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buckets-and-trees · 8 months

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The Only Way of Knowing You [Nick Fowler x Reader]

Title: The Only Way of Knowing You Characters/Pairings: leshy!Nick Fowler x curvy female!Reader Word Count: 7.8k

Summary: When you visit a cabin, you're drawn more and more to the forest, the flora and fauna, and a handsome stranger you cross paths with in the woods.

Content Warnings: explicit smut - nipple play, vaginal fingering, unprotected vaginal intercourse, initial consent to questionable/dubious consent ending, kidnapping, intimidation, implied stalking and explicit stalking, human to monster transformation, monster fucking

Logistical Notes: Very belated, but this is my addition to the Enchanted Birthday Fest and my humble gift to all of you who come around and read what I write. Incorporating Mania (obsessive love - stalking) for @the-slumberparty's Eight Types of Love challenge. Thank you @goldylions and @sgt-seabass for blasting this with your beta energy. It certainly benefitted from your poking, prodding, and polishing.

Narrative Notes: There's a lot of leshy lore that's evolved over time since differing versions existed across Europe and you've got modern media takes. I took pieces that stuck out to me as I combed through. The most significant trait I adopted was that a leshy king could shape shift into human or animal and would adopt disguise to hide, adapt, or even lure people into the forest.

↠ Masterlist | Aspen's Ask Box | Field Guide to the Forest

You gasped and stopped on the trail.

“A dog,” you whispered to no one but yourself, a grin splitting across your face.

The wilderness of the forest around you rose into a small, banked ridge on the left. You had only just heard the rustle of leaves that drew your attention over to that side to see the creature. You couldn’t tell the breed for sure – all dark fur, pointed ears, looking something between a husky and a wolf – but with him being so calm and willing to come this close to the path when he’d undoubtedly heard you walking, you assumed he couldn’t be too wild or feral. He had piercing blue eyes that locked with yours.

You were so tempted to try to call him over, but if he was wild, it was probably better not to, and if he belonged to someone, you didn’t want to lead him away from where he needed to go.

So, after another beat, you continued along your path.

After the four hour drive to your destination with some of the team from your office, as soon as you had unloaded and eaten lunch, you had been eager to get away to stretch your legs and to have some time away from everyone else, and you had some time before the rest of the team arrived for the work retreat your boss had put together. You had six days of training, strategizing, and team bonding ahead of you with a professional consultant and facilitator flown in who had built the agenda. There were breaks built throughout the day, and as you set off for this first walk, you imagined both the physical movement and the time away from the group would help keep you focused, energized, and from actually strangling your co-worker Rachel who regularly burst into song during casual conversation.

You saw the dog again as you took the same path the next day when your group took a mid-morning break. This time, he walked alongside your path, keeping his distance off to the side, but only kept pace with you for about five minutes before wandering off.

You were hopeful to see him when you headed out in the afternoon.

But instead of the dog, you encountered a man in almost the same area, approaching you on the path.

The man was dressed in sturdy hiking boots, dark jeans, a dark green flannel over a white shirt, and a tan jacket over that. He was tall, well-built, with short brown hair, and entirely too handsome a person to encounter in real life, especially with his devastatingly blue eyes – eyes that were the same color as the dog.

You groaned internally for comparing his eyes to the dog’s.

“Hello,” he said, nodding at you a few paces before you were about to pass each other.

“Hello,” you managed to return – it was mostly automatic, but the intensity of his gaze almost prevented you from the customary politeness of fellow trailwalkers.

After he passed, you shook your head. No need to be flustered by the momentary passing of a stranger.

You looked back over your shoulder, and then your heart thudded to discover that he was looking back at you, too. He smirked, turned, and kept along his way.

You shook your head at yourself and then kept on your way.

The walking path through the forest was narrow in parts, wider in others, and rambled on for a mile or so before it split, allowing its travelers to eventually circle clockwise or counter-clockwise around a still, blue body of water that was bigger than a pond but not quite large enough to be classified as a lake. The trees ran right down to the water in many areas, and the path, as it circled, sometimes came very close to its edges, and in other places only came within ten or fifteen meters of the shore.

On day three, you saw the man in the morning, and the dog in the afternoon.

The man, the same you saw before, came towards you after he'd done a circle around the lake. You reached the two forks before having to directly pass him, to which he waved and said hello, the same casual niceties.

In the afternoon, the dog approached you slowly but directly, and you knelt happily and held out your hand to encourage him to close the gap. He did, and after a quick sniff, let you pet him and scratch his ears.

“No collar?” you asked as you pet and admired his smooth, shiny coat.

After a minute, you stood and said, “You seem pretty familiar with this forest, well-fed, and so friendly. I don’t need to worry about you, do I?”

He circled you quickly, wagged his tail, and you laughed. “You want to join me for my walk this time?”

He trotted ahead a few steps, then looked back at you and waited.

You laughed. “I guess I’ll join you for this walk then.”

The two of you kept pace with each other all the way around the small lake, and then shortly after you got back to the main forest length, he trotted off the path into the forest again with only a small look back and a happy bark before bounding away.

That evening, because you had gone on so many walks, the rest of the group at the cabin decided to take an evening stroll around the lake. The planked wooden path made an adventure after dark doable enough. You didn’t see either of the strangers – dog or man – but there were a few times you had the keen sense you were being watched. In the dark it was impossible to tell, but the feeling came and went.

The next morning, you made your way down the deep forest path without encountering anyone and took the right fork to make your way around the lake.

At nearly the same place the dog had approached you the afternoon before, the man came striding your way from off the path.

“Hello,” he greeted as soon as he’d stepped out of the trees.

It was evident he intended to speak to you.

“Hello,” you said, trying to be friendly, but unsure how this would unfold, and a little nervous over engaging with the stranger.

Your heartbeat sped up the closer he got, but not because he was still a stranger, but because you were reminded he was altogether too handsome of a stranger. This was made even more obvious than your brief passings the previous two days, as now you could only stand still and watch as he approached you.

You remembered he was tall, but today he seemed taller. Those blue eyes had you rooted to the spot where you stood, and his face had a small but easy smile. You tried in vain to keep your heart from racing the closer he got.

“I’m Nick,” he offered, once he was close enough for conversation.

You gave your name in response.

“Nice to actually meet you,” he said as he stepped up onto the boardwalk. “You’re not from around here. Staying in one of the vacation cabins?” he guessed.

You nodded. “And you are from around here?” you surmised. “Do you live here? Work here? Both?”

“I suppose you could say both.” A calm but crips breeze swept through the trees around you, rustling through the leaves.

“Oh, are you the caretaker?”

“Guardian, caretaker, king of the forest,” he joked.

You laughed, and it was an easy laugh.

He echoed your laugh. “What, you don’t believe me?”

“No, of course, I do,” you said.

“If you let me join you, maybe I can prove my place here in the forest, share some of the history of the land, and some of my expert knowledge.” He raised his brow in a questioning look.

You were torn equally between hesitance and intrigue, but you were more unsure of how to decline, nor did you actually want to, so you nodded, and the corner of his mouth ticked up. He swept his arm to the side, gesturing at the path, and as you started walking, he fell right in step with you.

“So, what brought you to the forest?” he asked.

You explained how your boss had booked the large corporate retreat cabin for your team, planning many days of bonding and strategy conversations and leadership workshops with the consultant flown in from New York City.

As you walked together, he made good on his promise to tell you more about the forest and the lake. He pointed out some of the flora and fauna, showing his care and consideration for the wildlife and growth of the wilderness.

“It must be nice living out here.”

“You would like it.”

You looked over at him, finding he was already watching you, and then turned your head back to the path. “I think I might. Being out here the past few days has me contemplating quitting my job, selling off most of my stuff, and just finding a small cabin in the woods and writing or something.”

“You should.”His concentrated attention both unnerved you and put you at ease at the same time. It was a strange feeling. There was something within you that wanted more time with him like this, but it was silly to want. This was only your first conversation with him. You wouldn’t be spending day after day stumbling into walks with him any more than you would be abandoning your city life to embrace a secluded existence in a cabin in the forest.

But it might be nice, you thought.

“If only,” you finally sighed.

He was quiet for a moment. Then he cleared his throat. “When are you supposed to leave?”

“The day after tomorrow.”

He hummed in thought. “That seems like an awfully long cabin retreat for a team of colleagues.”

You laughed. “It certainly is. My boss has too much money and got very excited. It’s mostly a good office of people, and there are about ten of us here, but I definitely like my time away from the group – we’ve been encouraged to spend our breaks however we need.”

“And you took to your walks in the woods.”

“Mhmm,” you hummed and smiled softly. “Oh, actually, do you know about the black dog running around out here? I’ve seen him every other day, but not yet today.”

“He caught your heart, didn’t he?”

You grinned and nodded. “Does he have owners out here, or is he wild? He doesn’t have a collar.”

“No owners.”

“Not unlike you?”

“Oh, have I caught your heart, too?”

Your jaw dropped slightly, and you tried not to let your pace falter. “I–”

He gave a chuckle, but he also let his fingers brush against yours as you continued to walk side by side. “Don’t worry, if I didn’t want to see you, I would know how to go unnoticed by you in this forest.”

“Oh.” It was a small response, especially compared to the burst of warmth that bloomed in your heart, but you weren’t quite sure how to respond. You were flattered with the flirting and his insinuation that he did want to see you. A whisper in the back of your mind wondered how many years he must have walked these woods to know its secrets and be so confident that he could wander it undetected, but he gestured for you to listen to the faint call of a pair of birds nearby. He identified them as veery thrushes, and then you were carried along into learning about them and some of the other animals that inhabited this area of the forest during the rest of your short morning walk.

Nick came across you walking again in the afternoon. He told you more about the forest and its history, but more and more he started to ask more questions about you.

You liked that he asked about you.

It seemed impossible that this unbelievably tall (was he even taller than he was before? Surely he wasn’t), dark, handsome man was so keen on your company, but you couldn’t help but take to him, and to the warmth of the attention he shined on you like the sun that filtered through the leaves of the trees to bathe the rest of the flora in the forest.

It may have been silly to dream about him that night when you went to sleep, but you had no real control over that, and although this whole excursion was for work, a small, inconsequential crush on someone you would never see again when you went home was fine.

The next morning, you didn’t run into him during your walk, but you were happy to run into your furry companion again, and he stayed right at your side while you took the loop around the lake. You were only a little sad there was no sign of Nick, but even though he clearly spent a lot of time there, you couldn’t expect him to always be in the woods.

So, when you were just starting along the path for your walk and hear footsteps coming up behind you, you eagerly looked over your shoulder, only to see two men walking some twenty to thirty yards behind you. You sighed and kept walking. You hadn’t seen a great deal of people on the trail over the past few days, but these weren’t the first strangers, as it was an area with enough scattered cabins throughout the forest to merit the establishment of the sturdy planked path in the first place.

But as you continued on, the men seemed to keep pace with you, speeding up when you did, and slowing down and maintaining some of the distance when you tested it, and that made you nervous. You would feel better even just to see the wild dog so you could call him to you. You were sure he would deter the men. But there was no sign of him either.

As you approached the fork that created the lake loop for the path, you didn’t know which to hope for – that they would take the other path and you would have to potentially pass them, or take the same one as you and you could hope that they would keep their distance.

They went the same way as you.

And they started to close the distance.

You thought you were imagining it at first, but when you increased your pace, theirs quickened even more, and there was no more of the hum of talking between them.

You didn’t want to panic and run. They both had a height advantage with longer legs, and if you could simply continue to walk more quickly, you could at least stave off the need to run until there was no more choice – because you were sure the second you ran, they would follow suit, and you didn’t know how long you’d last.

Especially now that your heart was already racing.

“Hey sweet thing,” one of them called out.

You focused on keeping your quick pace and didn’t look back.

“Nice day for a walk,” the same gruff voice added.

Still you refused to engage. You expected this now and then in the city, but it wasn’t supposed to happen out here. You didn’t have a phone to suddenly get on and call someone or keys in your pocket to thread through your fingers for makeshift protection.

“Nice day for more than a walk, don’t you think?” the second man chimed in.

“Yeah, maybe a little afternoon delight.”

Your skin crawled.

“A little fucking,” the second one jeered.

Maybe you did need to run.

And then suddenly at a bend in the path, you turned and there he was.

Nick.

Your heart leapt in relief, and you rushed to him.

He had to have instantly seen the panic in your eyes as his own blue eyes changed immediately into a dark storm, and he looked beyond you as he quickly strode forward to meet you. He saw the men immediately as they, too, turned around the bend, and you heard their footsteps slow immediately.

Nick pulled you into his side, wrapping a protective arm around you.

“Afternoon,” one of the men said, both of them nodding, trying to pass off casual greetings as if they hadn’t been closing in on you, making their intentions clear.

“Turn around, pack up, and leave this forest,” Nick said, voice flat and threatening.

“Hey! Look, man,” the other started, but Nick cut him off.

“Turn around, pack up,” he repeated, enunciating each word with more fury, “never come back.”

They stopped walking, putting them only ten yards away.

“Now,” Nick growled.

A ripple of fear shot through you at his tone, and it wasn’t directed at you. There was a sudden groaning and crashing of trees in the distance that only added to the tension of the moment, and then the two men turned around and retreated.

“I know where you’re staying. Don’t make the mistake of thinking my directions are idle or that I won’t check to make sure you’re gone,” he spoke loudly enough for them to hear as they got further away.

With them no longer in sight, Nick turned his full attention to you, taking both your hands in his. “You alright?”

You took a deep breath in then let it out to release the tension from the fear-driven adrenaline and nodded.

He murmured your name, pressing in concern, ducking slightly to gaze directly into your eyes.

You smiled softly at his worry, the seeds that bloomed earlier in your heart coming to life and blooming a bit more. “I’m fine now,” you reassured him, giving his hands a gentle squeeze.

He narrowed his eyes.

“Really,” you promised. “Not the first intimidating creeps I’ve ever encountered.”

“Okay.” His face relaxed, but only a fraction, and you had the impression it was only to help ease your tension. “If you’re sure.”

You nodded.

He dropped your hands, and you reminded yourself not to let your face drop as he did.

“Sorry I didn’t meet up with you earlier, I-“

You cut him off, “I wasn’t expecting you to meet up with me, and I don’t always get to steal away for these walks at the same time.”

He nodded. “I know. But I want to show you why time got away from me.”

“Okay.”

His face split into a bright smile. “Follow me,” he said, turning around and trekking into the trees.

You trailed behind him as the ground gently sloped toward the lake. The trees and underbrush were abundant yet thin enough to allow the two of you to pass through. The wooden path varied in how close it was to the lake as it wound around, and here it was less than a minute before you could see the water’s edge. Nick abruptly stopped and put his arm out for you to also stop.

Since he’d been walking so quickly, you did bump right up against his arm with a small mumbled, “sorry,” and he turned his head to smile. Then he turned to look ahead and pointed to a cluster of rocks right at the shoreline.

You squinted to study them, and then you gasped when two little furry heads popped up over the top of the rocks.

“Otters!” you whispered.

“Yes,” Nick confirmed. “Freshwater river otters. I think we’ve got a clan of at least four that have only appeared today in the lake. Probably migrated down the river from the lake further up. They’ve been getting a bigger tourist draw up there, and I imagine they don’t want to be constantly disturbed by humans encroaching on their habitat.”

He took slow, measured, unassuming steps closer, and you tentatively followed. The two otters both perched up higher on the rocks, giving tiny yelps.

Nick motioned for you to kneel as he did. He held out his hand toward the pair of mammals.

“They’re a curious and friendly species,” he said, and even as he said the words, the two darted up and over the rocks, coming closer by a few feet before pausing. The slightly larger one gave a little trill and took a couple more hops forward. Its companion sauntered right up next to it, but then took a few more steps forward, bopped its nose against Nick’s hand, huffed and turned away, darting right down the bank and into the water, gliding smoothly away. The other came forward, gave Nick’s outstretched hand a little more of a sniff, then turned its head to you, and edged your way. You quickly but carefully stretched your hand out, received a couple of sniffs, and then this otter also snorted and trotted away and into the water, trilling as it slipped into the clear water.

“No fish, no interest,” Nick said, and the two of you laughed.

He moved to sit on the ground, and you sat next to him. The pair of otters re-emerged, swam up to shore, and dove back in and out of the water frequently as the two of you watched and talked.

You only stayed there for a short space of time, and then Nick seemed to sense without you needing to prompt him that it was time to get back to your walk. He stood and gave you a hand up. He held onto your fingers for just an extra moment, looking at your hands together, before letting go and brushing himself off. You did the same, and then fell into step with him, heading back to the path.

Easy conversation, just like the day before, continued to flow between you. He appeared to have endless questions about you, and again his rapt attention was its own warm, addictive rush, and that thing in your heart continued to grow, vines starting to sneak out of your heart and around your chest.

Suddenly he stopped, and you stopped another step ahead and turned to look back at him. “What is it?”

“We’re at the spot that leads up to the cabin your group is staying in,” he answered, a broad smirk on his face.

“Oh,” your cheeks heated, and you ducked your head to laugh. “Oops.”

You didn’t want your last walk with him to suddenly be over.

“You’re quite taken with all of this, aren’t you? The forest calls to you.”

You let out a wistful sigh and looked back up at him. Damn those impossibly deep blue eyes. You were overcome with a terrible ache that radiated from the base of your throat and the top of your chest, and you desperately tried to tamp down the thick emotion.

“But I have to go home tomorrow.”

“Come walk with me tonight.”

You bit your lip.

“Come on,” he urged you. “It’s your last night, and it’s a full moon. You have to see the forest bathed in the full moon's light. Come with me.”

“Yes,” you heard the word tumble out of your mouth, unable to deny him.

His eyes darkened and sparkled. “I promise you’ll see things you’ve never seen before.”

Though Nick wasn’t far from your thoughts, you focused well enough on your last evening with the group, engaging in dinner and the evening’s bonding activities. Wine and mocktails were poured for a final night looking up at the stars around a fire in the firepit on the balcony, and you made sure to enjoy that time, too. You had liked some of your coworkers before the retreat, but now you had a better understanding and appreciation for all of them.

However, once it got closer to ten, you anxiously started taking stock of the minutes passing away further into the night. Two of your group said goodnight at ten, but that was too early. You determined you would do well to stay with the balcony group until at least half-ten so you didn’t get too anxious about seeing Nick later.

At ten-thirty, a few more peeled off from the group, and so you retired to your room so that your timely departure didn’t seem unnatural to anyone.

You showered and messed with your hair for a bit but didn’t bother with makeup since it was after dark. You put on your favorite pair of joggers, a crewneck, and good walking shoes. You certainly hadn’t anticipated taking to the forest with so many walks each day, it wasn’t anything like how you were at home – busy with work and taking care of your life in the city – but it had been so natural to take to the outdoors while you were here. This final walk before your party went home in the morning wasn’t going to be like any of the others. You tried not to feel foolish for indulging in a walk at midnight with the hulking man with the most captivating blue eyes you’d ever seen who could easily take your breath away and whisk you off your feet.

But you had said yes because when else would you ever do something like this?

The answer was never.

And there was no harm in taking a handsome man up on his offer for a midnight stroll in the moonlight.

You put on the watch your grandmother had given you and the simple necklace you typically wore. They weren’t much, and you told yourself you didn’t need to dress up anyway, but they were small touches all the same.

Looking briefly in the mirror, you smoothed your hand down over the front of your shirt and took a deep breath. It’s fine, you thought. He’s seen you plenty before now, and it’s going to be dark, and it’s only a walk anyway. You checked your watch, and it was just a few minutes before eleven-thirty, which is when Nick had said to meet him.

You slipped quietly out of your room, down the stairs, and out the back door. The full moon was bright out here so far away from any city lights, illuminating the familiar path from the cabin that would take you down to the main boardwalk trail.

So many times Nick had simply appeared in the forest, but he was waiting for you right at the end of the path. Your heart raced just a little as his lips turned up in a smile.

“Hey,” you said softly.

“You came.”

He studied your face intently. You were unsure what he was looking for and simply focused on returning your gaze as unassuming as possible, telling your heart to settle and stop beating so fast. Yes, he made you feel things, but one of those things over the past few days had also been a sense of calm and safety in his presence, and you concentrated on that.

After another moment, finally, you responded with a simple, “I said I would.”

The corners of his mouth turned up. “Then let’s go.”

You fell easily into step with him, the trail so familiar now, though it had been less than a week, and knowing this ramble down to the lake and back, your chest started to feel thick in anticipation of missing it already. As you walked and talked, you thought you were keeping pace with Nick, but maybe you were more tired than you thought because it seemed like you were working to stay in stride with him as you hadn’t had to before. Either that or his legs were longer than before, but that – of course – was an impossible thought.

You shook your head.

Nick paused and turned. “What are you shaking your head at?” he asked. “I’ve lost you, haven’t I?” His tone was soft and teasing.

“Sorry, I got distracted, and my imagination got a little carried away with impossibilities.”

He cocked his head slightly. “Maybe more is possible in this forest than you might think.” His eyes danced with a hint of mystery.

“Is that so?” You played into his mischief.

He leaned closer. “This is an old forest, and it’s a full moon. Anything could happen on a night like tonight.”

Your body seemed drawn into him, leaning closer as well. “Anything?”

“Anything,” he whispered, and his eyes flicked down to your lips.

The moment hung between you. You tilted your head up, and your eyes fluttered closed. You could feel the warmth of his breath on your face.

And then he tugged on your hand, yanking you out of the moment. “Come on, pretty girl, we’re almost there.”

You sighed, letting out the breath you didn’t know you’d been holding.

But with how tightly his hand held yours as he led you off the boardwalk and into the trees, you didn’t feel too disappointed.

He was quiet now, but he also kept you close as he led you through this part of the forest. The trees were more thickly woven together here, with girthier trunks, and you couldn’t help but feel how they were older the further you wandered in. There was no trace of a path now, but Nick kept a confident pace, clearly knowing each inch of the forest intimately, and his surety allowed you to let yourself be swept away further and further along.

His steps were swift but nearly silent, and you tried to walk as quietly as possible. The sounds of the forest at night were soft but present – soft wind whistling through the trees, the song of nocturnal birds, and the chirping of crickets. The light filtering through the branches was minimal, and it had to be tricking you because you knew he was tall, but it felt like he was somehow taller tonight. It had to be the nature of how you were keeping so close just behind him, focused on the square of his shoulder and the gentle pull of his arm leading you.

He wasn’t taller now than he was earlier today, was he?

“Just up ahead,” he said, looking back over his shoulder at you, one of the easy smiles that made your heart sigh painted on his face.

His pace quickened, and your anticipation built as you hurried to keep up.

Seconds before the tree line broke, you heard the rippling sounds of water before emerging into a glade. Nick stopped a few steps into the clearing, and you came to stand right next to him. The first thing to draw your eye was a stream running into a small pool. The meadow on the side of the stream where you stood sloped gently down to the water, and it was covered in blankets of wood anemone, reaching right down to the bank and springing up and sprawling away again on the other side. The trees surrounding the glade were certainly some of the tallest you’d seen in the forest, and they rose as giant sentinels toward the inky black sky, which was studded with stars around the bright full moon.

As you looked up and around, the coupling of the simplicity and the majesty of it all had you enraptured, and you let out a soft sigh of contentment.

Nick brought your hand up to his face, pressed a kiss to the back of your hand, and your heart stuttered in your chest. You turned to look at him. His eyes almost appeared to glow an even brighter blue.

“I said it earlier, but this forest calls to you, doesn’t it?”

Your brows furrowed.

“Close your eyes,” he said.

You did.

He dropped your hand, and you let it fall to your side.

“Take a deep breath,” he whispered.

You inhaled slowly, letting the breath fill your belly and lungs, fresh, clean, and calm. You tipped your head back, your face craving the moonlight in that moment.

Although you didn’t hear him move, suddenly you felt the warmth of Nick standing behind you. “Now, listen and feel,” he murmured softly in your ear, his breath warm against your skin. You shivered but remained rooted to the spot. His fingers brushed along the backs of your hands and began to trail slowly up your arms. Your whole body was humming at his touch.

