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#morally gray reader
x-ladyathena-x · 1 year
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In the Shadow of His Memory
Chapter 2–The Rhythm of a Broken Heart
Sebastian Sallow x Reader
Warnings: graphic violence, morally grey sebastian, morally grey reader, angst, fluff, alcohol
Word count: 1k
Summary: It's been 10 years since you were faced with that awful decision: turn Sebastian in for casting an unforgivable curse or lie for him.
You chose to lie for him and take his secrets to your grave, but that wasn't enough-the authorities found out soon after and Sebastian went on the run.
You never stopped loving him and when an unexpected visitor arrives in your home in the dead of night, you realize he never stopped loving you either.
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It had been days since your encounter at the acromantula den and your mysterious rescue. Nothing, not even a bump in the night had happened since.
The injury on your head had healed enough to remove the bandage and you were able to diminish the cut with a simple healing charm.
Your footsteps echoed on the cobblestone street and you pulled your bright emerald overcoat tight into yourself as the January wind cut cold down to your bones.
The road into Hogsmead was a short one, but you'd be happy when you reached the Hogshead Saloon's warm interior.
Darkness had long since fallen but even though it was still early in the evening, the streets were unusually sparse of pedestrians.
The after work crowd was your busiest rush on nights that you bartended. You didn't mind though, especially tonight. You needed to get your mind off of what happened the other night or you'd drive yourself mad trying to make sense of it.
The fact of the matter was, it didn't make sense, and you should've been scared, but at the same time a thrill shot through you at the idea that someone scooped you up at your most vulnerable and deposited you back into the safety of your home.
You drug your hand over your face and groaned. What was wrong with you.
The brass bell afixed to the front entry of the Hogshead tinkled when you entered. Your coworker Darius waved hello from behind the bar before going back to pouring pints of ale.
Once your coat and purse were stowed in the break room on a mounting hook, you tied a stained cotton apron around your waist and joined Darius up front.
"Light crowd tonight," Darius remarked.
"Don't jinx it."
"Sorry," Darius threw up his hands jokingly, "where you been lately, anyway?"
"Just needed a few days off."
"You okay?" He asked with concern.
"Fine," you dismissed the topic with a wave of your hand and looked at the two new customers that slid into the open seats in front of you at the bar.
"Double fire whisky." One said in a raspy voice.
"House ale," the second requested.
His voice made you pause, but you shook it off. It had been a long week.
You poured and served the whiskey first. The patron took it and went over to a group at a nearby table. You'd assumed the two Men arrived together but it seemed the second man was alone.
Foam sloshed onto the bar top as you placed the ale in front of the hooded guest. Not unusual for Hogshead goers to dress incognito.
The man reached out for the pint and his hand brushed your fingers, "thank you, Love."
Electricity jolted through your body and you felt like your heart would beat out of your chest.
You excused yourself to the back and gripped the wall trying to catch your breath. It was nothing new to be called a pet name by your male clientele, in fact it was downright common, but "Love" in that voice. Damn if that didn't sound exactly like him.
But that was impossible. He wouldn't be here in the middle of Hogsmead Village on a Thursday night where anyone could spot him.
However...
That voice had been haunting your dreams for near a decade. You'd know it anywhere, anytime.
You mustered up your courage and walked back out but the hooded patron was gone.
"That's for you," Darius called, hoisting an ice bucket over his shoulder. He pointed at the bar top where a shiny gold galleon lay.
You stared at it.
"Cloaked guy left it for you. Maybe I'll get lucky later and get a 500% tip too," Darius joked.
The night wore on and you couldn't stop thinking about the moment your hands touched with the hooded man. You hadn't felt a magical connection like that since, well—
You didn't want to think about it.
Though your time at Hogwarts was bursting with joyful memories, it was also a time when you began to dabble in things that ought not to be dabbled in.
At least not by polite society.
He had introduced you to many things. Many abilities. And when the two of you were working in tandem, it was, well, electric.
The two of you fed each other's powers in a way you'd never known before or since. Everything about Sebastian made you better, more powerful, and visa versa.
The power and passion grew between the two of you and it was addicting. He was addicting. And so was everything he had to offer.
He would've killed for you. He did kill for you. Had Sebastian not ended Solomon, Solomon's curse would've hit you and it would've been your body being carried out of the Scriptorium in a bag, not Solomon's.
Your body worked of its own accord as you lost yourself in memories, until you were sharply brought back to reality when you pumped the tap for ale and nothing but air spewed out.
"Be right back," you called over your shoulder to Darius.
A lone candle burned on the wall as you descended the staircase to the cellar. Water dripped from somewhere overhead, and the sound of mice scurrying over the stone floor made you look around.
"Lumos," you lit you wand and placed it between your teeth while you untethered a fresh keg from the wall.
Feet scurried across the floor, but this time it wasn't mice. It was something big.
"Whose there?" You spun around, shining your wand light into the dark corner of the cellar.
Fear held your stomach in knots as you saw the fringes of a tattered cloak hidden behind crates of inventory.
"Show yourself," you commanded. "I'm not above blasting curses first and asking questions later."
A familiar but somewhat deeper chuckle echoed through the cellar. And a tall, brown haired man emerged from the shadows. The wand light danced over his angular and freckled face, "that's the you I remember."
You froze.
"Need any help with at keg?" Darius' voice called from the top of the cellar stairs making you jump and look over your shoulder, but when you looked back to the crates, no one was there. He was gone.
"No." You called back to Darius while staring at the place Sebastian had been standing, "i got it."
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blondwhxrewrites · 5 months
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Do you think that you could write a morally grey mattheo where he walks past your friends talking shit about you and then you find him after and bandage his knuckles up?? thank you!! 😘😘
Morally, Mattheo knew what he was doing was bad. He knew if anyone saw him he would most likely be done for. There was a little part of him that cared—but when it came to you he couldn't give a damn. "If I ever hear you talking shit about my princess ever again I will kill you and your pathetic friends too." He hissed into the poor girl's ear and he roughly shoved her away from him.
The girl, sobbing, nodded her head. Words of apologies tumbled out her mouth, as she stumbled away from him. Her face bruised and battered from the rough beating she had just gotten. "I—I'm...sorry!"
Mattheo sneered at her pathetic attempts of apologizing. "Yeah—i'm not the one you should be apologizing to..." He looked down at his bruised knuckles frowning as he watched blood dribble down from his wounds. The bitch had really put up a fight. He winced, hand coming up and wiping away the blood from his cut lip. But it was definitely worth the pain.
"annnd if I ever find out you told someone about tonight—i'll bury you in the forbidden forest, alive. "
.𖥔 ݁ ˖
"Matty what have I told you about getting into fights?" You frowned pressing the wet cloth against his wounded knuckles to clean the dried blood off of his skin. "One of these days you'll be the one losing!"
Mattheo scoffed, ignoring the stinging pain that came from you cleaning his wounds. "Wow princess I thought you would at least have some faith in me." He sighed dramatically shaking his head and tutting. The moment he had walked into your dorm room, you had immediately been all over him fussing about his beaten up appearance. Now, he sat criss cross on your bed being looked over by a worried you. "I'll be fine princess."
You frowned looking up at him, brows furrowed in obvious concern. "I don't care if you'll be fine—I don't want to see my boyfriend hurt!" You cried throwing down the wet towel beside you and grabbing the thing of Vaseline, a muggle product you had picked up for its apparent help in healing. You stuck your finger into it and picked up a good amount of the product and gently smeared it over his battered up knuckles. This man would be the death of you!
"look... I'm sorry princess I know you hate it whenever I get into fights." Mattheo grasped your chin pulling you in and pressing a soft kiss to your lips—an action that made his own cut lip sting but he gladly ignored it. He rested his forehead against yours and closed his eyes taking in the sweet moment.
The affection being given completely melted away all of your worries in one fell swoop. "Thank you for apologizing." You said, leaning into his warmth with a happy sigh from your lips. "I love you."
"I love you too princess."
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In Love and War
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Summary: A warlord!Rhys x Tamlin's sister!Reader AU where Hybern won the War centuries ago, ravishing Prythian and leaving the splintered Courts as nothing more than pockets of travelling war bands. Based loosely on the vibes from War by Laura Thalassa.
Content Warnings: (Each chapter will be tagged accordingly for violence, drinking, and Eventual smut) Canon typical violence, Rhys leans heavily into morally gray, kidnapping.
Author's Note: Trying something new with a first person POV, let me know what you think :)
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“Don’t come back unless you’ve brought food.”
It’s been days since that order, the rumble of my stomach the only indicator of passing time. The changing forests, the dying grasslands, the marshes, it’s all been a disappointing blur. All my traps are empty and untouched, some frozen in place as winter approaches. My father used to tell me stories of the Courts, how they were ruled by High Lords with the power to keep perpetual seasons. That was before the War, before Hybern and his General Amarantha ruined everything with the Cauldron, all for some human slaves. Father had liked to talk about the “good ole days” every night around the fire; he could spin pretty tales for hours, but that’s all they are these days. Stories. And stories don’t keep your stomach full.
I trail the deer through a stinking muck of a bog, mud and slimy water seeping in through the holes in my boots. The sludge is bone chilling, my hands shaking around my bow; teeth chattering so loud I have to clamp my mouth shut to avoid making too much noise. I need this kill and I need it fast. 
The deer stops to eat a bit of moss and I take a few more careful steps forward to get a better vantage point, cautious of where the ground sinks deeper beneath the murky water. Slipping and twisting an ankle in this mud would be dangerous, but it’s not an injury that makes my steps cautious. There are plenty of kelpie around these parts, I feel their beady little eyes watching me under the cover of a quickly approaching fog. All I need is one misstep and those spindly, webbed hands will drag me under for a quick meal.
Better a kelpie than the Highway Men I’d managed to dodge getting this far out of my brother’s territory, I suppose, but I’d rather avoid both of them if possible.
