#in a few hours. IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SHORTER THAN THIS I JUST KEPT. adding in scenes to make it make sense.

[shesmore-shoebill]

I half jokingly started writing this for Smosh Girlies Week Day 5: Smoffice and then it very rapidly got out of hand and had some actual emotions and etc sneak into it. So uh. Well. Enjoy a largely-unedited fic of "Angela watches the S&B video for the first time at the creator event, Courtmangela flavored".

Tentatively titled: "Leather and Harnesses". Nothing explicit here! Beyond what was in the music video I guess. I might move this onto ao3 at some point if im brave enough.

*mandatory disclaimer. this is rpf. f for fiction. dead dove. etc etc.

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In retrospect, maybe Angela should've been a little better prepared.

In her defense, there's only so much you can prepare for when it comes to "Your workplace is making a music video about being submissive and breedable and your two coworkers/close friends/people you definitely have regular feelings about are playing dominatrixes in said videos. To your bosses. Who are calling themselves submissive and breedable."

Actually, Angela isn't sure someone SHOULD be prepared for that situation. Even if they have a job that involves sentences like "We need to have a safety meeting about where we're storing the floggers".

That said- maybe there were warnings. Signs. She had some knowledge of knowledge of what the video would entail- the theme of the video wasn't a secret internally, nor was the involvement of the cast. Or their roles. Even if Anthony and Ian didn't love making jokes about being submissive and breedable, Angela certainly wasn't going to forget Amanda and Courtney bounding up to her at 11 AM, full of excitement, crowing "Guess who are the sexy doms of the office!"

No, that moment is absolutely seared into her brain. She remembers the extreme hot flush that came over her body, and she remembers making a vague strangled noise that could, generously, have been interpreted as a "woo!" or a "yay!" in response to the news. and definitely not air punching out of her lungs at the thought.

And she remembers, what she thought was the world showing her mercy that Amanda and Courtney didn't seem to pick up on anything amiss, other than a long pause, with Amanda's gaze lingering a bit on her expression, and Courtney drifting closer, something charged in the air for a long second- before they continued their celebration.

Now, standing in a room full of her peers, slightly tipsy, watching her bosses on a screen chant "Submissive and Breedable", and feeling a mounting sense of dread. Angela is realizing maybe the world wasn't being merciful. It was just biding its time.

And- okay, fine. Angela should've known. She should've been ready. Maybe she'd let herself get lulled into a false sense of security in the last few months as her reminders of the shoot mostly boiled down to Erin griping about logistics during coffee dates, or Amanda or Courtney being busy on certain shoot days.

Smosh tried hard to keep details on this one under wraps, which meant Amanda telling Angela that they "did me all up in leather" (complete with an eyebrow waggle) or Courtney saying they "looked DAMN good in a harness", but not many details beyond that. Which had been fine for Angela, who, at the time, was already going through the full spectrum of human emotion trying to respond normally to this information, potentially failing, and then discarding the interactions from her brain before she could linger on them forever.

(And- fine, maybe she'd been trying hard not to think too much about the shoot because,  more than it being Amanda and Courtney, it was Amanda AND Courtney. And because ever since the shoot, sometimes it felt like they were sitting a little closer than they used to. Like there was a sort of newfound understanding, or something, some kind of bonding experience there.

Where sometimes Angela would look up and they seemed to be gravitating towards each other a little more. Leaning a little closer to each other, or laughing at an inside joke clearly from their time shooting the music video. Little touches.

Nothing big, and it wasn't like- it wasn't like Angela was being left out of anything, technically. Amanda still was her lovely, caring, physically affectionate self, pulling her into warm hugs, leaning against her whenever she was near, as they talked up a storm about anything from the latest Dateline to LA traffic. Courtney still lit up whenever they saw her, immediately sharing gossip and compliments with equal joy, pulling her into selfies and hooking their arms together whenever they wanted to bring her somewhere, or just because.

It wasn't anything big, it was maybe just in Angela's head- the fact that, recently, when it was the three of them sometimes it felt like they were both watching her, that they sometimes giggled together quietly and it made Angela feel. Odd. Maybe it was just Angela, on the days when both of them were out, thinking too hard or too long about the idea of them- both of them- at a "sexy" shoot together, even if sexy shoots were never sexy during the creation process. Maybe it was something about the idea of them, in leather and harnesses, together, getting closer, while Angela-)

Well. Angela had been trying to not think too much about it, was the point.

And now, here, in a room full of Youtubers and coworkers and people she likes and respects, she's going to pay for it.  Angela can't tear her eyes away, as her bosses- her bosses- dance and sing "Submissive and Breedable" and before she can brace herself properly, the song moves into its first verse, and-

Fuck.

Courtney, is onscreen, silhouetted in red, in a harness and tanktop. Courtney with a fake tattoo sleeve and their hair slicked back with chains around her neck and-

Courtney making a beckoning motion with her hand, Courtney throwing Ian onto a bed, Courtney slapping a riding crop on her hand, jesus fucking christ-

The song continues, the background switching to a white room with bbno$ and her bosses dancing in BSDM gear, and honestly, that's fine, because Angela is still trying to remember how to breathe. And think. She knows her jaw is agape right now and she's too busy trying to continue standing upright to care.

She can't decide whether to be glad or horrified that right now, at this moment, none of her friends are around her. Amanda and Courtney, while proud of their work, had both understandably opted out of being in the room during the initial screening, and Chanse, Erin, and Mallory had abandoned Angela for more drinks.

And by now Angela deeply, deeply regrets not joining them. She takes a gulp of her wine, wincing as it burns down her throat, trying to stabilize her breathing and ignore the way her whole body is overheating. Only for Anthony on screen to put on some kind of VR headset, and the background turns purple and Angela nearly swallows her tongue because -

Amanda.

It's Amanda, except Amanda in dark makeup and a dark lip and a high ponytail and- oh fuck, she wasn't kidding about the leather- a form fitting leather dress and harnesses and chains and- she's holding a collar-

-and she has on a choker that says "Mommy"-

(In some distant, distant part of her brain, Angela is glad that the people around her are wolf whistling or ooh-ing or laughing because she's pretty sure she made a noise when she saw the collar and she doesn't think it was a dignified one.

Most of her brainpower, however, is currently dedicated to stopping her knees from giving out under her and not crushing her wine glass under the influx of white hot arousal coursing through her body.)

There's a shot tilted up at Amanda, leather dress skin tight, riding crop in her one hand and makeup and hair and everything flawless. Am i dead. Angela faintly wonders to herself. Am I dead and my hell is me watching my close friends be the hottest thing I've ever seen in a room of professional acquaintances. On screen, Anthony is crawling at Amanda's feet, and- All Angela can think about is that being her. A collar around her neck, and Amanda over her and Courtney with her riding crop and-

Oh god. Oh god.

Something in her brain short circuits at this moment, goes so far into a kind of horny shocked awe that it loops back into a white numbness.

She tears her eyes away from the screen as the music video shifts, thankfully, back to the chorus and the white room and the dancing, and gulps down the rest of her wine, if only to try to stop staring in openmouthed shock. Looking away and staring intently at her cup doesn't help, much, though, because she's pretty sure she's going to have these images emblazoned across the forefront of her brain for the rest of the day. Or life. On loop in her mind, images of tight leather, and harnesses, and jawlines and-

shit. shit. shit. She steals a peek up at the screen, and- something vaguely goofy is happening but also Amanda and Courtney are both there now, still in their getup, still looking- fucking hot as hell, and- Angela averts her gaze again. She knew how she felt about both of them, on some level, okay, but she wasn't. Prepared. For this.

Across the room, Chanse is whooping a little as he watches the screen, new drink in hand. And because he sucks, and she hates him, he seems to feel Angela's gaze, and glances over at her, before a knowing grin spreads across his face.

He's not even saying anything, but she knows he knows. He's one of her best friends, and he's looking at her red face and unsteady stance and her empty cup and she knows, he knows. He's probably known this whole time, and he's silently laughing, now, and Angela's going to kick his ass the moment she's close enough. And remembers how to make her legs work.

Her revenge plot is interrupted by an eruption of clapping and cheers as, apparently, the music video concludes. Somehow, she'd survived. People are cheering and whistling as Anthony and Ian shuffle back towards the center, and Angela is- remembering how to breathe again, mostly.

Only to nearly jump out of her skin, shrieking a little bit as a familiar hand falls on her shoulder. "Enjoy the show?"

"I-" Angela attempts to get her heart rate under control as Amanda grins at her, the colors on her shirt swimming in her vision a bit. "You- well- I."

"I think that's a yes." comes Courtney's voice from over her other shoulder, and, okay, yeah, maybe Angela can just die now, because there's one hand on each of her shoulders and they're on both sides of her, Angela cannot stop thinking about how good they both smell, and-

"-Ang? You there?" and she blinks, and Amanda and Courtney are both in her vision now. Courtney eyeing her with a hint of warm concern, hand still on her shoulder. Amanda is facing away as Ian and Anthony drone on, but with an arm looped through hers, a warm and steady presence. When Angela doesn't immediately respond, Amanda glances back as well, a question in her eyes. Courtney, without saying a word, grasps Angela's hand and gently pulls Angela past the people standing behind her, maneuvering back towards the wall, away from the crowd. Amanda's arm stays looped through hers, shoulder pressed against hers until they come to a stop towards the back.

Once situated, Amanda swaps out Angela's empty cup for a cup of water (when did she even get that) and Courtney pats her arm. "Wow, that bad, huh?" They say jokingly, although there's a hint of vulnerability, there. Amanda reaches a hand out and squeezes Courtney's shoulder, before fixing her gaze back on Angela. "I'm sure it was- a lot..." Amanda trails off, uncharacteristically unsure. Angela, sensing the shift in the air, stumbles over her words.

"It was fucking incredible. You guys looked. Hot as fuck. I- it was. Really- good." She finishes lamely, self consciousness raging back in as she speaks. In the background, whatever speech Ian and Anthony are giving winds down, but Amanda and Courtney's gazes don't waver.

"Yeah?"

Amanda and Courtney exchange another glance, a little warmer this time. but this time, pressed between them, Angela doesn't feel left out of- anything, doesn't feel like she's missing anything, especially as they look back at her, a warm understanding growing between all three of them. She pulls in the arm Amanda is looped through to one side, and squeezes Courtney's hand with the other, pulls them both closer. Something about all of this feels- familiar, and safe, and suddenly Angela can find her words again.

"Yeah. Couldn't stop looking. At either of you. Nearly dropped my drink. You guys weren't kidding about the harnesses or leather, huh? No idea how I stayed standing, honestly."

As Angela talks, Courtney's smile turns a little more wicked, and Amanda's posture smoothes into something more confident and steady.

Spurred on, she bites the bullet.

"I don't suppose either of you got to keep any of those outfits, or anything."

Amanda's smile is blinding, and dangerous, stirring something deep in her core, and Courtney's hand in hers squeezes once, twice, as Amanda says, slowly.

"Oh, for you, I think we can find them again."

[rhaenyra-storms]

Hi! Hello! So obsessed with Cregan too! Your fic with the direwolf pup was so precious, I loved it!

But, what about a lil something where Cregan steals kisses from his wife throughout the day whenever they see one another in the castle ?

thank you so much!! your idea is so adorable too and i loved writing it!

pairing: cregan stark x f!reader warnings: clingy cregan, just fluff, reader is shorter than cregan words: 1044

"M'lady, would you prefer beef or mutton for dinner tonight?"

A servant peeked into the room, the hint of a smile on his face. You had been stitching a few holes in your husband's pants, insisting to do it yourself. Cregan always managed to get them to tear open when he was out on a hunt. It was a small gesture from your side to fix them yourself.

"Beef would be nice. Thank you." You smiled back at the older servant before he bowed quickly and left you alone once more. However, you quickly realised that you were still supposed to send a raven to your mother. The pants could wait for a moment longer, so you placed them down on your bed before you headed out into the hallway.

The tall man at the end of the hallway, still with his back turned to you, would be recognised by you almost anywhere. Your husband was talking to one of the smith's new apprentices. Cregan was a kind lord to all his subjects and whenever he could, he loved to make a little conversation with them.

As soon as the young boy spotted you, he bowed briefly.

"Lady Stark."

Cregan turned around then, a smile already on his lips. He wasn't afraid to show his affection outside of your personal chambers, so his arm sneaked easily around your waist, pulling you in closer to himself.

He kept his attention on the boy though, giving him a polite nod. "It was nice talking to you. I am sure we'll talk again in the following weeks."

"Of course, my lord. It was my pleasure." He bowed once more before he hastened down the steps into the main hall, leaving you and your husband alone.

"Where were you going, my love?" Cregan asked curiously then, taking the time to grab your hips with both hands as you stood before him. You tilted your head up a little, looking at your tall husband. "Just wanted to send a raven to my mother. We haven't talked in a while and I wanted her to visit soon."

He smiled softly, giving you a nod. "You know she's always welcome here in Winterfell. I'd love to have her and your father around soon."

His right hand moved up to cup your chin gently, pulling your head a little closer to press a kiss against your lips. As always, you exchanged more than just one quick peck, leaning into your husband, hands planted on his strong chest.

A giggle escaped your lips when he turned you around, pressing your back against the stone wall behind you.

It took a few more moments until you were able to separate from each other.

"I could do this all day, darling. But I still need to work and-"

You stopped him as you placed a soft hand on his cheek. His skin was always warm and you could feel him leaning into your touch as he looked at you in the dim-lit hallway. Cregan's eyes would always be a beautiful sight to you.

"We're going to see each other for dinner and then we can have the whole evening to ourselves," you assured him, stealing one last kiss off his lips. He seemed satisfied enough with your response and made sure to press his lips against the back of your hand one more time before you parted ways.

You weren't really sure how much of a coincidence it was when you were on your way back from the Maester later in the day and ran into your husband in the courtyard.

Wasn't he out hunting just an hour earlier?

It didn't matter to you though when he wrapped his hand around yours and pulled you to the side gently. His lips were on yours quicker than you could realise, a surprised laughter making its way out of your mouth.

Your hands flew up to grab his hair for a moment as his big hands rested on the small of your back.

A tension started to build in your stomach and you pressed your body more against your husband's, desperate to savour the moment as much as you could. He had probably been waiting for you somehow and you were glad that he did. Getting to kiss him throughout the day was the greatest pleasure you could imagine.

"Cregan," you laughed softly when he continued to plant a few kisses on your right cheek. "You know we're supposed to be going after our tasks?" His arms had wrapped tightly around your waist, his scent filling your nose. He smelled like the pines outside Winterfell, something you'd always recognise about him.

"I know, love. But you're making my day sweeter with this." His voice had turned a little rough as he whispered in your ear, shivers running down your spine as a response. Your hands slid under his cloak and you pressed yourself closer to your husband once more.

You met gazes again as you looked up, Cregan's eyes undeniably filled with adoration. How did you get so lucky?

"I love you, Cregan. And you're right, it's making my day sweeter too. As long as I can steal a kiss from you every now and then, being the Lady of Winterfell does not get boring at all," you whispered, pecking his lips again. Could you ever get enough of this? Could he ever get enough of this?

Some people might describe your husband as a very serious man. But whenever he smiled, you felt like there was nothing bad in the world that mattered. He smiled at you all the time and it made you feel like the most important part of his world.

"Every kiss the Lady of Winterfell can grant me is sacred to me," he whispered as he took your hand and brought it up to his mouth. His lips brushed over your knuckles gently, leaving a trail of warmth behind as he moved up to your wrist with his mouth.

He manoeuvred your hand to his cheek slowly, letting it rest there before he connected your lips once more.

All your days could go past like this for the rest of your life and you would be the happiest woman in the world.

[1-800-c3dr1c]

GIRL I NEED A SMUT OF CORIOLANUS SNOW BUT LIKE IDK HOW TO EXPLAIN BUT A SEX POLLENNNNN

YOUNG! CORIOLANUS SMUT ONESHOT.

submissive! reader. dominant! coriolanus snow. female reader. reader is shorter than coriolanus. established relationship (boyfriend and girlfriend). aphrodisiac used in drink unwillingly (reader getting drugged because of it). consent (but technically not because the reader’s under a drug?? ..would’ve consented even if not under a drug). fingering. unprotected sex. mean! coriolanus snow (if you squint). overstimulation. ANOTHER WARNING, NSFW IS AHEAD.

requests are: open! please look at the pinned post for characters i will write for. <3 let me know if you’d like to be in my tag list for whenever i post anything related to young! coriolanus snow under this post as well, or in my inbox!

i hope you like this, anon!! i did change it up slightly, so that it’s an aphrodisiac instead! i hope that you like it, but if you don’t, i can of course rewrite it to fit the request completely! <3

word count: 2,431

your boyfriend, coriolanus snow, was stressed. you could tell, even by the slightest of things. the pull of his eyebrows going downward, or the small crease of a frown on his mouth. you knew.

you wished you could help him, you really did. and at times, you’d pipe up and ask if he wanted help. disappointingly, he always denied your offer to help him, brushing you off while trying to sound nonchalant about it, letting you know that he could deal with it all by himself.

your boyfriend was a terrible liar, but you chose not to press on whenever he’d deny you of your help. however, it had startled you quite a bit when he had come into your room, a steaming cup of your favorite tea clasped in his hands.

“hello, darling.” he said softly, kissing your cheek and setting the cup down beside you. “i made you some tea.”

“oh! thank you, corio.” you turned to him, a bright smile on your face. “do you need help with anything?”

“no, i’m quite alright. thank you, though.” he lifted a hand to ruffle your hair, smiling back at you.

you found his actions genuinely surprising. he was never one for affection, especially due to how busy he always seemed to be. the problem was, you had no idea how he had gotten so much supposed free time. first he’d made you tea, and he was even talking with you?

“are you going back to work?” your voice was soft as you asked the question.

“hm? no, i have a few hours to spare. i finished what was most important, the rest can wait.” he told you, watching you pick up the cup of tea, softly blow on it, and then drink some of it.

you didn’t pay attention, but if you had, you’d notice that a slight smirk had formed on coriolanus’ face. he was up to something.