He pressed one soft kiss to your neck, and you sighed and let your neck fall to the side. When his hands landed on your shoulders, he pressed another soft kiss at the bottom of your neck, then turned you to face him.

“You should stay with me.”

Before you could respond, he took your head in both his hands, cradling your jaw. He searched your eyes for any hesitancy, but you knew you couldn’t summon any, nor did you want to. Instead, you pushed up on your toes, seeking his lips, and he met you halfway, claiming your lips with his.

Your hands came up to clutch at his wrists as he held your face, and you leaned in, longing to feel your body close to his. His tongue teased at the seam of your mouth, and you let him in, allowing the kiss to deepen, to sear into your very soul. His left hand moved, quickly coming to press at the small of your back, drawing you flush against him. One of your arms wound around his broad chest, and the other came up to mirror how he was cupping your cheek, feeling the trace of stubble along his jaw with your fingers. You stroked his tongue with yours, moaning into the kiss, and he reciprocated stroke for stroke. You quickly became so consumed by his kiss, feeling lightheaded but not sure if it was him or a lack of air, because you couldn’t tell if you were still breathing. It was a fevered kiss driven by something you’d never felt so strongly before, and you needed more.

Nick sank to his knees, and you went naturally down with him. He sat back on his heels, and you followed, perching in his lap. He held you there, your core over his groin, for a delicious moment, and then suddenly he lifted you up and laid you softly but swiftly onto the soft flowery bed of the meadow, his lips never leaving yours. You gasped and giggled against his mouth.

“What a lovely sound,” he said tenderly. He pulled back just enough to look into your eyes, a satisfied grin on his face.

Whether it was smug or sweet, you weren’t sure, and you felt your cheeks growing warm under his hungry gaze and his soft praise.

“I wonder what other lovely sounds I can draw from you,” he added as both of his hands moved to your hips. He began kissing you again, having only given you a moment of reprieve, then his hands slid slowly up your waist, skimming up over your ribs, pushing up the fabric of your sweatshirt. When his thumbs brushed up against the underswell of your breasts, he pressed back and forth a few times, teasing you, drawing a little whimper, before he let his thumbs run up and over your nipples. They were both peaked, and you shivered in pleasure, the teasing through the fabric of your bra its own unique sensation, but you were eager for more, so you moved your hands to begin quickly unbuttoning his flannel. He took the hint, helping you by shrugging off his jacket, and when he leaned up for a moment to pull off his flannel and remove the t-shirt he had on beneath it, so you shifted beneath him to pull off your sweatshirt and reach for the clasp of your bra, tossing that to the side as well.

You hadn’t hesitated to rid yourself of your clothes, but you were hit with the rush of baring your chest to him now as – with his own clothing discarded – he froze and looked down at you from above. You flushed with heat, but as you moved one hand to tentatively cover yourself, he grabbed it in his, drew it up to his mouth, and kissed your palm.

You were aware of every imperfection as his eyes roved over your body, but when he looked into your eyes and said, “gorgeous,” his face was so serious, so hungry, you didn’t question that he meant it.

He lowered himself back down over you, supporting himself by planting one forearm on the ground next to your side, and this time his lips sought your chest. He kissed down your sternum, then took one breast in his mouth, and palmed the other with his free hand. You moaned as he sucked one nipple and rolled and teased the other with his fingers. You arched beneath him, your body responsive to his diligent ministrations. He switched to the other breast, flicking his tongue over the nipple before lapping and sucking at it. You hadn’t cum before from nipple play alone, but he had you wondering if you might as the pleasure mounted.

You trembled and whimpered beneath him, and as you began to writhe more desperately, he took his mouth off your breast with an audible pop. He moved back up your body, and his hand cupped your face again, his thumb brushing the apple of your cheek, urging you to open your eyes and look at him.

“Tell me you never thought about it, about staying here with me after I left you earlier today,” he said.

You were already breathless, or else the powerful drive in his deep blue eyes would have stolen your breath once again.

“You must let me have you,” he implored.

You couldn’t answer, but only because you were overcome by the desire in his eyes. For you.

Your name fell from his lips, and his voice was soft, deep, and controlled, but you could still feel the edge of the desperate plea as he uttered your name.

“Yes,” you keened, and you rocked your hips up against his.

“Say the words,” he said. “Say my name and tell me I can have you.”

He slipped his hand down, hooked two fingers into your waistband, and pulled teasingly along the edge from your hip to just below your navel. The torturous movement along your soft skin only drove the hunger that was building for more.

He had to know how he was mounting and playing with the anticipation. But if he needed you to say it, you’d say anything to get what you wanted right now under the light of the full moon from this inimitable figure of a man, nearly unreal in his beauty.

“Nick, you can have me!” You cried.

He wasted no time in pulling your trousers and underwear down in one go. You tried to kick off your shoes, but slightly struggling to do so, his hands helped remove your shoes and socks more deftly, and he was able to more easily toss it all away. And as your legs settled back down on either side of him as he knelt above you, you realized he was suddenly somehow as naked as you – though you didn’t know how he managed that so quickly, so quickly it felt like magic. Everything about tonight felt illusory, and yet it was all tangible and indisputable, and you gave yourself over to it. When else would you ever find yourself in such an enchanted set of circumstances like this ever again?

So what if it felt like a dream?

You took a deep breath and let your fingers tangle in the grass and the stems of the wood anemone. Your eyes traveled up his thighs to a cock so thick and long and hard for you, then up further, over his hips, defined abs, chiseled chest, and broad shoulders, and you whined. Every inch of him ignited heat through your body, and when your eyes met his again, your pulse stuttered.

You could dream like this for one night.

Keeping his eyes locked on yours, Nick settled back on his haunches and pulled your thighs up over his, drawing you up over him, angling your lower half up as an offering, and his piercing cerulean gaze moved to your core, fully on display. His fingers brushed over your lower stomach, the touch so light it tickled, and you jerked, but his other hand held your hip firmly in place. His fingers parted your folds without hesitation, and he licked his lips.

“Such a pretty, wet cunt, my little nymph,” he said, and you felt both shy being so exposed to him, and desperate for him.

“Nymph?” you couldn’t help but question, surprised by the pet name.

“Mhmm,” Nick hummed. He traced your wet folds with one finger, in no rush. “You belong to this forest.” He spread your wetness along those lips with the attention of an artist to his canvas. Then he slipped two fingers inside your cunt.

You gasped, and your eyes fluttered closed.

He pushed them all the way in, then gave a few slow, shallow thrusts in and out.

You never wanted to wake up from this, but you needed more.

“Nick, please!”

He withdrew his fingers and then pressed them to your lips. “Taste your sweet nectar, nymph.”

The digits easily slipped into your mouth, and the urge to suck was a near primal reaction. He applied gentle pressure on your tongue as you sucked, and it only drove the craving in your core further. You were entirely lucid, and yet you felt thoroughly intoxicated by him, by everything around you.

“Open your eyes,” he said, and you did.

You swore he could see into your soul when he looked at you so intensely, but rather than fear, it soothed your nerves. It also more deeply stoked your desire for him, and as much as you wanted to linger in this moment, there was an undeniable pull you couldn’t ignore.

“Kiss me,” you breathed.

He shifted to lean down over you, remaining rooted between your thighs but shifting forward so you were nearly chest to chest. He bore his weight on his forearms, caging you in. As he settled, lips only a breath away from you, you felt the weight of his large, thick cock rest on your stomach. You lifted your head to pull him into the kiss you wanted. You ached for him to fill you up, but you also wanted to give everything just to this kiss for a few beats longer.

It was like he was drinking you in. One of your arms came up around his back, the other brushed up along the side of his arm, seeking and ultimately finding his hand, and your fingers instinctively entwined together.

He moved his other hand down briefly to guide the head of his cock to your weeping hole, and you gave a little moan into his mouth as his head entered you.

As he seated his cock fully inside of you, the tip nudging your cervix, you had to break off your kiss to concentrate on breathing. Nick dropped his forehead to yours, seemingly unable to refuse some form of intimate closeness as he rocked into you again. “You can feel it,” he spoke, the warmth of his breath still close to your mouth.

“Yes,” you panted. Your legs wrapped around his torso. He resumed thrusting, slow, deep thrusts.

“I can feel it, too,” he murmured along your jaw. “You’re answering the call of the forest.”

“Mhmm,” you hummed, hardly focused on what he was saying, but the deep warmth of his voice made the words swell through your mind.

He continued his unhurried thrusts, almost methodical in nature, and after a few more minutes, his cock began to swell inside you. And it continued to grow.

You moaned – or groaned – you couldn’t decipher if what you were feeling was real and whether it was painful or pure ecstasy. Your hand clasped his more tightly, and his answering squeeze was accompanied by tendrils of vines sprouting and circling around your hand and down around your wrist.

“What?” Your eyes flew open, and then you gasped. “Nick!”

He was transforming before your eyes. His face remained familiar, but a crown of horns appeared around his head, and emerald moss and glossy leaves intermingled and sprouted throughout his dark hair. Two enormous, magnificent antlers had emerged from his temple and were still slowly growing, just as he was still slowly growing inside you as he continued his steady thrusts. His shoulders broadened, and you knew he was growing in stature.

You trembled beneath him, tears springing to your eyes, in danger of spilling over.

“I told you, my little nymph: I’m the king and guardian of this forest – it speaks to me like it wants to speak to you. You’re answering the call, and I can’t,” he paused to groan, and with a shiver, you felt the ridge of his spine shift from skin to a supple tree bark. “It’s midnight, and with you giving yourself to me and the forest, I can’t hold back my true form.”

He began to thrust more quickly in and out of your cunt, a few of the strokes a little erratic. You whimpered, overwhelmed, and a few tears spilled over your cheeks.

“No, none of that,” he scolded, but kissed away the tears. “You didn’t want to leave, and now you don’t have to, nor can you.”

His free hand moved between you and found your pulsing, puffy clit, applying immediate, furious little circles that refused to let you feel anything but pleasure in response to his ministrations. His lips reclaimed yours once again, and as your body continued to tremble, his thrusts sped up even more, your channel never more full, making the mounting wave of pain and pleasure so exquisite as the waves grew that you let out a sob as your orgasm crashed over you.

Unrelenting, as your cunt contracted around him, Nick more demandingly sought his own release. He moved both hands to grip your ribs below your wrists and railed into you with abandon, punching the air from your lungs over and over, and ultimately pushing you into a rushed second orgasm only seconds before he roared his own ecstasy, his hips stuttering as he spilled deep loads of his seed inside of you, a warmth you could feel permeating you.

And then Nick petted your face, showering kisses softly over your lips, cheeks, and eyelids before ultimately resting his forehead on yours, and gently caressing your neck.

“You don’t know how long I’ve waited for you, for this, and now you're mine forever.”

↠ Masterlist | Aspen's Ask Box | Field Guide to the Forest

If you enjoyed this at all, read the other two fics from the Enchanted Birthday Fest! They're both exquisite!

#nick fowler #sebastian stan #nick fowler smut #teratophillia #terato #female reader #nick fowler x female reader #tw: dubcon #sebastian stan smut #aspen wrote something #aspensenchantedbday

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marlynnofmany · 20 days

Text

Recreational Food

I admired the scenery as we walked. “I’m glad we came during the dry season. Looks like there wouldn’t be much solid ground otherwise.” This wide flat area was pretty clearly the flood plains for the river just over the hillside, with several tiny plateaus where huge trees had escaped getting washed away. Everything else was dirt.

Paint spread her arms beside me, basking in the sun like the little lizardy alien she was. “I’m just glad to be outside! It’s been so long since we had a delivery on an actual planet, not to mention one that smells nice.”

It smelled like dry river mud to me, which was nice enough, but maybe those trees were extra appealing to Heatseeker senses. There was a scent of something kind of like rosemary on the breeze, now that I thought about it.

Paint was still talking. “We’re not even in a hurry today! The drop-off went fine, so we can stroll back to the ship at our own pace. This is lovely. I could stay out here all day.”

The ground rumbled. Splashes and the bleats of distressed animals sounded from the direction of the river. The rumbling got louder.

I asked, “Are you familiar with the concept of ‘jinxing it’?”

Before Paint could answer, a stampede swept over the hill toward us. Paint screamed and bolted. I ran after her, frantically searching for a plateau that was both climbable and close.

“This one!” I yelled over the noise of what had to be hundreds of alien fauna. Vaguely buffalo-shaped things without horns. I’d study them more closely when they weren’t closing in fast. Paint barely heard me, so I towed her over to the plateau and boosted her up. She wasn’t a natural climber, but she made do, scrambling to safety with me close behind. We made it out of trampling range just in time.

I clambered up and lay flat under the spreading tree while Paint hyperventilated beside me, an ocean of brown fur rolling by underneath. The rocky ground shook and the tree showered us with leaves. But the branches didn’t fall and neither did we, and eventually the herd calmed down from whatever had startled them.

The problem was, they calmed down before they finished passing our tiny island. Thundering footsteps slowed to a mooing, moaning amble, with buffalo-things surrounding us for a good distance in all directions.

My phone rang. We both twitched. Luckily the animals were loud enough to miss it. I pulled the phone from my pocket, hands vibrating with adrenaline, and answered a call from the captain.

“Are you safe?” she asked, her voice distant over the phone. “We got a report of local fauna moving unexpectedly.”

I laughed, wide-eyed while Paint tried to get her breathing under control. “Yeah, we barely made it. I’m not sure how we’re going to get back, though. They’re all around us, and I don’t like our chances if we try to just walk through.”

“Yes, don’t get too close.” I heard claws on keys as Captain Sunlight checked the local information bank. “These creatures are known to be hostile. They also treat approaching shuttles like threats, which doesn’t bode well for an air rescue.”

I tried to breathe deeply and get my heart rate back to normal. “Threats that they should attack, or run from?”

“This says they face off with shuttles, and defend whatever territory they’re occupying at the time. Attempts to chase them away have been unsuccessful, as have attempts to lead them away.”

“Yeah, that’s the worst,” I said, glancing up at the thick branches above. “Our vertical access is garbage right now anyway. We’d have a hard time getting into a shuttle.”

Paint was looking a little more calm, though worried. “Maybe they’ll wander away on their own?”

I relayed the question in case Captain Sunlight hadn’t heard it. She said, “Maybe. Let me contact the local authorities for more information. Stay safe; I’ll call you back.”

I said goodbye and put the phone away, then just lay there listening to my heartbeat and the various grunts from below. Paint sniffed audibly, no doubt appreciating the spicy tree smell. I tried to enjoy the view. The buffalo-things had heavy paws instead of hooves, and their faces were misshapen to my Earth eyes, more mooselike than anything. The thick brown fur was normal enough, though.

I was trying to think of what breed of dog it reminded me of when a cloud covered the sun.

A dark cloud. The kind that might be full of rain.

“Oh no,” I said.

“That can’t be rain,” Paint said, scrambling up. “It’s not the rainy season!”

I got to my feet, clutching a branch. “It could be rain. A flash flood might solve one of our problems, but…”

“Oh, that would be so much worse!” Paint hugged her arms close. The air hadn’t gotten that much cooler yet, but rain could be bad for a cold-blooded Heatseeker. And that was even without considering whether we’d have to swim for it.

I looked around frantically. “There’s got to be something we can do. Maybe throw a rock and scare them into stampeding away again?”

We scoured the rocky plateau, but nothing came off bigger than a fingernail, and the only things up there aside from the tree were some sparse bits of grass/moss and stray dirt. Even the tree didn’t have any small branches that looked easily snapped off; they were all thick limbs. I could probably climb out over the herd if I really needed a stick, but that did not look worth it.

I checked my pockets. “Wait, I have food. Maybe that’ll help.” We’d left right before lunch, and I’d grabbed a few portable things in case the delivery took too long. I thought hard about what kind of food these creatures might like, and how they might react to it, as I knelt and emptied my pockets onto the ground.

It was all Earth stuff from the import sector of the last space station we’d stopped at. A packet of turkey jerky. Freeze-dried strawberries. A tube of peanut butter that had thankfully not ruptured in the scramble up here. Pop Rocks.

I picked up that last one, thinking fast.

Paint was reading the label on the peanut butter. “Oh, this is the one some of your people are allergic to. I suppose it’s too much to hope these creatures are as well?”

“I have a better idea,” I said, eyeing the lowest branch. It was sturdy. There were creatures below. And they were all wet from the river. I turned to Paint. “Throwing something might startle them enough to stampede if we hit one just right, but I’ll bet that’s not as startling as the sound of sudden hissing from the back of their neck.”

“Which of your foods does that??” Paint asked.

I held up the brightly colored package. “Recreational food. They’re basically sugar crystals with tiny pockets of compressed air inside. They pop and hiss when they dissolve.”

Paint shook her head. “I’m not even going to ask why.”

“Great.” I shoved the package into a thigh pocket that I’d be able to reach easily, then hooked an arm over the branch and climbed up.

“Be careful!”

“I will,” I said as the clouds darkened further. Lying on the branch like a particularly awkward jungle cat, I scooted over the edge of the plateau. None of the creatures seemed to notice, busy as they were in nosing the dusty ground for sprouted grass, or whatever passed for it here. Good. I wanted their heads down.

When I was over a big one, I stopped and got out the pack, oh so carefully. Dropping it now could well be the kind of mistake I’d regret for a long time. I ripped open the package with care, knees clamped around the branch, as thunder rumbled closer than I’d like.

Then I gauged the angle carefully, and poured a stream of Pop Rocks directly onto the buffalo-thing’s neck.

I heard it crackle and pop as the sugar dissolved in the wet fur. Suddenly everything was panicked bellows and the thunder of feet. I clung to the branch, hoping desperately that it wasn’t about to snap off under my weight. All I could see below me was waves of brown fur.

It felt like the stampede went on for longer this time. Maybe because I didn’t have any climbing to distract me; all I could do was hold onto the branch like the most desperate of baby monkeys, and hope it held.

It held.

Finally the rumbling footsteps receded over the hill, leaving churned-up dirt below and a very grateful Paint behind me.

“You did it! It worked! Now let’s go; I think I see rain!”

She was right. I shimmied back onto solid ground to pick up the rest of my snacks, shoving them into pockets alongside the crumpled Pop Rocks package, then I helped Paint scramble down from the plateau.

Wind had picked up, blowing rain towards us in a visible wall from the west. But something silver glinted in the sky to the north, which grew swiftly into the welcome sight of a local rescue shuttle.

We ran for it. It landed on the riverbed, door open and arms waving from inside, and we dove in just before the rain hit.

“Safe!” Paint exclaimed as the door shut and a Frillian in a uniform guided her into a chair. “That was too many close calls for one day!”

I followed the directions to take my own seat as the shuttle lifted off. A different Frillian handed me a blanket, though I didn’t need it. Nice and warm, though. I asked Paint, “Ready to go back to the indoors for a while?”

She settled a heat shawl around her shoulders and sighed with relief. “I suppose so. Much less chance of getting trampled or frozen there.”

The official next to me asked, “What caused the herd to move away? We were told they had surrounded the area.”

I grinned and dug out the crumpled package. “Recreational food!” There were still a few Pop Rocks caught in one corner, so I dumped them into my mouth to demonstrate. The expressions on the rescuers’ faces were great as the candy hissed and popped on my tongue. “I poured thith down on a big one,” I explained around it.

Paint added, “It worked great! Scared them right away.”

The officials exchanged a look, then asked to see the package. I happily handed it over and explained where I’d gotten it. Paint said our courier ship would be happy to arrange a delivery of some if they wanted.