Once I’m sure of my footing, I notch an arrow to my bow. This is not the ideal place to kill it, but the rumbling of my stomach might just be too damn loud to give me another chance if I wait for it to pass out of the bog. How many days has it been since my last meal? Four? Five?
I pull the arrow back, the weathered feathers brushing my hollow cheek. 
The deer’s head jerks up, ears turning to listen to something beyond the fog and I hold my breath. The ground beneath my boots begins to rumble and the deer bolts before I can take the shot, disappearing into the gloom. A loss to mourn later, because that rumbling can only mean one thing: Horses, and a lot of them, moving right in my direction. 
I slide my bow over my shoulder and run back the way I’d come, mud sucking at my every step, slowing my progress as I try to get back to the treeline at the edge of the bog. The wet land is covered in dead and living trees alike, some as old as time, still reaching towards the sun like the ruined hands of a corpse, some fighting its inevitable demise. It’s too cold these days for the living to still have leaves, so even if I wanted to stop and climb one, I’d have no place to hide. I might as well stand there and wave my arms and alert every horseman to my location.
Still, the branches are helpful for leverage, and I grab onto the low ones and haul myself along, hoping to find shelter higher up the basin’s edge, where the water has not claimed as much. There’s plenty of underbrush there to shield me. 
The first horse appears through the fog, dark as a shadow, it’s echoing whinny chilling in the previous silence. A hooded rider sits atop the giant animal, a giant sword sheathed between his massive shoulders. 
“Shit, shit, shit,” I hiss to no one as I crouch the best I can in the open air. 
There are many warbands in Prythian these days. Some are Hybern’s men. Some Amarantha’s. The rest are what remains of the Courts. Those of us with enough magic to prove useful have been known to swear fealty and garner protection from them, but that means you get the privilege of fighting and dying for those entitled pricks who think they are owed the land their ancestors once ruled. From this far, I can’t tell who’s colors they bear, but without the, usually oppressive presence, of my brother’s own men I’m not likely to have a safe encounter. Better to wait it out and let them pass.
The first rider doesn’t see me through the fog, a small blessing that I take full advantage of by inching forward. The treeline is so close. If I am lucky, if the Mother is still out there listening and looking out for me, I can hunker down and wait.
A second rider appears through the fog, faster than the first, racing along the bog’s edge until it makes it over the ledge of the basin and disappears. The cry of their horses sound like ghosts howling in the wind. A third and fourth rider follow. I can hear even more of them, the rumble of their caravan making the ground shake, but no more appear as the fog thickens. 
A shiver runs down my spine, but still, I press forward. I’ve dodged plenty of males like this in the past, I can do the same now. I just need to be smart. And lucky.
Neither of which I am, apparently. As soon as my boots touch more solid ground, another horse appears, this time, from within the safety of the treeline I’d been so desperate to get to. The rider atop this one is as large as the first, face completely obscured by a black hood with three stars perfectly poised over his forehead, the bottom two falling where his eyes should be. 
I freeze, mind reeling back to a time years ago, when those stars had come bursting through camp, only bloodshed and destruction behind them. My hands shake at my sides as I slide backwards into the muck, slipping, barely maintaining my balance as the midnight black horse rears, hooves pawing at the air. I’d heard that terrifying whiny before too, right before my father’s head rolled out of his tent. 
My stomach rolls, bile rising in the back of my throat. This can’t be happening to me! They promised to stay away.
The rider gets his horse under control, large, gloved hands yanking hard on the reins, deep voice barking orders in the language I know belongs to the mountain men in Illyria, but had never been permitted to learn myself.
My heart hammers in my chest as I get back on my feet, head whipping back and forth trying to find a way out.  
“What’s your business here?” The rider demands, voice deep, gruff, muffled by a scarf over the lower half of his face.
“My own,” I snarl, reaching for the hunting knife at my hip. This is no one’s claimed territory, save for maybe the kelpie I hear skimming the surface at my back, I have every right to hunt here as anyone. “Now let me pass and I’ll be on my way.”
The rider swings out of the saddle and the ground shakes as his boots touch the ground. A dark mist leaks from his shoulders, shadows swirling around the sword hilt peeking out from between his shoulders and… I’d been mistaken about his size, it wasn’t just his shoulders, it was a pair of wings. Wings that had been tucked tight while he was  riding but now stretch out behind him, the leathery membrane pitted and scarred from years of battle. If I’d had doubts about who this was before, I don't now. Though I’d only seen him in glimpses that night, Tamlin had talked enough about the rival warlord over the years for me to be able to put two and two together.
A lump forms in my throat. Rhysand is even taller up close, the top of my head barely coming up to his chin. “I have nothing of value.” I’m not wearing our colors, I’m not sure if they would have helped or hindered me here, but my best bet is to just play dumb.
From the incline of his head it looks like he’s eyeing my knife, but I can’t be certain. There is some kind of enchantment over his hood, obscuring his face from view. “What’s your name?” 
“No business of yours,” I retort, tightening my grip on the knife. 
“So hostile,” he purrs. “I mean no harm.”
“Says the male with the sword.”
“If I wanted to hurt you, I would have.”
“I’m flattered,” I drawl. “How kind of you to deem me worth a modicum of decency as you block my exit.”
He takes a step forward and I take a step back, right to the edge of the water, where that damn creature hisses out a chuckle, knife poised and ready between us. He’s not wearing armor, a well placed blow could still kill him, I want him to think twice before moving any closer. Though, I suppose I must not look that imposing, considering our size difference and the sheer amount of muscle underneath that dark cloak. 
He sizes me up silently for a moment, hooded head intently fixed on the hand gripping the knife. Then, with speed enhanced even for High Fae, he’s reaching forward and grabbing my wrist as I stumble back and slam right into a tree.
It’s instinct: The punch I throw with my free hand, hitting him square in the throat, even as my heel comes down on the top of his foot. He grunts like it hurts, but doesn’t move, doesn’t let up on the grip he keeps on my wrist.
“Where’d you get this scar?” He drags a finger over the top of my hand, where I’ve got a scar shaped like an eight point star. 
“Get off me!” I shout as I try to wrench my hand free of his grip.
If his men hear, they don’t come running. There is no one here to save me--not that there has been anyone to save me in a long time anyway.
He’s wearing gloves, but with the hand not maintaining a vice on my wrist, he pushes the leather back enough to reveal a matching scar on the back of his own hand. 
All thought eddies from my mind. 
This can’t be real.
He takes the knife from my hand as if it was being held by a toddler, but much to my surprise, he slides it right back into its sheath at my hip. The move lets him lean in, large body hovering over mine. I still can’t see a glimpse of his face beneath the hood. 
“You’re my mate,” he says, voice a reverent whisper.
Mate. My heart hammers in my chest at the word, as if something beneath my skin is coming to life at the realization. The power that lies distant and untouched with me stirs, a large beast poking its head out of the den after a long hibernation. Having a mate is most women's dream--was my own, once upon a time, before the world went to hell--but not like this, not him. My world had gone to hell because of him. 
The Mother truly hates my guts.
“I’m not your anything,” I snarl as I get a hand on his broad chest and push. He’s nothing but solid muscle beneath my palm. When pushing gets me nowhere, I make a fist and hit him a good couple times. “Now let go of me, you brute!”
He chuckles, low and rich, as if this is all very amusing. “No. It’s not safe out here. You’re coming with me.”
I’d rather be eaten by the kelpie. “The hell I am!” But before I can find a way to fight him, as useless as my attempts have been thus far, he wraps a strong arm around my waist and all but tosses me into the saddle.
I reach for my hunting knife again, but a gloved hand hovers over my own, even as his other arm snakes around me to grab the reins. “Easy, mate,” he purrs in my ear. “You don’t need to be afraid of me.”
Despite myself, that voice, so close to my ear, his body warm and solid behind me, a shiver runs down my spine. “You’re fucking kidnapping me, you bastard!” I snarl, because there’s no way I’m just going along with this. “And I’m not your mate! I don’t even believe in mates.”
“You will,” he assures as he kicks his horse into moving back into the fog.
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fuckyeahdindjarin · 7 months
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Denim on Denim
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A Seams x Grays crossover
Summary: Joel tries to get a haircut - but it turns out he can’t do anything in the QZ without getting into a fistfight, and you’re lucky enough to be in the audience.
Warnings: Mildly spicy thoughts, two sexy men fighting, language, reader was a hairdresser prior to the outbreak and has a nickname related to her job, no use of Y/N, no physical descriptions of reader, very lightly edited.
This oneshot can be read independently of the two series, but for the full experience, I recommend reading at least Grays. This is a post-outbreak AU of Grays, and is set before Seams Joel leaves the QZ. Part of the Shiv's salon drabbles.
Word count: 2.7k
Notes: A whole year after my random thoughts about how Joel's hair looks that good in an apocalypse and a random notif on this post that reminded of it, we finally get Joel to Shiv's salon... or do we? 🤷🏻‍♀️ I had a blast writing this oneshot - it's a bit silly, a bit spicy, I hope you enjoy it ❤️
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‘Goddamnit.’
Joel swipes viciously at the curl hanging over eyes, like a boxer at a punchbag. Try as he might to slick it back, every time his shovel hits the dirt, the hair uncoils, bouncing obnoxiously in his field of vision.
He needs a fucking haircut. Tess usually does it for him every month or so, but she’s been in a mood - snapping at him, keeping him at arm’s length, she hasn’t even been to his apartment for two whole weeks.
This time of the year is hard for her. He knows all too well that he’s the same every September. They’re in each of their own time loops, a cage within the trappings of the QZ.
‘You look like you need a trim, bro.’
Joel barely glances up. He knows the guy, they share a surname after all. People call him Ben, or Benny, and even an old man like him knows he’s a good-looking son of a bitch.
They work the same shifts sometimes, and he knows Tess has crossed paths with him at the illegal fight nights. Joel has also seen him a few times at the bar, where he’s usually surrounded by even more good-looking motherfuckers.
