#it was supposed to be a drabble

[thebubblesareevil]

My mom Married Superman!

Danny is almost 15 in the beginning

The first time Clark met Danny he thought he was a threat (he is but only a potential one) there were reports of a green portal opening in the middle of metropolis and something flew out. Superman came to the rescue of course and he found the figure that came through. He had gravity defying white hair, purple skin, and he was wearing a torn black and white suit with combat boots and a jacket. (I love this version of his design). The thing that concerned him the most is that he didn’t seem to have a heartbeat . He appeared to be injured, he was bleeding green and holding his side, however when Superman approached him he got defensive and attacked, Superman and the Alien? Fought for nearly an hour before the intruders injuries finally caught up to him and he took off, Clark followed him at top speed and at one point lost track of him. Clark scoured the city looking for him, but the being was gone Clark searched a bit longer before heading back to the daily planet just in time to see Lois heading out for the day. Clark asks her if she would like him to walk her home and she says she’s fine and that’s she’s gonna stop and get groceries anyway. So she heads home and she’s almost home with a bag of groceries when she passes by an alley and hears a quiet groan.

She stops for a moment before she gave in to her curiosity. She pulls out her taser and slowly makes her way through the alley to find the source of the noise. She was expecting a lot of different things, what she wasn’t expecting was a teenage boy covered in blood and some kind of green goo. She says shit and goes to call 911 when the kid wakes up. He sees her with her phone and tries to get up and run away. She tells him to calm down she’s not gonna but him, she calling for help right now. If anything this freaks him out even more he grabs the phone and throws it at the wall yelling NO! When he sees her start to back away. He apologizes and says no hospitals. I’ll be fine just go. Lois on the other hand “says to hell with that! Look kid you’ve got two options; either I call an ambulance, which might be hard considering my phone is now in pieces, or I drag your ass back to my apartment, we get you patched up, and you tell me what’s going on.” Danny just gapes at her for a second before letting out a broken laugh. “What could you possibly gain from helping me?” Lois gives him a predatory grin and bluntly say “one hell of a story, whether it gets told or not is your choice but I wanna hear it”

Danny looked her in the eye, he was barely able to stand, leaning against a wall, he weighed his options. If he wasn’t hurt he would be fine but if the red and blue weirdo showed up again he might be in trouble. On the other hand if he went with her she might betray him. He sighed and said fine but at the first sight of trouble he’s gone. She agrees and goes to help him stand and is surprised and worried at how light he is. “By the way the names Lois, Lois lane.” Danny gives a short “Danny” back

When they get to her apartment Lois immediately got to work. She laid out some towels and got him on the couch. His blood had started to dry so they had to cut his shirt off, much to Danny’s protest. What she found underneath made her blood go cold. Burns, bruises, slashes, and even what looked like bullet wounds, though she definitely couldn’t tell you what kind of gun did THAT, along his side is a massive blast wound. She wasn’t sure how he was ALIVE let alone awake. Once they manage to get him cleaned up Lois gets to work stitching up any open wounds she could, thankful for all the first aid training her dad forced her to learn.

By the time they are done with the first aid Danny is barely conscious. Lois tells him to get some sleep and they can talk things over in the morning. Danny doesn’t really have the energy to argue and so he just lays down. Lois watches as he falls asleep, she turns down the lights and starts to head to her room when she hears a quiet “thank you” she gives a soft laugh and says “anytime tough guy” she climbs into bed and before she dozed off she had the passing thought of “what the heck have I gotten myself into”

————-

The next morning Lois jumps out of bed, not sure what woke her up until she hears something in the other room. She grabs the bat from next to her bed and slowly makes her way to the kitchen. She’s just about to swing when she sees the heavily bandaged teen… cooking? “And what do you think you are doing?” He drops the hot pan spilling grease and now there’s smoke. Before she can even grab the extinguisher the floor is frozen. She just stares at the ice before looking back up at Danny’s panicked face.

“Well that’s convenient, got anymore tricks up your sleeves?“ Danny laughs and says a couple she freezes and says “I was joking!there’s more?!” Danny rubs the back of his neck before flinching. Lois sighs and tells him to go sit down before he hurts himself even more and she’ll order delivery.

Once she’s ordered the food she goes into the other room to see Danny on the ground. She rushes over to help him and asks what happened. He looks absolutely destroyed, and says he “couldn’t change, why can’t I change, what’s wrong with me” she helps him sit down and asks him to explain what happened. He tells her that he has certain “abilities” like the ice and he was hoping to change forms to speed up the healing process. But he couldn’t change. She looks at him and asks change into what? What are you some kinda superhero. Danny looks down clenching his fists and says no, I’m not, superheroes save people I couldn’t even save HER. He grabs his abdomen like he’s in severe pain and just says it hurts… she kneels down in front of him and says that it’s going to be okay, not even Superman can save everyone. He looks at her through pained eyes and says one of the most surprising things so far “who is Superman?”

Over the next hour while they are waiting for the food to arrive they come they discover a few things 1 Danny is from another universe 2 something is blocking Danny from accessing his power (Danny suspects that it has something to do with failing his “obsession”) 3 apparently Danny is half dead (for the last time I am not a zombie) 4 Danny fought superman (still a stupid name) and 5. Danny is never going back if Lois has anything to say about it. A lot to process and not a lot of time to process it. In the meantime they needed supplies. Lois gives Danny her computer so he can learn about this universe while she goes to the store to get more medical supplies, some clothes that will fit Danny, and wine (cus god knows she’s gonna need it) when she got back she found Danny passed out on the couch with the laptop on the floor. She’s just about to pull the blanket back over him when he surges forward from a bad dream reopening his wounds the two of them rewrap his wounds Danny apologizes and says he’ll get out of her hair as soon as possible. She laughed and said you kidding you still owe me the rest of that story youre not going anywhere anytime soon. Danny smiles laying down and saying thank you before falling back asleep.

The next few weeks passes much the same although Danny is healing remarkably fast. The two of them create a sort of routine but one day Lois forgets her phone and Danny decides to venture beyond Lois’ apartment and bring her the phone. He gets distracted and lost twice but manages to find the place without much difficulty after that. He arrives only to learn that Lois has rushed out to conduct an interview with her partner. Perry has exactly 0 hesitation before putting him to work. Lois returns with Clark in tow to find Danny, covered in printer ink, being named the conquering hero for repairing the printer.

Lois leads them in a toast to their dear hero and introduces Danny to all of them as the son of an old college friend who just passed and tells them he’s gonna be staying with her for the time being. Everyone gives Danny their condolences, but it’s when Clark approaches that he doesn’t stop staring. Lois laughs and tells Danny not to worry smallville might look tough be hes harmless before giving him a wink. Danny laughs and says it’s nice to meet him. He then gives Lois her phone and is about to leave when perry calls back to him asking where his new intern is going Lois let’s out a loud laugh and turns to Danny and says looks like you’re stuck here now Perry’s not letting go. She then yells back that he and jimmy are going on a coffee run. Danny likes jimmy olsen he reminds him a bit to much of Wes for him to be comfortable but he likes him none the less, plus he lets Danny get a death wish coffee with a triple shot of espresso without judgement so he has no complaints.

Later that night Lois and Danny get home (doesn’t that sound nice) with their take out and (just because he’s a little shit) just as Lois takes a sip of her drink Danny asks when she was gonna tell him that Clark was Superman? She of course spews her drink all over the place and yells WHAT?!? Before laughing because really clark? Nerdy I can’t see without my glasses Clark? Never seen at the same time as Superman Clark? Surprisingly tall Clark? Highly efficient Clark? The Clark that always seems to have the scoop on Supes’ villains Clark? I’ve never actually seen him WITHOUT the glasses Clark?!? And damn if it didn’t make sense CLARK!?!?!!!