By the time we reached our ship, the local officials were ready to talk to the captain about ordering some recreational Earth food, to use for an entirely different purpose than it was made for. But that would hardly be the first time.

~~~

These are the ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book.

Shared early on Patreon! There’s even a free tier to get them on the same day as the rest of the world.

The sequel novel is in progress (and will include characters from these stories. I hadn’t thought all of them up when I wrote the first book, but they’re too much fun to leave out of the second).

#my writing #The Token Human #humans are weird #haso #hfy #eiad #humans are space orcs #more fun with putting things to creative uses #I definitely wanted to write about this one #but it couldn't be something simple and straightforward #that would be a wasted opportunity #so now we've got a mini adventure instead #featurinnnnnng...#Pop Rocks #an edible thing that is weird by any metric #you can see why I wanted to include it in one of these stories #it just begs to be included just as much as the bubble wrap did

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kuamiru · 2 years

Text

The Golden Child Part II

SAGAU & Impostor AU where the reader is the child of the actual creator.

Warnings: blood, panic attack, mention of suicide.

If you haven't read part 1 yet, you can find it here.

Humidity felt awful. The tall and wet grass gave an uncomfortable sensation every time you walked another step. The tall trees blocked your vision; it was impossible to see what lay beyond the forest. The flora and fauna were drastically different from what you knew in Liyue; no matter how hard you tried, you could not recognize a single animal or plant.

Your eyes were focused on the road ahead, simply watching the dirt below your feet as your mind wandered about the events that led you to this situation. You no longer had any tears to cry, you spent the first hour of your walk weeping and mourning for the life that you lost.

Now, you could only move forward.

The sun that once stood on top of the sky was starting to slowly disappear into the horizon. It wouldn't be long before night arrived, and you had yet to find some sort of civilization to ask for help.

Strange noises managed to snap you out of your thoughts. As you weren't paying attention to your surroundings, you failed to notice three strange persons standing right in front of you, blocking your path. Two buff and strong men and a tall, slim woman looked down at you menacingly. As they bore similar clothes colored red and gold, it was safe to assume that they all were in the same group or clan of some sorts.

You immediately stopped walking and moved your backpack to the front to hug it in your chest as a way to both have a false sense of security and an easier access to the dagger hidden inside.

"So is this it? The shrimp we were tasked to retrieve?" The woman asked as she crossed her arms. You could not see her eyes as they were covered by a red cloth, but it was evident she was raising a brow.

"Watch your mouth." One of the men spoke. "Remember what we were told: safely secure the child and not do anything that could upset them."

So, were these strangers planning to take you? Did they have any connections to that archon that fought your dad? Was that why they were there, to bring you back to Liyue?

Impulsed by your fear, you took one step backward.

The other man seemed to notice this, for he approached you in just one big step. He crouched to look at you in the eyes in an attempt to look less intimidating. It didn't quite work as planned as you just flinched. "Hey it's okay, little one. We won't hurt you. We are here to take you to Lord Sang—"

"Stop right there!"

The man was interrupted by an arrow impacting right in front of his feet, surprising him and making him stand up in alarm. The other two were also alerted and readied their weapons; a bow and two swords were in hand to fight whoever was attacking them.

A young boy descended from the tree on top of you. He landed unscathed in front of you, between the man that previously approached you and your smaller form. His fox-like tail was tense behind him, simulating that of the wild animals when they were alert, ready to strike. His long and fluffy ears twitched at every sound his enemies made, taking advantage of his animal blood to have the advantage on this situation.

"I didn't know Eremites would step so low as to corner a lonely child in the forest." He said, drawing his bow and aiming it at the stranger in front of him. "I'll give you this chance to leave. If you do not, I won't hesitate to throw you out by force."

The group looked at each other. However, none of them put down their weapon.

"Sorry, little forest watcher. We have a job to do." The woman warned.

"We advise you to step aside." The man with the swords said.

Those comments enraged the newcomer. From his point of view, these Eremites were picking on a kid just to rob them. Maybe even something worse.

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

Before you had any time to react, both the fox boy and the three mercenaries started to attack each other. Arrows and strikes started to flow from everywhere, making you crawl to safety behind the thickest tree around. You closed your eyes tightly and covered your ears with your hands. The sound of fighting reminded you of what transpired earlier in The Chasm... It was just like that time when your father and that archon exchanged blows, one determined to get to you and the other to protect you.

It was just the same.

The clashing didn't stop. Your heartbeat increased with each parry that resonated behind your hiding spot. Soon, all you could hear was the thump of your heart hitting your ears, the fight long forgotten as you could not even remember it was happening thanks to the desperation you were starting to feel. Your breathing got out of control, and your chest soon started to hurt, too. If felt as if your heart wanted to devour your whole body and you could do nothing to stop it—

"Breathe, kid. I need you to take a deep inhale and hold your breath for a second before exhaling. Inhale, exhale."

You didn't know who was talking in front of you, their muffled voice barely reached you through the loud thumping in your chest and ears. They repeated the same words over and over again, and soon you started to obey them in hopes of stop hurting. Inhaling, exhaling. It took a few tries, but your breathing soon became more and more stabilized, and your heart wasn't so loud anymore.

The person crouching in front of you breathed a sigh of relief, and you didn't even know you were crying until they wiped a tear escaping from your left eye. Now that you were calmer, you noticed that your vision was also blurry, however, it was also getting better.

"There now, you're alright." The boy in front of you said. His silhouette was now familiar as you recognized the fox-like features in his body. "Feel any better?"

You nodded rather uncertainly. You still felt agitated, but it was certainly better than a minute ago.

"That's good." He smiled. "You're safe now, okay? Those Eremites can't hurt you now."

He took your little arms in his hands and made you release the backpack you were still clinging to. As you let it go, you noticed how red and swollen your hand and fingers were. It seemed that you were grabbing it with too much force.

"I'm sure this was frightening to such a young kid like you... Judging by the way you dress, I assume you're from Liyue, am I wrong?"

You shook your head 'no'. He smiled, content by your response.

"And what about your parents? Are you all merchants? That's why those mercenaries attacked you here in the forest?"

You knew he didn't have any bad intentions and was just asking in hopes of helping you, but it didn't make it hurt any less the mention of your parents. You raised your knees to your chest and hid your face in them. The boy visibly saddened thanks to your action. In his eyes, those Eremites attacked your family in hopes of robbing you and ended up killing your parents when they struggled. He couldn't think of anything else.

"It's okay little one, it's okay now..." He sat beside you and surrounded your shoulders with his left arm. This helped him bring you closer to his body, using his fluffy tail to bring some comfort by gently caressing your back. "You're safe."

The tickling feeling of the hair of his tail going up and down your back brought a positive reaction out of you. It made you involuntarily laugh, and he seemed pleased by this.

"How about you tell me your name, hm?" His kind eyes complemented his soothing smile. You shyly offered your name, and he seemed to shine brightly at the achievement of finally hearing your voice. "That's an absolutely beautiful name! Mine's Tighnari, though I fear it pales in comparison to yours."

You giggled at his words. "But I like your name. It's pretty."

Tighnari ruffled your hair with a laugh. "Well thank you, little one. That's very kind of you."

You were now relaxed, you even had a small smile on your face. This was the perfect opportunity to exit the forest and return to Gandharva Ville; he would think of what to do next once he got you to safety.

He stood up and extended his hand in your direction, helping you stand up once you took it in your smaller hand.

"We'll go to the ville I live, okay? Once we're there, you can get comfortable and tell me everything that happened." He promised. You nodded once more, and, still hugging your backpack with your free arm, you let the young archer guide you through the forest. He started to walk in the opposite direction of where the fight happened, but curiosity got the better of you and turned your head briefly to see what was left of the fight. You barely got to see the three unconscious bodies before the trees blocked your vision.

You were sure you would never be able to see such settlements back in Liyue.

The large trunk of a tree was the base of a little ville hidden in the middle of the forest. The place was filled with forest rangers patrolling the nearby areas, all of them greeting Tighnari once you both appeared right at the entrance.

Being around so many strangers filled you with uneasiness, so naturally, you clung to the only person you knew. Tighnari didn't seem to mind; in fact, it was as if the hold gave him a new surge of energy, for he increased the speed of his walking and returned every greeting with excitement. He even took this opportunity to wrap his tail around your torso.

The road ended in front of a wooden cabin. You stared at it for a moment, thinking about your current situation. Was this okay? This boy certainly promised to help you, he even rescued you from that scary people back in the forest. 'Don't enter a stranger's house' your parent would always tell you...

But did you have any other option right now?

Tighnare looked back at you and offered a gentle smile. "It's okay, I'm with you."

He gently tugged your arm, and you started walking again. You both entered the tiny house, surprised to see a girl already inside, seemingly writing in a notebook while sitting on the desk.

"Collei, I'm back." Tighnari said, and the girl turned to face him once she heard his voice. The big smile on her face quickly morphed into a semblance of pure confusion.

"Oh, who is this?" Collei approached you, kneeling in front of you before offering you a small smile. "Hello little one! My name is Collei. You are not from around here, are you?"

You instinctively hid behind Tighnari. He laughed. "No, they are not. I fear their family might have been a victim of Eremites."

"But I thought Eremites were just mercenaries? Did someone hire them to attack their family?"

He shrugged. He really didn't have a clue. If this child's parents were wealthy or renowned merchants then it would make sense for someone to have a grudge on them.

You slowly revealed yourself from behind the boy. This girl seemed friendly enough.

"Hi Collei." You offered. "Nice to meet you."

Collei gasped. This child was so cute! And so polite, too. She couldn't fight the impulse of hugging you, in just a second you were scooped into her arms and away from the archer, a meter above the ground.

For Tighnari, that small action made him feel like his world was crumbling... Suddenly he felt alone, suffocated, overwhelmed by anguish. The moment he stopped touching the child he swore he could sense his heart breaking in a million pieces.

No, no!

He didn't even realize what he had done until he heard Collei say his name and the pained whimpers of the child. He was grabbing your small arm rather roughly, for he could see the redness of the skin below his hand. Collei was doing her best in trying not to drop you, as he was trying to bring you closer to him not really caring that you were in the arms of another person.

"Ah! Sorry, sorry...!" He excused himself quickly. He let go of you, and guilt was born in his heart when he saw how you gently rubbed the area where he held you.

Collei was staring at him with a worried expression, but Tighnari didn't really care. He looked at the hand that was used to grab you.

He was certain he didn't imagine it. Every second he touched your small frame... he felt full of life, vigor, energy. A newfound euphoria that made him believe he could achieve anything in this world. He could think of the happiest day in his life and how he felt then would never come close to the way you made him feel.

He raised his eyes and his heart dropped when he found yours full of tears. Oh, this was bad! Please, please don't cry! He'd rather kill himself before being the cause of your weeping—

He was just about to drop to the floor and apologize when a forest ranger entered the cabin in a hurry. She was out of breath, as if she had been running from the edge of the forest to here without taking a break.

"Tighnari, we- we have problems!" She said as best as she could. "Eremites! A group of Eremites is attacking Gandharva Ville ad nauseam!"

"What?!" Both Tighnari and Collei exclaimed. They exchanged a glance between each other, a silent form of communication that only they could understand.

"They're here for them..." He gritted his teeth. What could possibly a group of mercenaries want with a little kid?! Even worse, behind them was a mysterious employer... Someone who was adamant about taking this child. Just the thought of it made his blood boil. "Stay here with them! I'll kill those damn Eremites for trying to harm this one!"

The rage in his voice made the girl give a step backward in shock. She has never seen her friend that angry before... no, he wasn't angry; he was furious.

He wasted no second in summoning his bow and following the fellow forest ranger in the fight outside.

Had you heard right? Were the people from the forest back for you? Ah, the thought of it made you feel sick... What did they even want from you? Could they've been sent from those archons to capture you? Was taking the lives of your papa and tata not enough?

You started to move in Collei's arms, demanding to be put down. She obliged your silent request and carefully let you go from her arms. However, the moment she let go, it felt as if someone tore her heart from her chest and crushed it before her eyes. No way, could this be what Tighnari experienced and made him react that way?

She summoned her bow and shouted your name when she saw you run outside to see what was happening.

The entire ville was replete of Eremites clashing weapons with forest rangers and even some forest watchers. The few civilians that lived there tried to escape through secret passages or deserted places, just to be stopped and apprehended by the invaders.

Collei barely had any time to reach you to pull you inside when an Eremite spotted you two. "There! I see the child!"

Tighnari snapped his head from where he was fighting to look at you, every hair of his body standing up with the rage he was feeling. "DON'T YOU DARE!!" He shouted before firing an arrow at his opponent, piercing their stomach without effort. He needed to get to them, he couldn't let these damn Eremites steal you and take with them all the euphoria and joy he felt.

As he started to hop on the stairs to stop a man that was rushing to the cabin, he failed to notice a woman pointing her own bow and arrow right at him. And just as he was about to grab the man, a sharp pain made him stumble and fall as he clutched his side. Crimson flowed from the wound the arrow had made. Fuck, he would need medical help soon.

He shouted your name, trying to see your small from where he was lying. This proved to be futile as the woman who had shot him moved to stand in front of him, between him and the cabin.

Collei managed to pull you back inside just as the man appeared on the entrance. The girl stood protectively in front of you, having drawn her bow as a way to defend both of you. The Eremite, however, didn't move to attack her. He approached you both and didn't seem to be intimidated even when Collei's arrow was pointing at his head.

"You." He said, looking right at you. "We've come for you."

"You'll have to get through me first." Collei warned.

"Oh, please." The man laughed. "We have orders not to kill anybody, but we certainly can use force to take them with us."

She didn't know what to do. This man seemed way stronger than her. Could she even defeat him in a fight?

"Wait, don't- don't hurt her!" You exclaimed behind her form. You clung onto her scarf tightly, terrified of the situation you were in. You could not let any more people be hurt to protect you! You had to be strong; your father and your parent would've wanted you to be brave. "Please stop attacking the ville, they have nothing to do with me..."

"Certainly. If you come with us we can end this without hurting anyone else. What do you say?"

Collei refused fiercely, but you didn't share her thoughts. You nodded and slowly separated from her body to approach the waiting man. This sent Collei in a panic. She tried to grab you by the neck but was promptly stopped by the handle of a polearm hitting her stomach. She instinctively grabbed the area as she fell to the floor, the impact having made her lose her breath.

"Ah, Collei!" You tried to go to her to see if she was okay, but the man managed to pick you up from your clothes and throw you in his shoulder.

"Worry not, little one. We didn't hurt anyone severely. Now let's go, Lord Sangemah Bay is waiting for you."

Wait, Lord Sangemah Bay? That was the person your father wanted you to find. So these people were sent by them to retrieve you? Had you known beforehand, you would've gone with them back in the forest. Without having to hurt anyone here.

The man brought you outside and whistled. The remaining Eremited heed his call and promptly evacuated the ville, the wounded helped by the stronger members.

The man also took off with you still secured in his shoulder, and you barely could hear the shouts of your name coming from the ville as you got farther and farther away.

——————————

Hello! This is a taglist. Should you wish for me to add or remove you, you can ask for it.

Due to the overwhelming support you've given me, I fear I might have forgotten some people who kindly asked to be tagged. If you do not find yourself here, please do tell me. I've saved every username but there's a possibility that I've missed yours when I made the list.

However, I don't know why I can't tag some blogs. I hope this reaches you well.

@cryastre • @someone-with-wild-imagination • @esthelily • @ursinaw • @shizunxie • @meep13r • @clayallor • @yuyuzi-ling • @atsukawolfcat • @yandere-city • @teethmunchertimes • @shinydrakeon15 • @d4ff0d1l14 • @thelonelyarchon • @shadowfoxey • @lunarianillusion • @sarah-saystuff • @scarletttcroww • @insomniackae • @mochicurls21 • @him3ru • @elernity • @d3sperate-enuf • @devils-blackrose • @heather-hutchcroft • @internet-4ngel • @crueldinasty • @yourlocaldrugdealerbutfancy • @almighty-raiden-shogunate • @itz-luna • @kaveh-is-pretty • @yuumaofc • @ratorose • @justlostintheinternet • @angelkazusstuff • @jellidecoffee • @deadflycomputerlogs • @valeriele3 • @no-regrets-just-confusion • @chidouna • @hikaru-exe • @leafanonsforest • @formacoon • @chuuya-brainrot • @fantsyland • @red1sg0n3 • @m3q3kic • @toodledoodl3 • @juuuuuj101010 • @fancyhawk45 • @bre99 • @sucker-for-angst-and-fluff •@bre99

#genshin impact #genshin impact au #sagau #impostor au #genshin impact x reader #child reader #cult au #genshin self aware #platonic yandere #yandere #genshin x reader #platonic yandere x reader #yandere x reader #Tighnari #collei

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delimeful · 8 months

Text

let my mind reset (6)

warnings: angst, brainwashing, torture, psychological conditioning, references to injury/gore/death, harmful surgical implants, they are really going through it now, lmk if i missed any

Where the hours had passed slowly before, now they seemed to slip by all too fast. Every spare moment Roman had was spent in anxious anticipation of the next session and all that came with it.

He had never seen something like the haze used on a person before. Crav’n were invulnerable to it, and he’d only ever witnessed his aunt use it briefly on one of the local fauna once, a harmless and finicky tree-dwelling species about the size of his hand.

(Roman remembered the way Marta had compelled the little creature to pace back and forth, from place to place, wearing its will away until there wasn’t any hesitation between order and action. Then, she’d sent it walking into the nearby pond.

He remembered the way its survival instinct had set in late, the way it began to thrash, and still Marta didn’t call it back. He remembered feeling relieved when his mother stepped in and put a stop to the demonstration, scooping the poor beast from its fate with disapproval etched firmly in the set of her shoulders.

He didn’t remember if the creature had lived through the withdrawal, afterwards.)

Virgil was far from a simple animal, though, and despite Roman’s half-formed nightmares, he didn’t mindlessly succumb to the influence of the drug the first time it was forced on him, nor the second or the third.

In fact, every time the other Humans entered his cell with that unsettling green canister, he seemed just as panicked as Roman, if not more, putting up as much of a fight as he could with a battered body and a wrung out mind. No matter how they tutted or scolded, the other Humans still couldn’t get the mask on him until Roux had him forcibly subdued, which was a tiny victory in itself.

That didn’t stop the drug from taking its toll each and every time.

As horrible as it sounded, the worst part was that the effects weren't painful or malicious in nature. At least that would have been easier to fight against; a logical, instinctive response to being hurt.

No, it was far more insidious than that. The haze dulled pain. First, the physical: it eased away the stiffness of sore muscles and the burning of shocked nerves, leaving only a pleasant numbness behind. Then, the mental: it stalled the production of stressful chemical compounds, replacing them with whatever was needed to trick the victim’s mind into believing they were happy, relaxed, pliable.

Roman had never seen Virgil so unwound, so carefree, and he hated how unnatural the behavior seemed on the Human. It was a miserable experience, finally seeing him without the hunted slant to his posture, and feeling sickened by the sight.

What was worse was watching it wear off.

As though a switch had been thrown in reverse, Virgil would be plagued by a creeping, unrelenting sense of panic and dread, pacing around his cell frantically until a sudden hypersensitivity to touch left him crumpled in one spot, breathing harsh and pained.

Time after time, he was shown exactly how painful withdrawal from even a few doses was, until he was left bracing for it well before the next session had even begun.

“The last guys who had me would have killed for something like this,” Virgil said, nearly panting as he laid out on his back. He had his fingers pressed against his neck, feeling his pulse. His heart was racing so hard that Roman could see the veins pulsing eerily under the skin. A heavy spike of adrenaline, unprompted by anything tangible. “Bet she has at least a few people stashed away just to drain for easy cash.”

He spoke more, like this. Out of turn, about topics that were morbid and pessimistic, as though the thoughts were tumbling free of his mind without his permission. Roman never let his negative reactions to the more grim topics go beyond his ears flickering back; it wasn’t like he had the room or right to judge. They didn’t have very many reasons to be optimistic. Besides, he’d realized early on that the more worked up Roman got, the worse Virgil got in turn.

He still didn’t know the exact details of how Dren harvesting worked, and he was fairly sure he was better off for it. The very idea of setting an entire person aside for something like that was reprehensible, and therefore entirely possible for Marta.

“She said she… she gets rid of Humans that don’t break,” he replied after a moment, the words tumbling freely from him for once. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she tried to turn a profit from it.”

He’d been trying to match the distant, dry tone Virgil had used, but he must have missed the mark, because the Human stiffened, and drew his hand back from Roman’s grasp to press it harshly against his eyes.

Belatedly, Roman realized what he’d just implied. Virgil was one of those Humans trying not to break, was at this very moment barely clinging to his composure, and he’d just been informed he was stuck between two horrific fates worse than death. “I didn’t mean—,”

“‘S alright,” Virgil interrupted, voice rough with exhaustion. “It’s not like I didn’t know. It makes me feel a little better, honestly.”

Roman stared at him, bewildered and still slightly aghast at his own stupidity, and Virgil shifted a few fingers to peer back with one eye.

“At least some Humans didn’t fall for it, y’know? At least some of them got out in their own way,” he continued, a thin thread of hopelessness tangled up in the words. “I was starting to wonder if the rest of space was right. If we were all just destined to be monsters with the right motivation.”

Roman should have been more alarmed at the implication that Virgil felt close to succumbing, that he was nearer than he’d ever wanted to be to a Human on the brink of falling under someone else’s blatantly malignant control, but all he could feel was a painful sympathy.

“You’re not a monster,” he said, and then, more firmly— “Humans aren’t monsters.”

Virgil’s eye widened slightly, gaze intent in a way that would have made Roman bristle in the past.

“They’re just people. They can do good or bad, just like anyone else. And sure, these guys are— they’re not doing good.” A pause, and Roman forced himself to meet Virgil’s stare. “But you have. You saved Patton, and you tried to save me, and you’re— you’re not a monster. You’re a good friend.”

Virgil buried his face back in his elbow and was quiet for a long moment.

“…You’re not so bad yourself.”

—

Roman hadn’t expected Marta to show up in person, not with how much she had delegated to her brainwashed underlings thus far, but arrive she did.

“Don’t fret, ghiva’al,” she crooned to him, passing by his cell with the lightest clink of her claws dragged against the bars. “I’m here to meet your little pet, not you.”

“Don’t—,” call me that, call him that, he wanted to snarl, but his throat closed up so sharply that it sounded a little like he’d choked.

Marta made her stilted croaking laugh, sparing him a glance that might have been pitying if it had bothered to reach her cold, empty eyes. “You always did struggle with words when emotional, didn’t you? Not nearly as well spoken as your mother. What a shame to see that hasn’t changed.”

There was a sharp clacking as an aggressive shudder ran through Roman’s scales, but he still couldn’t find his voice. Not even when Marta moved on to grip the bars of Virgil’s cell, her attention shifting to the Human where he stood warily in the center of the cage.

Roman had learned more than he’d ever thought he would about Human body language over the past few weeks. He knew from the slight sway to Virgil’s every shift that the Human was drained, likely barely keeping his feet.

Still, he was upright to face Marta, his height advantage allowing him to look down at her, and that was better than being crumpled on the ground at her feet. Little victories were all they had now, and they clung to each and every one.

Roux wasn’t there, Roman realized with a jolt, and the knowledge was enough to drag his mind into overdrive, a sudden double-edged hope springing to life in his chest.

Virgil must have already realized, because the way he held himself shifted into something taut and coiled, like he was preparing to lunge forward at the first opportunity, weak or not.

“Back of the cell,” Marta commanded, voice turned brisk and blunt in a way it hadn’t been with Roman. Like she was speaking to a beast instead of a person.

Virgil didn’t move, barely deigned to acknowledge the words beyond a brief flicker of his pupils upwards.

Marta waited, letting the silence stretch for a brief moment, and then clicked her teeth together in a mild reprimand. “The hard way, then.”

Despite her apparent annoyance, the words held a sort of anticipatory delight, and Roman felt the thick tar of dread slide under his scales as he watched her slide a small, triangular remote from a pouch at her side.

When she pressed the button in the center of it, she was looking at Roman.

It was Virgil who went rigid and fell.

Despite knowing it would undercut every lie he’d tried to sell about how little he cared, despite the fact that he was playing right into her claws, Roman couldn’t help but rush to the bars separating them, a shout of horror catching in his chest.

The Human hit the ground hard but stayed chillingly frozen, with every muscle locked into hard lines. He didn’t make a sound until Marta shifted her thumb away from the button, the motion somehow allowing him to finally go limp like a puppet with strings cut.

“Virgil!” Roman managed, though the sound of it was nearly lost in the sudden loudness of the Human’s gasping breaths. He hadn’t been breathing before, Roman realized with a terrified shock.

Whatever Marta was doing, it hadn’t countered Virgil’s natural stubbornness, and he climbed back to his feet with less staggering than Roman would have expected.

His gaze caught on the tremor to Virgil’s hands, the shuddering of his pulse, and he understood. Adrenaline.

The fight or flight instinct, Virgil had called it while talking with Patton. Roman had seen him choose to fight once, at their very first meeting, but even that couldn’t compare to the speed and ferocity of the way the Human lunged now.

Marta didn’t flinch back when he made loud, skull-rattling contact with the bars, but she didn’t blink, either, keeping her eyes firmly locked on Virgil as she pressed the button once more.

Instead of letting him drop, however, she reached out and seized him by the face, claws digging in on either cheek and holding tightly.

Virgil couldn’t so much as flinch away from the pain, and Roman slammed his arm against the door of his own cell with force, furious at his own helplessness.

Marta released the trigger again, and this time, every gasping inhale Virgil took was dosed with her haze. He tried to jerk back, but it was far faster acting straight from the source, and he had barely a moment before his expression dropped to something hollow and smooth, his desperate strength wavering and then extinguishing like a flame with nothing left to burn.

“Down,” Marta commanded, releasing her grip, and Virgil stood in place for a few long heartbeats before his legs collapsed underneath him.

She waved a hand absently down at him, still scattering her haze thick in the air. “There you go. It feels so much better when you listen, doesn’t it?”

Virgil twitched, a ripple of discontent crossing his face, but didn’t respond. He was shaking relentlessly now, his entire body trembling in a way that had Roman deeply concerned.

“You’re safe with me,” Marta lied, reaching down to glide the palm of her hand over the side of Virgil’s face. “You’re only safe with me. Everyone else wants to hurt you, but I’ll make the pain go away. Always do as I say, okay?”

Virgil didn’t move away, even as her rough skin caught on the wounds her claws had left only moments ago. His breathing grew wispier, slower, until he appeared almost calm, his eyes dazed and distant.

“Let’s try this again,” Marta straightened, and when her hand left Virgil’s cheek, he strained after it for a handful of seconds. “Back of the cell.”

Virgil climbed back to his feet, and Roman closed his eyes as the Human quietly began shuffling across his stretch of cell. He felt all of six winters old again, watching his aunt lead something fuzzy and helpless back and forth, closer and closer to the water’s edge.

“Good. Now, heel.” More shuffling, wordless as a corpse.

How long did he have before Virgil took his own plunge?

—

It took longer than before for Virgil to regain coherence, afterwards.

Roman knew the moment he’d come back to himself, because the soft grip around his hand had instantly vanished, yanked away so sharply that he’d barely registered the movement before Virgil was up on his feet and backing away.

“Virgil,” he tried, and the Human shook his head, the motion harsh, his hands lifting up to grip roughly at his hair in a distressed motion Roman had only ever caught glimpses of back on the ship.

He’d continued to retreat until he hit the furthest corner of the cell, where he slid down and curled in on himself, utterly unreceptive to any of Roman’s stilted calls. Roman caught his expression crumpling into a miserable grimace before he buried his face in his knees and hid that away too.

The silence stretched.

If there were some right words to say here, Roman couldn’t find them. Even if he did, he undoubtedly wouldn’t be able to say them. The helplessness sheared against his scales like rough sand, but how could he allow himself to wallow in it when he at least still had his mind, his existence still unarguably his own?

Freshly taunted by the knowledge that he didn’t have even that much, Virgil remained still and taut and quiet in the furthest reaches of his cell for what felt like a very long time.

When he did finally stir, Roman was appalled to see the faint streaks on his face where his tears had washed away the sweat and grime.

Patton had described Human weeping as arrhythmic vocalizations, much like Ampens, but with a physical manifestation as well. Roman hadn’t known that Humans could cry silently, like a pup gone still and quiet in the face of danger, with only the barest hitching of breath to indicate distress.

The expression on Virgil now was creased into firm lines, but it didn’t seem agonized or crumbling at the edges. Rather, as he climbed to his face, he seemed to hold the same bitter resolution Roman had seen in him a few times before: during the tail end of their first meeting, and after the fight with the raiders, both times when he’d thought he was about to be left alone again.

“Roman,” he started, and then worked his jaw tersely, once, twice. Rather than continue, he held out a hand, palm-up in silent offering.

Things had changed a lot over the course of their captivity, Roman reflected as he reached out and set his own hand in the Human’s grasp with barely a shred of hesitation. It felt like second nature by now, to reach out and cling on whenever his stomach was roiling with stress.

Virgil watched him for a moment longer, and then wrapped his fingers around Roman’s hand and drew closer, slowly pulling his arm up until he had positioned Roman’s claws just above the skin of his neck.

“This,” Virgil said, each word resolute, “is the best place to sever if you want to kill a Human quickly.”

The words took a dull, ringing moment to sink in, but once they did, Roman jerked back sharply. “Virgil, what—?”

For the first time, Virgil held on, keeping his hand pinned in place with ease even as he had to grip the bars with his other hand to remain upright. Roman could see the way the Human’s pulse fluttered under the skin, a heartbeat racing visibly exactly where Virgil had indicated.

“It’s important. You need to know,” Virgil insisted, and lifted their joined hands higher, to his temple. “Head wounds bleed a lot. Gashes up here are valuable because the blood runs down and drips into their eyes, which will work pretty well as a distraction—,”

“Stop it!” Roman demanded, yanking harder as his panic increased. “I’m not going to— stop talking like that! I don’t need to know how to hurt you!”

At the start of their voyage, Roman would have done just about anything for information like this, anything to feel safe on his own ship again. So why was he learning it only now, when each word and accompanying gesture made him feel ill and rotted down to the tip of his tail?

“It’s not— Roman, it’s not about me,” Virgil said, frustration seeping into his voice. He let Roman drag his hand away from his face, but still didn’t let go. “It’s about them.”

Roman wasn’t sure he believed that. “I don’t need to kill anyone. They’re brainwashed, this is Marta’s fault! I know the truth, now.”

Virgil shook his head, ghosted the fingers of his free hand over his implant scar with a distant, sickened expression. “It’s not that simple. I don’t want guilt to be the reason— Look. If it’s them or you, I want it to be you. I want you to make sure it’s you.”

And what if it's me or you? Roman thought, but the words lodged firmly in his chest until he could barely breathe around them.

“They all made their choice,” Virgil continued once it became clear that Roman wouldn’t respond. “They’ve kept making that choice, every time. You have to want to survive, too, okay?”

Mutely, Roman nodded, trying to ignore the creeping sense of horror. He pulled Virgil’s hand back towards himself, fumbled for speech for a long moment before finding the words and hoping they didn’t feel like a betrayal when spoken aloud.

“The underbelly,” he started, and Virgil’s expression— shut down. Every hint of body language went flat like stone, and just as unyielding.

“No.” The word was final, a sentence all its own, and Roman scowled mulishly.

“But—!”

“Roman.” Virgil lifted his other arm over so that he was clasping Roman’s hand between both of his own. “You’re the only one left, right? You told me that.”

The thought was still a wound-like pang in his chest, even after all this time. “Yes,” he admitted. “But, even still—,”

“No way. I don’t want to hear it, man. There’s nobody I would be willing to use it on, anyhow.” Virgil kept his gaze locked firmly on a point past Roman’s shoulder, but his shoulders were set, his voice steadfast.

There was no point arguing. Not now, when the both of them were one wrong move from collapse.

“Okay,” Roman finally said, and forced himself not to protest when Virgil reclaimed the position of lecturer. It was a struggle not to wince away with each gory anecdote, a full guide on the quickest ways to make the Human body stop functioning or even turn on itself.

“Gut wounds are slow to kill, but they can be painful enough to debilitate. There are vulnerable organs here, below the rib cage, and damage to them is difficult to treat without surgery if the wound is severe enough…”

Still, he held himself at attention, did his best to memorize every word.

