#if i continue it it would be a lucio fic

[paperstarwriters]

A Little Game of Tag

Shy!Muriel x Shy!Reader

Warnings: lots of kisses, extreme fluff, a few hickies and shyness to a frankly ridiculous extent. It's kinda silly but I think its cute :3

Summary: You want to kiss Muriel, but you're too embarrassed to do it normally. Unfortunately (Fortunately?) he is too. In an attempt to get used to giving and receiving kisses, it all blooms into a silly little game between the two of you.

Inspired by @vivifromnowhere in their post asking for a shy MC to go with Muriel

[A/N]: Look, look. I intended to post this a lot sooner but I struggled a lot with the ending lol Idk. I might go back in and change it? Or maybe I'll just write a different version for the ending or something Idk... Anyways, as mentioned in the Warnings, the fic is kinda silly, but I think it's cute lol.

Masterlist | The Arcana Masterlist

Word count: 8,277

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It didn't start out this way.

In the beginning of your relationship when Lucio was just recently defeated, it had taken a lot of courage for you to manage pressing a kiss against his skin. You did so once when you first celebrated the battle, and he kissed you back with enough longing in his touch that you could have sworn that the people around you could feel the heat radiating from your face. Luckily for the both of you the crowd and the chaos of their celebration quickly tore your attention away, but you couldn't stop thinking about how it had felt to kiss him.

You just really, really, really wanted to kiss him again. Only, you weren't sure if you would be able to manage walking again if he kissed you back the way he did then.

So, you came up with a simple solution. All you needed to do, was kiss him and scurry away before he could kiss you back. You'd make up some excuse as well. Some reason to leave so that you wouldn't have to linger on the feeling of his lips on yours and so he wouldn't have the chance to chase you down.

...not like that wasn't enticing. But you don't think you'd be able to survive any of that afterwards. If you didn't spontaneously combust from the contact, you'd probably end up as a molten puddle on the ground.

Plus! You didn't want to pressure Muriel or anything either. He blushed with just about as much ferocity and heat as you did. If you couldn't survive this you didn't want to press the burden onto him. That was a valid excuse wasn't it? You were being considerate of Muriel's boundaries too!

Surely over time you'd eventually grow used to it, you'd grow more courageous with your kisses and you'd be comfortable enough to accept kisses from him. ...That's what you told yourself at least.

You followed your initial plan to a tee, pressing a kiss against his cheek and feeling the warmth bloom under the scrutiny of your lips. And then you pulled away and scurried out of reach, mentioning something about leaving to do something. You didn't expect your mind to be so frazzled amidst your escape, and so you weren't sure if you had said that you'd feed the market or go shop at the chickens. Either way it was blatant nonsense, and—even worse—as time went on you were getting no more used to these kisses.

Every time you pulled away, Muriel fixed you with the most agonized expression he could manage amidst the red of his face, futilely reaching to grab you before you slipped away. More than once you've considered lingering by his side in order to appease his desperate longing. More than once did the burn of embarrassment, and the sudden agonizing ache in your chest drive you away from his reach.

Since your attempts to cool that burn of embarrassment had since failed, you considered whether or not you wanted to continue for a while. It was something you had been pondering as you sat with Muriel by the fireplace. He was carving something out of wood, and you were... Well, you were trying to read over some magic text Nadia had lent you from her expansive library, but you were too stuck in your head to really focus on any of the words. Apparently he had been pondering over something as well.

"Do... Do you not like it when I kiss you?" he asked, tearing you away from your thoughts.

And just like that, your fluttering heart dropped from your chest. "I—what? No! No, no. I just—I wanted to practice kissing and all because the last time we kissed I swear I was about to pass out and—not in a bad way though, I just felt really inexperienced and you know that I struggle a bit sometimes and it's in the kind of same way that you do, I swear but I just— I didn't mean—"

Muriel leans towards you as you ramble, and just as you're about to apologize he presses the most tender fluttering kiss against your forehead, evaporating any and all thoughts with the heat he ignited on your face. Something was pressed into your hand as he did but you were too busy trying to keep your brain from evaporating that you couldn't tell what it was or why he gave it to you.

Far too soon, he pulled away. His face seemed as bright as yours was warm, the pink reaching all the way up from the tips of his ears and down to his neck and chest. Instinctively you reached out towards him, but he slipped away from your reach and scrambled for the door, just barely managing to toss an excuse before he left.

"I'm— I'm going to go get more wood!"

And just like that you were alone by the crackling fire. You wanted to raise your hand, cover your face to hide the shock and embarrassment, hide the warmth that radiated off of you, and just hide in general, but his carving sat heavily in your hand and although you still felt dizzy, you chanced a glance down at it.

A tiny little bear statue holding a tiny little heart. It looked like he was going to carve something into the heart, some words or something, but it remained unfinished.

If you had to guess, you'd imagine the word was "sorry"

You're glad he didn't finish that. You didn't want him to be sorry for kissing you.

Kissing you... He had kissed you....

The idea was still settling into your mind, and after you carefully dropped the carving somewhere in your lap and away from the fire, you hid yourself behind your hands and died. Soul withering away from the heat of your blush.

And that was how it all started.

You'd be passing by and you'd give Muriel a quick kiss to his cheek or to his forehead if you could reach it, and you'd scamper away before he was able to grab you.

And of course, Muriel would do the same to you.

You don't know why, nor do you know how, but your little method to train yourself to give and receive kisses quickly bloomed into a little game of tag filled with furious blushing, tampered down with soft giggles and featherlight chuckles. And sometimes if you were particularly surprised or surprising, or if you had just narrowly escaped, there would be loud laughter, and a race to the door. It became the sign of your escape. If you managed to get out the door you were free, left alone as the other glared on, sometimes pouting, or sometimes looking starved. In the forest, rules were a little more lax. Usually you'd let each other scurry off until they were out of sight, but sometimes if a chase ensued and getting out of Muriel's sight seemed nigh impossible you'd have to be the one to reach the hut first.

It was silly and fun, and it made the game comfortable to play.

It didn't stop you from blushing though. It didn't seem to stop him either, his cheeks still tinted pink with every kiss you pressed against his skin.

And then months into your little game, when you had once managed to kiss him twice before your great escape, Muriel had mentioned how unfair it had been when at the start of your game, you had kissed him so many times and how he never really got the chance to get you back for that.

At the time you had laughed and insisted that he was kissing you more than you did to him, but Muriel didn't seem to agree.

"What, do you want me to just sit here and take it?" you had so foolishly asked.

Comparable to the look of longing Muriel had given you so long ago, a dark look of temptation crossed his reddening face. If he wanted you to sit stock still for him to kiss you all over he had successfully already frozen you in place.

Instead he coughs a little and looks away his lips wobbling around his words, but taking no heat away from their meaning.

"No... I... I had something else in mind...."

He pressed a kiss to the shell of your ear, his lips just barely fluttering against the warming flesh.

Your brain was roasting over the fire of your face, and you were certain your heart had just beat free from your chest. By pure habit alone you reached out to grab him, but with a red face and an alarmed but gleeful look in his eye, Muriel escaped your grasp and ran outside, something about watering the firewood only barely thrown over his shoulder.

Left on the floor of the hut you once again curled up and died.

You weren't exactly sure what you'd call it after that point. Better? Or Worse? On the one hand, these kisses felt fantastic. Pressed up against sensitive skin and always followed by a look so tender and sweet that you were pinned in place an left unable to even move. Save, of course, for your arm feebly reaching out with no true ability to grab him. On the other hand you were struggling to press even a few kisses into those very same spots.

Needless to say Muriel had quickly made up whatever amount he was missing and more, over the next few weeks with every kiss he'd press against your shoulder or neck, or once even on the inside of your wrist. And with each kiss, you had been left stunned and frozen in place, only ever able to stare him down longingly as you reached to grab him, your legs too liquefied to try to chase after him. Even the memory of those kisses alone had hurt you so horribly that it took you far longer to plot how to kiss him back before you could actually work up the nerve to do so, and by then he'd have already attacked a new spot against your skin and unleashed a new fog upon your mind.

Muriel had begun to enjoy his newfound power and he grew bolder with his kisses, satisfied with the look you'd give him and how you'd weaken at the feel of it. He blushed back brightly in turn, but you could see the look of delight on his face as he watched the effect he had on you take hold.

You were half driven by spite when you went to get him back.

Waiting and watching, you sat with a keen attention on Muriel even if you never directly looked his way. Silently, pretending to be immersed and slightly frustrated (so that you wouldn't seem suspicious for not moving much) with a passage in your book and you awaited for a golden opportunity.

Muriel was working on some small project using plants to colour the wood of his carvings. He had explained it in depth before, but he had done so after coming back inside, from kissing you along your neck. From the pleased look he gave you as he explained, you knew that he knew you picked up none of it. Whether it was because he wanted to watch your reactions, or because he wanted you to ask him about it again or something, you'd never really know. All you knew was that you had an excuse to talk to him about it now.

So you did. You asked what he was working on, and though he teased you a little for not remembering what he told you before, he was quick and eager to explain the project to you, and in reply you gave your own ideas. He was aiming to replicate some of the painted carvings he saw from some other scattered members of the Kokhuri that you met in your travels. Many had mentioned how they used newer or different herbs than what was traditional due to the new lands that they wandered along, and many others mentioned how technically it was traditional to use what was available. Swept up in his excitement, you mentioned herbs you had read about recently that might be useful not only in colour, but also for their magic content, and you offered to go to the market to fetch some herbs that might not currently available in the forest, but were familiar to Vesuvia.

And little by little Muriel's attention was torn between you and his project. Which, admittedly, was not what you were planning. You thought he would have focused a bit more on the project because you were mentioning it, you hoped he would have looked to that more, but instead he was turning to you, eager to hear of your contributions and things you had researched before.

So when the opportunity finally arose, when he finally lingered looking at the herbal concoctions he was working on more than he was looking at you, even for a few moments, you seized the opportunity.

It was a kiss to the column of his neck. Just like what he had given you plenty of times in the past... Only.... In your haste, your kiss had been a little sloppier than you had intended. Your teeth had brushed against his sensitive skin, and your tongue had gotten a taste of his skin. You practically bit him, and in reply, Muriel made a sound, torn between a moan and a whimper.

Shocked, you pulled away prepared to apologize for your roughness while also ready to scramble away from him. Torn between the two you froze, no words coming from your mouth as you stared at him, just as frozen in place as you were, staring at you with a beet red face, wearing an expression that you could call awe or horror. You would have liked to say it silent between you, but between the rapid beating of your heart in your ears, and your heavy breaths matched by his own, it felt much to loud instead.

He made no attempt to grab you as you fled.

No, his attempt was far more comparable to a bear hug. One you only barely dodged as you fell back onto your butt and scrambled away, faced with that intoxicating look of desire the entire way of your graceful exit out. You didn't manage to make any excuse as you slipped past the door, and hid against the outside wall. There was no way you were going to do anything anyways with the way your heart was still beating furiously or by the way your legs had refused to work for you again.

Hell, all you wanted to do in that moment was walk back in and see what'd happen if you pressed a kiss back onto the spot that you had bit, like an apology, or maybe even somewhere else along his neck, like along his collarbones or at the swell of his throat, or maybe to the his ear where he had kissed you before. Maybe that sort of tender spot, right behind his ear. You've heard some stories talk about kissing people there. Wasn't that a vulnerable part? How would it feel.... Your own fingers trail up to brush against the soft skin imagining the feel of his lips brushing against your skin.

...You could understand how he had gotten so swept up in kissing you again and again in these tender spots. It was addicting. Even just thinking about it. Where you wanted to press your next kiss, where you wanted to target him again, you couldn't stop thinking about it.

Even now you were tempted to slip back in and give him another kiss.

Gods, you really wanted to though. You wanted to kiss him again and again and again and again. You wanted to kiss him with those chaste tender kisses pressed against his cheeks and forehead again, you wanted to kiss up and down his throat, along the line of his collarbones, on his shoulders. Everywhere. You wanted to kiss him everywhere.

But your heart was still racing and your legs were far too shaky to walk with, so at the most, all you managed was a feeble glance around the corner of the door, looking back inside.

Muriel sat with his face buried in his hands. What little patches of skin were visible, namely his ears and his neck, were coloured a red so bright he nearly looked like he was glowing. Inanna sat nearby, nearly rolling her eyes as she watched him, clearly already long used to the both of your shenanigans. She didn't look concerned at the very least so you were certain Muriel's reaction wasn't anything bad.

Inanna saw you first, and you were certain she had mentioned something through her familial bond with Muriel, because he splayed his fingers and glanced your way, and fixed you once more with the most starved look you have ever seen on his face. It didn't last long though. The look of hunger was quickly overpowered by embarrassment and back he buried himself into his hands his face somehow becoming an even brighter red.

The embarrassment felt contagious and you quickly yanked yourself back behind the corner. Inanna's unimpressed "whuff" was loud enough even from where you sat.

You wanted to kiss him more. To go back in and kiss him again, and again, and again, and yet you sat outside trying to shoo the warmth from your face and fight the urge to bang your head against the wall.

It took almost an entire day before the game started up again.

Although you still felt wobbly from the memory of your little nibble, you still managed to press a simple kiss against Muriel's cheek. Though it made him jolt a little from the contact and blush furiously, Muriel was more than coherent enough to attempt to grab you. And though your legs still trembled a little, you were more than capable enough of dodging. You wouldn't exactly say you were 'coherent' though.

