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hauntedhowlett-writes · 1 year

Text

somebody to hold

pairing: könig x female reader

rating: explicit (18+ MDNI)

word count: 4,884

summary:

König discovers cuddle therapy.

You discover König.

author’s note: i don’t play COD, i just have a mask kink. all translations are from google, so feel free to send me corrections if they are needed! translations available at the end of the fic

content warnings/additional tags: explicit sexual content (18+ MDNI), potentially bad German translations, mentions of König’s social anxiety, descriptions of scars, touch starved könig, oral sex (m receiving), size kink, praise kink, dirty talk, unprotected p in v, mild breeding kink, choking, fingering, ab riding. Let me know if any are missing!

“Hey, your next appointment is here,” the voice of the practice secretary, Amy, says from the doorway of your office.

You look up from your computer, brow furrowed as you click around your calendar. “I didn’t think I had a late appointment?”

“Last minute add. And just…prepare yourself,” she says, eyes comically wide before she disappears.

You shut your laptop and head for the waiting room, curious about what’s got Amy acting so funny.

You stop short in the doorway. Perhaps it’s the veritable mountain of a man sitting in the tiny plastic waiting room chair fully kitted in military combat gear, including a sniper hood that only reveals two pale blue eyes that scan the room. His hands rest on his large thighs, fingers curling against the fabric of his tac pants.

You’re not unfamiliar with military clients. Your office is near a base, after all. You’ve had a few wander in before. But you’ve never had one quite like him.

“Uh, hi? Hi,” you say, clearing your throat. His eyes shoot to you and you swallow nervously. You give him your name, followed with, “I’m going to be your cuddler this evening. Do you want to follow me back to the session room?”

The man gives a single nod before unfolding from his seat. He absolutely towers over you, his build just as broad as it is tall, and he has to tilt his head down to look at you. He holds an arm out, gesturing for you to lead the way.

You lead him to the back session room, a space curated for comfort. It’s painted a deep blue and lit only with dimmable lamp lighting and string lights that can be turned on or off, depending on the client’s preference. There’s a large couch pressed to one wall, a sectional that has a hidden portion that pulls out to fill in the middle, essentially turning it into a bed. It’s perfect for both seated snugglers and the prone cuddlers.

There’s a snack and water station set up on a wood console table near the door, and beside it are cubbies for storing belongings. A large basket of soft blankets sits near the couch, along with an array of pillows.

You look back at the man that has followed you through the door. Those blue eyes take in every detail of the room before they land back on you. You toe off your sneakers, leaving you in your frog patterned socks. You wiggle your toes.

“Did Amy explain the rules to you and brief you on the terms and conditions?” Another silent nod. “Okay, well, everything we do is completely up to you, within those parameters. We can talk or touch as much or as little as you’d like for the length of your appointment. I can make some suggestions for positions, if you’d like?”

His hands fidget at his sides, fingers flexing and curling into fists like he’s not sure what to do with them. He stares down at the shoes that you’ve left by the door.

“You don’t have to take anything off, if you don’t want to,” you reassure him. “Why don’t you take a seat on the couch?”

The man takes two broad steps before taking a seat, as instructed. You feel a weird sort of giddiness that a man clearly as powerful as him listened to your orders.

He sits with his back straight as a bar of steel, eyes trained on you for the next step in the process, hands placed on his thighs once more. You take a tentative step closer.

“I’m going to sit right here, okay?” You narrate as you sit down near him, a cushion of distance between your bodies. “Is this alright?”

He nods.

“Would you like me to be closer? Or farther?”

“Closer,” a deep accented voice says. It makes your breath catch, the quiet gentleness of it and the way it sounds rough from disuse. “Please.”

You scooch closer, the distance between your bodies shrinking but not yet removed. “Okay?”

“Ja. Yes,” he says. A pause. “Could you…closer?”

“Of course. Is it okay if our bodies touch?”

He nods. You close the gap between your bodies, your thigh pressed along his and your arms brushing with each breath. He’s tense, shoulders tight and fists clenched as he breathes rhythmically through his nose and out his mouth. You let him take a moment to adjust.

“What’s your name?” You ask quietly.

“König.”

________

You are very warm. König can feel the heat of you even through his gear.

He feels a bit ridiculous, sitting here on a couch beside a stranger who he has paid to cuddle him. And he can’t even reach that point yet. Even just having you sit beside him has him trying to calm his breathing.

In…2…3…4….Out.

“Would you like to talk about anything?” You ask. He glances down at you. Scheiße, you’re pretty. That fact certainly isn’t helping him keep calm.

He shakes his head, not trusting his voice to reply. You give him a small smile.

“Well, do you mind if I talk?”

No, he doesn’t mind at all. He’d listen to your voice for hours if he could, the way it's so soft to his ear compared to the shouts and commands he’s used to hearing day in and out. He shakes his head.

Your small smile grows, a bright grin across your face that makes your nose crinkle adorably. König finds his shoulders relaxing the slightest bit.

You tell him about your day and how you were looking forward to the weekend because there is a show that you wish to catch up on. You talk about your cat, a little orange tabby that you adopted three years ago named Toast and how he likes to perch inside the window and watch the birds outside of your apartment. You also mention that Toast has an entire wardrobe of sweaters for the winter that he hates, but you love putting him in them anyways.

Slowly, the tension leaves König’s body. He relaxes against the back of the couch and adjusts his legs, stretching them out in front of him. His hands, which once fidgeted in his lap, are now folded on his chest as he tilts his head back and listens to your stories.

“König?” You place a tentative hand on his shoulder. “Our time is up.”

He blinks. Oh. He must have fallen asleep. He looks over to find you smirking at him.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to bore you to sleep,” you say, voice self-deprecating.

“It was not boring, liebling,” he replies quietly.

______

The following week, you notice a calendar event labeled [CLASSIFIED]. You ask Amy about it.

“It’s the big guy from last week. He made a standing appointment,” she tells you. “But he’s all big, scary military so he didn’t give me a name to put down.”

You smile to yourself. You know his name.

It feels like a fun secret between the two of you.

You’re thrilled that he wants to come back. You hadn’t stopped thinking about his voice and those bright blue eyes all weekend.

When it's time for his appointment, you smile brightly at him in the waiting room. He follows you back to the session room, just as silent as the last time he visited.

You remove your shoes, just as before. He sits on the couch without being prompted.

“Would you like me to sit beside you? Like last time?” You ask. He nods.

You sit down, close enough that your limbs brush, just as you had the week prior. He seems a bit more at ease this time.

“How is Toast?” He asks. You beam at him, thrilled that he remembered you told him about your cat. You tell him about your weekend spent on the couch with your furry friend.

“Can I--,” he begins to ask, pausing uncertainly. He lifts his arm slightly.

You wiggle against him, settling against his side as his arm drops across your shoulders.

“Danke,” the man says. “Thank you.”

“Of course, König.”

______

It goes like that for four weeks. Konig sits on the couch and allows you to settle in beside him, your sides pressed together on the couch. You talk to him about anything and everything that comes to mind, and he listens intently.

He doesn’t talk much, but when he does, you cling to his words. Especially when he slips into speaking in German.

And if you have to press your thighs together for relief during those moments? Well, you hope the man doesn’t notice.

On the fifth week of his appointments, König surprises you.

When you remove your shoes, König begins to unclasp the buckles holding his tac vest to his chest. You grin at him in encouragement as he sets it to the side.

“I feel…naked,” he comments with a small huff of laughter.

You bite your lip, trying to hold back the cheeky reply that ran through your head. He is a client, after all.

He sits beside you on the couch, just as all the other sessions started, but he fidgets with the strap of his leg holster. “Could—,” he starts, pausing for breath. “Could we….lie down?”

“Of course,” you murmur. “Do you have a preference for position?”

“You can…lay your head on my chest?” He says. You give him an encouraging nod, standing up so that he can rearrange his large body so that he’s laying on his back. You reach for the pull tabs of the middle section, sliding it into place. He looks at you in surprise. “That was neat.”

You giggle. “Yeah, this couch is the best,” you comment as you crawl onto the cushion and settle your body along his, your head pillowed on his hard chest.

“This is…nice,” he says.

“Yeah, big guy. It is.”

______

Two weeks into sessions where you lay beside König, he begins talking.

In a quiet, albeit deep, voice he tells you about how he struggles with social anxiety. Being as big as he is was never useful for him until joining the military. He was mercilessly bullied in school as a young boy. He wanted to be a sniper, but his size was a burden to the position. Not to mention, he can’t sit still. He fidgets constantly, and his mind tends to wander if his body is not in motion.

His heart beats quickly beneath your ear as he tells you all the things about himself that he’d been keeping close to his chest for the last two months. He doesn’t stick to just the serious things. He tells you that his favorite color is blue. He has a massive sweet tooth and would kill a man for some traditional Sacher torte.

The laugh that accompanies that particular bit of information might just be your favorite sound in the world.

You don’t mention when your time with him has come to an end. You let him keep talking, afraid to break the spell and return König to his more stoic state.