“I’m gonna kill him” “you’re not gonna kill him”

She yells back why not?!! And Danny raises his eyebrow and says you’d miss flirting with him too much. She raises a finger like she’s about to argue but just shrugs and says “you’re not wrong”

Danny laughs and finishes “and besides HE doesn’t know you know or I know, don’t you want to torment him a little. Just a little harmless revenge?” Lois Wipes away an imaginary tear “I’m so proud”

Together the two come up with different ways to mess with Clark, Danny using his limited access to his powers and Lois being well lois and flirting relentlessly talking about all the things she do if she had Superman, getting Clark to play fuck marry kill using Superman Batman and Wonder Woman. It comes to an end however when Clark overhears the two coconspirators planning their next prank. He does the whole sorry for not telling you but I had to protect you spiel that Danny already warned her about so she cuts him off. “I’m not mad at you for keeping your secret, but you can’t blame me for having a little fun with it when we figured it out.” Clark is relieved and things go pretty smooth from their. Danny doesn’t want Clark to know everything about him just yet (how do you tell Superman he went toe to toe with a half dead teen?) but they tell him that he’s a meta and his family situation is… complicated to say the least.

It’s about a month after the big reveal that Danny accidentally calls lois mom. It was at the planet that it happened. At this point everyone had figured out that the backstory was at least partially fake, but they could also tell that Danny did not have the best home life, so when danny is focusing on his homework and says “hey mom can you help me with something real quick” no one said a thing however there were a few teary eyes (perry) not that anyone would admit it. A few weeks later when Lois asks Perry for help adopting Danny she had a team of investigative reporters ready to blackmail every official in the city to grease the wheels to get things going (surprisingly all of Danny’s birth records are readily available, lois suspects Clark, Danny suspects someone a little more…blue). Danny has made it clear to Clark that he doesn’t really want to be a superhero (not again, he can’t fail again) and so he doesn’t bring him up to the league (Batman is already very aware of lois lanes new meta son, how could he not be when Bruce Wayne got 3 different calls from the daily planet recommending their newest intern for the Wayne scholarship). It’s been nearly a year and Clark has fully integrated into the family. With Danny’s help Clark plans a romantic evening and proposes at the top of the daily planet.

Danny was the ring bearer. When clark first told Danny his intention to propose he told him straight off the bat that he would not call him dad, he has a dad, he may be dead(a primordial god?)but he is still his dad. But he might be persuaded to call him paw but he’d have to earn it. (Clark teared up a bit Jonathan Kent loves his worlds best pawpaw shirt) that Father’s Day he got a #2 dad mug (later on as he is walking into the kitchen he finds a blue man with silver hair drinking out of a #1 dad cup who says suck it before vanishing).

It’s not long after Danny turns 16 that things get a little strange. Clark comes home one day stressed and he doesn’t really want to talk about it. Lois forces him to sit down and explain what happened. When Clark tells them he has a clone Danny freezes for the rest of the explanation. He manages to shake him out of his stupor before he asks Clark when he’s gonna meet his step brother. Clark is confused and says he’s not sure what’s gonna happen next but he’s not his son. Danny looks him dead in the eye and says “I know you are freaking out right now and that is OKAY you had your dna STOLEN and used to make a whole person, I’d be worried if you weren’t freaking out, but right now this is not about you. This is about your clone who just woke up, found out that everything he knew was a lie and has no idea what is going to happen to him. He needs YOU whether that’s as a father, brother, uncle, or cousin he needs your support” Clark looks towards lois and he gets a similar response “smallville, he’s right I know you, and I know you’re gonna do what you think is right, but that boy needs a family just as much as Danny did and I’ll be damned if we leave him on his own” Clark looks between the two and says “thank you, both of you, I’m not sure how we are gonna do this but we can give it a try.” Danny gives a small smile and says “I’ve got an idea, it’s crazy but it’s something.” What follows is a very long story and a promise of secrecy.

The next week Clark goes to mount justice to meet with the team. It took a whole lot of convincing but Danny is right there with him when he arrives, looking a little worse for wear after an unpleasant trip through the zeta tube (memories of a cold mechanical tunnel and pain pain pain). When Clark introduces him as his stepson the newly named Conner flinches a bit ( this does not go unnoticed by Danny) and Batman explains that Danny will be helping with training and getting the mountain fully upgraded. The team is suspicious and after the meeting is over Danny manages to sneak up on conner and guides him into the next room with Superman to have an important heart to heart. Everything is not perfect but Clark joins in every now and again with training until the two can get comfortable with each other. Danny fits in well with the team and even gives out pretty good advise every now and then. It has not slipped by anyones notice how protective of Conner Danny can get but hey he’s his little brother who can blame him? And it’s not like Conner hasn’t gotten pretty protective (he saw Danny without his shirt ONCE that was more than enough) Danny flirts relentlessly with Kaldur who is fully convinced he’s joking, Conner is convinced his older brother is a hopeless idiot and is honestly not shocked that he managed to get a girlfriend before he did. M’gann thinks it cute and tries to help Danny.

Everything is going great until Zatara brings his daughter to visit the team. She just keeps STARING at Danny, she’s not mean, she’s not rude, she doesn’t flirt, in fact she is downright friendly to Danny. It’s the staring that annoys Conner and Kaldur (for very different reasons) and after her father is taken by the helmet of fate that she really starts to hang out with Danny more. She won’t explain but sometimes she looks sad when she looks at him.

(Danny tries transforming over and over again even as the pain gets worse with every attempt before the team finds him collapsed in the middle of the base, he refuses to explain. His core so very slow to heal itself so certain of his previous failure scared to fail again). When Danny finds out that lex Luther is blackmailing and mind controlling his brother well let’s just say. You can’t prove a thing and neither can lex and that’s what matters (he still shudders at the neon green color of the kryptonite he keeps with him at all times)

When vandal savage makes his move and the team is forced to fight the league the light managed to get a chip in Danny’s neck and klarion decides to play a little. As the team is making progress klarion pulls out his hostage and orders him to unalive himself. The team screams Danny does nothing, klarion repeats the order and still nothing, as he starts to throw a tantrum Danny turns his neck fully around his green green green eyes staring into klarions soul and said in the dead tongue.

Wͦh͕̻̟́ͩ̇͂͊o̗̗͓̞͑ͪ̅ ̞͉̻̺̟̓̀ͥͦ̽̉a̞̣͈͚̱ͮͮ̇r̻̦̉ͩ̆ͅe̻̱͎ͧ ̫͔̔ͧͤ͐̾ͣ̀Y͚̰̦̠̰̏̑O̜̭͍͉̥̍Ú̹ͭ̏̇ ̞͒͗̿ͫt͖̣̮͚̩ͬo̭̯̮̳͕̽̐̎ ̝̤c̝̠͔̈́̄o̖͍͔͕̎͌m͇͍̲͋ͪ̄͑ḿ̻͚͎͊̍ͧ͗̊ȧ͆͌ͨ̑n̖͚̳̹ḋ̼̱̮͙͙ͥͧ ̥̮͈̞̆̉͑M͚̲̹ͩ̿̆Eͥͯ͗ ̗͇͓̹̣̠͍ͦͭͪ͐w͓̳ͨ̋̎ḭ̜̤̲̘̼̭͗t̲̹̻͔͓̞̂̓ͅc͖̻͚̯̠̤̳̑ͣ̔͆̃̉ẖ̞̝͈̘͉͍̍̈̑ ͙̯̠̋͗͐ͩ̒b̭͔̓͑o̰̺̼͖̫͖̽́̑ỵ̘̩͉͇͙̓̍ͣ͐͑͊̒

Klarion backs up and when vandal tells him it’s time to go he does so without a fight. Danny returns to normal as soon as they apply the cure Kaldur catches him as he falls and looks at the rest of the team and asks “what just happened” Danny doesn’t tell them he can’t.