Joel knows he’s a damn flirt too. He always has pretty words for Tess when he sees her. He’s harmless though, and he supposes that she deserves sweet nothings from at least one Miller since he’s no good at them.
Realising he hasn’t responded, Joel grunts noncommittally, self-consciousness prickling the back of his neck.
‘I know someone, she was a professional hairdresser before all this.’
Joel ignores him and keeps shovelling.
‘If you tell her you know me, she’ll give you a good rate.’
More shovelling.
‘Alright man, my shift’s up. See you ‘round.’
Five steps, and Joel sighs, digging the shovel into the dirt.
‘Wait.’
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Joel stands on the doorway, and stares.
There’s an actual backwash in the corner of the dingy living room - well, living space. There are no doors in the tenement apartments.
‘You waiting for it to say hello back, or what?’
His eyes snap to yours, a scowl drawing his brows together.
Not that you look at all intimidated, one eyebrow arched high and an amused smile sitting lopsided on your lips, which he will admit throws him just a bit. He’s not used to having to work for it.
Giving you a tight nod, he takes two steps into the apartment. He recognises the layout, a mirror of his own, which is a few blocks away.
Closing the door with a flourish behind him, you ask brightly, ‘You’re here for a haircut?’
He’s about to answer when something winks at him, and he looks up, momentarily blinded by the reflection of afternoon light in the cracked mirror that hangs over a battered styling station.
Your apartment has windows that don’t look directly onto the next building, and sun floods the space. Even light is a real rarity in the shithole of a QZ, where everything indoors is dingy. He idly wonders if you had to bribe someone -
Distracted, he catches the sliver of a shadow moving from the corner of his eye a split second later than he would if he was on high alert. On reflex, his fingers find the hilt of his knife and he whips it out in a wide arc, swinging to his left where gunmetal catches the afternoon light.
‘Drop it!’ he barks, the same moment as the other man growls, ‘The fuck are you doing in my home with a knife?’
To Joel’s bewilderment, you chuckle somewhere to his right, amused. ‘C’mon guys. Dramatic, much?’
‘He snuck up on me,’ Joel growls defensively.
‘Frankie, put your gun away, dude’s just here for a haircut - I’m assuming anyway, he never did answer my question.’
‘Yes, I’m here for a haircut,’ he snaps, resheathing his knife. ‘Fuck would I be doin’ here if not?’
‘Fuck should I know, dipshit?’ retorts Frankie, tucking his gun in the back of his jeans. ‘You always bring a knife to your haircuts?’
‘D’ya always threaten to shoot paying customers?’
‘No, we definitely do not.’ You step into the space between the two men in case they get snippy with each other again. ‘Who sent you?’
Your customer crosses his arms, and you can’t help noticing the fabric of his shirt stretching across those broad shoulders. ‘Blondie.’
‘Blondie?’ you frown, confused. ‘Oh wait, you mean Ben? I thought I recognised you. I’ve seen you at one of his fights, with your wife? What’s her name now -’
‘Tess,’ he replies, then promptly looks like he wishes he’d stopped himself before he answered. ‘She’s not my -’ he trails off, and it’s clear he doesn’t like how you’re reading him at the moment, grumbling, ‘None of your damn business.’
‘Hey, you watch your mouth around my lady, old man,’ warns Frankie, ratcheting up the tension again.
Squaring his shoulders, the man seems to grow two inches. ‘Or what?’
Suddenly aware of being caught in the crossfire between your protective husband on one side, and this gruff, silvered stranger on the other, heat bubbles unbidden under your skin, the unexpected reaction from your body catching you off guard.
Biting your lower lip, you clear your throat, and somehow you sound steadier than you feel when you dispense the orders. 
‘Ok, this is enough. Frankie, sit down over there,’ you say, pointing him in the direction of the couch on the other side of the room. ‘And you - since you’re Benny’s friend, two ration cards.’
‘’M not his friend,’ he almost spits out that last word, as if it tastes weird.
You give him a pointed look. ‘Three ration cards, then.’
He huffs, and hands you two from his back pocket. ‘Fine, I’m Benny’s friend.’
You grin. ‘If you’re besties, it’s one.’
‘Don’t push it.’
You back off with a chuckle. ‘Fine, not besties. Maybe next time. Now sit.’
Joel does as he’s told, awkwardly, in the styling chair, a relic from the pre-outbreak days. It creaks dangerously under his weight, and it wobbles, slightly off-kilter. The cracked leather is warm from the sun, which seeps into his skin, and he finds himself wondering when was the last time he went to a hair salon.
Sarah used to love cutting his hair. She always made an afternoon out of it on one of his rare days not working overtime, putting the music on, setting up her Barbie mirror on the dining room table, and having him pick out a hairstyle from a magazine (it never looked anywhere near like the photos). She’d even put a disposable raincoat over him like a hairdresser’s cape. She really wasn’t any good, there’s a reason why Tommy didn’t let her anywhere near his curls, but he always wore her handiwork with pride -
So lost in his thoughts, he reacts purely on instinct when, for the first time in decades, fingers other than his own find his hair.
Swivelling around, he’s out of the chair in a split second, fingers wrapped tight around your wrists. You yelp as he pushes you back against the wall, which he sees from the shape of your lips but doesn’t hear over the blood pounding in his ears.
Joel barely holds you there for a second before he’s yanked backwards by a hand on the back of his collar, and he stumbles, crashing into the adjacent wall. He barely misses the fist heading towards his face, ducking just in time to save himself what would undoubtedly have been a broken nose.
He barrels into the younger man with his shoulder, expecting him to tumble back, and is surprised when he doesn’t budge. Joel’s aware he’s got a few years on him, but he more than holds his own against punks that age on the daily. This guy clearly has a background in combat, and it’s taking Joel everything to stay on his feet.
In the meantime, you’re still plastered against the wall, dazed by your customer’s reaction. Heck, you haven’t even gotten his name yet before he literally jumped you. He’s a skittish one, that’s for sure. 
You smile at the memory of Frankie’s first time with you at the salon - he’d give this guy a good run for his money. Lucky for him, you’ve always been good at wrangling the nervous ones.
Speaking of, the two men are now literally wrestling in front of you. If you had to venture a guess by the grays in the hair, you reckon your customer is pushing fifty. He’s built like a fucking tank though, and he’s giving everything he’s got.
So you decide to watch for a little while. Boys will be boys, best leave them to let off some steam. Leaning against the wall, you get comfortable, and you think wistfully to yourself that Ashton would have loved this view.
You’re not sure how you missed that they’re both wearing denim on denim, and you would struggle to pick out which is your husband if not for the hat on his head. Yes, the damn cap survived the apocalypse with him.
They are remarkably similar in build, though your customer seems to stand just a couple of inches taller. His biceps flex and bulge through the shirt sleeves as he scuffles with Frankie, teeth bared; meanwhile, your husband plants his feet, jeans stretched tight over his adorable little ass, trying to hold the man back long enough to throw a punch.
If the room was warm when they were trading barbs, it’s positively sweltering right now.
All you can see are broad shoulders and fabric bursting at the seams, grappling fingers and clenched fists. Back muscles rippling through denim, teasing slivers of skin and soft bellies when shirttails ride up and jeans fall low. The cheerful afternoon sun kisses their skin golden, casting long shadows across the creaking wooden floor.
And they’re not quiet. Throaty grunts as they jostle, panted breath peppered with cusses, fuck’s and sons of bitches as they wrestle for control.
Suddenly, you’re the one who’s out of breath despite not moving a muscle.
As much as you would’ve loved to stand and watch, you can tell both men are starting to get winded. You don’t exactly want the show to end, entertainment is hard to come by in the QZ, let alone of such a visually stimulating variety, in your own living room. But you think you hear the older man wheeze, their shirts are now stained with sweat, and the frantic energy they started with turns heavy with lethargy.
With a rueful sigh, you speak up, ‘Frankie, come on, that’s enough now.’
He growls, ‘No fucking way. He tried to hurt you!’
‘He barely touched me. It was just his PTSD acting out.’
‘I don’t have PTSD,’ the man protests, shooting you a glare before dodging an elbow.
‘There’s no shame in having PTSD,’ you admonish him. ‘Or in getting help.’
‘Why don’t you give me a hand then?’ he scoffs, tipping his head at Frankie.
‘Yeah, looks like you can use it,’ your husband taunts him.
‘Sure you can’t, asshole? Can’t even take down an old man on your own?’
‘I hope you're hungry, 'cause you're gonna eat your words, asshole -’
Hands on hips, you roll your eyes at the exceedingly average trash talk. ‘You know what? I tried asking nicely - I’m going in.’
It’s a tight squeeze, but somehow, you find a space between the elbows and shoulders and knees, and you wedge yourself in. It’s hot and humid between the two men, who are still trying to get at each other, despite the fact that you now have one hand on each of their chests, trying to pry them apart. Trapped between the two solid walls of chest, their raw strength vibrates through you, through harsh panting breath, the musk of sweat and man, and denim rubs rough on your bare skin where you’re pressed up against them.
It’s not hard to imagine being in this position in an entirely different situation, with the axis tilted, on a softer surface. Heat prickles all over you like needles, and unbeknownst to you, your thighs press together, and your panties start to feel sticky -
‘What the fuck are you doing?’ asks Frankie, incredulous as he looms over you, still grabbing onto the other guy’s shirt.
You bat your eyelashes at him, then crane your neck over your shoulder to wink at the other man. A little spiral of a curl dangles over his eyes as he glares at you, puffs of warm air hitting the shell of your ear. 
Knowing that your best chance of breaking off this nonsense is to wildly offend both men, you purr, ‘Making a delicious sandwich ‘cause I’m famished -’
Frankie flushes bright red instantly, and he roars, ‘Get your filthy hands off my wife, son of a bitch!’