König ends up noticing that the time has gone past his scheduled appointment. His blue eyes go wide and he sits up abruptly, knocking you off his chest as he begins to apologize profusely in a mix of German and English.

You place a hand on his chest. “It’s okay, König. Really. I just…I like spending time with you,” you admit quietly.

He rests a large gloved hand over yours.

“I enjoy our time as well, mein herz.”

______

König doesn’t show for his next scheduled appointment.

Or the one after that.

By the fourth missed appointment, you start to lose hope that you’d ever see him again.

You just hope he’s okay.

______

A sharp knocking noise breaks through your heavy sleep. You roll from the bed, landing gracelessly to the ground and startling Toast, the tabby darting beneath the bed for cover. Another knock sounds through the apartment as you stumble towards the door.

You stand on the tips of your toes to peer through the peephole with bleary eyes. Fumbling with the locks, you pull the door open as quickly as you can.

“König?” You ask breathlessly.

______

The adrenaline from the mission still courses in König’s veins as he tries to wait patiently for you to answer the door to your apartment, but he’s about one minute from either kicking down the door or picking the locks.

He imagines you would likely not appreciate either effort.

But finally, finally, he can hear your soft steps on the other side of the door before the locks disengage and the door is pulled open.

“König?” You ask. You’re wearing a large t-shirt that hits the middle of your thighs, more skin on display for his greedy eyes than he’s ever gotten the chance to see before.

“Liebling,” Konig replies. He steps forward, tentatively crossing the threshold to your home. When you don’t stop him, he takes another step. You look up at him with wide eyes.

“Where…what—,” you stutter, moving aside so that he can fully enter the apartment. He shuts the door behind him.

“Please, liebling, I–,” he starts, words catching in his throat as he looks down at you, the emotions bubbling up his throat. “I need you.”

______

König keeps his eyes trained on you as he unbuckles his helmet, lifting it from his head and dropping it to the floor. Next are the protective braces on his arms and legs, followed by the heavy tac vest and thigh holster.

He lifts the sniper hood, revealing the black balaclava beneath. His chest heaves with harsh breaths as his wide eyes scan your face.

You step forward, wrapping your arms around his middle and squeezing tightly, your head pressed to his chest as you close your eyes and inhale the scent of him.

“Missed you, König,” you murmur. His arms wrap around your shoulders, holding you impossibly tight to his body.

Suddenly you’re lifted from the ground and you squeak with surprise, your legs wrapping around his waist and your arms circling the back of his neck, holding onto him like a koala. The position puts you face to face with the man. His eyes search yours.

“Is this okay?” He asks. All you can do is nod. “Where is your bedroom?”

“Down the hall, last door on the right,” you instruct. König abandons his gear by the door, taking broad steps down the hall in the direction you gave. He gives the door a gentle kick, opening it wide enough to enter.

Toast darts out from beneath the bed, sliding past König’s legs and out to the living area.

He sets you gently on the bed, standing between your spread legs. His eyes remain fixed on yours as he kneels, deft fingers tugging at the laces of his boots.

You could get used to a view like this.

König stands to his full height once he’s removed his boots. A broad, scarred hand cups your cheek tenderly, calloused thumb moving across your cheekbone.

“Mein Liebling," he murmurs. His hand leaves your face and works the fly of his pants open, tugging the rough fabric down over his thighs.

You try very hard not to look but when he curls his fingers into the hem of his combat shirt, you can’t help the greedy way your eyes rove the miles of pale skin.

You take in the muscular thighs that give way to a defined Adonis belt, the cut so severe beneath the waistband of his boxer briefs that you long to trace your tongue along the valley. His abs flex, guiding your exploration up towards his thick chest.

There’s a litany of scars across his body, from smaller bullet wounds to deep slashes covered in thick scar tissue. You reach a hand out, lightly trailing your fingers across one that spans from his collarbone to the middle of his chest.

His hand curls over yours, holding it still against his warm skin. You can feel the frantic beat of his heart beneath your palm.

König’s free hand grasps the top of the balaclava and pulls, finally revealing the face of the man that’s occupied your every free thought over the almost two months you’ve known him.

Shaggy dark blonde hair falls across his forehead, slightly damp with sweat. Thick straight brows over the ice blue eyes framed with long blonde lashes you’ve become so familiar with. A slightly crooked nose and high cheekbones that lead into a strong, stubbled jaw.

There are scars on his face, too. A long silver scar slashes through this eyebrow and across his nose. Another cuts across the high point of his cheek.

He is so beautiful.

You watch as his cheeks turn pink and you belatedly realize you’d said that out loud. You shift to your knees on the mattress, reaching for his hand and pulling him toward you. He plants a knee on the soft surface and you guide him up until you’ve reached the pillows.

Stiffly, he lays beside you, head turned to watch you with those familiar blue eyes. You lay your head on his chest, sighing at the heat of his skin beneath your cheek. You wrap your arm around his waist and throw a leg over his hips, squeezing him tightly.

König doesn’t speak. He has an arm around your body, fingers pressing into the grooves of your ribs to hold you close. You breathe in tandem and his tense muscles begin to relax in your hold.

You shift your leg slightly, eyes going wide as you feel his cock against your knee. Feeling brave, you shift again, dragging your knee along the side of him.

His breathing stutters and you can feel his abs tense beneath you. You slide your hand across his chest, skimming your fingertips across the tight muscles.

“What are you doing, Kleine?” he asks. You lift your head from his chest to look at him.

“I want…can I—,” you stutter, losing your words at the dark look in the man’s eyes.

“I would let you do anything you wanted to me,” König says. “All you have to do is ask.”

You swallow nervously. “Can I touch you?”

“You are touching me,” he replies, a little smirk tilting his lips.

You ghost your hand across his straining length in retaliation. The smirk drops so fast you can’t help the giggle that escapes your lips.

“What happened to all that cockiness, hm?”

“Do not tease.” His hips flex beneath your palm, grinding his cock against your hand. “I have very little patience for it.”

You sit up on your knees beside him, moving one of his thick thighs to the side with a press of your hand so that you can crawl between his legs. He looks down at you with half lidded eyes, an arm thrown behind his head to prop him up to see better. You curl your fingers into the waistband of his boxer briefs.

“Is this okay?” You ask. He nods.

Permission granted, you slowly work the elastic down until his cock bobs free, slapping obscenely against his abs. Your mouth waters at the sight of the thick, uncut length of him.

“Jesus Christ, König,” you mutter. “Where do you think this thing is going to fit?”

“Ideally? Down your throat and then your cunt,” he replies easily. When you look up at him with wide eyes, he grins so brightly you feel like you’re looking into the sun.

And you’d gladly go blind for it.

You lean forward, giving into the urge to dip your tongue against the divot of his hip, running it along the cut of his abs reverently. His hips jolt at the contact, a whine spilling from his plush pink lips.

“Scheiß,” the man growls. “Bitte, baby, please,” he begs.

You let your tongue trail along the underside of his cock, tracing the prominent vein there to the flared head. You swirl your tongue along the tip, gathering the bead of precum and swallowing it greedily.

König’s chest rises and falls rapidly with his heavy breathing, his large hands fisting your blankets so tightly you briefly worry his bones may crack. He watches you intensely, almost like he’s worried you may disappear if he so much as blinks.

“Relax, König,” you coo, wrapping your hand around the base of his cock. “Let me take care of you.”

______

König has to think about the steps for disassembling a rifle to prevent himself from coming down your throat too quickly. The tight wet heat of your mouth feels so heavenly that for a moment, he worries that he may have actually taken a bullet to the chest on this last mission and he is actually in heaven.

But then you swirl your tongue around the sensitive head of his cock when you draw up his length and he realizes there would be no sin as glorious as this in heaven.

You eyes catch his as you slide him to the back of your throat, your lips straining around him as you try valiantly to take more of him than your limit allows. You gag around him, throating tightening exquisitely before you withdraw for a gasp of air.

You return to your task with admirable determination, eyebrows pinched together in concentration as you work to relax your throat and draw him in deeper.

“Just a little more, liebling, you can do it,” he murmurs, cupping your cheek, feeling the bulge of him in your mouth as his thumb traces the stretch of your lips around his cock. “Nimm das alles für mich.”

Your lips meet your small hand that is still wrapped around the base of him and you breathe deeply through your nose as you hold yourself there for a moment, throat fluttering around him. He groans, fighting the urge to flex his hips and drive himself even deeper.

“That’s it,” he whispers. Your eyelashes glisten with little tears, tiny pearls of wetness that speak to your efforts to please him. “That’s my baby.”

You moan around him as you pull back, his cock dropping from your mouth with an obscene pop. Your breathing is labored as you scramble up his body. König’s hands steady you with a grip around your waist as you reach for his face, tugging him into a messy kiss.

It’s a desperate clashing of lips and teeth and tongues that has König groaning, little whimpers slipping past your lips as he explores your mouth. Your teeth nip into his lower lip before trailing down his jaw and neck.

“Let me see you, Schatz,” he asks, a hand sliding up the back of your thigh to grip your ass and grind your body against his.