Filled with the need to just smother him in kisses you had every chance to just stand still and let yourself be caught by Muriel. Find out what he'd do to you if he caught you. Find out what you'd do to him if you stayed.

And yet you still dodged and evaded. You still ran. Why? You didn't know. Out of habit perhaps, or out of a desire not to loose this endless game, or maybe out of a still lingering feeling of embarrassment. Which is right? You don't think you'd be able to tell, but as you slip once more out of the hut, you find the urge to change the game somehow. You wanted to, but you weren't exactly sure how you'd do so.

Over the next few days, the game went on without any change. Besides, perhaps, the combination of those sweet kisses along your cheek or forehead as well as a few along your neck or against your ear. It had you absolutely spinning with every kiss and telling by the way Muriel looked at you, it did for him too.

Sometimes, there would be simple mundane moments where he'd lean in for a kiss and suddenly he'd press one against some sensitive patch of skin slipping away as you'd squawk at him and flailed around with no real attempt to grab him. Other times there would be moments that had the both of you blushing so hard the heat rivalled that of the fireplace, and you'd lean in for a kiss almost aiming for the neck or some other sensitive spot, only to press one quickly to his cheek and pull away before he realized what you had done. Muriel tended to pout for a while after that, which only made you quicker to land another kiss onto his skin.

Eventually, of course, Muriel had kissed you back. Just before bed when he was preparing to get some more firewood, he pressed a kiss against your neck and with more purpose than you had when you kissed him, he grazed his teeth ever so slightly against the tender flesh—and even went so far as to give you a little bite, pulling away before coherent thought could re-enter your mind. Left alone in the bed, you sat there blushing for what felt like several hours, and when Muriel eventually returned to the hut, and returned to your side, all you could do was bury your face in his chest.

It felt both safe and exposing, but above all else it felt warm, growing even warmer still from Muriel's own rising blush.

Even after all this time, it was a little embarrassing to share a bed, but more than anything else, it was familiar. It reminded you of when the both of you were first struggling to open up to each other, of days in frost laden forests when sleeping together was needed to keep yourselves alive in the night while you slept.

Familiarity and warmth were plenty enough to help you relax, easily luring you to sleep.

Though, just before you slipped away into unconscious, Muriel planted another kiss to your forehead. In the sleepy state you were in, you couldn't even manage to reach for him.

In the sleepy state you were in you didn't even realize you were already holding him.

On and on and on the game went.

Even if you'd never know where his next kiss would land, you couldn't help but feel like your little game had reached a stalling point. It wasn't necessarily as a bad thing, but you could feel your hesitation in moving forward seem to permeate your every kiss. In a way you supposed that it did, because your eyes had such a nasty habit of straying.

You wanted to kiss him.

Your lips pressed against his, you wanted the world-ending kiss he gave you those many weeks ago. A kiss that could drown the noise from the crowd, and bring the world to a halt. The kiss that had asked for so much while giving with equal measure.

The kiss you had started this entire game for.

You wanted to kiss him.

If your urges were obvious Muriel made no indication of knowing, so you sat and stewed in your feelings for as long as you could manage. Muriel kissed you many times in the span of your thoughts tearing every thought in your mind to shreds each time, but you couldn't bring yourself to kiss him back when all you wanted to do was to kiss him and feel just how soft his lips were against your own.

You... You could now though, couldn't you?

You've kissed him so many times and he's kissed you so many more times back. Sure, you've always needed to back away for some space but you could do that now too right? You could just kiss him like it was a part of the game, and then eventually you'd work up the courage to linger to maybe give you a kiss in return, or to allow you to kiss him over and over and over again. Or even for longer.

And you'd be able to do it without being so... Embarrassed.... Without feeling the need to escape or hide.

...Right?

A sudden weight beside you on the bed tore you away from your thoughts. Although he had sat down slowly, the shift in the weight and how close he was sitting still managed to make you nearly tip over onto his lap. You had just barely managed to adjust and lean away but it still had you a little flustered regardless.

Muriel on the other hand didn't seem to notice. He didn't look your way, as he sat, instead staring off into the distance before his eyes eventually sank onto the floor. Though you could only see his profile you could tell he was worried, brows drawn and furrowing together, and his lips torn between slipping beneath his teeth and curling into a pout.

When he finally did look at you, it was with that same anguished look he made when you first started your little game.

"Are you okay?"

Although confused you nodded. Did you not seem okay? Did something happen? Were you supposed to not be okay?

Muriel continued, "it's just.... It's been a while... Since...." You were going to scramble for all the things you hadn't done in a while, but the redness in his cheeks and his hesitance already made you suspect— "You haven't really... Kissed... me for awhile. Even if I've been.... Kissing.... you..... Are you.... Is everything okay?"

Had it really been so long?

"I'm fine! I'm—I've just been thinking a lot about... Some things." An understatement perhaps, but even as you said it, your eyes betrayed you, wandering and flickering to his lips, half chewed in worry and half twisted into a worried pout. They looked tender and sore, wouldn't a nice little kiss make them feel a bit better...?

"Are you....... Is there something wrong...?" he continued to press. "If there's a problem I could try and help."

Again he bit his lip and you watched half entranced as his teeth sank into the plushness of his lower lip. It truly looked so soft. You just wanted to...

Your eyes snapped back up to his, meeting the full force of his worry and concern.

If you could just muster up the courage, you could wipe that look clean off of his face, you could press your lips against his and ease any worries he had had. Make up for all the lost time that you had spent not kissing him. And maybe you'd stay too.

Of course, kissing away problems didn't really fix them.

You stood from the bed, and Muriel watched you go, the concern in his eyes deepening until you smiled.

"I'm fine. Really Muriel I was just... I was kinda caught up in thinking about.... In, uh, thinking about your... Kisses."

Once again, his concern grew stronger.  

"Do you want to stop?"

"No! No, I don't— I mean, not really. But that's not in a bad sense of any sort or anything I just—I mean—! You know how we run away......? Ah, no but that isn't the point, I don't want to stop kissing you and I don't want you to stop kissing me I swear I really—"

You could see it this time. Watching him so closely as you rambled you saw how he leaned in, prepared to kiss your throat or your cheek or something in the vicinity.

But you also saw his smile. Small and tiny, you wondered just how many times a kiss against your skin had included his smile pressed against you.

Kissing you made him happy. He loved you. He loved kissing you.

In a burst of confidence, you beat him to the punch, and kissed him before he could kiss you. Your lips pressed against his, the world-ending kiss you had so desired.

There was the smallest little gasp against your lips before he relaxed a little, and if you lingered any longer maybe he would have leaned in and returned the kiss to you. But your face was growing hot and you were getting dizzy, and whether by habit, by embarrassment, or by a need to stick to your original plan, your legs itched with the urge to run. So you pulled back, and you skittered away once more.

It wasn't a far distance between the bed and the door and in any other circumstance you might have been able to make it in only a few steps.

But he called you, and you hesitated.

“No, no please. Don’t leave.”

The sound of his voice was so nearly a whine, practically begging you to return to his side, killing the urge to run before you could make even a full step away. It was just a moment's hesitation, just a second, but that's all he needed.

And for the first time since the start of your little game, you were caught.

His hand caged your wrist first, keeping you from moving any further. Then, with his free hand as quick as the first, he grabbed you just above your elbow and pulled. With two hands it made it easier to hold you down, prevent any chance of escape. With two hands it made it easier for him to yank you back towards the bed, back to his embrace, and most importantly, back to his lips on yours.

It was your turn to gasp at the contact. Your turn to melt as his arms snaked around you, one around your waist, and another cradling your head, caging you against him as if to keep you from escaping again.

As if you could escape, with the feeling of his lips on yours making you melt against him.

As if you wanted to escape.

Trapped against his chest, with no ability nor will to escape, you could do nothing but reciprocate everything he was giving you even amidst the dizzying feeling of warmth that permeated your face and chest.

It was strange; even though you were still blushing madly, even though your mind was melting in your skull, you couldn't help but feel calm and relaxed under the scrutiny of Muriel's lips against yours.

There was no panic, no concern worry or fear. There was just you and Muriel kissing each other, and relishing in the feelings that such a tender kiss could bring. He loved you, and you loved him. So, so much. And with the gentle caress of his lips against yours, you could feel it. You could feel how hungry he was for your affection, and you could feel how much he was trying to give in turn. Hopefully he could feel you too. How much you wanted this, how much you loved him, how much you adored every moment you spent with him and every kiss you had pressed against his skin.

So caught up in the kiss, you had almost forgotten to breathe. Thankfully Muriel didn't, and when he pulled away, you managed to gasp as he pressed his lips back down against your skin.

His hands slipped from their hold on you to wrap around your waist burying you in a hug as he spattered kisses against your cheek, trailing down towards your neck. With every kiss you could feel his certainty, retracing every kiss he’s lovingly planted on you before with the added calm and languid motions that more time allowed. He nibbles along your neck even more, toeing the line of biting you as his teeth sank almost teasingly into your skin. Not enough to hurt or even make a mark, just enough to know it was there. It made you whine, just a little, and that made him do it even more.

And amidst it all, he watched you. With eyes wide open, only fluttering closed to savour your reactions or the taste of your skin, all with a small giddy smile slowly growing wider and wider on his lips.

It didn’t take long before you were cupping his cheek and trying to guide him away from you, eager to have a taste of your own. At first he pouted, not wanting to be separated from your skin, but the pout quickly vanished as you leaned in and pressed your own kisses against his neck and chest.

It was easier than you expected, although… perhaps you had just been over-thinking things, or perhaps you truly had been able to get used to his kisses at least on some level…

Or perhaps it was just him. Muriel, the very same cause of your rapid heartbeat, was also what made kissing him and sticking around to kiss him more easy.

You knew Muriel. And even more than that, you knew that he loved you, and you knew that you loved him.

This… this was just another way to show that wasn’t it? Gently biting at his neck enough to make him whine, and then kissing over the tiny injury as if apologizing for hurting him, even if he loved the feeling. Spattering kisses over his chest, tracing scars big and small with the faintest brush of your lips against his skin, kissing his shoulders, broad and scarred, and kissing the tips of his ears as if trying to encourage the red of his blush to spread all the way there. Spattering kisses all over his face again, atop his eyelids and on his nose, around his lips, teasing him with the offer of another chance for him to kiss you…. That was all just a form of showing love, wasn’t it?

And when Muriel pulled you back him, cupped your cheek with the calloused pads of his fingers and palm, so gently pulling you in to slot his lips against yours and kiss you with the agonizing hunger of a man who’s been teased and deprived of this for months—that was just a means of showing love as well, wasn’t it?

It was... Just an expression of love and you didn't need to be overthinking or—

Muriel pulled away from you, and despite everything, you pouted at the loss of contact, digging your fingers into whatever fabric or flesh you could get a hold of, fully expecting him to try and run away. In reply, Muriel held you just as tight, pressing his forehead against yours as he tried to catch his breath.

"You're shaking," he whispered. "Are you okay?"

Oh.

... Were you okay? You felt dizzy and you didn't think you'd be able to stand after this, just collapse into a pile of very warm goo. Yet, even despite that you could still feel the overwhelming urge to pull him back in and answer with another kiss. Could you actually survive that if you did? All those other kisses had felt so good... If you kissed him again would you have the same clarity he had to eventually pull away?

"Ah. Uh... It's... Nerves. I'm just... I feel both so excited and so nervous at the same time!" you squeaked out the last bit, biting your lips to try and hide the grin from crawling up your face.

Watching Muriel's face go red, and the corners of his lips wobble you wouldn't be surprised if he was trying to hide the very same thing.

“I...Me too," he confessed, chewing a little at his lip. "I... I've wanted this for so long."

"really?"

You couldn't help it at that point. No matter how much you bit your lips you could already feel the ache in your cheeks at the force of your smile. As his eyes darted up and down, glancing at your lips before darting back up to your eyes, he was quickly succumbing to the same fate.

"Y-yeah. Ever since our kiss in the colosseum... Your idea was better though."

"You had a plan too?"

"... Mhm... I was... I was going to try and practice by kissing you while you were... asleep—or at least really, really busy. Just... Sometime when you wouldn't notice or something." At this point you didn't think Muriel's face could get any redder from his blush, but as his eyes fluttered shut and he began to chew his lip, still smiling a little despite his embarrassment. "I was trying to figure out a different plan though since I wanted to know..." For a moment he faltered, his eyes fluttering open to look at you, his embarrassment growing stronger under your scrutiny.  "...I wanted to know if you liked it."

Oh. You doubted that your face could get any warmer either, but you still pulled yourself back a little attempting to shield your face from his scrutiny with your hands. Similarly, Muriel was turning away, and hiding his face behind the crook of his arm, still determined to keep one hand around your waist as if he still worried that you'd still try to run away.

"well..." You peeked out from behind your hands, seeking Muriel's attention to try and gauge his reaction. Feeling you shift in his arms he did the same. "I uh... Feel kind of bad now. I always just assumed but...did you like it?"

Muriel's eyes grew wide.

Suddenly, even if Muriel had given you the most pleading and starved look with every kiss you gave him, even if he reached out to you after every kiss—even if he had returned your kisses after some time, and even if you still had the his gift of a little bear holding a heart in your possession—you couldn't help the instinctual fear that maybe, just maybe—

"I loved it,"  he whispered. Then softer, pressing himself against your neck instead of his arm, "...I love you."

