outsmart me.”

Her smile was shadowed. “I took care of them without much trouble. But their meddling forced me to enact my plan much earlier than I’d wanted. It takes a lot of power and strength to hold on to a Duplicate, to make them seem natural and believable. I certainly wasn’t planning on having to keep it up for a dozen years!” 

She huffed out a breath, clearly feeling put upon. “The difficulty with a Duplicate is that they give a sense, after a while at least, that something isn’t quite right. The smell begins to cause doubt and there can be no contact because of their cold skin. So, on top of everything else I had to take care of, I had to work at changing your reputation, sending out whispers that your brush with assassination had made you afraid and nervous to be around people.” 

Sha laughed lightly. “No one seemed to miss the real you very much, or push to see you. Fooling people got easier as your reputation as kind of a recluse spread.”

She shook her head. “I’ve tried so often to fix the issues with the Duplicates, but I simply couldn’t manage it. It is very frustrating.” She claimed in an annoyed tone. “But it’s why I knew early on that I needed to make you to say goodbye to your visits with this brat and whore wife number four. If you’d kept visiting, they’d have known you too well and recognized the differences very quickly.”

Layo’ita pushed back her hood to reveal another ghoulish grin. “So, I convinced you that my heart was broken, made you believe I actually cared where you spent your nights or how many bastards you fathered.” 

She snickered and looked at Melissande. “It was surprisingly easy to convince him to walk away from you and Hera. Hardly more than a few tears.”

Yasa shook his head. “That’s not true.” He said weakly, looking at Melissande. “It’s not true, poppet. I was just trying to do the right thing.” His body sagged further down the wall. “I’m sorry.”

Melissande shook her head. “I know, Papa, I know. It’s alright, we’re together now; that’s all that matters.”

Layo’ita cackled. “Oh, yes, yes! Together again - but not for long.”

Yasa’s breathing was short and slightly labored, as though standing for so long had sapped him of what little strength he had. His voice was thin, but it held a note of steel as he spoke again.

“Layo, I don’t understand. Where does this hate for me come from? We were friends once, weren’t we? I always tried to afford you the respect and care you deserved. Is this simply because I couldn’t love you? The heart pays little attention to anything but its own tune, you must know that. I did everything I could to honor my duty to you and our son.”

Layo’ita scoffed as she began to chop up some of the plants, along with what looked to Melissande to be a human tongue, tossing them all into a large, gold bowl.

“I couldn’t have cared less whether you loved me or didn’t.” 

Melissande heard a flicker of something in the First Queen’s voice that told her that she did care, much more than she admitted.

“I don’t hate you." She continued. "In fact, I don’t care about you at all, except that you’re in my way. I’ve always known I was born for something great, that the old gods fashioned me for power. But instead, my whole life was simply about learning to be your wife, a mother to future kings who would rule. But never me.”

She stopped chopping and set down the knife, walking closer to Yasa. “I didn’t want you to honor me as the ‘First Queen’ and I never wanted to be your ‘True Wife’.”

Layo’ita shook her head. “My whole life I was taught to stand beside power.” Her voice dipped low. “But I knew I was born to wield it.”

She looked over to Melissande. “But it wasn’t until this bouncing baby brat came into the world that I finally realized just how to make that power mine.”

She went to the small fireplace set into the southern wall and tossed some more of the plants onto the flames. They gave off an acrid scent that made Melissande’s eyes water a little. The Queen stirred them into the low burning flames, watching the plants burn up.

“I didn’t know what she was right away, but I knew she’d be special. I’d heard the legends of course of other Coll family members and ancestors who’d had the quicksilver eyes, but she was the first one in a very long time. And I just knew something like that had to come from magic. So, I began digging into the history of the family.” She paused to look back at Yasa with a smile. “Your aunt would have been proud at how well I learned my lessons from her.”

She shrugged. “It didn’t take long for me to realize you were descended from fairies, and that’s when I knew how to rid myself of you, and take on the power of the crown all for myself.”

Yasa attempted a laugh that came out as a cough. “Come on Layo, you don’t actually believe that nonsense, do you? Do we look like fairies? It’s just an old, silly legend, made up by one of my ancestors, no doubt, to try and make the Coll family seem even more suited and destined for the throne.”

Layo’ita just shook her head with a mysterious smile. “You’re wrong, Yasa. You’ve always underestimated magic. You shouldn’t.”

Melissande heard her father’s words and the strangest feeling came over her; it was like something deep in her soul was shouting out a denial of what he was saying. It wasn’t a legend; it was real. She knew it like she knew how to breathe; it was instinctual, automatic. It was an odd feeling when just the day before she’d had almost the exact same reaction as her father when Rowena told her she was part fey. 

But there was something about being in this place, so completely submerged in magic, that made the reality of her lineage very apparent to her. Something inside was screaming at her to believe, to soak up the magic surrounding her and allow it to flow through her.

Layo’ita stabbed at the fire with a poker until the logs and plants burned together into embers, and then into ash which she scooped up into a smaller silver bowl. She brought it over to the table where Melissande lay, and from inside her pocket she withdrew the silver dagger. She chanted something and then sliced a small, but fairly deep cut in Melissande’s left arm, making her gasp at the sting.

The First Queen rested the silver bowl beneath her arm, collecting her blood as it leaked from her veins. She took the bowl away, allowing the blood to trail down Melissande’s arm and onto the table. Then using the dagger, she mixed the ash and blood together, continuing to chant as she spread the sticky paste that it made, over Melissande’s feet and across her forehead.

The chants turned into a slow, soft song, as Layo’ita began to arrange the plethora of crystals she carried, around the outline of Melissande’s body. When she was done, Melissande felt the crystals warming her up in the cold chamber, each brightly colored stone giving off ripples of heat.

Layo’ita picked up the silver dagger again and approached Yasa. “Duplicating you, keeping the kingdom from knowing the truth, has been exhausting for these last twelve years. Every day, I’ve worried that this would be the day someone figured it out. I simply can’t go on like this forever.”

She shrugged. “So, my answer is to soak up your essence to put into my Duplicate, so he looks real and right. No more traces of sulfur, no more cold skin. But still very much under my control." She smiled. "I've found my solution at last."

She sighed. “Unfortunately, the only way to collect your essence,” she raised the dagger, “is to cut it out of you.”

“No!” Melissande shouted.

Yasa’s pallid face looked defiant and proud as he stood to his full height, in spite of the way his legs shook with exhaustion. Layo’ita looked slightly amused at his pride and defiance.

“You forget yourself, Layo. Do you not recall that you gave me a son, an heir. You can strike me down, but one day he will come  to claim his crown and avenge me in the process.”

The Queen cackled again. “Oh my dear, I would be surprised if he even remembers you. I’ve been assured that he’s quite happy governing in The Lands Beyond and holding on to his own little piece of the world.”

She shrugged again. “But, if the babe I birthed tries to come and claim what I have taken, well, then he’ll meet your same fate.”

The First Queen lifted the dagger, aiming it at Yasa’s heart and Melissande saw it flash in the light of the dying fire as she screamed out her horror.

***

Four more Winchesters had joined Dean’s ranks before they set off from King’s Town, and as it turned out, sixteen experienced and well-trained Winchesters were more than capable of taking down the Guardsmen. 