You flip beside him hastily, tearing your panties down your thighs and pulling your shirt over your head. Gloriously naked, you straddle his waist.

You’ve positioned yourself just out of reach of where he wants to feel you the most. His hands circle your waist, sliding up until his thumbs caress the underside of your breasts.

“So schön, meine liebe,” he murmurs, brushing his thumb across one tight nipple. Your hips flex and roll across his stomach and he can feel the slick wetness drenching his abs.

“König,” you moan, blunt little nails curling into the hard muscle of his pecs. Your head drops back, the long line of your throat calling to his hand.

He gives into the impulse, wrapping his fingers around your delicate neck, not constricting but merely holding. Your eyes go wide, hands gripping his wrist as you lean into the hold, your hips still grinding against him.

“You are making quite the mess,” König comments with a grin. You shudder in his hold. “Do not worry, liebling, I have never been afraid to get dirty.”

You moan, the sound vibrating deliciously against the hand he still holds around your neck. Your hips still over him as your release courses through you, your eyes fluttering shut.

König releases your throat and you sag against him. He runs a hand down your sweat slick back, over the curve of your ass until he can slip a single finger into your still fluttering hole. You gasp against his neck and he smiles.

“So fucking tight,” he groans, working his hand against you. You make little whimpering noises, lips working against his neck as you rock back against him. He eases a second finger into your dripping pussy, which earns him the sting of your teeth against his skin. “Scheiß!”

_______

You push yourself up on shaky arms, staring down into König’s dark eyes. His fingers slip from your pussy and you whine quietly at the loss.

“Wanna fuck you, König, please?” You murmur.

“I would love nothing more,” he says. He takes his cock in hand. “Take it, liebling.”

You lift your hips to position yourself over him, the fat tip of him notched at your entrance as you start your slow descent. The stretch of him is almost too much to bear, and it must show in your face because he drags a soothing hand across your thigh.

“That’s it,” he coos.

You slide another inch further with a whimper. “You’re so fucking big,” you tell him breathlessly. He chuckles, his cock pulsing inside of you and making you moan.

“Just think about how good it will feel when it is all inside of you, mein süße,” he says. “Filling every inch of you.”

You moan, your body accepting another inch. Your thighs shake with your efforts.

König’s hands grip your hips tightly, sure to leave fingertip shaped bruises that you’ll discover in the morning. On a deep breath, you lower yourself until you’re fully seated and stretched to your limit.

“Good fucking girl,” he growls. You meet his eyes, the blue nothing more than a thin ring around his blown pupils. His chest heaves as he breathes that same controlled rhythm you’ve watched him use before.

In…two…three…four…out.

You shift your hips experimentally, gasping at the overwhelming feeling of fullness. He wasn’t kidding about filling every last inch of you.

Pressing your hands to his chest, you lift your hips just barely off of him before dropping yourself back down. He moans, your name a curse and a prayer on his lips as you continue to build up a rhythm for yourself until you’re lifting almost fully off of him and slamming back down.

“Scheiß! Fuck!” König shouts as your pace picks up. “Mein perfekter kleiner Schatz.”

You lean forward to meet his lips, more of a sharing of breath than a kiss. He wraps his arms around your waist, holding you still as he thrusts up into you.

“König!” You cry, the slide and stretch and dull ache of him too much and yet not enough. His powerful thrusts are so deep at this angle that your eyes well with tears. Each drag of his cock from your pussy hits a spot that makes you see stars. “I’m gonna cum, please, König, please make me cum.”

“Anything for you,” he promises through gritted teeth, his hips picking up speed as he uses a hand on your ass to help slam you down on his cock. He turns his head, his nose brushing against yours tenderly in direct contrast to the way his hips pound against you. “Cum for me, engel. Let me see you.”

With a cry, you do just as he commands, your whole body going taught before sparking like a live wire, your release rolling over you so strongly it's more like a tsunami than a wave. He moans against your lips, hips pounding in an erratic speed as he works you through your orgasm and into his own.

“Fill me up, König,” you slur. “Wanna feel you. Bet you’ll get it so deep with your huge fucking cock.”

He comes with a deep groan, pressing up so deep as he spills inside of you that you gasp at the sensation, the warm heat of him filling you to the brim.

You collapse against him, the sweat on your bodies cooling in the chill of your apartment. He presses a kiss to the crown of your head.

“I missed you,” you murmur, tilting your head up to meet his eyes. “I’m glad you’re safe.”

“I will always come back,” he whispers, smoothing the sweat damp hair from your forehead. “So long as you are here for me.”

You tug the blanket from the foot of the bed over your bodies, snuggling into his side. You enjoy the quiet together, his fingers drifting up and down your back. The rapid patter of paws on the wood floor announces the approach of your cat.

The orange tabby hops on the bed, walking on light feet until he reaches the pillow König rests his head on. He curls up along the top of the man’s head, purring contentedly.

“Hello, Toast,” he says. His eyes flick to you. “This is a good sign, yes?”

“I’d say it was an excellent sign,” you reply, kissing the man’s cheek. He smiles.

“Good. Because I think I will be here a while.”

Translations:

Scheiße - fuck

Danke - thank you

mein herz - my heart

Mein Liebling - my darling

Kleine - little one

Bitte - please

Nimm das alles für mich - take it all for me

Schatz - treasure

So schön, meine liebe - so beautiful, my love

mein süße- my sweet

Mein perfekter kleiner Schatz - my perfect little darling

engel - angel

#konig x y/n #konig fic #konig smut #konig mw2 #konig x reader #konig x female reader #könig x reader #könig call of duty #könig mw2 #könig x you #könig smut #könig x y/n #könig fanfiction #könig modern warfare #könig cod

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licorice-tea · 6 months

Text

Duty At The Expense Of Desire

Pairing: Trafalgar Law x reader

Content: mild cursing, lots of arguing between reader and Law, reader is nervous to be in a relationship, platonic luffy and reader <3, reader loves the strawhats a lot :)

Word Count: 2.2k

A/N: i spent so long just rereading this, i don’t know why but it feels kind of hard to understand? so i might revise it again in the future idk yet! i hope you enjoy reading, again this is very very loosely based on kate and anthony’s season in bridgerton! it was originally going to be 2 parts, but it’s looking like a full on series now… lmk if you want to be tagged in future parts! enjoy! <3

Part 2 | Part 4

Now that your feelings for Law have been revealed- not only to him but to yourself- you find the tension between the two of you is undeniably different from before.

What were once looks of contempt now harbor some quiet desire. Chances of accidentally brushing shoulders when you pass by each other are avoided altogether, for fear of fueling a fire neither of you know how to deal with. And any crass or biting quips are cut out of your minimal interactions completely, as you both now feel they come off as flirtatious rather than standoffish.

A few days have gone by since you confronted Law and he admitted his true feelings for you, all of which have been spent at sea. Nami says there won’t be an island to dock at for at least another three days, given how the weather is slowing the ship, so your crew’s only source of entertainment is each other.

“Y/n,” she asks while the two of you along with Robin relax on the deck, “what happened between you and Traffy the other day?”

Your breath hitches and you cough unnecessarily, already giving away your nervousness to the two very observant women. “Uh, not much.”

“Well, what did you two talk about? You didn’t come back to the table after, so I thought you must have stayed together…” Robin smiles softly, baiting you to reveal more.

“What? No, no, oh my god no… We just…”

Nami urges you on with a sing-song voice; “You just?”

“We… talked.”

“Talked about what?”

“I don’t know. Our issues with each other.”

“And you resolved them?”

“Come on, y/n, tell us what happened!”

“Nothing happened.”

You stand up then, too annoyed to continue talking to your friends. It’s not even their fault really; you would want to know what had gone on too, if the roles were reversed. Maybe you’re just annoyed with yourself for not being able to face your own feelings.

With no particular destination in mind, you find yourself in the Thousand Sunny’s library. When you open the door, you see Law browsing the selection of books your crew has accumulated throughout your travels. You shouldn’t be surprised to see him, but you are.

That’s what it must be; what other reason could there be for the sudden raving of your heart and your breath hitching? Any feelings you ever had for him were buried deep inside after last night; too deep to allow yourself to feel them to the extent you were currently, and so these must all be signs of surprise.

You steel yourself and walk in, letting the door close behind you. Law looks up to find out who the person intruding on his studying is, but his eyes are blown wide when he makes eye contact with you. Neither of you speaks as you turn away and cross the room in quick strides to another section of the library.

“Stupid Law,” you think as you try to calm your mind- an impossible task when he’s standing anywhere in the same room. “Stupid weather,” preventing you from getting to an island so you can get some damn space from him. “Stupid library, ” because of its shelves that make it all too easy and tempting to peak through and catch a glimpse of him.

Actually, maybe that’s not too risky of an idea. Cautiously, you bend down slightly and pretend to scan the titles on the shelf. You allow your eyes to slowly wander off the books until you can see Law by peering upwards. But low and behold, he’s staring right back at you.

You gasp and stand up straight, silently cursing your silly plan.