If Virgil wouldn’t accept knowledge about Roman’s own vulnerabilities as a gift of equal exchange, Roman would simply have to treasure this information with the same dedication that he applied to the rest of their small crew.

After all, knowing all the individual weak points of a Human would make it that much easier for him to protect each and every single part of Virgil.

Virgil wasn’t going to die. Not here, and certainly not by Roman’s own claws. Not if Roman had anything to say about it.

#sanders sides fic #wibar #lmmr #let my mind reset #ts virgil #ts roman #humans are deathworlders #my writing #writing #sanders sides #space au

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barleyo · 1 year

Text

Pollen.

Recom! Miles Quaritch X Fem! Reader

A/N: I finished this is 3 hours, so this might seem a little rushed, but I am obsessed with this man in a life-consuming, unhealthy, scary way. I just feel the need to share the goings on of my mind with you all via my writing, so prepare for a LOT of Miles Quaritch posts. When I say a lot... I mean it.

(PART TWO IS OUT)

Wordcount: 1.4k

TAGS: Age difference, phone sex, public masturbation, solo fem and male masturbation, mutual masturbation, voice fetish, sex pollen, phone sex with a stranger, interspecies relationship

Solo missions were not uncommon for Miles. Any one-man job immediately went to him, as a colonel he could hold his own, however, the forests of Pandora were not kind to lone wolves. Everything and anything out in the wild posed a threat, animals and natives. Plants.

He was confident in his physical abilities, and even though he didn’t like to admit it, he was ignorant to the flora and fauna of this world, so in his mind, everything was blended together into a pool of danger and death. Any sound in the still forest was a red flag to him, any leaf crunching or branch shifting caught his attention. That’s why he was so quick to turn around when a loud rustling of leaves sounded behind him.

“Ha!” Quaritch turned around, gun held up in defense, ready to shoot. He held the gun steadily as the sound continued. He slowly brought his gun back into its proper place, strapped over his bare, azure shoulder.

Just as his guard fell, a small wisp of color lunged past him, knocking him onto the forest floor. He looked up, not seeing the creature, whatever it had been. Pushing himself up, he noticed that he had touched a mushroom-like plant. It was bioluminescent, and left a powdery dust on his palm.

“This fuckin’ place,” he sighed, wiping the white dust off onto his cargos. His face scrunched up in discomfort as an itching sensation ticked at his hand. He scratched at it to no avail. The feeling built quickly from a small itch to a flaming burn.

The heat spread from his hands to his arms, then to his chest, and soon coated his entire body. It felt as if he were submerged into a body of boiling water like he was being cooked, simmered and stewed in a pot.

“What was that shit?” He groaned, feeling the slick of his sweat drench through his shirt. Quaritch dug through his pant’s pockets and grabbed his walkie talkie, speaking into the front of it. “Colonel to Blue Team, over.” The line was dangerously quiet, the only sound being the fizzing of the radio. “Blue Team? Lyle?” He cursed, not receiving a response. “Forgot how bad the connection was on these things.”

He smacked the device, hoping it would offer him a clear connection. With his slicked palms, he dropped the walkie talkie, muttering profanities to himself. He snatched it and held it to his ear as a final pathetic attempt to connect to his team. “Hello? Anyone there, for God’s sake?”

To his surprise, there was an answer. Not just any answer, but a soft, clear one.

“Hello? Hello, are you there? This is (Y/N).”

He shuddered. From relief, maybe, but the warmth spreading to his crotch pointed towards arousal. It confused him, this wasn’t the first time he’d heard a voice as beautiful as this one, but instead of dwelling on it, he frantically spoke back.

“Yeah, ‘m here, Colonel Miles Quaritch, over.” His mouth was dry and his tongue felt far too large,

“Colonel? Uhm, well, what has you tuned into the lab department’s line? Can I help you?”

Such a beautiful voice, even for a science puke, he thought. “Damn radio won't connect to my team line, but I’m out in the middle of nowhere in this God forsaken forest. I fell on some weird mushroom lookin’ thing and now I’m so itchy and sweaty that I can’t even fuckin’ think straight,” he said into the device, “Hell, I can barely walk. It’s starting to hurt too.” He stretched the fingers on his aching palm, trying to soothe it. It did not work and the pain only shot through the rest of his body, just as the itching and burning had as well.

“Oh, Mr. Quaritch, I’m sorry to hear that,” the woman replied, urgency in her voice, “can you tell me what this ‘mushroom’ looked like more specifically?” There was a twinge of excitement in her voice that pissed him off.

“What’s that gonna do? Damn it, can you just put me on with my team?”

“Please, calm down. If I can figure out what you have interacted with, I can tell you how to fix it.”

He sighed. “I already told you, it was like a mushroom. It left this weird powdery shit on my hand.”

“Powder? Oh my,” she sucked in a breath, “Colonel, I’m going to ask you something, and I need you to answer me. Are you, uh, are you–”

“Miss, can you spit it out already? I don’t have time for this, if you’ve forgotten, I’m in the middle of fucking nowhere and sweating buckets right now.”

“Are you hard right now? Your– your dick, is it hard?”

Quaritch swallowed thickly, feeling the bulge in his pants twitch again.

“Yes, really hard. What does that have to do with anything?”

“The plant that you had touched, it is known to release pollen that arouses one to an extreme, if you do not satisfy yourself soon, the pain will be unbearable.” Miles could hear panic in the woman’s voice and the click of a door as if it were being locked. “You understand, don’t you, Colonel?”

“It’s already awful.” A groan reverberated in his chest as he spoke, “So I’m supposed to jerk myself off in the middle of the forest, right in the open?”

“I’m afraid so, please you must start now, the pain will be much worse without stimulation.”

He nodded, even though he knew she would not know and unbuttoned his pants, pulled his boxers down, and freed his dick. It was striped, just like the rest of his Na’vi body that he was slowly getting used to.

Miles nervously grabbed his own length. This wasn’t the first time he had touched himself in his Na’vi form, it was second nature to him now, but this was the first time he had done it out in the open, and the first time he had done it with a woman talking him through it.

He pumped slowly, fucking his fist. He couldn’t help but imagine his hand being the warm, tight cunt of the woman on the other line. A trembling moan strained from his mouth as he picked up the pace, seeking more friction in his palm. “(Y/N)--”

“I’m still here, sir, don’t worry,” she said, comfortingly.

His face flushed with a purple tint, not realizing she was still there. Obviously she was still on the line, it’s not like she could just leave, he rationalized it in his head. “It still hurts so bad, darlin’, fucking my hand ain’t helping,” he groaned.

“Just try, you must do it. You must cum, Colonel, please. Do it for me,” she whispered into the walkie talkie, embarrassed yet aroused by her own words.

“Fuck,” he hissed, sharp teeth barring down. “Need ya’ to touch yourself too, not fair if it’s only me.” Pre-cum oozed from his fat, leaky tip, beading at his hole.

“O-oh, I’m not sure..” her hands rested on the band of her panties, undecidedly fiddling with the elastic.

“Can’t cum unless you do it with me, missy, c’mon, need it bad.” His hips bucked into his hand again, moans catching in his throat.

(Y/N) hummed and slipped her hand into her pants. She slid the tips of her fingers through her wet folds, rubbing past her clit with gentle strokes. Focusing on the peaked bud, she drew tight, neat circles over it and felt her thighs try to close over her hand. “Oh, Christ, Mr. Quaritch, it feels good, mm.”

“I know, sweet girl, I know. Tell me when you’re ready, wanna cum with you.”

Lazily slowing down, Miles gave (Y/N) a chance to catch up with him. When he could hear breathy, needy moans from the line, he continued at his earlier pace, slamming his hips into his hand. Her whines were sweet to his ears, he could practically smell her, taste her. He threw his head back and huffed.

“Close, ‘m really close.”

“Gonna cum, baby girl? C’mon, cum like you’d cum all over my cock,” he rutted into his fist, feeling his balls tighten and stomach coil.

“Yes, fuck, yes,” she drawled out a messy, noisy moan, “Cummin’ now, sir, ah–”

“Good job, baby,” he said through gritted teeth as he spilled his seed on the ground, fucking himself through his fading orgasm.

There was a long, comfortable silence on each line as they each caught their breath. Miles was the one to break the silence.

“Thank you for helping out, bunny, but it just wasn’t enough. Still hurting. Gonna help me when I get back to base?”

“Yes, sir. Let me find some proper directions so you can come home.”

“Be ready for me when I get there, I wanna see you as soon as I get there, girl.”

#barleyxnighteye #smutfic #fanfiction #smutty smut smut #smut #avatar #avatar way of water #miles quaritch #miles quaritch x reader #x reader #avatar x reader #interspecies sex #na'vi x human #recom quaritch

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storiesbyrhi · 4 months

Text

Witch!Reader x Bat/Vampire!Eddie Munson Series Masterlist The Grimoire The Timeline

Warnings: canon typical violence, horror genre typical violence/some infrequent gore, swearing, animal death, no beta, death in childbirth (mentioned, not described), abusive parents, suicide, spiders/bugs, grief/mourning; light smut; warnings updated each chapter.

Synopsis: No witch has stepped foot in Hawkins since 1845, but when Vecna opens the ground and poisons the town, a voice begins to call to you. Have you been brought back to this cursed place to heal the townspeople’s wounds, to save a hexed bat that always finds its way to you, or to redefine your history with a reunion 150 years in the making?

Chapter Summary: Seven witches and a vampire walk into a human Halloween party in Hawkins, Indiana. 3676 words.

1986

When the witches came to Hawkins, only the animals sensed a change. Squirrels and cottontail rabbits played in the fields. Foxes and deer lined the horizon. Bats swooped, each of them enamored with Eddie – a bat, from what they could tell, but different.

“They think I’m a God,” Eddie had told you once he realised the influence he had on them.

You’d laughed at him. “Well, I think they think you’re a fun toy.”

The flatlands that sprouted homes were surrounded by a fauna-filled welcoming party that would have given any mortal driving by a heart attack. Naturally, you’d been building wards and glamours to keep the coven safe.

When you felt your sisters close, you walked by each of their homes. Eddie had made good on his promise to give them something. Beside the front door to each of the houses was a potted plant that he had grown. The plants he chose were, to him, symbolic of the witch who would take over care of it.

Asphodel for Ev, carolina for Meg, globe thistle for Mel, bluebell for Ash, lycoris for Hailey, and though a little cheesy, a black bat plant for Kelsey.

The fall sun was out, so Eddie would see the witches’ arrival in his small and fluffy form. He settled on your shoulder as you stood and watched the cars go from pinpricks on the horizon to loud and finally, finally, here.

Meg came screaming out of her car. “Does he want pats?!” She bypassed you entirely, holding her hands out for Eddie. If he felt demeaned, he didn’t let on. Eddie let Meg scoop him up and cradle him in her hands. She wandered off with no further greetings.

“How’s he gonna feel about that?” Kelsey asked, pulling you into a hug immediately.

“He is very preoccupied with making a good impression. It’s sweet actually. So… he will probably let her baby him for hours.”

She laughed then looked at you seriously. “Hi,”

“Hi,”

“I’ve missed you,”

“Stop, you’ll make me cry,” you said, holding in your feelings. “So, uh, where…” Turning around, you saw Meg and Mel’s empty cars. “Where are the others?”

“Uh… There’s Ev,” Kelsey pointed.

Ev was already on the edge of the woods, befriending the fox family you’d come to love. A little further in, Mel was taking photos of the old trees.

Suddenly, Hailey’s voice cut through the air. “Every room has bookshelves!”

As you and Kelsey walked to Hailey’s house, you noticed Ash, suspiciously whispering into her garden of dahlias, pointing to the bluebell Eddie left on her porch.

“Guess the fae boyfriend’s moving in too,”

“She told you?!” you screeched.

“And you told Eddie, guessing by that bluebell,”

“Oh, if you think that’s on the nose, wait till you see what he picked for you.”

…

By the last week of October, your coven was well on its way to establishment. Each witch had a list of things they felt were required to feel at home. Mostly, they worked on their houses and gardens. More wards were put in place not only around the valley but around all of Hawkins. The witches embedded themselves in the fabric of the town, starting the long process of helping it flourish again.

Your sisters were excited at the extended invitation to the Byers Halloween party by Dustin. Costumes were the topic of conversation over forest walks and shared dinners. Eddie continued to charm everyone with his mysteriousness when asked what he would be going as. Bets were being placed. He’d pick something cool or clever. He’d be beautiful.

…

You could not have been more different if you tried.

Eddie wore his hair in a low bun. The blue long-sleeved polo shirt and dark bootcut jeans were so normal it made you feel uncomfortable. As requested, you’d performed a simple illusion spell to make his black boots appear brown. It was only when he held the round, orange, plush toy cat did it make any sense.

“Jon Arbuckle,” he announced.

“No, yeah, I figured when you got the toy at Walmart… It’s just… You look…”

Eddie grinned. He saw how unsettled you were.

“I… Um. I think you need something else,” you told him. Reaching out for his ginger cat, he let you take it. Closing your eyes and expanding the illusion spell, you charmed the toy into looking like the actual Garfield. “Here… This helps.”

Eddie took the cat with a shrug. “And you?” He looked you up and down with a predatory gaze. It made your spine arch involuntarily. “I’m afraid I do not recognise this character.”

There was no magic in your costume – just good old fashion arts and crafts. You wore a very, very long yellow-blonde wig and a golden headpiece with a red jewel at its center. Your white dress was also adorned with golden armour. The knee-high boots were painted gold too. More painted plastic armour on your arms and a plastic sword held high.

“Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!” you proclaimed. “Princess of Power!”

Eddie cackled.

“She’s from Masters of the Universe. She’s very, very cool,”

“I believe you,” Eddie replied. “You look every part the Princess of Power.”

When you joined the coven by the cars, each looked more confused than the last. Kelsey was the first to break the silence.

“Uh… Nice costumes,” she said.

“This is Garfield,” Eddie replied, holding the cat out.

“It sure is, buddy. This isn’t going to weird the humans out at all.”

Kelsey and Mel sat in the back of your car as you drove.

“The makeup suits you,” Eddie told Mel.

“Yeah, I know this is a costume, but this look is like… It’s working for you,” you added.

Mel, in her Siouxie-best black just shrugged. “Stole a lot of the clothes from Ev.”

In Meg’s car, Ash was giving the other three witches a stern talking to about what she believed were ‘cop out’ costumes.

“Dude, I’m not in costume,” Meg argued. “These are just my clothes!”

“Every year you do this, Ash…”

“What’s the point in being a witch if you don’t do Halloween?” she frowned.

“What’s the point in going as Sandy if you don’t have someone going as Danny?” Hailey asked.

“Maybe she does,” Meg mumbled.

All the girls whispered out little ohhhhhhhhs at Ash’s expense. They wondered, pointedly and out loud, if fae do Halloween. What does a fairy dressed like Danny Zuko look like anyway?

“I left the Catskills for this?” Ash whined, secretly amused, and very much comforted by the fact the coven seemed to be accepting of her fae friend.

…

“You came!” Robin was very drunk, therefore unable to hide her true emotions, which were a combination of surprise, fear, excitement, and grief.

“I’m Jon and this is Garfield,” Eddie introduced before you could say anything.

Robin looked at him carefully. “I kinda thought you’d, you know, come as Dracula or something,”

“He’s aiming for soft and harmless,” you explained. “But if you want stereotypical vampire, Ev’s got you covered.”

Ev waved and bared her plastic fangs.

“Riiiight…” Robin said slowly.

“YOU CAME!” Dustin yelled, pushing Robin out of the way, and beaming with pure excitement. “Oh, hey, cool costume!” he complimented Eddie. “I like your Garfield. Nice touch,”

“Thank you,”

“So, do you have to be, like, invited in formally?” he asked, voice lowering, though the music was so loud nobody would be able to hear him anyway.

“Only because I’m house trained,” Eddie whispered back.

Dustin laughed, pointing to him. “Funny. I like a… funny… vampire, I guess… Come in!”

It was only a little before 10:00 pm but the party was already raging. The Byers’ house was filled with people, some of whom you knew, some not. Everybody needed an excuse to let loose and pretend to be okay for a little while, and you felt they were owed at least that.

The backyard was lit with party lights and whatever else could be hooked up to the power. The moon was waning, with barely 4% illumination. The night was dark and cool, and fires burned in emptied-out oil kegs.

It did not take long for your coven to splinter off and enjoy the night. You sipped at the purple coloured punch Robin offered you, surprised that it had much of an effect on you at all.

“Russian recipe,” Hopper grunted as his eyes followed Eddie around the party.

Eddie, who could not drink the punch, was designated driver one of two. Sobriety would not impede his fun though. As it were, nobody would let anything impede their fun.

…

Seven witches and a vampire walk into a human Halloween party in Hawkins, Indiana.

10:14 pm

Hailey introduced herself to Nancy in the kitchen. Nancy was distracting herself from all the things brewing in her unconscious by opening bags of chips and unnecessarily pouring them into bowls.

“Is Pride and Prejudice your favourite of Jane’s work?” Hailey asked.

Nancy looked at her. “Nobody’s recognised me.” The Elizabeth Bennet costume was accurate, albeit not exactly iconic.

Hailey smiled. “You look great.”

Nancy blushed, shook her head a little. “It’s hard to pick a favourite,”

“Tell me about it. Lizzy’s got to be one of her best characters though.” She left out the part about how she’d helped Jane Austen shape Lizzy into something more than what society expected of a woman, let alone a woman in story.

Nancy nodded. “You… Sorry, what are you?”

“I’m a witch.”

Nancy hesitated. “Oh… Yes, but… What are you dressed as?”

“I’m a witch,” Hailey repeated.

“You’re a real witch who dressed up as a-”

“A witch, yeah.”

Nancy still looked confused.

“See, I have a broom.”

10:28 pm

One was in a lab coat, the other in a red puffy vest. One held a huge remote made of cardboard and glue, the other a video camera.

“You really committed,” you praised them.

“We tried to get Jonathan to come as the DeLorean but he’s trying to look cool for Nancy,” Will explained.

“I think the DeLorean is very impressive,” El added. “It would be a cool costume.”

You nodded. “He could have made it a Transformer situation… So, what did he end up coming as? I couldn’t work it out,”

“Joe Strummer,” Will replied.

“Ah, right.”

Honestly, Jonathan looked like he could have been Joe Strummer or James Dean or a young Lou Reed. Maybe one of the Beat Generation guys. All those white poet musician types ended up looking the same to you.

10:43 pm

Dustin followed Meg through the house, entirely unconvinced. “That’s gotta be a costume,”

“No, Dustin, these are just my clothes,”

“But you look like a pilgrim!”

Meg looked down at her floor length skirt. The billowing cotton. The soft corset cinching her waist. “I mean… I am hundreds of years old… and I take really good care of my clothes.”

Dustin’s mouth was agape. “But you’re magic! You have real magic and you don’t even use it to make a badass costume? And you’re a witch! Aren’t you contractually obliged to celebrate Halloween?”

“No,” Meg replied with a casual shrug. “Why are you interrogating me? There are much more worthy victims in this coven then me,”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, apparently your friend Steve Harrington is haunting Mel. And Ev is dating a werewolf, so…” And with that Meg walked away from Dustin, smirking at the chaos she’d caused.

11:02 pm

You sat in a plastic chair that was probably too close to the open flames in front of it. As you pulled it back and lined it next to Joyce, she smiled at you.

“How’s your night?” she asked politely.

“Uh… Interesting… Yours?”

She nodded and you knew what she meant. “You seem different,” she told you.

You sighed, nodded as she had. “I am. We all are, I think,”

“I think so too.”

Together you sat in comfortable silence and watched the happiness of the party.

“I was glad, you know, when I heard you were staying. Hawkins needs…”

“Help?” you guessed.

Joyce nodded. “And hope. You and your friends… It’s good.”

11:36 pm

“Why didn’t he come? It’s not like it’s a full moon,” Mike Wheeler asked Ev.

“He wasn’t invited,” she answered, looking over the top of him, searching for someone to save her from the teenage conversation.

“Ohhhhh, is it like… Like how vampires can only come in when invited? Did the stories get it wrong and that’s actually werewol-” Lucas Sinclair tried.

“No! Not like that,”

“Is it like when we all thought Dustin’s girlfriend wasn’t real because we never saw her,” Mike asked Lucas then.

“He’s real,” Ev assured them.

“Suzie’s real too,” Lucas began to explain. “They met at camp and-”

“Yeah, yeah. That’s great. Um, who told you about him? My boyfriend, I mean. Who told you?”

Mike and Lucas looked at each other, neither wanting to be the rat.

12:01 am

“You have somewhere to be?” Mel asked Eddie when she saw him watching the clock above the fireplace.

He smiled. “No. It’s… Midnight… Always feels like something is going to happen when the clock strikes twelve,”

“Sometimes it does,”

“Sometimes it does,” he agreed.

12:23 am

The juxtaposition of Erica’s soft face next to all the faux leather, duct tape, and corn syrup blood was both amusing and disconcerting.

“I thought Mad Max was Lucas’ girlfriend’s thing?” you asked her.

Erica was in the kitchen, mixing a feral concoction she was probably going to offer to her brother and all his friends. Not you though. You got a genuine Erica Sinclair smile.

“She’s still in the hospital,”

“What? Why’d nobody tell me? I’ll go and-”

“We don’t know where. Her mum took her. Wouldn’t tell Lucas anything.”

It would be easy for you to find Max. To find her and heal her. It felt a lot like meddling in human affairs though. But what were you now if not a witch that meddled? What was the worth of a rule if it prevented you from helping a teenage girl get out of pain sooner?

Erica saw it on your face. She knew scheming when she saw it. “Oh, you gonna go do some witchy stuff?”

“Maybe… So… the costume,”

“Lucas already gave me shit about it, okay?”

“Oh, no, I was gonna say it’s a cool thing to do. An ode to Max.”

Erica poured some Pabst into a red plastic cup. “To Max,”

“To Max,” you cheered. “Wait… How old are you? Gimme that.”

12.46 am

Nancy and Jonathan danced together in a bubble of their own. It didn’t matter the tempo of the song or if anyone else was on the lounge room dancefloor. They danced.

1:14 am

“Are you kidding me?! Of course you should!”

“I think there are more than enough books and films to satisfy the human curiosity for the undead,”

“Yeah, but none written by an actual undead,” Dustin continued to argue. He’d been going at it for ten minutes straight. “If you won’t write your own story, Interview with the Vampire style, then you should write about all the others… About what they get right. What they get wrong,”

“And what point would that serve?” Eddie asked.

“Well, I would want to read a book by a real vampire,”

“It may not be in the best interests of anyone to discover that vampires were indeed real. Nor that witches are. Nor the horrors that have befallen your town, Dustin,”

“No! No, man. We gotta get the truth out there!”

1:32 am

Robin and Mel found a quiet patch of grass to lie back on.

“So… He just showed up?”

“Yeah,”

“And you’ve never met him?”

“No,”

“And he doesn’t want anything?”

Mel shrugged. “I don’t know… I don’t think he really knows what he’s doing here. He could move on if he wanted.”

Robin thought about it. “What’s the afterlife like? For us, I mean?”

“For humans? We don’t know exactly. It’s almost like there is an infinite number of possibilities…”

“But Steve – Steve Harrington – has decided to haunt a witch he’s never met?”

Mel shrugged again. “I don’t think it says anything about you or the others that he’s not haunted you instead… I think he probably wants to let you all move on.”

Robin sighed deeply. “You got some sort of potion to help with that?”

“There’s no cure to grief, magical or otherwise…” Mel said softly.

“I was afraid you’d say that,” Robin replied, her fists twisting into the grass and pulling the blades free from the soil.

2:07 am

“I guess that’s what a fae Danny Zuko looks like,” Ev deadpanned.

She stood next to Kels, watching as Ash and the tiny winged creature danced around one of the drum fires. The fairy was dressed from head to toe in leather. He had glittering tanned skin and dirty blonde curls cut into a typical 80s mullet.

“She looks happy,” Kels said.

“Mmm,” Ev hummed. “Did you hear his name? Cyprian,”

“Yeah, you’re right, a fae named Cyprian is a lot better than a werewolf named Randy.”

Before Ev could respond, Lucas appeared next to the witches. “What is that?”

“That, my mortal friend, is a witch dancing with one of the fae,” Kelsey explained, wrapping an arm around Lucas’ shoulder.

“Why does it look like Billy Hargrove?”

“He, not it, and I don’t know who Billy Hargrove is, but if he’s half as hot as that fairy is, then cheers to Billy Hargrove.”

2:39 am

The night was burning away fast, you couldn’t slow it down. There was something so beautifully human about it that you wanted to keep safe. Wanted to hold it in your hands. Be in it forever.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

Eddie’s voice whispered in your ear and his arms wrapped around your waist. He caught you leaning against the back door frame, watching the world go by. His head came to rest on your shoulder.

“It has all been worth it,” you told him. “Everything we did. For them. To get them here. Everything that happened had to happen, the exact way it did.”

They were not without their scars and their grief. They were changed and could never go back. But they were alive and hopeful and strong. Your strange little humans. You’d watch over them for generations to come.

3:13 am

“Magic begins when our bodies come right to the edge of their sensory and linguistic abilities and… something… keeps going anyway…”

The party had begun to wind down. Most of the witches were getting ready to leave, and the human population had thinned out to a handful of people.

Eddie was towards the back of the assembled crowd, watching you intently.

“And now, in the witching hour when the veil is so thin… The air is thick with witchcraft.”

You were using your most dramatic voice as you strutted around a drum of fire, the entire party’s attention on you. The humans were wide-eyed and hushed.

“In this place and in this hour, we may manifest what was not there into existence…”

Your sisters were trying not to laugh.

“Who will be brave and make their wish?” you posed to the crowd.

For a moment it was silent, only the crackling of the flames audible. Even the music had been turned off. Then, someone cleared their throat and stepped forward.

“Yeah, I wanna make a wish,” Erica declared, looking entirely unbothered by the mystique. If anything, she looked like this wish was her birthright.

You conjured a candle in your hand and held it out to her. “Courage, dear heart,” you told her.

3:52 am

“The first train out of town is leaving. Come on!” Meg yelled.

Mel, Ash, Ev, and Hailey said their goodbyes and followed Meg out of the Byers’ house.

“Family breakfast tomorrow?” Ash asked you as she hugged you goodnight.

“I’ll make pancakes. Better make it a brunch though,”

“Cool. Good luck with that one,” she laughed, nodding over to where Kels had Hopper cornered and ten points deep in an argument about whether hotdogs constitute sandwiches.

“Hot dogs are a sandwich. A sandwich consists of two pieces of a type of bread plus fillings contained within the two slices. A hotdog bun is a bun sliced in two, making it two slices of bread. The only difference being that one side of the two halves are still joined. It still however, is two halves that are obviously independent of each other with a filling separating them, therefore a sandwich. One might ask, ‘well in that case, is a calzone a sandwich?’ No. A calzone is enclosed entirely in bread. The two halves are entirely connected. This makes it fit into the pie category. Not the same as a sandwich, but parallel. One might also say, ‘well what if I don't have a bun, so I use a piece of bread as a substitute.’ Yes, using only one slice of bread no longer puts it into the sandwich category. This now aligns us into the toast category. Toast being a single slice of bread being used as a vehicle for a topping.”

4:20 am

“Five! Four! Three! Two! One!” Jonathan counted down.

The clock above the fireplace struck twenty minutes past four and the room of teenagers and young adults cheered.

4:37 am

The drive home was peaceful; you kept the radio low and listened to the first rumbles of a storm that was brewing way over beyond Indianapolis. It would arrive tomorrow afternoon. You could smell it in the air.

“They’re special,” Kelsey said from the passenger seat next to you. “Your humans,”

“Even if some of them think a hotdog is not a sandwich?”

“Even if some of them think a hotdog is not a sandwich.”

After seeing Kels into her house, you and Eddie finally retired to your home.

“Happy Halloween, my beautiful little witch,” Eddie cooed when you crawled into bed with him.

“Happy Halloween, my lovely, lovely, vampire.”

End Note: Sorry for going a little M.I.A. I had writers' block (still do) and have felt a weird sort of disconnect from my online world. I'm slowly getting back into it though.

Accurate: the moon phase for October 31, 1986. Not accurate: 420 being associated with weed in 1986, I think that happened sometime in the 90s.

Also, I took a quote from A Spell in the Wild by Alice Tarbuck and paraphrased it a bit ( “Witchcraft starts when our bodies come right up to the edge of their sensory and linguistic abilities and life keeps going anyway.”).

Finally, the hotdog/sandwich argument is a direct quote from the irl Kelso, my inspo for Kelsey.

Fic Taglist: @paranoidmunson @idkidknemore @paprikaquinn @stardustworlds @loz-brooke @wyverntatty @vintagehellfire @dark-academia-slut @scarletwitchwhore @becks1002 @mrsdollardog @heyndrix @luceneraium @rosaline-black @devilinthepalemoonlite @goldencherriess @iamwhisperingstars @wiltedwonderland @blueywrites @breezybeesposts @jadehowlettthewolf @spikesvamp79 @foreveranexpatsposts @tortoiseshellspells @wingedpeachjudgegiant @stardustmunson @live-love-be-unique @fangirling-4-ever @reanimated-alice @b-irock @gh0stlybunnie @myown-worstenemy-2003 @woozzz @cyberxlust @hiscrimsonangel @buckysbarne @m00nlight101 @word-wytch @spicysix @briasnow-blog @goth-cowgirl-03 @moviefreak1205 @pastel-pillows

All Eddie Taglist: @solomons-finest-rum @ruinedbythehobbit @sweetpeapod @thorfemmes @corrodedhawkins @grungegrrrl @lilzabob @averagemisfit03 @ches-86 @ilovecupcakesandtea @onehotgreasymechanic @hazydespair @mel-the-fangirl @eddies-hid3out @siren-lungs @aheadfullofsteverogers @hiscrimsonangel @dashingdeb16 @cultish-corner

#Mine #burning Yarrow #Eddie Munson #Vampire!Eddie Munson #Bat!Eddie Munson #Eddie Munson/You #Eddie Munson x You #Eddie Munson/Reader #Eddie Munson x Reader

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dreamywriter143 · 1 year

Text

My Dearly Detested

Status: Part One (7 part Mini-Series, 1/7)

Genre: Enemies to Lover troupe, Angst, Rude Neteyam, Comforting Lo’ak, some fluff, Romance, violence. Mentions of blood.

Warnings: Depictions of blood, Battles and cursing. Rude Neteyam😭. Reader is older then Neteyam by 1year.

Parings: Neteyam X Y/n (Reader)

Summary: Neteyam hates Y/n. He never liked how she always bested him in everything and never once sought the praises he was accustomed to. She had no one, yet she had everyone in the palm of her hand. He despised her, and that wasn’t going to change anytime soon. The but happens when the RDA threat comes and Jake tasks her with watching his sons? Neteyam can’t help but grow a newfound hatred.

Word count: 4.4k

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The beauty of Pandora never ceases to amaze Y/n. The forest is surrounded with foliage, beautiful fauna and trees as high as the eyes could see. It was simply breathtaking. It didn’t matter how familiar she became with the environment around her, new discoveries seemed to amaze her every day. The simple yet striking beauty, that is her home planet. Eywa'eveng.

Y/n regulates her breathing, perched on a tree branch high above the ground. Over the years she had mastered her skills to perfection, she could walk the entire forest without a single sound. Something she was quite proud of as many admired her for it.

Y/n peers down below her, her bow at the ready. The perfectly hand crafted bow seemed weightless under her hold as she grips it tightly. Her eyes scan her target, who was oblivious to her presence. She carefully pulls back to reach for an arrow, aligning it against her bow with ease. She had been following a lone yerik for a while now. She watches it bend its long neck to munch on a plant near him.

Y/n pulls her arrow back, her eyes zoning in on its head. A clean headshot, sure to relieve the creature from pain. Taking a sharp intake of breath Y/n whispers a silent prayer under her breath.

‘Eywa rutxe’ srung ‘sno’ (Eywa, please guide me) (A/N: Also, the translation may not be accurate. Please ignore that!)

In a flash Y/n lets go of her arrow, striking the yerik with deadly force knocking in down immediately. Y/n lets out the breath she was holding in, jumping down the greenery below. Her feet land with a soundless thump, her feet carrying her towards the moaning yerik.

Y/n peers down at the animal, crouching down beside it. Her hands caressed its body reassuringly as it laid beneath her, letting out soft whimpers of pain. Thankfully Y/n’s precision was on point, her arrow landing exactly where the nociceptors were. The pain receptors of the brain. After her Tsahik training Y/n made it her mission to learn more, her intellect and drive was enough to push herself through tedious teachings proving to be effective in the long run.

“Shhh, Shhhh little one” Y/n whispers, taking out her knife from its sheath. The animal whimpers, seeming to accept its fate.

“Oel ngati kameie, ma tsmukan, ulte ngaru seiyi irayo” Y/n whispered, inserting her knife into the yerik sliencing it. She carefully pulls out her arrow in the process, her lips formed in a saddened frown. (I See you, Brother, and thank you)

“Ngari hu Eywa salew tirea, tokx 'ì'awn slu Na'viyä hapxì” (Your spirit goes with Eywa, your body stays behind to become part of the People)

Finishing off with the prayer her nimble fingers closes the creature's eyes, letting out a long sigh. Y/n's ears perk up to the sound of footsteps, the pattern of the steps proving who it was that approached her.

“Another clean kill, I must say you never cease to surprise me numeyu” (Student) Tarsem teases, walking towards the large catch of the day. A proud smile adorned his lips as he glanced down at Y/n. His student who seemed to grow up too fast for his liking. It seemed like just the other day when Y/n would latch onto his leg begging to join him on his hunts with her watery pleading eyes.

Now, Y/n was an established warrior. She completed her Iknimaya a while ago with flying colors gaining admiration and respect amongst the clan. She had grown as a warrior and as a woman. Her rights were done long ago and she grew to become a beautiful Na’vi. It didn't go unnoticed how many suitable men who ogled her, wanting to court her.

Her locks were long and always braided neatly, adorned with beautiful beads and pearls. Her hips grew wider as did her height, though she was still shorter than Tarsem and many other men. It didn't stop her fierce personality. Her e/c eyes, unique and eye-catching. Y/n was the epitome of beauty, requests to court her being asked regularly. But Y/n never reciprocated any gestures, her mission to become the best warrior was far too important. She had stated loud and clear that she had no intention of finding a mate, even at the ripe age of 20.

Tarsem’s mom would always scold her, claiming it was the perfect time to find a mate and start a family. But even with all her accomplishments, Y/n still felt unfulfilled. She felt like she didn't quite accomplish her goal, and she wouldn't let anything stop her from reaching that feeling of fulfillment.

“Numeyu? Really?” Y/n chuckles, wiping her arrowhead while she stands up. She hated how short she was compared to the Tarsem who still towered over her.

“Oh, sorry taronyutsyìp. I keep forgetting how grown up you are!” (Little hunter) Tarsem tosses back, loving the way Y/n’s little nose twitches at the nickname. He places his arm over her head teasingly, displaying how tall he is compared to her. Y/n huffs out in annoyance.

“Yea? Well, at leas-”

“Tarsem!”

An urgent voice calls out, running towards the duo. Kay’m, Tarsem’s friend and fellow warrior, bursts through the bushes. Y/n bit her lip from bursting out in laughter. He looked to be in disarray, leaves caught in between his locks making him look silly.

“Yes? What's the matter?” Tarsem asks, taking a step away from Y/n. He seemed to notice the look of mild worry over his friend's features, causing his tail to twitch in attentiveness.

“The Olo’eyktan wishes to speak to you” He gasps out, trying to regain control over his breathing. Tarsem furrows his eyebrows but nods nonetheless.

“He wanted to speak to Y/n as well”

Y/n’s ears perk up, her eyes looking towards Kay’m in question. Sure, Y/n was very close to the Sully’s. She grew to spend most of her free time with Kiri and Tuk, who she loved dearly. The little girl always tried following Y/n around in pure awe. Though Lo’ak had grown up a lot over the years, Y/n still found herself covering up for him, trying her best to keep him out of trouble when his brother couldn't. Speaking of Neteyam-

“He didn't say why. But it's urgent. I'll take care of this, please go right away” Kay’m urges, his tone serious. Y/n glances down at her kill, letting out a sigh of defeat.

“Lets go”