At the witching hour, under the cover of night, the Winchesters blended into the darkness and silently approached the castle. They split into four groups of four, and each team was charged with securing one of the North, East, South, and West facing entrances. 

They’d agreed at the outset to do everything they could to not kill the guardsmen. Despite their extreme dislike of the order, and the grudge they held against the usurping guardsmen, they all begrudgingly agreed that the soldiers were just doing their duty in protecting the castle. So, they would do all they could to spare them.

But in the end, some of the guards fought bravely and gave the Winchesters a real challenge, but a great many of the guardsmen surrendered as soon as they saw the Winchesters fighting like the Warriors they were. 

Dean, Robert, Jody, and Ketch made up one team, going through the North-facing entrance. There were approximately thirty soldiers at that entrance, and only six of them put up a fight, battling hard. But the Warriors still won handily, with only a broken nose for Ketch and two broken fingers for Jody. 

After they’d been subdued, Dean grabbed one of the more cowardly looking guardsmen and demanded that he take him to Mellie.

“Now!” Dean shouted and the man trembled as he rushed to obey. Dean had to shake his head a little. How on earth had the kingdom stayed safe with these guardsmen as its protectors?

Jody and Ketch stayed to watch over the guards left behind, and to coordinate with the other Warriors to make sure everything was going smoothly in the other battles. Dean and Robert followed the guard down endless flights of stone steps until they came upon the dungeon in the bowels of the castle. 

They left the guard tied up at the entrance to the row of dungeon cells, and proceeded down to the last cell where the guard said Mellie was being held.

They slowed as they approached it, taking extra care with their surroundings, looking for booby traps, or something that would keep them from reaching her at the last minute. 

But nothing appeared to attack them, and they approached the cell. Dean wanted to let out a whoop of relief as he saw Mellie behind the bars, lying on the hard ground.

She’s alive. He thought with cascading relief. 

She was dirty and she shivered slightly in her sleep, but she was alive. Her brow puckered as though she was having bad dreams, but she was alive. Dean approached the bars as he sent Robert back to the guard. 

“Get the key.” He told the older man, who raced off to find it. Dean called softly through the bars.

“Mellie, sweetheart, wake up. Wake up, I’m gonna get you out of here.”

Mellie’s eyes flickered open, and confusion filled her expression for a moment as she sat up. But then she saw Dean and she gave a cry of surprise and happiness.

“Dean!” She jumped to her feet. “Oh Dean, you came! I knew you would.”

She approached the bars slowly, hesitatingly and Dean smiled at her warmly to let her know she was safe. As she drew nearer a slightly foul odor hit his nose, something like rotten eggs, and it made him want to take a step back. But he gave himself a mental shake.

Gods, man, he thought to himself, she’s been snatched up and thrown in a dungeon. What were you expecting her to smell like, roses?

He smiled at her again. “Robert’s gone to get the key, then we’ll get you out of here, somewhere safe, with a couple of Warriors to protect you and Robert and I will stay and demand to speak with your father, and try to find out what’s going on here.”

Mellie nodded. “Please be careful.”

Before he could respond, Robert was back with the key. Dean took it from him and pushed it into the rusted lock, unlocking the cell and pulling open the squeaking door. He rushed inside and ran up to Mellie, taking her upper arms in his hands, intending to pull her close. But when he touched her he was surprised.

“Mellie, you’re like ice.” He said with a frown, chafing her arms. “Robert, see if you can find a blanket somewhere.”

Robert nodded and set off. Dean took Mellie’s icy hand in his, intending to lead her out of the cell. But as her hand slipped into his, a sense of something dark slithered down his spine and suddenly his instincts were screaming at him, warning him. 

He turned to look down at the woman walking beside him, and he was somehow sure something was off. For one thing, Mellie was never this quiet. She should be asking him a thousand questions about how they got in and who was with him. She should be saying “I told you so.” because the Winchesters had listened to him as she’d said they would.

He dropped her hand and stepped back from her. She looked slightly confused and a little hurt. “Dean, what is it?”

Dean shook his head, more sure than ever. He jerked his chin towards her. “I have no idea what you are, sweetheart, but you sure as hell aren’t Mellie.”

Remembering suddenly, Dean reached into the pouch on his hip and pulled out one of Rowena’s magic-revealing bags, and it glowed bright purple. Grabbing a matchbox from the same pouch, he quickly lit a match and then set the bundle ablaze. 

In slight horror, Dean watched as “Mellie” went stone silent and unmoving before she went up in a literal puff of smoke. The air around him radiated the purple color as it thinned to a trail that led towards the back wall.

“Robert!” He called and the elder Warrior ran in, clearly confused by the still settling smoke and the purple air around them.

“It wasn’t her.” Dean said succinctly. “I don’t know what kind of illusion that was, but it was obviously meant to keep us from finding the real Mellie, and to keep us distracted until it’s too late.”

He pointed to the purple path in front of them and how it disappeared into the wall. “This is a protection bag from Rowena.”

Robert rolled his eyes. “You went to one witch to save you from another? What are the chances that she isn’t helping her?”

Dean shook his head. “No, trust me, we can trust her. On this at least. The bag glows purple in the presence of magic, and when it’s burned it reveals the magic that’s been used. This magic seems to be in the very air around us, and it seems to be leading us there.” He said, pointing.

“Into a wall.” Robert said, deadpan. 

Dean nodded. “I wonder what’s on the other side.”

Robert nodded. “Alright, how do we break through?”

It took them far longer than Dean wanted to find equipment to try to chip away at the stone. His stomach was once again in his throat as he realized the eclipse was approaching fast. 

But once they had pickaxes, they began pounding away at the stone and put a hole in the wall mercifully quickly. Once there was a small opening, the men tore at it with their bare hands, loosening rock and shoving it aside until there was a hole big enough for them to squeeze through. 

When they were on the other side they saw they were standing on a landing at the top of a very long staircase. The stairs went on for so long, and went so deep beneath the castle, that they couldn’t make out the bottom of the steps; it ended in sheer darkness. 

Though it was starting to fade, they still had the purple light in the air to follow, and it led them straight down the stairs. 

It seemed to take forever to reach the bottom, and eventually the purple light disappeared completely, forcing Dean to strike match after match in an attempt to keep them from pitching headfirst down the increasingly damp stairs. 

Finally, they reached the bottom, and followed a very pale light that was burning in the one and only cell. There was no one inside, and Dean wondered why the light still burned inside the cell.

Finally, he decided to burn the other bag, and see where the purple air would take them next. It had them continue down a very long corridor, until they finally reached a small, oval, wooden door. They were in the process of trying to find a way through, when Dean heard Mellie scream in terror and without hesitation, he smashed his body through the door.

***

It all happened so quickly; one moment the Queen was a breath away from murdering her father right in front of her, and the next moment there was a massive crash as the door splintered and Dean came charging through it. 

Instantly Melissande’s eyes were filled with tears. “Dean.” She whispered. 

Before she could do more than blink away the tears however, Dean and another man ran at Layo’ita, swords raised. With a blast of blue light from the center of her palms she threw the men back, spinning them through the air to land in a heap on the floor. 

Dean got to his hands and knees and took cover behind a shelf full of tiny vials of potion. The older man sought cover as well, but didn’t find it quick enough and Layo’ita blasted him again, sending him crashing into the wall this time and knocking him out cold.