Not that his hands are anywhere near you (a tragedy), nonetheless, the man jumps five feet back, as if you burned him. He may deny Tess being his wife, but the look of absolute horror of being accused of touching you speaks volumes.
You can tell he would have doubled over catching his breath, hands on his knees, if not for his pride. Stubbornly, he stands tall, hands on hips, chest heaving.
‘Bit jumpy, are we?’ you quip.
‘You always that handsy?’ he retorts.
‘Can’t help myself with beautiful curls like yours,’ you wink, and your smile widens when he flushes.
Frankie throws up his hands in disbelief. ‘Shiv, I’m standing right here.’
‘You always are,’ you tease, pressing a kiss to his pinched lips. ‘Now, go take a walk, you've made enough of a scene.’
‘I’m not leaving you here with him -’
The older man scoffs. ‘Don’t worry, I’m not interested in your woman.’
You feign indignation. ‘Hey! That’s hurtful.’
‘You should be, jackass!’ Frankie gripes, and promptly looks as confused as the other man at his own pronouncement.
Taking his hand, you pull him towards the door. ‘Go on babe, you were going to have a drink with Pope anyway. I got everything under control.’
‘Alright,’ Frankie relents, but not before he points a menacing finger at your customer. ‘If he tries anything -’
‘I know where the gun is,’ you finish his sentence.
Pressing one final kiss to your lips and throwing a glare over your shoulder, Frankie turns and leaves - and you preen at the knowledge that he trusts you can take care of yourself.
Once the door closes, you smile. ‘So… should we start over?’
 The man snorts. ‘I’d say.’
‘I’m Shiv,’ you say, but you don’t offer him your hand. He doesn’t seem to be the handshaking type.
He picks up on your perception, studying you with curious eyes. ‘Joel.’
Pushing the swivel chair back to the styling station, you gesture at him to retake his seat, and this time, you make sure his eyes are on yours in the mirror while you stand over his shoulder.
‘Hair’s a bit long, huh?’ you remark, eyeing the ringlet over his eyes.
‘It’s drivin’ me nuts,’ he admits.
You hold up your hands this time, giving him plenty of notice. ‘May I?’
He nods, and you start small, wrapping the spiral around your index finger with a grin. ‘I wasn’t just saying it, y’know. You do have beautiful hair.’
He shifts awkwardly, the chair squeaking, obviously uncomfortable with compliments. ‘Dunno. I’m all gray and shit.’
‘As someone wise once said, grays are sexy as fuck,’ you assure him. Running your fingers through his curls, you study the texture critically, noting the blunt ends and uneven thickness. Nothing a professional haircut can’t fix. ‘Trust me, I’m very wise.’
He hums, unconvinced, but you can see the lines around his eyes crease in amusement. ‘If you say so.’
You wink at him in the mirror. ‘When I’m done with you, Tess will have the hardest time keeping her hands to herself.’
‘What makes you think she doesn’t already?’
It takes you a moment to unfreeze, stunned by his retort. At his arched eyebrow, you burst into laughter. ‘You’re a sassy one, aren’t you, Joel?’
He huffs, half-amused, and shakes his head. ‘It’s a haircut, not a miracle.’
You squeeze his shoulder, grinning when he doesn’t jump at the contact. ‘Trust me, I’m just that good at my job.’
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More notes: If you enjoyed this oneshot, I wrote a series of drabbles of Shiv giving other Pedro boys haircuts - you can find them in the Grays masterlist 🩶 I may write more for this universe and some point if inspiration strikes again, thank you for reading!
And if you wanted an inspo shot of Joel's hair, here you go ❤️
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Dividers by @firefly-graphics
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reedles05 · 23 days
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The Responsible One
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Michael had been odd ever since arriving in Santa Carla. Not a day went by where he acted like he did before the move. Being the oldest sibling meant a lot of things, one of which was taking care of the others when Mom couldn’t. During the entire divorce, you had been there to watch the other two, to make sure they were provided for while Lucy mourned her life moving on. 
And here you were witnessing the downfall of one of your brothers while the other was thriving. Sam had gone and even made friends that were as weird as he was, they had come by and gotten him to hang out while you were home. They were lovely boys, kind and respectful when meeting you. You had waved them off, telling them to be safe and have fun, the streets were dangerous after all. Normally, you would have advised against going out, but Sam needed time away from you. So, you had let him go, but not without something to have on hand in case something were to go awry. You had handed him a pocket knife, not something super dangerous, but something to fend off anyone with ill intent. He had shot you a look, the one where he was insinuating you were being overdramatic, but had taken it when you glared. You were relieved when his friends had awed at you giving him such a weapon, telling him how lucky he was for having you on his side. 
And that had put them in your good books. Sweet kids, Sam was lucky to have them. 
But Michael has been leaving in the night, not returning into early morning. You were worried, admittedly so. You were worried he was hanging around the wrong kinds of people, the kinds that had drugs on hand at any time. Even trying to confront him didn’t do anything, he only grew frustrated at being cornered by both you and Lucy. So, you did what any sane and concerned older sibling would do. 
Follow his ass. 
He wouldn’t get out of this so easily, making Lucy cry was on the list of ‘NO.’ 
And he knew that, so why was he going and doing things that were doing exactly that. 
Dressing yourself to avoid catching his eye, you listened to the tell tale signs of Michael leaving the house. The cracking of the window and the silence that followed. 
So you raced down the stairs and watched as he departed. He was quick, you’d give him that. You chased him all the way down to the Boardwalk. And watched as he met up with four men leaning on their bikes. He conversed with them, laughed and smiled until one of them wrapped an arm around his shoulders. A grimace crossed his face, and so you moved. 
Stepping with purpose, you strutted up to the men and pulled the blonde away from your lovely brother. 
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t get your nasty hands all over my darling brother, Micahel.”
Michael had tensed, eye widening once he recognized who had saved him from David.
He stuttered, trying to push you away before the others had really gotten a chance to take a look at you. But it was too late, and the men leered. Taking in your appearance, the vampires watched as you scowled at them, especially David. He had been the one to put his hands on Michael, and you had watched it as it happened. 
“I’m sorry, doll, but who might you be? I haven’t seen you around here before.”
David leered. And the rest watched as you remained as you were. Hand still in place on Michael’s shoulder, you scoffed. 
“I just told you, I’m Michael’s older sibling. And he was clearly unwanting of your hands being all over him. Fuck. Off.” 
And David laughed. 
Paul leaned in, eyes tracking every minute detail of you that he could.
“Older sibling, huh? Mikey boy never mentioned you, babe.” 
You looked over at Michael, trying to discern the look he was wearing at the moment. 
You nudged him, prompting him to speak.
“Any reason for that? I thought I was worth mentioning to your dearest friends. You do spend more time with them than you do us anymore.”
Michael opened his mouth, but was cut off by another one of the unintroduced men. 
David interrupted him, pressing a finger to his lips to shush him. 
“He was brushing off someone so hot just to hang with us? How cruel of you, Mikey.”
Marko had been the one to speak, pushing off his bike and approaching you. 
He had gone to reach for you, but Michael’s hand intercepted it. 
God, this was going to be an experience. 
David opened his arms, gesturing to his band of boys. Motioning to each one as he introduced. 
“This is Paul, Dwayne, and Marko.” 
You nodded, noting their names and pulling along Michael. 
“Great, we’ll be leaving now.” 
The one said to be Dwayne had stopped you, stepping in front of you and ceasing your escape. You looked up through eyelashes at him, a scowl overcoming your face once more. 
“I’m afraid I can’t allow you to leave without knowing your name, lovely.” 
Paul sauntered over, grabbing your arm and pulling you into him. 
“So..?”
“No.”
Michael went to speak but you glared, pointer finger held up to cease his talking. 
“I refuse to give you a name until you explain what’s going on with my brother and you all.” 
David smirked, eyes sharpening. 
“Alright then, we’ll explain everything. Let’s take a ride, boys.”
And that was all they seemed to want to hear, as their laughs started to sound out across the clearing. 
Marko threw out his hands.
“Who do you choose to ride with?”
“Preferably, none.”
But you had to admit, the boys were handsome, and roguishly charming. It was just the fact that they were somehow blackmailing Michael into staying near them. If not, you would gladly spend the night with any of them…or all of them. 
David laughed under his breath, but you saw the gesture. Sucking your teeth, you pointed to Marko. 
“I choose the wild curly blonde then.”
Marko looked shocked, pointing to himself before smiling wide. Cheering, he raced to your side before hauling you up bridal style. Screeching, you held onto his shoulders before slapping his back. He laughed the whole way to his bike, and once you made it, he dropped you on the back. Dropping in front of you, he looked back and smiled. 
“Hold on tight, gorgeous, we’re gonna be going fast.”
And that was all the warning you got before he took off faster than you’ve ever gone before. 
It was…
Thrilling. 
87 notes · View notes
softestqueeen · 10 months
Text
my little flower pt. 2
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pairing: stalker!könig (cod) x reader
summary: You were just minding your business, planting some new flowers in your garden, when suddenly a (charming) man in a mask abducts you to use you for his pleasure. You are incredibly conflicted; the stranger seems to be kinda nice but also incredibly selfish at the same time.
Slowly you’re getting used to living with the man that was slowly becoming more than just the man who abducted you. You’re also getting used to the different ways he’s using and abusing your body.
warnings: 18+ MDNI!! mention of stalking, kidnapping and being held captive, p in v sex, non con, rape, kind of free use?, consent – never heard of it, no safe word, shower sex, sexual abuse, description emotional abuse, very possessive behaviour, light bondage, handcuffs, cunnilingus, overstimulation, gagging, spanking, 69, oral (both receiving), no aftercare
wordcount: 2283 words
read part one here!
a/n: I just couldn’t let it go and had to write a part two. Am I procrastinating with writing rn? Maybe. Enjoy <3
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You couldn’t tell how long König had already kept you locked up in your room. It could have been days, but it could have also been weeks, months. The past was a bit blurry. He didn’t drug you that often anymore and the only way you could keep track of time was to try to observe when König left for work an when he came back.