~~~~~~~~~

Y/n follows Tarsem’s lead towards the Olo’eyktan tent, nodding to the Na’vi who smile at her presence. Y/n loved the village, but she loved the forest more. The only time she spends her free time in the village would be when she would come to restock her arrows, hang around her guardians and Mo’at or to pick up Kiri and Tuk to accompany her in exploring.

“What are you doing here?” a sharp voice calls, stopping Y/n mid step. Thankfully she stopped when she did , or else would have collided against Tarsem who also froze at the cold tone. Y/n turns her head, her ears folding upon taking in the figure standing a few feet away from her.

He stood tall, much taller than her. His braided locks fell past his shoulder, his visor still placed neatly fastened on his forehead. The gear he wore proved that he was flying his Ikran prior to now. His posture was stiff, his broad veiny muscles folded against one another as he eyed Y/n. She watches nervously as his piercing unwavering gaze trails from her face all the way down to her toes. It made her feel warm, and cold at the same time. Warm because she didn't understand the fuzzy feeling she felt whenever he stared at her. Cold because she knew what his stare always meant, hatred.

The only other warrior that could be considered a rival to her feats of accomplishment. The only other warrior that despised the very soil she walked upon.

Neteyam.

“The Olo’eyktan called for both of us” Tarsem informs, his jaws slightly clenched.

He looks back at Y/n who snaps from her trance. He nods forward indicating for her to follow, before stepping into the tent. Y/n hurries to follow only to be intercepted by Neteyam. He stepped near her, his gaze shooting straight down her soul. Y/n gulps, her palms growing sweaty.

“H-Hi” she stutters out, in a meek attempt to erase the awkward atmosphere. Neteyam snorts at her words, throwing one last glare her way before disappearing inside the tent.

Y/n huffs out before stepping inside as well. The first thing she notices is how tense everyone looked. Jake stood tall, his eyes holding worry. Neytiri paced around, her fear wafting off her in waves.

“Yes Sir, I’m quite familiar with that area” Tarsem replies snapping Y/n from her thoughts. She takes a step beside her former teacher, her head held high. She had to force herself to look straight, to avoid the harsh stare Neteyam sent her way from his spot across the tent.

“Yes, That's why I've called you two. We don't know where she could be and I don't want to alert the clan by sending a search party….yet” Jake responded calmly. Y/n’s eyes widen, she glances around frantically. She knew Kiri had lessons with Mo’at, and Lo’ak was always busy during this time hanging out with Spider. That only left one Na’vi unaccounted for.

“Where is Tuk?”

Neteyam curses under his breath, his scoff not going unnoticed. “Can't you hear? She's been missing since the morning.” He relays, ignoring how Neytiri hisses at his tone. Y/n frowns, turning her gaze to Tarsem. She must have been so deep in her thoughts that she missed the part where Jake had debriefed them on what the situation was.

“We’ll look for her, don't you worry about it Sir” Tarsem declares, ignoring the staring contest Neteyam was having with Y/n.

Neteyam turns to his father after hearing Tarsem’s words. He held back the urge to raise his voice.

“I’ll help too. You won’t be needing her help, Tarsem and I can take care of it ourselves” Neteyam pipes up, stepping forward.

He was deeply worried for his sister, he got the call from his father while he was out on his solo hunt. He immediately rushed home in order to find her, he just didn't see why Y/n had to be included. His rival who he despised. He would do anything in his power not to ask for her aid. He didn’t want to be indebted to her in any way.

“Neteyam” Neytiri calls warningly, her tone of embarrassment for her son's behavior.

“Sorry mother, it's just that I’m sure we can handle it. Tarsem will be on ground, and I can be in the air. If we have both terrains covered we’ll be able to find her before the sun sets” Neteyam explains, throwing an apologetic smile towards his mother for his odd behavior. Jake looks to be contemplating the idea when Y/n steps forward, in front of Tarsem.

“Sir!”

Y/n felt her resolve break. She cared a lot for Tuk, and not to mention it was her duty to ensure the safety of her people. Especially the children of Toruk Makto. She felt honored to be considered to search for her, but she wouldn't stand back and let Neteyam take that away from her. Memories of the many times Neteyam tried to keep her out of hunts and excursions rack her brain. She was never one to fight back, always keeping her head low and quietly following her duties blindly. But now, today, she had enough.

“With all due respect I know the forest like the back of my hand. I know the forest because I actively explore it. While I do think scouting from the air would be ok-” Neteyam tenses up, noticing how she threw a slight jab at him “-it’s nothing compared to someone who knows the land. I can find her, I can track her down. if you'll let me” Y/n says sternly. She surprised herself from how she kept her voice firm, unweaving. Jake nods in understanding.

“So be it, Thank you for your service Y/n”

Y/n smiles wide, looking up at Tarsem who smiles endearingly. She didn’t notice how Neteyam clenched his teeth, or how his eyes burned with fury.

“Let's get going Nìhona” (Sweet Thing)

~~~~~~~~~

To say Neteyam was unhappy with the decision was an understatement. The moment Tarsem was far enough from the duo, Neteyam grabs Y/n forcibly by her waist, pulling her along him to a stop.

“What the hell was that?” he spat harshly, his grip tight. Y/n bites back a wince, her eyes on him.

“What do you mean?”

“That stunt you pulled in there. Does it please you to taunt me in front of my parents?” Neteyam hissed angrily. Y/n furrows her eyebrows. That was not what she had intended. She just didn't want to lose the opportunity to find Tuk, someone dear to her.

“Netey-”

“Dont say my name!” Neteyam growls. It was as if her even mentioning his name seemed to burn him in some type of way.

“Don’t act like you're familiar with me” he hisses. Y/n’s feels her throat close up. She didn’t know why he hated her so much, why he acted as though her presence was a punishment from Eywa.

She would be lying if she said the rivalry between them didn’t push her to where she was today. They always butted heads growing up, always fighting each other to do their best. While Y/n rarely retaliated, Neteyam was all bark. The prince of the clan who was widely admired had a dark side. A dark side he let out only in her presence. As if it was exclusively reserved for her. Despite all that, Y/n couldn’t find it in her heart to hate him like how he openly hated her.

“Do that again and I won’t hesitate. I won’t hesitate to put you back in your place” Neteyam whispered harshly. Neteyam glances at Tarsem. Noticing how Tarsem’s steps slow down, as if noticing the lack of Y/n’s presence behind him.

“I didn’t mean it like that, I swear” Y/n tried one more time. She admired him, watched in awe when he caught his first adult Talioang at the age of 15 with one clear shot. How he held himself, how amazing he was. She wanted his approval, in a way that's what started her quest for perfection in the first place. But Neteyam never seems to acknowledge her accomplishments. He never used her name, always regarding her as she or her. As if saying her name would leave a bitter taste in his mouth. He acted as though he didn't care that she was older than him.

“Oh please, you don’t think I don’t notice how hard you try to best me? How hard you try to be better?” Neteyam says through clenched teeth. His ears perk up to the sound of Tarsem fully stopping. In a blink of an eye Neteyam lets go of her wrist, backing away.

Y/n pulled her hand back to her, holding it against her chest as it stung.

“Y/n! Hurry up!!” Tarsem calls, confusion written over his features.

Neteyam turns to leave before looking at her once more. “Stay out of my way. I mean it”

He quickly walks off, presumably to call his Ikran. Y/n ignores the pang in her heart as she jogs up to her best friend. Tarsem’s eyes are trained to where Neteyam disappeared too.

“Did he say something?” He asks quietly. Not noticing how Y/n hid her wrist behind her. She furiously shakes her head, forcing out a smile. She felt like she wanted to be alone, and focus on the search. She needed space.

“I’m fine! How about we split up? We’ll cover more terrain that way” Y/n suggests, not giving Tarsem time to argue back as she begins to walk away.