“Y/n.” He walks over to you, 2 books tucked under his arm. “l was under the impression you wanted me to keep your distance from me.”

“I do.”

“I find that hard to believe with the way you’ve been acting around me.”

“It’s just weird. You made me admit that I had feelings for you, and now things are weird.”

“I made you? You didn’t have to say anything, you could’ve rejected me and we both would’ve moved on.”

“I did reject you.”

“By telling me you feel the same? That’s some rejection.”

“You shouldn’t have said anything in the first place.”

“I had to, you told me that you thought I hated you.”

“But I didn’t make you say that you have feelings for me, and so now you’ve made it impossible to ignore.”

“Believe me, I tried to ignore it. To ignore you. It was pointless.”

“Then you weren’t trying hard enough. I could’ve gone a lifetime without bringing up the way I feel for you if it means my crew will be able to continue this alliance for our goals.”

“Don’t give me that shit, your captain made this alliance because he thinks we’re friends. You seriously think he had a goal in mind while doing so?”

With a roll of your eyes, you cross your arms over your chest. “Maybe not, but Luffy is the captain- I trust him, and so I follow him in any endeavor he believes in.”

“Well, I’m the captain of my own crew, and I believe that whatever we have going on is a little more than ally-ship.”

“Regardless of whatever is going on between us, is it really a smart idea to complicate such an important alliance?”

“…No. I suppose it’s not.”

“Then drop it-” You turn, ready to forget about this conversation and continue hiding your feelings away when he grabs your wrist.

“But they wouldn’t care, y/n, and you know that. Your crew thrives on-” he gestures vaguely with his free hand, “-friendship and rainbows and joy.”

Shaking off a smile, you bite back. “That might be true, but you know what’s even more important to my crew? Protecting each other. They wouldn’t like me being with you; even if we are temporary allies, you’re a Captain of another crew and one of the Supernovas. So don’t tell me what they would and wouldn’t be ok with.”

Law seems to think for a second before he releases your wrist. “Hmph.”

Finally, you take your leave to find somewhere- with no Law and no watchful friends- to just think.

You settle on the bow of the ship. If you had an ability like Luffy’s or any guarantee that you wouldn’t slip right off and into the sea, you would like to sit on the masthead of the Sunny. A clear, unobstructed view of the world ahead, and the breeze to keep the hair out your eyes could be so peaceful. But, this has some sort of charm to it as well; you do seem to love a challenge (even if it’s one as simple as having to lean over the railing of a ship to see the horizon).

With a cheerful call, the man you had just been thinking of joins you on the railing by the ship’s bow. Luffy speaks animatedly of his plans for all sorts of things, but during a lull in conversation, he asks you something unexpected.

“Do you love him?”

“What?”

“Traffy! Do you love him?”

“I…”

“You’ve said how much you hate him, but that just means your feelings for him are strong. So you love him, right?”

You’ve never been more bothered to hear Luffy say something so uncharacteristically observant.

“I love you guys.”

He hums. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t love other people, too.”

“…I won’t ever leave this crew, Luffy.”

“Of course you won’t!” He latches onto you in an iron-grip hug, and you smile ever so slightly. “But, y/n.”

“Yeah?”

He releases you and instead grabs your shoulders to talk to you face to face. His face seems especially serious- the same way it does when he makes a bold declaration of his dreams or beliefs. “If you love someone, you tell them. You don’t hide it, because you never know when they could be gone.”

Finally, your barely-there smile opens into a full grin. “When did you get to be so wise?”

Luffy shrugs. “Shanks told me that once, I just felt it made sense for you too.”

You and your captain stay there a while longer, giggling over this and that until the sun starts to set on the horizon.

“I'm gonna go sit on Sunny- you wanna come with me?”

Though you’d been fantasizing over what it would feel like up there just a few minutes ago, you shake your head. “No thanks. But, uh, Luffy?”

“Yeah?”

“Could you… not tell anyone about what we talked about?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, for sure!”

You would come to regret being so vague with your captain, even if he does occasionally display astonishing emotional intelligence.

At dinner- where there’s always something going on- you make an effort to sit far from Law. Your attempt is in vain, however, as he ends up right across from you. Luffy sits to your left, and while he takes a small break from stuffing his mouth, he nudges you with his elbow.

Your eyes meet your captain’s as he winks at you, then looks over at Law, and back to you. You can practically see the gears turning in his head as he had some sort of… plan in the works. With a wide grin, he asks, “Soooo Y/n, when are you and Traffy going to get married?”

A moment of silence passes before laughter erupts around the table from everyone except you and “Traffy.” The latter covers his face with one hand and pinches the bridge of his nose while you look simply horrified.

What had happened to not speaking of your earlier conversation? Admittedly, you had spoken of several subjects after your discussion of your feelings for Law… and knowing Luffy, he could have mistaken your vow of silence to be for any one of those subjects.

Since you’re sure your captain didn’t mean to embarrass you with his straightforward view of relationships, you just shake your head and give a muttered response. “We- we’re not, um, going to….”

Law, on the other hand, appears too bothered to stick around and listen to any more jokes. He stands abruptly and disappears in a flash of blue light.

You stick around long enough to finish your plate, then thank Sanji and leave quietly. Some unknown force draws you to Law, when you see him in Nami’s little grove of orange trees. Cautiously, you approach him.

“…Law? I- I’m sorry about that. I don’t know why Luffy said that.”

“It was embarrassing.”

“Okay, Law, they were all just joking. And I can’t even really blame them, because this entire situation is pretty fucking ridiculous.”

“No, y/n, it’s embarrassing that everybody knows how I feel and that you feel the same, and they’re all happy with the idea of us together, but you still don’t want to be with me.”

“It’s not personal, you know that.”

“How can it not be personal?”

“Everything I do is for my crew. I have a duty to them, and not even you or my own feelings will get in the way of that.”

“Do you seriously still believe that they would care if we were together?”

You purse your lips.

“I took your word for it at first, because you know your own crew better than I do, but clearly they have very little regard for what we do. Now I am inclined to believe that you made it up when you said they wouldn’t like us being… being something. And as foolish as I feel after believing that ridiculous excuse, I still want you, y/n. Tell me you want me too.”

“How much?” You ask with a fierce look.

“How much what?”

“How much do you want me, Law? You keep talking about your feelings for me, but you haven’t even said what they are.”

Again, you seem to find any way to continue arguing with the man before you as a means of releasing pent-up feelings. Just kissing him might be easier, but also a whole lot more terrifying and uncertain.

“Desire, attraction, whatever you want to call it-“

“Well, I’m not going to put everything on the line for someone who is attracted to me.”

“It’s more than that, you know that-“

“You know what I think?”

“…What?”

“I think that you can’t even admit to yourself- let alone aloud- the extent of your feelings for me. You want me to say it first so that nothing bad will happen if you put yourself out there, and that’s not going to happen.”

“I-“ He starts to speak, but can’t think of a rebuttal. You have him pegged. “I may not know exactly what my feelings are yet, but I can feel them, y/n. You remain on my mind constantly- so if you want me to stop feeling for you, then you need to stop.”

“Oh, I need to stop?”

“Yes, you-“

“You’re the one constantly making me reconsider everything I tell myself. You are the one who needs to stop.”

“Before what? Before we give in to this… obvious desire, and put aside duties to do something for ourselves?”

Heavy breathing fills the silence. He always manages to rile you up, and you can’t stand it.

“You should go. No, in fact,” you raise your hands in a gesture of surrender, “I’ll go.”

Without giving him the chance to respond, you flee down the stairs to the main deck and through the doors to the cabin hall. All this back and forth with Law is giving you a headache.

You can’t deny it any longer though; now that your captain knows too, it’s like you’ve spoken it into permanent existence. You’re in love with Law, and there’s next to nothing stopping you from being with him in the way you truly desire. Not even your sense of duty.

You should never have counted on the Strawhats to hold you back from something- or someone you love.

Taglist: @augustanna @lavanderdreamve @pinksaiyans @khaleesihavilliard @jennapancake @pinki-minki @loserbee14

#fanfic #one piece x reader #one piece #one piece x you #x reader #law x reader #law x you #law x y/n #straw hat pirates #trafalgar d law x reader #law fluff #law angst #trafalgar law x reader #trafalgar law #straw hat reader #luffy x reader #platonic luffy x reader #cat burglar nami #nico robin

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fab-bladesmith · 1 year

Photo

A Katzbalger, first quarter of the XVIth century. Commission work. Vastly inspired by the beautiful example kept at the Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow. Blade is spring steel, fittings are mild steel and brass, heat-coloured. All fileworked, as you can see, imitating the slash-and-puff fashion so popular with the Landskechte. Grip is horn, as are the scales on the by-knives. Scabbard has a wooden core, with intermediate linen layer, and outer made of vegetable tanned leather. Cheese glue was used, and I think I'll rely more and more on it actually. The chape is mild steel with brass rivets. Again, making this set has been quite the learning experience, if only in better estimating the time some steps take. Looking closely, you'll notice once again what could appear as imperfections to the machine-eye, but it turns out that the only way to make this piece was to go the old way, the long way, and at the end of the day the marks, bumps and other minute details are very similar to those one trained eye can spot on the original. Maybe a sign that I didn't do it that wrong, then ? The Katzbalger itself is 895 mm long, and the blade is 756 mm, with a cross-section of 40x5 mm at its base. Weight is 1170 g, point of balance 11.5 mm from the guard.