“..is something wrong?” you asked, noticing him staring at you.

“mm? nothing’s wrong, love. everything is fine, no need to worry.” he assured you, his head tilting just slightly as you continued to sip the tea. perfect. that’s exactly what he wanted.

“whatever you say, corio.” you shrugged, unbothered by it. after all, he usually kept to himself, and you knew that. it was fine with you, he would tell you if something was wrong when he was ready, and if there wasn’t? that was even better.

he simply put his hands in his pockets, watching you as if he were waiting for something. but what could he be waiting for? as your gaze wandered to his lips, you asked yourself this question. was he waiting for something from you? if so, you didn’t know what it was.

“are you waiting for something?” your voice was low, way lower than you had expected it to be. however, you figured it may just be sleepiness starting to catch up with you. and yet still, your gaze couldn’t help but linger on his lips. how peculiar, but it wasn’t very uncommon for that to happen, so you thought nothing of it.

“mm.. no. i’m not waiting for anything. i was hoping i could spend some time with you, though.” he sounded calm, way calmer than you’d thought he’d be. he seemed so sure of himself, as he always did. but for some reason this felt different. he carried himself slightly differently, as if he was on top of the world.

maybe he was. maybe he wasn’t. but coriolanus had told you plenty of times. snow lands on top. he had also told you that someday, if you’d ever want it, you’d be a snow, too. his wife. but you two were just getting into university, perhaps after your studies were over. for now, all you could focus on was work.

you had told coriolanus that before. that you weren’t thinking of marriage, or hell, even having children. however, for some.. unknown reason, these thoughts began to fade away. those thoughts became fuzzier, obscuring your thought process and no longer claiming it as your own.

..had coriolanus put something in the tea? no, he wouldn’t. he’d never do that to you. right..?

“corio..?” your voice was quiet, barely even audible to your own ears.

“yes, my love?” he replied, his voice softer than you’d ever heard it.

you couldn’t think clearly. disregarding your former question, which had been right on the tip of your tongue, waiting for you to ask it, you caught him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him down to your height and kissing him roughly.

you couldn’t tell, but he was smirking against the surprising kiss, before placing his hands on your waist and pulling you closer. he let out a low groan, a guttural, almost animalistic sound emitting from the back of his throat. “fuck, love.” he murmured against your mouth, his breath catching in his throat.

“i- i’m sorry, corio. i dunno what came over me..” you whispered after having pulled back from the kiss in an attempt to catch your breath.

he didn’t say anything, cupping your cheek. “it’s alright, love. promise, it’s okay. tell me what you want.” he murmured, his lips right beside your ear.

you swallowed thickly. “i need.. need you.” you could barely think clearly now. your head was spinning, your thoughts running miles a minute. frankly, you didn’t quite understand what was going on.

coriolanus snow had put something in your tea. that much was obvious by now, but what? you didn’t know. it could’ve been anything. you were fighting with yourself, knowing that it was a losing battle.

give in, give in, give in. your mind was screaming, and your hands balled into fists as you clutched his shirt. “corio.. please.” you were nearly whining.

“whatever you want, love.” he said quietly, carefully guiding you to your shared bed. despite not being engaged, you two did live together. it was much less expensive, especially with the plinth family paying off nearly all of it for you anyways.

he carefully sat you on the edge of the bed, humming to himself. “what d’you want me to do, darling?” he questioned lowly.

“f- fuck me. please!” you couldn’t keep your hands off of him. frantic, you tangled your fingers in his soft, curly locks of golden hair. he smiled at you, and if your head were clear, you would notice that it was more akin to a smile of which showed that he’d won. as if this was a prize for him, something he’d rightfully deserved.

“sh, shh..” coriolanus soothed you, tracing patterns on the back of your hand with his fingers as he hummed, using his other hand to begin sliding your shirt off of you. “i’m right here, ‘m gonna give you what you need, i promise. alright? just be patient,” it was nearly as if he was mocking you.

he knew that you couldn’t be patient. not in these circumstances. what a fucking tease. you thought it unfair, pouting at him like a child would when they didn’t get what they wanted. “but corio..” you whined out, evidently needy.

“don’t say a word. i’ll take care of you, darling.” he said softly, finally slipping your shirt above your head and smirking at you. “you’re so gorgeous.”

you couldn’t think of a coherent reply to that. your head was fuzzy, and it was obvious that your thoughts only consisted of one thing in its entirety. coriolanus snow.

he busied himself with removing your shorts next, before your hand shot out and caught his wrist. “not fair.. that ‘m gonna be undressed and you’re not.” your voice was quiet, slightly slurring due to what’d he’d put in your tea, which still remained unknown to you.

he laughed, such a startlingly genuine laugh. he hadn’t expected that from you whatsoever. “alright, love. go ahead and off my shirt if you want. unless you want me to do it?” he offered, his tone suddenly seeping with an utterly surprising warmness laced in his words.

“i wanna do it,” you murmured absently, already unbuttoning the shirt. he didn’t say anything, didn’t move away from you. sometimes you’d pause, smiling giddily as you traced one or two patterns on his chest when it was exposed to you. after a few minutes of you fumbling with the buttons, you were able to get the last one unbuttoned.

he helped you this time, and thank goodness he did. you didn’t know if you could handle not being able to feel him. he slipped the shirt off of himself, letting it fall to the floor in a heap behind him. he caught your chin with two fingers, tilting your head up so that your lips met his own in a heated kiss.

this distracted you, making him able to slip off your shorts and underwear without much difficulty. after he’d done so, you shivered at feeling his finger beginning to trace patterns on the inside of your thighs.

“corio, please don’t tease.” you whimpered against his mouth. he smiled at you, as if a kind smile, before carefully slipping one of his fingers past your folds. this allowed for a gasp to escape your lips, and you broke off the kiss, resting your head in the crook of his neck. he used his vacant hand to pull you nearly impossibly closer, that you hadn’t even realized you two could even get any closer until he’d done so.

“tell me how much you need it, darling.” he cooed softly, evidently teasing you with how his tone was. however, this fact slipped past your mind, and you didn’t hesitate.

“need it so badly—need you so badly! corio, please.. please, please, please, please, please..” you whimpered, letting out a squeak when he slipped another finger into you, carefully thrusting them in and out.

if in any other circumstances, you’d be blushing in embarrassment at how lewd the noises of coriolanus thrusting his fingers in and out of your pussy were. this time, it was quite the contrary. you didn’t care, your body trembling as you moaned out, pleading for more.

“need you, need your cock- please!!” you sobbed, tears pricking at the corners of your eyes. this felt so good, so so good!

“nuh-uh. ‘m gonna have you come on my fingers first so that you’re ready, mkay? don’t wanna hurt you, y’know.” if you hadn’t known any better, you’d think he actually cared a lot about that. but he’d fucked you plenty of times in the past, this was just his way of teasing. of edging you on, making you beg until he finally decided that he’d fuck you once he thought you’d done good enough for him.

it seemed like your lucky day, however. he seemed just about ready to fuck you, and before you could tell him you were going to come, the feeling of emptiness in your core suddenly fell over you. you gasped, looking up at him with half-lidded eyes. “wh.. what was that for?” you choked out, shaking. you needed him! he knew that! why hadn’t he let you come?!

“i think that you’re quite ready, love. i thought you wanted me to fuck you?” he grinned at you, a mischievous grin thar showed he fucking knew what he was doing.

you nodded, desperate. you couldn’t let your orgasm escape you, nor could you even think about not having his cock inside of you. in fact, it was all you could think about. it consumed your mind, leading you to be even more frantic than you had before.

you tried to take of his pants, but he’d already beat you to it. he was teasing you. he was making sure to take his time, slowly slipping off his pants before slipping off his boxers just as slow. it was excruciating, and you whined every time your need for him got even a bit worse.

he leaned over you without warning, pressing his cock against your folds, opening them slightly with his tip, but not pushing in. “tell me if it’s too much, yeah?” he murmured.

you nodded again, unable to speak clearly, and that’s all he needed. with a deep breath, he slowly pushed his cock into you. inch by inch he sunk into you, and it felt like heaven. you let out a moan, and coriolanus groaned out.

he slowly pulled back, keeping his tip inside, before he thrusted back into you at a somewhat faster pace. he continued this until he found a good pace to set for himself, a sheen of sweat adorning his face. he was concentrated, letting out breathy grunts and groans. to shut himself up, he leaned down and bit at your neck, beginning to suck on a specific spot.

you knew what he was doing. he was marking you, creating a hickey on your neck. showing everyone that you were his. you were coriolanus snow’s, and he wanted everyone to know. not that you minded in this state.

you were a moaning mess, sobbing as tears rolled down your cheeks. you were shaking so bad, and to stop you from shaking any harder, he pulled you closer to him, whispering sweet little nothings against your neck from time to time.

over time, his pace became utterly relentless. it was nearly inhumane, and it felt so fucking good. you were panting, chasing the orgasm that he’d denied you of from before, and chasing back the air you’d lost.

“oh, fuck.. oh fuck.” coriolanus gasped into your neck, and you knew what that meant.

he was close, and so were you. “love.. love, please. come with me.” he groaned out, his thrusts becoming sloppier, his pace speeding up to the point where you hadn’t even thought was possible to begin with.

all you could do was nod, shaking as you let out a high-pitched moan, your orgasm crashing over you as stars blurred your vision.

coriolanus didn’t stop, however. he thrusted into you, helping you carry out your orgasm and allowing him to reach his own. with a loud groan, muffled by his mouth pressed against your neck, he came hard, pushing his cum into you.

slowly, your thoughts began to clear up. you could think a bit more clearly, and as he lifted his head to look at you, coriolanus spoke.

“are you alright?” three simple words that formed a commonly asked question, and yet you knew the answer to that.

you were perfectly fine.

[marvelfanfn2187a113]

Guardian Angel

Castiel x Winchester child!reader

Requested by Anonymous

Synopsis: Castiel gets to know the Winchester’s little sister

Sam and Dean had a tendency to be cautious around new people. A tendency, they were noticing, that was not passed on to their little sister.

At least not where a certain angel was concerned.

“Why is the sky blue?”

“Because blue light travels in shorter waves than other light, so it’s scattered more than other colors, and therefore blue is the color you see most often in the sky,” Dean looked up to see you, the edge of Cas’s trench coat gripped in your small fist as you followed him around.

“Ok. Why is grass green?”

“Because of the pigment chlorophyll in the leaves and stems.”

“Ok. Why is-“

“Baby, how about we leave Castiel alone,” Sam scooped you into his arms, carrying you to his bed in the dingy motel room.

“I wanted to ask him more questions!” You protested.

“Yeah well, you’ve asked him enough for now, it’s bed time.”

After Sam put you to bed, he stepped over to his angel friend.

“Thanks Cas,” he sighed. “You kept her occupied for quite a while.”

“It was my pleasure,” Sam was surprised at the sincerity in Cas’s voice. “She has some very good questions.”

“Cas?” Sam sighed at the sound of your voice, but Castiel stopped him as he stepped towards you.

“I’ve got her, you had some research to do, right?”

Sam glanced at you, before looking back at the angel. There weren’t many people he trusted with you, and just because you liked Cas didn’t mean that Cas was safe; the angel thing was all relatively new to Sam.

“Cas?” Your voice came again.

“Yeah, alright,” he finally decided. “But I’m right over here if you need anything.”

“I’m sure we’ll be fine,” Cas made his way over to your bedside. “Hello, little one. Aren’t you supposed to be asleep?”

“Can you sing?”

Cas glanced self consciously over at the Winchester brothers, but they were engrossed in research.

“I…have the ability, yes.”

“No, I meant like now. Can you sing me a song?”

“I…I suppose. If it would help you sleep.”

You grinned and settled back against your pillow as Cas began to sing softly.

You were asleep in minutes.

…

“Castiel? Cas, I have a question.”

“He’s probably busy, why don’t you-“

“What was your question?”

Dean jumped in surprise when Castiel appeared suddenly next to him.

“Why can’t we see your wings?”

“I don’t often show them, as it would be counterproductive to my attempts to appear human.”

“Oh.”

“Was that all?” Dean could tell Castiel was eager to return to wherever he’d come from, but he hid it well from you.

“Yeah,” Castiel stiffened in surprise when you ran up to him and hugged his leg. “Thanks, Cas.”

“I…you’re very welcome.”

And just like that, he was gone.

…

“Castiel?” You curled your legs into your chest. “Cas, I-“ your voice broke, struggling to escape past the lump in your throat. “Cas please come. Please.”

“I really don’t have time for questions now, I’m sorry, I-“ Castiel stopped when he got a good look at you. “Little one, what is it?”

“S-Sam and Dean were supposed to be back by now,” you couldn’t hold back your tears, but you were managing to hold back your sobs. “And-and they won’t answer their phones, and-“

“Hey, hey,” Castiel placed a gentle hand on your shoulder, worried when your tears increased and your breathing labored. “I’m sure they’re just in the middle of a hunt. They’ll call when they’re on their way home, I’m sure.”

“I’m scared,” the fragility in your voice broke Castiel’s heart.

“You don’t have to be scared,” Castiel knelt by your bed and looked you in the eye. “Your brothers are very strong, and they’ll do anything to make it back home to you.”

“W-will you stay until they come back?”

“Of course I will,” Castiel promised. He was surprised when you launched yourself forwards and into his arms, but it only took him a moment before he reciprocated, holding you as though you might break.

“Thank you, Cas.”

“Any time, little one.”

Sam and Dean returned home a few hours later to find you fast asleep in the arms of your favorite angel.

[jasperhaleobsessed]

Hey, could you write either a headcanon, fanfic, or anything of the sort with the reader dating Jasper and meeting the Major for the first time?

If you need inspiration, here’s an idea: Maybe the reader puts themself in a dangerous situation after Jasper told them not to. Jasper turns into the major and gets really upset at them (not really upset, just scared that they could have gotten hurt). Reader gets scared and backs away from him and Jasper/Major realizes reader is hurt and immediately starts crying to comfort and help the reader?

Fear

Jasper Hale x reader

Summary: The reader puts herself in danger and causes the major to come out due to Jasper's fear but ends up scaring reader and they both comfort each other.

Notes: Hope you enjoy! This is gonna be a shorter fic than some of my others! Also this takes place during Eclipse.

Warnings: The major gets a bit mad but nothing bad happens practically all fluff 😊

Word count: 413

He waltzes towards you. You felt your heartbeat pick up. You were unsure what to think or what to say. What were you supposed to say “Hello Major I’m Jasper’s girlfriend.” Yeah no. 

Your POV

Jasper told you about him. About the major. You never thought you’d ever meet face to face. But today you are. The first thing you noticed was how different they were from each other. He stood straighter and held himself more like someone who works in military forces. You also noticed his voice was deeper and more rough than Jasper's smooth and calming voice. 

“Hello sweetheart, what do you think your doin’?” He eyed you suspiciously. He looked like he was trying to assess the situation or something similar to that. It made you feel a bit self conscious. 

You took a deep breath and tried to sound confident as you said, “I was just trying to understand the situation and that’s why I came.” You explained. You hoped he saw how that was rational and reasoned to you it felt that way but you were unsure if he’d feel the same way. 

And you were right. He did not see it that way. “Really?” He said sarcastically. 

You inched closer, hoping to reason with him. “Like I said, I just want to understand how your family and the wolves will take down the newborn army. I’m worried that’s all.” 

You saw Anger and fear in his dark eyes. But that didn’t ease your fear as he said, “You're trying to get yourself killed!” He yelled. You back away, you feel shivers run up your spine. You knew he was scared but you couldn’t help but feel scared as well. You looked away from him and shrinked away. The major looked horrified as he cradled your face. If he could cry he would be right now.

He kept whispering “I’m sorry I’m so sorry.” You whisper. You wrap your hands around him and hug him tightly.

“Don’t. It’s okay.” He was initially shocked that you hugged him but returned it. He held onto you softly trying not to hurt you.

After a few hours Jasper was back and he apologized profusely. You whispered only sweet nothings and you did everything you could to ease his worries.

“You’ve done nothing wrong, it's okay. You're both okay.” You leaned in and pressed a quick peck on his lips and pulled away and smiled softly at him. He smiled back at you caressing your face and you wrapped him up in a warm and loving hug.

The End

[jasmines-library]

Hello ml !! How’ve you been? <3

I was wondering if you’d be up for writing smth with the batfamily, and maybe their reaction to reader coming back home from a sleepover at their partners house, and telling them that they got cheated on?

Have a great day/evening/night <33 🫶

Heartbreak Doesn't Feel So Good.

Hello Hello! Thanks for requesting again, I always love to see you in my inbox. I hope you have been well. Sorry it's a little on the shorter side but I wanted to get this out for you today.

Word Count: 1k

⛤ BATFAM MASTERLIST ⛤

The first thing Jason noticed when you stepped through the door was that there were tears running down your face. He had always been observant, but he knew you well. He could tell that your mascara ran beneath your eyes from the way your shoulders were hunched to match your slow movements, gaze firm on the ground. And if he listened carefully enough, he could hear the sniffling that you failed to conceal as you tried to wipe away the evidence of your upset. 

“What’s that matter?” He was up in a second, moving toward your side. His face and voice were laced with concern. 

You had stayed the night round your partner's house and weren’t supposed to be back for at least a few hours. Jason had seen the way you left, grinning as you carried your bags to the car. But now you stood crestfallen, dropping your bag on the floor in defeat. Something had clearly gone wrong and Jason was determined to get to the bottom of it. 

“What happened?” He frowned, helping you remove your jacket. 

“I-” Your lip trembled as your eyes filled with tears again. Jason pulled you to his chest and let you weep. 

After a tender moment, he guided you over gently to the couch where he sat you down and took your hand in his, repeating his question. His heart nearly broke when you looked up at him. 

“They…They cheated on me.” your voice broke as you stuttered out what happened. 

Jason felt his fingers clenching to fists.

“What?!” The voice hadn’t come from Jason. It had come from Tim who was passing by the room on his way back from the cave.