As time passes Kaldur and Artemis end up going undercover, Danny is never convinced of Artemis’ death no matter what dick says but doesn’t tell anyone. While klarion is no ally to them he does not harm Kaldur even when he clearly wants to after all “he wouldn’t be to happy if his little toys got hurt” Danny starts college double majoring in astronomy and mechanical engineering but he drops in every now and again to visit Conner, wolf, and sphere (he always brings a new squeaky toy for wolf each time he visits, reminded of how much cujo loved his). The mystery of who Danny is stays a mystery, until a new plot arises.

The News arrives by way of doctor fate, the ancient sorcerer felix Faust has summoned an entity from another universe to siphon its power as his own. The team move in immediately. Across the continent Danny is having dinner with Lois and Clark when his core starts to BURN

He falls to the ground and both rush to help him but there is nothing they can do. Danny does something he hasn’t been able to do in over a year. He calls to the ring of rage and a portal opens in the middle of the apartment. From the other side they can hear a girls bloodcurdling scream Danny drags himself through the portal followed by Superman and on the other side he sees a face he never thought he’d see again.

Elle is stuck in the middle of the summoning circle angry and In pain, screaming, she sees Danny and her face is so filled with hope she reaches for him only to be shocked by the barrier. Danny is barely being held back by superman before Danny says in a whisper only someone with super hearing could hear “cover your ears” both Conner and Clark do so and Danny looks right at the boosted Faust and he

Sͦ̒C̫̦͛R͊́͌̓E̲̹͓̰͗͐͛̈͆Ā͖̔ͧM̜̪̺̭̊͐S̥͙͚̰͚̘

Everyone covers their ears trying desperately to block out the screams in vain. Faust is on the ground but Danny just keeps screaming until a bright light surrounds him and he is replaced by the glowing form of Phantom, above his head there is a freen flaming crown he vanishes and reappears right in front of Faust

iͤf̰͂ͫ̄̎ͪ͛ͭ ̝ͪ̏͂y̹̬̺̍̌͊ͅo̞ͦù̺͓̞ ̬̔ͬe̦̯̣̹̞̒̌̆̋̐v̪̗͓̲͈̹̓ͥe͈̜ͣ̔́ͯ̍͒̚r̫̎̉̂͑̀̈́ ̼͎͋ͭlá̟̰̮ͨ̐ͅy̬̖ͅ ̞̥̈̄͋̊̎͆à͔̻͇̮̈́͋ͬ̑ ̤̯̘̝̂ͤͯh͖͎́̅̍ͤ̅a͇ǹ̺͖̩̻̣̊̈͑̌ͣ̈d͙ͧ ̯̣̭͓̦̾ō̹̰͇͙̓̐ͤ̑̋ͦn̰̘ͯͪ̃͐̈ͮ ̪̗͖̫͚͊̾ͣ̽ͦh̬̰̠̞̻̹͑͊ͮ͛̑̍ȅ͚̆̄r̤̠̼ ͎͇̾á̟̩ͤ͌ͭ̈͗ͅg̖̪̰̗̳̘̍̅́a͓̝̻̾̉̏͌i͍̭n̖̮͎̼̗͚ͭ͐ ̙̥̫̜̱̖̩t̰̳̭̜͐ͧ̒h͍͖̮̣̘̼̖ͫi͎̣̬̲ͥͤ̇ŝ̠͖̦̗̻͔̮ͧ̆̾ ̯ͭ̄͗ͪ͒̾w̯͕̲͇̦͍̔͊̋̋i̜̠̳̳ͦͥͥl͚͕͔̫ͤľ̜͇̦̲͍͉͎͗̈́͂ ͖̱͎̩̺̺ŝ̩̭̼̤̰ͤ́͐ͦ̚ê̫̮̤͇̺͙͂͒ͦ̔̾e̬̰̠̤̫̾ͥ̊m̜͚̥̱̰͇ͫ͛ͥͩ̿̚ ͥ̌̽̈l͚͎̼̪̳͙̦ͭ̃́̌ͫ͗͛i̼̠͇̼̍k̪͕͉̭͎̩͐ͦ̓̒ͨḙ͙̤̞͉̐ ͔͉͈̠̈m͉̖̀͛̔̉e̘̹̬̩ͧ̐̇͆ͫͧ̚r̭c̬̫ͬ̑̑͒ͯͭy͎͎̼̦̗̝̱͋́͐̽ͣ̽

Faust then collapses before the ghost. Danny rushes over to Elle freeing her from the circle, followed by Conner and Clark. After a touching reunion they all return to the ship where Clark asks if Danny is gonna introduce her? Danny laughs and says sorry almost forgot “clark, Conner meet Danielle, my clone/cousin/would be assassin” seeing their shocked expressions Danny says don’t look so shocked I am not the only one here that has been cloned which leads to Elle thoroughly bombarding Conner with questions.

(When asked why she never told him she was okay she explained that normal ghosts can’t travel through universes dumbass)

When Elle finds out about about Danny’s crush she teams up with Lois to get them together. It was chaos pure and simple

[vaciena]

Why has my “how did this affect them??” fic turned into a massive plot line

[mypoisonedvine]

the "it's just a drabble" to "hm it's getting pretty long" to "I'm already thinking about the sequel" pipeline

[favesgrave]

no idea where i’m going with this fic‼️

[finalyaksha]

Canon Verse Angst “Drabble” - Safely Under Your Wings

Xiao had rescued her.

Actually, that wasn’t really accurate.

It was Alatus.

Yes, this time it was not Xiao, but the Golden Winged King, Alatus.

Two pairs of wings; large, golden, and powerful, flapped through the air as if controlling nature itself. He was navigating through the sky diligently, but on high alert.

Keqing, wrapping her arms tightly around the Yaksha’s neck, was being carried firmly in his arms.

The two were in the middle of Cuijue Slope, avoiding a Ruin Hunter in high pursuit. The Millelith had been dispatched to dispose of it, but the automaton was much more aggressive than usual. Thus, the Conqueror of Demons and Yuheng, who’d been patrolling the area, took matters into their own hands.

Their relationship was still a secret in Liyue, but the matter was too urgent for any of the officers to question why the Vigilant Yaksha was conveniently tagging along with Lady Keqing. As soon as they caught wind of the situation, they began to close in, attempting to lead the Ruin Hunter further into the valleys where it could be defeated.

Unfortunately, whatever Abyss magic was at play here was stronger than what either Keqing, or even Xiao, were used to. The pair found themselves losing the upper hand quickly. The Ruin Hunter began to launch attacks toward them, far too quickly for them to anticipate. While Xiao was able to adapt, Keqing could only move so nimbly in such an uneven space.

When she could dodge attacks no longer, Xiao immediately came to her rescue. Summoning his golden wings, those which he had rarely used, he scooped Keqing into his arms, while the Ruin Hunter gave chase.