~~~~~~~

Groaning under her breath Y/n turns around, having one more place in mind. She checked all the places Tuk accompanied her when they went to explore together. All of which she came up empty handed.

‘Ewya, please make sure she is ok’

A silent prayer leaves her lips as worry weighs her down. She couldn’t find any traces of the young Na’vi which only caused more panic to rise in her. She also didn’t receive any responses from Tarsem or Neteyam. Upon leaving for the search Jake had supplied them with their own coms and earpieces. So they wouldn’t check the same place twice and have contact with one another if they were to split up.

Y/n cursed herself for being so caught up with the interaction with Neteyam. Truth be told she always tried to figure out why he acted the way he did. Y/n was one year older, therefore her age alone demanded respect. Heck, her title as a warrior demanded respect, all of which Neteyam actively avoided.

Y/n begins to worry that she probably missed Tuk, she had been so involved with her own thoughts she wasn’t quite aware of her surroundings. Maybe Neteyam was right? Maybe Jake shouldn't have asked her for help? Just as Y/n walks closer to her favorite tree, filled with her favorite Yovo fruit she hears a whimper.

It was so quiet it almost went unnoticed, but Y/n’s ears automatically reacted to it, standing up in alert. She looked up at the tree, it was tall and big. From the ground it looked as though it could reach for the stars.

“Tuk?!” Y/n calls, her voice echoing throughout the forest. She had her hand ready near her knife should any predator sneak up on her.

Hearing no response back she turns to leave but stops abruptly. Hearing that familiar whimper.

“Y-y/n?” It was quiet. As quiet as a whisper in the wind. But Y/n heard it, loud and clear. She whips around, squinting her eyes. She finally catches sight of the frightened girl, latching onto the tree for her life. She was quite high up, which made sense as to why she didn’t come down. The branches were thick but fragile. One wrong misstep could cause the branch to collapse.

“Tuk!!!” Y/n calls, hauling herself against the tree. She seems to forget about the splinters within the old tree as she works her way towards the shaking girl.Tuk is gasping out in fear, her eyes blown wide. As she stares at Y/n coming her way, she feels hands shake. Unable to hold on.

“Y/n!!!” Tukl calls again, her voice laced with fear.

“I’m almost there!!! J-Just hold on!” Y/n reached the branch closest to her, she carefully took tiny steps towards the girl who was within her arms reach.

“Give me your hand Tuk!!-” Y/n urges. Tuk glances at the outstretched hand. She shakes free one hand to reach out. “-Trust me”

As Tuk gains more confidence she stretches out, their fingertips brushing against one another. When all of a sudden, the branch holding them up lets out a crack under their weight.

~~~~~~~

Neteyam lands his Ikran with ease. He swiftly jumps on the grass below, his eyes scanning the dense forest around him. He picks up the sound of footsteps nearby, choosing to follow it after he instructs his Ikran to leave, for now. Fear was eating him alive at this point. He couldn't find Tuk anywhere from up above and the sun was already beginning to set.

He angrily swipes at the bushes nearby, feeling terrible guilt settle inside him. He couldn't help but realize it had all been his fault. He should have accompanied Tuk for her excursion when she had begged him earlier on in the day. He was just so caught up on his hunt, he desperately wanted to make his father proud. Over the many accomplishments he overcame. He is still yet to actually accompany his father on actual raid missions. It always left him in a sour mood when Jake enlisted Y/n’s help. Even if it was just as a spotter.

“Neteyam” Tarsem calls, turning around to the sound of his steps. Neteyam glances around him, his tail twitch in annoyance noticing Y/n was nowhere to be seen.

“Any luck?” he asks, noting how Neteyam seems on edge. His silence alone spoke volumes. “Don't worry, we'll find her” he tried to reassure.

Neteyam lets out a huge sigh, his shoulder slumping.

“We should call it in, just in case we need a search party” Neteyam mumbles walking closer to Tarsem. His solemn mood doesn't go unnoticed by Tarsem.

“It's not your fault Neteyam”

Neteyam’s ears twitch. He knew Tarsem was right, but that didn't stop the feelings growing inside. He smiles sheepishly at his mentor turned friend.

“Maybe Y/n found her. I haven't heard anything from her end” Tarsem pipes up, his eyes dancing around. At the mention of her name, Neteyam clenches his teeth. His mood shifted significantly.

“I highly doub-”

“H-hello?” a quiet voice calls from both of their coms.Tarsem stands up straighter, his hand reaching up to press his collar. Neteyam stood still, his heart rate quicking. He could faintly hear her rapid gasps, as if she were in pain. Neteyam couldn't help but feel dread.

“Y/n?! Where are you? What's wrong?!” Tarsem speaks firmly, also noticing her tone and the gasps of air. She sounded to be in pain, and struggling.

“I-I found T-uk, she's o-k” She rasps out.

Neteyam’s feet carry him across the clearing with Tarsem hot on his tail. He had no idea where he was going, where his legs were carrying him. But all he knew is he had to reach her. Her tone alone had set him off, he couldn't help wondering what danger befell her.

“Where are you Y/n! We’re coming” Tarsem says, his heart rate increasing in fear.

“I-”

~~~~~~~~~

“Shhh, we're ok. You're ok, shhhh” Y/n clutches Tuk closely against her body. The little girl was wrapped up tightly in her embrace, her face tucked away in the crevice of her neck as she sobs quietly.

The moment Tuk lost grip as the branch beneath them broke, Y/n had lunged for the girl. Cradling her against herself to insure she took the majority of the impact as they tumbled to the ground below. The fall had caused a nasty gash along Y/n’s thigh. It bled heavily as her body was also littered with tiny cuts from the branches she crashed against.

Luckily Tuk had nothing major, just a few scratches here and there. Other than that, unharmed. Y/n called it in the moment she was able to catch her breath and insure no broken bones. She had to thank Eywa for evading that causality. That being said Y/n had trouble standing up, still clutching the sobbing girl within her grasp.

“They're coming, they'll be here soon” Y/n tries to say soothingly. She had trouble taking her steps, every step felt like a stab through her body. Her body aching in protest. Y/n’s ears twitch to a sound of flapping, and a screech of an Ikran nearby. Tuk seems to quiet down, recognizing her brother's Ikran right away.

Y/n halts her steps as two Ikrans land before her, screeching wildly. She immediately recognized them as she looked towards the riders who hopped down with ease.

Neteyam is the first to reach them, his eyes searching for Y/n’s. His eyes widen as they scan her beaten up form, the blood that trickles down her leg as she stood in an uncombable way to relieve her injured leg of her weight. He bites his lips furiously, his worry for his sister clouding his vision. He glances at Tuk who smiles softly at him.

“She's ok.” Y/ns whispers out, handing her over into Neteyam’s outstretched hands. He takes her with ease. His eyes wandered to her, his mouth opening and closing as if he had something he wanted to say but was too afraid to speak.

“Y/N!!” Tarsem calls rushing in, he carefully scoops her up peering down at her shocked face. She smiles slightly as he inspects her wounds, hissing as his eyes wander to her thigh. Her blood smeared against him. It looked deep, which further triggered his brother's instincts.