You knew when he came back because he always checked on you. If you weren’t having sex, he was sometimes actually really nice to you. Always checking on your health if you were hungry or needed anything else. The two of you sometimes even have dinner downstairs on the rare occasions when he lets you leave your room. It is easier than expected to talk to him and sometimes living with him felt freeing, as weird as that sounds.
You didn’t have to work or worry about money; you didn’t really have to socialise with anyone or meet new people. You could spend the whole day reading and dressing up in the countless outfits that König hung up in your closet and await his return.
He enjoyed you company but what he enjoyed even more was using your body. It had taken some time to get used to the fact that you sometimes woke up gagged with König’s cock deep down your pussy or that sometimes when he got home from work, he didn’t care about what you were doing but just forced himself into one of your holes.
Sometimes you wondered how your parents were doing or what your friends were up to. But König was quick to fuck those thoughts out of you.
As weird and twisted as it may sound you were slowly falling for the dark man.
You were currently standing in the shower, enjoying the warm stream, and listening to some music on the CD-player König had gotten you after you complained about how quiet it was when he was gone.
You’ve just rinsed the shampoo out of your hair and were about to grab your bottle of shower gel when you suddenly felt a pair of hands on your lips. Now you could also feel a powerful presence behind you.
You didn’t get any warning before König entered you in one swift motion, making a sound between a gasp and a moan leave your lips, while you leaned forward to steady yourself against the shower wall. He started to fuck you in earnest, giving you no time to recover from the intrusion and using you in a way he hadn’t in a long time.
“I have been thinking about burying my thick cock in that sweet and tight pussy all day long, just for you to not be in your room. You’re never save from me, little flower. I will always find you.” he growled into your ear before speeding up his thrusts and adding “You” Thrust “Are” Thrust “Mine” Thrust “You understand me?” Thrust
You could only whimper and give him a weak nod while he continued to abuse your pussy in earnest. He grabbed your hair and pulled your head back while leaving hickeys everywhere he could reach. He had one hand in your hair and the other one was leaving finger shaped bruises on your hip.
You could do nothing but stand there and let it happen. You knew you were not strong enough to do anything against it, and after the initial shock it was actually quite pleasurable, and you could feel your orgasm already building.
“Say it for me, tell me who you belong to, little flower.”, he told you while slowing down his thrust a bit, but now hitting your g-spot perfectly, making nit even harder for you to answer.
“Y- Y- You, I belong to you”, you managed to stammer out.
He halted his thrusts completely and pinched your nipple, making you yelp. “You know that’s not want I want to hear, sweetheart. I’ll ask you again, who do you belong to?”
You tried to calm your breathing before answering him “I belong to you, König. Only you.”
That seemed to be the right answer because he picked up his pace again and started to drill into you again.
“When you’re going to cum, I want you to scream my name while I fill up that sweet little pussy. And then I’m going to eat that pussy out, you hear me?”, he whispered into your ear while pressing you completely against the tiled shower wall. You let out a gasp when your front made contact with the cold tiles, but nodded anyways, already feeling your orgasm etching closer and closer.
König could also feel you squeezing him and was ready to fill you up.
“Cum for me, little flower. Come for me now or you won’t cum for weeks.”, his sinful words brought you over the edge. You screamed his name while covering his abdomen with your nectar. Not a second later you could feel him shooting his cum into your pussy while slowly halting his thrusts. He kept his still rock-hard cock inside your pussy though, using it as a plug for his cum.
He took the shower head from the wall, taking his hand from your hair.
“Before I’ll eat out your little cunt and taste it, I’m feeling like playing with you a little bit more.”, he told you before using the shower head to wash over your body, the little droplets of water gliding down your skin and if he wasn’t already hard again, he would be now.
You were still pressed against the shower when he guided the shower head to your sensitive cunt, spraying it from afar but slowly moving closer. The little sprays made a shiver run down your spine and you felt König’s cock twitch inside of you, making you moan.
König guided the spray along your pussy, before focusing on your clit. The stimulation felt heavenly, the softness a stark contrast to the harsh fucking from just moments before. He concentrated on your clot before moving along your lips and then going back to your clit, building a steady rhythm.
You were embarrassingly close to coming again, the shower head feeling better than anticipated.
“Cum for me and I’ll eat you out, little flower. I’ll eat you out until you’ll beg me to stop.”, his words brought you even closer to the edge and when he concentrated on your clit and inserted one of his thick fingers inside of your tight cunt, joining his already fat cock, you were a goner.
This orgasm was softer than your first one. You came again with a loud moan of König’s name, and you could feel his cock pulsing inside of you.
He let you some time to calm down before pulling out and steadying you with one of his hands around your waist. He washed you and touched you like you were a porcelain doll about to break. You loved the rare gentleness but also knew that this was the silence before the storm.
He lifted you out of the shower and dried you up, before carrying you back into your bedroom and laying you on the bed. König didn’t bother to put any clothes on you because he knew he wouldn’t need them.
You lay sprawled out on the bed, your legs spread, his cum still dripping out of you. It didn’t surprise you that he spared your cunt when he washed you. You watched König curiously as he walked over to your closet. Did he want to dress you up?
Oh boy, how wrong you were.
He came back with two pairs of handcuffs and a mischievous grin. You just lay there while he handcuffed one of your hands to the bedpost before he repeated the same action on your other hand.
You experimentally pulled on them, but they didn’t give you any room to move. The thought of being at König’s mercy like that made a wave of wetness flow to your pussy.
König didn’t say anything while he went to lay down between your spread legs. He started at your hole and licked up a long stripe to your clit with his flat tongue, making you squirm and moan. You wished you could put your hands into his hair and pull it, knowing he would go feral.
He kept on eating you out, taking his time with you. Circling your clit, licking along the lips of your pussy, teasing your hole, and occasionally even leaving open mouthed kissed on your cunt and on the side of your thighs.
You were slowly going insane. You wished you could move against his face to use your hands in any way to touch him, but you had no chance. If you moved your hips forward, he instantly pulled his mouth away and slapped your thigh. There was already a red spot on the inside of your thigh, but every time he hits you it makes a jolt of pleasure shoot through your body.
He was slowly working you to your next orgasms and you hated the teasing. When you tried to protest, he got up, picked up his glove from the floor and stuffed it into your mouth, gagging you.
You couldn’t breathe through the glove and started to grow lightheaded, but it only fed into your pleasure and making everything feel more intense.
Before he went back to your pussy, he told you “You can come whenever you want, I just need to taste you little flower.”
He slowly brought you to your next orgasm and when you finally hit it, it made you see stars. You let out a scream, though it was muffled by the gag. Even though you came for a third time already, König did not seem to end it here. He just continued to eat you out, but now he was slowly increasing the speed until his harsh movements started to hurt your already overstimulated pussy.
Tears were now streaming down your face, and you felt dizzy again, but König seemed to be in his own world, groaning and moaning against your heat. He lapped up your juices when you came for the fourth time.
You thought he would have some mercy on you and leave you be for the night when he pulled away and got up from the bed. But when you saw that he still had a huge boner, you knew that he was not done yet.
He removed the gag from your mouth, and you greedily breathed in the fresh air in big gulps. He went to remove the handcuffs and you just let your hands drop, not being able to move them anymore, your wrists sore from the cuffs.
He joined you on the bed again, lifting your hips and putting you over his face. Your back was faced to the headboard and when you looked forward, you could see König’s errection standing proudly and already messy with pre-cum.
If König didn’t have such a strong grip on your waits, you were sure that you would just fall forward. He spread your legs a bit wider so that your already swollen pussy was directly over his lips. You could feel the breaths of his next words against you, making you shiver.
“I’m going to keep on playing with that sweet little pussy until you made me cum with your mouth, little flower. But don’t use your hands.”, he commanded.
You immediately leaned forward, your shaky arms were on either side of his hips, supporting your weight.
You licked a long stripe up his cock, tracing a particular prominent vein, before sucking his head into your mouth and swallowing his pre-cum.
You could feel him groaning against you before he started to eat you out again. You moaned around him, feeling his thighs and hips twitching underneath you. You worked your mouth up and down his length, taking him deeper with every time you moved down on his cock.
You could feel him twitch inside of you and more pre-com escaping his slit. You took him down your throat, his tip already hitting the back of your throat. He fucked your throat so often; you didn’t even gag anymore on his thick grid.
You started to move in sync, his finger now joining his mouth. He slowly worked his large fingers inside of you, until three of them were pumping in and out of you. When he entered a fourth one and sucked on your clit, you were done.
His cock hit the back of your throat when you hit your orgasm, your head stilling, while König kept on fucking you with his fingers, working you through your high.
The taste of your release and your tight throat around his cock, made him shoot thick ropes of cum down your throat. You moaned around him when you tasted his release, now slowly lifting your head. Only the head of his cock remained in your mouth, and you sucked on it, swallowing down the last drops of his sweet cum.
You completely pulled off him and he lifted you up again, pulling his fingers out of cunt and detaching his tongue from you.
He lifted you completely from him and turned you around, so your head was nestled on the pillow.
He harshly slapped your ass, making you jolt forward and force a moan out of your lips. You were so overstimulated, you hoped he was finally finished with you.
He put on his boxers again, before he looked at you naked body on more time. “Get some rest, little flower. I’m not done with you yet.”
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a/n: thanks for reading, i hope you enjoyed it! Please leave some notes in the form of likes, reblogs and comments! Feedback is always appreciated and comments in general help me a lot to improve my writing and always make my day!
You can also request things here and on my ao3!
taglist: @silvermagnolias @milywatermelon @BigBananaa
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when it all comes Crashing Down
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tags: 18+, afab!reader, childhood friends to friends(?) with benefits, codependent relationship
summary: it fascinates you how someone so manipulative and cruel can be so sensitive and needy
a/n: writing pro-tip, always write down random sentences whenever they come to you because you never know when it’ll be the source of inspiration for a story. in this case, an introspective think piece on makima’s loneliness that is also smut where neither of you are the good guy. also available on AO3.