Now, as Keqing was calculating their next plan of action, she caught a glimpse of the Yaksha’s face. His eyes were focused ahead of them. Narrow and determined. To complete their mission, yes. That much was certain. But also, she knew he was more worried about her safety. And despite the urgency of the situation and the fact that her heart was admittedly racing at how quickly things had turned on them, she steeled herself to remain calm.

And despite his own lack of confidence in dealing with such a powerful foe, Xiao’s grip never loosened.

If anything, it grew tighter, pulling Keqing closer to him.

She knew she was safe.

She always felt safe with him.

Nevertheless, Keqing knew that Xiao couldn’t continue like this. He was just barely avoiding the slashes of the machine when he summoned as much additional power as he could muster, teleporting the pair a considerable distance away, setting Keqing on part of the cliff that extended outward and formed a small crevice.

“You’re unhurt?” He asked.

“I’m fine.” She replied.

Keqing could see the doubt in Xiao’s eyes. She had sustained a few cuts and bruises from a missile that had been fired at them when they initially approached the rouge Ruin Hunter. While she was able to avoid it, she’d still been caught by some of the debris.

“I’ll be fine.” Keqing assured him. Xiao could tell by her tone that the “as long as you’re here” did not need to be voiced.

“It’s becoming too dangerous.” Xiao said, rising to his feet. His shirt was falling off him, barely hanging on after his wings had torn through it. “I’ll have to lead the automaton away from here before trying to challenge it. It has too much of an advantage now. You’ll have to stay here.”

“But Xiao-”

“You’ll be hurt if I continue like this. It knows that. That’s why its targeting you.” Xiao said, firmly, before his tone became softer. “Wait here, okay? Just hide. Don’t let it see you and don’t move from this area until I come back.”

The concern for her in his voice was evident. As much as she hated it, Keqing knew this was no time to be stubborn. She refused to be a burden, even if it meant having to take to the sidelines.

“Okay. Just hurry back.”

The Yaksha nodded, pressing a kiss onto her forehead before suddenly darting off, as the Ruin Hunter whizzed after him. Had he remained a second longer, the creature would have potentially slammed itself into the cliffside, eliminating all three of them.

Keqing’s heart raced as she realized how close she’d come to death. Despite having selfishly wished she could have had Xiao’s lips remain on her forehead for another moment, she inwardly praised his ability to sense that he was in no position to do so.

The Ruin Hunter gave chase, but Xiao wasn’t making it an easy feat. While it was not particularly the time to be admiring him, Keqing couldn’t help herself. It was magnificent, seeing him fly. It was only recently that Xiao confessed to her that he hadn’t used his wings in centuries. Ever since his return from the Chasm, he’d felt compelled to show them to her; to reveal a part of himself to her that he’d previously kept hidden away. Only his former comrades and Rex Lapis had seen them.

Immediately, Keqing had fallen in love with them. And it only deepened her love for the one who controlled them. His wings were beautiful, and Keqing had been honored that she had been the first one to see them in hundreds of years.

He’d been getting accustomed to using them again, and Keqing was always eager to see them summoned. Whether the Adeptus was training, doing surveillance, or simply…taking her on a ride to see Liyue…it was a breathtaking sight, seeing the Demon Conqueror control the skies. Thinking about those moments allowed her to push aside any feelings of helplessness that were threatening to overtake her.

It had taken Xiao a lot to put aside his pride and allow her to take care of them for him after a hard day’s work. She would wash them, comb through them, and then finish with a relaxing brushing. It was a soothing pastime the two were growing to enjoy. As Keqing’s eyes remained on the Yaksha, she kept her mind focused on how many hours it was going to take her to get them back in shape once they finished the mission.

Not that she minded. She could stay cozied up beneath his wings for hours. There was something intimate about it that made her feel safe.

Xiao’s flight wasn’t as good as it usually was. Keqing could tell. He’d taken a few hits while he’d been carrying her, putting him at a disadvantage. Still, Xiao tried to keep the Ruin Hunter’s attention enough to lead it out of Cuijue Slope, but at a distance to avoid taking any more serious damage.

He had almost made his way out of the valley when the automaton suddenly seemed to be moving faster. As if it had been capable of doing so the entire time and had been holding back. Its body glowed; something in the area was making it stronger. Keqing looked around for some sort of Leyline disorder, her eyes darting along the ground, but unable to notice anything unusual. As her eyes were zipping, something caught her attention, bringing them back forward.

The Ruin Hunter, assuming a tremendous amount of speed, pulled its drill-like arm backwards, before piercing it into Xiao’s left wing.

Keqing flinched, squeezing her eyes shut and willing herself not to call out to Xiao, lest she attract the beast’s attention. It was a serious injury, she knew. And painful. But as painful of an injury as she could tell it was, she knew it was something the Conqueror of Demons could quickly free himself from.

At least, that was what she thought.

Until she heard the strained scream echoing through the ravine.

Immediately, her eyes shot open, and it was only then that Keqing noticed that Xiao had not only had one wing pieced, but both wings on his left-hand side. The nerves had been torn apart and neither could be controlled.

“XIAO!” Keqing screamed. “Get out of there!”

The Ruin Hunter ripped the drill from Xiao’s wings, sending the Yaksha hurtling downwards as he desperately tried to keep himself air bound. He was trying to hide it, but it was clear Xiao wasn’t going to be able to carry his own weight with only his right wings to work with. The Ruin Hunter began to close in on Xiao’s weakened state.

Instinctively, Keqing lunged forward, a move that would have certainly sent her flying off the edge of the cliffside to her death. She had no idea why she moved or no inkling of what she intended to achieve by doing so, as she and the Conqueror of Demons were hundreds of feet apart. She just felt the urge to do something. In an instant, she was surrounded by a field of Anemo energy, encasing her where she sat. Despite how weak he was, Keqing was unable to break through the field Xiao had just cast.

Keqing continued to scream helplessly as she watched Xiao continue downward. He was facing the Ruin Hunter now, his Jade Spear in hand. He eyed the machine for what felt like minutes before it lunged at him once again. This time, Xiao managed to twist his body to avoid the attack and land on top of the creature’s body.

It flew around recklessly, waving its mechanical arm in the air and puncturing through one of Xiao’s remaining good wings. He gritted his teeth, fighting against the pain as he drove his spear through the eye of the machine.

It flailed wildly, trying to regain control. But Xiao, concentrating all his energy into the Jade Spear, pulled it from the eye and, with one final strike, blew the Ruin Hunter into pieces that went hurtling toward the ground.

With no more strength and his wings barely usable, the Yaksha, too, plummeted toward the ground below.

The "NO" Keqing screamed echoed through the canyon until Xiao’s body was no longer in sight.

A second later, the Anemo field disappeared. And with it, Keqing’s heart sank.

She was immediately on her feet, scaling her way to the bottom of the canyon. Her heart was racing; it felt as though her entire body was shaking with every move she made. She was hardly stable on her feet and relied mostly on her Vision to blink to the spot where a cloud of dust was starting to clear.

She heard sounds of footsteps, quickly looking up with a rush of relief, but was disappointed to see it was only a few Geovishap Hatchlings and Hilichurls feeling from the area.

Slightly behind them, she caught sight of what looked like a large lump of golden feathers.

Keqing swallowed as she made her way closer to it, carefully avoiding any feathers on the ground, lest stepping on them somehow hurt the Adeptus a few feet away from her.

She approached Xiao slowly. Carefully. Forcing herself to remain calm.