#Sword #Epee #Historical #Historique

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topcat77 · 5 months

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Antony Gormley

APERTURE XVII, 2011

10 mm square section mild steel bar

#antony gormley

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hasufin · 3 months

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Modification

I want to share a little project I've been working on this past week. It may seem like nothing, but it was a lot of work and a big pain until I got it done.

Back when my spouse and I moved into our current house, I immediately recognized a dearth of counter space in the kitchen. We resolved this by purchasing a buffet table from Ikea. The table in question was a "Norden" model, which they have since discontinued. Simple enough table, a bit over a meter long and maybe a third that in depth, two drawers and two additional shelves. Great for holding kitchen appliances on top and storage below.

The first thing I did was add locking casters to the bottom so I could move it around easily. That's been a big bonus, as it makes cleaning much easier. I also put some hooks on the ends to hang my cast iron pans.

The problem arose I guess about three years ago when I upgraded to a commercial-grade espresso machine. The Gaggia was okay, but the Expobar is in a completely different class. And that's GREAT for good coffee. For a tabletop that's made of laminated particle board? Not so much.

Now, I had been aware of this problem for a while. I'd tried to ameliorate it by putting a silicone baking mat on top of that side of the table; that slowed down the deterioration, but did not stop it. It was also a daily annoyance, as the espresso machine moved a bit when I torqued the portafilter in place and it would get bunched up. About once a week I would have to lift the espresso machine and move things back.

This came to a head two weeks ago when I took the espresso machine in for some repairs and had to face that the tabletop was ruined. My initial thought was to get a replacement top from Ikea and then put maybe a piece of stone countertop in where the espresso machine sits.

This ran into two problems. First, as I mentioned before, this particular item is discontinued. Ikea will honor the warranty, and the Ikea rep tried pretty hard to make that work, but the reality is I got it too long ago and whatever abuse it's undergone is my problem; they don't sell the parts for it anymore.

Second, stone countertops are EXPENSIVE. While I just want what might be considered scrap, it was still going to be a lot of money, and I was not able to find a source.

Eventually I want to replace the entire thing with something I build myself, and I have some ideas for that. However, right now I have neither the time nor skill to make that happen. I was going to have to replace the top myself.

Since I didn't want to pay for stone, I opted for metal. I ordered a 4'x2' sheet of metal from McMaster and proceeded to prep the top. I sanded down the areas which were bubbling up and roughed up the rest of the surface.

Then, once the metal arrived I used my angle grinder to cut it to width and round the sharp corners. I had this notion that I might bend it over the top and maybe nail it down, or see if I could knurl the edges. However, while I think that was maybe possible, to do it well would have called for tools I don't have and skills I generally lack. The steel was 0.03" thick rolled mild steel. While that's not exactly a knife's edge, and you can touch it without cutting yourself, it's not exactly safe. And although I got much better with the angle grinder in the process (I had a grinder and hardly ever used it), the cut edges were a but uneven. So, I ordered some rubber edging.

In the meantime, I put the metal on the buffet table and prepared it.

I opted for a matte finish, since I would need better buffing tools than I have to get a mirror finish, and matte is easier to maintain than brushed. Since it's mild steel - which rusts easily - I sealed it with a spray lacquer.

Today, the rubber edging finally arrived. This is the same stuff you have on the edges of your car door. I glued it in place, except for one small section which is removable so I can easily clean detritus like coffee grounds off the table top. I also added two receivers to hold the feet of the espresso machine so it doesn't move when I put in the portafilter.

And, behold!

The result looks almost nothing like the original buffet table from Ikea. Someday I'll make something better, but whatever I make will be strongly informed by this, which has been heavily modified to fit my use case.

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bhushanpipes · 3 days

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#erw pipes #punjab #mild steel hollow section #steel billets manufacturer in punjab #erw pipes manufacturer in punjab #constructionmaterials #manufacturing

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seabeck · 2 years

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Trout fishing for beginners on a budget!

Do you ever look at salmon fillets in the supermarket and water at the mouth but find the price far too high? Well this guide is for you! I tried to keep this guide fairly short and to the point so if you need more info, feel free to ask.

Reasons to fish for trout:

Trout taste quite similar to salmon, a fish that's typically unaffordable expensive even here in the PNW (I find trout to be better because they're much more mild and don't overcook as easily, ymmv)

They can be caught without a boat and you don't need an expensive set up.

Fishing licenses fund conservation!

It's fun and allows you to see where your dinner is coming from, from start to finish.

Before you start: Get your fishing license. You can purchase these at Walmart in the sporting good section, stores like Cabellas, online, and many other places. Some states have separate saltwater and freshwater licenses (you want freshwater), others may require a separate stamp to keep trout in some areas. Once you have your license, find a place you can fish. Check if it’s been stocked, when, what size the fish were, and how many. Bigger fish and more recent is always better. Regulations can very a lot from body of water to body of water and state to state. Some lakes may be catch and release only, no barbed hooks, etc and it is on you to know. There are also disabled only lakes (with wheelchair friendly docks). Your fish and wildlife department will have the info online. Some states, like WA, even have interactive map apps and you can always email or call them as well.

Gear on a budget: Rods and reels are expensive new, even low end ones. Check out garage sales, thrift shops, outlet malls, Craigslist, etc. You can often find a good rod and reel combo for cheap. Check to make sure all the parts are in order, things that spin will spin and things that don’t, don’t. Minor wear and tear can often be repaired with a dab of superglue. When buying second hand spools of line, make sure time and the sun hasn’t made it brittle, give it a test tug to see if it breaks. You’re less likely to find artificial bait and hooks used but luckily those are fairly cheap even new, and sometimes you get lucky.

Rod: 5-7′, rated for no more than 10lbs is perfect. It should be flexible to allow it to cast far and not snap when you get a fish on. Ideally your rod should split into two pieces for ease of storage.

Reel: We’re going to be talking about spinning reels and spinning reels only. You want a lighter weight one where the line comes off smoothly. Make sure everything spins as it should and doesn’t make noise (some older styled ones have an intentional clicking sound that will drive you up a wall very quickly, apparently that used to be cool). The side the arm is on can be changed easily.

Line: 8-10lb test, anything more is overkill and may scare the fish. Braided for the mainline, fluorocarbon or monofilament for the leader line. Mono can be used for the mainline too but braided is tougher/stronger. Good line is worth it, here’s what I use for my mainline. You want your reel full of line so it doesn’t catch on the reel and so you don’t hit the end while casting. I recommend a cheaper mono line to tie onto your reel for the first many feet to help fill it up, then tie on your good leader line to the mono line using a double uni knot.

A leader line is useful when you get a snag or a fish takes off with your gear, instead of losing all your line, you just lose your leader.

Hooks: Size 6-8 octopus, circle, or bait hooks. Barbed if legal and if you plan on eating what you catch, barbless if you plan on releasing or regulations require it.

Swivel: Medium/small sized, get snapping ones

Weight: Get egg sinkers in a variety of sizes (they often come in mixed size kits). Note: Most fishing weights are lead, do not consume them or allow pets/children to play with them. Steel weights are an option but they have less size/shape variety and will be bigger than their same weighted lead counterparts. Some places do not allow for the use of lead weights.

Bead: Used to prevent wear on the line/knot from the lead. I personally only use one on my leader line, not below my lead, and that’s my weird angler superstition. They’re very cheap, buy a smaller sized one if you plan on using them.

Net: Seems really self explanatory but I recommend a catch and release friendly net (not knotted, typically a softer material). It's better to have that kind than the kind that may damage their scales in case you need to or decide to release.

Slip/sliding sinker rig:

Ideal for floating bait, the leader line length will depend on the depth the fish will be at (which varies with weather and body of water, 2′ is a good starting point). The lead will sit on the bottom while the bait floats and suspends itself in the water column. The sliding egg sinker weight means the fish won’t feel resistance when it tugs on the bait, fish don’t like resistance. Watch for your line moving away, then set the hook with a quick upwards motion with the rod. Sometimes you won't even need to set the hook because the fish will already be running with it.

Fixed bobber rig:

This set up can be used with or without a leader line but as always I recommend a swivel + leader line (this would be below the bobber). This set up is ideal for sinking baits or when you need to keep all of your gear and line off the bottom of the lake because of weeds, snags, etc. Most bobbers allow you to easily change the length of line below it, useful if you started out with too much or too little line. Since bobbers float, they will move with the current or the wind, this may be a pain or may be a blessing. When the bobber goes down, fish on!

Bait options:

Earthworms/nightcrawlers. This is your cheapest option, you can dig them from your own yard for free. Earthworms sink so they’re best with a bobber set up unless you buy worm blower. I do not use live bait as I find it rather cruel (and most earthworms are not native to my area, no need to help them spread further) but ultimately it’s up to you. Crickets, superworms, mealworms. waxworms, etc are also options, some of which you can breed at home easily.