If windows are eyes to the soul, you wonder what that means for someone like Makima. 
Or rather, you wonder what people see when they look at them. You’ve known her for the better part of your life and at 25, you still aren’t sure what others see. That is at the forefront of your mind as gold eyes with red rings look back at you, a calculating smile accompanying them.
“Are you listening to me?” Makima tilts her head as she rests her chin on her palm.
You nod vaguely at your childhood friend, turning your gaze to your phone screen. “I heard you say a week ago that you have a partner assignment due this week and yet somehow you’re here at my place instead of doing that.” You have your apartment to yourself for once, your roommate gone for the weekend to stay the night at one of her girlfriends’ apartments. “Shouldn’t you be out doing your homework?”
“I can’t visit my best friend from time to time?” Makima implores as if she is surprised by your own inquiry
“That isn’t what I asked,” yet you already know the answer. You aren’t completely well-acquainted with Aki Hayakawa. He’s a friend of a friend and you see him from time to time when said friends throw parties or have other get-togethers. Those were enough encounters for you to know the man is absolutely smitten with the redhead in front of you, spooning a piece of the tiramisu she brought over. He’d do anything Makima asked of him with more enthusiasm you could ever produce.
Unsurprisingly, Makima confirms what you already suspect. “Hayakawa told me he could do the rest of it,” she replies lightly with a smile. And there we go. You wonder what the poor sap sees in her when you know Makima doesn’t see him as more than an amusing puppy chasing after her braid. “I wanted to visit because I thought you might be lonely. Here,” she raises her spoon towards your lips. “I made this for you.”
“Nah I’m good,” Makima’s baking isn’t necessarily the problem. It’s the measurements, her measurements just aren’t for you.
“You said you wanted to try tiramisu recently,” Makima counters, her hand not moving an inch.
“First, I mentioned that in passing,” you raise a finger and quickly follow it with another. “Second, I also said I was going to try it out with Quanxi next Saturday.” One of her girlfriend’s, Long, is having a birthday celebration at an Italian restaurant. “They say patience is a virtue, I can wait.”
“I think it’s a voluntary virtue when it comes to food,” Makima lowers her hand for a moment. “Are you just trying to say you don’t want to eat my baking?”
You snort, “that’s exactly what I’m saying, yes. I trust your cooking, not your baking. You have never gotten the right amount of sugar that I can stomach.” You’ve never been able to eat things too sweet. Even as a child you would scrape off most of the frosting on cupcakes, sliding it onto Makima’s plate who welcomed the additional sweetness.
“That’s a bit mean” that is hilarious coming from the undisputed Queen of Mean. You distinctly remember the time in middle school where Makima laughed at a scene of a protagonist crying over the death of a friend. That in itself was ironic coming from the same girl who, at the beginning of that same semester, clutched your shirt and sobbed like it was the end of the world when you found out you shared zero classes and had separate lunch periods. “I worked hard to make this for you. You should spoil a person more when you’ve known them since you were 6.”
You distinctly know the spoiling she is referring to is about herself. “I always spoil you,” I’ve been doing it since we were kids. It crosses your mind, not for the first time, that if it weren’t for your parents, you are sure you and Makima would never have become friends.
Your mom was her mom’s friend in university and by some chance, they ended up enrolling you both at the same school and found out when you were both picked up later after classes. There began your days of playing whatever game Makima desired and your possessions somehow becoming her possessions. Whenever you voiced your grievances to your mom, however, she always told you to be kind and understanding in a tone that let you know that you recognized even now. A tone that says “this has something to do with something we adults discussed”.
It didn’t take too long for you at that age to notice the traces of what your mother was likely referring to.
You never saw much of Makima’s parents when you were younger; you don't see much of them now.
School events, holidays and a few random things in between. It wasn’t Makima’s family that shared them with her but yours. That realization made you think back to the times you would complain about mandatory family time and your mother would rebuttal, “not everyone is lucky to have parents that love them so much, [First], you should be grateful.”  
Indulging Makima became habit after that as long as it was in reason.
You’re sure there is a part of her that resents you choosing to room with a classmate rather than her though. 
“Just try it,” Makima raises her spoon again and, with a sigh, you relent. 
Almost immediately, you balk at the taste, nose scrunching in displeasure. “Like I said,” you grab Makima’s cup of black tea and down a large mouthful. “You always make things too sweet. This is why I’m gonna eat it at a restaurant with an actual baker.” 
You lay your head on the foot of the couch, rejecting the too-sweet tiramisu in its entirety. “I’ll just make Quanxi pay for it when I order it. She owes me for what happened last weekend.” You aren’t one to knock someone getting laid but your roommate fucking her girlfriends loudly all night the night before you had a exam was evil. All she did when you banged on the door to keep it down was toss her noise-canceling headphones before closing it again. At least when I fuck in the house I have the decency to keep shit down, you grumble internally pushing away the fact Quanxi technically also offered to let you join in the fun.
You probably would have joined if you weren’t sleep-deprived and irritated.
C’est la vie.
“[First].”
“Hmm,” you hum in response without opening your eyes. Your eyes find themselves opening a moment later when you feel the distinct feeling of another body over your own, Makima placing her legs on either side of your hips as she sits on your lap. 
Red frames gold as she looks down on you and you stare back wordlessly before her lips press against yours.
It fascinates you how someone so manipulative and cruel can be so sensitive and needy.
Cruelty comes easy to Makima, no different than a child experiencing troubles at home taking out their frustrations on a random kid at school.
She’s angelic in appearance, devilish in nature.
She wants to be treated gently when she is incapable of treating people gently herself.
By your second to last year of high school, you wondered what your relationship meant about you. 
Knowing her ways yet staying her friend regardless which only birthed the question as to why you remained her friend. It donned on you not too long after that the reason was pity when you held a distraught Makima in your arms in your room when a former mutual friend stated his intentions not to associate with her any longer. You remember finding it strange that she was so upset when you didn’t think Makima even considered Madoka to be a friend in the first place.
She said as much when you asked her before the event transpired.
“He’s more like an acquaintance, they all are,” Makima had told you. “But not you [First], you’re my real friend.”
The only one she has.
It dawned on you then if Madoka wanting nothing to do with her could make her cry, you doing the same would make Makima undoubtedly break. It’s ironic how the loneliest people can be the most sadistic.
So she can be cruel; as long as that cruelty never turns to you, you will continue to be there even when you are sure you both know that your friendship has long since passed the expiry date. You’ll be there when she needs to cry, you’ll accompany her on walks for her dogs and you’ll lay her down in your bed when she wants to feel the skin of another on her own like you are now.
Makima’s arms tighten around your shoulders, hips bucking as the butt of your palm rubs against her clit as you thrust your fingers inside her. She’s absolutely soaked and you can’t help relishing that fact as Makima moans your name like it’s the only word she knows.
Maybe this was inevitable, the two of you like this, you think vaguely as you leave a trail of wet kisses from her breasts to her belly before settling between her legs. You lap at her core slowly, bringing one of your hands to clasp her own and Makima intertwines her fingers between yours tightly.
You press one finger in her pussy, sucking on her clit.
You add a second when you kiss her folds.
You continue thrusting your fingers once you add a third and Makima moves her hips to press into your ministrations. It takes a few moments to find a rhythm, alternating between licking and maintaining the movement of your finger. It doesn’t take much longer for Makima’s thighs to tighten around your head, coming with a soft cry.
You pull out your fingers, vaguely acknowledging the ache in your wrist and glance in her direction. From your position you can see her chest heave up and down, hand tightly gripping yours as she reels from the aftershocks. If she held it any tighter, you’re sure it would break.
With two light taps on her hip, Makima loosens her grip on your head tiredly and you kiss her inner thighs before finally moving to lay on your pillow beside her. It takes a moment to pull your hand away from hers, Makima’s grip iron tight. “Hey, I need that hand to hug you, weirdo,” is all it takes for her hand to loosen its hold and gently you take back your hand.
There is no fighting against your tugging as you pull Makima into your chest like you’ve done many times before holding firmly but gently, just as she likes. You don’t comment on the soft sniffle you hear, it’s an unspoken rule for you both not to point out when she cries during sex. Almost instinctively, Makima presses herself even closer as she wraps her arms around your waist. Sometimes you wonder if she is trying to live in your skin.
“[First],” Makima murmurs almost too softly for you to hear when she’s wound down.
You fiddle with a lock of her hair, “What is it?”
“Stay the night with me tomorrow,” her nails dig into your back and you note she sounds almost uncertain in her command. Desperate.
You close your eyes, tired. “We can go in the morning.”
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blurillazsironman · 19 days
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I have something inappropriate (and violent) to say
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buckrecs · 1 year
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Hello! Hope you’re doing well! Can you please recommend Bucky x fem reader where the reader is the villain or like morally grey? Or against Bucky (like fighting against him or something )
Villain / Morally Gray Reader
masterlist | req masterlist
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ONESHOT
Carried Away by @buckysgoldenheart
Bucky wasn't exactly the best at assassinating the targets he was assigned to.
HYDRA by @waiting4inspiration
You’re Bucky’s next mission while he’s with the Avengers. He was given the mission because they think you’re still a HYDRA agent and that he might know you. He does remember you, but he can’t bring himself to hurt you because he remembers everything you’ve been through with him.
Till Death Do Us Apart by @giorno-plays-piano
Sergeant Barnes by @ladyeliot
You joined the Strategic Scientific Reserve with the sole intention of avenging your father’s death.
Ready To Comply by @adrinktostopyourthirst
Something had been missing. But that has nothing to do with your life time enemy standing in front of you to finally end this.
Dismantled by @adrinktostopyourthirst
You like them on their knees, but this one stands much taller than you.