“I don’t know what happened…” You sobbed. “I thought we were fine. And then they left for a moment… their phone kept going off. So I checked it. I didn’t want to impose…but I thought it might have been something important. And then I saw her name. And the messages.”

“I swear to god-” Jason nearly growled. 

“And when they came back into the room I confronted them. And they didn’t even try to deny it!” More tears streamed from your face, falling hot like acid. Like a lingering reminder. A cruel joke. “They just told me that ‘they didn’t love me anymore’. That they had ‘found someone better’. What kind of an answer is that?!-”

Tim tried to soothe you by placing a gentle hand on your arm. “Shh. It’s gonna be okay kid.”

“But…I don’t understand what I did wrong.”

“What’s going on?” Dick had arrived with young Damian in tow. The pair had been sparring and had decided to check up on Tim following his absence, but were starstruck to find you bawling on the couch. 

“What’s wrong little bat?” Damian asked. His voice was surprisingly gentle and held much more concern than you thought was ever possible for the stubborn boy. 

All four eyes watched you, anticipating you to speak. But you just couldn't, your mind was too busy and you didn’t dare utter the words that you were trying so hard to believe weren’t true. You knew that the moment you said them again all of your walls would come tumbling down, torn from whatever remaining supports were keeping them upright.

“They cheated on her.” Jason spat. 

“What an asshole.” Damian jeered. He had seen how happy the pair of you were and the thought of someone switching up that quickly made him feel queasy. 

“Oh y/n/n.” Dick sighed “I’m so sorry. That’s unfair.”

You shrugged. 

“Didn’t even give her a reason.” Jason continued. You could practically see the steam coming from his ears, despite how he tried not to lose his temper for your sake. But the more you revealed the harder he was finding it. “Just left her at a snap of their fingers.”

“It’s their loss. They didn’t deserve someone like you in the first place.” Dick told you. 

“Exactly.” Damian nodded in agreement. “You’re totally way out of their league.”

“You think so?” You sniffled.

“100%. You’re worth so much more than anything in this world and that asshole didn’t deserve any of you.”

A smile upturned at the corner of your lips. Tim reached out and wiped the tears away from your eyes.

“Hey. No more of that crying okay? It’s gonna be fine.”

You nodded, though you still couldn’t shake the sadness from your bones. 

“Wanna watch shitty movies and eat ice cream?” Dick asked, sensing this.

“Please?”

And the four of them moved quickly, gathering pillows which they chucked onto the couch to create a pillow fort of sorts. Damian ran into the kitchen to grab ice cream, though he was uncertain of what flavour so he grabbed two alongside a handful of spoons and a plate of brownies that Alfred had just finished making. Then they made themselves comfortable on the couch, surrounding you in their embrace before letting you decide on a film to watch.

And so the five of you sat there for hours, watching chick flicks and trying to devour tubs of ice cream before it melted completely. As much as they would never admit it, Damian and Tim were mouthing along to the lines of the cheesy films, or singing along to the songs. One of their guilty pleasures. Jason seemed engrossed in the movies too, surprisingly. Though you weren’t sure if he was pretending to be interested and was actually plotting the inconspicuous murder of your partner as revenge. The thought made you chuckle. The five of you stayed bundled up on the couch until slowly, one by one you began to drift off and your heartbreak had been forgotten for a few hours at least.

When Bruce arrived back from his late night patrol and found you all together, his heart warmed. They were always going to take good care of you.

BATFAM TAGLIST:

@aestheticdaisies

@hell-o-kittys

@xxrougefangxx

@mamapucket

@hearts4robs

@harleycao

[targaryen-dynasty]

KINKTOBER SLEEPOVER.

GIF.

Modern!Maegor Targaryen x fem!Reader

Based on this request

WARNINGS: SEXUAL CONTENT-MINORS DNI; p in v, breeding kink, pregnancy kink, age gap, power imbalance, rough sex, degrading, power play, size difference

WORDS: 1.3 K

NOTES: Thanks for your request @hypocritic-trash-baby! This sleepover really shows me how difficult it is for me to write something with less than 1.5 K words lmao. But I still had so much fun writing modern!Maegor. Hope you like it!

If you had known that working three hours overtime each evening was a part of the job when you had applied, you would not have taken it – regardless of how damn hot your boss was. 

Maegor was just your type. He was in his mid 40s, incredibly tall and bulky, but not fat, and allowed you to savor your feminine energy, despite you being his junior personal assistant and supposed to assist him. Whenever he was around, you didn’t have to bother opening doors, and if Maegor heard of someone being rude to you, it was only a matter of time until that person would crawl back to apologize. 

And not to talk about the looks he gave you. 

It was thrilling. 

You scarcely saw the violet hue of his eyes whenever you were around him, always dark blown with something you couldn't quite decipher. Even if you weren’t alone with him, he undressed you with his gaze, and it always strayed to your middle, lingering there a bit too long. 

You felt desired, and it was no surprise your confidence got a good boost from it. 

This was the main reason for the skirts of your office attire getting progressively shorter, always straddling that fine line between being appropriate or unfitting. 

It was another endless evening in the office, though this time, you and Maegor were completely alone. All your colleagues had left earlier to attend the birthday party of Maegor’s senior personal assistant, Alys, while she had passed all her tasks over to you. 

… what somehow brought you into the current predicament. 

Your chest was pressed flush against the wall of Maegor’s office. He had ripped your precious heart motif tights between your legs, had pulled your thong to the side and had rucked your skirt up around your waist. 

Maegor towered over your small frame. One of his paw-like hands held your arms locked behind your back, while the other cupped your chin to tilt your head back, forcing you to arch your back to accommodate his cock as he pounded into you with reckless abandon. 

“Waited so fuckin’ long for this,” Maegor grunted into your ear, his hot breath fanning over your flushed skin. “All those short skirts…,” he trailed off, seemingly needing a few seconds to regain his breath. “... you were just beggin’ for me to fuck you, huh?”

Your mouth hung agape, and with his hand tilting your head back to a point it was borderline painful, you weren't quite able to make any more sounds than breathy whines and whimpers. “Y-Yes,” you mewled, the sound straining your throat to the point you had to cough once. 

Maegor seemed to notice your struggle, and even though his hips didn’t slow down, he was generous enough to ease the grip on your face, allowing your head to bow forward. 

“Oh, fuck,” he groaned, your name leaving his lips so smoothly, you almost came just hearing it, “takin’ my fuckin’ cock like the good girl you are.” While his hand kept your arms pinned behind your back, his other grabbed your thigh to raise your leg, draping it over his forearm as he braced it on the wall. 

The new angle had you seeing stars, his cock repeatedly attacking the sweet spot inside of you to the point you felt the urge to pee. Every moan hiccuped in your throat each time his hips slammed into yours, his heavy balls slapping against your aching clit, but not once giving you enough stimulation to push you over the edge. 

“That’s it, ‘m gonna get you all nice and ready for me. Gonna fill you up to show everyone you’re mine.” He said it as if he had been waiting for this just as long as you had, if not even longer. “Just knew I had to breed you when you pranced into my office for your job interview.” 

As he bent forward, he rested his forehead against the back of your head, looking down to where his cock was repeatedly disappearing inside of your cunt. “G-God, please, daddy… harder,” you whimpered, pressing your eyes shut. “N-Need you t-to… cum in me.” 

Your words made the animal behind you groan. “That’s what you want, huh? Bein’ fucked full of my cum until you’re pregnant with my child?” 

At this point, your mind was blank, his merciless pounding and words forcing every thought right out of your brain. You whined a string of incoherent words, rambling one ‘yes’ after the other. 

You could feel his thrusts becoming more and more erratic, a sign that let you know he was about to topple over the edge. With a few more thrusts, he fucked into you, until he released a breathy groan that heralded his orgasm. His twitching cock spilled his load deep inside of your cunt, and you squeezed him ever so tightly in response, milking him for every drop. 

While you thought he was done with you as he pulled out, a bit disappointed you didn’t get to come at all, your doubts were quickly pushed aside with his strong arms wrapping around you, turning you in his grasp, and lifting you from the ground. You squealed at the sudden action, more so when the coldness of his desk seeped into the naked flesh of your arse. 

Before you could say anything, he draped your legs over his shoulders and plunged his cock back into your cunt, his seed mixed with your arousal serving as lubricant. 

“You’re mine,” he growled, a threatening edge to his husky voice. “I fuckin’ own you and this sweet cunt of yours. Breedin’ you over and over, until I’ve knocked you up. Want everyone to know that I fuck you.”

His possessiveness intimidated you, but you didn’t complain, not when it meant you got to be fucked like this for the rest of your life. 

“You gonna look so fuckin’ radiant with a swollen belly.” You looked up at him with half lidded eyes, drool dripping from for parted lips – a clear sign that he had most definitely fucked you dumb by now. “Gonna be so, so full of me, pigeon, don’t think I’ll be able to keep my hands off of you.”

“Mae–Da-Daddy, please,” you called out desperately, not caring if it was loud enough to be heard outside of his office, since no one was there to hear it in the first place. Finally, you felt the heat in the pit of your stomach building again, the coil ready to snap at any given moment. “I want it, please. Need it so bad.”

Maegor smirked wickedly at you, and reached between your bodies to press his thumb to your clit, dragging it over the little bud in circles. It had your moans growing in volume as your climax washed over you, your convulsing walls clenching tight enough around Maegor’s thick cock to trigger his second release of the night. Your boss came with a shuddered breath leaving his lips, and by the way his jaw set, you could tell that he was slightly overstimulated already. 

You wanted to prop yourself up on your elbows when he pulled out, but his hand was quick to push you down again. A gasp escaped your throat at the impact, wanting to see just too badly what he was up to when he bowed forwards and brought his hand to your abused cunt. 

The uncomfortable feeling of being overstimulated filled your veins as Maegor dragged a thick finger through your folds, eventually sliding it inside and using it as a plug to stop his seed from oozing out of your cunt, making sure it wasn't fruitless. 

A few seconds passed until he pulled your thong back in place and fixed your skirt, helping you down his desk. When you met his dark blown gaze, you knew the insatiable man in front of you wasn’t satisfied.

“I’m not quite finished with you yet.”

[thezombieprostitute]

Hummingbird - Part 3

Summary: You didn't want to break into someone's party but you were desperate to see the art at the gallery before it was gone. You're so busy trying to make sure no one sees you that you miss the ever present gaze of Steve Rogers who is wondering why you crashed his party.

Word Count: ~1000 (definitely a shorter chapter, hope that's okay!)

A/N: Reader is female but no physical descriptors are used.

A/N2: This takes place at the same time as Dream Come True - Part 3.

Warnings: I don't think there are any, but please let me know if I'm wrong on that!

Part 2 -- Part 4

Series Masterlist

You’ve gotten a lot more comfortable with attending Steve’s parties. So much so that he asked if you’d be willing to attend some that weren’t at an art gallery. Specifically one being held at his house.

“It will be more than just the two of us,” he assures. “It’s a fundraiser for Rhodes, the current DA.”

“Why would you want me to attend? I don’t have any kind of influence.”

“Oh but you do, Hummingbird,” he counters. “You have an influence on me.” Your eyes widen at his confession and he continues, “you keep me calm. You help me get more business because I’m able to smile genuinely every time I see you.” He gently cups your face with his giant hand and you lean into his touch. “Please help me out?”

“It’ll cost you,” you smirk. His eyebrows raise in surprise at your boldness. “I want the school supplies for at least 5 teachers and their wish lists fulfilled. I’ll send you the link?”

Steve laughs so hard he throws his head back. “Absolutely! I suppose I should be investing more in the education system, shouldn’t I?”

“Thank you, Steve.”

“Thank you, Hummingbird," Steve coos as he kisses your hand.

A couple of hours into the party Steve couldn’t be more happy that you’re in attendance. Ransom, one of his key players with donors, still hasn’t shown up and he is pissed. If it weren’t for having you on his arm he’d likely have lost a few donors because of his anger. He quickly excuses himself to a side room to call Ransom and find out where the hell he is.

While he’s gone, you let yourself take a breather and visit the kitchen. You’re definitely out of your depth and can’t wait for this to be over with. The entire time you’ve been on Steve’s arm, you can’t help but feel you’ve been having daggers stared at you by some of the other ladies in attendance. A couple of the men as well. It’s kept you on edge all night. 

Unsure of how long Steve’s phone call would take you decide to head back to the party. Once you leave the kitchen you’re intercepted by a couple of guests, Ms. Lane and Mrs. Carter, as Steve had whispered to you when they first arrived. Ms. Lane pulled you aside and asked, with a venomous smile, “so what’s your angle with Steve?”

“I’m sorry?” You gently shake your head in confusion.

“You’ve been on his arm all night,” Mrs. Carter added. “He’s never done that before. How’d you snag him?”

“I…I haven’t,” your confusion shows on your face. “He just asked me to attend. I didn’t know he’d want me next to him the entire time.”

“Well,” Ms. Lane ponders, “what’s your family name? Are you new money that he’s trying to win over?”

“Um, no,” you nervously shake your head. “My family doesn’t have money or influence. At least not at your levels.”

“Oh!” Mrs. Carter exclaims. “You’re a charity case!”

Ms. Lane laughs, “yes! That makes sense! All of us with money and influence can't nab him. He wants someone who’s completely indebted to him. Someone he can be a hero to! That makes so much sense! Thank you for the insight, dear. I’ll have to play up the sad and pathetic tones next time I talk to him.”

The ladies laugh to each other as they walk back to the party, leaving you alone and feeling conflicted. 

You think back over every interaction with Steve. He admitted to enjoying watching you look at the art. The art you wouldn’t be able to see without his help. Wearing the dresses you wouldn’t be able to afford on your own. Attending parties with people you had no business being around. You’d turned down some of his gifts, only accepting the dresses because of the need to look appropriate for his parties. Were you really just a doll to dress up? Did he really just want to prop you up in such a way that you needed to lean on him?

You lose track of how long you’ve been standing there, when Steve finds you. “Hummingbird,” he brightens. “That’s where you flitted off to.” His smile drops when he sees your face. He tilts your chin up, “what happened?”

You feel the tears forming in your eyes and gulp, “am…am I just a charity case to you?”

Steve’s blood starts to boil. “No,” he states firmly. “I have never once thought of you in such a way. And I will do whatever you need me to in order to convince you.”

“Then…what am I to you?”

The tears in your eyes break Steve’s heart. All of his anger is drained away in favor of taking care of you. “You’re a breath of fresh air,” he starts. “The fireflies on a summer night. The port in the storm. You’ve given me air to breathe, magic to delight and the safety and comfort to rest so I can keep going.” He brings his face close to yours, “I should’ve done this a while ago but I didn’t want to scare you away.” 

He holds you close and kisses you with a gentle firmness that makes your heart flutter. You eagerly return the kiss, making him moan before you gently pull away. His eyes have darkened considerably and you chuckle.

“Thank you,” you sigh. “I shouldn’t let other people’s thoughts get in the way.”

“Whoever told you those things, I’ll make sure they never get invited to another party.”

“No,” you shake your head. He sees an almost evil glint in your eyes as you smile, “let them see how badly they failed.” You take his arm and move to walk back to the party. 

“You are damn amazing, Hummingbird,” he smiles and walks back with you.

Part 2 -- Part 4

Series Masterlist

Tags:

@alicedopey

@aryhyuuga

@cynic-spirit

@jaqui-has-a-conspiracy-theory

@ktficworld

@rebekahdawkins

@texmexdarling

If you'd like to be tagged, please let me know.

[ourfatherwhoartinhell]

Love, Eternal // [Part II]

Pairing | Phantom x Sister!Reader

Word count | 881

⚠️ Warnings | Reader uses she/her pronouns, (y/n) is used once. There is a small ritual scene. TW for murder ghouls, blood, injuries, assault, violence, and death.

Plot Summary: Today was Phantom's summoning day, a special occasion akin to a birthday. Eager to surprise him with a homemade cake, you realize you're missing ingredients and head into town. On the way back, you encounter trouble with some members of the Catholic church that changes the course of your life in the Ministry - and with Phantom - forever.

A/N: I'm so sorry Phantom, no one deserved this. It was supposed to be a fluffy birthday fic I swear!

[Prev] [Next]

“Peace be upon you, Sister. If we can even call you that.”

Glaring over your shoulder, you saw two members from the Catholic church up the road approach behind you. They loved to take turns hanging around the front gate and tormenting the Siblings. The first nuisance was a few inches taller than the other, both still being larger in stature than yourself. The taller one was thinner in frame, with short curly hair. While the smaller one clearly hit the gym, his biceps straining against a shirt you knew was definitely a size too small.

“Where’s your gang of freaks? I thought you people always had guard dogs when you went to town?”

You just ignored them, as you were taught to do, and kept walking. The sound of their shoes on the gravel getting louder and louder. Their pace hurried as they continued to stalk behind you.

“C’mon, we just wanna talk!” The taller one yelled. 

“Yeah! We want to convert!” The shorter one snickered, “you wouldn’t turn away willing converts would you?”

You suddenly stopped in your tracks, unwilling to put up with their taunts any longer. They were not going to ruin Phantom’s big day. 

“You know what–” 

Unfortunately, as you spun around to confront them, they happened to be a lot closer than you originally thought. The taller one already making his way behind you. His shorter accomplice roughly grabbing the bag off your shoulder and laughing as he threw it on the ground, crushing the newly bought ingredients under his boot. The purple food colouring appearing black in the moonlight as it splattered over the stones of the driveway, not unlike blood.

The shorter assailant grabbed your wrists and held them tightly behind your back with ease. The taller fiend wrapped his arm across your collarbone and around your neck, holding you still. You tried to wiggle and break free, you tried to bite or scream but a hand quickly found its way over your mouth as a third man slowly approached. 

The third assailant was different from the other two, clearly the leader of this gang. He was a larger, well-built man with short hair you thought to be blonde (though it was too dark to really tell). His hairstyle looked like it belonged at a country club. His face was covered with a black bandana, leaving only his hazel eyes visible under the night sky. He stood before you and stared, not a single emotion to be found on his face as he adjusted the black leather gloves, placing brass knuckles through the fingers of his right hand.