Fake worms: some float (1, 2), some don’t (1, 2). Don’t get those giant rubber worms meant for bass.

Dough: Ideal for slip sinker set up. Scented Playdo textured dough. Roll enough out to cover your hook and make it float, but not so much that it’s a waste. While this stuff works well, it doesn’t like to stay on the hook. Treble hooks will hold dough on better but they aren’t always allowed and are not suitable for catch and release (if that’s your goal). Also comes in nuggets (costs more per oz). I recommend pink, orange, or yellow.

Artificial eggs: Ideal for slip sinker set up . My preferred bait, I use 3 on a hook and often can reuse the same eggs for several trout. You don’t even need to buy these, they can often be scavenged from places where anglers gather. My mom did this (or used ones I bought) for months with great success. Power eggs and similar ones typically float but there are sinking ones, always check the label. I personally use red, white, or gold ones that are half clear but I’ve also caught them on solid yellow and pink. A family or group of friends could buy multiple colors and split them.

Trout Magnet(tm): Never personally had much luck with these, they can be recasted over and over as a lure or used under a bobber, they do sink. Also useful for panfish.

Lures: I’m not really going to go over lures much since that’s a whole other can of worms, but they are very reusable and can often be found for free in bushes at lakes. They require a different set up and more work to use than bait still fishing. Some do function under a bobber hence the mention.

Now to the actual fishing!

Set up your rig, whichever one you're planning on using, and adjust your leader line accordingly.

Hold the rod with your dominant hand, you want about a foot of mainline hanging off the tip of your rod

Align your line roller (labeled diagram of a reel here) to be pointing your rod.

Use the index (or if you're weird like me your middle) finger to hold the line against the rod

Use your non dominant hand to flip the bail up. Line can now freely fall from the reel so it's important to keep your finger on the line.

Bring the rod over your head, I personally have mine like this before casting. Use a forward throwing motion and release your line. The last step will take lots of practice and I personally recommend practicing at home with just a swivel + weight on. Always be aware of your surroundings, you don't want to hook someone or lose your gear in a tree.

When you feel a bite, set the hook with a quick upwards motion while holding the rod. Sometimes the fish will hook themselves just fine.

Once you have a fish on, reel in! Large fish may need a looser drag and to be played a bit (let them run with the line, then reel in, repeat until fish is tired) but most stocked trout come quietly.

Once you've reeled your fish in, use a net to catch it (if needed) and decide if you're going to release it or keep it for dinner. Fish you're planning on releasing need to be handled gently and with wet hands to protect their fishy coating. Don't take them out of water for too long. Remove the hook quickly with fishing pliers.

If you're going to keep it, it needs to be killed quickly and humanely. Please don't be that person with a bunch of half dead fish on a stringer, or letting your fish aspirate, it's cruel. How you kill your fish is up to you and will depend on the size. For smaller ones I do cervical dislocation, head bonking and cutting the head/spine also work. If I'm killing a fish I always wait until after to remove it's hook so it suffers less.

Cleaning your fish: Ok you have a dead fish, now what? Find the fish butt, it'll be before the tail fins. Insert your fillet knife in and carefully slice up the belly. Ideally you don't want to slice too far in lest you rupture the intestines. Remove the guts. I personally toss all the guts back into the water, as to return the nutrients but there are fish organs you can eat. Use a fingernail to scrape the kidney off of the spine and rinse. From there you can fillet or cook the fish whole. Here's the video that helped me learn to fillet. Keep fish on ice until you're home. They can be frozen, cooked immediately, or refrigerated for a few days.

I hope this guide helped you and as always, if you have questions feel free to ask!

#fishing #fish #trout #I personally recommend salmon meuniere but it also makes great fish tacos

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tritonalloysinc · 8 months

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tavyliasin · 5 months

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The Scent of Cinnamon 3 - The Deal, The Devil, and The Promise Beyond

The deal is finalised as Raphael and Haarlep continue their night together, sealing the contract with sex that will quite literally be life changing for both but not in the hyperbolic manner most would assume from the thought. For Haarlep, they take on the identity they have been given, sacrificing their physical form to take the shape of the man who owns them. For Raphael, he has fully accepted an incubus spy into his House and his bed, and despite his best laid plans he has not fully realised the consequences of the terms of that deal. 4,708 Words - AO3 Link Click Here

--- Summary: Haarlep reaches the conclusion of the deal, but is in no rush to end the encounter before both of them are fully satisfied. The night, just like their body, must be unforgettable... Pairing: Raphael/Haarlep SPICE Rating: 4/5 Content Warnings: Power Play, Oral Sex, Anal Sex, Aphrodisiac, Mild Praise Kink, Porn with Plot, Mild Pain Play

Spoilers Vague House of Hope and Act 3, but most of this series is focused on what came before. Canon Compliance As before this is now taking on my canon and headcanons for this section. Other Notes This is the final part of their first night together, but I really wanted it to have time and impact to settle in fully.

Song Pairing La La Lh by The Dirty Youth "So Erotic To feel your touch I need your body I need it so much Give into passion Lets let go So electric Enjoy the show Pull me closer And treat me right I need affection From you tonight You know you’ve got me You’ve got control So take my body Seduce my soul And when you tell me to make no sound I’m singing la la la la la lah"

--- FULL CHAPTER BELOW THE CUT --- ---

The Deal, The Devil, and The Promise Beyond

Haarlep took a moment longer to look down at the one who would own them, the one who would deign to take everything they were and transform it, steeling themselves for the loss that would follow. But for now? Now, they were only winning their prize. Perhaps it would be more satisfying to see the fiend come completely undone once they had suffered his presence for longer, but for now, at least, they were pleased by his insatiable lust. Of course, his stamina left something to be desired, but this was nothing unusual in an inexperienced lover encountering one of their kind for the first time. Taking him now… Haarlep had the chance to find out exactly how to break him down and shape him to their will in the process.

They ran their claws down Raphael’s shivering body - a lighter touch, for the moment. As anticipated, the cambion was already sensitive to the slightest motion of air across his tense muscles and sweat-slick skin. Haarlep sank to their knees, quickly hoisting his thighs over their shoulders before he had a chance to complain. A cleverly pointed tongue traced the ridged lines and visible veins along the inner edge of their new master’s knee, allowing themselves a slight smirk of satisfaction as they felt him quiver slightly in their iron grip, fingers digging into his thighs.

“Must you be so-” His voice faltered as they allowed their teeth to pierce his skin, gently but with meaning.

“Do not judge, Archduke, until you have tasted the depths of bliss with your own lips.” Haarlep continued their indecent descent, intent on teasing every last moment of anticipation out of Raphael’s throat in stuttered gasps. They refused the pleasure of returned touch this time, keeping their arms beneath him, lifting his hips, spreading him before them - ready to be devoured.

—

The incubus was deceptively strong. Though perhaps not in the ways one might expect - Raphael noted how they instinctively shifted his weight in their grip, manoeuvring him to exactly where they wanted him. Haarlep’s fingers clawed into his flesh, their tongue-

He writhed in their grip, unsure if he wanted to escape the near-ticklish sensation of their most lascivious kiss or press himself harder against them to feel more, to encourage them to go further. Haarlep gave him no time to find the answer to that particular conundrum, however, as their aphrodisiac-coated tongue worked its way inside, consuming his lust-filled moans with it.

Feeling them beginning to devour him in the most intimate manner… It was all at once too much and not enough. Raphael wanted them to stop, to let him find some semblance of conscious thought to cling to in the storm of their passions, but the only word that found its way to the tip of his tongue was “more”. And even that single syllable of need was swallowed up in the building carnal thirst that left his throat parched.

They pressed their tongue deeper, drawing the breath from the fiend’s lungs again with a whine that sounded damned near pitiful for one who aimed to rule over all the hells. If he couldn’t even rule over his own-

Haarlep added a single finger and nearly drove him over the edge with the motion of a single claw pressing exactly where he didn’t know he needed it. Raphael felt himself tightening and quivering around the intrusion, quickly realising that there was plenty the incubus could show him of physical pleasure.

—

Haarlep continued to tease and pleasure their new master, delighting in how his body reacted. It had been a long time since they had been able to feed so thoroughly on this much energy, and it was deeply satisfying to play with their food. Withdrawing their tongue, they continued to use their hand to ease him into the motion. Their tail reached for a bottle of oil on the bedside, pouring a thin line of it over their fingers before adding a second digit carefully. They could be rougher - they could drive him to the edge of his sanity - but they had all night. They were determined to make every moment last, so he would never forget how it felt to have their claws tease every sensitive nerve inside his body.

The incubus began to scissor their fingers, gradually and slowly letting him relax in their experienced hands, training the fiend for what was to follow. “Good, Archduke,” they soothed him with a little praise, even though their voice carried the dark hint of threat laced between honeyed words. “Make sure you feel every single second, sear my touch into your body, and know that no other will ever bring you such satisfaction.”