He’s fine. He’s always fine.

“Hey…Xiao…” she said, quietly.

He promised me he’d always be fine.

“That was…a really hard fall, wasn’t it?”

Keqing moved closer, expecting he’d have gotten up by now. Her heart pounded in her ears as she steeled herself with each additional step that the Adeptus lay motionless in front of her.

“Mm…b-but…you’ve survived far harsher falls than this one. I’ve…I’ve seen it.”

Keqing kneeled beside Xiao, his body unmoving. He’d landed on his side, the impact evident by a deep indent around him. His wings seemed to have broken much of the fall, but a red pool under his body was threatening to coat Keqing’s heels.

“Xiao…come on. You’re…losing a lot of blood.” Keqing said, finally bringing herself to touch the Yaksha. She gently shook him, blinking dust out of her eyes.

He didn’t move or flinch when she touched him.

“Xiao…Xiao…get up.” Her voice was shaky, growing louder as she continued rustling him.

“Xiao…we have to hurry. I can’t carry you that far by myself.” Keqing said, grabbing one of his arms and attempting to pull him up.

His body was heavy. Far heavier than it had ever felt before.

The grim reality began to sink in as Keqing forced herself to examine the Adeptus. His expression never changed. He didn’t show any signs of pain. His fingers failed to curl around hers. Blood continued to spill from his body and wings.

And he wasn’t breathing.

Keqing looked around, fighting a desire to scream. She wanted to call for help but knew it would be useless, even if the Millelith happened to hear her. She wanted to release her anguish and curse every Abyssal name she could think of to blame for this. She wanted to cry.

She wanted to punch Xiao and tell him he was an idiot. She wanted to tell him how stupid he was and that he could have been killed being so reckless. She wanted him to say, “I know”, and pull her into his embrace, and tell her, “But I’m still here, aren’t I?” like he always did.

But she could do nothing at this point but weep.

Silently, softly, her tears kept flowing.

She crawled beside him, under one of his tattered wings. Still beautiful and warm, despite their mangled state. She took his arm and draped it over her body, as she curled up as close to him as possible.

There she lay.

Under his wings.

Where she felt safe. ~~~

AO3:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/39610026 

[dormarunt]

I wrote a thing

(It was never just the two of us)

[nkogneatho]

when you die, gojo is still in denial. they say there are five stages of grief, yet he still hasn't been past that first phase. he misses it a lot. your touch on his skin. the way you'd trace random lines on his thighs when you were so indulge in a book. and that sudden grip whenever you came across a thrilling part of it. he always chuckled at your sudden "whats" and "awws".

he misses how your voice would always get gentler when you spoke to him. your usual voice was a little loud but whenever you spoke to him, you'd be so sweet and calm.

he misses how you'd outshine anyone and everyone around you. even him. the strongest. your smile was brighter than the diamond on your engagement ring. but life is unfair, isn't it? he was so excited to turn you from his fiánce to his wife, only to find you dead and cold on the ground, the crimson blood filming the diamond, drenching it in itself.

but to this day, even after so many years, he still finds himself in denial when he accidentally (to what it seems like a hundredth accident) calls you his wife mid conversation with someone else. "oh my wife loves this...perfume," he says to the worker, his voice fading in the end when he realizes he was supposed to use past tense. "loved"

"why don't you gift it to her? i am sure she'll love it," the girl smiles. if only she knew.

but he buys it anyway. decorates it with pink ribbons and stuff, even when he knew you were not there to open it anymore. he comes home, sits in one dim light of the bedroom, unwrapping it. he sprays the perfume on one of your dress that he loved. your scent. god he misses it. the cerulean eyes mimic an ocean once again in the wait of his lover. a useless wait for you were never arriving on his door ever again.

[kentopedia]

nanami kento, who hates dating, and didn’t do much of it in his early twenties. but now, he’s almost thirty, watching all the people he works with settle down, have kids, and he thinks he wants that. so he might as well try.

so satoru sets him up on a few dates — friends of friends, he calls them. and at the end of every one of the dinners, kento goes home empty, exhausted, because he knows what they want is not the same.

still; he thinks maybe he’s being a little self-destructive, maybe too picky, maybe he just got so used to being alone. with satoru’s insistence, he gives all the women another call, invites them over to his apartment.

the first time was a disaster… kento had barely set the dinner on the table before his cat had hissed at her, scratched her down the arm in a thin gash. and though it did draw blood, it was hardly enough to warrant that reaction.

he didn’t even try to stop her as she picked up her bag and left, huffing like she’d been morally offend. kento, though, could only smile to himself in amusement.

because maybe kento was a poor judge of character, a man who was secretly hoping nothing would pan out — but his cat could certainly tell the good from the bad.

it became a little game to him, after that. seeing if anyone could win his pet over, and if they could, perhaps they were the one. his darling animal was a fickle thing anyway. a bit too defensive, quick to bite anything threatening after years on the streets.

naturally, no one came back twice.

he was close to giving up, accepting his solitude because he was tired of empty conversations over dinner. but then, he ventured out over the weekend to a new coffee shop, during hours he normally didn’t spend out of his home, and met you.

though you only talked for a moment, kento felt like maybe he’d known you in a past life. a part of him thought maybe it was strange, the way he kept coming back to talk to you, catching you at the end of your shift to see if you wanted to grab a coffee sometime.

by the second date, kento started to think you could turn out to be his best friend.

by the third date, kento wondered if soulmates were real.

on the fourth date, almost two months later, an appropriate time to get to know someone when you were as reserved as kento, he invited you over for dinner. it was, perhaps, the final confirmation he needed to let himself be with you.

he let you through the door, smiling softly as you told him about the book you were reading, and hung his coat on the rack. a moment later, you stopped, distracted, hands covering your mouth in a gasp.

“kento! she’s the cutest cat i’ve ever seen, you didn’t even show me pictures!” you exclaim, and, a few feet away, crouched down. “look at her pretty eyes…”

“careful,” kento said, “she’s not very—“

but the cat approached your outstretched hand, sniffed once, before letting you scratch her under her chin, purring loud enough for kento to hear across the room.

“shes such a sweetheart, you told me she was mean!” you smiled, making a cooing noise as you threaded your fingers through her fur. “kento’s a liar, isn’t he… you’re so precious.”

a few moments later, she snapped her jaw at you in a biting motion, and you only laughed, withdrawing your hand. “alright, i get it, i won’t bother you anymore.”

though she still brushed against your legs, just as she did kento’s, and seemed to communicate some sort of message to him.

“do you want any help cooking?” you ask, tucking your hair behind your ears. “i’m a disaster in the kitchen, but—“

“sure,” kento said, his chest tightening as he blinked back at you, only in his apartment for minutes and already looking as at home there. he wondered if it was possible to fall in love so quickly. “but only if you want to.”

[starrystevie]

“i must have been real sweet on you,” eddie murmurs as he runs his fingers over his husband’s cheek, sleepy and sated, warm in their bed. 

steve chuckles, twisting his head to catch the tips of eddie’s fingers with a kiss. “why are you talking past tense? you’re not sweet on me now?”

the room is peacefully still. years of baby monitors are long gone only to inevitably give way to their daughter’s teenage years of slamming doors and too loud stereo speakers. but in this moment, with the pale moonlight streaming in through the windows and crickets chirping in the distance, the room is peaceful, thick with love. 