You shut your eyes, tears beginning to fall down your cheeks. Silently pleading, no... desperately praying you were close enough to the Abbey for somebody to hear your muffled screams.

Swiss and Rain were slowly running out of ideas to keep Phantom distracted. Taking care of the small ghoul, in general, was as bad as trying to look after a kit. However, because it was his summoning day, he was insufferable - and they were powerless to do anything about it. 

The two ghouls in charge of him looked at one another, silently wondering what was taking you so long. You had been gone for over 2.5 hours and they both knew it only took an hour to get to town and back. Shrugging it off, they figured you had forgotten to tell them you were back and went straight to the kitchen instead, to avoid further delays to Phantom’s surprise.

Midway through enthusiastically telling the older ghouls a ‘fascinating’ story, Phantom suddenly froze. His nose pointed high as he sniffed the air, tail twitching as he looked around with worried eyes.

“Guys,” he said, looking at his brothers with a concerned expression. “I think (y/n) is in trouble.”

Swiss casually leaned back into the couch, “Ha, that’s a good one! I don’t smell anything except for the kitchen staff whipping up some mean lamb chops for dinner. I know you’re itching to see her, she’s probably just busy, Bug.”

“Trust me, she hasn’t forgotten.” Rain chimes in.

Phantom squeezed his eyes shut as he exhaled in frustration. Sniffing around again to confirm his suspicion, his tail went rigid as he picked up that strange scent once again. 

“No, I’m serious, something's not right. I have to go.” He said before rushing out of the den, following a faint wisp of your scent mixed with fear…

And blood.

Swiss and Rain immediately jumped up, not smelling anything out of the ordinary themselves, and ran after the spooked ghoul. Passing by Dewdrop, they dragged him along just in case the young ghoul was right. Dew was more than happy to tag along if it meant the possibility of discarding some ungrateful souls.

Phantom, well ahead of his packmates, threw open the large double doors of the Ministry and jumped over the front steps. The gravel spitting behind him as he sped down the driveway, your scent growing stronger with each step.

He skidded to a halt as he saw your visibly lifeless body laying near the gated entrance of the Abbey. Quickly making his way to your side, he gently picked you up and cradled your broken body in his lap. Ignoring the pain of the rocks and stones cutting into his legs, he attempted to calm his breathing once he noticed the rise and fall of your chest. Thank the dark Father you were still alive.

“Oh, Satan,” he choked out, his lavender eyes welling with tears as your face turned towards him. Your one eye swollen shut and your face adorned with all kinds of bruises and cuts.  Blood decorating your face like a painting and seeping through your outfit onto the gravel underneath.

“Hi,” you wheezed, trying to force a smile through the swelling.

“I can fix this,” Phantom sobbed as he frantically looked at the extent of your injuries. “I can fix you. You’re going to be just fine. Aether has been teaching me a lot, I know I can fix this,” he rambled.

Phantom’s violet Quintessent glow illuminated under his grey skin as he carefully ran his hand over your many wounds. The smaller cuts closing and reopening as he worked against his emotions. He placed his hand with the utmost care over a large cut on your cheek and forcefully shut his tear soaked eyes. Willing the Dark One to give him the power he needed to save you as he felt your essence begin to slowly slip through his fingers.

The other ghouls halted their run, looking on in horror as they saw the scene before them.

“Help me, please!” Phantom screamed in anguish.

[Next]

[rosetterer]

How about Buck taking care of a sick or injured Tommy? 🥹

Hi anon! I didn't edit or even read through what I wrote so I hope it makes some kind of sense, lol. Also, apparently, my thought of a short little story is almost 2000 words so... here you go:

The last time Buck was at the hospital had for once been for a good reason: his sister’s wedding. The memory of getting to kiss Tommy in front of strangers without a care in the world was a good addition to the day that Buck definitely thought about every once in a while. Well, actually, Tommy, in one way or another, was constantly on his mind these days.

He just wished that he could’ve kept thinking about their dates that had happened, some better than others, and the ones that were to happen in the future. Instead, his mind was filled with worry, and yet, still Tommy.

He knew, better than anyone, that being the partner of a firefighter could be stressful. Not everyone could handle it.

And now, as he was rushing around the hallways, trying to find the room number he’d been told over the phone, he understood. He wasn’t sure if he could handle this.

”Wait, wait, wait,” a nurse, much shorter than him, stepped in between him and the door that Tommy was supposed to be behind.

”My boyfriend’s in there!” He huffed out, a little more loud and aggressive than he meant to sound.

”Are you Evan?” The nurse asked then, her voice softening.

”Yeah,” he breathed out.

”Well, go on in then. He’s been talking a lot about you,” the nurse said, now smiling, and opened the door for him.

They hadn’t told him details of what had happened but the words ’Tommy’, ’injured’ and ’hospital’ had made him panic and leave his shift early. But Tommy, apparently, was talking and as Buck stepped into the room, he could see that he was also sitting there, chatting with another nurse, and most importantly, he was still breathing.

”Tommy,” Buck gasped out his name and hurried to stand next to his bed.

His hands hovered over Tommy’s shoulders, his chest, and he didn’t know where he could touch him without hurting him. The nurse was placing some kind of bandage on his leg and there were bloodied tissues thrown off to the side.

”What happened? D- Did the helicopter go down?” Buck asked, hearing and feeling the way his voice trembled. ”Or we-were you on the ground? Did you-”

”Evan,” Tommy interrupted him, taking his hands into his. ”I’m okay.”

”You’re in a hospital,” Buck reminded him. ”Do you have a concussion? Do you-”

”Tell him that I’m alright, please,” Tommy asked the nurse, his voice a little raspy now that Buck really focused on it. There was some soot on his face.

”No concussion,” the nurse told him, standing up straight now that the bandage was on. ”But twelve stitches is no joke.”

”Twelve?” Buck asked, genuinely shocked. ”How-”

”Baby,” Tommy interrupted him once again. ”I promise I will tell you all about it once I’ve gotten some rest, alright? I’m exhausted.”

Right. He’d been on a 24-hour shift.

Buck tried his best to pull himself together and cleared his throat, ”Right. Right… Well, can we leave? You’re coming to stay at my place.”

”Evan, you don’t have to-”

”Actually, I’m coming over to your place. The loft has stairs and I doubt it’ll be easy for you to climb them with your leg like that,” Buck wondered out loud, completely ignoring Tommy’s reply to him. ”I don’t have a shift tomorrow and I doubt you’ll be going back to work for at least a few days or until those stitches come off, so-”

”Evan, I’m fine,” Tommy told him once more. ”You don’t have to worry about me.”

”I’ll go get your discharge papers,” the nurse commented quickly before Buck could reply and slipped out of the room.

”You are not fine,” Buck huffed out, sitting on the edge of the bed. ”And you don’t need to pretend like you are, babe. Injuries suck. I would know.”

”Yeah,” Tommy said with a dry chuckle. ”But I swear, it doesn’t hurt much and they told me that I’m allowed to walk normally as long as I’m careful, so I can take care of myself, you don’t have to-”

”I want to,” Buck whispered to him, finally daring to touch Tommy’s shoulder. ”I want to take care of you. I want to come home with you and I want to make sure you have everything you need. You scared me.”

That seemed to finally make Tommy speechless. He looked at Buck for a while and Buck desperately wanted to ask him what he was thinking about but decided to wait instead.

”Okay,” Tommy said eventually.

”Okay,” Buck sighed, relieved.

”I didn’t mean to scare you,” Tommy continued then, resting their foreheads together.

Buck shook his head, ”Not your fault. This is what our job is like. As long as you just keep being as careful as possible, I’ll… I’ll be able to handle it.”

”Right back at you,” Tommy said with a small smile.

Buck pressed their lips together for a short moment.

Tommy was lying on his couch with his leg propped up by pillows that Buck had gathered from around the house. Buck had made a quick meal of the ingredients he’d found in Tommy’s fridge, which often was chicken and vegetables, and that was no different today.

And now, he was just staring.

Tommy had been napping on and off for the past three hours they had been at home. Buck kept his distance, not wanting to disturb his sleep any more than it seemed to be disturbed by his dreams already.

And it was only when he woke up with a gasp more violent than before, Buck finally rushed over to his side. He ran his hands through the curls that had appeared after the very interesting shower session they’d had (nothing sexy, just difficult because of his leg injury) and hushed him.

”It’s okay, you’re at home,” he whispered to Tommy, who was now blinking up at him. ”I’m here.”

Tommy took hold of his free hand, squeezing it so tightly that it almost hurt. He licked his dry lips and swallowed, before resting his head back against his pillow, taking in a deep breath.

”Christ,” he mumbled under his breath.

Buck kept gently scratching his scalp with the tips of his fingers, ”You’re okay, it was just a nightmare. I’m here.”

”Thank God for that,” Tommy whispered to him, somehow holding onto his hand even tighter.

”What did you dream about?” Buck asked once Tommy’s breathing seemed to be under control.

”Today,” Tommy replied, shaking his head a little. ”The call we got was horrible.”

”I’m sorry,” Buck whispered, dropping his hand to Tommy’s neck and rubbing the warm skin there.

”We were called to assist because we were nearby, even though they didn’t air support,” Tommy explained to him. ”Some kid had set the school on fire and with the way the building looked, I doubt it was up to any kind of code. It was like a piece of paper, just burning away.”

Buck nodded, listening.

”There was a spot where the fire was at its worst. Obviously, we started from there,” Tommy continued. ”We went in. There were a lot of kids still stuck inside and we just… We had to get them out. The hallways were confusing… The fire seemed to be everywhere. And the screaming…”

Buck sighed, now gripping Tommy’s hand back, just as tightly.

”The floor gave in, me and two other firefighters went down with it. None of the kids did, thank God,” he said. ”The next thing I remember is being carried out of the building. I don’t think I even hit my head that hard, I mean, I don’t even have a concussion, but… I don’t know if it was just the shock that made me black out for a moment.”

”And what happened to your leg?” Buck asked softly.

”I’m not sure…” Tommy replied. ”Something sharp must have sliced it on the way down. I don’t remember being in pain. Not until I was in the ambulance anyway…”

Buck nodded, ”I was so scared when they called me.”

”I’m sor-”

”No,” Buck stopped him immediately, placing a finger against Tommy’s lips, ”I don’t want you to apologize for getting hurt. I want to know when these things happen and I want you to tell me about them because… I know what it’s like to suffer through these things alone. To keep those thoughts inside your head. I don’t want that for you. You don’t have to do that. Not with me.”

The smallest of smiles spread on Tommy’s lips. He tilted his head a little.

”Noted,” he said, bringing his hand to rest against Buck’s cheek. ”Thank you, baby.”

Buck kissed his palm.

”Do you often get nightmares after something like this happens?”

”Not really, no,” Tommy told him, sounding genuine. ”In my nightmare, you were there. Don’t get me wrong, the whole call was horrible, especially because kids were involved but… In my nightmare, you were there and went down as well and I couldn’t find you-”

He paused to take in another deep breath.

”Hey,” Buck whispered, leaning closer. ”I’m right here.”

”I know,” Tommy said, now looking at him intensely, the way that he often did when he wanted to make sure Buck was truly hearing him. ”The thought of losing you… Terrifies me, Evan. When I met you for the first time, I- I thought you were cute but I couldn’t have realized how much you’d end up meaning to me.”

”You mean a lot to me too,” Buck told him. ”And the thought of losing you terrifies me as well but I guess that’s- that’s the price that we’re going to have to pay for doing what we do and being together. I’m willing to live with that. Are you?”

Tommy nodded, ”Of course, Evan. Of course.”

”Good,” Buck said with a small smile, trying his best to ignore his eyes welling up just the smallest amount. ”Because you’re not getting rid of me. I am not going anywhere, Tommy, and even if the damn universe tries to take me away from you, I won’t let it.”

”That is… a lot,” Tommy chuckled gently.

”It’s the truth,” Buck whispered and pressed their lips together.

He allowed himself to linger, knowing that no one would interrupt them.

”Now rest up. I’ll heat up some food and when you’re feeling like it, we’re going grocery shopping. I know you’re all about working out and all that but I will not have my boyfriend only eating chicken and vegetables,” Buck rambled to him as he got up from his seat and started making his way toward the kitchen.

He turned to look back at him before stepping into the kitchen and found Tommy looking right back at him.

Buck smiled, ”I love you.”

And Tommy smiled right back. ”I love you too, Ev.”

They would be just fine.

[fanfoolishness]

Stargazing

Crosshair and his brothers sneak out to stargaze. For @summer-of-bad-batch prompts "stargazing" and "You really think you're going without me? Not going to happen." 2500 words with closer detail on the art at the end <3

---

Crosshair slipped his boots on silently, taking care to avoid making even the slightest noise. Here in the near-total darkness of lights out, he should be safe from his brothers’ prying eyes. While he didn’t have the flawless night vision of some species, the Kaminoans had assured him his vision was far superior to any human’s -- including his fellow defective clones.

He kept a close watch on his brothers’ sleeping forms as he slowly got to his feet. Hunter was the most likely to realize what he was up to, but he seemed fast asleep, lying perfectly still with his face turned to the wall. Crosshair turned around to hide his pillow under his blanket as a decoy, but he hadn’t kept his eyes off the others for more than ten seconds before there was a soft, slightly annoyed voice in his ear.

“You really think you’re going without me?” Hunter whispered. “Not going to happen.”

Crosshair’s hand closed into a fist at his side. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he hissed. “I’m just going to the refresher.” He pointed to the small, closet-sized refresher in their barracks.

Hunter clicked on his glowrod, illuminating Crosshair and his bunk. “With your boots on?” Hunter leaned around him, poking the pillow under the covers. “And a decoy? Come on.”

Crosshair sighed, rubbing his face with his hand. He glared at his brother, lowering his gaze slightly. They were all still far shorter than the adult regs, even Wrecker, who was clearly going to be enormous, but Crosshair had recently pulled a few centimeters ahead of Hunter. He used it to his advantage, narrowing his eyes and drawing himself up to his full height. “Fine. I’m going out.”

“You’ll get caught,” said Hunter. “You’re not stealthy enough. Obviously.” He gave Crosshair a gloating grin. “You’ll need me.”

“Oh really,” said Crosshair. “If I’ll get caught on my own, how are the two of us supposed to help that?” 

“Because I can tell you when the patrols are coming,” said Hunter smugly. “I’ll sense them long before you can see them. C’mon.”

“You don’t even know where we’re going,” Crosshair said, though he had to admit Hunter had a point. He’d gotten the jump on him just now, and he did always seem to know when someone was just around the corner. Tech would say it was something to do with vibrations and electromagnetism, but Hunter would just shrug and say it was his gut.

“Yes we do,” said Tech from across the room, and Crosshair groaned. 

“We do?” Hunter asked.

“You’re up, too?” Crosshair sighed.

“Well, the glowrod and your voices were getting hard to ignore,” Tech said, sitting up in his bunk and leaning down to reach for his boots. “The weather forecast was for a clear night tonight, the first one in months. You’re going stargazing.”

Crosshair chewed at his fingernail, embarrassed. “How’d you know?”

“I remembered how your curiosity was piqued during one of our astronomy lessons,” Tech said, pulling his boots on and adjusting his goggles. The little red recording light at the edge of his goggles clicked on. “You asked how much you would be able to see compared to a reg, and our instructor didn’t know how to account for your enhanced vision. You wanted to look for yourself, but with Kamino’s typical cloud cover, you’ve never had an opportunity until now.”

Crosshair had been curious. He’d tried peering out the hall windows several times during regular training hours, but the fluorescent lights of the hallways drowned out much of the night skies, which were always cloudy. He’d long decided he would have to sneak out to a platform on a clear night if he ever wanted to know. 

Leave it to Tech to have him figured out, as usual.

“We’re goin’ stargazing?” Wrecker asked with a yawn. “Let’s do it! Sneaking out’ll be fun!” He held up Lula. “As long as Lula can come with.”

Crosshair pulled at his fingernail so hard he tasted blood. He held his finger in his mouth for a moment before he buried his face in his hands. “It’s stupid. We should just stay here. It’s not worth the extra cleaning duty.”

“There won’t be extra cleaning duty if we don’t get caught,” Hunter said patiently. “I know a way to the accessory landing pad. Come on, lads. Move out.” He turned off his glowrod and pocketed it.

Wrecker finished getting his boots on and leapt to his feet, Lula in his arms. “Yes sir!” he laughed.

“Keep it down, Wrecker!” Tech said. They fell in line behind Hunter, who paused for a moment at the door, listening hard with his hand on the wall. 

“All right, move out,” he whispered. “Hand signals from here on in.”

Crosshair and the others nodded. Wrecker muttered something under his breath. He hated hand signals.

The door slid open and they slipped out into the hall, dimly lit with running lights along the floor and ceiling for nighttime. All was strange and silent, a far cry from the normal hubbub during the day. There were no lanky, wispy Kaminoans ambling through the halls, no older cadets marching in line and coldly ignoring them, no younger cadets making faces at them when their handlers weren’t looking. It was a different world, still and empty, and Crosshair shivered. He didn’t like it.

They followed Hunter carefully. At one point he gestured to hold back as a night patrol made their rounds; they pressed themselves against an alcove opening into a medical ward, holding their breath until the patrol passed. Hunter gestured again with the all-clear after a moment, and they slipped back into the hallway single file, their footsteps as soft as they could make them.

Crosshair was surprised when Hunter led them down a different path than he had anticipated. He had been thinking of going out through one of the main hangars, suspecting no one would notice a single cadet the size of a natborn ten-year-old among all the ships and cargo. But Hunter had a different idea. His hand signals flashed, explaining the hangar was too conspicuous. He led them down a maintenance hall instead, then gestured for Wrecker to join him at the front of the line while Tech and Crosshair kept watch.

Hunter had them stop in front of a barred vent, and Crosshair understood. Wrecker grinned, shoved Lula into Crosshair’s arms, and then shook out his hands. 