Haarlep added a third finger to the stretch, tasting the sweat that beaded on his parted thighs, denying him any further pleasures…for now. For all his verbose nature, Raphael was devoid of any reply beyond a low moan. A moan that was every bit as satisfying as seeing his eyes squeeze closed with the sensation of hedonistic indulgence. Perhaps later they might wish to silence him properly, to deny him the ability to watch them, maybe even wall him off from all sensation except their touch…but that would not suffice this night.

—

Raphael felt the fingers withdraw again, the emptiness and cold of the oil exposed to the air pulling a sigh from him without his permission. He sounded so…needy. Even he could tell that much, and the hint of a derisive laugh from the incubus confirmed how ridiculous he must look. But…it didn’t matter, did it? The deal was a necessity, and their ministrations were hardly unpleasant-

“Look at me, Archduke.” Their impatient voice snapped him out of the stray thoughts he had begun to drift towards, as he noticed they were kneeling upright again, gazing down with great interest.

His eyes drifted lower, to where their hand was distributing more oil-

“That’s it, take a good look again. You will feel it soon enough, all of it.” Haarlep’s tail curled forward to caress his throat. “Your wicked tongue should already remember the taste of me upon it, your mouth will not forget the feel of me filling it.”

Raphael swallowed involuntarily. Every time they spoke, reminding him of how it felt, to taste their skin, to feel their pulse on his lips-

“Good.” They grinned, running a single clawed finger from his knee to his inner thigh, relishing in how he shivered under their touch. “Now we will ensure the rest of your body remembers me.”

“Must you always talk so much?” He complained despite himself, the edge of impatience growing as his body longed to feel everything the incubus was offering.

“How easily you forget,” they chided him again, their claw digging in more harshly as they reached the line of his hip, “that even my voice will become yours. Perhaps I should sing to you, to ensure your ears will echo with a lullaby dedicated to your own sins? Ah, but it would be a shame to miss the sounds that you can make…the sound you will make when you utter my name at the peak of your pleasure, the depth of your debauchery, the moment you give yourself completely to me.”

—

Haarlep watched Raphael’s blazing eyes widen a little - whether through fear, anticipation, or arousal, it did not particularly matter. They began to position themselves over him, wings spreading out above them to cast an eerie shadow over his crimson skin that glistened with sweat. A simple position to start, one that would allow them control and let the cambion become accustomed to the experience. Some might consider it a little plain, but in their experience, simplicity was often the better choice.

Besides, this way he would have to look at them, to know they were above him, to feel how small he was beneath them-

“Please-” he began, before regaining his composure, as if he was remembering the last shred of pride he still gripped tighter than the silk sheets balled in his fists. “Do not keep me waiting too long, else I might reconsider-”

“You would not come this far - or this many times - to let opportunity pass you by now.” Haarlep bit the tip of his nose playfully, lining up their hips so he could feel just the heat of their tip tantalisingly close to his aching and oil-slicked hole. The slightest touch had him biting his lip. “You need me. And I need you. It is not distasteful to lay with you, there are far worse ways to spend a night.” The brief shiver of memory slithered through their mind, quickly chased back by their rising ambition, the dream of the life they wanted refusing to be stopped by even the slightest hint of fear. This was security, their future in a simple deal - though they were not lying. The more they felt of him, the more they wanted…

“And you did not come here to tease me until we both die of old age.” Raphael’s attempts to be firm were not matched by the wavering of his voice and his lust speeding his pulse into a roar.

“If I wanted to tease you, I would not satisfy you until you were begging. Your voice would be hoarse before I gave you even an inch.” They took the moment to press inside him as they spoke, their smile widening as his head pushed back into the pillows. “There, you see? I could have kept you waiting far longer. Do you want more? Or is this enough to please you?”

The cambion had run out of smart replies again, although his lips did at least answer the kiss they pressed against him. Their tongue caressed his as he opened himself to them fully, relaxing a little as their sweet poison began to spread once more.

They gave him a minute longer in their kiss, ensuring he had all he needed, relishing how they could steal his breath just by pushing an inch deeper. They moved back again as they withdrew their lips, pausing as they held his gaze with their own. “You are…delicious, my Archduke.” The incubus gently bit Raphael’s lower lip, pulling a little before they sank back into him, another fraction further than before. “That’s it, take your time. Do not be too greedy just yet, I will ensure you have everything you desire when you are ready.”

—

It was achingly slow to be stretched moment by moment, Haarlep not even trying to set any kind of a pace. Raphael knew they were drawing it out… There was no chance he would be able to forget a single contour of their shape. Even their body above him was in such sharp detail, the texture of their skin, the way the shadows danced across their features, the colour of their eyes never leaving his-

He inhaled slowly as they pressed inside him again. Deeper, yet still far from their full length. The cambion found himself longing for more contact, to feel more than just one part of their body, to know what their pulse felt like as it raced within their chest.

“Touch all you wish to.” They smiled as his hand had found its way to the spot above their heart without his notice. “Take your fill of my body just as I will take my fill of yours~”

Emboldened by their encouragement, Raphael ran his other hand up the length of their arm, the soft feel of their skin a harsh contrast to the sharp muscle beneath. Their hair slipped forward over their shoulder as they moved forward again, claiming another inch of him from within, their pulse strong and clear through his fingertips drifting along their ribs.

Haarlep moaned a soft encouragement, and the sound of their voice had his body responding and tightening around them as it sought to draw them in.

His tail curled, moving to caress their leg, feeling how their thigh tensed as they moved, finally beginning a slow rhythm that built the friction against his nerves. The taste of their cinnamon lips was still palpable on his own, but they seemed to deny the kiss that he chased as he leaned up to meet them.

“Ah, no more of that for now~” They almost seemed hesitant to refuse him. “I will not have you lose your mind completely. There is a limit even to what your kind can take, and this-” they finally filled him, hips flush to his own, “-this is what you need more, is it not?”

—

Haarlep could see Raphael struggle for a moment as he bit his lip, but the concern slipped away as his hips pressed towards them, urging them to continue. The way his tail curled around their own was not lost on them either…

The would-be Archduke of the Nine Hells was needy, wanting, and thoroughly melting beneath them. His formerly perfectly neatened hair was falling loose around his face, framing the lust-drenched expression in a mess upon the silk of the pillows. A portrait of a face they would soon see in the mirror, though they would never allow themselves to look so…undignified.

They reminded themselves once more, a means to an end, even as they felt their hunger subsiding with every moment that they continued to draw the pleasure from his lips in hot breaths and sweet little noises. And they were; sweet, like sugared cherries, a dessert they could savour for hours.

For his part, Raphael was not wasting the encouragement to feel the shape of their body. His touch moved with hesitation, almost reverently - he was taking the deal seriously, at least. Maybe it was just the physical stimulus driving the natural surge of emotions, but the crease in his brow wasn’t softening. Haarlep shifted the balance of their weight onto a single hand, drifting the other down in a caress that had the fiend beneath them writhing on the sheets even as their fingers only traced the contours of the ridges over taut muscles. Quivering. Twitching. When they reached their destination, they were almost certain he would cover their hand in a second, and yet he bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. He was holding back. For them.

“Good boy~” The incubus praised him, smirking in satisfaction as they felt him struggle to hold back more at their words. That would be interesting to toy with… “I wonder what this will feel like for you…all of these-” they teased along his length as they spoke, “ridges, the notches and textures~ Will they please you more than this?” Raphael gasped as they punctuated their sentence with a harsher thrust, beginning to pick up the momentum as his muscles clenched around them.

“You’ll know soon enough, to feel yourself inside and out, to know how pleasurable it is when you tighten-” Haarlep squeezed their fingers around him for a moment, “-and how you pulse, how you greedily take it all in.” —

The cambion was long past the point of forming any coherent response. Every word they said only drove him closer to the edge he was avoiding. Would it be over the moment he released this time? Or was it their own climax that would finalise the deal? He held Haarlep’s name on his tongue, gripped their shoulder and waist with his hands, and dedicated his mind to retaining every part of the night in his memory.

The incubus slowed, drawing their touch lighter across him, seeming just as willing to prolong their coupling. Their eyes were bright, searing right through him as they found everything his body wanted and needed from them.

They kept talking, narrating their actions as his mind grew as white-hot as his body, nerves seared with a single screaming sensation: pleasure.

No succubus nor incubus before them had ever reached Raphael’s room. No other fiend had lain in his bed. Even the passing dalliances with mortals he bedded to secure their allegiances…they were barely an ember to the inferno of carnal delight that Haarlep drew from him in every motion. Their words echoed in his mind - how would it feel to be filled by his own form, to see his face reflected back at him, to hear his own voice chastise him just as they did whilst pressing their thumb to a particularly sensitive point- Raphael would not last much longer like this.

—

Haarlep increased their pace, finding the rhythm that made the cambion’s eyes begin to glaze over with the inevitable conclusion of their deal.