“quit your pouting, ‘course i’m sweet on you now.” eddie wipes away steve’s fake frown with a kiss, turning it into a sticky sweet grin. “it’s just something my mom used to tell me. that freckles are all the places your soulmate in a past life kissed you.”

eddie pushes steve back so he’s laying flat on the mattress and dips his head to press featherlight kisses on the side of his neck. across his shoulders. over his cheeks. his fingertips flutter over the spots afterwards, leaving goosebumps in their wake despite the heat radiating between them. 

“must have loved you a whole lot in our last lives to leave so many on you now,” eddie whispers, pulling back to stroke the back of his hand over steve’s face once more, letting his lips curl up in a dopey half smile that only steve ever gets to see. 

it doesn’t take long for steve to tilt his head up and press kisses of his own where he can; under eddie’s eye, the bottom of his chin, right over his heart. it doesn’t take long for eddie to giggle as his sensitive spots are found and attacked with ticklish kisses and fluttering eyelashes. it doesn’t take long for their legs to tangle together underneath the sheets and their breaths to get caught in their chests and their hearts to start beating a beautiful melody of their own making. 

steve lays a firm kiss to the side of eddie’s chest, over jagged white scarring and half bitten away tattoos. over memories that somehow don’t haunt them as much anymore. 

“what was that one for?” eddie asks, eyes half lidded, the adoration in his voice loud across the quiet room. 

another kiss on another scar. “wanna give you some freckles. for your next life and for this one, too. so you know just how sweet on you I am-” kiss, “ -and was-” kiss, “- and forever will be.”

they won’t know for however many more years if it worked or not. but here in this lifetime, they have all the time in the world to try their damndest to make sure it does. in this lifetime, they don’t have to worry, because they know they’ll  find each other in the next one. 

[cottonlemonade]

Insatiable

warnings: mdni, nsfw

____________________________________________

I strongly believe that Kita has his sexual awakening when he starts dating you.

It takes quite a while before he kisses you deeper than a simple peck but once he does he is like “wait a minute.” and absolutely can’t stop anymore. Doesn’t want to stop anymore.

He starts to stare intensely at you during lectures not even paying attention to the professor because he could be kissing you right now. Why was he wasting his time with higher education?!

Once you guys take it a bit further and he knows what it’s like to eat you out, his mind goes blank and it’s becoming quite a problem. Usually you guys study together and he loves to tutor you but now you pretty much have to do all your reading horizontally because he politely asks if he may eat your pussy while quizzing you.

To be the most efficient lover he starts reading books and articles (and even sinks as low as to ask Atsumu because for some reason the men and women on campus just seem to fall for him left, right and center).

When it’s finally time for Kita to make love to you for the first time he turns primal. He grabs your love handles that he usually squeezes so tenderly when laying between your heavenly plush thighs and snaps his hips forward, burying his hard leaking cock as deep into you as he would the seeds on his fields.

He will from then on come up behind you when you are looking for a book in the library or when you are making dinner for you two, wrap his arms lovingly around your squishy form, maybe set a soft kiss against your temple, and with his usual calm manner, almost innocently, ask if he can fuck make love to you again like this morning.

You have no idea where this sweet, collected man hid all his urges when you met because Kita, once unleashed, is insatiable and you love it.

____________________________________________

[wanderingconstellations]

“i would rather die than to love you from afar„

rafayel would tuck your hair behind your ear and looks at you with loving eyes when you fall asleep listening to his ramblings.

rafayel who acts defiant and dramatic for the fun of it, he adores seeing you grin and laugh at his silly behavior.

rafayel relishes the warmth of your hand intertwined with his. although you may not remember him from your previous lives, he'll make sure to cherish you in this life anyways.

rafayel, who's heart overflows with love. he would do anything to stay by your side, even if it means giving up everything he has for you.

___

xavier, who puts himself on the line for you. your safety is his top priority.

xavier who rarely ever refuses you. he can't, he can't find himself refusing you. ask him anything, and he would do anything in his power to give it to you.

xavier, who would always get hurt and never go to the hospital. he always comes to you with one or two more wounds that you scold him for getting. it isn't his fault he keeps on getting hurt, maybe he just wanted to see you.

xavier would fall asleep everywhere, and sometimes even on you— if you let him. you may not see it, but his eyes is practically brimming with love for you.

___

zayne, who gives you gifts as a sign of his affection.

zayne treasures the memories you guys make together. he keeps those memories close to his heart, loving you despite being cursed with the pain that comes along with it.

zayne who gets flustered when you catch him eating sweets. although he is a doctor himself, he can't resist sweets— which makes you giggle at the mention of that.

zayne, who boldly holds and kisses you. he doesn't care if his love for you will kill him, he would rather die than to love you from afar.

a/n: this might be occ and inaccurate LMAO. had to use the fandom wiki to make it seem accurate as possible. i haven't played the game in a while so ^^

[sunsburns]

I was wondering what oral sex with Luke Castellan , would be like I really like your writing a lot.

y’all need to send me more brain rots cause 🥴🥴 phew [nfsw 17+]

with luke, you already know it’s hot, wet and loud. and maybe a bit rough around the edges where his nails dig into the skin of your hips, or he’s holding you so tight that light bruises are painted on the plush of your thighs, or when he likes to suck and bite on the inside of your thighs, leaving marks for you to find the next morning.

basically... he’s a munch!

he’s so eager to please you and make sure you’re enjoying this as much as he is. giving you head is like, a fixation of his, strangely enough. and it’s nice to think that he loooovveees to moan and spit at your cunt, making such a big mess while he grinds against the covers to find some kind of release at the sounds of your moans. especially when you pull at his hair and scrape your nails against his scalp. he’s a sucker for that shit.

he’d go at it until his jaw locked. even when you’re squirming and whining and crying out his name, it all spurs him to keep going, maybe even adding a finger or two into the mix while he tugs at your clit with his teeth and lets out the most erotic groan you've ever heard, making you even wetter than before, if that was even possible.

“one more. you can give me one more, please,” he’d mutter against you, only pulling away to look up at you with his beautiful brown eyes and pouty lips covered with your slick. how could you possibly deny him what he wants? when he's looking at you so pretty?

oh yeah, you give him whatever he wants, and you take whatever he gives you because you know you’ll get the chance to return the favour sooner or later.

[zephyrchama]

Belphegor followed you down the hall as you dragged your suitcase. It wasn’t very big, but it was still heavy and annoying to lug over the thick decorative carpets. Every time one came to an end, the luggage thudded loudly back onto the hardwood floor.

“You sure you have everything? You packed the pillow I gave you?” Belphegor sluggishly matched his pace to yours. Having long legs must be nice.

“Of course, I triple checked.” ”Good. That’s my fifth favorite pillow, so you have to come back and return it, ok?”

You nodded as the suitcase went over another bump. This was your third time going over this exact conversation.

It wasn’t just the youngest, all of the brothers were antsy about your little trip. It was written all over their faces as you arrived at the foyer where they were waiting. Satan and Asmodeus solemnly stood up from the steps they were sitting on. Mammon and Leviathan had a hard time looking at you, their eyes darted all over the walls and ceiling. Beelzebub offered to move your suitcase by the door.

Just one weekend away. That was it. Solomon volunteered to take you back to the human world for a bit. You couldn't let a rare trip home pass by, as who knew when the next opportunity would arise. You could eat some normal food for once and stock up on your favorite human things. Though, your housemates reacted like you were leaving for a year.

“Did you pack everything?” Lucifer asked.

“Of course, I triple checked.” Deja-vu.