The Queen slowly walked towards the shelf Dean was hiding behind, shaking her head. “Now, now, hunter, you failed spectacularly at the mission I sent you on. But if you’re very good, I’ll let you stay alive for the show. As the sun rises, the moon will usurp its place in the sky, and the world will go dark. Then I will make my mark upon this land, and then the next kingdom, and the next and next, until all the world is held in the palm of my hand.”

Dean’s voice was deeply sardonic as he spoke. “Wow, it seems to me, like maybe you need a new pastime. You know, something else to focus on besides the whole, world conquering insanity. Cause, I mean, let’s be honest. Who the hell are you to claim ownership of the entire living world?”

Melissande could hear the rage in the Queen’s voice as she shouted at him. “I am born of the old gods, crafted by them, my destiny set down by them, written into the turning pages of time, before the world began. I am chosen among all the-”

“Got it!” Dean interrupted her. “You’re the very bestest and the gods really, really like you. That’s great, but I suppose that means I’m gonna make those old guys pretty angry when I put my sword through your black heart.”

Melissande could see the way Layo’ita’s face contorted in fury. “How dare you? You know you don’t stand a chance against me, boy! You mock the old gods, but they’re at my back, they guide me and give me power.”

She walked to one side of the shelf, creeping slowly, hiding her approach, but as she swept around to the back, Dean charged out from the other side, swinging his sword in a downward arc, coming within a hair’s breadth of taking off the queen’s head. But she jumped back just in time, and fired a bolt of magical power at him, tossing him aside, into the wall beside her father.

He rose again quickly, but not fast enough. Chains snaked out of the wall to wrap around Dean’s chest and thighs, pinning him in place. When he was completely immobilized, the Queen waved her hand and another set of chains wrapped themselves around Robert where he lay, still unconscious.

She approached Dean, wearing a smug smile. She reached out towards him, and used magic to pry his hand open and let his sword clatter to the ground. 

Dean gave a frustrated growl through clenched teeth as the Queen reached him. She raised her hand up to run it down his cheek, and Dean turned his head, trying to jerk it away from her. But there was nowhere to move to.

Melissande watched his jaw flex tightly as Layo’ita ran her fingers from his cheek, down over his neck, and then across his broad chest.

The Queen sighed slightly. “You know, you certainly are a beautiful man. I might have to keep you. When the world is mine, I might need a pet, someone to keep me…entertained.” She moved her fingertips to his mouth and traced his bottom lip.

Dean turned cold eyes her way. “Yeah, good luck with that, sweetheart. Cause trust me, I bite.” He snapped his teeth at her fingers, and she just barely got them out of the way in time. She laughed, clearly exhilarated. 

She practically purred at him. “Yes, I must find a place for you in my bedroom.”

“Get away from him!” Melissande shouted at her. She felt sick seeing Dean chained up and at the mercy of this fiendish madwoman. She’d brought this on him.

Layo’ita turned laughing eyes her way. “Oh, little princess, does it bother you to see him with someone else? Did you imagine he was in love with you just because he married you.” 

When Melissande’s eyes grew wide, Layo’ita smirked. “Did you think I wasn’t aware of that pathetic attempt at trickery? But you won’t have to worry about that much longer. In fact,” she closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, “soon you won’t have to worry about much of anything."

She looked up at the ceiling. “The sun is rising.”

There were no windows in the chamber, but somehow Melissande knew she was right; it was as if she could feel it on her skin. 

The Queen returned to Melissande’s side, pressing her hand to her forehead as though she was checking Melissande for a fever. But she chanted softly, effectively ignoring the woman beneath her hand as she continued the ritual she’d been planning for nineteen years.

When her chant ended, she seemed to be almost in a trance, and she wandered back towards Dean and Yasa. The King seemed so faint now he could barely hold his head up. Layo’ita bent to pick up the dagger she’d dropped when Dean smashed through the door, and tilted her head to look at Yasa, studying him.

But then she raised the dagger in her hand again, and again Melissande screamed out in terror. “Papa!” As her scream crescendoed, something happened that hadn’t happened the first time. 

One of the crystals on the stone table, the orange one beside her shoulder, cracked into shards and the pieces sailed across the room towards the Queen. The sharp splinters of rock sliced into her cheek and she screamed in pain and surprise. 

She whipped around to see Melissande’s shocked expression as she felt something churning inside her. Something that felt as though it rose up from the bottom of her soul and the very tips of her toes. Without conscious thought, two more crystals splintered and hurled themselves at Layo’ita, making the woman scream at Melissande in frustration.

“What do you think you’re doing you little brat? Who do you think you are?”

Words swam up into Melissande’s mind, Rowena’s words, and she spoke them outloud.

“I am the direct descendant of Queen Caryn'se, Ruler of the Fae and these ancient lands from the time the world began.” She shook her head. “You think the old gods created you to be a force of power and tyranny, but I think you’re wrong.”

With almost no effort, Melissande snapped the iron links that bound her, sitting up and grasping two more crystals in her hands. The Queen shot a bolt of power at her, but it sparked out and died like a fizzled candle before it could touch the Princess.

Melissande felt her body begin to buzz with an inexplicable energy, powerful and potent. But it didn’t scare her, it excited her, and it cradled her, protected her as she stepped down from the table and faced Layo’ita as she continued.

“I believe that when the old gods crafted me, they fashioned my veins and filled them with the blood of the fey, the blood of Caryn’se.” She held up the crystals in her palms. “They gave me the protection of the earth, the protection of Sanso’ye itself. The land of the silver-eyed people belongs to my ancestors, and we will not allow you to make our people suffer any longer!” 

Melissande’s voice was vibrating with power, and she could see the white light that surrounded her, emanating from her entire body. As the Queen tried to bombard her with more and more flashes of dark magic, Melissande looked to where her father and Dean stood chained. Their eyes were wide with disbelief, but then Dean smiled as she caught his eye. It was a warm smile, and it even looked a little proud. 

Melissande sent another crystal flying towards Dean. The gem barely touched his chains, but they quickly fell away. As soon as he was free, he immediately leapt for his sword. 

Layo'ita spun to face him, hand raised to throw more magic at him, and the chains had started reaching out for him again.

But Melissande shook her head. “No.” She said softly and four crystals broke apart and shot through the air to stab into the Queen’s skin, causing her to screech in pain.

Her scream was short-lived, however as Dean got ahold of his sword and swung it true, following through on his promise, and plunging it through her heart. 

The Queen’s face, skull-like and imobile, nevertheless wore a look of unbelievable shock as she fell backwards off of Dean’s sword and landed in a heap on the ground. Blood plumed across her chest, and as her last breath rattled out of her lungs, the Queen reached towards Melissande, as though, even in her last moments of life, she was desperately trying to grasp onto power.

After the Queen's death rattle, silence reigned for a moment, and Melissande could feel the power that had surged through her, begin to ebb, slowly melting away until she was just herself again, just a girl standing on very shaky legs.

Dean dropped his sword and ran to her, grasping her cheeks; his eyes flicked over her face quickly, taking inventory. Then without a word he claimed her lips in a stunning kiss, sweeping his tongue into her mouth and stamping her with it. He swallowed down her surprised cry, turning his head so he could slot his mouth over hers again and again.

They might have stayed like that forever if not for the King softly clearing his throat.