Wrecker crouched down in front of the vent cover, prised his fingers into its edges, and pulled. For a moment his brow furrowed with concentration and effort, but the cover squeaked, bent, and then lifted up. Wrecker gave one more wrenching pull and nearly lost his balance, but Hunter caught him before he hit the ground. 

Crosshair allowed himself a surprised smile. This just might work. He gave Lula a squeeze absently, watching Hunter and Wrecker. Wrecker leaned the vent cover against the wall, then frowned at Hunter as if to say, You want me to fit in there?

Hunter nodded, his hands flashing. You can do it.

Wrecker hung his head, then reached out and took Lula back from Crosshair. Hunter crept into the vent first, easily fitting as the smallest. For Wrecker, it was a tight squeeze, but not impossible. Tech followed next, and Crosshair brought up the rear, pulling the vent cover back into place behind him. It was cramped, but it was workable.

They crawled through the vent for what seemed like ages until they reached another cover. This one was easy for Hunter to kick out on his own, and he led them through the opening one by one until they stood up in a small dim hall ending in a single closed door. 

Crosshair pulled at his tunic, which had gotten all dusty and bunched up. He had to wear a tunic far wider than he needed to account for his recent vertical growth spurt, and it hung awkwardly on his thin frame. He stretched it back across his shoulders. There. Better.

This was the farthest away they’d ever been from the main halls and training areas. Crosshair had a funny feeling, like they were doing something much more transgressive than just sneaking out for a few hours. It made the back of his neck prickle. He turned around, looking cautiously, but there was nobody there except his brothers.

Hunter peered at the door, which didn’t seem to want to open. Tech stepped forward and nudged him out of the way, pulling up his datapad. He hunched over it for a few minutes, then inputted a code into the door, which slid open. A breath of cool air and the sound of waves greeted them. “Here we are,” Tech said softly. With the waves splashing beyond them and the evening wind to mask their sounds, Crosshair realized they could speak again.  

He and the others followed Tech out onto the platform, and he shivered, realizing it was their first step into a wider world.

For a moment they walked in silence, beneath the lights of the domed cities rising up behind them, above the waves rising and breaking beneath them. They trotted out along the platform to the point where it narrowed to a bridge that could be easily defended in the event of an attack, and they kept going until they reached the point where the bridge opened up again into a very small platform, sized for a single fighter.

Out here the breeze buffeted them, though it was Kamino’s summer and the air was cool instead of cold. Crosshair licked his lips and tasted salt spray. He sank down to a sitting position and leaned forward, blinking rapidly, trying to let his eyes adjust from the indoor lighting of the hall to the darkness of open space. 

The others sat down beside him. Tech sat cross-legged, with his datapad in his lap, reviewing Kaminoan constellations with his datapad set on the lowest brightness. Hunter lay down and crossed his arms beneath his head, while Wrecker flopped onto his back beside him with Lula resting on his chest.

Wrecker whistled. Tech let out a curious little hmmmm. Hunter was quiet, deep in thought.

Crosshair hadn’t looked at the sky yet. He stared into the water, waiting for his eyes to fully adjust, knowing there was more that he could see. He waited until he could start to see the patterns of the waves crossing each other in ephemeral diamonds of water, until he could see fish swimming five, ten, twenty meters down, until he could see the vast deep shadows of the platform above curving over the bulk of creatures far, far below. Then he took a deep breath, leaning back, and gazed up at the stars.

He saw everything.

The stars themselves were stunning. White glittery pinpoints twinkled far above them, mixed with golden stellate shimmers, tiny sparks of reddish or bluish lights from far distant worlds. But the stars weren’t the only thing to see, to his surprise. Clouds of rich blue-purple violets, shimmering at the edges with a faint color that forced him to squint and made his head hurt slightly, roiled and flowed in the skies behind the bright points of the stars. Delicate filaments of hazy bluish fog swirled and spiraled amid the deepest black. His mouth fell open.

“Well, Cross?” Wrecker asked.

“What do you think?” said Hunter.

“Is it what you anticipated?”

Crosshair shook his head. “It’s… it’s… wizard.”

Wrecker laughed. “Never heard you say that before! What all do you see?” he asked curiously. 

Crosshair glanced back at his brother, confused for a moment. “You see the nebula up there, right? And all the… twirly parts? It’s… fascinating.”

Wrecker shrugged. “It’s nice -- there sure are a lot of stars, way more than I thought! But I dunno about any nebula. What’s it look like?”

Crosshair frowned. He knew he’d see more than they would, but this much more? He nibbled at his thumbnail, tearing one edge into little shreds. “I don’t know, it’s -- like smoke, but in the stars?”

“Tech?” said Hunter.

“A nebula is a giant cloud of dust and gas in space, and it may comprise many colors. There is a large nebula adjacent to the Rishi Maze galaxy that abuts Kamino, but it is not usually detectable to the naked eye,” Tech said, checking his datapad. “I believe only you can see it, Crosshair.”

“Oh,” he said, trying to hide his disappointment. He’d let them all come out here for nothing? He stared up at the sky, the brilliant stars blurring as he blinked back sudden tears. “Sorry,” he said haltingly. “It’s… it’s special.”

“We believe you. It is still a beautiful night, even if we cannot see all of it ourselves,” said Tech. “I for one have enjoyed exploring new parts of the city with you. It’s useful to know there’s an escape route here.”

“Yeah, sneakin’ out’s always fun. And the fresh air’s way better than that smell in the barracks.”

“Just because we can’t see exactly what you see doesn’t mean we didn’t want to come,” Hunter said. “I like this a lot more than just staying in our bunks all night. Besides -- what’s that?”

A blazing blue-white star streaked across the sky, weaving a long tail of light across the starry landscape. It danced along at incredible speed, growing brighter and brighter.

“Look at it go!” whooped Wrecker.

“It’s a shooting star,” said Tech. “A small meteor falling into Kamino’s atmosphere and burning up. Some sentients believe they are lucky, and wish upon them. I don’t really understand why.”

“Make a wish, Cross!”

Crosshair stared up as the shooting star began to fade, its streaking path glimmering in and out of the dark. He swallowed. A wish?

A dozen wishes flashed through his mind. To be the best soldier in the Grand Army of the Republic. To be the commander of his own squad someday. To win the war, and protect the galaxy. For none of his brothers to ever get hurt.

He closed his eyes.

I wish they could see what I see.

He opened his eyes, and the shooting star was gone. He let out a sigh.

“What’d you wish?”

“He is not supposed to tell, according to the lore,” said Tech. “Otherwise that invalidates the wish.”

“That’s a silly rule.”

“I didn’t make it.”

“But that shouldn’t matter!”

”Again, I did not write the lore —”

“Oh quit arguing, you two,” said Hunter. “Let’s just enjoy it. It’s a nice night out here. Right, Crosshair?”

Crosshair gazed up at the wheeling stars, slowly exhaling as the night sky glittered and shone and radiated far above him. His brothers looked up at the stars with him, and even if they didn’t see things exactly the same… they were here, and he wouldn’t have made it through the halls without them.

Crosshair smiled. His wish probably wasn’t going to come true, but somehow, he didn’t mind.

“Yeah, it’s all right.”

[theidiotwhowritesthings]

INEVITABLE [6]

din djarin x female!reader

warnings: language, discussion of the slave trade, past trauma, some canon violence, mentions of murder

word count: 2,040

Summary: It was like fate or destiny had planned from the beginning for you to be on the run from the law. With the words ‘I can bring you in warm, or I can bring you in cold’ adorning your rib cage you always wondered what was worse: Knowing you were bound to being wanted or realizing your soulmate was a cursed bounty hunter. You had a mission to finish and no bounty hunter, soulmate or not, was going to stop you.

[a/n: i'm sorry this is on the shorter side, it was supposed to be longer, but i didn't want to leave y'all with nothing today]

[previous][next]

06: PARTNERS IN CRIME

.

"i don't trust easily, so when i tell you i trust you, please don't make me regret it." -unknown

.

Tatooine’s suns were only just beginning to rise when the three of you prepped to leave Boba Fett’s palace. You stood outside in the already hot air watching as Mando strapped supplies to the speeder bike. Grogu ran circles around the speeder as Fennec stood with both the father and son chatting. 

“Early morning is my favorite time of day on Tatooine.” Boba’s low voice rumbled as he came to stand beside you. Initially, you had been worried that the daimyo would be stuck up or intimidating, but Boba was nothing of the sort. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. He was Mandalorian. You had a very strong suspicion that if you were to cross the man you’d find him more than intimidating. However, as a friend to his friend, you found him nothing but pleasant. Boba had a calming energy about him that almost naturally put you at ease. “Seeing the suns cresting over the Dune Sea is quite the sight.”

“I bet.” Your arms were crossed over your chest. “I kind of wish we could’ve stayed longer.” The words tumbled out of your lips before you could run them through your mental filter. You shrugged. “Sorry. I’m not trying to mooch another night off you, I swear.”

Boba chuckled. “I did not take it that way in the slightest. You are always welcome here, little one. We’d be more than happy to open our doors to you.”

“Thanks.” You glanced at him. “It’s just weird. There’s not a lot of places in this galaxy that I’ve liked enough to stay for longer than 24 hours.” It was the truth. All the places you visited, not a single one of them felt like a location you’d like to linger at. Usually, you were raring to go⏤ to get to the next place. Here though, you could see yourself spending a few extra days and not minding it. You shrugged. “I guess I’m just trying to say, you got a great place here.”

“Have you ever considered that perhaps it is less the location and more your company?” Boba replied with a hum.

You nodded quickly. “Oh, of course, I’m sure! You and Fennec are great. I don’t even hold the whole ‘held at blaster point’ by Fennec thing against her because that’s most people’s reaction to me.”

“Thank you, but I mean the Mandalorian you travel with.”

“What?”

Boba nodded his head forward and you followed the direction to where Mando stood with his hands on his hips lightly scolding Grogu for something or another while the child just grinned at him impishly. Fennec held the child in her arms and obviously was siding with the boy. Boba chuckled, “Perhaps, you only find the location bearable because you finally have a travel companion.”

You had mentioned last night over dinner that your travels had kept you mostly alone. Mando was the first technical partner you had chosen to pair up with. You let his words echo through your head to see if any of it would ring true. The argument for it was there. For the first time in a long time, you felt like you could be yourself without repercussion. That was nice.

“I…Yeah.” You swallowed the lump that formed in your throat. “Mando is…nice.”

The daimyo’s words made it dawn on you that you were actually growing attached to the father and son. Traveling with them felt natural and if you kept down this path that meant one day traveling without them would feel wrong. Mando was just helping you out on a mission. That didn’t mean he wanted you around long term. Plus, getting attached was a dangerous prospect. You needed to proceed with caution.

“He’s a good man.” Boba nodded. “Strong, protective, loyal. Smart when he takes the time to think his actions through.” You chuckled at his words. “If you were going into war, he is the man you would want by your side. And, chances are, you wouldn’t even have to ask him to follow. He would volunteer. That’s why he makes friends all over the galaxy whether he knows it or not.”

You raised an eyebrow and teased. “Did Mando pay you to come over and talk him up?”

“I’m doing it at no cost.” He replied with a smile. Boba crossed his own arms and gave you a small nod. “I want to ask you to look after him. Mando would move mountains for you, and I hope you would at least watch his back.” You blinked in surprise. “We care about him a great deal and we always worry. It’s nice to know he has more back up than just Grogu.”

You let out a small laugh at the thought of the small green child playing the role of back up for the Mandalorian. As if he could hear your thoughts, Mando turned in place to look at you. Boba had to be exaggerating when he said Mando would move mountains for you. That seemed ridiculous. Despite knowing that it was just a common analogy, you felt the stirrings of something protective inside of you. It had been a long time since you had anyone to even call a friend, surely that was the source of this feeling. Mando lifted a hand and made a motion for you to come over.

“I will.” You blurted. When you glanced over at Boba, he had his eyebrows lifted and you gave him a tight lipped smile. “I’ll watch his back. I promise.”

Boba gave you a kind smile followed by a small nod. 

It surprised you how sincere the promise felt coming from your lips.

Mando had asked you a question. He now sat in the pilot’s seat of the Razor Crest with Grogu bouncing in his lap while you took your now usual seat. The Mandalorian was cruising the ship out of the atmosphere and it took a moment for his question to register with you.

He glanced back, “So?”

“Uh,” You paused. He had asked you about where you needed to go next. “I have a list.”

“Alright. What’s next on your list?” Mando continued. Rather than answer, you stared at the back of his helmeted head. Boba’s talk had truly gotten you thinking. It spoke volumes to the kind of man that Mando was that his friends thought so highly of him. He had only proved all those good things by offering to help you. The line of thought made you wonder. If you were willing to watch his back as a partner didn’t that extend a certain degree of trust? Mando certainly had yet to give you a reason not to trust him. The ship was coasting in the expanse of space, when Mando turned in his seat to look at you. “Hey, are you alright? You’ve been quiet.” With a slight teasing tone, he added. “I’m not used to that.”

You smirked, “So you admit to liking the sound of my voice?” Mando chuckled in response. You shifted to the edge of your seat. Grogu, who was still on the man’s knee, reached out and you held out a hand so the kid could play with your fingers with a coo. You took in a quick breath, steeling yourself, then blurted out, “I’m looking for a man named Reaper.” Mando tilted his head in surprise or confusion you weren’t sure. “I was told he hides out in a cantina. That’s why I’m always there.”

“The Reaper?” Mando questioned.

“Yeah. Stupid name, right?”

Mando nodded his head but didn’t speak. He lifted Grogu off his lap and into yours. You took the child and watched as he turned in his seat. Mando pressed a few buttons on the control panel of the ship and he mumbled a caution before the ship kicked into hyperdrive. When the Razor Crest was on course and moving steadily, he turned back around.

“Thyreps.” Mando blurted.

“Uh, what?”

“The Reaper was last seen in Thyreps from the rumors I’ve heard.” Mando said simply as if it were the most obvious information in the worlds. “So, unless he moved, that’s where we’ll find him.” For a moment, all you could do was stare at the man with wide eyes. This was what you had been searching for. It felt almost unreal to have the answer after all this time. “Mirdala runi?”

“Just like that?” You laughed. “We’re on our way, right now, to the Reaper?”

“If he’s still there.” Mando corrected. His tone made it sound like he was trying to keep your hopes down just in case. Meanwhile it took all your strength to not jump out of your seat and tackle him in a hug.

“How?” A laugh bubbled out from your lips. “Do you⏤ Do you know the Reaper?”

“I know of him.” Mando shook his head.

“Everyone knows of him, but how did you know about Thyreps?” You pressed. “I don’t even recognize that world. I never would’ve gone there.”

“It's a tiny Outer Rim world, and as for him…”

Your eyes widened and you pointed at him. “I swear to the Maker, if you say he’s a friend…”

Mando let out a soft chuckle, “More like, a friend of a friend.” Your eyes widened. “I never actually met the guy. There’s a smuggler in Thyreps I’ve known for a while. The Reaper used to run with her crew so I’ve heard a story or two.”

“Mando,” You shook your head with another laugh, disbelieving and relieved, “You have no idea how much this means to me. I⏤ Thank you.” 

“I…appreciate,” Mando started then winced as if he didn’t like his choice of words, “you telling me. I’m glad you trusted me with this.” He cleared his throat and your smile widened at how flustered he seemed. “I know that’s a big deal for you.”

“Apparently I should’ve told you sooner.” You joked. Grogu gave you a few pats on the hand, and you opened your arms so he could jump down. The little boy wandered to his pod then drove it toward the ladder. You stood up with a chuckle. “I should follow him. Make sure he doesn’t eat two weeks of rations in one sitting.”

You had only gotten a step or two away when a gloved hand wrapped around your wrist. Even through the leather glove, you felt your stomach flip at the contact. You glanced back at Mando to see he was now standing. The grip around your wrist was tender and careful⏤ almost hesitant. His thumb traced the inside of your wrist.

“I⏤I trust you too.”

“Thanks.” You gave him a small smile. “But, you don’t have to say that, Mando. I⏤”

“Din.”

You blinked once, confused, and then shook your head. “What was that?”

“Din.” He repeated himself. His hand tightened around your wrist a bit, a gentle squeeze, “That’s my name. Din Djarin.”

Your eyes widened in surprise. He had trusted you with his name. That seemed so significant. More so than simply handing over the information of who you’ve been searching for. His thumb traced another circle on your wrist. You repeated the unfamiliar name. “Din Djarin.” He nodded once. It felt odd to know it, but the more you repeated the name in your head the more fitting it felt. You chuckled, “Does this mean I’m not allowed to call you ‘bucket head’ anymore?”

Din laughed and shook his head, “I would never dare deprive you of that pleasure.”

“Good.” You replied warmly. The two of you stood in a comfortable silence. Din had drifted a step closer and it was only then that you realized his hand was still around your wrist. Staring up into the visor of his helmet you felt your heart stutter in your chest. The sensation was so jarring that you let out an awkward laugh and took a step back⏤ breaking the spell. Din cleared his throat and his hand fell away from your wrist. “I need to go check on Grogu.”

“Yeah. That’s⏤ Good idea.” Din nodded.

You gave him a tight lipped smile and shifted toward the ladder down to the cockpit again. “Thanks for trusting me with your name, bucket head.”

mando'a translations

mirdala runi: clever soul

taglist:

@onceinamando @hrtsforpascal @lil-dragon-draws @harriedandharassed @aheadfullofsteverogers @elfamosotoga @the-anchored-sailor-girl @garbo-lesbo @moonlqghts @stokeholdsblog @morks-watermelon @http-onie @chonkercatto @xalphafox @pedrojoe @zarahbronstein @cockscombkingdom @ale0m @shelbyteller @fallinallinmendes @grandtheoristpeach @perilous-pasta @love-the-abyss @kneelforloki @insomniac-nerd-posts-things @marvelouslytrekking @lady-winchester @liadamerondjarin @vampseddie @guccistardust @smexy-bucky-waifu @mayaaaaah @theway-thisis @keepingitlokiii @catharinaroxastova @andreasworlsboring101 @theclassicvinyldragon @your-slutty-gf @i-cant-write-for-shit @ponyboys-sunsets @honeybug-victoria @godesspsyche @cookielovesbook-akie

[its-jaytothemee]

Until I Met You - Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Dangerous Territory

Pairings: Halsin x Tav

Word count: 3,074

Rating: Currently M, will be Explicit in later chapters.