“Even the lotion I gave you?” Asmodeus looked so worried. He loosely took hold of your forearm with a tear in his eye. “Don’t forget, the sun is awful this time of year. I’ll never forgive you if you come back looking like a lobster.”

“Asmo, I won’t.” You grinned at his silly concern and leaned in for a hug. Asmodeus did not disappoint.

Everyone else took a step forward, hoping for a hug of their own, as Asmodeus breathed into your ear, “I’ll be waiting.”

“You have my number. If anything goes wrong, call me.” Lucifer sounded so reliable as he placed a hand on your shoulder.

There were half a dozen chimes of “mine, too!” and “same here!”

You’d been away for longer trips. How in the world did these guys survive for so many millennia before you met them? You turned to look at Lucifer, wanting to counter that Devildom phones didn’t even work in the human world, but he probably knew that already.

"Don't talk to strangers," he reminded, "and don't go out alone at night. Some humans are worse than demons." He wrapped his arms around you and wished “safe travels.”

Mammon stepped up next. He forced himself to stare at you, haughtily playing off the sadness he was really feeling. His bottom lip jutted out a little more than usual. “Well! You’ll bring me back a good souvenir, right?”

“Oh? I don’t know, I might not have time…” It was playful banter, yet your words shocked him. Mammon’s eyes widened. He began stammering and gripped your fingers. You quickly performed damage control, “Joking! I’m joking, Mammon. Of course I’ll get you a souvenir.”

The younger siblings piped up, “us too!”

“I’m getting everyone souvenirs, don’t worry!” You already had a few gift ideas in mind.

Mammon put his forehead on your shoulder and a hand on your back that he rubbed. “But mine’ll be the best. I trust ya.”

“Don’t let Solomon give you any food he cooks,” Beelzebub warned. “Actually, don’t let Solomon give you any food. Ever.” He tried to give you a lumpy-looking cloth bag, no doubt filled with homemade treats to take with you. It smelled scrumptious. Only issue was, the bag was half your size.

“Beel, there’s food in the human world. I can’t take all this, why don’t you enjoy it with your brothers?”

Beelzebub frowned, setting aside his present. It tilted under the weight of its own contents. You felt a slight pang of guilt, but how could you carry it all? That much food could last you a week.

He picked you up for his hug, your toes dangling several inches off the floor until he gently set you back down. Belphegor caught you as you regained your footing.

His hug was simple and cozy. He tucked a strand of your hair behind an ear. “Don’t forget about my pillow.”

You suspected that if you ever actually tried to run away, these seven would go to the ends of the three realms to find you.

Satan nudged your luggage, observing the way it slided forward an inch. It was heavy to you, but clearly not them. “That’s really all you’re bringing? Do you have enough clothes?”

“Yes! You helped me pack!” The repetition was really starting to grate on you. Things were never this crazy when one of them had to leave the house for a few days. They wouldn't even care unless somebody went mysteriously unseen for over a week. “You all know I’ve got everything under control. I’ll be back in two days.”

“Hey, how come Satan got to help you pack?” Mammon complained.

“We did too,” Belphegor said, his twin in agreement.

“It was a group effort,” according to Asmodeus.

Mammon crossed his arms. "No way! You let these guys see your underwear?"

Satan ignored them. “Do you want another book for the road?”

“I’ll be fine.” You gave Satan his hug. After letting go, his fingers hovered by your side. “We’re teleporting there anyway. I don’t think there’ll be time to read anything.”

One suspiciously quiet demon in the back stared at the floor. “Two days,” he sighed. Leviathan did a poor job of hiding how upset he was.

“Levi, aren’t you going to say goodbye?”

“Yes!?” His head jerked up, met your gaze, and looked down again.

“I can’t leave until I get a full set of hugs from everyone,” you admitted. “I’m missing a very valuable part of the collection.”

Asmodeus and Mammon readily offered themselves for a second go. Leviathan’s cheeks flushed with envy and he grabbed you a little roughly, squishing his face into your shoulder. “You’ll take lots of pictures? A-and you won’t forget about us?”

You scoffed, “how could I forget about you? We’re bound together by a pact, aren’t we?” As for photos… you didn't know what would be interesting, but it couldn't hurt to take a bunch anyway.

Lucifer cleared his throat, signaling to Leviathan it was time to let go. "I miss you already," he muttered.

The seven of them followed you out of the house and down to the House of Lamentation’s front gate. It was like having a school of fish circling you. You could call it a miracle they weren't following you onto the main road, but if they went that far you knew they'd unreasonably demand Solomon take them along too.

“It’s just one weekend!” you reiterated. “Take care, you guys.”

They peered at you through the fence bars, waving when you glanced over. It was a sad sight, and possible attempt to make you come rushing back. If it was this bad already, you didn't want to think about how they'd act if you were going away for one week.

[astralnymphh]

i've said this before, but ellie loves being straddled. esp jackson!ellie, when you prompt the position yourself, shifting weight onto your knees n' tossing a leg over right as two r cuddling, like the legit moment you do it her lids hastily peel back and you see her arm reach out for your hips like a reflex— bends at the knees behind you where her thighs press into ur' butt n' fuuckk she gives a faint squeeze to your hip bones, notably her thumb on the opposite side of the bone so you truly feel that dimpled push, and her other fingers inching the round of your butt— on the sly she eases you further on her hips/belly, skimp roll of her groin creasing the fabric under your bottom blehhhh AND THE BUTTON OF HER FLY POKING YOU DELICATELY AUGHH.

tries to keep the conversation ordinary— but her voice, her fucking voiceeee would be so nasally and lush with dry scoffs, "pshh— please, you probably don't know the first thing about 'the turning'." when all she wants to do is flip your body plumb to the mattress and bury you in it with soft, wanton nibbles weaving through the bare/revealing bits of your shirt, to have you giggling and bucking when she ruts her frame through the gap of your spread thighs n' envelop herself in the plush skin, to leave an impression with the tight jam of her fingers fondling said plush fat on your flesh, pretty little raw marks, lovely hidden traces of how fucking bad she needs to take you. ♡

sorry like. ellie x reader starting a relationship in jackson is literally my empire i need to write a whole fucking drabble book on it (or fucking finish tps LMAO) also this angelgbc pic AHHHHHH (dunno the direct source but pls lmk so i can credit)

also update on knight!ellie fic it's going smooth but because it's the prologue it's sooo lore heavy before the romance and tension actually begins to bloom BUTT LIKE heyy!! slowly leads up to some romantic n dirty smut scenes in other chapters!!

[undreaming-fanfiction]

As a crazy cat lady, may I offfer...

Eddie who has always loved cats, how free and soft and elegant they are, how they purr and close their eyes in affection, how they make him forget all his worries and stress. He's loved them ever since a neighbor's cat found him crying behind the trailer after he got bullied for his new haircut, the last gift from his shitty dad before Eddie got whisked away by the social services. The cat ignored his sniffling and jumped in his lap, plopping herself over the bony knees and thin thighs, and when she started rubbing her face against his scraped palm, Eddie felt complete.

He can't adopt one yet because he lives with Wayne who is allergic. Wayne offers to take antihistamines but Eddie refuses, he doesn't want to inconvenience him in his own home. Still, he dreams of one day sometime in the future, a small apartment of his own and at least two cats who will greet him when he comes home.

Eddie finds himself volunteering in a shelter and when a new cat café opens, he jumps at the opportunity. He is hired and spends his days taking of their cat ensemble and preparing delicious coffees. Cats help him be less jittery and more grounded, so it's a win win. Eddie loves this job.