They nearly leapt away from each other as they were interrupted. They looked over to where Yasa stood, still weak and leaning against the wall, but also free from the chains. Melissande’s eyes widened.

“How did you get out of the chains?” 

The king pointed to where Robert was stirring slightly, his chains were also broken and laying on the floor. Yasa shrugged. “The magic died with her, I suppose.”

He smiled and raised an eyebrow. “I hate to pull you apart, but I do believe we should get out of this vile place.”

Dean sprang into action. “Yes, of course, Your Majesty.” He looked at the man’s spindly limbs and bit his lip. “I mean no disrespect, Your Grace, but there are many, many stairs to climb in order to get out of here. Will you allow me to carry you out?”

Yasa nodded. “Thank you Winchester.” As Dean moved to pick him up though, the King put a hand on his arm. “I owe you my life, and my kingdom and I want you to know, it wasn’t truly me who…who ordered your father’s death and your brother’s imprisonment. John and Sam were incredibly decent and loyal men, and I will make immediate moves to see to it your brother is released and your father is pardoned of all false crimes. I’m so sorry that I ever called on them for help.”

Dean’s jaw ticked and he swallowed sharply, but he shook his head. “No, Sir. You have nothing to apologize for. My father died trying to protect his King, as he’d vowed. And now that people will know that, he can rest peacefully and honorably.”

Dean swallowed tightly again. “But I’m very grateful to have my little brother back as soon as possible.”

The King nodded. “It shall be done.”

“Thank you, Your Grace.” Dean said before he easily picked up the stick thin man.

Melissande felt her heart constrict as she imagined the joy waiting for Dean when Sam was finally freed at last. But she shook her head at her father. “Yes, we’ll do it all, but first, I believe I promised you warm soup and warm blankets.”

***

Two months later:

In the time that followed there was much rejoicing and reuniting; the kingdom learned slowly about all that had happened at the castle, both twelve years ago and at the equinox. Astonishment was high, but as time moved forward, the astonishment turned into great joy. A huge celebration was planned and many, many people were invited. 

All the King’s children had been called back home for a time, the invitation extended to their families as well. Yasa was determined to reconnect with his children, explain what had happened, and meet his grandchildren. He was slowly gaining weight, and color had returned to his skin, so he was more than ready to receive the rest of his family.

Melissande was slightly nervous about seeing her siblings again, or in the case of her eldest brother, seeing him for the very first time. But mostly she was excited, and she was happy that her father had survived to see his children all gathered under one roof.

Queen Hera had been given a place of honor for her eternal resting place. She'd been buried within the King’s Castle graveyard where Yasa could go put flowers on her grave easily while he recuperated. Melissande had caught him talking to her a few times when she came to pay her respects. Her father had been embarrassed at first, but she shook her head.

“No, Papa, don’t be ashamed. I talk to her all the time.” Tears filled her eyes. “I miss her very much, but I think she listens to us and it makes her happy to hear from us.”

Yasa nodded and kissed the crown of his daughter’s head. “You have your mother’s gentle spirit, and kind, loving heart.” He chucked her chin and winked at her. “But I’m gonna take credit for providing you with the fierce, unimaginable power you wield like a sword on behalf of your people.”

Melissande laughed. “I think that part comes along with these.” She said, pointing to her silver eyes and giving a shrug. “So, it probably does come from your side.”

When it came to her powers, she was still a little daunted by them, but with Rowena’s help she was beginning to learn about them, and how to manage them. 

There was some pushback from the church as the Kingdom made moves towards embracing the old gods and magic once again. But the King told them simply that this had always been a realm of magic, and when you repressed it, or left only a few to practice it, you ended up with power-hungry rivals for the throne and no one to check them.

There was a lot of grumbling at first, but those on different sides of the issue were starting to come together and at least work towards peace and harmony.

One of the happiest moments for Melissande in the months after escaping from the Queen’s wrath, had been when the prisoners were freed from the mines. It wasn’t only Sam that had been wrongly imprisoned. There were many that Layo’ita had sent to the mines simply for questioning her or for stating their opinion.

When they’d returned, seeing families reunited had brought on many happy tears. Watching Dean and Sam crush each other as they embraced for the first time in over a decade, had made her sob noisily into her handkerchief.

While the kingdom was being set to rights and the Warriors were returned to their former place of honor within the kingdom (some of the guardsmen who’d defended the castle so stoutly were taking the vow as Winchesters), it was easy to stay busy and distracted.

But as the celebration approached, and preparations fell into the capable hands of their craftsmen and artisans, Melissande found herself with a lot of time on her hands, and she began to contemplate what the future was going to look like for her and Dean.

She knew he’d only married her to keep her safe. So, now that she was, what would he do? He’d been reinstated as a First Line Warrior and had returned to his duties at the Winchester Keep. He was at the castle fairly frequently, helping the King set his defenses in order and shore up security around the kingdom since it had been allowed to become incredibly lax under a Queen who didn’t care about the people.

So, Melissande saw him fairly regularly, but they never spoke about their situation. It was always just polite conversation in which he addressed her formally as “Your Highness” or “Princess Melissande”. He never called her Mellie anymore and she missed the sound of it on his lips.

She also missed his lips, and his hands, and so many other parts of him. She missed the way she always felt so safe with him nearby, missed the way he teased her, or purposely tried to bait her. She just missed him, and she was starting to think that now that his duty was done, he was no longer interested in anything to do with her. 

But she thought about him all the time. She thought a lot about the wedding night that they never really had; she dreamed about it too.

Then one day a messenger arrived with a package for her. She saw that it came from Dean and she ripped it open excitedly. But when she saw what was inside her heart stopped beating and then plummeted to her stomach.

Inside were papers that had already been drawn up by the church and signed by Dean, papers that officially annulled their marriage, and set them free of one another. Dean had included a note at the bottom that said simply:

Have your father sign these as well, and it will be official, and you’ll be rid of me at last.

Melissande heard the teasing in the written words, could easily imagine the way his green eyes would sparkle, and the way they would crinkle at the corners as he smiled.

Her heart was broken and she ran to talk to the one person she knew would listen and not judge her for loving a man who didn’t want her. She knelt at her mother’s grave, rearranging the old flowers around her new ones.

“I don’t know what to do, Mama. I just love him. He’s so brave and strong and true. I know that sounds like the words of a lovesick fool, and I suppose I am. But they’re also the truth. He’s so honorable and chivalrous and…oh, Mama he’s so handsome. I think about him all the time, about…well about him kissing me or…well I just think about him. His voice and his laugh and…”

Her tears streaked her cheeks. “But he’s dissolving the contract between us, making it as though it never was.”

She wiped her cheeks and sniffled. “I suppose it’s fair. He only married me to keep me safe and to do the noble thing. Now that I’m safe, the kind thing to do would be to let him out of his obligation.”

She took a shuddery breath. “Yes, it’s the honorable thing to do.”

***

Dean walked into the King’s private antechamber, expecting to be discussing training for the new Warriors, and how the Keeps would be updated to accommodate the new men and women. But as he entered, the King waved at a seat beside him, bidding him to sit down. 

It was highly unusual. Generally he met with the King and a few members of his new Council. So being here alone was already strange, but also, Warriors stood during meetings, and they were certainly never invited by the King to sit beside him.

But not wishing to disobey his King, he perched on the edge of the seat and nodded at the sovereign awkwardly. “So, would you like me to list the supplies we’ll need to improve and expand the Keeps?”