“Shit!! Let's get back!”

~~~~~~

“Y/n, please. Let's go to the Tsahiks tent? You need to have that checked out” Tarsem pleads. Still holding her tightly against him.

Even though Y/n had insisted she could walk just fine, he wouldn't let up. Neteyam, uncharacteristically, had been quite the entire ride back. Not even throwing a glare Y/n’s way that she grew accustomed to. He had whispered a quiet thanks to their general direction before heading towards his family's hut in a hurry.

“Fine, though I could fix this on my own. I don't want to bother Mo'at '' Y/n reluctantly agrees. Anything to get out of Tarsem's arms. She felt tiny against him, and the weird stares she received from the younger Na’vi only soured her mood. A smile twitches along Tarsem’s lips as he walks quickly towards the hut. As if she had weighed nothing.

Upon arrival he peeks in, his eyes wandering around the empty hut. He quirked an eyebrow in question, looking back at Y/n as if she had the answer to his question. Y/n sighs out, gesturing towards herself. Getting the memo, Tarsem gently sets her down.

Y/n holds onto his bicep as she takes her wobbly legs towards the mat, seating herself as a loud grunt leaves her lips.

“She is probably already at the Olo’eyktan’s tent, checking up on Tuk. I’ll be fine” Y/n says calmly, reaching for a cloth to wipe away the blood. Tarsem physically cringes. Seeing her hurt and bleeding made him question himself. He couldn't help but feel guilty that she got hurt under his watch.

“Tarsem, I'll be fine. Please go and relax. You look tense” Y/n observes, gesturing her hand in a shoo-ing motion. Tarsem chuckles at her attempts, his ears folded down.

“I’ll be right back…I have to tell mother” he informs, causing Y/n to wince.

She didn't want anyone worrying over her. Tarsem’s mom would always fuss over her, treating her as her own. Y/n nods watching him leave the tent. She winces as the cloth grazes at the cut. She gently reached for the basket of tools she was well equipped with after helping Mo’at on many occasions. She searched for a needle and thread, it was a deep cut and it required stitching. While she fumbled through the basket she heard rushed footsteps walk into the tent.

“Tarsem I'm fine, I'll just stitch it up. You go-” To Y/n’s surprise it wasn't Tarsem, but Neteyam. His chest heaved as he looked to have rushed here. Her eyes are solely focused on her thighs, his eyes glancing at the cloth soaked up in her blood staining it crimson.

“Ne- What are you doing here?” Y/n stutters. She didn't think Neteyam would ever approach her out of his own free will. She watches how his strained eyes dance around the tent.

“Mo’at isn't he-”

“I'm not here for her:” Neteyam cuts her off, taking a few steps to loom over her. He couches down to her level, finally looking her in the eye. Y/n felt a lump in her throat from the sheer intensity of his gaze. She didn't know what it meant.

Sure, before she could easily recognize the hate with his yellow orbs. But now? Now it was an emotion she wasn't familiar with. A deep emotion that swam within his irises.

“Do you…need help?’ he asks, gesturing to her still open wound.

“Wha-? No, I’m fine” she quickly responded, covering up the cut with the bloody cloth. Anything for him not to linger around. Not receiving the message Neteyam’s eyes look back into hers.

“Thank you…for what you did. For finding Tuk '' Neteyam says, his tone forced but holding some sincerity. Y/n smiles, it felt like he acknowledged her. And it felt great.

Neteyam’s eyes glance all over her face, momentarily stopping at her lips that were stretched into a small smile. He quickly shakes his head, standing up at the thoughts he refused to let surface. Y/n jolts at the sudden movement breaking from her trance.

“Y-Your Welco-ome!” she stutters out as he turns to walk out of the tent.. He stops himself, a smile playing along his lips.

“Get yourself fixed Y/n”

And with that, he disappears.

Y/n grins, forgetting the aches and pain. He had said her name. And she couldn't be happier.

He said her name….

____________________________________

A/N: Ok, confession time. I cry every time I have to write about rude Neteyam. Like, he’s not rude at all!! It’s soo OOC for me, he is such a sweet and caring boy 😭😭😭 Anyway, thank you for the great response on the prologue!! I hoped you enjoyed Part One. If you would like to be added to the Tag List for this series please comment below. Love ya’ll!!

Ps. This chapter was long cuz its the first one, I'll try to shorten the next ones!

My Dearly Detested TagList

@afro-hispwriter @bigbootahjudy @sasuvkee @a-blog-name-2003 @arminsgfloll @notmonroe @mahalkomarvel @jackiehollanderr @briacreations96 @naynay2808 @universal-s1ut @lili-of-the-dream @cumikering @baebinana @empiricsad @aspen-sprout @jjkclub @thehoneymushroomhealer @cherrymoon4 @zoetrope1997 @hannabanana-09 @annyis @yhern05 @inolaphoenix

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the-magnolia-academy · 1 year

Note

So I’ve been sent by the OC creator bingo, but I don’t really know that much at all about the Umbrella Academy.

So here’s your chance to ramble about your ocs, the plot, whatever you want!! (And maybe give me a little synopsis lol)

-@heresthefanfiction

Hello there! Thank you for reaching out!

Long post ahead, so I'll put it under a cut!

Okay, so, first I'll explain the differences between the Magnolia Academy and the Umbrella and Sparrow Academies

The Umbrella and Sparrow Academies both had Reginald being a Terrible Father:tm: that forced the kids into it and essentially treated them like child soldiers/experiments

Meanwhile, the Magnolia Academy have the human version of Grace Hargreeves we saw in season 2 as a mom, who adopted as many kids as she could to keep Reginald from getting them (also one of them is her biological daughter). Becoming superheroes was actually the kids' idea. When they assured her that, yes, this is what they want to do, they know what they're getting into and still want to, she supported them and got them the best training she could. She was already teaching them how to control their powers

(Poppy didn't want to be a part of the superhero aspect so she stayed with her mom in the lab)

The kids weren't experiments. They weren't child soldiers. They weren't numbers. They were still kids that got to have a childhood but also wanted to save the world. Grace made the Magnolia Academy not to control the kids, but to support them in their endeavors

Later on, for example, when Fauna left the Magnolia Academy to become a veterinarian, Grace as well as her siblings fully supported her. Same with when Vanessa wanted to become a lawyer, and Bridget wanted to become a nurse. Meanwhile, Casey, Vincent, Elizabeth, and Sonya, kept doing the whole superhero thing, and Poppy went on to work in the scientific field with her mother

Because of this support system, the family dynamic is a lot closer and, for lack of a better word, healthier, than we see with either set of Hargreeves. Obviously, they love each other, but let's be real here: they're dysfunctional as fuck. This is part of why we love them of course, but it's still a major contrast to the Abernathy siblings

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khaire-traveler · 5 months

Text

🌲 Subtle Pan Worship 🌿

Take a walk/hike in nature

Take regular breaks from screens; get some fresh air

Go camping out in nature; focus on the wildlife around you; look at the constellations at night

Learn how to safely forage

Get a candle that reminds you of him (no altar needed)

Keep a picture of him in your wallet

Wear jewelry that reminds you of him

Pick wild flowers; press or dry them

Start a garden; tend to a plant

Decorate your space with vines, leaves, and the like; maybe fairy lights with bugs, flowers, or mushrooms on them

Have imagery of fauns, goats, forests, meadows, pan flutes, sheep, wildflowers, or mountains around

Have a stuffed sheep or goat animal; have a stuffed animal of any forest, meadow, or mountain creatures

When you're anxious or afraid, go to the forest or to nature; spend time outside, and breathe; you will be ok

Learn about local fauna and flora

Collect animal bones from nature (please thank the animal's spirit beforehand); make sure to safely handle them; link to some safety tips when handling fleshy remains

Cook with homegrown herbs or produce

Drink a natural herbal or produce beverage; fruit juice works but has high sugar content, so just be aware in case that's an issue for you

Fall asleep/meditate to the sounds of a forest or general wilderness

Pick up trash in your environment

Support environmental preservation organizations, animal sanctuaries, or animal shelters/rescues

Feed neighborhood dogs, cats, birds, etc.

Volunteer at an animal sanctuary or animal shelter

Go outside of your comfort zone; if you're afraid of doing something, do it scared; it could work out far more beautifully than you ever imagined

Learn how to play panpipes; own panpipes in general

Light a bonfire with friends in the wilderness (SAFELY!!!!); share scary stories, especially those y'all have directly experienced

Plant seeds, especially the fruit of vegetables you've eaten; give it new life

Research coping skills for stress, fear, or anxiety; try some for yourself

Keep a dream journal specifically dedicated to nightmares; try to interpret them; what are they trying to tell you?

Explore the areas nearby you, be it nature or otherwise; acquaint yourself with the unfamiliar

Get comfortable with the concept of the unknown and uncertainty; remind yourself that you need not know everything in order for it to work out in your favor

Address the uncertainties in your life that cause you the most stress; find your own answers; topics like death, the afterlife, the long-term future, etc.

Play with your pets; spend time with them

Keep your pet healthy; feed them good food, take them on regular walks/exercise them, keep them up to date on vaccines, etc.

Do something fun and new with your partner (or alone); try something exciting or scary that you've always wanted to try

Use natural herbs and remedies to address minor health issues, such as stomaches or sore throat

Try urban exploring - the practice of visiting abandoned places, especially those that have been reclaimed by nature

Face your fears; learn to work through them

Recycle; reuse things that don't need to be immediately disposed of; use compost for your garden or nearby plants

Take time to be alone and decompress, especially after a long day

Cook a good meal for someone in need

Cook a good meal for you or your loved ones

This list still feels pretty short to me, so I'll likely add more in the future. For now, this is my list of discreet ways to worship Pan. I hope this is helpful to someone, and take care! 💚

Link to Subtle Worship Master list

#helpol #hellenic polytheism #hellenic pagan #paganblr #pagan tips #deity worship #pan deity #pan worship

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waywardqueen411 · 20 days

Text

A New Legacy - Hogwarts Legacy x Harry Potter Crossover - Part 2

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

Summary:

After a rather brutal encounter with Ranrok's loyalists, the Hero of Hogwarts finds herself falling through time and space entering a world that's almost home, but not quite. Of course there's nothing else to do aside from adapt, improvise and overcome.

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A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who liked and reblogged the first part! I hope yall enjoy this one

Warnings: Violence, Major character death, Angst, spoilers for Hogwarts Legacy

Pairing: Sebastian Sallow x Female!Reader, Ominis Gaunt x Female!Reader (more to be added on as the story progresses)

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You awoke with a gasp, your head immediately pounding.

You were on the ground in the middle of a forest, the soil sticking to your face and clothes. For a moment, you didn't know where you were or what had happened before reality came crashing down onto you.

Sebastian was dead.

You let out an unearthly scream. Your heart pounded in your chest as the words replayed in your head.

Dead. Dead. Dead.

You had watched Sebastian's body disintegrate before you. You would never see him again. Never hear his stupid arrogant laughter, never look into his beautiful brown eyes, never go on another adventure, never hold his hands.

Oh, God. Sebastian was dead.

You allowed yourself exactly five minutes to completely fall apart. You cried and screamed and threw rocks. Your magic exploded out of you, both accidental and not. You wanted to make that goblin suffer. His death was a mercy.

You exploded trees and sent boulders flying. You cried and screamed until there was nothing left inside of you. And then you dropped to your knees and stared at this distance.

Where were you?

It took you a few tries before you could stand up once more.

You knew you had to go on. To stop the new goblin uprising. If for no other reason than to avenge Sebastian. You looked around the area. It felt familiar, but in a strange sense. The fauna and flora reminded you of the Forbidden Forest, but that couldn't be right, could it? Dawn had just broke and everything looked so different. The trees seemed larger and animals newer. Like they'd skipped a generation.

You reached around for your wand before you remembered how it dissolved before you. Suddenly, a though occurred to you.

"Ominis," you said. "Ominis!" you called out.

"What's going on out here?" A voice said from behind you. You spun around then fell flatly on your bottom when you saw a half-giant approach you. "What's all this screaming about?"

"Please don't hurt me," you begged after a moment. The half-giant's eyes softened.

"No one is going to hurt you," he said softly. You almost laughed. The man had a crossbow slung over his shoulder and a giant hound at his side.

"Swear it," you demanded. The half giant walked up to you and, to your shock, kneeled in front of you, holding out a pinky finger.

"On me dad's grave," he said. You looked him over one last time before dropping your shoulders and tugging on his pinky with your own. "Now, why don't we start with names? I'm Hagrid, pleasure to meet you."

"I'm-" you started, but no words came to mind. "I'm-" your brows met in confusion. "I don't know," you said plainly. The half giant - Hagrid - looked sympathetically at you. "But I'm not alone," you said quickly. "I came here with a friend-"

"Pale, blonde, tall?" Hagrid asked and you nodded quickly. Then your stomach dropped.

"He's not dead, is he?" you asked carefully. You couldn't bare the thought of losing both Ominis and Sebastian in one day.

You swallowed at the thought of Sebastian, but pushed your feelings down. You needed to get somewhere safe, fast.

"No, no!" Hagrid said quickly. "He's fine. I found him a few hours ago, out cold but very much alive." Your shoulders fell in relief.

"Thank Merlin," you said softly. "Can I go see him?" you asked. Hagrid smiled.

"I reckon that's the first place we aught to take you. Madame Pomfrey will want to take a good look, make sure everything's alright. She's the best nurse Hogwarts ever seen." Hagrid said.

You stood slowly, brows meeting in confusion. "Right," you said. Something inside of you told you that you shouldn't be giving too much away. "Um, Hagrid, where are we?"

Hagrid laughed a little, "You're just outside the castle grounds," he said, then turned around. "If you're alright to walk, you might want to get going."

You followed the half giant through the woods - the Forbidden Forest as it was - struggling to keep up with his large steps. Soon you found yourself entering the familiar halls of Hogwarts.

Only it wasn't so familiar.

"What happened?" you asked Hagrid as the two of you walked through the bridge to enter. Hagrid looked confused. You quickly decided not to say any more, waiting until you saw Ominis.

"I'm not sure I understand- ah," Hagrid suddenly stopped, as a bearded old man approached you. "Professor Dumbledore will be able to answer your questions."

Dumbledore?

"Another one so soon, Hagrid?" The old man said, his blue eyes sparkling with curiosity. You took a step back. Something about this man screamed trouble.

"Yes, sir, Professor Dumbledore, sir," Hagrid said. You saw the way the half-giant shrunk at the sight of the man - Dumbledore. He clearly held a lot of power and influence.

"I take it you two are on your way to the hospital wing," Dumbledore said and Hagrid nodded. "I believe I can take it from here, Hagrid,"

Hagrid agreed and you wished he hadn't. You swallowed slightly as you looked up at the professor. You glanced back to Hagrid before squaring your shoulders and walking with the unfamiliar man through the almost familiar halls of not-your-Hogwarts.

The hospital wing was in the same place, at the very least.

"Don't tell me you've found another one," A motherly looking lady said as she hurriedly approached the two of you, a lady who was decidedly not Matron Blainey. "Keep this up and I won't have enough beds for the actual students. Poppy Pomfrey, at your service,"

"Can I see Ominis, Madame Pomfrey?" you asked immediately, spotting a bed with drawn curtains nearby.

"Ominis, ay?" Pomfrey asked and you internally scolded yourself. You should not be giving away any excessive information. "I'm afraid your friend is, um, still unconscious," Madame Pomfrey looked uncomfortable.

"What's wrong? What happened to him?" You blurted out, taking a step towards the bed before Dumbledore's hand on your shoulder stopped you.

Madame Pomfrey looked distraught. "Your friend has suffered a grave injury. I worry his vision may never be healed," the matron said. You held back a chuckle. Dumbledore and Pomfrey both shot you looks of horror, "Why young lady! This is no laughing matter-"

"Please excuse my friend, Matron," came Ominis' deep voice. You nearly leaped for joy. Ominis sat upright on the hospital bed, pushing back the curtains to reveal his bruised and battered body, covered by torn up robes. "It's just that, you see, I was like this when I arrived,"

Ominis allowed a small smile to play on his face and in the short silence that followed, you quickly crossed the room and wrapped him in the most desperate hug.

"You're alive?" you said in the most desperate voice, a tear leaking out of your eye, "You're alright?" you asked, cradling his face in your hands and turning it from side to side. You had to make sure that it was him, that he was really okay.

"Settle down child," the matron said in a warm, soft voice. "I need to have you checked out as well."

"Could you give us a moment?" Ominis asked kindly, looking in the direction of Madame Pomfrey. Under normal circumstances, you would have hated the look of pity that fell over her face, but this time you didn't care. As long as it got you a moment alone with Ominis. "Just a few minutes?"

"Of course," Madame Pomfrey said solemnly, "Headmaster, may I have a word with you outside?" She asked pointedly and Dumbledore hesitated for a moment.

"Certainly, Poppy," he said, looking between the two of you.

The moment they were gone you turned back to Ominis and said: "We need to get out of here,"

"I know," he said after a beat, "I'm just not exactly sure where here is,"

"We're at Hogwarts," you said slowly, "Just not our Hogwarts."

Ominis sighed before taking your hand, "I think we've traveled through time," he said.

You were stunned into silence for a moment before you burst out laughing, "No seriously Omi, stop messing around," you said. Ominis didn't laugh. If anything, his face grew more grave. You smile fell. "You are being serious, aren't you?"

"Unfortunately yes," he said in a soft voice. Your mind began racing. Ominis, undoubtedly hearing your breath quicken and feeling your pulse go up, took both of yours hands in his own.

"We can't afford to freak out right now. We need to get somewhere safe," he said and you gasped.

"Safe? Where can we go if Hogwarts isn't safe?" you asked. Ominis squeezed your hands tighter, and you tried to follow his breathing.

"There are a few Gaunt properties I can access, bound to my blood. Assuming not all of them are occupied with Gaunt decedents, we can regroup there," he said, as if this was the most normal thing in the world.

"Okay, okay," you said after a beat. "That I can do."

"We just need to get out of here," you said. "The headmaster - Dumbledore, I don't trust him."

"Alright," Ominis said. "We can't let anyone know the truth. At least not yet."

"Okay," you said softly. "Are you hurt?" you asked.

"No, you?"

"I think I'm alright,"

"Then there's no time to waste," he said.

A moment later, the two of you heard footsteps approach. This time, a third person was with Dumbledore and Matron Pomfrey.

"This cannot be a coincidence, Headmaster," the person said, sounding urgent, "First the Dark Mark was cast over the World Cup - Bertha Jorkins is still missing-"

"That's enough Severus," Dumbledore said, reaching the room and walking in. You pretended like you hadn't just heard their conversation. Dark Mark? Missing people?

You looked at the man who just entered curiously. He was tall, older, with greasy black hair. He looked positively miserable.

"Now that the two of you have gotten a chance to catch up, may I have a word?" Ominis squeezed your hand and you glanced to him. You remembered the way your wands had disappeared into sand.

"I go where he goes," you said after a beat, gesturing with your head to Ominis.

Dumbledore sighed. "Very well then,"

The other man - Severus, took a seat near the front of the hospital and Dumbledore approached you quickly. Madame Pomfrey looked furious, but said nothing as she made notes with a quill in the corner.

The headmaster cleared his throat before speaking. "Let's start with something simple, shall we?"

You both verbalized your agreement.

"Ominis, we know your name, but your friend has yet to divulge that information about herself,"

"I don't remember," you said honestly. You didn't dare look at Ominis.

"That is rather unfortunate," he said. You held back a scowl. "What is the last thing you remember?"

Dumbledore stared at you with piercing blue eyes and immediately your Occlumency shields went up. It was something you and Sebastian had worked on together.

"I- um,"

"We were planting Dittany in the garden," Ominis quickly supplied, sensing your hesitation, "I think we stumbled across a particularly angry Gnome. Suddenly we were in the Forbidden Forest, and now we're here."

"An angry gnome?" the man named Severus asked with annoyance in his voice.

"That's what he said," you backed Ominis up, holding back your laughter.

"How peculiar," Dumbledore commented, but pressed no further. "How old are you?"

"Fifteen," Ominis said quickly.

"If you possess magical capabilities, why are you not at Hogwarts?" Severus asked. You groaned internally.

"We're homeschooled," You responded.

"For the last five years?" Severus asked.

"Four actually," Ominis retorted.

"What family do the two of you belong to?" Dumbledore asked. Ominis puffed out his chest a little.

"The House of Gaunt," you knew he wasn't proud, he just wanted Dumbledore to think so.

Dumbledore's expression shifted for only a moment before it was hidden again behind a friendly mask.

"Seems a little odd that a child from such an esteemed house would be planting their own Dittany," he said.

"Please," Ominis said, "I'm lucky they didn't drown me when I came out blind,"

Both you and Severus winced at that. Ominis and Dumbledore seemed not to notice.

"And you, miss? Do you recall which family you belong to?" he asked tentatively.

"I live with Ominis," you said.

"Where exactly would that be?" Dumbledore asked.

"Kent," Ominis answered.

A small silence followed.

"Well, if that is all, we'd like to head back home now," Ominis said dismissively, standing and wobbling a bit before readying himself. You followed suit.

"But I still need to-" Matron Pomfrey said, approaching the two of you.

"I can assure you we have perfectly good healers at home, Madame Pomfrey," you said quickly, wanting to get out of here as soon as possible. "Thank you,"

"If you must," Dumbledore said. You and Ominis both stood and you offered him your arm when you realized that without his wand, he was truly helpless. Dumbledore spoke again when the two of you reached the doorway. "The option for schooling here is always available, should either of you desire." He said.

"We'll keep it in mind," you huffed out, before the two of you promptly left. It was lucky that the Hospital wing was so close to the exit of the castle.

When you both reached the grounds you sighed heavily. "Now what?" you asked.

"Hogsmead," Ominis said. "The shop should still legally be in your name. Assuming the old bat hasn't fudged some papers, and tried to sell it to another poor unfortunate soul," You nodded and the two of you began your journey there.

The walk to Hogsmead was difficult. In the silence it felt too easy to think about Sebastian's death, to feel his absences.

"Do you think he managed to survive?" you asked when the two of you were about 3/4s the way to the shop.

"No," Ominis said decidedly.

"But-"

"Please don't," he begged. You sealed away any protests that were building on your tongue.

"I'm sorry," you said after a beat, "None of this would have happened if I had just-"

"If you had just what, exactly?" Ominis asked, "Imperio'ed us into leaving?" you winced at that. "Sebastian and I were there because he and I would never have let you go at it alone. He died because he was a good person. Don't take that away from him,"

You swallowed, blinking back tears. "I'm sorry I didn't save him," you said softly.

"And I'm sorry that he died thinking I hated him," Ominis said, scoffing a little bit, "I was going to tell him, you know? That's why we agreed to meet. I was going to tell him that it was alright and that I wanted to fix things."

You allowed a single tear to escape. "I guess we just have to live with it," you said softly.

The rest of the walk was spent in silence. When the two of you approached the shop, it seemed to open to your touch. You were shocked to see a house elf waiting there for you.

"Penny?" you asked.

"Mistress has returned!" Penny screamed and rejoiced. "Penny has been waiting for you."

"What the-" your eyes widened in shock. Ominis laughed, just a little.

"House elves natural lifespans are connected to the master - or mistress - with whom they are closest to," he explained easily. "She'll live approximately as long as you do. Give or take a few years."

"Penny I am so sorry," you said, kneeling down in front of her.

"Mistress must not be sorry," Penny said immediately. "Penny has had a good life. Penny has gone to many places and seen many things in her Mistress' absence,"

"If you say so," you mumbled, realizing that Penny probably had a lot of free time these last 150 years.

"We need to get going," Ominis reminded, "People are going to become curious as to why the shop is suddenly open,"

"Alright," you said, looking back at Penny with a smile. "Do our Floo Flames still work, Penny?"

"Oh yes, Mistress." she said excitedly, happy to be given something to do, "The Floo will take you anywhere you need to be."

"Thank you, Penny," you said sincerely. Ominis nudged you forward and the two of you stepped into the Floo Flames.

#hogwarts legacy #hogwarts legacy fandom #hogwarts legacy fanfic #sebastian sallow x mc #hogwarts legacy mc #hogwarts legacy ominis #hogwarts legacy sebastian #sebastian sallow x reader #sebastian sallow x you #sebastian sallow x slytherin!reader #ominis gaunt x mc #ominis gaunt x y/n #ominis gaunt x reader #harry potter #harry potter fanfiction

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sunandsstars · 2 years

Text

BRAVERY

Jake x Neytiri x Na’vi!Reader x Lo’ak (Platonic)

Summary: After almost dying, ___ and Lo’ak come back home to a very unhappy Jake Sully. Warnings: Abandonment, Wounds, Pregnancy, Harsh parenting, Mentions of death Word count: 2.4k

“Lo’ak! Prrnen! Where are you?”

___ jogged through the forest, eyes wide and alert, ears going left and right. The boy was lost for some time, he and his brother Neteyam went out into the forest to play ‘hide and seek’ a game the humans introduced, but when the older boy came back crying stating he lost his brother, ___ rushed out as fast as she could to find him.

Neytiri was doing her Tsahìk lessons with her mother and Jake was inside the skyperson building, so the other Na’vi was the only one available to get her son. “Lo’ak?” soft whimpers could be heard to the left of her, pulling back large leaves and vines she saw a head of black braided hair and yellow eyes filled with tears “oh my baby” immediately ___ pulled him into her arms.

“Mama!” the boy gripped her arms and nuzzled into her chest “I’m sorry! I got lost and could not find home”. ___ wiped his eyes and kissed his head, hushing him into calmness.

“It is alright my warrior, mama’s here now, you are safe” she stood up to her feet and pulled Lo’ak to rest on her hip, the little boy continued to weep into her shoulder, her heart ached for her son. The forest was his home, but it could be scary when you, a child, was left to fend for yourself so far out from camp and for so long too. She’s been searching for a while.

___ walked back home with Lo’ak on her hip, who was slowly falling asleep, exhaustion setting in. She continued to hum his song cord, taking note of the sky changing from a bright blue to a pretty orange, eclipse was near. She was sure her mates would be worried for her and their child, she just hoped Neteyam wasn’t too upset.

A sharp noise came from somewhere behind them and she paused, her ears turning back to catch anything. ___ glanced at her son who was fast asleep, head on her shoulder, she took her hand and placed it on the side of his face protectively and slowly twisted around.

Nothing.

‘Maybe it was syaksyuk..’ she hoped, slowly starting to step forward again in the direction of home. But before she could step out from the clearing they where in, a growl sounded in front of them in the shadows. A large black creature revealed itself from the fauna and bared its teeth, ___’s heart leapt out of her chest ‘palulukan’

Lo’ak twisted in her grasp and opened his eyes, rubbing them and taking note that they were still not home “Sa’nok?”. Immediately he was shushed, in confusion he looked up and then to the direction his mother was staring at, seeing the animal they were faced to face with.

The child’s yellow eyes widened and his ears turned back, his other mother, Neytiri, told him of a story in which she rode a palulukan in the war. She told him that it chose her and that it was a good ally and companion even in the short time. But she also told him they were dangerous, it’s name meaning bringer of fear, and that he should stay away from them at all costs.

The creature stalked closer, jaw opening wider and Lo’ak visibly shook, fear settling in harsh. He hissed on instinct, opening his mouth and baring his teeth. A roar came out of the animals mouth and it retaliated, now starting to run towards them, taking Lo’ak’s threat personally.

A gasp was heard above him and he felt them move faster than they were before, ___ climbing roots to the best of her ability, body heavy with much weight, as the Palulukan scratched at them, breaking off parts of the forest in its path. “Close your eyes baby, do not look”

The boy didn’t have to be told twice as his eyes instantly closed, clutching his mama around the neck and squeezing tight.

___ winced loudly as she felt claws scratch at her back, feeling blood drip down onto the floor, leaving a trail and no doubt a heavy scent. She wouldn’t be able to lose the creature even if she tried.

It roared again, much louder than the last, annoyed that it’s prey was slipping away as the Na’vi dodged between trees and ducked under large roots and leaves, the only thing guiding them to home was the glow of the forest.

A sharp whistle of an arrow sounded through the heavy breathing of ___ and the Palulukan’s growls. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a flash of yellow and green and her ears fell back at another roar, this time of pain. Neytiri jumped down in front of them, arrow knocked and ready to shoot again, she hissed at the animal, much more ferocious than Lo’ak’s.

Recognising his mothers war cry, the boy snapped his eyes open and weeped with relief “sa’nok!!”. Another hiss was heard, this time it dragged longer than the archer and was much deeper than either woman’s.

“Get back to camp!” Jake skidded out of the tree line and jumped on the Palulukan with his knife, trying his best to cut a nerve to bring the animal down. ___ sighed with relief and sprinted back home, which thankfully wasn’t much farther, she hoped her mates would be ok, but she didn’t worry for them. They were strong.

“Mama!” two little voices shouted over the sound of rushing Na’vi, Neteyam and Kiri came running at them and hugged ___’s shaking legs. “You are scared” Kiri voiced her thoughts, taking note of the wobbly knees and heavy breathing, “We heard it. The roaring”

“I thought I would never see you two again” the eldest boy clutched tight, wiping his eyes and nose.

___ sat down onto the ground, kissing Lo’ak’s head and bringing both of the other children into her warm arms. “We are ok, I found your brother and we ran back, nothing can hurt us here”

“You’re hurt” Norm and Max came running with a medkit, skidding to a stop behind her and assessing the scratches “these don’t look that deep, enough to draw blood and scar though. But you won’t face any infections if treated correctly”

“Which is what I will be doing” a stern voice sounded to the left of the group, Mo’at came stalking with a basket of healing herbs. She trusted these humans, but she does not agree with their ways, preferring the great mothers help than those of burning alcohol and strange cotton wraps. She knelt down and glanced at the two men who nodded and packed the kit, sitting back and watching her work. The older Na’vi took a salve and applied it to the wounds, hearing her daughter in law hiss and growl softly to the sting.

“Grandma, you should have used the other one” Kiri peeked over her mama’s shoulder to watch Mo’at work, not afraid of the blood and gore.

“Oh? And why is that?”

“It would sting less”

___ chuckled and felt the burn disperse, sighing. Her mind drifted a little more, hand moving from Neteyam who was still clutched to her side, to her stomach which held a large noticeable bump. She was sure the adrenaline and stress got to the baby, but when feeling a soft kick to her hand all was well.

Mo’at finished with the back and then crawled to ___’s front, placing her own hand upon the bump “you two are fine, the great mother continues to shine on you” she grinned. Thanking Eywa for leaving the baby and her grandson unharmed, thanking Eywa for sparing all three lives.

“___!”

At the call of her name ___ turned around and felt her eyes water, her mates where ok, despite some dirt and bruises, maybe a couple small scratches. Her yellow orbs saw the Palulukan behind them, dead and being carried off to skin as food.

“Oh thank you great mother! Irayo si!” Neytiri ran faster than Jake, skidding to her side and kissing her head, then turning to Lo’ak and smooching his cheeks “you were hurt, we didn’t really see all that well and thought it was bad. I see now you are fine”

“She’s not fine Neytiri! She’s hurt! What if she and Lo’ak were killed?!” the boy frowned at the mention of his name, he was ok, why was his father angry, mama is alive and ok too. “Boy, what were you doing so far out into the forest? huh?! You were told to stay near to camp!”

Max and Norm glanced at each other, slowly backing away and jogging back to the old hellsgate, this was a fight they did not want to hear.

“Ma Jake, enough” ___ glared, placing her hand against her sons head once again “it was not Lo’ak’s fault”

“Oh? Then who is? You and the baby could have- could have died because of this moron!”

“JAKE!” ___ briskly stood up, softly apologising to the other two children who’s ears where folded at their fathers rage. She turned and faced her mate, anger in her watering eyes, why was he so angry at Lo’ak? Who has done nothing wrong? “This is your son, my baby, he is not an idiot! He was playing with Neteyam and got lost, this is not his fault” tears fell down her cheeks, Neytiri felt her heart break and reached out to wipe them, placing her hand on her mates full stomach. “Lo’ak was brave. He was a warrior today. Why can you not see that?”

Turning around she stalked to their hut in the trees, climbing with the three children at her sides, Lo’ak deciding to walk on his feet again. His mind turned at what his father said, he has never been so angry at him, maybe scolding him sometimes for causing trouble in the lab with Kiri, or when doing pranks with Neteyam, but this? It was new.

Reaching their home their mama walked inside and sat them all down, grabbing Lo’ak’s song cord off his tweng and grabbing a basket full of beads. “Pick one, to show off your bravery prrnen”

“I don’t know if I was that brave today mama…I was scared” He turned his head down and felt his siblings clutch his shoulders, disagreeing.

“You stood up to Palulukan, that is bravery. Being scared does not mean you are not brave little one” Lo’ak sniffed and grinned, feeling his little heart warm at his mama’s words.

“Yea you are the mighty warrior! Who is the mighty warrior?! Lo’ak!” Neteyam cheered, making war cried and throwing his fists in the air. Kiri rolled her eyes and grinned at her brothers, smacking the eldest on the head. ___ chuckled at her children and heard a rustle behind them, deciding to ignore it. Her hand went upon her belly and rubbed.