Enter Steve Harrington, an insanely handsome man who stops by to make a reservation. Eddie is his usual flirty self, although he expects Steve will bring a date and that's the end of that. But then Steve leans to Eddie and asks: "Listen, uh...I will need some help."

Suppressing an internal groan, Eddie asks: "what, do you need me to drop an engagement ring into the coffee or something? Because can do, but it needs to be sanitized first."

"Oh no. Not that, no..." Steve runs his fingers through his hair and even though it looks like a nervous gesture, Eddie is seconds away from a cuteness induced nosebleed. "Not at all. I just...I have a little sister, you know? I mean, my adoptive dad is fostering her and she's the kindest girl you've met, but she had it rough in her original family. Apparently there was something involving animals and...she loves cats so much, but is terrified of hurting them. She would never!" he clarifies when he sees a frown forming on Eddie's forehead. "It's just that whenever she showed affection to any animal, her biological father made sure it would get hurt or at least chased away. And that's gone, that man is in jail and I just...I want to show her that it's okay to love animals again. That she can pet a purring cat without worrying about its safety."

Eddie just stares at him with mouth open. "That's...wow," he says. "Sorry. Processing."

Steve does the hair thing again and laughs and Eddie thinks that this man deserves a brother of the year award, yep, he'll ask Gareth to 3D print one right fucking now. "Yeah, sorry. I didn't mean to dump all that on you, but I had to be honest because this is a big deal to her. To me as well. Just...listen, I like cats a lot, but I'm not the best at interpreting what they mean, their body language and all that. And I really need Jane to have someone here that can tell her what to do, when she's doing a good job...someone who will protect the kitties if she messes up. Her words. I know it's a lot to ask, but..."

But Eddie shushes him. "Say no more, big boy. I'll be here and I'll give the young lady the cat experience of a lifetime."

Eddie used to think he couldn't love his job any more. But with Jane's uncertain smile and big eyes, her incredulous squeal when a cat chose her for the first time, when she kept asking Eddie for specifics of each cat in his care - "which one is more shy, which one likes to be picked up, which one is a picky eater?" - he thinks he's finally found his calling. Steve beams at him and comes back the next day with a bag of approved cat treats for the cats and a box of chocolates for Eddie as a thank you, then asks him out for a dinner - "if that is even appropriate, shit, sorry, I don't want you to feel pressured or something, this is your job, I get it, but I just really admire you and you were amazing to Jane, uh, and the stuff you say about cats is so interesting I'd just love to hear more". Eddie's heart flutters like the traitor it is and he thinks - maybe this is someone I could adopt a cat with one day.

And unsurprisingly, he's right.

[essektheylyss]

Fearne had, in true Fearne fashion, wrapped herself like a personal pashmina around Dorian, which left Orym to curl into his chest.

They had slept this way dozens of times before. Fearne’s blackened fingers wrapped tightly around his forearm as she snored loudly into Dorian’s ear. Orym’s head rested on Dorian’s bicep, his arms folded together between them, and his bare feet were gingerly resting upon Dorian’s thighs just above the knees, as Dorian had coiled enough to let Fearne’s fuzzy leg stretch over his hip. They were exhausted, and this was familiar, and he should’ve been fast asleep.

But Orym’s mind buzzed.

Fearne had always been a strong source of heat, but now she was a furnace, and even without covers it was too warm. But Fearne was not the reason why Orym’s skin burned where it met Dorian’s.

He was a fucking grown man. He was fully capable of admitting that.

Admitting it didn’t change it.

Neither did it change his awareness that Dorian had been too still for the past hour, his breath too precise and measured to be natural as it fell upon Orym’s hair. Orym was not going to presume that the cause of this was the same thing afflicting him; there were plenty of other reasons Dorian would be lying awake tonight.

“My family will find your brother,” he murmured finally, and Dorian’s breath wavered for just an instant before he regained his composure and returned to his measured, singer’s breathing. It was so slight that no one else could’ve noticed it, but Orym noticed. “You said there’s a body— the Tempest can bring him back, or Fearne, honestly—“

“I know,” Dorian answered, and this too was so faint that no one but Orym could’ve heard. “I know,” he said again, as though this one was only to appease himself.

“Do you think… do you think any of Opal is still in there?”

“I don’t know. I could barely tell what was in there—“ he cut himself off. “I couldn’t even help my brother. I think Fy’ra Rai might’ve… she must’ve seen something. I hope so,” he added, inhaling, trying to capture an airy tone that he didn’t fully manage. “The Spider Queen doesn’t deserve her. She doesn’t deserve anything.”

Orym had nothing to say to this. He hadn’t cared what the gods did or didn’t deserve in weeks, but now he could see the vein of fury that sharpened Dorian’s edges. It didn’t frighten him the way it had frightened him months ago, when things had been simpler, when there was not a war to be fought. It simply saddened him. “I’m so sorry about Opal,” he said, after the silence had lingered. “But I’m,” he breathed out a single dark laugh at himself, his selfishness, “I’m real glad it wasn’t you.”

Dorian’s laugh matched his own. “I suppose that is a silver lining.”

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Orym admitted. It was easier to keep his voice from cracking at a whisper. “I’ve thought about seeing you again so many times— I wish the circumstances were better—“

“I’m here,” Dorian said, for the second time today. “The circumstances tried very hard to make even that impossible, but— I’m here.”

Orym pulled his arm gently out of Fearne’s grasp and raised his hand to Dorian’s cheek. It was too dark to see the tinge of lavender against his skin, but Orym could feel the warmth bloom beneath his fingers. He still couldn’t bring himself to attribute his friend’s insomnia to anything so self-serving as his own, but perhaps it was one factor.

He pulled his hand back. Was there a flash of disappointment in Dorian’s eyes? He couldn’t tell in the dark. But he brushed his fingers together, drawing upon the wellspring of life within the ground beneath this hastily-erected encampment. The Hellcatch looked like a barren wasteland to most, but that life was still present even here.

Perhaps not now, but after a rainy season, the valley would bloom with wildflowers. The seeds waited in the earth for their time to sprout. Life went on, even in the darkest of places.

He produced a small stalk of life from his hands, and held out the tiny bundle of forget-me-nots to Dorian.

He should’ve said that they were for Cyrus, to remember him by. He wanted to say that they were for Dorian himself, that a day hadn’t gone by that he hadn’t thought of him. He didn’t speak at all as Dorian’s hand wrapped around Orym’s, pinching the stem beneath his fingers but not letting go.

“Orym,” Dorian breathed, looking from the flowers to his face. Then a strange expression came over his face, a wrinkle of consternation as he stared into the middle distance. “Fearne, are you braiding my hair?”

Orym lifted his head an inch to peer past Dorian’s ear. He had noticed that the snoring had stopped, but he’d been too caught up in the conversation to process it. Fearne’s wide eyes stared back with perfect innocence, her hands indeed weaving Dorian’s hair into a loose braid.

“Just pretend I’m not here,” she whispered quickly. “I’m totally not here.”

When Orym dropped his head back to Dorian’s arm, he was met with a crooked smile. It was not meant to be disarming, but it disarmed him anyway.

“Just like old times, eh?” he said, but his hand was still around Orym’s.

Carefully, Orym moved to tuck the flower behind Dorian’s ear, bringing both of their hands with him, and then laced their fingers together instead. “No,” he said, and tucked his head so that his brow rested against Dorian’s chin, and pressed their entwined hands to his lips. “But I think that’s okay.”