You squeaked at the feeling quickly sputtering out your reply. "Me too—I mean, I love you too! And it! I loved the kisses— I loved your kisses. I just..."

Muriel pulls back, that wobbly look of worry and concern settling back on his face all over again as if he had felt something amiss in the pulse along your neck. With all the patience you've ever given him and more, Muriel waits for you dragging his hand up to your cheek, and waiting for words to eventually bubble free. He heard that you wanted to say something, now he's just waiting for you to say it. Only, you don't think you have anything to say.

For once, you don't think words can solve your problem.

You lean closer towards Muriel, offering yourself in the silent little way he did just moments ago. Without a single sound, he knows what you're saying loud and clear. His eyes grow wide at the notion, before they settle back into that starved look he had been taunting you with. In the same way you had bridged the gap between you, Muriel now did the same, crowding into you until he was tipping you onto the bed—until the both of you were lying side by side. Though Muriel held you close to keep you from escape, you held him close in hopes that he'd be able to feel what you could not say. That he'd be able to feel the rapid beat of your heart, or the lax nature of your muscles, or how comfortable you feel slotting yourself up against him, or how you can't help your wandering hands or—

Something knocks against your side a few times, hitting your back and ribs hard, before it scrambles on top of you barking all the way. Black fur crowds your space, and as Muriel squawks at the intrusion, you nearly tumble off the bed from your surprise, if not for Muriel's arm still wrapped around you.

Partly fueled by shock, and partly fueled by the strange one sided argument Muriel was having with Inanna as she wormed her way between the both of you, you began to laugh. You could feel Muriel's hold on you tighten just a little at the sound, and as you peered over the mass of black fur that sat between you, you could see the tiniest little smile on his lips, growing wider with every glance your way. Gods this was ridiculous. But...The whole thing was ridiculous, wasn't it? 

Eventually Inanna settles herself in the centre of your hug, and though Muriel sighs at the interruption he's still smiling as well. It's an uphill battle to stomp down the corners of his mouth to convey his irritation to his familiar—an animal with an emotional and magical link with him—but he fruitlessly tries regardless, eyes snapping to you every so often, crumbling his attempts each time, while his cheeks grow even pinker with every passing glance.

It takes you a moment, far too distracted by his teeth sinking into his lips and the wonky curve of his lips, but Inanna had been talking to Muriel, and apparently she was mentioning something about you... Or well, the both of you.

"She's...she's telling us to get a room."

As if contagious, your own face picks up warmth, and you promptly find yourself fighting the same battle against your smile. On the one hand, you couldn't help the giddiness of your sucess, of being able to kiss Muriel so much, of that overwhelming sense of love that you could finally convey to not only him, but apparently everyone in the room. On the other hand... Embarrassment burned thickly across your face and shoulders, wedging itself down your throat where it had failed to burn.

Had the both of you been doing too much? Did it seem too... Too much to an outside eye? Was it something you shouldn't have done? Should you have asked Inanna to leave? Your mind spins with possibilities and confusion only adding to the disorienting state that your embarrassment was already granting you, any and all attempts at glancing Muriel's way in an attempt for help failed miserably as the two of you either quickly averted your eyes, or you both lingered on each other, the look of longing and delight somehow making you both feel worse.

Feel worse, and yet embarrassingly hungry to be even closer once more. Muriel still held you, albeit much more loosely with Inanna now between you, but he still held you and didn't seem intent to ever let you go.

Eventually, Muriel clears his throat and refocuses his attention on Inanna, visibly trying and failing to keep his eyes from flickering back to you.

"You could've gone outside yourself you know You don't have to stick around and... And watch."

In the most offended manner you've ever seen from a wolf Inanna whips around to stare you down silently asking with her bright eyes and pointed stare if you agreed as well. Not trusting your own voice, or your control over your lips you nodded furiously, hiding your smile behind your hand. You couldn't help it. Even amidst the embarrassment, Muriel's fingers dug into your hip, a distraction and a reassurance at once.

Inanna stares at the both of you for a moment, before she lets out a grouchy whuff, absolutely glaring the both of you down, before she finally slips from between you. In the same way water fills any given gap, Muriel pulls you back towards him, closing the distance between you, before Inanna promptly begins to separate you once more. Biting at your clothes she tries to drag you out of bed, drag you away from Muriel, though she's quick to rectify her mistake when she jumps back onto the bed and begins to furiously headbutt Muriel from behind.

In that manner, silent even to Muriel, save for her grunts and whuffs, Inanna herds the both of you towards the door, and proceeds to headbutt the door open when she decides that the two of you take far too long to open it yourself.

Ah..... When had it started raining?

Thick as a curtain, the downpour looks as if the hut had suddenly been relocated beneath a waterfall. And it's noisy too. Even if you had closed the door, the thud of rain against the stone and wood and the trees all created a cacophony of noise near impossible to ignore. And yet, so...preoccupied...you managed just that.

Your blush returns with a vengeance, though you aren't even sure if it had ever left in the first place, and in an attempt to maybe escape the heat, you step out into the coldness, reaching out into the rain. It's as heavy as it looks, only a hint lighter than the force of a waterfall. Despite that, standing beneath the tree, you remain protected from the downpour. A tree alone wouldn't have been able to protect you, but one enchanted, with carvings around it's trunk and charms dangling from its branches, it's doing it's best. Still, it's a pretty feeble protection, perhaps you could improve it somehow. You let your mind wander for a few minutes thinking of improvements you could add to the enchantments. Things that you've learned about that could be used next time downpour this heavy occurred, however rare it may be.

Just about to share your plans with Muriel, when the door slammed behind you.  Both of you you spun around in horror mind racing between confusion and fear. Was that the wind or did—

You catch sight of him before you can even make your assumption.

Staring at the very same door as you Muriel looks far more betrayed than you had felt, his cheeks still pink tinted despite it. On the other side, Inanna barks loudly. In reply Muriel groans, and though he has no one to hide from Muriel covers his blush with a hand.

"She says she'd let us back in when we cool off."

....Oh.

Whatever progress you had made at cooling yourself off dissipates at Muriel's—or well, Inanna's—words. Even if it was true, even if the heat between the both of you had been.... Well..... Even then.... Your mind flooded once more. What had it looked like? Did you really seem so ravenous? You felt so but did it really look that much like...? Or did Inanna just have enough of the both of your nonsense? No, no surely it couldn't have been that... Right? She wouldn't just kick you out of the hut and lock the door without....? Speaking of, did Inanna even lock the door? Sure it was magic activated and she could have, but you didn't see the glow or—

"Are you okay? You're shivering."

Warm arms pull you into an even warmer chest, once more holding you tight against him, resting his face on the top of your head. Pressing a kiss into your hair.

Another kiss...

One you could return.

Or well, try to at least. When you tried to turn in his arms shuffling a little to try not to step on his toes in the process, Muriel only held you tighter against his chest still expecting you to try and run away. You couldn't exactly blame him for that though. If it were you, you'd probably do the same.

Instead, you revel a little in the warmth and the possessive little squeeze he gives you when you finally settle down, the second kiss he gives you, this time pressed to the very tip of your ear, taking the chance to enjoy it while he can't see your face, and the odd expression you surely have there. And yet you still itch to return his kisses in some way. With no other area of his body easy to access for you, you slip your hands up to one of his own, trying to coax it from it's grip around you and into your own hand, where you could raise it up to your lips, and press a kiss to his pulse, or his palm, or his calloused fingers or...

You can feel Muriel's grip grow ever so slightly tighter against you, keeping your back flush against his chest and letting you feel how he seems to grow warmer and warmer with every kiss. But with every caress you give him, and every kiss you plant on his arms and hands, Muriel readily gives you another to your ears or the top of your head, or your cheeks or your neck or your shoulders or....

With his arms looser around you now, you took the chance to turn back towards him, immediately burying yourself against his chest and pressing a kiss there, regardless of his shirt. You tried to hide your face for as long as you could, but you were eager to get your lips on his skin once more, and soon you were puling him by his cheeks down for you to reach, and he was holding you up by your waist, eager to reciprocate whatever you'd give.

Regardless of the rain or the wind, it was warm.

It'd probably take a while before you cooled off enough to go back inside...

After all, you wanted to get used to this warmth... Perhaps you should practice a little bit more.

✦✧✦✧ (Bonus!) ✧✦✧✦

Inanna stared at the door for a few minutes from where she laid nice and warm in front of the fireplace, awaiting the return of the both of you. Surely you wouldn't linger out in the rain for too long.... Right? Admittedly the comment she made was really just a joke. Revenge really, since the both of you had thought to kick her out into that rain, but she didn't intend for either of you to linger out there so long. She'd expect at least one of you to come banging on the door begging to be let back in, but the silence was deafening.

She waits for a few more moments, before she gives up and sighs, settling back down onto the floor and absorbing the warmth from the fireplace. It doesn't seem like you'll be back until you're both soaking wet and freezing your butts off and it'll be up to her to warm you both back up again, especially since both of your bodies are severely lacking fur.

She doesn't worry too much about the cold and wet though. You'll return when you grow tired of playing chase like little pups, and when you do, well...She didn't lock the door.

...

Hopefully one of you realizes that eventually.

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

Having access to them would ease this poor searchers mind 😄 I would love knowing how to find them! Its sucks that the post was taken down though 🫤 so sensitive nowadays

The Arcana HCs: How the M6 found some cool art

~ no comments on the second half of that ask, but here you go anon friend XD (this accidentally turned into a whole fic, so clear directions will be at the end) ~

It started with Portia

There's this book series that she's been a fan of for a long time, and rumor had it that if you went to a certain part of the town square at a certain time of day, the store that sold the books would be displaying sketches that the author had made

Unfortunately, Portia wasn't able to go. She was out of town doing important ambassador business and missed the window to view it

So she spent the next five hours ranting about it to her brother as soon as she was finished unpacking and he dropped by for tea

"Correct me if I'm wrong," said Julian, "but it's just art. Couldn't they show it again?"

"Ugh, I wish. But they said it was an exclusive event, and now some of the people that went keep referencing it and acting like they know more than everyone else, and you know I hate missing out!"

"Understood," said Julian, and he drained his teacup and backed out of the cottage before Portia could keep ranting

Several weeks later, Julian, Asra, Nadia, Muriel, Portia, and Lucio were all gathered at the magic shop. MC was out of town for a while, so they all crowded into their apartment to miss them better

Asra was lounging on the windowsill knitting, Muriel was skulking in the corner next to them, Nadia was reading her messages, Julian was listening to Portia's continued ranting, and they were all ignoring Lucio

"Let me get this straight," Julian began, tired of Portia's yelling

" - you're not." Asra interrupted, lazily stretching as they counted stitches

Julian rubbed at his face and continued. "If you want the art so bad, why don't you just take it?"

"Absolutely not." Nadia somehow managed to issue commands without even looking up from her phone.

"Why does Noddy have a phone?" Lucio asked. Nobody answered him

"Ugh, but I want to see it so bad!" Portia grumbled, letting her head fall into her arms with a thump.

"What was the name of the book series again?" Asra asked, ignoring the warning glare Julian shot their way as Portia geared up for another impassioned speech.

"Lonely Hot People Near You," she said, "but we just call it LHPNY."

"Oh." Nadia said, but it was the kind of "oh" that sounded more intrigued than understanding. "It looks like you might be able to see them after all."

Portia gasped. "Really?"

"Yes, but you'll need a friend."

"I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!" Julian's arm went up theatrically as he geared up to make his own impassioned speech. "It is every older brother's duty to make his younger sister happy -"

"Okay, but how?" Portia interrupted. "I thought you said not to do anything ... iffy."

"One of the bookstore employees made a post explaining how." Nadia held up her phone and the siblings leaned in. Over by the window, Asra was pulling up the link she'd sent them to show Muriel as well.

"You'll have to use their app."

"What's an app??" Lucio asked, but nobody answered him

"I don't want to have an account with them, though," Julian said. "I prefer academic journals."

"Neither of you has to make an account. Just give them your email. You can delete the app and unsubscribe later if you want to."

"Ohhh." The Devorak siblings nodded and pulled out their phones. Even Muriel looked intrigued at this point.

"Why does everyone have emails?!?" Lucio shrieked, as real-life technology became more involved in a plot set in a fantasy world. Nobody answered him.

"Now what?" Portia asked excitedly.

"Now one of you has to look up 'book club'," said Nadia, "and the other one of you has to sit on the page labeled 'streams' and wait."

"I'll look it up!" Portia crowed.

"I'll wait." Julian sighed.

Nadia nodded and continued. "Portia, have you found the selection you're looking for? Go ahead and pull it up. Hit 'stream' instead of 'play'."

"What happens if I hit 'play'?"

"You'll find a paywall that you'd have to pay about 27 USD to get enough points to unlock."

"For all of it?"

"For the first section. And it would only stay unlocked for one playthrough - if you wanted to see it again, you'd have to pay again." Nadia gave the window an inscrutable look

"What's USD???" Lucio begged, but nobody answered him.

"Got it." Portia stuck her tongue out in concentration, Asra coming to lean over her shoulder and get a peek at her screen.

"Pasha!" Julian looked scandalized. "Hotcatlady69? Really??"

"Join her stream," Nadia said unfazed. "Now that you have an audience, Portia, you should be able to unlock it all without paying anything."