But Yasa was shaking his head. “No, no. This isn’t a formal visit. I had some questions to ask you.”

Dean felt his heart beat a little faster. “Alright, Your Majesty. I’d be happy to try and answer them.”

The King was quiet for a moment before he turned inquisitive eyes on Dean. “Why did you marry my daughter?” 

Dean felt his stomach twist into a knot. Why the hell was the King talking to him about this? He and Mellie had already explained how and why the wedding had taken place, and Yasa had seemed fine with it at the time, maybe even a little grateful for Dean’s help.

So, what had changed; why did he want to discuss this now? Was this because of the annulment papers? Were there things he needed clarified?

Dean cleared his throat. “Well, as we told you, Your Grace, at the time, not knowing the full plans of the First Queen, it seemed like…”

Dean trailed off as the King waved at him. “No, no. I know the official reason, I know you meant to keep her safe, and I’m very grateful for that. But I suppose I meant to ask, was that the only reason? Or…is there a way you could see yourself staying married to her now that she’s safe?”

“I’m afraid…” Dean cleared his throat again. “Sire, I’m afraid I don’t…I mean, I’m not sure what you’re asking. I…of course I never dreamed of keeping her shackled to a mere Warrior. She no longer requires the protection of my name or my sword, so as any good subject would do, I’m removing the obligation of our vows.”

Yasa nodded. “I see…so…you don’t love her?”

Dean’s heart began to beat triple time. “I’m…Your Grace…I don’t…my feelings don’t matter one way or another. I’m a Warrior, Melissande is a Princess, I have no right to feel any way towards her. I’m all too aware that I am not worthy of her hand.”

“Hmm…” The King stroked his chin and then reached over to pull some papers off the table beside him. Dean recognized the annulment papers, but on top of them was a letter in neat, slanting handwriting. The King held it up. 

“This is a letter from Hera that she sent to me on Melissande’s eighteenth birthday. Of course, having been trapped in a dungeon, I only just got around to reading it. The letter talks about what an amazing woman Melissande has become, but then she goes on to talk about you.”

Dean frowned. “Me?”

Yasa smiled. “Yes, lad, you. She explains how you saved Melissande when she was just a little girl.” A shadow passed over his features. “Somehow that information never made it to me either, and I wasn’t in a dungeon then.” He sighed. “I have a lot to make amends for.”

He shook his head and continued. “In the letter, Hera says that when you saved her, she offered you Melissande’s hand when she came of age, but you said then too, that you were not worthy. But,” he lifted the letter, “she thought you were. In fact, she knew you were. And I would have to agree.”

Dean shook his head. “Your Majesty -”

Yasa cut him off. “You’ve now saved my daughter’s life twice. You saved me, and the kingdom.”

Dean scrubbed the back of his neck with his hand and stared at the floor. “With an awful lot of help from your daughter.”

The King smiled. “Yes, she was remarkable. But you fought to get to us and you stabbed that wicked witch through the heart so she could never again threaten our kingdom.” His voice became more impassioned. “Your father gave his life, and your brother gave his freedom in defense of our kingdom. Now, if that doesn’t label you as worthy, I don’t know what would.”

At a complete loss for words, Dean could only fidget on the chair and look anywhere but at his King.

Yasa’s voice was soft as he continued. “But worthy or not, I won’t let you be with her if you don't love her. She deserves all the tenderness that was denied to her and her mother because of Layo’ita…and me.”

Dean felt his mind cloud with visions of Mellie, the visions he fought against day and night - her laughter and its musicality, but also the way her eyes sparked when she was mad; her bravery and her vulnerability; the way she clung to him sometimes, and the way she bossed him around. He thought about the very real possibility the King was presenting to him - a life with Mellie at his side, maybe children in the future and a life lived with purpose and meaning.

He hardly believed it could be real. But he took a chance and spoke quietly, his voice slightly hoarse. “Yes, I love her. I love her very much.”

Dean actually jumped in his seat as the door burst open and Mellie thundered in. Her cheeks were flushed, and tears sparkled in her beautiful quicksilver eyes; her skin glowed slightly as the magic of her soul lit up her body.

“Really Winchester?” She said, swallowing harshly and trying to hide her beaming smile. “You told my father before you told me?”

Dean felt the King stand and walk towards the door, but he couldn’t take his eyes off of Mellie to look. The King paused at her side and kissed the top of her head.

“Go easy on him, poppet. He really loves you.” He gave a soft smile and left, thrilled with this development and off to tell Hera all about it.

As he left the room, Mellie walked up to where Dean still sat in the chair. “So?” She said, tapping her foot against the wooden floors.

Dean felt his chest expand as it began to dawn on him that he really was married to this spitfire princess with her shifting silver eyes, and miracle of miracles, she seemed to love him back, which meant he got to stay married to her.

He smiled widely and his eyes were teasing as he reached up to grab her hand and yank her down onto his lap. She let out a small squeal as he spoke.

“And if I did speak to your father before you, wife? What of it? I am your husband after all, so you have to obey me.”

She elbowed him in the ribs and he exhaled sharply. “Oof.” 

Mellie’s eyes glowed bright silver and Dean let his heart fill with awe as she spoke. 

“Not likely, my Winchester Warrior. I am the Princess Melissande, pride of my mother Queen Hera, descendant of the fairy Queen Caryn’se, daughter of the Fae, and the honored child of King Yasa of Sanso’ye.” She flicked her hair back over her shoulder. “I obey no one.”

Dean’s smile was soft as he brushed his lips softly against hers and cupped her cheek in his palm before conceding happily and running his thumb along her cheekbone. “Alright, my Mellie, I suppose the obedience part is negotiable.”

He kissed her as she laughed, and reveled in the sound, and in the way her body felt, pressed close to him.

He caught her chin with his thumb and forefinger and stared into her eyes. “Marry me, princess?”

She chuckled. “That part’s already done.” She gave him an impish grin. “But I’ll wed you all over again, happily, if you promise that this time, we get a wedding night.”

Dean’s eyes flared with heat and he kissed her long and deep, living for the sighs and whimpers that bubbled up from inside her. He pulled back when he was dizzy for air, and he was panting as he spoke.

“You know, sweetheart, technically we are already married, and I bet Rowena would let us stay a night in that big, beautiful bedroom of hers. If I offer her a big enough trade she might even take herself and Bernard away for the night.”

Mellie’s smile was blinding. “Send a messenger.”

@lyarr24 @lacilou @deans-spinster-witch @globetrotter28 @suckitands33

@alwaystiredandconfused @jzackles @jackles010378 @impala67rollingthroughtown @krazykelly

@candy-coated-misery0731 @envyaurora95 @spnwoman @deans-baby-momma @luvr4miya

@arcannaa @viviwatchestv @winharry @ladysparkles78 @kr804573

@whimsyfinny @roonthelittlespoon920 @slamminmine @zepskies @safiyas-world

@aylacavebear @kazsrm67 @slut-for-evans-stan @sexyvixen7 @nancymcl

@hobby27 @waywardcheshire @libby99hb @k-slla @leigh70

@eevvvaa @kickingitwithkirk @foxyjwls007 @notinthislife50 @roseblue373

@mishkatelwarriorgoddess @avanatural @mrsjenniferwinchester @all-alone-he-turns-to-stone @deangirl96

@stoneyggirl2 @fanfic-n-tabulous @traiitorjoe

[fictionadventurer]

A Ranking of all the Cinderella Retellings I’ve Read

(Completed via a very unscientific method where I try to balance between “I liked it” and “It was well-written.” Your mileage may vary and my ranking would probably vary if I made this list again.)