“Tell me, Archduke... Let me hear it clearly now; Who is your master in this room? Who is it that you give your body over to? Whose memory will you burn into your soul in every intricate detail?” They felt the pressure building in him, watching his expression change as he fought against every overwhelming sensation they thrust into his quivering body. “Raphael, whose name will you-”

“Haarlep-!” Their name filled the room, surrounding the pair as both relinquished their hold over their own climax and unleashed their carnal delight with a rush of infernal flame swirling around them. The deal was done, and so was he.

Their wings fluttered slightly behind them as they allowed the intoxicating sensations to sweep through their entire form. The incubus could feel the shape of the cambion’s bones, the tension of his muscles, even the bruising grip of his tail, the way they filled him so completely-

The flames grew brighter as it began. Out of courtesy, they slowly withdrew from him - it would be too much to experience those ridges for the first time right now.

It only took an instant to an observer, but to Haarlep it could feel like an eternity to embody a new form. Not that they would ever show it, of course. Every shape they claimed this way took some getting used to. Their horns were larger now, their body more masculine, their hair far shorter and the spade tip of their tail had melted away to the smooth whip-like tip of Raphael’s. The ridges of their flesh were unfamiliar - like scars of battles they hadn’t fought - in neat and regular patterns, their skin now the perfectly mirrored crimson of the sweat-slick flesh of the cambion who was laying still beneath them.

“There. And I even sound the part, too.” Haarlep tested their new voice. Deeper, but their inflections still carried through. It was his, but something of theirs remained. The thought was a small comfort as they took a deep breath. “The deal is done.”

“That…that’s it?” The echoed voice was wavering, a soft vibrato born of pleasured exhaustion.

The incubus knelt upright above him again, idly examining their hand covered in the evidence of their contract. The ink it was signed in, one might say, if they were feeling particularly unsavoury. They licked it from their fingers whilst maintaining eye contact, making their point very clear. “Was that not enough for you? You’ll have more soon enough - unless you keep me well enough fed with your clients. Although I’m not opposed to entertaining you purely for your own pleasure~”

—

Raphael looked up at the sight of Haarlep - of himself - kneeling above him. It was unnervingly like a mirror, but one with a slight fog on it, a little warp to the silver beneath the glass. The differences would be almost invisible to someone who didn’t know better, but where he had seen his own form reflected for his entire life…he could tell. And he could see the discomfort behind their expression, too.

The cambion fought off the exhaustion threatening to overtake his spent body and mind, as he indicated the pool on the other side of the room. “Over there. We can rest, recover.”

“How little you think of my stamina, that this would be my limit~” Haarlep’s voice was like an echo of his own, albeit with a far more playful tone. He would have to remember this, to put an edge of seduction into his voice when dealing with clients who might be gifted the services of the incubus inhabiting his shape. They continued, nonetheless, in the same easy and musical pattern. “Very well, if you insist. You can hardly walk the halls as the dignified Master of the House looking such a mess, can you?”

“I’m not going to beg your forgiveness for not having the stamina of one of your kind.” Raphael snapped back, though not unkindly. The deal done meant they both had what they wanted for now, but he would not trade more of his dignity for their favour. The power balance of their agreement was beginning to become clearer to him, and the potential implications… Thought for another time.

Haarlep remained by his side, yet made no attempt to help him as his shaking arms pushed him up to a sitting position. They watched still, as he swung his legs over the side of the bed, finally stretching the wings that had been pinned beneath him throughout their encounter.

The cambion stumbled as he tried to stand - his legs not willing to bear his weight just yet - and it was at that moment that the incubus moved. They were swift. One arm wrapped around his waist, the other pulling his own around their shoulder. Their tail teased the back of his leg in a motion somewhere between affection and a mockery of his sudden lack of strength.

“Come along, then, Master. We shall clean you up and discuss what must follow.” Haarlep began to lead him, setting their pace just a little faster than was comfortable. Another show of power, a reminder that they had taken control from him in his own house? Perhaps. But the feel of the soothing water on his skin melted those concerns away in an instant.

—

Haarlep was, of course, very familiar with the concept of aftercare, but they could also tell that Raphael was not going to make any of that simple. The waters of the pool were heated and strongly scented with a mix of fragrances that didn’t particularly match. They helped him sit waist deep on one of the levelled steps near the edge, bowls of soaps, flowers, and even food all laid out nearby.

Raphael frowned, beginning to complain as they nudged his hand away from where it reached for the cloth and picked it up instead. “This is hardly necessary-”

“How quickly you forget who is in control in this room, Archduke~” They mocked him a little with their tone, even as they lathered a little lotion into the cloth and began to clean the slick from his shoulders. “Relax. The hard part is over, for now~”

Raphael sighed - it was unclear whether this was at the innuendo in their words or the relaxation of their thumbs teasing the knots from his muscles. Knots that quickly reformed as he contemplated the implications of what they’d just said. “What exactly do you mean ‘for now’?”

“Your ambitions are as impressive as your sudden lapse in memory~ Perhaps I should take that as a compliment, that I have so thoroughly fucked your brains out.” The last part was whispered into his ear, and Haarlep could feel the shiver of arousal that passed through him for a moment, disappointingly swiftly chased away by the lingering afterglow of satisfaction. That didn’t matter, it would be better to take their time to get used to wearing his body before using it. “There will be plenty to discuss in the coming weeks - if you uphold your end of our deal.”

“Hell has its laws, Haarlep,” he spoke plainly, meeting their eyes for a moment with the same strength and audacity he had when they had first walked into his home a mere few hours past, “and I expect you to keep to them as closely as I do.”

“Oh but of course~” They took a moment to feel the impact of their new name being used clearly again. It would take some time before it felt like a comfortable fit, much like the body they wore, but it was better than no name at all. Even being called Harlot was better than the painful absence of identity. They moved to begin washing his hair, relishing the soft little moan that slipped from his lips. “There, better?”

“I am perfectly capable of caring for myself, you know.” The cambion’s complaint did not match his motion as he leaned against their shoulder, his horns grazing their skin. Although, as they noted, no blood was drawn. No wounds. Thick skin, in more ways than one, would be a useful trait for them to share.

“You most certainly are, Raphael,” Haarlep muttered quietly, wondering how long the moment might last where he was willing to be softer, more vulnerable. They could feel the magic infused in the waters healing the abrasions from where their bare feet had walked the hells, a few lingering aches of their new transformation finally beginning to subside. The pool would certainly be useful, and it would be interesting to test the limits of what the cambion might find pleasing.

Hours passed as they cleaned their bodies and rested, sated, in what was their new home.

Home…The incubus paused as the word crossed their mind, brow furrowing as they idly caressed the shoulder of the cambion now peacefully drifting into a light sleep as he rested against them.

Perhaps this would be a suitable home. Both the building and the body they now wore. They hadn’t stayed in one place, or even one form other than their own, for longer than they could remember. There was certainly a safety in the prospect of a floating mansion drifting across the lava plains of Avernus, of allying themselves with a cambion of powerful lineage, and of course their less-than-secret espionage deal with that same lineage. There was also security in appearing to be the master of that very house. It would be quite unlikely for someone to stroll in to Raphael’s bedroom and attack someone who appeared to be him. They smoothed down their damp hair, already drying in the heat of the hells, and carefully scooped the slumbering cambion into their arms, holding him against their chest. It was difficult to stand like this, but their tail was still strong, and their wings added further stability as they rose from the water. They noted with some satisfaction that the few debtors wandering the halls had at least crept in quietly and changed the sheets of the bed for them, more refreshments on the small tables standing on either side.

Snaking their tail out to lift the top sheet aside, Haarlep laid Raphael carefully down on the mattress, taking another moment to study his face. His appearance now would be immortalised in their own, each little wrinkle that had already formed in his early centuries etched upon their brow, the way his hair curled softly upwards at the end laying against their neck… Their shoulders felt bare without their long hair falling across them, and their head felt heavier as they laid their head back onto the pillows.

Raphael seemed so peaceful, though the hint of a frown still remained as his wings curled over his shoulders. However, it was the feeling of his tail subtly curling around their wrist and pulling them closer that caught them off guard.

Master of the house indeed, Haarlep mused as they acquiesced to the silent request and rolled to embrace him. You’re not even the master of your own dreams, not yet. Their eyes drifted closed as they rested their chin against the top of his head, the scent of too many perfumes wrinkling their nose. They would have to do something about that, later.

Later…

You’ve brought a hypocrite to your own bed, Raphael. The incubus chided themselves as the edge of sleep began to wrap around them, warmer than the body beside them. I came here with dreams even grander than your own…it is up to you now which of them I might claim. Don’t let me down, Archduke.

--- --- ENDING NOTES --- ---

Finally they have sealed the deal, but at what cost? The storm might be over, but the aftermath is going to have a little more impact than either realise... Are we loading our darling Haarlep up with more angst? Oh I do believe we are loves, but trust me, it will be worth it~

CHAPTER 4 CONTINUES THE STORY HERE!

#the scent of cinnamon #baldurs gate 3 #bg3 fanfiction #haarlep #bg3 raphael #bg3 #fanfic #ao3fic #haarlep x raphael #nsft #Spotify

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