Read on AO3

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Summary: Halsin stays in camp to look over Astarion after his night of drinking questionable blood. He helps our vampire friend work through some complicated feelings around his new companions. Astarion of course picks up on the chemistry between Tav and Halsin and proceeds to tease relentlessly. Part 12 of the slow burn fic. Halsin and Tav POVs.

Tags: Slow burn, mutual pining, hurt/comfort, emotional hurt/comfort, fluff, eventual love confessions, eventual smut, angst, implied past rape/non-con and abuse, graphic description of injuries.

A/N: A bit of a shorter and slower chapter than the others, but some fun Halsin & Astarion dialogue. Thanks for continuing to read! Another couple of updates should be coming this week now that I've conquered the writers block for these next few chapters :)

Halsin sat next to Astarion listening to his slow breathing as he rested. The others had left a few hours ago for their expedition into the Underdark environs. His new companions had proven brave and capable fighters, but their last time in the Underdark was too close of a call for his liking. He grinded up some herbs and other ingredients for some potions and salves to supplement any other healing they would need. If anything, he figured putting together some useful elixirs could keep him distracted to pass the hours in camp. Despite his best efforts to keep himself busy, his morning with Tav kept drawing his attention away. Another close call.

Surely something as innocent as a kiss wouldn’t be enough to sway his concentration from the ritual, would it? It had to be better than the wondering and daydreaming and longing…

Perhaps not, but is that a risk you’re willing to take?

A groan from Astarion brought his attention back to the pale elf.

“Ugh, what happened to me?” Astarion asked as he sat up. One of his hands was pressed into his temple.

“Good morning, my friend.” Halsin offered a hand to help him stand, but he flinched away from him. His change in demeanor from the night before caught him off guard.

“You uh, you found Tav and I on your way back to camp. You had taken a lot of blood from something.”

“What did I drink?” He asked.

Halsin laughed. “I was hoping you could tell me now that you’re a little more lucid.”

“I…I don’t remember.” Astarion shook his head lightly. “I remember finding you, I remember Tav sitting next to me…”

Astarion looked lost in thought. Halsin watched as the events of the morning seemed to come back to him.

“But…why? Why would she do that?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why would she…I mean…” He stammered as he continued to collect his thoughts. “She just held me. While letting me drink her blood.”

“She wanted to help you get better. You seemed quite sick.” Halsin eyed him, unsure of what he wanted to hear. His hands reached up to touch his hair, running a curious hand through the curls.

“She…fixed my hair.” Astarion’s voice had quieted. His brow furrowed as he concentrated.

“Yes, it was rather messy when you returned. I haven’t the slightest idea of what you drank, but perhaps you should avoid it in the future.” Halsin laughed as he rubbed Scratch’s belly who had come to lay between them. He stopped when he noticed Astarion still looking upset.

“Why?”

Halsin just gave a blank stare back at him.

“Why did she do that?” His dark red eyes were watering now.

“Like I said, she was trying to help you. Comfort you a bit, I suppose.” Halsin shrugged.

Oak Father knows it comforted me. What I wouldn’t do to feel those fingers running through my hair again.

“But…” The wheels in Astarion’s head were turning, he seemed unable to comprehend why someone would have just sat with him this morning. “I suppose I did help her out quite a bit in the Creche…yes. Yes, this was simply repaying me for that…”

He kept rambling to himself under his breath. Halsin sat and listened quietly while he worked through everything. He only caught bits and pieces of what he muttered.

“…know about the scars… did leave me here today…”

“Astarion?” He kept his voice low and gentle. Astarion still jumped at the sound, startled out of his mumbling.

“Wh-what?” His pupils were wide and alert, a response from someone always on the lookout for danger.

At that moment, Halsin saw raw fear behind those red eyes for the first time. Unable to hide behind flirty quips or dramatic eye rolls, he saw a familiar sadness within him. But why was it so familiar?

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, I’m just trying to figure out what sort of game she’s playing.” Astarion’s voice had taken an angry tone now, deepening Halsin’s confusion.

“What do you mean? What game?”

“No one acts that way without a reason, Halsin. Honestly, I wouldn’t expect someone of your tenure to be so naïve.” He spat the words back at him, but a look of remorse took over his face.

“Astarion, I don’t know much about you. But I can assure you that not every good deed is done for the sole hope of reward.”

“There’s no way that’s true. The world is cruel, and so is everyone in it.” He hissed as he drew his legs up close to his chest. “It just takes some longer than others to show it.”

“After everything you’ve seen from Tav and the others, you still truly believe that?”

“I have to.” He looked away from Halsin.

“Why?” He struggled to understand Astarion’s bitterness, and he was starting to feel a tad defensive of Tav. Hearing him lump her in with others who were cruel caused his blood to run hot.

“Because!” Astarion jumped to his feet to yell down at him, startling Halsin. “Because that means the other explanation is that there’s always been good in the world. Just not for me. It means that there were always heroes helping those in need simply because they wanted to. They just never. Made it. To me.”

Halsin was taken aback by his outburst. His own temper cooling as he realized Astarion’s anger had nothing to do with his companions.

“You want me to trust you? You want me to give the others a fair chance?” He let out a deranged cackle. “Where were they when I needed rescuing? When my life was warped into this.” He gestured to his fangs and eyes.

Halsin sat in silence, just listening.

“No. Everyone expects something in return. That’s just the way of the world.” A single tear fell down his cheeks, now able to flush with his anger from the blood he consumed earlier. Halsin considered his words for a while before responding.

“That may have been your experience as of yet, but do not discredit those around you so quickly.” He stayed seated, giving Astarion plenty of room between them for him to pace and think.  “I know firsthand that Tav will expect nothing in return for helping you.”

“And how do you know that?” He rolled his eyes as he continued his angry stomping around the fire.

“Because she expected the same of me.”

Astarion stopped pacing to face him. “But aren’t you two, you know…” He put a loose fist up by his mouth and moved it side to side while his tongue pushed his cheek out to the same rhythm. It took Halsin a moment to understand his meaning.

“What? No!” He shouted back a little too fast. “Besides, why would that be an expected compensation for her help?”

“More common than you think.” The words were muttered as if he wasn’t meant to hear them. He shook the somber look off as quick as it came, but not before Halsin could understand its meaning.

Oh.

He realized where he recognized the sadness in Astarion’s eyes now. The same look that plagued his reflection for years after…after his last extended stay in the Underdark.

“Huh, so Tav was telling the truth. I thought she was just being coy.” Astarion had a surprised look on his face that fell to disappointment a moment later. “That also means I owe Gale five gold. Oh well, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” Just like that, he seemed to return to the cheeky personality Halsin had known over the last few days.

“So, what have you two been doing on these little early morning expeditions of yours then?” Astarion turned back to face him. “Just sneaking off for a cuddle?”

“No, no nothing like that…” He stuttered a bit. “I mean, there have been hugs of sorts, but not like that. We just…talk.”

“Hugs? Talking? The scandal of it all.” Astarion’s mocking grin made Halsin blush. His face shifted as he studied him, a look of smug realization coming over his face. “Wait. You…you do like her.”

“Of course I like her, everyone here seems to like her.” Halsin tried to keep his voice from sounding too defensive.

“No darling, you like her…you’re not just looking for carnal pleasure or a bit of fun. Maybe you’re not sneaking off for cuddles yet, but you’d like to. Let me guess, you want to hold her hand and stroke her hair and make gentle love to her under the stars.” He batted his long eyelashes over ruby eyes, his teasing smile just barely showing the tips of his fanged teeth.

That about covers it, yes.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” He scoffed. “There’s far too much on our minds to be thinking about that. She’s…” He shifted his focus back to fiddling with his potions. “She’s a dear friend is all.” Astarion ignored his obvious lie and continued working through his deductions.

“Neither of you seem the prudish type, why so shy? You’re not exactly subtle either. I mean honestly, I’ve never seen two people as beautiful as the two of you be so bad at seduction.”

“It’s…difficult to explain.” Halsin admitted. “And I’m not bad at seduction, I just haven’t been trying to seduce anyone lately.”

Liar. You’re just going much slower than usual.

“Don’t worry druid, your secret is safe with me.” Halsin could still see Astarion’s teasing smile out of the corner of his eye. After a moment, his expression softened a bit. “For what it’s worth, you could do a lot worse than her. And it’s rather obvious that she likes you too.”

And isn’t that the problem?

If she had shown no interest in him, his feelings might have been easier to ignore. But instead, she had to continue to be her sweet, thoughtful self. Offering hugs and comfort and jokes to brighten his day. A quick kiss on the cheek was enough to reduce him to a pile of ooze.

He tried to change the subject as he considered his next words carefully.

“Tav trusts you, you know.”

“She shouldn’t.” Astarion’s face dropped again as he resumed his pacing.

“Perhaps. But she still does. She trusted you last night when she offered her wrist, she trusts you to watch her back in battle, and she trusts that somewhere underneath that hard outer shell, you care about your traveling companions.” He paraphrased Tav’s words back to him. “She likes you, considers you a friend.”

“And yet she left me here today.”

“You were sick. She was worried you’d be hurt further if you went with them.”

“I’m more than capable of taking care of myself.”

“No one said you couldn’t. It doesn’t mean you have to do it alone.”

Astarion just rolled his eyes back at him.

“I can’t help but feel…” Halsin paused, unsure of how he would react to an offer for help. “I can’t help but feel we may be more similar than you think. I know very little about your past, but there’s a look in your eyes that I’ve seen in my own. I won’t force anything from you but know that my ears are willing to listen should you have need of them.”

“Well, isn’t that sweet. But I’m afraid that would take some of your concentration off that darling Tav of yours.” His cheeky response was an obvious ploy to try and rile Halsin up.

“Just so you know, Astarion, if you truly feel the need to pay her back, a genuine thank you will probably be more than enough for her helping you.” He offered.

“Hmph. We’ll see about that.” He turned to storm off to his tent but was cut off when Lunari came barreling back into camp.

Right on cue, Tav and the others came stumbling in behind her.

***

“What in the hells is that thing?!” Gale shrieked as they continued running through the glowing paths of the Underdark.

“Fuck if I know, Gale! But I don’t think it wants to be friends.” Tav yelled back.

The giant creature had been pursuing them for a while now. Every now and then one of them could turn around and get a hit off on it, but it retaliated with a large sweeping strike using the massive, bony hooks that comprised its arms. Lae’zel nearly lost an arm, and Shadowheart already healed a deep gash in Wyll’s abdomen.

“You’re a ranger, aren’t you? Shouldn’t you know shit about wild creatures?” Karlach chimed in as she narrowly avoided another swipe.

“Not in the Underdark, love.” Tav turned to fire another arrow at the creature, but it bounced right off the giant claw.

Her legs started to ache as they continued their sprint through the unfamiliar landscape. A loud screech rang from the creature as it leaped high in the air to land in front of them. Tav and Lunari skidded to a stop in the front of the group. The wolf lunged at the creature and sunk her teeth into its throat. It let out a pained shriek as Lunari brought it down to the ground, shaking her head to shred the creature’s flesh.

Lae’zel and Karlach came running up to the front to drive their blades into its skull, silencing the screeching abomination.

“I think that did it. Let’s keep moving, who knows how many more of them there are.” Tav called Lunari back to her side and kept running. Suddenly, her furry companion caught the scent of something and ran up ahead of them.

“What is it, girl?” Tav called out to her.

She followed Lunari…directly into the clearing that made up their camp. Halsin waved at her from the other side.

“Friends.” Lunari turned her head with her tongue lolled out in a happy pant. She ran up to Scratch as the two of them started their usual zooming around the camp.

“Well fuck.” Tav threw her hands up in the air with an exasperated sigh. They had gotten so turned around in their running that they ended up back at camp.

“Nice to see you too, Tav.” Astarion pouted.

“What? No, not that. We went in circles.” She pinched the bridge of her nose before turning around to make sure everyone had followed her in. All her companions were accounted for, thank the gods.

“Gods this place is a fucking maze.” Karlach threw herself onto the ground to catch her breath.

Halsin made his way across the camp to greet them. Tav smiled as he reached her side.

“You all look like you’ve had a terrible fright. Is everyone okay?” He looked her up and down, watching for signs of injury.

“I think so, Wyll took a bad swipe from some hooked creature, but Shadowheart took care of it. I think the rest of us are fine.” She tried to turn her head to check over the others as she waved a dismissive hand but winced. Before she could turn back around, Halsin caught her head gently with one of his hands.

“Wait, what’s this on your neck?” His fingers ran down the side of her neck along a small slash. The touch caused her breath to catch.

“Oh, one of those creatures grazed me. It’s just a scratch. I didn’t have time to stop and heal it.” She still felt winded from their long dash across the Underdark and Halsin’s touches weren’t helping her recover her breath.

“No worries, I’m happy to do it for you.” He beamed as he waited for her permission. She nodded and not a moment later felt the soothing spell take the sting out of her wound.

“Better?”

“Better.” She agreed. Halsin left his hand resting on her cheek.

“Uh, Halsin?” Gale’s voice called out behind her. “Some healing? For a wizard in need? If it’s not too much trouble.”

When Tav turned around she saw Gale pressing a hand to his very bloodied temple and leaning against Wyll.

When did that happen?!

“Gale! Of course!” Halsin jumped over to him, startled by the sight. “Apologies, my friend.”

“Ha! Gods does he have it bad.” Astarion had appeared at Tav’s side, startling a small yelp out of her.

Damn, he can be quiet when he wants to be.

“Astarion! Looks like you’re feeling better.” She patted him on the shoulder a couple of times.

“Oh, it was nothing.” He waved her off with a chuckle but brought his hand back down to tug at the strings on his shirt.

“Well, I’m glad to see you up and about. You had me a little worried this morning.”

“Yes, erm, about that…” He cleared his throat as he trailed off and continued tugging at his shirt. “Thank you. For sitting with me. It was…nice.” He looked everywhere but her eyes as he said the words.

“Anytime. Just do me a favor, will you?” She noticed his eyes fell to the ground before briefly shifting to Halsin, then back to her.

“Of course, darling. Your wish is my command.” He gave her a teasing bow.

“Don’t go wandering off on your own like that too often? I’d feel awful if something happened to you because you were alone. Or at least let someone know where you’re going, yeah? I’d be happy to help you hunt if you wanted.”

“Oh.” Astarion stammered a bit before speaking again. “Y-yes I suppose I can do that.”

“Thanks, love.” Tav tucked one of his unruly curls back into place before joining the others again.

Gale looked to be all healed up, the blood on his head had stopped running. Everyone else was kneeling or sitting as they worked to catch their breath after their lengthy sprint.

“Maybe we could try making our way to the beach the sovereign told us about if we start back at the myconid colony.”

Groans rang from everyone around her.

“Fine…let’s get a move on then.” Karlach grunted as she pulled herself up off the ground.

“Perhaps I could join you? I noticed a couple of merchants and I’d like to peruse their wares for any useful ingredients.” Halsin leaned over to grab his small pack from his seat by the fire.

“Of course!” Tav shouted way too fast. Karlach and Astarion’s sputtering laughs earned a glare from her.

“Wonderful. Lead on, my friend.” Halsin’s comforting hand found her shoulder as she led them out of camp again.

[3-2-whump]

Caretaker 2 Intro: The Flicker of a Spark

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Thank you @whumped-by-glitter for beta-reading this monstrosity!

TW/CW: blood, briefly mentioned scars, not sure what else, tbh

Author's Note: I know like a high school level of Spanish, I studied abroad in a Spanish-speaking country for one semester in college, and I spent more than two hours researching what cholo Spanish sounds like. That being said, if I got anything wrong, please tell me, and be kind about it. I am only human, but I would very much like to know one way or the other <3

Set five days after this

Nico, dude, pls respond.

Read 01:10 am

Khaled shook his head with a frustrated huff. Here he was, walking the streets several blocks away from his master’s apartment well after dark, texting his best (only) friend on the clandestine cellphone he had gotten for him, and that bastard left him on read. He lobbed a discarded can across the sidewalk with a well-placed kick.

 He had never realized how used to his friend’s welcoming smile and wholesome presence he’d become, until he’d had to go without. It had been five days. Five days of eating alone. Five days of trying to meet his eyes when they drove out at the end of the day, but to no avail. Nico could barely look at him, and the few times he did, it was with such palpable guilt.

But there was no reason to feel guilty. Even if he did feel betrayed by how easily his supposed friend fell in line, Khaled knew Nico didn’t have much of a choice. Besides, he has every right to choose his own future over a relationship with me. I would’ve done the same, he justified.

I’m not worth the trouble.

He was so lost in his mind as he mulled over the day’s events, that it took an unfamiliar presence bumping into his shoulder to bring him back to the present. A large man with a goatee bore his tobacco-stained teeth at him. “Hey, you, watch yourself!”

He ignored the stranger who bumped into him as he brushed past him and kept walking.

“What, you’re just going to ignore me, now? Who do you think you are?!” the man shouted.

A shorter, thin-eyed man walking alongside him joined in the provocation. “You heard him, vato,” he sneered, pockmarked face scrunched in a scowl. “You gonna come back here and apologize, or are we gonna have to make you?”

And, honestly, Khaled probably could’ve ignored the heckling and went on with his night in peace, until one of their tattooed hands gripped his shoulder and pulled him back towards them.