Portia shrieked with delight as she tapped through the artwork on her screen. "These are so cool! Should I save them for later?"

"That's none of my business." Nadia sat back in her chair and coolly returned to her messages. She looked up from her phone again a few minutes later when Portia let out a disappointed sigh

"It's already done, and there were only twelve slides. I heard there were more."

Asra plucked her phone out of her hand and scrutinized the display, smirk tugging at their lips. "It's got multiple parts. Do it again."

Portia gasped and snatched it back. "Yes! Ilya, don't sign off."

"I wouldn't dream of it." Julian sighed and sat back, happy to see his sister appeased for the first time in weeks. "Have at it."

"Oh, that one looks like Muriel," Asra commented from where they were leaning over Portia's shoulder, "send it to me."

"I'll put it in the group chat when I'm done."

Nadia sighed and sent them a mildly disapproving glance. "I didn't hear that."

"Whatever happened to 'be gay, do crime' Nadi?" Asra chuckled as Portia finished her second round of artwork

Nadia raised an eyebrow with a small smile and didn't answer.

"There's only two parts!" Portia wailed, ending her stream and leaning back with a huff.

"Are you done?" Julian asked, long fingers wrapping around his phone and tapping at his cracked screen. "I'm deleting the app, then, I need more room for my theatre recordings."

"There'll be more, see?" Asra pointed at the part on Portia's screen that said "ongoing".

"I guess I can wait," Portia sighed, tapping over to her messages and typing away.

Lucio reached into his pocket, where something was beginning to chime, and shrieked when he pulled out a phone of his own. "WHY DO I HAVE ONE OF THESE TOO?!?" he cried, on the verge of a mental breakdown. Nobody answered him

"Why is he in the group chat?" Muriel grumbled

"I don't know," Julian sighed, "he just is. Oh-ho, this one looks like me."

A few days later, Nadia would overhear Valerius grumbling over Lucio's risk-taking habits when he runs across the town square, scattering the art as he goes after Asra dared him to.

"That Fool," she chuckled.

QUICK INSTRUCTIONS:

open the app

you won't need to make an account, just put in your email and give yourself a username and skip the rest

select "the arcana book club" and hit stream

get a friend to hop onto the stream (technically, your stream needs an audience. you only need one viewer)

it'll all show up on your screen when you vote on "unlock"/"continue"

there's multiple parts, so if you choose to replay it you might see more

there may be more parts added in the future

do with that information what you will, your decisions are yours to make

[endupherefic]

Welcome!

Hello, everyone! My name is Chandani, but you can call me Dani. I run a blog @bakuliwrites which is a multi-fandom headcanon/fan fic blog (with a main focus on The Arcana, BG3, and JJK). If you've been following me for a while and are a fan of The Arcana, then you may know that I've been working on a multi-part fanfiction called End Up Here, which tells the tale of a Julian x Lucio x Apprentice path from Pre-Plague to Post-Game. I'm currently on part two of this four part series. This fanfic is rated MATURE and deals with a lot of heavy, emotional content along with general adult content. MINORS DNI. I will mark chapters with any explicit content accordingly.

I've taken a long break from this fanfiction to get my bearings and work on a couple other projects. But I'm gearing up to begin working on it again and decided, to keep things a little more organized, I would devote a separate blog to this fic. This is my passion project and my love letter to The Arcana. I have loved every moment of working on this and can't wait to continue.

On this blog, you can expect fic updates, random musings, lots of Arcana content, and what not. My inbox is usually open to questions/comments. But please keep it kind and respectful! I hope that you enjoy and have fun on here! Looking forward to posting more. I'll be uploading links to each chapter on AO3 on this blog over the course of the next several weeks while I'm working on part two. Thanks for being here and hope you are doing well! 💜

[rubinaitoart]

Having thoughts about an AU for Auric and Muriel’s story. Been drawing something for it too, maybe I’ll write a one-shot.

(Putting the ramble below the cut so I don’t clog up the tags with a long-ass post. Also: Spoilers for Muriel’s route + my fanfic. Not that I’ve published anything yet, it’s all sitting in drafts.)

But like… what if they never made their respective decisions to leave the environment that they were trapped in? For Muriel, that would be being Lucio’s gladiator and fighting in the colosseum. For Auric, it would be being in the palace and continuing following in his brother (Valerius)’s footsteps.

In this hypothetical scenario, Muriel would’ve never had to face Inanna in the colosseum. Which never would’ve spurred him to leave. And glancing at my timeline, this would roughly mean he’s been in the colosseum for about 6-8 years, by the time of the one-shot I would write for this.

Auric would probably become one of the Courtiers—or, rather, Courtier-adjacent. Like a Consul in training or something, filling in for Valerius when needed. He would’ve never run away and met Asra, and his own journey on figuring out his gender identity would’ve been almost entirely on his own.

I think the first time they would even see each other would be during a colosseum fight. Auric would be in the grandstand, in the area reserved for the courtiers, not really wanting to be there. I don’t think they would talk, but I do know Lucio would notice right away that Auric seems curious about Muriel and would set up a meeting between them. (Lucio kinda played the role of an annoying older brother/frenemy for Auric during his life in the palace, and there’s no reason as to why that wouldn’t continue in this AU.)

Romance between them would be… slow, given Muriel’s circumstances and headspace. And when I say slow I mean even slower than the slowburn fic I’m writing. The man isn’t in a good spot for any kind of relationship beyond maybe a tentative friendship. But when it does happen, it gives Muriel that final little push to say ‘fuck it, I’m running away’ just like he did with Inanna. He just happens to bring Auric with him so they can both escape their respective prisons and be somewhere nobody can find them. (Except Asra.)

Interestingly enough, this is also about the time Auric caught the plague in their canon storyline. I’m sure there’s something angsty I could do with that, I’m just too tired to think about it right now.

[sweetcherry-exe]

Lost love, found love

Authors note: I recently got into the game The Arcana and I got attached to Lucio 🫠 I’ve done Julian’s and Muriel’s route as well, Julian’s being my first but I of course got attached to the one character so many people hate. I’ve done Lucios route twice now and I’ve spent over $30 for coins to get the “premium” options for this white man. I’ve been going through some really emotional times at home and I decided to write a comfort fic for Lucio. This was originally never going to be posted for others to see, but I decided to post some of it. Most of it will not be shared except for most of the main part I wrote comfort wise as the rest is to personal and close to my life to share. I hope you all understand and I hope you enjoy 🍒

Lucio x chubby trans! Male reader

CW: oral, possibly ooc Lucio

Word count: 1,669

Not proofread

You stood in front of Lucios' office door debating if you truly wanted to knock. It’s been over a year since the incidents with the Devil and you had been avoiding him. You shook your head remembering that Nadia had asked you to work with Lucio making sure he stayed on task and didn’t get into any trouble. With a sigh you knocked on the door, hearing a grumble and a slight ‘come in’ you walked into his office closing the door behind you before turning to face Lucio. Lucio grinned as he saw you enter the room throwing his arms up slightly “Well well well if it isn’t Y/n” he stood up walking towards you. “It’s been so long since we have seen each other dear Y/n, if I didn’t know any better I would think you have been avoiding me,” Lucio said as he continued toward you. You could feel Lucio's warmth from his body as he nearly had you backed up against the door stuttering with your words “well- I..well listen you see it’s not that I’ve been avoiding you...I’ve uh? Been busy!” Lucio had you pushed up against the door now as he brought his hand up grazing your cheek slightly “oh yes my darling magician, you must oh so busy taking care of that shop you work in.” With a nod you looked down at the floor staring at Lucio's shoes, he sighed bringing his golden clawed hand up lifting your chin so you were looking at him. Blushing deeply you pushed his hand away from his face attempting to move away from him “I’m here by the order of Countess Nadia to keep you in check and to make sure you stay on task until you can 100% prove you’re capable of working by yourself.” Lucio groaned rolling his eyes as he draped his arm around your shoulder “oh please, does everyone think I need a babysitter?!” You held in a laugh as you nudged him gently in the side.

Lucio moved his arm from around your shoulder down to your waist and you couldn’t help but get nervous. You could feel Lucios' hand slowly grip the fat of your side as he led you over to the sofa in his office before pushing you down sitting next to you throwing his arm back around your shoulder. Lucio started talking but you couldn’t hear what he was saying, the thoughts in your head were drowning everything out from ‘what if he finds you disgusting’ to ‘he doesn’t truly care for you, you avoided him.’ Lucio stopped talking as he heard you let out a sob, panicking slightly he gently used his clawed arm to make you look at him “Oh my darling Y/n, what’s wrong? Did I say something to upset you?” You shook your head lightly as you used a hand to wipe away your tears “I’m sorry Lucio, it’s not anything you might’ve said it’s just my thoughts.” You told Lucio about all the insecurities and thoughts you have and he sat in silence for a moment before he pulled you up off the sofa and gently tossed you over the shoulder.

You let out a yelp and Lucio walked out of his office and down towards his bedroom “w-wait Lucio where are you taking me! We still have work that needs to be done by tonight” you tried saying as he let out a laugh swinging the door open walking towards his bed gently tossing you down onto it. You could feel your body jiggle slightly as you could hear Lucio close the door, before you could say anything Lucio situated himself on top of you, his knees at both sides of you. Your eyes looked everywhere but Lucio as you could feel him lean down, his hand caressing your cheek lightly before speaking “Look at me Y/n, you find all these insecurities about yourself that I simply adore about you.” Lucio grinned a bit as he pressed a quick kiss to your lips watching as your face turned a shade of red. You adverted your eyes again as you could hear Lucio groan but before he could speak you cut him off. “Lucio…are you sure you find me..this body of mine attractive?” Your eyes started to water slightly as Lucio looked at you without saying a word. Before you could attempt to move out from beneath him he let out a loud laugh that startled you “Oh y/n you truly think so little of me? I mean have you seen how you look?” Lucio scooped you up into his arms before laying you up further into the bed.

You let out a yelp as your head came into contact with the pillows and Lucios’ hands gripping your waist as he pushed himself down against you. Your eyes widened as you could feel how hard he was as you looked up at him, his face a shade of red with a smirk adorned on his face. Wiping away some of the tears that still rolled down your cheeks Lucio leaned down pressing a kiss to your cheek. “Don’t you feel how you’re making me feel darling? Your body is absolutely beautiful and I’ll spend every second tonight ravishing you until you realize that.” Lucio said before running his hand through your hair and kissing you. You hesitantly closed your eyes kissing Lucio back, you could feel him smirk into the kiss slightly as he grinded his hips against yours causing you to moan into the kiss. Lucio pulled back sitting up on your lap removing the cape and sash unceremoniously throwing them to the floor before unbuttoning his shirt and pausing.

You watched as Lucio hesitated before removing his prosthetic laying it on the bed taking his shirt off completely giving you a crooked smile. Smiling back up at Lucio you leaned up pressing your hand to his cheek as he leaned into your touch “You look just as amazing without your golden arm as you do with it on Lucio.” He grinned as he reached down for his prosthetic putting it back on before wrapping his arms around your waist and pushing you into his chest. “I could say the same to you Y/n, you look stunning and I must say I adore your extra weight,” Lucio said before pressing a kiss to your forehead and winking at you “makes for extra loving and grabbing to mark you as mine.” You tilted your head at his slightly funny but endearing words before smiling at him and kissing him slightly “thank you darling” you said as you laid back onto the bed pulling him down with you.

You could feel Lucios' hands roam all over your body as he marked up your neck, lightly biting down once in a while as you let out breathy moans. You could feel as Lucios' hand gently played with the hem of your pants pulling his head back slightly and looking at you for an answer. You nervously nodded lifting your hips so it was easier for Lucio to remove your pants, before he could remove your underwear you stopped him. “Lucio before we move further there’s something I have to tell you” Lucio looked up at you showing that you had his full attention. You let out a shaky sigh “Lucio I wasn’t born a male…I’m trans. I don’t have a well- you know” you looked at Lucios' face as he took in the information. You were about to speak up telling him that you would just leave but he leaned up kissing you softly as he ran his clawed hand gently through your hair. “That doesn’t change the fact that you’re still a man and that I still harbor feeling towards you Y/n,” Lucio said as he reached a hand down rubbing you through your underwear. You let out a moan as you felt Lucios' fingers slip under your underwear rubbing you as he sucked at your neck which was sure to leave marks.

With a quick kiss on your lips, Lucio went back to his task of removing your underwear completely throwing it into a random corner of the room. You let out a whiney breath as you felt Lucio's fingers slowly slip into you Lucio winked at you before leaning his head down taking your clit in his mouth sucking and biting. You tossed your head back reaching down and gripping his hair with your hands as you moaned and cried out as Lucios' fingers moved in you as his mouth tortured your clit. You nearly ripped out Lucios' hair when he pulled his fingers out of you and pulled his head back away from your heat as you looked up at him with a smirk on his face. “As much as I would love to have you cumming on my fingers” Lucio removed your hands from his hair as he sat up unbuttoning his pants “I’d much rather have you cumming around my cock.”