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine: The Gold Standard. The retelling that started it all for me. Manages to twist the fairy tale (even dislike some parts of it) while remaining true to the heart of it. A+ worldbuilding, A+++ ending.

A Cinder’s Tale by Stephanie Ricker (in the Five Glass Slippers collection): A sci-fi retelling where Cinderella works a highly-dangerous space mining job. Fantastic worldbuilding with a wonderful ensemble cast.

Bella at Midnight by Diane Stanley: Cinderella meets Joan of Arc. Has a fantastic multi-first-person-narrator structure. Some of the fairy tale plot points are an awkward fit, but I still enjoyed it.

Before Midnight by Cameron Dokey: A fairly basic retelling with a fantastic autumnal atmosphere that tempts me to reread it every year, even though the story’s rather basic and the ending’s too convenient.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer: The famous science-fantasy retelling. There are things I don’t like about the series, but this first book is a solid retelling with some good twists. I like it less than several others on this list, but it’s too solid to rank it much lower.

The Stepsister and the Slipper by Nina Clare: If Georgette Heyer wrote fantasy. Cinderella’s spunky stepsister and a roguish hero manipulate each other in competing schemes. The worldbuilding’s sketchy and the ending’s very rushed, but I had too much fun to care too much.

Soot and Slipper by Kate Stradling: Fantastic twist, adorable relationship between Cinderella and her prince, a sweet and melancholy atmosphere, and an underwhelming ending.

The Reluctant Godfather by Allison Tebo: Wodehouse meets Cinderella, starring a very grumpy fairy baker. Gets a bit too slapstick, but its snarky, silly vibe is a breath of fresh air in a YA-romance-dominated retelling world.

Traitor’s Masque by Kenley Davidson: I love the Ruritanian atmosphere and the political tension between the two brothers, even though it’s at least 33% too wordy and the plot makes less sense the more you think about it.

The Windy Side of Care by Rachel Heffington (from the Five Glass Slippers anthology): Cinderella meets Shakespeare. Has a strong voice, a heroine with a ton of spunk, and a fun “fairy godfather”.

Fated by Kaylin Lee: Great magical-1930s worldbuilding. The characters were also solid. The plot was a bit too long and too convenient at points. But the worldbuilding is the draw here.

The Earl of Highmott Hall by Nina Clare: Another Regency fairy tale by this author. Probably technically better-done than The Stepsister and the Slipper but I found it less fun.

Silver Woven in my Hair by Shirley Rousseau Murphy: Short and sweet little book with minimal magic and a lot of charm, but I don’t remember much about it anymore.

Midnight’s Curse by Tricia Mingerink: Set in a European-castle + American frontier setting that’s unique (even if I can’t quite decide if it’s cultural appropriation), with some interesting twists and themes.

The Spinner and the Slipper by Camryn Lockhart: Mashes up Cinderella and Rumpelstiltskin with just a touch of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. If I remember right, it did a decent job of it. The loving competition between Auberon and Titania was fun.

Letters by Cinderlight + Wishes by Starlight by Jacque Stevens: A Russian-ish retelling with some fantastic ideas (parts of it reminded me of Ella Enchanted) and unfortunately shaky execution. If it had been better written, it may have been one of my favorites.

Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix: I was pleasantly surprised by parts of this (mostly Ella’s character arc of learning to accept help) and hated other parts (the villains were completely unbelievable strawman caricatures). In the balance, I’ll stick it here.

Mask of Scarlet by Sarah Pennington: Set in a very unique and very complicated 1920s Chicago + Iceland world. Of the series, this was the book where I was best able to understand the worldbuilding, and I think the fairy tale was decently done, but even though I read it earlier this year, I remember almost nothing specific.

Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George: This one’s hard to rank because I think it was decently written, but I remember so little about it. I’ll stick it here, for whatever that’s worth.

What Eyes Can See by Elisabeth Brown (from the Five Glass Slippers anthology): Sweet, magic-free Regency-ish retelling with a very shy Cinderella and a nice stepfamily. It’s a bit basic, but it’s grown on me over time.

The Moon-Master’s Ball by Clare Diane Thompson (from the Five Glass Slippers anthology): Very strong autumnal and slightly spooky atmosphere. I remember liking this one well enough, but can’t remember much else about it.

The Other Cinderella by Beka Gremikova: This treats Fairy Tales as an external worldbuilding thing (people are cast in fated roles, etc.), which I usually hate, but there’s a twist at the end that impressed me.

A Gown of Spider Silk by A.G. Marshall: Short story retelling with one twist that’s kind of fun, but not quite my thing.

Another Midnight by Amanda Marin: Short-story Cinderella involving a time-loop. I remember almost nothing about it, but I think it was decent enough.

Cinders and Blades by Amanda Kaye: Short story Russian-influenced retelling. I remember almost nothing except that it disappointed me.

Slipper in the Snow by Alice Ivinya: Another short story. I remember even less about this one.

Rook di Goo by Jenni Sauer: I was promised Cinderella meets Firefly. I got an ensemble cast I didn’t connect with, worldbuilding I didn’t understand (what do they even do with their spaceship?), and a fairy tale that felt shoehorned-in.

The Stepsister’s Tale by Tracy Barrett: I don’t remember much except that I found it disappointing.

Broken Glass by Emma Clifton (from the Five Glass Slippers anthology): Mildly steampunk retelling imagining that the slipper fits the wrong girl. The humor here just isn’t my cup of tea, and the ending doesn’t make sense.

The Coronation Ball by Melanie Cellier: Short, shmaltzy and basic. There’s nothing that terrible about it, but for some reason there’s a lingering distaste that makes me recoil from it.

Cinderella (As If You Didn’t Already Know the Story) by Barbara Ensor: Written for lower middle-grade. One of those fairy tale retellings that thinks making anachronistic references is clever. It’s not.

Happily by Chauncey Rogers: Ugh. There’s one really dumb twist to the fairy tale that’s so dumb that it makes me angry just thinking about it, regardless of what else may be in the story (I don’t remember much else).

Mechanica by Betsy Cornwall: Double ugh. It had such a promising premise, but I hated so many things about this worldview that it gets the bottom ranking forever.

[dimonds456-art]

Maladaptive daydreaming.

[hauntedorpheum]

first time people tell a content creator GIVE US MORE ADS

[miraculouslumination]

"Check yourself before you wreck yourself" is unironically some good mental health advice, honestly

[highwaydiamonds]

I was tagged for this by @mountainmaven - thamks Kim!

love at first sight or slowly growing fond of someone | love letters or mixtapes | hand kisses or kisses on the cheeks | understanding each other without words or finishing each other’s sentences | gazing into each other’s eyes or looking away blushing | longing to be with someone again or spending every second together | laughing together or crying together | someone running their fingers through your hair or gently playing with your hand | surprise kisses or long tight hugs

Uhh man it's been forever since I did tags and tagged people but uhhhh ok I'mma tag: @seashells-and-bookshelves , @ladyoleighander , @ladymarge , @theselkiesea, @freckles-and-books , @i-blame-this-on-sherlock , @ndb-123 , @librarianlirael (are you there???) , @usedtobeanothername , @toisse1 and whoever else wants to be tagged (if you're reading this and want to be tagged *BOOPS YER SCHNOZ* you've now been tagged!)