Within seconds, the larger man howled in pain as he recoiled his broken fingers from Khaled’s personal space. The other guy cursed something in a language Khaled did not understand, then turned toward him, fury blazing in his eyes. “¡Pendejo! So, that’s how it’s gonna be?!” With no other warning, he rushed toward him with a roar, his hands curled into fists. Were it not for the many escape attempts that devolved into fistfights, Khaled probably wouldn’t have stood much of a chance against his opponent. However, all that experience running away from and fighting off the mafia’s cronies had finally paid off. He deftly evaded the man’s haphazard punches, weaving in and out like a stubborn mosquito until he was finally able to land a jab up his opponent’s ribcage. Just as the second man crumpled gasping to the ground, the first one got up again, charging with his good hand raised. Khaled dodged that fist, too, quickly catching it and wrenching the man’s arm painfully behind his back. A well-placed elbow into his stomach knocked the breath from him. It could’ve been worse –he’d dealt with much harder hits before –but it was enough to make him loosen his grip. His opponent wrestled back control of his arm and punched Khaled square in the jaw, his teeth rattling discordantly in his mouth. He tasted the metallic tang of blood. He collected himself just enough to block the second hit in time, though the force of it felt as if it would break his forearm. A kick to the back of his knees brought him down to the concrete with a harsh thud, and soon the second man was dragging him up, arms pinned helplessly behind his back. “You shouldn’t have fucked with us, you-”

“Vatos, vatos, cálmate, todos.”

A clear voice rose from the fight scene. The man pinning Khaled dropped him instantly, letting him fall onto the pavement as he reverently addressed the source of the voice. “Julio,” he greeted, instantly backing away. Khaled glanced to the other man, who was also opening space between them as he tucked his broken fingers into his side. In front of them, along with half a dozen other men, stood one tall, thin young man in the center carrying himself with the confident presence of an apex predator, a leader –or a Boss, Khaled’s thoughts supplied. His dark hair was shorn close to his scalp, save for a choppy bleached mohawk running down the center. A glimmer of a piercing shone in the right cheekbone of his olive-skinned face, matching the barbell in his left eyebrow and rivaling the dangerous glint in his knife-sharp eyes. He wore an oversized army green parka over his upper body, well-loved and well-worn, if the custom patches and frayed seams were any indication. His long thin legs were clothed in dark track pants, tapering to spotless Chuck Taylors on his feet. Those feet walked calmly towards the three, stopping a mere pace and a half from them. “What’s going on here, primo?” he asked the first man, the one who provoked the fight. “It’s not like you to go two on one on some poor fucker like that.”

“I know, I know, but I didn’t think it would be so hard to beat some sense into him,” the man complained. “That little twig really made me and Luis work for it!”

Julio glanced skeptically at Khaled, who had just recollected himself from the ground. “What, him?” The corners of the Boss’ mouth turned up in a deriding smirk. “Are you getting so rusty, Alphonso, that you can’t even handle one skinny little twink?”

“Why don’t you try fighting this ‘skinny little twink’ yourself, you fucking beanpole?” Khaled’s mouth replied before his common sense could catch up. The smirk on Julio’s face dropped only a moment, until it was replaced with a wider, shit-eating grin. The golden hazel of his eyes reminded him of a cat’s eyes in the way they glowed with the pleasure of finding a mouse to toy with before they eat.

“Alright, he speaks!” He reached a tattooed hand from the depths of his parka to help Khaled stand up on his feet. His knuckles read ‘FUCK.’ Khaled didn’t have to guess what his other hand said. “You wanna go, pendejo, let’s go!” Julio laughed. He stepped back to his entourage to shed his coat, revealing long, sinewy tattooed limbs sticking out from a large t-shirt, its sleeves cut off and band logo long since faded. The gang formed a circle around them, giving Khaled and Julio plenty of space to have their fight while making any chance of escape impossible.

“Look.” Khaled raised his hands palms-out, his momentary bravado quickly forgotten, “I just want to go home, okay?”

“And you will, if you win,” Julio said, stretching his long limbs methodically as his catlike eyes sized up his prey. “But you wandered into our territory, and you pissed off my cousin. You gotta answer to that, you know, and if I win, I will make sure you do.” He dropped into a crouching stance, muscles tense as a bowstring, practically twitching with anticipation. “Now, let’s fight!”

Cheers erupted over the impromptu crowd as the two circled around each other, looking for the right place and moment to strike. Julio’s fist arched up like a whistling arrow and bore down toward Khaled’s face. He blocked it, wincing a little at the impact on his already bruised forearm. For being as skinny as he is, this guy sure has some force behind those hits, he thought. He successfully blocked a couple more punches –though barely-, and gradually Julio drove him from the sidewalk to the middle of the road, the crowd parting for the fighters and cheering all the while.

After another successful block, Khaled found an opportunity to land a kick to his opponent’s ribs. He swung his leg toward the man’s ribs. Just before his foot could meet Julio’s side, the tattooed hand whose knuckles spelled ‘YOU!’ caught it in a death grip. Khaled paled. “Nuh uh,” Julio tutted. He yanked up, unbalancing Khaled and sending him crashing to the hard asphalt. The fall knocked the breath out of him for only a moment as he fell onto his back. With enough presence of mind to remember he was still fighting, he swept his other foot at Julio’s ankles and brought him tumbling down to the trash-littered street too.

The crowd’s cheers grew frenzied as their Boss and the trespasser tackled, rolled, and straddled each other across the broken glass and loose rubble on the ground. Khaled wrested his fingers into Julio’s mohawk to hold him still as he hit him. Julio sunk his fingers into the top portion of Khaled’s undercut and slammed his head into the asphalt. Golden eyes like knives gleamed with the promise of a painful end as the man on top of him snarled like a beast. All too soon, Julio ended up mounted on top of Khaled, sitting on his chest, one hand on his throat, the other hand raised and primed.

Is this it?

The wildcat could finally eat his kill.

Is this how it ends?

In place of fear, or sorrow, or even the base need of every creature to get up and fight in the face of a threat to their survival, Khaled surprisingly felt nothing but peace as he stared into those aureate irises.

Why am I so okay with this?

“Go ahead,” Khaled spat between bloodied lips. He no longer pressed against the hand holding his throat. He lay his head back beside the ashes of long-extinguished cigarettes. “You win.”

Those knife sharp eyes met his, and for a second, they softened. Golden hazel melted into deep brown. The wildcat sheathed his claws.

It was only a second later that Julio was helping Khaled off the asphalt, brushing the dirt and broken glass from both their clothes all the while. The keen sharpness of his eyes returned, as if the momentary lapse in the Boss’ composure had never happened. “Hey, you got pretty close, man.” He collected his coat back from his posse and fished around the pockets, eventually pulling out a box of cigarettes and a lighter. He wordlessly offered Khaled one, but he politely refused. “Been awhile since I threw some serious chingasos,” he said as he lit his cigarette. “Been even longer since someone was able to throw it back at me.” He leaned against a nearby lamp post as he huffed a plume of smoke into the night. “No way just some random guy could stand a chance against me. Who are you with, twink?”

“The name’s Khaled, beanpole,” Khaled bristled. “And I’m with the Costas.”

“Ha, the Costas? The Costas?” Julio took another drag of his cigarette. “Yeah, and I’m the fucking pope,” he snickered. His gang awkwardly laughed alongside him.

Khaled brought his bloodied fingers up to the hem of his shirt, lifting it over his head and turning around to show his exposed back and shoulders. The laughing immediately ceased. The bluish-black ink of the skull and snake insignia was tattooed starkly on his skin, just above old, crisscrossing scars. “How in the fuck–you bear their mark, you really are a –but, how?” he sputtered. “They’re old-school mafia, there’s no way they’d just let you –you’re not even –how?!”

He slipped his shirt back on and turned to face his astounded former opponent. “It’s a long story that I don’t feel like telling,” he muttered.

“What about those scars-”

“-but I am unquestionably a Costa, and therefore I am under my Boss’ protection,” Khaled continued, interrupting Julio’s question. Speaking of ‘Boss,’ he’s gonna kill me he if he wakes up and finds out I snuck out this late, he belatedly realized. He awkwardly raised a hand and waved. “Now, I really must get back to my Boss. Goodnight.” He turned to leave.

He didn’t make it more than two steps before the rival Boss called out to him. “Wait, Khaled-”

All too suddenly, the moment of potential comradery was ruined by a car pulling up next to their semicircle. The gang protectively huddled around their leader as some of them immediately assumed defensive stances. The window to the familiar car rolled down.

“Khaled! Jesus, I was worried sick!” Thomas shouted, his voice nasally and unusually low with congestion. The man paused his scolding when he took in Khaled’s new cuts and bruises he didn’t make. “What happened to your face?” He turned his head to glare at Julio, who was glaring back with equal amounts of animosity. “Estrada, did you do this?!”

“Boss, I’m fine, really,” Khaled said, leaving the tightly knit group of guys and making his way to his master’s car. “I was going to get you some cough drops -you’re out, remember? It’s settled, I won… I think…” He made his way to the passenger side door and let himself in. “Let’s just go home so I can ice my face, okay?”

The man grumbled his dissent, but reluctantly pulled away, driving Khaled back to the apartment they shared.

“Those chop shop sons of bitches are bad news, boy,” Thomas warned. “They’ve got no honor! Stealing and scrapping whatever they can find, infringing on our territory, the territory my family fought for, just to –they kill for cash, you know!” They pulled into his usual spot in the underground garage as the rant sent the boss into a coughing fit. “Shameless,” he sighed. “I don’t want you anywhere near them, understood?”

Khaled wisely said nothing.

Thomas glanced at Khaled’s lap, frowning when he didn’t see a convenience store bag in his hands. “Did you even get a chance to buy those cough drops?”

Rather than being caught in his lie, Khaled decided to go for a half-truth. “No, master.”

Thomas huffed, which triggered another cough. “You know, you are so lucky I am sick right now,” he groused on the way from the parking garage to the elevator. “I barely had the energy to drag my ass down here to get the car and rescue you. And I definitely don’t have the energy to beat some sense into you!”

As Khaled later stripped himself to prepare for a shower, he paused as he noticed a small business card in his pants pocket. How in the hell –what? His mind replayed any and every possible moment Julio or someone else could’ve slipped something into his pocket without him noticing.

He carefully lifted it out as he shucked his pants off his legs and threw them into the hamper. It was the business card to an auto repair shop, with ten numbers underneath.

“Wait, Khaled-” The way Julio said his name replayed in a loop in his head as he stared at the ten-digit phone number with his secret phone in hand.

Le Tag List: @kabie-whump @rainydaywhump @whumped-by-glitter @skittles-the-whumpee

@generic-whumperz @bamber344

[theheraldsrest]

Inq accidentally switching bodies with their LI? Don’t ask how it happens it just ~ does ~

“Inquisitor switching bodies with Romanced!Companions”

Hello again. I will continue to apologize for my absence. I’m slowly and surely getting through the asks, I promise. Let’s do body swap, bois!

-Lord Lex

Cullen

-WTF song playing in his head

-How did this happen? Why? Where’s his body? Everything feels weird. Someone help

-Not that pleased when he finds you trying to act like him to some very confused soldiers

-Even more confused when a very embarrassed Inquisitor pulls away a giggling Cullen

-When explaining to Josey and Leliana, Leliana makes the comment “So that’s why the Inquisitor kept sticking out her chest and walking funny.” Both see this as an inconveniance and he’s just panic 

Josephine

-Not so much of a problem if she’s romanced by a femal Inquisitor. Might be more of a problem if male.

-Honestly sees no problem with it other than just explaining to people what had happened. Goes about her business as if nothing is wrong

-She’s had to explain so many times that it’s her and not you and no, she will not be answering any explicit questions

-Listen: If the body swap was because of something you did on purpose, she’s fully gonna get her payback by coming up to you in your body and acting all mushy-gushy

-She takes great care of your body and respects your privacy. However she also thinks it’s very neat to see things from your perspective. Andraste help the poor fool who insults you to her face.

Solas

-Oh the PANIC. He’s abso-fucking-lutely losing his shit over this because, for one, he’s in your body. How is he suppose to hold himself, moreless not make himself seem like a fool?

-Second, if he’s in your body, then that means you’re in his. What if you find out who he truly is? What if, in some way, you find out his connection to the orb? Oh no.

-His worries die down when he finds you just taking a stroll around the hold, happily greeting him, possibly slightly out of touch with the body you’re in. What was he worrying about?

-He follows you around just so you two can explain and work out what’s happening while also making sure nothing goes wrong.

-You almost got away with a few jokes before he stepped in. Especially when he found you talking to Sera about all the things you could do as Solas while also being disgusted. (Ew, magic man body. Get out of there)

Cassandra

-She sits there for a solid hour, not knowing what to do and afraid of making any mistake as you. 

-She doesn’t even want to try to get dressed as it would be inappropriate (even though she’s probably seen you naked before) but does so with her eyes closed. Yeaaah, it’s…interesting

-Eventually you find her in your room simply pacing and convince her to leave because there is stuff to do. She is horrified at the thought but also concerned on how you’ll act as her

-Also sticks to you while walking around and realizing people are talking to her when addressing the Inquisitor. The advisors find it very funny, she does not

-Please make corny jokes, it helps her relax and also laugh about it. But not around people. She doesn’t want anyone to hear Cassandra Pentaghast making goofy jokes

The Iron Bull

-Honestly? It takes him a god damn minute to realize. Even if you’re far shorter than him. Goes about his morning up until he’s actually drinking his first ale of the day does he stop and think “Wait…”

-This a great inconvenience but also an oppurtunity. He gets to know you even better and see things from your eyes. Also get’s to explore your-

-But it’s inconvenient since he doesn’t have his size, his strength, his horns. Even if you’re another qunari, it’s still the same. You don’t have his horns. It’s personnal to him

-It’s annoying for him when the dignitaries come to bother him, looking for your input and he simply points them in the direction of his body. If this doesn’t stop, he’s gonna cause a diplomatic problem

-But dear gods above is it so funny watching you try to manage his body, running into doorways, struggling to get around trees, hitting your head off light fixtures. Welcome to his world

(Extra: Chargers lose it over this and mess with you both, including Krem. They’re the main reason a lot of diplomats and nobles keep bothering him. They also keep petting Bull’s body’s pecs. They say it’s for good luck or it’s tradition. It is not.)

Dorian

-When you find your body, it’s chilling in Dorian’s usual spot and looking quite groomed. If that wasn’t a big hint, a simple “Ah, I was wondering where you were at. Having a delightful day?” gave it away

-Dorian see’s this as a big oppurtunity to expand on your closet and to replace your junk books. Also to scare a few people

-Don’t worry, he’s not going to do anything to injure your pride or reputation, but some people do wonder why the Inquisitor suddenly has an air of sass to them

-Does get a little upset that his poor self is being treated to the Inquisitor style, but it’s a little charming. He knows you’re trying and treating his body well.

-Both of you forget that you’re in each others bodies that some people question why it’s Dorian acting all lovey dovey. His reputation will never be healed (he doesn’t mind)

Sera

-Oh no. You’d be panicing. If you’re in Sera’s body then…oh no.

-True enough, you find yourself on one of the tables, declaring “I’m the Inquisitor and I think your hat looks stupid. Burn it!” to one of the nobles. You can very much hear her accent in your voice

-It’s well aware to everyone that you two switched bodies. No one can match Sera’s chaotic energy that well and the supposive “Inquisitor” was doing a grand job

-She has to be confined to your room to stop her from causing anymore problems. Josephine is already dealing with the nobles who have voiced their complaints about being told to “fuck off, ya twits”

-But, oh no, Sera is also mad at you. How dare you try to make her look nice and styled and *gasp* clean?! The audacity!

Blackwall 

-This man’s first thought, when he wakes up, is not about the room nor about the bed he’s in. No, it’s “When did I get tits?”

-The next second is just him feeling indecent and perverted. How did this happen? He has no idea, but he’s piling shirt upon shirt on to cover your body.

-Goes looking for you-or him-his body? Which ever, it hurts his brain too much. Finds you hanging out by the barn also trying to figure out what’s going on

-Is one of the only people in this situation (other than Solas) that makes it a top priority to switch back by any means necessary. Doesn’t want you to have to go through what he usually does on a daily basis, with the glares and such

-Goes as far as asking Solas and Vivienne for help. And if that doesn’t work and only as a last resort will he go to Dorian, who will never let Blackwall live this down.

[pandorafallz]

Ashes in her wake | C2

Alma sipped slowly from her cool cup of herbal tea, her head still feeling foggy and tired but far better than she had been in the last couple of days since waking up after her transfer. Her body was healing well, according to Okul who had been tending to her more often and had the singular daily visit from Anufi to verify all was on track. Her visits were often very short.

Her burns were still bad and had another week to heal with dressing before she’d have to let it breathe and heal for a few days without, and her broken rib was still healing. It was estimated to be about two weeks before she’d be able to be more physically adventurous. A human bone, or rib, would take over a month to heal but Na’vi and Dreamwalker bodies were more resilient and coupled with efficient Na’vi medical treatments, the time was far shorter. The bruises looked bad but healing around the edges now. Most of the stitches from the debris had been removed this morning so she was feeling a little drained from that experience.

She had been left to rest in a quiet area of the Hollows, away from the people and she was thankful for the privacy when possible. She had been resting mostly when children would try and sneak in before their parents quickly pulled them away. Alma knew why; they had never seen a Dreamwalker before. Innocent souls with vast curious minds but she often remained posed as asleep so as to not make it awkward.

Still, the privacy had its… odd lonely tendencies when Okul wasn’t around so she kept herself occupied when not asleep with a few simple tasks, like spinning flax which was the easiest thing to do in her current state. Before Raj had joined the resistance on the second visit, Alma had to make or alter her own clothes for her avatar, a skill she had picked up after her first meeting with the Aranahe but she was no expert. She had learned it mostly to talk to the weavers and to get to know the clan better but it didn’t last. Spinning she could do, sorting fibres and combing it was another so it filled the hours without being too adventurous.

At least the tea was good. It helped bring down the swellings since. Her threadwork was set aside for now as she rested.

“<Dreamwalker,>” Okul appeared around the entryway quite cheerfully with a new set of bowls. “<I have brought food. Anufi is back. I believe she’ll join us soon so, while we wait, you should eat. A full belly is a happy one.>” They set the bowls down, simple meat and mushroom stew and took one to eat themselves to sip.