You blushed as you nervously watched Lucio remove his pants and boxers in one go your eyes widened at his size. Lucio smirked as he watched you take in his size, his cock hit his stomach slightly as he adjusted himself properly in between your legs. You stuttered as you watched him lean over you reaching for a jar of oil “How- how is that going to even fit Inside of me?” Lucio leaned back to his spot between your legs opening the jar of oil as he scooped some up into his fingers before he coated himself looking up at you with a grin. “Don’t worry about that darling, I’ll make sure it fits” he winked as he screwed the lid back onto the jar setting it down somewhere on the bed. That’s when you knew it was going to be a long night as you watched Lucio work the oil over his cock, when he said we would ravish you, he meant it.

[countessmorgasson]

Life of Luxury

Angsty scene featuring my newly created OC! I’m most likely going to use this scene in a longer fic, but I figured I could put a snippet out if anyone’s curious :)

(Disclaimer: Female MC, based on Lucio’s route)

A year after the devil’s defeat, plans for the next masquerade fall into place. Oliviette is temporarily living in the palace as a stand in for Nadia who has a matter to settle in Prakra before the celebration.

I can let my cloak hood down once I reach the palace. What a relief. As I enter through the main hall, I sneak a peek into the first room- the salon. Nobody is there. I think back to the meetings I had here with Nadia, the first countess. I truly hope she’ll be home soon. 

A few days ago, Nadia stopped by the shop- just like she had the first time I ever met her. She informed me that she had to rush back to her homeland to settle a... private matter. That’s all she would say, I remember.  Of course, she wouldn’t leave Vesuvia completely under Lucio’s control. She assured me of that, and despite the uncomfortable feeling I felt when she went on about his lack of responsibility... I had to agree. It was too soon, not just for him, but for Vesuvia.  Before I know it, I’ve been granted access to the palace for the rest of the week while Nadia returns to Prakra. 

Living at the palace does have it’s upside, of course- in many ways, but Vesuvia doesn’t feel quite the same without our honorable countess.

I catch myself wondering if she decided to leave Vesuvia now, that we’ve begun preparations for the masquerade. I couldn’t blame her if she had.  We all know how last year went...

I shake my head, freeing myself of those memories. It was over now. This year will be... a real celebration.

I enter the kitchen, watching one of the cooks stumble against the wall in shock. 

“Oh, um... Oliviette!” He bows, to my embarrassment. “What brings you to the kitchen? Are you hungry? We haven’t finished supper but we can surely fix you something-“

“Please,” I blush. I’m still not used to this treatment. “I only came to hand you this.” I reach into my bag and pull out a small container. I press it into the cook’s hand, watching as he inspects the jar curiously.

“It’s mint. I’d like to make mint chocolate cookies for the masquerade.”

“Absolutely, miss. We can-“

“Actually... I’d like to make them myself. At least one batch.”

The cook’s eyes widen once more.

“We can’t ask you to cook- and on the day of the masquerade, no less! You’re a friend of the palace- and-” I gently wave the thought away, smiling through my discomfort. I’m not used to being treated like... well, like Nadia, I suppose. 

“I look forward to it.”

I exit the kitchen, despite the cook’s confusion. I stroll down the hallway, hearing someone’s boots clack against the tile flooring.

Finally, a familiar face beams at me from across the hall.

“Julian?” I stroll quickly to catch up to him, watching his famous smile break out as I approach. I’m tempted to hug him, but it feels kind of weird to do that in these halls. We’re both here as professionals. I decide to settle for a beaming smile. “Long time no see! How was your study abroad?”

Dr. Julian Devorak was now the official physician for the court. Just recently he embarked on a trip to Romania for a lecture by the world renowned Franklin Deveere, master of the arts and sciences.

“Oliviette.” Julian bows with a dramatic swish of his black cape, and for a minute I forget where I am. I scoff.

“Come on. Don’t be so formal.”

“Formal? Don’t take yourself so seriously, dear. Look at yourself! You’re practically the Countess of Vesuvia! Even if it’s for a week. I heard about you helping the palace out once again.”

I feel my neck and ears begin to burn at the thought of being considered anything like a countess. It almost felt unfair to think it. “Tell me about your trip.” I wave off what he said. Julian starts out with a conflicted expression, but eventually he melts into a polite smile.

“I had an amazing time in Romania! Deveere and I are much alike, I’ll have you know. In fact, we became quite friendly. The things that man has seen... I may never tire of his stories.”

“I’m glad to hear it- and I’m so excited you’ll be here for the masquerade! I never realized how taxing it was to plan it.” I beam, but Julian settles into a forced smile by now.

“I forgot that it was happening this year.”

Not again. He must have seen my face fall.

“I mean, that’s sort of why I’m here,” I admit. 

Was it wrong of me, after everything that happened, to be excited about the masquerade? I never really got to attend one. I don’t think last year counts. If I had been to one before, I wouldn’t remember it. 

“I’m sorry, Oliviette,” Julian winces. “I just can’t help but feel... odd, at the thought of the masquerade being held again.”

I nod glumly, knowing I’m taking his concerns more personally than I should be. 

“I understand... I just... this time, it’ll be done right. It'll all go well. No arcana, no creepy spells... just music, food and the people of Vesuvia. I’m personally overseeing a lot of the main attractions. This is kind of... my project.”

Mine and Lucio’s that is, but I don’t think that’ll make it any better for him.

Julian nods with a smile, but I still feel hurt.

“You’re too much of a thespian to fake a smile like that.”

He apologies again.

“It’s okay. Just... tell me what you’d like to see at the masquerade, I’ll make it happen! Fire dancing? Exotic animals? Oh- we could have the barkeeps from the Rowdy Raven come and-“

“No.” Julian blushes feverishly. “Excuse me. I don’t mean to be brash, but... I would prefer not to.”

I feel my heart sink.

“Does that mean you’re not coming either?”

“Either?”

“I spoke to Asra earlier today. Based on our conversation, I doubt he’ll be stepping foot in the palace anytime soon.”

Julian thinks on what I’ve said for a moment, but the way he looks at me brings back that lead in my stomach. He’s choosing his words carefully- that usually means he’s going to hurt me.

“Oliviette... I don’t think you realize how painful this is for Asra.” He admits. I feel another blush on my cheeks, thinking about my old friend.  I’ve only been in the palace about a week, but my relationship with Asra... took a bit of a turn, a long time ago. 

Last year, in fact. 

“What? That’s not fair,” I huff.

“I...I’m just telling you what I think.”

“If anyone should be hurt, it’s me!” I can’t stop the words from coming out. “Asra was supposed to be my best friend-”

I cut myself off. Julian’s heard this a thousand times. Even so, he bows his head in shame. He doesn’t speak- he’s trying to remain diplomatic.

“You don’t agree with me?”

“Oliviette...” he sighs painfully, turning his mask over in his gloved hands. I didn’t see it before. It was new- sleek and black, with the sharp beak similar to a raven’s. It sends me back to my first time meeting Julian- his long, sharp mask nearly scaring the life out of me that night in the shop. Those memories feel like an entire different lifetime.

I sigh bitterly. My own friends watch their words so carefully around me these days. Don’t they trust me more than that?

“Why did you choose him?” Julian finally sighed.

Hearing that made me feel cold. I guess he wasn’t watching his words as carefully as I thought. 

“Julian...”

“You could have had anyone in Vesuvia. Asra, Portia... hell, even Nadia would have whisked you away to Prakra with her.” Julian’s cheeks began to grow red. “Me.” He says that quietly, and then takes a breath. By now I feel nauseated. We both know what he wants to really say.

You shouldn’t be with Lucio. How could you be? What do you see in him?

“I will be at the masquerade,” he finally confirms. “With all the excitement and drinking, the palace could use a physician on duty.”

I want to be mad, so badly. Instead, I feel my throat constrict with the painful threat of tears. My eyes burn, and I look directly in Julian’s eyes, focusing on his eyepatch for a split second. I understood that he was still upset with Lucio, and that he and Asra may never forgive him... but... they were my friends too. Shouldn’t they be happy that I’m happy? 

“I see.” My voice wavers, and he looks away in guilt. “Well... I guess you just returned. You must be tired. I have to speak with the landscapers, so I... will see you soon. Good night, Dr. Devorak.”

Julian flinches when I call him that, but I pass him quickly, suddenly wishing I was back at the shop.

[autumnywinter]

Yandere Lucio fic?x Maybe the MC brings him back but she’s under the impression it’s platonic

i haven’t played his route so this might be completely ooc or i might just details wrong, so if i do i’m sorry! just pretend this is a slight au if i do mess up some details ^^;

TW: Nonconsensual touching (nothing sexual though), implied kidnapping, violence

It’s been almost a month since you brought Lucio back.

You remember him being very self-centered and cocky, but he seemed a tad bit… different, ever since you brought him back.

Maybe he’s just grateful to be alive? Maybe he’s just still confused? He was brought back from the dead, after all.

But for a month? That certainly doesn’t sound like him.

He’s been more quiet, more clingy.

Of course he’d still throw in a snarky comment more often than anyone else normally would, but his eyes didn’t show the sneer it used to. Not toward you, at least.

You knock on his door and you hear ruffling at first.

Lucio opens the door, showing a glare at first but his lips quirking into an immediate smile once he looked at you.

He leans on the doorframe. “Hey, hot-stuff. Need anything?” His voice is teasing as always, but not in the mocking way reserved for everyone else.

Too bad you failed to recognize it.

“Uh, actually, I just came to say hello. Just keeping tabs on you,” you chuckle.

He smirks. “Worried about me?”

You huff. “Not worried. Just making sure you’re adjusting well. I mean, that’s what friends do, right?”

His smile fades for a split second, and before you could notice it, he pulls you in his room.

“Make yourself comfy,” he says, his sultry voice more light but somewhat empty. “I’ve been so lonely recently. I could sure use the company.”

So, you sit on the edge of his bed. “What have you been doing recently?”

Lucio stares at you for a moment.

Trying to win you over, he thinks, but it isn’t an innocent thought. Why must you be so damn oblivious? You’ll end up killing me a second time if you keep this act up.

He pauses. That must be it! This is all an act! Just a way to lead me on. You know what you’re doing. You know we’re not friends.

We’re something more special.

We’re something more intimate.

He strides closer to you. “I’ve been… appreciating the little things a bit more. I’ve realized how lucky I am to be brought back. Especially, by you.”

You flinch a little at his close contact.

This isn’t weird, right? He usually calls you strange pet names, he usually gives you peculiar compliments.

This isn’t so different, right?

“By me?” you ask quietly. “What do you mean?”

Lucio bites back a scoff. “Oh, you know. You know you just love to lead me on, darling. I’ve grown bored of your games.”

“G-- Games? What’re you--”

He pins you to the cold, hard wall and looks at you not with love nor lust.

Probably because at that moment, he looks like nothing but a monster.

Smirking, he slurs, “You know I’ve been chasing you since day one, Y/n. You just wanted to make me chase you more. You’re thrilled by getting attention from me. I was a fool for not realizing it until now.”

“You’re my friend!” you cry loudly. “I’m not chasing you, I never was! Why--”

“Then why would you even bother bringing me back, hm? Why?”

“You! Are! My! Friend!” you shout in a terrified tone, just praying for when he’d release his grip on you.

Not only did his grip terrify you, but it also hurt badly. His claw-like hand was close to digging into your side while the other one threatingly gripped your waist.

He shakes his head angrily. “No. No! Friends don’t do that!” He looks like he’s about to continue but you shove him off you.

Clenching your fist as he falls to the ground, you hiss, “Don’t ever touch me again! I saved you because you’re a close friend of mine! We aren’t that close!”

He stands quickly. “You’re so ungrateful. You really won’t be satisfied until I give my all to you, huh?” he barks. “What the fuck do I gotta do to appease to you?”

“Well, right now I’d love for you to never talk to me again!”

You stand but he’s quick to forcefully pull you in his chest, his grip almost suffocating.

“I love you,” he growls into the crook of your neck. “I love you and I know you love me. You brought me back! That is what someone who loves someone would do.” He pushes your head into his chest firmly. “I’d certainly do the same for you, my love.”

“You-- you’re not the same,” you choke, your voice muffled as you continue to fight back. “Please stop…”

If fighting back won’t do anything, maybe begging will, right?

But when you look at him, you see he only looks delighted to hear your begging.

“I’ve always been like this, Y/n,” he chuckles with a dark smile. “I think I’ve just grown impatient to your antics.”

You decide if you can’t choose fight, you’ll choose flight.

Quick on your feet, you push him off not as hard as last time, but still hard enough to make him loose his balance.

He curses under his breath, and he looks to see the door slam shut.

You think you’re lucky that he doesn’t chase after you, but deep down you know he’s going to be coming for you when you least expect it.

But that part is the part that thrills him.

You want to play that hard to get? Fine. Besides, he loves a person who’ll have him work to get his reward.

And when he does, he will savor every second of it.

[nitewrighter]

Satya and Lucio having a conversation with maximum snide at each other and Pharah and Dva are just >_> <_< though it all.

Honestly, going off of Lúcio's "Vishkar's just using you!" voice lines, I don't think he'd be as snide with Symmetra as people like to think. I think Lúcio recognizes, on certain levels, what Vishkar can provide people with: shelter, security, maybe even identity in a weird way--but he knows the price for all that is basically signing your life and your freedom over to them. I feel like a solid amount of his beef with Symmetra also comes from his frustration that, at her core, he knows she thinks she's doing the right thing, and he just doesn't know how to make her see that she's with the wrong people. Plus in my fic continuity, Symmetra kind of leaves Vishkar on her own so her entry into Overwatch is kind of awkward for Lúcio, who like, painstakingly was trying to convince her to get away from Vishkar and it's like, "Oh... you were listening, but you weren't going to hear it from me."