SERIES
hurts like hell by @extremelyblackandwhite
she loses him at the battle of wakanda and grows into a morally grey witch trying to gain him back.
burn the witch by @dreamwritesimagines
There’s a thin line between mission and love, and spies aren’t allowed to cross that line.
one’s promised by @invisibleanonymousmonsters
Living a double life was not a choice when one was the daughter of Alexander Pierce. Y/N was the youngest agents of SHIELD and one of the most respected threats within Hydra’s empire. No matter her allegiance, she was feared by both. Y/N Pierce would’ve tried to escape it all… if it hadn’t been for The Winter Soldier.
Cheek to Cheek by @wienerbarnes
Sam Wilson, Sharon Carter, and Bucky Barnes seek the help of a condemned ex-Hydra murderer and kidnapper who claims to have psychic powers to find two missing college students.
Kill ‘Em With Kindness by @captainsimagines
You’re a vigilante with a dark past, who is recruited for a mission against the powers holding your sister hostage, and fall in love with the only person who escaped those powers alive.
Take Me Out by @shamevillain
You and Bucky are both professionally trained assassins. Both contracted to kill the other. Both completely unaware.
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d
d
d
d
d
d
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Krasavchik by @after-avenging-hours
While under orders from Karpov to test the Soldat’s loyalties to Hydra, you find yourself questioning your own loyalties
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ominous-feychild · 2 months
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✦ OC Moodboard Tag 2 ✦
THAT'S RIGHT, BUDDY, IT'S TIME FOR ROOOOOUND TWO!!!
Rules: make a collection of 5+ images that represent or symbolize one of your ocs! It can be in any way, for any reason! Just have fun with it! ☺️
I was thinking about doing some more of these things and, well, between the two asks I've gotten in my inbox declaring their interest in Rising From the Ashes / Sammy in particular, I decided, hey--why not give him a showcase? (Also I love him, he's one of my very many favorite characters. 🤣)
SAMMY || THE HEALER
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For this one, unlike Roman's, I wanted to put the text posts on the outside of the rest of the images because I think they distracted from the carefully-created aesthetic here, haha.
So, Sammy! Our boy Sammy is, surprise surprise, a healer! Except... he's also got a ton more magic besides that! And even more than just what I mentioned on that one post a couple days ago! Though that's mostly due to the quirks of how magic works in my universe and how his "magic source" has control over a lot of things, so he technically has "a lot of magic" despite only having two "sources". 👀
I've definitely said too much, but I'm curious to find out what you guys think his magic is/what he's capable of doing!
More on Sammy: he grew up on the streets and shows up after a disaster happens early into the story, leading to a lot of people getting injured! He offers to help and--despite his young age--he's brought along to assist in the relief efforts since healers are so few, far between, and generally weak! When it's revealed just how powerful his healing magic is, he gets an interview with Kieran Caron himself and Sammy's quickly offered a spot in Caron's elite knight school!
Surely he won't regret accepting that, right?
... right?
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Sun and Shadow: Freya Ula | Crow the Cursed | Daleira Fenastra (wip)
Rising From the Ashes: Sammy | Kieran Caron | Roman Leveque
Tagging (gently!!!): @the-golden-comet @honeybewrites @yourpenpaldee @darkandstormydolls @the-letterbox-archives (yw for the extra Sammy content btw 😘👀)
@illarian-rambling @wyked-ao3 @creative-author @ath3alin @mysticstarlightduck + open tags!!!
Divider by @saradika!
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084intheskye · 1 year
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all of the draco malfoy girlies evolved into aaron warner girls 
it’s the cycle of loving the morally grey pretty boy with ✨trauma✨
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x-ladyathena-x · 1 year
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In the Shadow of his Memory
Chapter 1–Ghosts
Sebastian Sallow x Reader
Warnings: graphic violence, morally grey sebastian, morally grey reader, angst, fluff, alcohol
Word count: 927
Summary: It's been 10 years since you were faced with that awful decision: turn Sebastian in for casting an unforgivable curse or lie for him.
You chose to lie for him and take his secrets to your grave, but that wasn't enough-the authorities found out soon after and Sebastian went on the run.
You never stopped loving him and when an unexpected visitor arrives in your home in the dead of night, you realize he never stopped loving you either.
There it was again.
You sat bolt upright in bed, having been awoken again by some unexplained noise coming from outside your window.
It couldn't have been a pedestrian, you lived far enough away from the main Hogsmead foot traffic that it would've been unusual for someone to have accidentally wandered by your window.
Even tipsy patrons leaving The Three Broomsticks and wandering off the main road.
Carrot, your fluffy orange cat yawned and stretched out his front paws, also awoken, but for him, it was because you got out of bed and disrupted the blankets. He glared at you sleepily as you lit a candle and walked to the window.
Nothing but moonlight peered back at you from the small window and you felt like you were going crazy.
You sat back down on the edge of the bed and let your head drop into your hands. You'd been dreaming of him again.
Sebastian.
It had been 10 years since that night in the slytherin dormitory when Sebastian made his escape. 10 years since you watched the love of your life disappear, never to be seen again.
And he truly was the greatest love of your life. Sure other men had come and gone over the last few years. And there were even some that you'd cared deeply for, but no one that you would ever love like him.
The memory of Sebastian hung in your mind like a ghost that never gave you peace.
Because you knew he was still out there somewhere. If he'd have died, surely a body would've been recovered by now. And if he'd been arrested, they'd have plastered it all over the Daily Prophet.
No, he was alive, you could feel it.
Gravel crunched just outside your door and this time Carrot heard it too.
So, you weren't crazy. Someone or some thing really was out there.
You swung your house coat on over your thin cotton night gown and pulled it tight to stave off the cold air.
Embers from last evening's fire burned low in the hearth, but they weren't enough to warm the late night chill.
Carrot watched you retrieve the candle from your nightstand and walk to the door, your wand in your other hand and at the ready.
The door handle was cold in your hand, you could feel your heart hammering in your chest.
You took a deep breath and swung the door open wide with your wand raised.
Nothing.
There was no one or nothing there. Just the quiet empty street.
You sighed in relief but before you could close the door, Carrot darted outside.
"CARROT!" You hissed. "Get back here!"
But the cat was gone.
You groaned in aggravation, "Accio slippers."
Your house shoes flew into your hands and you slipped them on your feet as you ran out the door after the cat.
"Carrot!" You called as you watched his fluffy tail disappear into the forest.
The Forbidden Forest.
"Why?!" You complained as you ran after the cat.
"Accio."
"Levioso"
"Arresto Momentum"
Spell after spell danced passed the cat. Ugh magical companions and their abilities. If he didn't want to be caught, he wouldn't be.
"Arres— ow"
The smell of dirt and decaying leaves engulfed your senses as you found yourself face down on the forest floor.
You'd tripped over something.
Your hands dug into the soft ground as you pushed yourself up. To your horror, you realized it was a spiderweb that you'd gotten tripped up on.
The web was tangled around your ankle and before you could utter a word to free yourself, something sharp pierced your shoulder.
An acromantula venom dart.
The acromantula scuttled toward you as more of the enormous spiders burrowed up from the ground.
"Confringo!" You yelled, and a bright beam of red burst out of your wand and hit one of the spiders. The beam broke into two more beams and hit two of the others next to the first.
They flipped over onto their backs and screeched.
You managed to free your legs with incindio but by the time you stood, you were fully surrounded.
You hadn't faced this formidable of a foe since your time At Hogwarts. But that time you had help from—
It didn't matter. You could do this.
You cast spell after spell, including a few unforgivable curses, and the spiders fell one by one.
As you faced off with the final spider, you couldn't help but notice it was more intelligent than the others. It moved differently.
Almost as if it were being controlled?
No that couldn't be.
You raised your wand to deal the death blow but the spider was faster. It slung out its web onto a nearby tree limb, ripping the limb free and bringing it down on top of you.
Everything went black.
When you came to, you realized it was morning and you were back in your bed.
Back in your bed??
You sat up but your head ached where the limb had hit you.
As you reached up to inspect the wound, you felt a bandage covering it.
You ran to the nearest mirror and as sure as the sun shone, someone had dressed your wound and brought you back home.
Your slippers sat next to the front door, muddy, your house coat hung on its hook, ripped from the fight with the spiders. And Carrot lay curled at the foot of your bed sleeping soundly.
Who did this?
Whoever they were, must've left the same way they arrived:
Like a ghost.
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blondwhxrewrites · 5 months
Note
I NEED more morally gray mattheo! Ever since that post I can't stop thinking of the things he would do to protect his girl
Mattheo beating up the girl that looked at you wrong:
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In Love and War IIII
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Author's Note: I hit a massive writer's slump, thank you for all your patience! Have some Smut, as a treat!
Content Warnings: SMUT with Some Plot I Swear--Masturbation, I guess there's kinda a hint of hate-fucking here but only if you squint, Exhibitionism, Thigh Riding (it's always the hands and thighs of this man I swear it's all I think about); Canon Typical Violence, Character Death (Unnamed), Mentions of Starvation/Abuse.
Summary: Reader grapples with her feelings towards Rhysand and what she has to do to save her people.
Previous Chapter/ Masterlist
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Rhysand is the enemy. His hands have spilled the blood of thousands of innocents. He’s most likely torturing people as we speak. He. Is. The. Enemy.
So why do I lie awake, hours after he’s gone, still thinking about how his hands had felt on my skin? Why do I lay here, tracing the path his lips had taken down my throat and collarbones, around my chest and sides, imagining what might have happened if we hadn’t been interrupted?
He is the enemy. I plan to seduce and destroy him. I will make him pay for all the pain he has caused me and my people.
But who is supposed to tell my body that everything that happened tonight isn’t real? That it’s all part of the plan to get him to let his guard down, I’m not actively interested in sleeping with him. I’m not! 