Lo’ak sifted through the different clay beads, finding a jagged black one and lifting it up “this one”, he then took his song cord and weaved it in, grinning. “This bead symbolises my bravery from a Palulukan”

A cough sounded through the open space, Lo’ak turned to see who was there and instantly his ears folded. ___ immediately knew it was her mate. “Hey…uh can I speak to you…both of you” the man slowly walked in and Neteyam and Kiri scurried out, not wanting to see what was to come. Lo’ak kept his head down, even when his father knelt next to him “Son, I want to apologise. You are not a moron, I should not have called you that. You were brave, protecting your mama when me and your mother could not. I am sorry”

The boy slowly looked up and his eyes watered for what felt like the millionth time today, he didn’t want to show this much weakness, especially not in front of him. Neteyam never did. “It is ok dad”

“No, no it’s not” Jake brought his arms up to wrap around Lo’ak and kissed the top of his head “I promise I will make it up to you…Hey, why don’t we go hunting tomorrow? Hm? Just us two?” his son perked right up, his father rarely had time to hunt with him and his brother anymore, with his duties as clan leader, and with him wanting to go hunt with just Lo’ak and not with Neteyam too…he couldn’t wait to rub it in his brothers face.

Eagerly nodding and shouting his thanks and praises, the boy scurried off, no doubt about to create a spat with his older sibling. ___ smiled a little as she watched him leave, not yet wanting to face Jake just yet but a hand fell atop her own on her tummy “___ please look at me”

She hesitated, “why should I?” she whispered softly “when you called our son an idiot for doing what children do? You hurt him, you hurt me” she turned to face him, ears back, tail swaying behind her.

Jake felt remorse, he never wanted to cause emotional harm to his family, now and ever. “I thought you two were hurt, you three even. If I lost Lo’ak..the baby..I don’t know what I would do with myself” he whispered. “When we heard the roar of the palulukan, we knew what it meant, you were in danger. Me and Neytiri never ran so fast in our life..”

“But that still does not explain you calling him names Jake”

“I was angry, at myself, I should have been the one to find Lo’ak and protect him. You should have been home safe, I took that anger out in those words and I should not have” ___ took his face into her hands and kissed his cheeks, understanding him and his fears. He’s lost so much in his life, his brother, his legs, his friends who fought in the war…

“I see you” she kissed his lips “I see your fears”. Jake felt relieved, he didn’t deserve her or her kindness. The man leant down and smooched her stomach, feeling a kick on his nose, ___ giggled “seems the little one is punishing you”

“I deserve it” he chuckled. He was glad that his family was intact and safe, he would need to put up watches tonight, afraid anything else would happen. But somehow, he knew, this was not the end.

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tinietaehyun · 1 year

Text

Sweet Nothings

Elf!Hueningkai x Researcher!reader] [One-shot series]

Pairing: Elf!Hueningkai x Researcher!reader

Genre(s): Fantasy, romance, dark fantasy, mystery, thriller, one-shot.

Contains: Profanity, mythical creatures/supernatural beings, mentions of blood, injury, captivity, dark themes.

Link: MYSTIC TRAIL MASTERLIST (for the other members!)

Summary: Your footsteps crunch through the dead leaf litter as you grunt and push through the numerous vines. You’d gotten separated from your fellow researcher and now you were additionally lost. You had no idea where your base camp was. You knew this was a fucking bad idea; but the pay check was just too damn good. Now you know it was more likely incentive.

A pure voice alerts you through the shrubbery, “Goodness, don’t you look all bruised up! You’re rather far from your little camp, no?” You peer up at the source of the voice. Holy fuck, this man was beautiful.

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“This is insane, I can’t believe we’re here finally!” Your colleague utters in awe. You had to agree with him, you were practically vibrating with excitement. You were finally brought on the expedition to Deep Grove.

A forest known for its vast array of supernatural species living within it. Some people say once stepping into it, you’re stepping into another dimension, others say, that’s it’s heaven on Earth. Researchers such as yourself though, simple see it as a perfect spot to collect and expand your information on the supernatural creatures present.

For years, researchers have visited this area. Some attempts have been successful with even entire beings being brought back to labs and research facilities and others not quite as successful. Not all supernatural creatures were harmless. It was a dangerous profession but you enjoyed it regardless. This was your first time going on a proper expedition with your current organisation.

You and your colleagues had been assigned a particular section of the forest and had been trekking for around ten minutes now. Everything was stunning; it appeared as though everything had this ethereal glow to it. You, yourself felt almost feather-light and airy. You felt free and were overjoyed at the prospect of seeing all this untouched nature.

You knew if any humans attempted to hurt the nature here, there would be catastrophic consequences not only to the ecosystems here but a vast array of hexes, curses and spells would be placed on whoever hurt this place. Thus, it’s remained untouched.

At the center of the dense forest is a small clearing where the sunlight filters through the dense canopy and foliage of the trees. You feel as though the air is alive with the buzzing and clicking of insects and beetles alongside the subtle sounds of larger animals moving through the underbrush. A warm, almost ethereal glow emits from the thick mistwood trees that surround the small clearing, leaving their leaves and branches gently glistening in the golden-hued beams of light.

You murmur, “Hey, this clearing is incredible. I’m gonna perch here and take some photos.” Your colleague smiles warmly at you and hums, “For sure, go for it. I’ll walk on up ahead, the map says we only have a few more metres to go till we find elf territory.” You nod, “Careful. Don’t go further than the clearing here, illusions start appearing beyond a certain point.” He smiles at you, “Nah, I got this. It’s you I’m worried about. You look like a lost puppy.”

You scoff waving him off, “I’m just admiring this stunning flora and fauna, man.” He chuckles, “Yeah, stay here. I’ll be back in a few. I’ve got to start marking up the area.” You nod as you grab your camera out of your bag as he walks off. You may not be as experienced as him but you were beginning to get annoyed at how infantile he treated you.

With that, you begin taking pictures of the stunning scenery. Capturing every moment with the camera, you release a sigh. You wish you could stay here forever and forget about all the responsibilities of the world. Perhaps, that was asking for too much.

Your ear perk up hearing the eerily haunting cry of a Phoenix. You let out a gasp as you see the fiery bird soar through the trees and you can’t help but follow it with your camera zooming in as best as you can to spot the details of the incredibly stunning bird. You’d never seen one in real life before!

Your feet begin moving on their own as you step slowly towards the tree where the majestic bird perches itself in its flaming glory. You ever so desperately wanted to get a stunning shot of this sight! As you step forward, you suddenly feel yourself toppling over as your boot gets caught on a tree root.

With that, you stumble clumsily forward and yelp chaotically as you land on the ground onto the leaf litter and end up rolling quite a bit through the bushes. You hadn’t exactly anticipated that the land beyond the clearing would be a slope.

You groan sitting up all cut up and bruised at the bottom of the slope. Releasing a hiss as your injuries begin to burn, you steady yourself and peer around. The forest looked all the same around you. You had been so disoriented through your fall you didn’t realise which direction you’d fallen in. All you knew was that you had to go back up the slope, but with all that thorny foliage and steepness, you doubt you could get back up just as easily as you had tumbled down.

Sighing shakily, you brush yourself off and groan, “Fuck, fuck, fuck.” Your heart pounds against your chest. You were feeling an amalgamation of both fear and anxiety. How were you going to get back to your spot, no less, your base camp? What about your colleague? You knew you were absolutely in for it, if you’d got back!

Though you’d take getting yelled at for being stuck in the woods and starving to death any day! Not to mention, you had left your map up there with the rest of your backpack. You were wholly screwed.

You didn’t even know how far you were from the clearing. Everything around you seemed to look the same. It felt disorienting and panic begins to sink into your senses. Shaky breathes tumble out of your lips as your scratched up hands tremble.

Your eyes glance over seeing your pathetic excuse of a camera (which unfortunately cost you a lot) now partially in pieces. You whine crouching down picking up the pieces of your camera in your hands, “I’m so fucking stupid. Oh fuck me, I can’t believe this.”

Sighing, you grab the memory card and place it into one of your pockets. You peer at the slop and decide to try your chances whilst also yelling for help at the same time. You knew this forest was a being within itself, you didn’t know whether you’d be able to even reach your colleague. Only the supernatural could traverse through the forest with ease. Humans all too often got lost here and it looked like you were now going to be added to the list.

“Help! Help? Can anyone hear me?” You call out for the fourth time as you push past the numerous fines and push harshly through the bushes. Your feet crunch through the leaf litter. You let out a frustrated grunt as your feet keep slipping as you try to make your way up the slope. This wasn’t going to work any time soon and your injuries were bound to get infected.

A startled yelp escapes your lips as a pure voice alerts you through the shrubbery on your left side. “Oh goodness, aren’t you all bruised up? You’re rather far from your little camp, no?”

You stiffen as you study the being standing amongst the glowing shrubbery. Holy fuck, that man was beautiful. Well, man is more of a generalisation, in fact you should say elf. That elf was beautiful. His ever so slightly delicate, pointed ears gave him away immediately.

Ethereal, couldn’t even begin to describe him. Your heart races seeing his face. His features were sharp; his nose in particular. He had thin rosy lips and a sharp jawline that could slice through the thickest of vines. His brown hair glimmers under the streaks of sunlight peering through the canopy. His skin itself had a shimmering glow to it as if he had bathed in fairy dust.

“I’m more accustomed to humans screaming when they lay eyes on me, this is rather new. Or is this a new human response I’m not aware of?” The pointy-eared gentleman tilts his head curiously. You couldn’t even fathom any words to reply. Even his voice was lovely to the ears; it was light in tone and had a mischievous sound to it. His eyes sparkle as they meet yours taking you in your entirety.

“Hello?”, he waves in front of his face. “Are you conscious?” You blink rapidly trying to ground yourself. There was an actual elf in front of you. Elves you had studied throughout your degree. The very species now in front of you talking to you.

You murmur tentatively, “Yes, yes I am. Sorry I’m just in a little bit of shock.” He gives you a breathtakingly warm smile before chuckling, “Oh I see, I was beginning to get worried that you’d hit your head a little too hard on the fall down here.”You gawk are him in horror, “You saw me, fall?”The tall elf lets out a mischievous giggle, “Ah; about that. Yes, I did. It was quite a nasty fall. Your poor gadget there is also in pieces.” You groan peering over at the grave site of your camera, “Don’t remind me…”

He hums still remaining fixed in his place a few metres away from you. “Are all humans this clumsy? The ones I’ve met previously aren’t as…careless as you are? Are you new here?”

You peer away in sheer embarrassment. His laugh resounds through the woods; it sounds delightful like a musical melody. “You are? Aren’t you? I knew most humans aren’t like this. This is so endearing! You’re like a baby elf!”

You grunt deciding that it was best to stop talking and let him have his fun. You knew elves get bored easily. Hopefully this new nuisance would leave you alone instead of humiliating you further with your lack of experience and sheer stupidity.

“I’m sorry human, I’ve not seen such a ridiculous situation in a long time. Usually I’m the one having to be on the run from humans or hiding out of their sight. Though it appears you’re not a threat like the others are.” He teases. You glare at him as you sit down on the leaf litter unimpressed.

The young man steps out from the foliage revealing the rest of himself. You have to keep your jaw from falling to the floor at how tall he truly is and the intricacy of his outfit. The various jewellery that hangs off him and the shades of brown and green compliment his honey skin tone perfectly.

“Oh my, human, I thought it was impolite to stare in your world.” You stammer peering away, “Sorry, just. I never expected to see an elf.” He smiles at you warmly walking over to you and you stiffen keeping your eyes glued to him; you weren’t completely sure if you could still let your guard down after all.

“I’ve never really seen a human up close. You don’t mind do you?” He tentatively crouches down beside you and your heart races. His umber eyes trail across your face making your cheeks heat up incredibly. There was a mystical aura about him making the very hairs on your body rise and goosebumps litter your sweaty and dirt-ridden skin. You kind of wish you were in a more pleasant state for him to look at.

“You have such delicate features. I’ve noticed most humans look just like us. Though, they do not have any magical aura. It’s fascinating, no?” He ponders. You don’t know how to respond as you feel breathless. “Human? You’ve gone so quiet.”

“Said human, has a name you know?” You quirk peering into his alluring eyes. His lips curl into a playful smile, “Is that so? Allow me to ask you then, what’s your name pretty human?”

If you could faint, you would have. Actually; you don’t even know how you’re still coherently talking to him without blabbering. He chuckles, “Don’t worry, I’m not like the fae. Your name has no value to me.” Murmuring you respond, “I know. It’s Y/n.” He nods before humming, “My name is Huening kai, though most call me Kai. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

This was still so surreal for you. Huening kai outstretches his hand waiting for you to shake it. You take his hand and feel how incredibly soft it is as you shake it. You couldn’t believe it! Even his hand shimmers under the sunlight. “Beautiful…” you murmur.

“Hm?” He questions and you hurriedly shake your head, “Nothing.” Huening Kai lips form a coy smile, “Oh I heard you, thank you.” You scoff, “At least I know the research about elves being pests was right.”

His eyes widen, “What? It says that in your little books?” You groan, “Not exactly. They used a more technical phrase for that, but whatever.” You notice his eyes still scanning your face, “What is it?”

He gives you a playful grin; boyish almost. “You’re cute, all covered in dirt, hair all messy. It’s endearing.” You mutter, “I think the term you mean is pathetic.”

He bursts out laughing, “You’re a funny one. All the other humans that have stumbled here, they were either too frightened of me, or they tried hunting me down. Or they were just far too boring.” You sigh, “Glad I am entertaining enough for you, Kai.”

You stiffen, you didn’t mean to just let his name slip out so casually. “Oh my, I like that. Say it again.” You mutter annoyed, “I have to get back to my camp.”

“Say it again, and I’ll consider helping you.” Rolling your eyes you mumble, “Please help me get back to my base camp, Kai.” The elf lets out a cackle before sitting beside you.

His tone softens and he hums, “How about we take care of those injuries first huh?” Huening Kai peers at your forearm before asking, “May I?” Your lips part saying, “Yes,” before your mind can even register it. Fuck, why’d he have to be so attractive?

A smirk laces lips as he takes your wrist into his lap resting your forearm against his thigh. “Bear with me, okay?” You wordlessly nod as his fingers brush against the scrape as he brushes off the dirt.

You murmur, “I did have disinfectant on me, but it’s in my back pack.” He chuckles, “That is indeed a shame, but I think we’ll be alright without it. You know us elves don’t have that chemical liquid stuff?” You hum, “Ah yes, you guys have self-healing properties. You also make use of the medicinal herbs and plants here right? Some species can even manipulate the terrain right?”

He nods with a bright grin, “How knowledgeable. Indeed we can. Though did you know about this?” You let out a small gasp, skin tingling as his fingers press on the injury. “What are you-!”

As he lifts his fingers, the injury is healing with your skin tingling a little. You think you were going to pass out. No way. No fucking way! They could heal others too!? This was unheard of and it would be a remarkable discovery in the current understanding and knowledge of elves. Stammering you ask, “You don’t just self-heal? You can heal other beings too?”

He winks, “Didn’t know that? Thought you humans knew everything.” You murmur, “This is remarkable!” Huening Kai laughs seeing your genuine reaction of awe and sheer surprise. “Here, let’s get done through the rest of your injuries, hm?” You nod in utter shock. His fingers effortlessly glide across your skin as he works his way across the various injuries.

You could feel it; the ever so slight tingle, buzz from his gaze and touch. Though now you didn’t know whether it was from his healing capabilities or the sheer attraction between you two. You’d always made fun of people who got infatuated immediately or had some sort of love at first sight experience but yet here you were. Oh the irony of it all!

“There we go, all healed.” He hums standing up with a happy bounce in his step. Huening Kai peers down at you and outstretches his hand for you to take, “Well? Come on, don’t you want to get back to your camp?”

You smile warmly at him, “Thanks-thank you for taking care of my injuries.” You knew most elves were reclusive when it came to humans so this was a large sign of trust from his end. You grasp his hand as he pulls you to a stand. Your eyes widen as he suddenly pulls you ever so close to him. Your hand lands on his shoulder to balance yourself from the sudden tug.

“Kai?” You stammer as your heart palpitates rapidly. He murmurs, “Your welcome. I couldn’t leave a pretty thing like you to die of infection now could I?” You roll your eyes, “How chivalrous of you.”

His breath fans your face as he playfully leans in closer, “What can I say? I’m a very kind elf. If my other friends and family had stumbled upon you as I did, they’d have left you here to die.” You stiffen slightly, “Oh.”

He chuckles leaning back, “What? Are you scared? It’s not intentional, okay perhaps it is. Us elves don’t really like to interact much with humans. My specific group, are very cautious around humans. We’ve lost a lot of elves through the actions of humans, you know? That’s why I was a little hesitant to help you at first. I had to assess whether you were a threat or not.”

You deadpan, “Am I sufficiently unthreatening enough for you?” He chuckles, “You look like you couldn’t even hurt a fly, forget an elf.”

You realise how he’s not let your hand go. Could he also feel this mystically magical spark between the two of you? You murmur, “Why are you still here? Why are you agreeing to help me so easily? Do you wish for something in return?”

Huening Kai chuckles pleasantly, “These are the right questions to ask, pretty scholar.” Your cheeks warm up and you clear your throat awkwardly.

“I do not seek anything from you. I was just curious. I’ve always wanted to speak with a human like I’m doing now. I find you all fascinating. Though you happen to intrigue me the more I speak and look at you.” He hums with a serene expression. “Really?,” you ask, “Why haven’t you helped other humans before, then?”

He chuckles rubbing his thumb over the back of your hand across your knuckles soothingly. “Who said I haven’t? That’s just your assumption, y/n.” Your name never sounded so lovely. Wait…focus!

“Well, you’re partially right. I’ve not helped them this directly. But I’ve spooked enough humans in the right direction without revealing myself. This is the first time I’ve revealed myself to a human.” He explains. “Follow me, we have to get you back to your camp before it gets dark.”

You joke around, “What? You think I’m scared of the dark? I’ve done plenty of trips in the dark.”

His tone becomes serious, “Oh no, it’s not that. You should be scared of what’s in these woods, not the dark.” You gulp as a pit of nervousness opens within your heart. Noted.

“Dangerous creatures?” You enquire. He nods, “Very. The Fae are particularly active in the evenings, not to mention the vast variety of mystical wildlife. I would think they’d love to get a taste of you.” You glare as you traverse with him, “Very funny, Kai.”

“So how do you plan to get me up back that slope?” You ask. Huening Kai looks at you for a moment before bursting into laughter. “What?,” you ask seriously. “Slope? Ah yes, I forgot to mention, that slope you fell from was a mere illusion.”

“You’re fucking joking.” You yelp.

“Fu-?” He questions. You stiffen slicing in, “Ah- don’t take note of that. Moving on, moving on!” You stammer frantically shaking your hands. You were not going to be the one to expand an elf’s profanity.

He points back to where the slope was and you gasp seeing that the land has morphed. You groan, “This damn forest, is such a nuisance despite how pretty it looks.” Huening Kai grins mischievously, “Yeah, a nuisance for humans, not for me and my kin.”

You sigh; he was right. “Let’s get going then, don’t let go of my hand. I don’t want you tripping and scraping yourself again.” Scoffing you reply, “Thanks, I’ll try not to.”

As you both traverse through the trees you notice how skilfully he’s manoeuvring. Whilst all the surroundings look the same to you, it appears he had a completely different view of the forest than you did. How interesting…

You murmur, “I’m assuming you have a completely different vision of the forest, if you’re guiding me through this easily.” The elf smirks at you, “Very clever. I indeed do. The forest looks very different to us creatures. If this place is gorgeous to you already, if you saw it through my eyes you’d be fainting.” You chuckle, “Wow, that’s fascinating.”

“You seem to like nature, I saw you taking pictures before you tumbled down.” He snickers making you roll your eyes. You step over a log as he continues to hold your hand. “Mhm, I really do. I think it’s beautiful, it makes me feel at ease. The breeze, the birds chirping, the greenery. Just something about it all, is so mesmerising in my eyes,” you murmur in awe of your environment.

Huening Kai looks at you profoundly. You raise a brow, “Hm?” He smiles pleased with your answer, “Your heart is just as pretty as your face, miss researcher.”

You bashfully look away, “No need to flatter me, really.” Squeezing your hand, he responds playfully, “Oh no, no, it’s not mere flattery. The moment I saw you, I thought you were rather attractive. I usually see older more grumpy people visiting here. So I was delighted to see someone so fresh-faced and adorable.”

You scoff, “Ah, so if I was an old grumpy man, you’d have not helped me?” Huening Kai giggles, “Ah, perhaps I’d have been a little more hesitant.” You gasp, “Oh my, how cruel.” You both chuckle.“You seem to be much more interesting than the elven folk, so more alive, not so reliant on their magical capabilities, not so driven by traditions and customs.”

You murmur, “Ah I don’t think your folk are anywhere near as bad as humanity that’s for sure. We still have a lot to learn, and a lot of us are still bound by hateful and discriminatory customs.”

His eyes widen, “Huh? It seems we have rather similar societal problems.” A smirk laces your lips, “Are elves always this philosophical?”

He mirrors your smirk, “Not particularly. We’re a free kind in regards to thought. But restricted in other areas. For example, it being a taboo to talk too much with humans, especially human researchers.”

You peer at him wide-eyed, “Oh? If any of your family or friends see you with me, won’t it cause an issue?” Huening Kai warmly smiles at you his eyes forming crescents, “Don’t you want to get back to your camp?”

You go quiet. Indeed you did. “Yes, I do.” He hums, “Then, that’s where we’re going. Don’t worry about the other elves, I’ll handle them. Unlike them, I’m rather interested in humans. You could say I’m somewhat of a scholar myself. Humans and human civilisation intrigue me incredibly so.” You murmur processing the information, “Don’t you ever want to leave the forest?”

It appears the question hits a nerve as he stops walking momentarily. A bitter chuckle escapes his lips. This was the first time since you’d met him earlier today that he wasn’t smiling. You quickly go to change the subject, “Never mind, let’s-“

He forces a smile onto his lips, “It’s alright. Thank you for your consideration. Honestly speaking, yes, I have always wanted to see beyond the forest. Make friends with the humans. I don’t know, make the most of my life, I suppose.”

You frown, “I suppose it’s not just easy enough to leave.” He shakes his head and gives you a pitiful smile, “I’m bound here, my pretty friend.” Your heart pangs. “Bound?” Nodding he responds, “My particular species of elf are very rare. We are native to this forest unlike the other species of elves.” That explains his undeniably different features. Something you’d never studied before.

“We’re barely seen. Barely heard. If we are captured and taken out of this forest…then we cease to exist. It is the magic of this forest that sustains us.” You stop walking staring into his swirling eyes. A concoction of emotions whirl in his maroon irises. “I’m sorry,” you utter.

Shaking his head he laughs, “For what? No need to pity me. It’s plenty of fun living here. My friends, family are here. There’s plenty of wildlife and critters around to keep me company too. The occasional human I can observe.”

You both begin to walk together again. You feel awfully sad; his bright smile held a bitter sadness, as most smiles in this world do. Sometimes even your own. “I’m glad,” you pause, “I’m glad you found me, Kai,” you find yourself spouting out the words. He gives your hand a reassuring squeeze, “No need to comfort me.” You smile, you squeezing his hand this time, “No I mean it. You put yourself at risk to help me. Thanks.”

You both peer into each others eyes for a moment of silence. The air around you feels as though it’s buzzing with anticipation. An electrifying attraction simmers between you both. His sharp eyes never leave your own almost making you feel breathless. What was this feeling?

“Has anyone told you how expressive your eyes are?” He murmurs lowly. Peering into his eyes you hum, “I should be saying that to you.” Huening Kai takes a tentative step forward, “Is that so? Why don’t you take a closer look then?” A coy smile forms on your lips, “Mm.. I can see perfectly fine from here.”

His fingers suddenly brush against your arm as he steps forward. “In that case, I think I need to get a better a look at your eyes.” He steps forward as you coyly step backwards before your back hits the bark of a tree. You feel utterly breathless.

“What a pretty human I’ve stumbled upon. Simply endearing in every aspect, from your looks to your mannerisms. You’re so different from the rest.” He hums leaning into your ear. His other arm encases you between him and the tree.

“I have been seeing the way you look at me. My, my and what a gaze it is. It looked like you wanted to swallow me whole.” You mumble slightly embarrassed, “Well, you’re rather good looking, too good looking in fact.” A lopsided smirk forms, “Oh is that right?”

A wave of heat floods through your body with the way his eyes gaze seductively at your face. He’s definitely well aware of what he’s doing. You seem to be at a loss for words as you hold his gaze unable to look away. Whether it was the humidity of the forest or simply him, you didn’t know, but either way you felt flushed, bashful even.

“Why is it so that you have gone so quiet? Will you punish me so for not letting me hear your voice?” He murmurs inching in even closer. Your mind is barely able to register the proximity between you two. Breathlessly you hum, “Your way with words certainly needs to be studied.” A small laugh releases from his lips, “Mm...why study the way I speak when you can study me in all my entirety?”

A shudder runs down your spine and your eyes follow the way his other hand brushes up against your arm, “You don’t mind do you? I noticed how soft your skin was whilst healing you earlier. Since then, all I’ve wanted to do was touch it.” You have to refrain from releasing a squeak from how nonchalantly he says this.

Huening Kai inches even closer; his breath fans your face and you can his shimmering skin in a whole new level of detail. His skin glitters and twinkles like distant stars in the night sky. His brown eyes peer into yours with such fervour. Further still, he leans in. “Why not grant me the sweet gift of your lips against mine, pretty scholar? Pretty please..” His voice is just above a whisper making your knees ready to buckle at any given second.

“Won’t you?” His lips brush against yours ever so delicately. You find yourself murmuring, “Yes.” With that, the handsome elf pushes his lips softly against yours. His lips move in tandem with yours as your fingers slide up to his shoulders to grip and steady yourself. His sharp nose brushes against your cheek and soft groan escapes your lips as he kisses you softly yet passionately. The building tension of your mutual attraction was being undone as though pulling a tied ribbon of a gift box.

Breathlessly, he parts from you allowing you to get a second to breathe. The both of you stare at each other, pupils dilated and breathing ever so slightly heavy. Your lips tingle ever so slighty, perhaps the side effect of kissing a magical being such as himself. Damn, it was fantastic. You wanted more; you wanted more of him, all of him. His lips, his gaze seemed like an aphrodisiac making your senses go haywire.

A smirk laces his lips, “So awe-struck that you’re at a loss for words? How endearing. Surely it couldn’t have been all that different from your human experiences, no?” Shaking your head, you respond, “Oh you have no idea...” A chuckle escapes his lips; his face painted with amusement. He peers at the sky, small tints of pink and orange hues begin to appear.

“Ah, I wished to get you to your camp before it got dark.” His dark eyes peer at you deeply, “It seems I let my attraction get the better of me.” Murmuring, you say, “I’m not exactly complaining.” He laughs once more whilst running his thumb over the back of your hand, “Cute, so you’d be content to be stranded here as long as you’re in my arms, hm?” You hum mischeviously, “Well...”

Sighing, you continue, “...as magical an experience this was. I..I need to get back. I have family and friends waiting for me.” You find yourself frowning. His lips hum, “Indeed you do. It would be tragic for you to go missing. I’d not want you to experience such pain.” You smile sadly at him, What on earth was this sense of not wanting to leave? Why were you so drawn to him? You had only just met yet he had such an influence on you. His alluring gaze, his way with words, the sweet nothings that dripped from his lips and his tingling touches.

He leans back still not letting go of your hand, “Let’s get going, hm? There’s many creatures in these woods that would love to mess with you or even keep a pretty thing like you all to themselves, you know?” You awkwardly chuckle, “Right, right. Best to keep moving.”

Once more, you both begin walking hand in hand. You notice the plants begin to illuminate and glow as the sky grows dimmer. It’s incredible. You peer at Huening Kai who guides you with ease, a smile rests on his face. You were lucky to find a kind elf and not some other supernatural creature, such as the Fae. A sense of melancholy fills your heart, you knew after reaching your base camp, it was not likely you’d ever see him again. You wanted more of him, to hear more of his tempting words and his stimulating touch. You didn’t want to be away from him.

The walk resumes in a unexpectedly tense silence. You find yourself having a difficult time keeping track of direction and time. All you could focus on was Huening Kai. He was your anchor in this sea of forest. He hums, “We’re almost there. Do you see the smoke rising through the canopy?” You peer up as see in the near distance, rising smoke. It must be your camp, by now you knew they’d be preparing for dinner. As you continue walking, your heart aches and you feel your legs becoming sluggish. You don’t remember your camp being this far away, despite this, you knew not to question the magical and illusory properties of Deep Grove Forest.

“Kai..” You speak before your mind can even register. He turns to look over shoulder at you. Once again you murmur, “...Kai..” Your eyelids feel incredibly heavy. His lips still smile pleasantly at you, “Oh my, y/n, are you tired?” You grunt trying to pry your eyes open. You feel hazy, almost fuzzy inside. His fingers intertwined between yours now feel electrifying.

He softly cooes, “We’re almost back at your base camp. Just around a few more minutes away. Don’t you want to get back?” You struggle to form a coherent sentence resorting to shaking your head.

Huening Kai’s eyes become sly with the same ethereal smile plastered on his face. He steps closer as he realises your balance was faltering. He places a tentative arm around your waist steadying you. “Shaking your head? You don’t want to get back? You were so determined to get back earlier, no?”

“Mm...don’t...wanna..,” you mumble dazed. His brows raise and he pleasantly hums, “Hm?” His tone had become sugary sweet. You continue as you lean your head into his chest, “...leave..” His lips form a sinful smile, “What was that? You don’t want to leave? Oh you precious human, what about your family? Your friends?”

You shake your head not wishing to acknowlege anything. You were fading in and out of consciousness as your body buzzes with an unknown feeling as he wrapped his arms around you. A mischievious tone laces his voice, “Poor thing, all this trekking must have made you so tired, hm?” You nod. You nuzzle into his neck taking in his earthy scent; it was almost floral in a sense. He smelt divine.

His fingers trace along your jaw and he cups your cheek, “Surely you don’t wish to simply stay with me here, forever, hm? That would be ridiculous. We’ve only just met, hm?” You shake your head as your eyes shut embracing his addictive body heat. A chuckle not so airy and bright as before escapes his lips. “How endearing, you humans are.”

You remain quiet as drowsiness morphs into unconsciousness. He holds you as if you were fragile glass. A delighted smile graces his pretty lips. The same lips that spew the most magically tempting words, sweet nothings that can make anyone and anything melt. His touch that can send any species into a frenzy.

Oh, how much he loved this game.

He peers at your base camp in the near distance, perhaps if your psyche had put up more of a fight, you’d have made it back to your camp. It was a mere few steps away, after all. He was not going to be one to stop you going back home. He would merely call it misfortune, if you did. Huening Kai wasn’t much of a fan of violence or force unlike the other supernatural creatures here.

How darling of you to succumb of your own will. It made things easier for him, such a pretty human for him to study to his heart’s content. It was his most successful venture yet. He could expand his knowlege and understanding of the workings of humans. Perhaps he could study the way they are suited to the outside world beyond this forest?

Your poor colleague must be frantically searching, though Huening Kai must be sure if he didn’t find his way back to his camp in time, then something else would find him.

Huening Kai peers down at your sleeping face; how serene it is. He murmurs smiling, “You pretty thing, don’t you know how to be cautious? I did say there’s many dangerous creatures in the forest who would just...love to have you.”

If only you had listened to your colleague and stayed put, perhaps you’d not have fallen down that imaginary slope and into the world of the elves.

Perhaps you’d now be sitting by the camp fire going through the photos on your camera wondering what was beyond the clearing blissfully.

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