Lúcio: ...so run it by me again.

Symmetra: *huff* I received an anonymous data package from a hacker identifying themselves as Nīda. It contained incontrovertible proof that Vishkar was involved with Talon--using areas damaged by Talon to create new developments, feeding Talon's ranks with charges from our own orphanages, both organizations supporting each other. It claimed to stand for order, but ultimately was allied with an organization for chaos. Of course receiving this data painted a target on my back, so Overwatch more or less had to kidnap me to assure my safety.

Lúcio: ...and that's what convinced you. Not... 'hey, people don't appreciate being used for cheap labor and having curfews put on them and having their homes bulldozed to make room for soulless blindingly white buildings'

Symmetra: ...

Symmetra: *glances off*

Lúcio: ...okay that was a little harsh on my end. But like... just so we're clear, okay?

Symmetra: I just assumed they would understand... once they saw how much better things were. It just... needed time.

Lúcio: ...

Lúcio: ...you would have gotten along well with my dad.

Symmetra: Hm?

Lúcio: He loved the everyone in the Favelas, but he did want things to be cleaner, safer... He never did know how to how to reconcile Vishkar's vision with the Rio he always knew. He understood that people are messy... complicated.

Symmetra: But at their core, most people just want a place to belong.

Lúcio: ...Yeah. *snort* I guess that's why you're here now, right?

Symmetra: *scoffs and shrugs a little* Doing what I always have. 'Making a better world.'

Lúcio: A messy, messy world.

Symmetra: *smiles* I'm still getting used to that part.

[arsenicxarcana]

o3o

have a mega-rough draft of whatever the hell this is bc it lives rent-free in my head

obviously may not flow the same way by the time i get there (if i get there) in said fic (if i make it) but the general idea is he's been in there long enough arsenic is kinda used to it

***

As they went in for another kiss, Arsenic felt oddly gentle tugging at the back of their mind, like pulling on someone's sleeve to get their attention.

... can I--? His voice was quiet and unsure.

They couldn't help but feel incredulous. He was actually asking for permission?

At once the presence withdrew, like a wolf shying away from firelight, clear emotional hurt throbbing through their chest. This obviously wasn't what he wanted to hear.

Ugh, forget it. Enjoy yourself.

Against their better judgment, they reached out for him, gently tugging him forward until that odd sensation of both being the actor and the observer came back, standing side by side in their mind.

Nadia pulled back for only a moment, to catch her breath, and as she moved back in, Arsenic stepped all the way back.

***

The next thing they knew she was staring at them with alarm and concern, eyes wide and searching their face for something they weren't sure they wanted to know what it was.

"You-- you're crying." She frowned. "Are you alright? Are you hurt??"

They blinked, and sure enough, there was the sensation of wetness at the corner of their eye.

Why would they be-- oh.

There was a heavy feeling in their chest, as if their heart had been completely crushed, and they were pretty sure it wasn't theirs.

Despite the pain, they smiled. "It's okay, Nadi. Just a little overwhelmed, that's all."

As Nadia continued to fuss over them - leaving an ear open to make sure they didn't miss anything she said - Arsenic turned their attention towards the heavy lump in the corner once more.

What's wrong? What happened?

This time when they reached for him, he jerked further back.

I said... some stuff. Lucio's voice was subdued again, as if holding back his own tears. Stuff I should've said a long time ago.

There was a brief flash of desperately peppered kisses and reverent chanting against her throat, skirting the edge of his memory. They didn't have to peer too far in to know what it was.

And she said it back.

Oh no.

She said your name.

I'm sorry. Was all they could think to say.

There was the familiar snap of anguish into anger, a pained snarl in their mind. Why the hell did you make me do that? Do you get off on taunting me like this?

I didn't MAKE you do anything. You asked. I was just--

They weren't sure how to finish that thought. What did they hope to accomplish by obliging him?

In lieu of words, they attempted to offer him that brief feeling of euphoria before it had turned to ash in both their hands. He had been happy too, if only for a moment. They were sure of it.

It didn't make it across their mind before the crushing heartbreak returned, almost as if he was shoving it back at them.

Shut the fuck up and leave me alone.

[isabellehemlock]

Endless Ocean (Soft) Sequel Snippet

As voted by the readers from this reader celebration post, here's a 1k snippet of the sequel to Endless Ocean.  The second most voted for request was EO memes, and if you'd like to see those, click here.

Special thanks to @shadowhannibad who once again was kind enough to beta this for me, and go over the outline I pieced together from our ramblings (and give me feedback!) over the second most awesome couple in this fic.

Please don't look under the cut if you'd like to avoid spoilers for Endless Ocean, but I'll include the set up of the scene as well.

Endless Love will focus on Lucio and Derek, where we’ll see a few things from their perspective. Just about half of the fic will showcase key scenes from Endless Ocean but through unexplored dynamics that will hopefully only enrich what our readers have read.  We'll learn how things blossomed between these two, as well as Lucio's healing journey. The second half of the fic will continue where EO ended, and show Joe and Nicky’s wedding, and a time jump sequel of happily ever after for both couples.

The scene below takes place the night before the wedding ;)

When the conversation had shifted once again, Derek took the opportunity to quietly leave the table and head out to the large stone patio attached to the restaurant. 

He suspected Nicky had likely hoped for a few uninterrupted moments to himself, but Derek wasn’t exactly sure when else he’d be able to talk to him one on one like this.  So along the way he picked up a beer not only for himself, but for Nicky as well, a sort of peace offering for interrupting his likely one quiet moment for the evening.

Passing through the curved archway, the humidity of the summer season made the air thick, and he was grateful for the cold temp of the beer to keep him cool as they talked, “Needed to get away for a few minutes?”

It was his roundabout way of asking if Nicky begrudged him for intruding, but he simply glanced at him from over his shoulder with a soft smile, “Just a few.”

Derek stepped up beside him, silently offering the second beer, and Nicky reached for it, the henna markings still captivating him as easily as they had when he first saw them tonight, “Who did those for you?”

“Fatima, the designs are beautiful,” Nicky smiled down at his free hand, stretching his fingers slightly and curving his wrist to show off the details under the soft glow of the nearby lamps, “The whole time she was making them, she talked about how excited she was for us.”

Derek had only met the woman the day before when Lucio and him had first arrived at the hotel, but she was just as charming and warm as Joe was.  He could imagine the scene of Nicky sitting there as still as possible, trying not to mess her up as she applied the ink, while she likely became more animated as she went.  

He liked to believe that in a way she was.

When Nicky took a swig from the bottle Derek looked back towards the dinner hall, at the long table for the wedding party, and at everyone enjoying the rehearsal dinner, “Nervous about tomorrow?”

Nicky followed his line of sight, turning around and leaning back on the stone railing with a grin, “Not at all.”

A moment passes where they watch Joe and Fatima, flanked by Lucio and Ahmed, laughing over empty plates and half drunk wine glasses.  The evening was winding down, and Derek knew he was running out of time, “I’m sorry for asking this now, but I figured tomorrow would be too busy,”

He was glad that Nicky had her support about the marriage, though Derek was sure he wished his own mother was here to see him, too.  

He could feel Nicky’s eyes on him, but Derek stared down at the bottle, thumbing at the edge of the label as a mild distraction for the nerves, “What would you think of me asking your Dad to marry me?”

When Nicky didn’t answer right away, Derek raised his gaze towards him, only to see him biting down on his bottom lip, trying to contain a smile.  When their eyes met, he turned his head towards the dinner hall, a teasing tone to his voice, “Are you asking me for my opinion, or telling me about your decision?”

Derek hoped he wasn’t misreading him, Nicky tended to keep his feelings close to his chest.  But he seemed comfortable in the moment, and Derek figured he should just tell him what he wanted, “Actually, I’m sort of hoping for your blessing here,”

“Really?” Nicky tipped his head as he peered up at him, “That’s kind of sweet of you.”

Derek wasn’t sure if bringing up any references to the past would sour the moment, but he wanted to be honest, “I just wouldn’t mean to cause any sort of problems between you two, not when things have been improving lately.”

Nicky didn’t look away this time, his smirk fading and replaced with a gentle smile, “I know my Dad has been working hard, but I suspect you had a little something to do with that, too.”

Derek wasn’t so sure about that.  Sure, he had encouraged him to reach out first, and he was grateful to be there every step of the way as they mended things between them, but Lucio was the one who did the work.  

Nicky straightened, more at his eye level now, and far more serious then Derek had imagined he could be.  Joe was right, his eyes were quite piercing when they were fixed on you like this.  Still, his tone was light, encouraging even as he said the words he had hoped for, “It’s not my permission to give, but you have my blessing.”

Derek let out a sharp breath, beyond relieved as he hung his head, trying not to fist bump the air and call attention over to them.  This was just step one of the plan, and the last thing he needed was Lucio catching on before he was ready for step two. 

He had planned to step away, to give Nicky a quiet thank you, let him enjoy those few minutes by himself he was seeking.  But as soon as he looked back at him, and saw Nicky’s own warm smile, he reached for him and pulled him into a hug. 

He was about to point out that Nicky deserved just as much attention on his wedding day, but then again, he knew Joe would be seeing to that.  As for Derek, he had no plans to do it then, but as he grinned back at Nicky, he hinted, “I promise to wait till you two have sped off in the getaway car.”

Nicky was kind enough to return it, and when they pulled apart, he gave him a playful smirk, “Just don’t propose at my reception, I want Joe to have all the attention he deserves tomorrow.”

[bakuliwrites]

Spicy content in the works. After I post chapter 8 of EUH, I'll continue working on the follow up fic to Venerate (link in my Arcana Table of Contents). Sneak peek below for the follow up fic. 18+ of course.

“Do what you will,” she states, using Lucio’s legs as her own personal arm rests, giving them a quick squeeze, “You’ve attended to me quite well tonight, already, Lucio. Maybe it’s your turn-”

“Pfft, and you think I’m done?” he laughs, raising a skeptical eyebrow and, with one finger under her chin, tilting the Apprentice’s head up to look at him, “The night is young. And I promised that you would be worshipped. That’s exactly what I intend to do. But-”

Lucio gives another rough yank of Julian’s leash, causing him to come to a wobbly standing position. Julian rests his hands to either side of Lucio and the Apprentice, face just centimeters from Lucio’s.

“Let’s have Julian watch,” the former-Count suggests, breath fanning across Julian’s lips. 

[q-u-a-rantine-high-school]

ASRA Pt. 2

Pairing: Lucio x GN Apprentice

You can find the first part here by @sisi-halloway

No warnings for this part, though the first part is NSFW

Fic under the cut, Enjoy!

After your last fight you'd been hoping it'd be exactly that, your last, but here you are. Fighting… again. Although, considering the way the last one ended this was probably inevitable.

"YOU DON'T EVEN LEAVE THE DOGS HERE!" You scream, tears welling in your eyes as your voice shakes.

"Well, they are my dogs, they go everywhere with me!" Lucio shouts back.

"And then what? You just leave them in a hotel by themselves? Take them to the fucking club with you?" You yell, genuinely curious.

"Of course not!" He says, making a face like he thinks you're an idiot.

"Then what!? Leave them with a friend? If you're not going to do anything with them, then just leave them at home! With me! I can take care of them, and at least I'll have somebody to keep me company, even if they're just dogs!" An offended whine sounds behind you.

"What about Asra, huh? What happened to him?" Lucio asks tauntingly.

"OH, WILL YOU SHUT. UP. ABOUT ASRA!" You scream once more.

"You know what. I'm done. I'm tired of yelling. I'm tired of this childishness." You say calmly, putting your hands up as you turn, walking out the front door.

"Sure, yeah, run away from your problems. back to Asra, I bet." Lucio says.

"Oh, you're one to fucking talk." You say before slamming the door shut being you.

You start walking, just needing a break from all the yelling. For a moment you do think of going to see Asra. Just to talk, maybe have some tea. But you push the thought aside, that would probably just make the situation with Lucio worse.

So instead, you decide to head to the park. There's a nice gravel trail in a small forest-like area near the edge of the river. There's lots of trees and plants, and not many people go on the trail, so no one will see you cry.

When you get outside you run into a small problem. It's raining. Hard. And you don't have an umbrella or even a jacket. You start walking anyway. Well, even if there are some people on the trail, they definitely won't be able to tell you're crying now. You still get some weird looks on the way to the park, probably because you're walking out in the pouring rain with no jacket.

Once you get to the park, you find the trail you were thinking of and start walking. Once you've been walking for about… seven(?) minutes, maybe. You stop and find a big rock to sit on and enjoy the forest and sound of the rain. All the while, hot tears stream down your face along with the cold rain.

~~~~~~~~~Page Break~~~~~~~~~

Lucio throws his head back with a long sigh before getting up from his place on the couch. He looks at the clock on the wall near the hall and walks to the door to get his shoes and jacket. It's been an hour since MC left and they haven't come back, and with all this rain he's willing to admit he's getting a bit worried.

After He's tied his boots and thrown on his jacket, he grabs his keys and opens the door. Before stepping out though, he looks back at Mercedes and Melchior, "Be good, I'll be back." And with that he shuts the door.

As he walks briskly down the apartment building stairs he almost hopes MC has gone to Asra's when he hears thunder and the sound of rain beating down harder on and around the building.

Once outside he throws one leg over his bike and puts on his helmet. He starts the engine and sets off to find his MC. I'll start at the park, and then the bakery down the street if they're not there.