[quilleth]

I got an email from Alice’s Collections today that dollbei jun has shipped!! :D 

Which means i really need to figure out a) am i going to dye him or just airbrush and cross my fingers it doesn’t chip too badly (i don’t really tend to play with my dolls but do want to get a better camera to take more pictures) and b) finish sketching the outfit pieces i’ll need and make some mock-ups so i can test the fit when he gets here to make the final ones-which may involve being extra and trying to use the embroidery function on my machine, c) finishing some eyes (it’s been raining a lot lately and i’ve been sick for over a week now so i haven’t done that but that feels like the easier task atm), and d) place an order for boots, possibly accessories, stands, and maybe a basic wig or wig making supplies.  I hate making wigs but i also may want to be weirdly picky with the hair color.  i’m not sure xD

[godforg1veme]

Funny how JG (the epitome of sexism in all of its forms) is worse at his own job than LR (a woman)

[neverendingford]

.

[jadevine]

Preindustrial travel, and long explanations on why different distances are like that

Update March 1, 2024: Hey there folks, here's yet another update! I reposted Part 2a (the "medieval warhorses" tangent) to my writing blog, and I went down MORE of the horse-knowledge rabbit hole! https://www.tumblr.com/jadevine/741423906984951808/my-post-got-cut-off-so-i-added-the-rest-of-it Update Jan 30, 2024: Hey folks, I've posted the updated version of this post on my blog, so I don't have to keep frantically telling everyone "hey, that's the old version of this post!" https://thebalangay.wordpress.com/2024/01/29/preindustrial-travel-times-part-1/

I should get the posts about army travel times and camp followers reformatted and posted to my blog around the end of the week, so I'll filter through my extremely tangled thread for them.

Part 2 - Preindustrial ARMY travel times: https://www.tumblr.com/jadevine/739342239113871360/now-for-a-key-aspect-that-many-people-often-ask

Part 2a - How realistic warhorses look and act, because the myth of "all knights were mounted on huge clunky draft horses" just refuses to die: https://www.tumblr.com/jadevine/732043691180605440/helpful-things-for-action-writers-to-remember

Part 3 - Additional note about camp followers being regular workers AND sex-workers: https://www.tumblr.com/jadevine/740604203134828544/reblogging-the-time-looped-version-of-my

--

I saw a post on my main blog about how hiking groups need to keep pace with their slowest member, but many hikers mistakenly think that the point of hiking is "get from Point A to Point B as fast as possible" instead of "spending time outdoors in nature with friends," and then they complain that a new/less-experienced/sick/disabled hiker is spoiling their time-frame by constantly needing breaks, or huffing and puffing to catch up.

I run into a related question of "how long does it take to travel from Point A to Point B on horseback?" a lot, as a fantasy writer who wants to be SEMI-realistic; in the Western world at least, our post-industrial minds have largely forgotten what it's like to travel, both on our own feet and in groups.

People ask the new writer, "well, who in your cast is traveling? Is getting to Point B an emergency or not? What time of year is it?", and the newbies often get confused as to why they need so much information for "travel times." Maybe new writers see lists of "preindustrial travel times" like a primitive version of Google Maps, where all you need to do is plug in Point A and Point B.

But see, Google Maps DOES account for traveling delays, like different routes, constructions, accidents, and weather; you as the person will also need to figure in whether you're driving a car versus taking a bus/train, and so you'll need to figure out parking time or waiting time for the bus/train to actually GET THERE.

The difference between us and preindustrial travelers is that 1) we can outsource the calculations now, 2) we often travel for FUN instead of necessity.

The general rule of thumb for preindustrial times is that a healthy and prime-aged adult on foot, or a rider/horse pair of fit and prime-aged adults, can usually make 20-30 miles per day, in fair weather and on good terrain.

Why is this so specific? Because not everyone in preindustrial times was fit, not everyone was healthy, not everyone was between the ages of 20-35ish, and not everyone had nice clear skies and good terrain to travel on.

If you are too far below 18 years old or too far past 40, at best you will need either a slower pace or more frequent breaks to cover the same distance, and at worst you'll cut the travel distance in half to 10 or so miles. Too much walking is VERY BAD on too-young/old knees, and teenagers or very short adults may just have short legs even if they're fine with 8-10 hours of actual walking. Young children may get sick of walking and pitch a fit because THEY'RE TIREDDDDDDDDDD, and then you might need to stay put while they cry it out, or an adult may sigh and haul them over their shoulder (and therefore be weighed down by about 50lbs of Angry Child).

Heavy forests, wetlands and rocky hills/mountains are also going to be a much shorter "distance" per day. For forests or wetlands, you have to account for a lot of villagers going "who's gonna cut down acres of trees for one road? NOT ME," or "who's gonna drain acres of swamp for one road? NOT ME." Mountainous regions have their traveling time eaten by going UP, or finding a safer path that goes AROUND, so by the time you're done slogging through drier patches of wetlands or squeezing through trees, a deceptively short 10-15 miles in rough terrain might take you a whole day to walk instead of the usual half-day.

If you are traveling in freezing winters or during a rainstorm (and this inherently means you HAVE NO CHOICE, because nobody in preindustrial times would travel in bad weather if they could help it), you run the high risk of losing your way and then dying of exposure or slipping and breaking your neck, just a few miles out of the town/village.

Traveling in TOO-HOT weather is just as bad, because pushing yourself too hard and getting dehydrated at noon in the tropics will literally kill you. It's called heat-STROKE, not "heat-PARTY."

And now for the upper range of "traveling on horseback!"

Fully mounted groups can usually make 30-40 miles per day between Point A and Point B, but I find there are two unspoken requirements: "Point B must have enough food for all those people and horses," and "the mounted party DOESN'T need to keep pace with foot soldiers, camp followers, or supply wagons."

This means your mounted party would be traveling to 1) a rendezvous point like an ally's camp or a noble's castle, or 2) a town/city with plenty of inns. Maybe they're not literally going 30-40 miles in one trip, but they're scouting the area for 15-20 miles and then returning to their main group. Perhaps they'd be going to an allied village, but even a relatively small group of 10-20 warhorses will need 10-20 pounds of grain EACH and 20-30 pounds of hay EACH. 100-400 pounds of grain and 200-600 pounds of hay for the horses alone means that you need to stash supplies at the village beforehand, or the village needs to be a very large/prosperous one to have a guaranteed large surplus of food.

A dead sprint of 50-60 miles per day is possible for a preindustrial mounted pair, IF YOU REALLY, REALLY HAVE TO. Moreover, that is for ONE day. Many articles agree that 40 miles per day is already a hard ride, so 50-60 miles is REALLY pushing the envelope on horse and rider limits.

NOTE: While modern-day endurance rides routinely go for 50-100 miles in one day, remember that a preindustrial rider will not have the medical/logistical support that a modern endurance rider and their horse does.

If you say "they went fifty miles in a day" in most preindustrial times, the horse and rider's bodies will get wrecked. Either the person, their horse, or both, risk dying of exhaustion or getting disabled from the strain.