“<Thank you.>” She set her tea down, shifting the blanket from her legs and slowly reached forward and pulled it towards her, inhaling the savoury scent that drifted up.

“<How did you sleep? Resting well?>”

Alma took a hearty sip, chewing down slowly on a large piece of white mushroom with a stilled expression. “<Not really. Small dozing is dreamless.>” Fragments of memory always seemed to resurface at night although it was mostly Nor’s stabbing of her that replayed often, leaving her waking up at odd times shivering with phantom sensation down her right side. Resting during the day gave her some reprieve but… it hadn’t helped clear her head. She was fine. She could handle it.

It took years to stop seeing the Moot in her nightmares. Life had been easier once that had stopped. Something else now just took its place. She was sure Okul might have something to induce a dreamless sleep but that was a question for later.

“<Ah,I suppose that is still expected.>” Okul didn’t sound surprised, “<It has only been six days since…>” They trailed off but they both knew their implication.

“<I am aware.>” Her hand came to her side, not touching over the dressing too hard. “<how is the clan? It’s been very quiet. Only one child seemed to wander in earlier.>”

“<Very busy with the resistance. I don’t know too much myself but it seems very big and the Zeswa are very unhappy since the sky people brought down the celebration arches—>”

Alma almost choked on her stew, her eyes widening in alarm as she stiffened up. “<The RDA brought down the arches?!>”

Okul blinked in surprise at her outburst. “< A terrible event but the site was shut down by our Sarentu friend, they were there and saw it happen. The Upper Plains should not be attacked again with such horrible machines.>”

“<Is.. is she okay?>”

“<Of course, the Sarentu is a very good warrior. I do not know what has happened since but do not worry.>” Okul said, very firm in their belief and assurance.

Alma’s heart hammered before she forced herself to take a steady breath. Because… like it or not, she knew Kìoetey was a good warrior and no doubt had it handled and she didn’t doubt her skills but… she worried. Perhaps it was the maternal side of her that never had much of a chance to bloom due to Mercer’s interpersonal restrictions between her and the kids (and other personal reasons). Kìoetey was fine, they said.

Still. The Arches collapse was no small event either; the Zeswa were probably foaming at the mouth for revenge. At least The Resistance had all the tools to help warn and aid the Zeswa in achieving it without it turning into a one-sided slaughter against the Na’vi. Maybe she could help once she was cleared by Anufi somehow?

“<Relax. You’ll hurt yourself.>” Okul’s hand touched her wrist, reminding her of her bowl before she sat back with a huff.

“<I... I should be allowed to return to the Resistance now. I can probably be more helpful there than here.>” She could actually talk to So’lek and her people again. Socialise, even. It’d be pleasant to talk to them and she was sure a shared task would make it easier. She didn’t doubt the spread of gossip but it was probably worth the trip.

“<You’re not healed. You’d hinder them more than help in your current state, Alma.>” Okul said

“<I… I have to do something. I am part of the resistance.>”

“<You are doing something. Resting.>” Okul stated, “<You cannot fight and you have the concentration of a child and the sleeping pattern of a baby. I don’t believe you’ve fully realised the extent of what truly happened to you. It’s not quite there.>” They tapped their temple.

Alma shot them an annoyed look. “<My head is getting better.>”

“<Better does not mean healed. You’ve endured a significant trauma to not only this body but to your spirit; your spirit must rest to heal from being severed from your sky-people body and replanted into this. A few more days at the least before we can consider allowing you to roam free as a Meer deer. A sick or separating spirit can lead to never waking up. Are you willing to risk such a possibility?>”

“Ugh.” Alma groaned into the bowl, taking a less heartfelt glug but there was clearly no way to convince the Tsakarem here to allow her out. Their heart and mind was clearly set. At least the food was nice.

Okul sighed deeply. “<I know you are anxious to return but you must think of yourself as well. Once you’re done eating, I can show you where to put the threads you’re spinning to use.>”

Alma threw a glance at her basket but begrudgingly nodded. “<Okay.>”

She supposed it would be useful to know more things if she was going to be like this for another few days. She had no idea where her clothes were so she was given a spare waistcloth and top for the meantime which took some getting used to but she looked forward to returning for her old clothes. Maybe Raj could help her get something together as well? Increase her wardrobe. She’ll see, she supposed.

Alma eyed Okul’s clothing for a moment, on what inspiration she could draw from them, however, her curiosity piqued as she noticed the strap around their chest. She had seen them before, but… they did look good; very well crafted.

“<Those bottles you have on you, did you make those bottles yourself?>” She hadn’t seen many Na’vi wear them so… maybe that was more worth learning about as well.

Okul looked down to their chest, where the string lay crossed to their left side. They hummed curiously and pulled out forward. “<This interests you?>”

“<Yes, our bottles are made of glass or metal. I’d love to learn more of this… if you’d show me>”

Okul hummed far more cheerfully, their eyes lighting up excitedly. “<I’ll get the supplies. This will be fun>”

-

Okul was a good teacher, and it burned through time as they let her craft with them but she had only made one successful bottle, made from Meer Deer horn, twine and various plant saps that were heated at a few different temperatures to achieve different goals, such as waterproofing, glue and means of sealing the bottle of leaks. All fascinating.

She was quite proud of her bottle, just smaller than her palm but she let Okul fill it with some painkilling medicine so she painted a cross on its front in green paint with her little finger since it was the only colour on hand.

“<What is that symbol?>” Okul asked as she set it to dry.

“<It’s a Cross symbol. Sometimes religious in a human context but a red cross is a human symbol of healing, impartial humanitarian care and neutrality. Earth has a group devoted to care and this symbol is used to signify It.>” Alma explained, “<The group does not exist on Pandora so a cross, regardless of colour is more generic and often found on our medical packs to simply signify medical aid.>”

“<Fascinating.>”

“<If you’re curious, Kìoetey might show you where they are in abandoned sky people camps. I noticed she carries the gel packs from the kits for and from her missions.>”

“<Perhaps. I did not realise symbols like this carried weight.>”

“<Humans have had a written language for thousands of years, the symbols we have on boxes are often text to describe the group who owns them, the weight and size, the content and potential hazards>” Alma explained, “<I should probably draw out the symbols if you continually poke at sky people stuff… so you don’t hurt yourself.>”

“<I doubt that will be necessary but I appreciate your suggestion.>” Okul declined but finished up with the thread and took the bottle from her hands and showed her how to wrap the bottle and secure it. Hot wax was used to hold it into place before it was returned.

“<Thank you.>”

Alma slowly helped clear up with Okul, wincing a few times as she did so and Okul carried the tray away before she was left alone. Her fingers playing with her bottle, debating on if it was worth taking another nap because she was feeling tired now. The craft session had been fun but now… she was drained.

She sighed deeply, moving back into the blankets on the floor and lay back…

…

…

“<Alma. It is time for you to wake up. >”

The noise was abrupt, pulling her mind from the blissful dark within a couple of moments, her resting heart picking up quickly and her eyes snapped open to the hazy few of someone leaning over her. She groaned, blinking rapidly and rubbed her eyes before she realised it was Anufi.

Anufi was looking tenser than she had seen her before but clearly ready for something. She handed over a vial. “<Drink, this will provide you more energy.>”

Alma blearily held it, taking note of the tear-shaped bottle and tasselled stopper before she pulled the top off and down it. The taste was bitter and salty, but she felt the immediate surge of energy; her sleepy mind sharpened and her heart seemed to pick up fast within her chest. “Woah…”

Anufi’s head tilted, her hand coming to her chest first to feel her heart then pulled her hand up to the slight shake the new energy was giving her. Not quite like an adrenaline shot but it certainly felt like it. “<I should have allowed only half, I didn’t realise you’d absorb it so quickly. My apologies.>”

“<I’m a rapid metaboliser… the effect may wear off sooner than usual>” She had that as a human too but it was only ever prominent when drinking coffee… or back when she had an epidural for the C-section. She was surprised Anufi hadn’t clocked on sooner but… she supposed the daily visits weren’t enough to see. Okul knew given how many times they upped her medicinal tea strength the last week.

“<Then take a moment. The Sarentu are here and I feel your spirit is settled within this form enough to share your memories with them.>”

“<What? Today?!>” Alma couldn’t shake the alarm in her voice. “<I thought I had more time…>” She suddenly felt under prepared. Surely there was a few more days or hours for her to get mentally geared for this.

“<There is much happening that you do not know of and the Sarentu have waited long enough.>” Anufi said, not uncaring but stern in her words. “<I am not asking you, either. I did not tell you earlier so as not to get you too riled with anxiety or attempt to escape.>”

Alma swallowed thickly, her gaze dropping. “<I wouldn’t have run>” Not just on the basis of having a broken rib that was still healing but she couldn’t do that to the kids. The truth was coming out and she accepted that… just not suddenly and then and there. It was suddenly very overwhelming.

“<I can’t know that. You kept them in the dark for sixteen years and asleep for fifteen more. You have not been honest.>”

Alma sighed deeply and slowly scrambled out of her blankets, pulling her waistcloth straight as well as her top, her side aching uncomfortably so she kept her hand pressed softly to the dressing. Her tail didn’t settle and swished continually as she nodded for Anufi to lead the way; best to get this over with, right?

The stares were lingering, burning as she passed the people and some, she was glad did not notice her as they were too busy with their own work. She was led down and out of the main left-side structure and down past Heykinak who was crafting a new bow.

“<… is Anufi really letting a Dreamwalker into the Circle of Ancestors?>” A Kame’tire whispered of soft disapproval to her friend. “<It’s not right.>”

Alma stamped down her feelings in regards to that and instead focused ahead to see both Kìoetey and Ri’nela waiting close to the whispering Greatcaps.

Both looked a little mentally preoccupied but Kìoetey was crouched and content. Ri’nela was pacing a little, not so at peace but both turned their way at their entry into the circle. A few woodsprites bouncing close.

Kìoetey spared a look at her then away, then sharply back as if suddenly recognising her. “Alma?” She asked, her eyes dropping down to take her in fully. “You’re wearing Na’vi clothes?”

Alma’s arms came and wrapped around her chest, feeling a little self-conscious at the attention. “I didn’t have my clothes coming here. It was this or my underwear.” She felt the heat flood her ears and cheeks. At least her hair was the same.

“Ah,” Kìoetey nodded, “I forgot about that. Sorry, I should have asked So’lek or someone to bring some down.”

“That doesn’t matter right now,” Ri’nela spoke, drawing their attention. “<Now is the time for answers.>”

“<Indeed. Connect with Eywa, all who wish to see. I will stand by should you need me>” Anufi said, offering a space near the mushroom.

Alma’s stomach churned with dread and anxiety as she knelt by the strand of the Greatcaps, cool to touch with her fingers as she pulled it towards her, her other hand finding her kuru slowly but she found herself staring.

A hand touched her shoulder, almost burning but there was a soft squeeze. “<No more stalling.>”

“<I know…>” but she was scared. She knew she must tell this truth but… what would come of it.. she had no idea. Of course, she knew it’d only be worse if she kept finding reasons not to do this; the Sarentu wanted their answers. She couldn’t hide it forever.

Alma took a final breath before she let the end of her kuru curl around before she felt the familiar wash of white….

Then the next she found herself standing in the middle of a forest tunnel. Familiar in terms of a path once walked; the tunnels of the moot site. Eywa’s construct to house her memories in this visits to transverse rather than jumping to memory after memory. Allowing an ease of observation. Her memory was hazy but clearing the longer she stood there. Distant memories she had tried to suppress seemed to bubble and settle in the conceptual forest around her and waiting for her steps.

Them. Their steps

She wasn’t alone but she could feel Ri’nela and Kìoetey behind her close.

“Why is it dark?” Ri’nela asked. Her voice rang in her ears.

“I suppressed a lot of my memory,” Alma admitted. “I... I wanted to lock it away. From myself. From you.”

“To make it easier for you?”

“Guilt and shame will do that. It was my coping method. Now it all lies ahead of me.” She stared down the tunnel but found the strength to move and take the first few steps. “I know I have to show you the truth.”

The tunnel seemed so long and yet, she soon found herself at the first scene she had seen of the clan, the people so happy dancing around the fire and she felt… surge of memory resurface from the dark, the blue haze lightening with colour that made the two behind her gasp as she saw their people move and dance, the echoing drums.

“I’m starting to remember… back then, I was so thrilled at the idea of meeting the Sarentu. What that could have meant for us… me. I told myself we were doing a good thing but… that’s not how it ended.”

Ri’nela stepped forward before their vision was swamped with a new vision, flooding with the scene from the ship above. Watching from the outside, she saw the ship of soldiers; herself clinging on with uncertainty.

“This is where Mokasa told me to find the Sarentu but—”

“Hey,” Mercer’s tone was sharp, cutting her hesitant statement short. “No time for cold feet, now.”

“We’re just talking to them.” Her memory counterpart echoed, her tail lashing softly, “Do we need this many soldiers.”

“This is our last chance. They’re too primitive to understand what we can do for their children.”

Memory Alma looked more swayed at the latter of that statement, “It’s for the children…” her tone far softer.

“Exactly!” Mercer jumped onto that, “ Just think about what we can achieve. Finally.”

Airily, Memory Alma nodded, “We’re helping them. They’ll see it. In time…” Trying to sound hopeful.

The scene returned back to the clearing of dancing and celebrating Sarentu, but she couldn’t look at them as she led the way through. “It used to be beautiful here.” Alma said, “Then we came.”

Kìoetey tapered off a little to look at the group of children… then to paintings on the rocky wall. “That mural… I’ve seen it before. The colours are so vivid…”

Alma didn’t linger but her eyes came to the foggy shapes of humans, armed and the distant sound of their echoing, breaths that rasped through their mask filters.

The two Sarentu needed no context as to why they were there so they walked silently through these stilled moments. Dread settling in her stomach at what was next, the dark was heavy but she had little choice but to move on towards the clearing. Then they were lurched into a horrific scene.

“No! What are you doing?!” Memory Alma screamed out, amongst the soldiers who fired on the Sarentu. Bodies fall every few seconds from the flickers of metal. “Let me talk to them!”

“Don’t let them run!” Harding’s voice echoed the loudest. “We can’t find them in the forest”

“<Please, stop running! Don’t fight them!>” Memory Alma spoke in Na’vi as if that would stop the shooting. Two more Sarentu fell behind, fires no longer in control and spilling out…

“Harding. No one gets out.” Mercer called.

Memory Alma continued to look out at the scene in horror, helpless.

Then they were back… but the dancing scene they had started off was now a scene of death. Bodies laid as they fell.

Her mouth felt dry, a temporary numbness settling in which allowed her to speak. “I... I always said I didn’t know. But I did.” She admitted, leading on over the bodies because they could not stay here. “I hungered for glory… recognition at any cost. But our dream started with a massacre.”

She walked past the barrels of toxic chemicals, used to cover up and dissolve the bodies. Hide the evidence from the outside world. But the next and last clearing had her falter a little… little Aha’ri in her Sarentu clothing, crouching down in front of Colonel Harding… terrified and traumatised to have witnessed her clan’s demise. Her own mother’s death.

“No, Aha’ri…” Alma whispered with regret. She took a heavy breath to carry on, the guilt and the grief of her actions felt so tight around her ribs and threatened to choke her. “I had to focus on you. The children. Protect you… but now I know we’re the ones you needed protection from. We… We wanted our school. Our program. So we stole you. Your clan tried to stop us… so we killed them.” There was no denying her part in it. “My human death is no absolution to the crimes we committed here. I understand that…”

Memory Alma was kneeling now, almost defeated amongst the horror of the unexpected death and destruction. “The Na’vi will never forgive us. Never.”

“The Na’vi will never know,” Mercer said, cold as ever.

Memory Alma’s head bowed in shame, her shoulders sinking down.

“Here, take this.” Harding’s voice was bored.

 Memory Alma turned to see and her attitude changed to something soft as she rose carefully to Aha’ri who was more or less pushed her way. “Don’t worry, little one.” She pulled the girl close as if to shield the six-year-old’s view of the burning and death around. “I’ll protect you.” The loudest sound was the little doll Aha’ri dropped onto the grass…

She found herself back out of the memory, lingering for a moment before she felt Ri’nela and Kìoetey disappear from the memory… the clearing. Leaving her alone without a word. She swallowed thickly before she felt the grass under her real body return and the other hand touch hers…pulling her hand and kuru away.

The scene around was replaced by the Circle of Ancestors… Anufi stepped back to allow her space.

Alma’s head turned but she had no words to speak as the two Sarentu looked at each other, tears in their eyes but there was more to it. No words needed to be spoken as Kìoetey rose to her feet, jaw tensing and loosening. Ri’nela was quick to follow but first to leave with clenched fists and nothing said.

“K-Kìoetey…” Alma tried, her voice cracking.

“No.” Kìoetey shut her down instantly, not even looking at her before she more or less stormed from the circle…

Alma stared before she ducked her head, regret once again filling her stomach.

“Come, back to rest in quiet; they need time to comprehend what they have seen.” Anufi was stern, pulling her up to her feet but she had no strength to fight her on it; to try and chase after and explain but… her head felt funny. The energy she had had was fading fast and she felt the new dregs of tiredness behind her eyes.

“<Are-Are you gonna see too?>” She asked, allowing herself to follow.

“<Not today. I have seen enough pain and death. Hear me when I say this, do not mistake the care we provide as anything less than duty. As you’re part of the resistance, you’re an ally of Kame’tire and privileged, despite the blood on your hands.>”

Which as Alma understood, was the only reason she was still not shoved out into the cold like Mokasa. They held the same crime but Anufi knew the connections were thin between the human side of the Resistance and the clan; she was treading carefully to not snap those bonds when they needed them. A political move, so to speak. Mokasa on the other hand had no ties to protect him.

“<When can I go? Return to the resistance?”

“<Tomorrow>”

Alma nodded. “<Okay.>” She had time to plan her next course of action. She hoped Anqa would pick her up otherwise it was going to be a very long walk.