~~~~~~~~~ Page Break ~~~~~~~~~

"MC!" You hear from behind you. You've since left the rock and continued walking, albeit slowly compared to your usually fast pace, down the mixture of gravel and dirt path.

You turn to see Lucio standing a ways back on the path. You look at him for a few more seconds before turning away and continuing to walk. You hear the crunching of gravel underneath boots before a hand grasps your arm, turning you sharply.

"What are you doing?" He asks. "Taking a walk." You respond snidely with a glare before turning, or at least trying to. He stops you before you can get halfway around, "In the Freezing fuckin' rain?.. ...you're just taking a walk..?"

"Yes."

There's a long pause before he turns, tugging on your arm. "..... We're going home." He states.

You yank your arm out of his grip and he turns slightly. Looking expectantly toward you. You stand your ground and continue glaring. He sighs, running a hand down his face. "Jesus Christ" he mutters before turning to face you properly.

"Look, you're just gonna have to take a break from your dramatics, standing out in the rain waiting for some apology like we're in a damn movie, so I can take you home." He says, gesturing with his hands.

You take a step back and look at him as though he just grew three heads. "My dramatics!?" You start.

"Yes, your dramatics." He rolls his eyes, crossing his arms.

"Oh, you've got some nerve." You all but snarl.

"Yeah, and you're really gettin' on em' today, sweetheart."

"AUGH!" You throw your hands up, fingers curled in claws, you gaze settling on the branches above you. You've had enough and turn sharply and your heels and start to quickly stomp off, but Lucio is quick to catch you. This time picking you up off ground, settling you bridal style in his arms.

You thrash about hitting and pushing his shoulders, but his grip is firm and he's not letting go, so you give up, crossing your arms and pouting.

You get to his bike and he sets you down for a moment, but keeps a good grip on your wrist so you don't run off. After he's settled on the bike he looks at you and you begrudgingly throw your leg over the seat and sit behind him. Wrapping your arms around his waist, you lean against his back and rest your head on his shoulder. He revs the engine and backs out of the spot he's at, and just before you take off, you shut your eyes.

~~~~~~~~~ Page Break ~~~~~~~~~

Lucio pulls into a parking spot and pulls the key out of the ignition. After he kicks down the kickstand he slowly and carefully maneuvers out of his spot Infront of you and picks up your (mostly)sleeping form. He carries you the way he did before, careful not to wake you.

Once he gets to your front door he scrapes the edge of his boot on the door. After a few moments and some rustling behind the door, it swings open to reveal Mercedes chewing on a rope attached to the doorknob. Lucio steps inside, turning slightly as not to disturb you.

When you get inside, Mercedes stands on her hind paws and pushes the door shut with her front paws. Lucio carries you to the bathroom and sets you on your feet, keeping his hands on your arms until he's sure you won't fall. He then steps aside to turn on the water in the tub. Then he turns back to you. "Get undressed." He tells you as he walks past.

He goes to your shared bedroom and digs through the closet to find you both dry clothes. He comes back to see you standing there, still in your rain-soaked clothes, your eyes still closed.

"I thought I told you to get undressed." He says, setting the clothes on the bathroom counter. You open your eyes to stay awake enough to stand without swaying. You look down at the trail of water leading in and out of the bathroom.

"You're making a mess." You say groggily

Lucio walks across the hall to get towels from the closet. "Really? Thats what you're worried about right now? The mess on the floor." He starts, "Your lips are blue." He sets the towels on top of the clothes and leans on the counter. "Now take. off. your. clothes."

You still stand there, looking at him as if he hadn't said anything. He sighs and gently pulls you toward him. Once you're undressed he sets you down in the tub and turns to pick up the wet clothes on the floor. He throws all the clothes, including his own, in the laundry and heads back to the bathroom. He closes the door so the dogs don't bother you and sits behind you in the tub.

He runs his fingers through your now wet hair and begins to quietly wash you. Once you're clean and rinsed you both just sit there for a few more minutes before Lucio stands and steps out of the tub and pulls you up to stand as well. He wraps you both in towels, grabs your clothes, and gently guides you to your bedroom. He dries your hair with a spare towel, then does the same with his own. When he pulls the towel away from his face he pauses, watching you slowly sort your clothes and start to get dressed. He nods to himself before doing the same.

~~~~~~~~~ Page Break ~~~~~~~~~

It's a few hours after dark and you and Lucio are laying in bed together. You're snuggled close, your head on his chest, his arms around your waist. After a few more minutes of silence Lucio speaks up.

"I'm sorry…" he whispers, almost inaudibly. You lift your head to look at him curiously. "For everything. The fighting, the constant leaving…. everything." He says, ashamed of himself. You look down for a moment, then back at him.

"I can't forgive you yet, not just like that. But I will, soon, just not now." You whisper finally. He nods, seemingly reassured. "That is if you aren't gone when I wake up in the morning." You add. "Of course." He smiles.

You settle back into the position you were in before. After a few more minutes of silence, Lucio speaks again. "I love you." He says. You open your eyes and stare at the wall for a moment, but you eventually respond.

"I love you too."

[crowtrinkets]

Just Come Home

Asra just wants his friends back.

Muriel Reversed ending spoilers!

A short sad fic cause I like pain apparently. 

Gender Neutral Apprentice/ Asra POV (Ends where they show up in Muriels ending)

Word Count: 1,398

The last time I saw them was in the midst of a crowd, after Lucio was, killed panic swelled in the coliseum causing a influx of people screaming, running, trying to get out. I tried to find them, my apprentice, my Muriel, but they were no where to be found.

No sooner after Lucio died, the walls and limits between our world and the world of the arcana began to break and form into one. We didn't realize it at the time but there always has to be a devil. Always. And we all collectively made the mistake of allowing Lucio to die. Inanna managed to escape but I didn’t see where she went, if I found her we could have tracked them together. 

After a few hours I met up with Nadia, Julian, and Portia. We later learned a group of people drove them out of town. Blaming them for the disasters that are now plaguing Vesuvia, plaguing the world.

I tried to reach out to Muriel and my Apprentice with my magic, hoping they sensed me. But I was always ignored. I even sent Faust to look for them in the forest while I searched Muriel's hut at one point, but they were no where to be found.

After weeks of trying to call out to them, Nadia told me she heard of a large man and a magician in the south, killing creatures from the arcana realms for coin. It had to be them.

"Asra! Asra where are you going?" Julian's voice called out to me as I stormed out the palace.

"I'm going to find them Ilya," I say without a second glance. Julian's hand grips my arm and I swing around to glare at him.

"Asra we don't even know where they are! And people are still rioting do you think bringing them back would be safe?" his eyes plead as they stare into mine. I let out a deep breath. 

"Fine... But I won't rest until we find them," Julian gives me a warm smile, he grips my hand, but I don't return the comfort, I can't focus on this right now. I pull away and head back into the palace, Julian at my heels.

---

We spend months, writing letters to neighboring cities and towns, asking if they've seen our friends, but every time we get close they slip away. It's hard to tell where they're heading next because so many monsters appear in so random of places. It's like finding a needle in a haystack. Julian and I continue to grow distant as the months go by. He keeps making an effort but my heart aches too much for my oldest and dearest friends. We continue to search, to run from monsters, hide from disasters that are too strange to be considered natural. Endless rain, flooding, earthquakes that go on for what feels like hours

One day Julian and I make a stop in a town, we rent a room in an inn for the night. Allowing our weary bones to relax just for a day. I sit on the bed, letting out a sigh, Faust curls around my shoulders and onto the floor, making her way to the fire place. It does little to heat this dark room as wind whistles through it's cracks. Julian settles himself on the bed next to me. He places his hand on top of mine but I pull it away. He looks at me, hurt in his eyes.

"Asra, please if I did anything to make you upset-"

"You didn't do anything Ilya," I mumble out. I feel my chest tighten, I shift my gaze away from his. "I feel... hurt, without them,"

"We all feel their loss Asra,

"They aren't dead," I snap. I feel my eyes well up, gripping the bed sheets I take in a sharp breath. "They aren't dead, and I intend to find them before they get themselves killed,"

"They'll be fine," Julian gets to his feet.

"How could you possibly know that?" I look up at him, finally meeting his stormy eyes. Julian looks back at me in surprise. "They're my oldest friends Julian," he winces at my use of his other name. "I can't live without them," my voice begins to choke up, but I refuse to let myself cry in front of him. Julian gives me a somber nod, he grabs his coat and heads for the door. He stops before leaving and looks at me over his shoulder.

"We can leave, first thing in the morning," without another word, he leaves our room, closing the door behind him.

I let out a huff and fall onto my back on the bed. Bringing my arm over my eyes I let my tears fall slowly. I don't make any cries, the tears just fall silently, as though my emotions have built up too much and they are now escaping through my tears. A dripping sound interrupts me. I wipe the tears from my eyes and sit up. Looking in the corner scanning for the source of the sound I spot a bucket, catching water leaking through the roof. An idea strikes me, maybe I can talk to them if they're near a source of water. I run up to the bucket, pulling it away from the leak so the water isn't disturbed. Crouching on the ground I cast my spell, reaching out with my magic to find their auras.

A minute passes and when I finally open my eyes, I see them. There are trees surrounding them, Muriel is sat on the ground, my Apprentice standing at his side, it seems like they are cleaning a wound on his face. My apprentice reaches down into the water to rinse the cloth they were using but they stop when they spot me.

"Asra,"

"Oh! Muriel, -," before I can finish Muriel gets up and stalks away in the other direction. My apprentice lets out a sigh.

"What are you doing Asra," they turn to face me once again, a weariness takes over their expression. They look tired.

"We've been looking for you, trying to get your two to come home..." I try not to sound desperate with my pleading in fear of scaring them.

"Asra.. we have no home there, we were driven out... and besides I don't think Muriel is ready to go back, I'm not ready to go back,"

"No, w-we can fix it! And you're always welcome back, please just come home, come back to the shop... I miss you both, we all do,"

"I'm sorry Asra, it's not possible," They wave their hand and suddenly their image is gone. Leaving me alone. The howling of the storm outside, muffled behind the walls. I bring my head into my hands and begin to sob.

---

Many months pass and they repeat the same cycle. Julian and I make out way in one direction, and come up with nothing. We go back to Vesuvia, and are sent back out by Nadia to find them. It goes on and on until the one year mark passes. A year since I have seen my dearest friends. Julian has become nearly a whole different person. He doesn't crack jokes, he doesn't charm his way through trouble, and he seems to avoid my affection whenever possible. It doesn't bother me, my one goal is to bring my friends.. my family back home. Maybe I've changed as well.

After making our way to the south, Julian and I hear rumors of Muriel and my apprentice popping up in a town, something about a creature killing off livestock. We stalk our way through the storm that pours down on us. Struggling to stay upright against the rain. We finally make our way into town and spot a Inn. Julian and I look to each other and give a nod. We approach the Inn, swinging open the door, my breath hitches. There I see them. My Apprentice looks up at Muriel, their hand over his chest, their eyes look sad and distant. But I can see the love they still have for Muriel as they look at him. Muriel places his hand on top of theirs and looks at them fondly, but the familiar painful expression he used to have sits behind his fondness. Without waiting a second longer I make my way towards them. 

[ragingbookdragon]

The Start Of Forever

Asra x M!Apprentice

Word Count: 1.8K Warnings: Explicit Language

Author’s Note: *Me banging pots and pans around to attract readers* GET YOUR ASRA FICS! COME GET YOUR FIRST MEETING FICS! HOT AND FRESH! Enjoy! -Thorne

The mask fit uncomfortably across his face and he reached up, but quickly clenched his hand into a fist to keep himself from touching it. Quit adjusting the mask. He thought critically, smiling at a young couple that walked in front of him. Their eyes drifted to the silver sword hilt peeking above his shoulder, and with a quiet gasp, they shuffled out of his way. He wanted to assure them he wasn’t there to harm anyone, but after taking in the wide berth they gave him, he thought better of it and he kept his mouth shut. He continued to smile at those who made their way past, hoping they ignored him, but given that he was wearing black leather armor with silver accents in the middle of a party full of richly dressed patrons, he knew they weren’t going to. Where is he? Scanning the floor for his older friend, he inwardly sighed, reminding himself that masks were meant to hide identities, not make them known.

He planted his feet firmly in the ballroom floor and shut his eyes, feeling the energy of his magic pool around him before he let it ebb outwards, hoping it would pick up his friends’ aura. It met something cool, not the one he was looking for, and he felt his brows furrow as the two auras began to mingle together. It guided him forward and with a curious step, he followed, but before he could move any farther, a hand clamped onto his shoulder and despite his training, he jerked, eyes snapping open to look at whoever had him, and whether he needed to remove their hand for them.

At the sight of the gray bearded man, a relieved smile crossed his lips and he greeted, “Mettius! I’ve been looking all over for you!”

The older man grinned, shifting to shake the others hand. “(Y/N)! It’s good to see you!” Mettius let go of (Y/N)’s hand, turning him by the shoulders to march him forwards. “Come, there is someone important I must introduce you to.”

“First you make me come to the masquerade, then you drag me around to meet your friends. Are you trying to drive me back home?” (Y/N) snorted at Mettius’ expression when he turned, catching sight of the glare.