Whether you and your horse are fit enough to handle it and "only" have several days of defenselessness from severe pain/fatigue (and thus rely on family/friends to help you out), or you die as a heroic sacrifice, or you aren't QUITE fit enough and become disabled, or you get flat-out saved by magic or another rider who volunteers to go the other half, going past 40 miles in a day is a "Gondor Calls For Aid" level of emergency.

As a writer, I feel this kind of feat should be placed VERY carefully in a story: Either at the beginning to kick the plot off, at the climax to turn the tide, or at the end.

Preindustrial people were people--some treated their horses as tools/vehicles, and didn't care if they were killed or disabled by pushing them to their limits, but others very much cared for their horses. They needed to keep them in working condition for about 15-20 years, and they would not dream of doing this without a VERY good reason.

—

UPDATE January 13: Several people have gotten curious and looked at maps, to find out how a lot of cities are indeed spread out at a nice distance of 20-30 miles apart! I love getting people interested in my hyperfixations, lol.

But remember that this is the space between CITIES AND TOWNS. There should never be a 20-mile stretch of empty wilderness between City A and Town B, unless your world explains why folks are able to build a city in the middle of nowhere, or if something has specifically gone wrong to wipe out its supporting villages!

Period pieces often portray a shining city rising from a sea of picturesque empty land, without a single grain field or cow pasture in sight, but that city would starve to death very quickly in preindustrial times.

Why? Because as Bret Devereaux mentions in his “Lonely Cities” article (https://acoup.blog/2019/07/12/collections-the-lonely-city-part-i-the-ideal-city/), preindustrial cities and towns must have nearby villages (and even smaller towns, if large and prosperous enough!) to grow their food for them.

The settlements around a city will usually be scattered a few miles apart from each other, usually clustered along the roads to the city gates. Those villages and towns at the halfway point between cities (say 10-15 miles) are going to be essential stops for older/sick folks, merchants with cargo, and large groups like noble’s retinues and army forces.

Preindustrial armies and large noble retinues usually can’t make it far past 10-12 miles per day, as denoted in my addition to this post. (https://www.tumblr.com/jadevine/739342239113871360/now-for-a-key-aspect-that-many-people-often-ask )

[uvuyai]

© uvuyai 2024. . . ~ ღ

𝐵𝒶𝒷𝓎, 𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝...

–tw. Mentioned false information, size difference, dub con, measuring, stomach bulge, cervix fucking, creampies, slight yan, rough sex, pinned down, bondage, overstimulation, dacryphilia, big cocks, pussy job, cuteness agression maybe(??), this will be ooc for some characters listed, mating press, fem reader,

ღ ~ You were currently tied up(only your hands) by your quote on quote, "oblivious" boyfriend. He claimed he wanted to measure you and your body parts but you don't understand why he needed to tie you up on the bed. It's so you wont squirm too much, baby he says. You sigh and roll your eyes and wished to get this over with.

He climbs on top of the bed and sits beside you. You looked at him but he was busy with a stupid smirk on his face, looking down towards your lowerhalf. He hooked his finger onto the waistband of your shorts and panties and slid them down, a string of slick connecting with your panties and he threw the clothes somewhere in the corner of the room . “What are you doing?!”. You yelped and tried using one of your legs to cover your pussy. He sat in front of you, grabbed your thighs and slung them over his shoulders. You look at them, tears welded in your eyes as you gritted your teeth with flushed cheeks.

Your cunt was soaking his torso by now. You wiggled your hips trying to get away but got stopped when squeezed it and split your legs apart, your pussy on full display for him and only him. He unbuckled his pants and fished out his cock that he knew you loved. It was already thick, long, and painfully hard as it bobbed up and down right by your womb.

“I'm gonna do an experiment on ya, baby.” he moved his hand to stroke his dick as a bead of precum formed at the tip.

“You see where this is?” he points to your belly button and you nod. ”I've heard, that a woman's cervix, is right beneath.” he finishes as he dragged his finger a bit down from your belly button. You felt yourself blushing and looked away.

“Considering how big I am, I might just burst through your womb.” he emphasizes on the big. He has a weirdly built ego that makes you wonder how you even got together.

“But I don't think I needed this information considering i've fucked your womb countless times.” he was right about that.

He bent your calves so he could rest his hands on your knees to balance himself as he leaned over you. His dick plopped right over your cunt, slick covering the base of it. He rocked his hips back n' forth, stimulating your clit in the process. He noticed your panting getting more harsh. You whined, desperately trying to get out of this predicament.

More of your juices covered the underside of his cock. He seems lost in pleasure as his eyes were closed and he seemed to shudder and drool. He opened his eyes only to be locked with yours. If you look closely, you could see the hearts in his eyes mixed with lust. His pupils were slightly trembling as they stared back at you.

You looked away as the loving stare was too much for you to keep eye contact with.

A smirk was etched on his face. He moved himself back so that his thick tip was prodding at your soaking entrance. He moved his hips forward, pushing his dick up into your cunt.

His cock was covered in your juices and cream. The deeper he went, it felt like what he said was true. He would be able to burst through your stomach. He went down to your face and pressed his lips against yours. He bit your bottom lip for entrance to which you granted. He tongue quickly sped into your mouth, entangling itself with yours as he continued his thrusts up against your womb.

Your hands were desperately grasped at the ribbon holding your wrists together. Tears were streaming down your cheeks then he leaned down to lick them and slightly bite at your cheeks.

He spits out grunts and slight whimpers while a string of moans and mewls comes from you. He soon settled his cock deep inside you which made you cum with a cry as he hit that spot that you love. “Wow baby, came on the spot huh?” he gave slow thrusts but leaned forward so your calves were touching his. back

You tried to move your hips away but his veiny hands grasped harshly at your waist that it would surely leave marks and pull you on his cock so it can reach a deeper part than before. His thrusts got faster that so much so it hit your cervix with brutal thrusts. Your cervix felt as if a mouth was sucking the tip of his dick. “N-noo.. you're too roUGH!” you tried to push him away with your binded wrists but was unsuccessful from his brute stature.

You felt the coil in your stomach tighten. The bulge in your stomach signed how deep his was in your womb. You close your eyes tightly and let out a wanton moan followed by a mewl and whine.

After a few thrusts into your small womb, he released his seed into your womb, your stomach becoming slightly bloated. You closed your eyes in exhaustion. He moved himself back not pulling out. He looked down at your form and saw your body glistening with sweat and you lower half shining from the juices you and him produced together by pleasure each other.

His hand pressed down onto your bloated stomach which made his cum dribble out of your cunt like a waterfall. “Look at that, wasting my precious cum,” he says with a tsk and shakes his head. “Don't worry baby, I'll just fuck it back into you.” he leaned towards your face with a crazed lovesick look in his eyes.

“And I'll keep fucking it into you until I deem you as full enough to produce my child.” ღ

CHARACTERS IN MIND: Childe, Kaeya, Itto, Ayato, Scaramouche, Jing Yuan, Sampo, Aventurine, Boothill, Gojo, Toji, Sukuna, Nanami, AND YOUR FAVS

DO NOT PLAGIARIZE, COPY, REPOST, OR TRANSLATE MY POST W/O PERMISSION. DO NOT COPY MY LAYOUT. YOU MAY TAKE INSPIRATION BUT MAKE SURE TO CREDIT ME.