“It’s one night, (Y/N). You’ll survive the flow of the unknown for a mere few hours.”

“I’ve better things to do though. Jobs to finish, hunts to complete. Coins to—”

“You’re going to take it easy for one night and enjoy the Vesuvian Masquerade whether you like it or not. Then you can wander back to the store and monster hunts.”

(Y/N) rolled his eyes, but conceded, asking, “So, who’s this someone you want me to meet?”

“He’s right here.” As they stopped, (Y/N) turned back around, eyes going wide as he stared at the Count and his party.

Immediately, he bowed his head. “Count Lucio, my Lord. It’s an honor.”

The haughty laugh that left the Count irked him deep inside, though he didn’t let it show on his face as he lifted his eyes. “So Mettius, this is the hunter you’ve been speaking of?” (Y/N) cast a quick glance to his friend, letting him speak.

“Yes, my Lord. May I introduce (Y/N) (L/N), hunter and sorcerer.”

The eyes of the entire masquerade seemed to follow (Y/N), who simply offered a polite smile in return; Lucio looked him over, holding out his hand for him to shake. He did so, the corners of his mouth threatening to fall when he felt the violent aura merge with his. As soon as he could, (Y/N) let go of Lucio’s hand, hoping his magic would purge the evil crawling up his forearm.

“Mettius has spoken of you quite a lot (Y/N). He says you’re a hunter who slays mythical beasts.”

(Y/N) frowned at that, turning to his friend. “I’m afraid Mettius has given the wrong impression, Count Lucio. I do hunt mythical beasts, but I don’t slay them.”

The Count barked a laugh, the others following in suit. “Why not? They’re beasts! Don’t they deserve to be slain?”

The irritation he had felt began to boil into something worse, but he countered coolly, “A majority of the beasts I hunt have been cursed, Count Lucio. I don’t slay them because I would be murdering the innocent people who’ve been given such a fate.” The laughter felt silent as Lucio stared (Y/N) down, but he didn’t yield, meeting the glower head-on.

“Hardly ever do I have to raise my weapon to a contract I’ve taken. There are always other options rather than needless slaughter.” (Y/N) opened his mouth to continue when the cool aura he’d met moments before returned, beckoning him away.

His mouth snapped shut when Mettius’ hand curled around his shoulders and the man offered, “I apologize for the boy’s tone, my Lord. He means no disrespect. Simply takes the job very seriously.” Lucio cocked an eyebrow and sneered, disregarding the two of them with a wave of his hand.

The older man pulled him away and spun on him, hissing, “Have you no care what comes out of your mouth (Y/N)? People have been imprisoned on less than what you’ve said!”

(Y/N) clenched his jaw, turning to glare out the window as he muttered, “It wasn’t my intention to offend, simply offer correct explanation.”

“Your explanation might cost you your reputation.”

He glanced back at Mettius, fingers twitching with the unfamiliar aura again. “My reputation precedes farther than Vesuvia. Even if he ruined me here, I’d still have jobs all across the lands.” His gaze drifted to his hand where he visualized the aura, a light lavender.

Mettius sighed. “It’s not about being ruined here. It’s about—What are you looking for?”

(Y/N) looked back at him and tipped his head. “I’m sorry Mettius, but I’m sensing another magician somewhere in here.” He raised a hand, waving him off. “I’ll be back around soon.” Despite his friend’s pleas, he spun on his heel, weaving in and out of the masqueraders to follow the aura.

The arches of the garden came into view, and with a slip against the wall to avoid the patrolling guards, he stepped in, quietly following the path. As the stone walkway began to widen, he caught sight of a fountain beneath a willow tree, but what was surprising was the young man sitting at the edge, fingers softly gliding through the water. (Y/N) crept over, taking in his image, the fluffy ivory hair and golden-brown skin. He wore a refined lilac robe, embellished with rubies and gold accents, and while it was beautiful, (Y/N) could tell a glamor when he saw one. The thing that caught his attention the most was the mask the young man wore, that of the fox. Sly, cunning, tricky.

The descriptions swam through his mind as he stood behind him, and he bent over, whispering into the man’s ear, “I’m sure you’ve got a hold on your magic well enough, but I’ve never seen someone call out to another magic wielder as desperately as you are.”

The ivory haired magician let out a startled yelp as he spun around, (Y/N) leaned forward, curling his hand in the front of the man’s robe to keep him from falling back into the water. They stared at each other from behind their masks, (Y/N)’s eyes meeting lilac ones.

He grinned, pulling the magician forward. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

A dusting of red crossed the man’s cheeks and he retorted, “You didn’t scare me.”

(Y/N) loosened his grip, gesturing to the stone edge; the magician nodded, and he took a seat, immediately reaching up to his face. “I hope you don’t mind. I’ve had enough of this mask for one evening.” The silk ties came undone from behind his head and he pulled the mask off, sighing contently.

“You don’t like masks?” the young man asked curiously.

(Y/N) shook his head as he set it beside him, then motioned to the sword on his back. “In my line of work, it’s best to be as honest as one can be.” He eyed the magician’s robes. “I don’t have time for glamor’s and tricks, though I know how to use them.” The man huffed a laugh and (Y/N) stuck his hand out. “(Y/N) (L/N).”

The magician stared at him a moment then took his hand, squeezing it as he responded, “Asra Alnazar.” He pulled his hand away. “What is your line of work?”

He shrugged and reclined on the stone edge, hands on either side of his body as he looked upwards. “Which job do you want to hear about? The easy one or the hard one?”

Asra chuckled and crossed one of his legs underneath his robes. “How about both?”

(Y/N) grinned and glanced at him. “When I’m in Vesuvia, I’m a part-time apothecary for my aunt. When I’m away, I’m a master hunter.”

“Hmm,” the magician cooed, eyes narrowing with interest. “And what do you hunt?”

“Monsters, mythical beasts, animals.” Shrugging again, he said, “I hunt pretty much everything.”

Something bitter twisted in Asra’s face. “Seems like you’d be a perfect fit for Count Lucio’s triage of nobles.”

(Y/N) barked a laugh and countered, “Hardly.” He frowned. “That bastard has his head shoved so far up his ass he can’t even tell the difference between a monster and a person that’s been cursed.”

“Ah, I take it you’re an ethical hunter then.”

“I prefer the term neutral good, but yes, that’s essentially it.” He met Asra’s gaze. “I prefer to save those I can. Whatever the cost.”

Asra frowned. “Seems like a good way to get screwed over.”

(Y/N) nodded. “Oh, it is, but I know my way around people like that.”

“Oh? And that is?”

He grinned. “By demanding my payment first.” That made Asra laugh and (Y/N) felt something flutter in his chest at the sound. Before he could say another word, his name was yelled over the hedges.

“(Y/N)! Where are you!”

They glanced towards the sound of the voice and he sighed before he rose to his feet and began tying the mask back around his head.

“Apologies Asra, but I’m needed,” he offered and Asra stood as well.

“No, I understand.” He stuck his hand out. “It’s been a pleasure to speak with you, (Y/N).”

He glanced at Asra’s hand, and with a smirk, he took it in his and raised it to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of it. “The pleasure’s all mine, Asra,” he flirted and as he pulled away and turned, he called over his shoulder, “My aunt’s shop is in the Center City district. I’ll be there until the end of the week. See you around.”

[vesuviannights]

⋯⋯♛⋯⋯

→ SEVEN SIRENS: A Firentian Firebrand Novel

While on a tour of the palace to interview Count Lucio about the novel 365 Nights, a magician and his snake is spotted poking around in the Countess’s study. Lifting a purple book with silver gilding, he turns it back and forth, then shows it to his companion, whose tongue gives a flick of approval.

“Nadi!” He calls. A moment later, the Countess appears in the doorway.

“Yes?”

“Are you reading this?”

The Countess’s lip curls. “I should hope I never do.”

“Huh.” The magician flicks the first few pages, and when his white-lashed lilac eyes lift to glance the Countess, they are filled with a devious sort of purpose. “Can I have it?”

With a great sigh, the Countess waves it off to his care. “Do as you wish, Asra. I have no time for such propogandist filth.”

READ ABOUT THE FIRENTIAN FIREBRAND PROJECT AND SEE OTHER NOVELS HERE.

⋯⋯♛⋯⋯

SUMMARY

Seven Sirens is a harem romance not for the feint of heart. One Sacrifice, seven sirens to please, each with their own unique desires and whims. In this novel, Nyx works through the seven towers of the (absolutely fictitious) Papess’ fortress island, and the sexual acts she performs with each of the sirens build power for the Papess to use to continue her supreme reign. At the end of this novel, there is a particularly steamy scene where Nyx pleasures all seven of the siblings!

This copy was originally gifted to Countess Nadia by her sibling Natiqa. Despite her love for the other novels in the series, the Countess loathed this particular book due to its alleged links to her own family of Prakran royalty. As such, she owns it but has never touched it, despite Natiqa amusedly bringing it up every time they write. Asra subsequently found it while poking through the palace one day, and Nadia was glad to be rid of it. 

The Royal Firentian Publishing House would like to state that any similarities found between works of fiction published under their brand and persons or situations found in real life are completely coincidental, and everything published under the name of The Royal Firentian Publishing House is in fact a work of fiction and in no way associated with the royal family of Prakra anyone at all who is actually alive.

⋯⋯♛⋯⋯

CHARACTERS Nyx, a lost soul who is hungry for purpose and human touch. Nyx is female, uses she/her pronouns, and identifies as pansexual as well as hypersexual. She has enjoyed a very healthy and unashamed sex life, and has a comfortable relationship with her body and self. She is also the little sister of Callista, one of the protagonists in the novel Batten Down the Hatches!

The Seven Sirens, the seven individuals assigned to guard and collect power for the Papess’ island fortress. The seven sirens and their kinks/preferences have been left deliberately ambiguous (on my, Claire, end) so as to give the best opportunity for anyone of any kink, sexual preferences and perhaps even romantic preferences, to gain the most they can from this story. There are seven of them here after all!

⋯⋯♛⋯⋯

PLEASE NOTE If you wish to use any of these novels or characters for fic, art, or other purposes, you are welcome and encouraged to do so. Everything above is free to be interpreted however you please. This includes looks, personality, backstory, and any details in the plot not mentioned above. What is NOT up for interpretation is their gender, sexuality, or pronouns. Please respect the diverse experience being created here.

[aria-i-adagio]

Writer Tag Game

Tagged by @pinkfadespirit! Thank you! tagging: @hoochieblues, @motherofqups, @the-iron-orchid, @classlesstulip, @hollyand-writes, and anyone who sees this and wants to, consider yourself tagged.

How many works do you have on AO3?

Technically, I have 25, but 11 of those were reworked into The Opposite of Falling, so I humbly submit 14 as the more accurate number.

What’s your total AO3 word count?

673480

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Whatever I’ve Done - 122 (The Arcana, Asra/Apprentice/Julian)

Laughing with a Mouth of Blood - 111 (The Arcana, Asra/Apprentice/Julian)

This Twisted Tortured Mess - 108 (The Arcana, Asra/Apprentice/Julian)

A Sip of Something Poison - 91 (The Arcana, Julian/Lucio)

A Vicious Appetite - 82 (The Arcana, Asra/Apprentice/Julian)

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Yes! I want to talk about my things! And hopefully enjoy more comments.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

‘A Long, Long Way to Go to Die’ ends quite bleakly in and of itself, but it’s also the midpoint of a series. I also put some research time into finding details to up the angst quotient just about as high (and vaguely accurate) as possible.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

The Opposite of Falling (the series referenced above) has a happy ending. I feel like I wrapped up the character arcs reasonably well, and my heroine walked away stronger than when she began. That said, it is a very long longfic, so it took a while to get there.

Do you write crossovers? If so, What is the craziest one you’ve ever written?

I haven’t, and I’m not very likely to. But if anyone out there is looking for a crossover idea I want to see a Dragon Age/Star Trek: Voyager crossover exploiting the Kate Mulgrew connection. Yes, Flemeth isn’t just Mythal, she’s also Janeway. (Please, someone take this and write it!)

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Nah. I’ve gotten a couple of comments that weren’t entirely enthusiastic, but I wouldn’t call them hateful. *knocks on wood*

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Yes. And the kind I feel like writing at any given point.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have not, but that would be freaking amazing.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! “Sip of Something Poison” and several chapters of “The Opposite of Falling” were co-written with Verdin.

What’s your all-time favourite ship?

To be honest, I’m not sure I have an all-time favorite ship.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I don’t think I have any fics laying around that I want to finish but won’t. I do have a pile of original fics laying around on the hard drive that I really want to finish, but I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to resurrect.

What are your writing strengths?

Characterization and psychology.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Too many words? I also feel like I’m falling down on metaphor and the ‘show not tell’ thing lately.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I used the occasional bit of Russian in The Opposite of Falling, but I do know just enough Russian to get in trouble. I’m not sure that I would try to write extended dialogue in a language that I don’t have any familiarity with.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

The Arcana. Which started as a writing exercise to futz around with a couple of OCs who are secondary characters in their actual continuity (one of those original fics that I may or may not ever get back to). And next thing I know, I was doing a full rewrite with backstory and interiority and you know, all that good shit you can do with a specific protagonist versus a universalized one.

What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

Hmmm.... I’m not going to go so much with a favorite, as I’m not sure I can identify a favorite. The fic that I really wish more people had read / responded to is Metanoia.