It’s just that I haven’t slept with anybody in a long time--that has to be it right? What other explanation do I have for the lingering ache between my legs? For the wandering thoughts of what those hands might have felt like between my thighs?
Every time I close my eyes I replay that moment: The feel of his warm body atop mine, callused hands roaming my skin, lips sucking marks into my throat. Gods I let Rhysand give me hickeys!
I’m going to die of shame.
If the need boiling in the pit of my stomach doesn’t take me out first.
I absolutely refuse to do anything about it! I won’t. Selling my soul to get information is one thing, to try and get off while imagining my enemy is a whole other evil. I can’t! It’s all kinds of fucked up.
I think there might actually be something wrong with me, because the more I try and tell myself it’s wrong, the more wetness I feel between my legs, the tighter the coil in my belly grows. My body actively wants something my brain refuses to let me acknowledge, and so I lay there in a bed that smells so much like him, trying to keep my hands off my still bare skin. I should, at the very least, get up and find where Rhysand had thrown my sweater. He’ll get the wrong idea if he comes back to find me still topless in bed. The middle of the night’s a hard time to get information out of anyone, there’s no reason to try and pick up where we left off tonight. I should just go to sleep.
I pull the pillow over my head and try to imagine all the gruesome, brutal ways he’s probably torturing his captives so I’m no longer laying here thinking about his body. It should work like an ice bath, right? But my mind will not linger on thoughts of blood, only how hot he’d looked scrubbing it off those swirls of ink around his bare chest earlier.
He’s going to be the death of me!
It’s like I can’t escape him. The scent of him is all over the bed, no matter where I lay or how many blankets I shift around. His touch lingers on my skin, the more I try to fight it, the more I find my hands trying to replicate the feeling. I roll my nipple between my fingers, imagining the feel of his calluses against my sensitive peaks. My other hand slides down my stomach, slipping easily beneath the worn waistband of my pants.
This is wrong!
I pull my hand away with a groan. I cannot be doing this.
He is the enemy.
I am doing the seducing. Not him. Me! And I have to have more willpower than this. I can’t be so Cauldron damned horny that a couple kisses gets me this worked up! Seriously, how does one male have this much sway over me already?
I can fight this. I am stronger than this…
I make it all of five minutes before my hand is once again sliding beneath my waistband, tracing its way down to the pool of wetness gathering between my thighs. 
He is the enemy.
Yet he would have found no resistance if he stayed. I would have easily surrendered under his touch, let it ignite a wildfire beneath my skin until I’d willingly spread my legs and let him take whatever he needed from my body. I hate the very thought of it, but I know, as my hips buck feverishly against my own hand, that I would have done it. 
“Rhys,” the whimper slips past my lips before I can bite it down, pleasure licking white hot down my spine. I’m too far gone to even be mortified at this point, chasing that high while my imagination runs wild with all the things that might have been tonight. 
It’s unfair that the sheets smell so strongly of him, only fueling my imagination, all the way to the edge of such jarring bliss. Only then does my body finally relax, my thoughts satiated for now. I can be mortified in the morning. Surely, I’ll hate myself in the light of day, but tonight, tonight I’m exhausted and I finally feel comfortable enough to sleep.
----
My dreams are full of my people hurling rocks at me, chasing me out of the Grasslands, calling me a traitor and a whore, Tam telling me never to come back; I try to visit my parents grave, but can never find it, as even in death they cannot bear to be near me.  The guilt I feel upon waking is worse than I imagined it could be. How could I be doing this? How could I want it?
The guilt  makes my skin itch. Every bit of me feels like it needs to be scrubbed down to the bone. I climb out of the bed and go to the basin of water to attempt to get clean. There’s a small mirror hanging from a string against the wall, the worn glass giving a spotty view of the bruises across my throat. I’d let Rhysand give me, not just one, but four hickeys, trailing down past my collarbone. There might have been more were it not for my appearance. I trail the damp towel down my torso, fingers ticking against my ribs like piano keys. I’m so godsdamned thin. It’s not unusual, most of my people are, save for Tamlin and his riders--riders always get first dibs on supplies, the rest of us get the scraps, especially when we haven’t been claimed--but I’d never thought about how bad it might look to someone outside of camp. With the scars I bear from my father’s temper, this looks intentional.
I glance up at the circles under my eyes, my reflection in the mirror hollow as a chill runs through me. Supplies have been thin lately, but… Dear old Dad had intentionally withheld supplies from the un-marked in camp as an incentive to get them to bend the knee, Tam knew that, was trained to do it, and he’d been so miserable lately, it wasn’t intentional, right?
I give myself a shake. Tam’s cold even on his good days, but he’d never intentionally do that to me, no matter how unruly I’ve been in the last couple weeks before this mess. Lucien would always sneak me snacks for him on days he was too busy to come see me; I’m just being paranoid. Being here is messing with my brain.
I toss the dirty towel in a bin and untie my hair. There’s no brushes around so I use my fingers to comb through the knots and tie it loosely behind my head. It’s only when I’m done and half way into my discarded sweater that the tent flap blows open and Mor storms her way in.
“Oh good, you’re awake!” She says by way of greeting.
How is she so perky all the time?
There’s a large bag in her hands that she hurls at me with surprising strength. “Time to get dressed! We’ve got a busy day ahead of us.”
“What’s the occasion?” I should feel excited with the prospect of getting out there and getting new information, but what are the chances we’re going right to Rhysand? How am I supposed to look at him after last night? No I think it’s for the better if I just sit right here in this tent and continue to torture myself with my thoughts. 
“Dress first, talk second,” she returns, hands reaching to help untie the bag since I’m moving too slow for her liking. Bits of dark cloth poke out, the bottom of the bag heavy and lumpy in a way that makes me think I’m holding a pair of shoes. 
Mor pulls out a top, the material as dark as her own, though hers has sleeves, this has none, just a band across my torso. The inside is lined with fur at least. I don’t even have time to question it before she starts pulling the other stuff out and rushing me to get dressed. There’s a moment where I think she might actually start undressing me if I don’t start moving, so I dip behind the bed for some privacy, clothes bundled under my arm. 
The skirt 's more loose fabric cinched around my hips than an actual skirt, nearly all my legs on display. I stare at the vast expanse of my skin and then up at Mor. “Please tell me there’s pants to go with these?” I don’t want to sound ungrateful since my clothes are barely holding on as is, but I also really don’t want to be walking around camp mostly naked either. 
“You’ve got nice legs,” she says, eyes roving over me approvingly. “You’ll look hot.”
“I feel naked,” I retort.
“You’ll adjust. Now hurry up!”
The top is warm but it leaves my arms bare, and even the fur lined ankle boots don’t keep me as warm as I would be if I had a pair of pants. “I really don’t want to sound ungrateful-”
“No time for second thoughts, you’re committed to it now.” Mor interrupts, ushering me over to the mirror again to adjust my hair. 
Her delicate fingers brush over my throat as she works and she grins at me in the reflection of the mirror. “Have some fun last night, did we?”
A blush makes its way across my cheeks. “Well, um…”
She laughs as she braids, blue eyes twinkling as she continues to watch my reflection. “I see now why he picked this top. Gotta show everyone your his.” Mor rolls her eyes. “Males! Always so territorial. Though, if I were you, I’d give him a few back in return.”
“Why do I have competition?” I blurt out. That’s a stupid question to ask. Look at him! Of course I’d have competition. But, despite myself, a flicker of jealousy worms its way into my chest.
“Oh there’s quite a few people in camp who’d literally kill to be you,” she returns as she pins my hair to the top of my haid. Using her fingers, she pulls a few loose strands free to frame my face. “He’s been eligible for a long time now.”
“How come?” I ask as she grabs my shoulders and turns me around so she can apply some dark makeup under my eyes.
The amusement in her eyes fades a bit as she says, “His wife…” She clears her throat and turns away to find where she left a tube of lip color. “Feyre. She was killed a couple years ago by Amarantha.”
My breath catches in my throat, chest heavy with the thought. “Oh.”
“He’s been a ghost since she died,” Mor gives herself a little shake as she turns back with the color and dabs a bit of maroon on my lips. “I’ve watched all these females throw themselves at him and it’s like he can’t see them. Usually the males in my family move on quick, you know? Gotta keep the bed warm somehow, right?”
I nod, having seen it well enough back home. 
“But Rhys…” she sighs. “I thought Rhys died that day too, but now you’re here and I can see a little life in his eyes again. I didn’t think that was possible.”
Gods the guilt is coming back! I should be glad that this monster got a fraction of the pain he caused others inflicted on him, but instead, my heart only aches for him, as if I can feel that pain in my own chest. The female he loved was dead and the monster that killed her was once again knocking on his doorstep. No wonder he’d asked for a distraction last night! And I’d planned to take advantage of that vulnerability.
My stomach turns. 
Mor grips my hands tightly. “I’m glad you’re here. I think he needs you, ya know?”
Please, Mother, kill me! Strike me with lightning or let the ground open up and swallow me. I am a horrible, terrible person.
“You’re too kind, Mor, really I don’t think-” but she doesn’t let me finish as she gives herself a little shake to collect herself and starts ushering me towards the door.
“Now we gotta hurry! We’re gonna be late!”
The early morning light rushes to meet us, such a stark contrast to the darkness of the tent. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust, her hand on my wrist leading me along, oblivious to how blind I am. Once I can finally see, I try to take stock of my surroundings and get my bearings. The set-up is a semi-circle of tents, all open and bustling with activity. Fae of all shape and sizes hurry from their tents, the males wearing fighting leathers, the females wearing variations of my own get-up. No one even glances our way, save for the lone male stalking towards us. He’s massive, a head taller than everyone he passes, a giant sword strapped between his tightly tucked wings. I recognize the sword as one I’d seen on one of Rhysand’s riders, though I hadn’t gotten a chance to glimpse his face then. He’s handsome, his dark hair tied back out of his face with a long string. A bit of stubble dusts his jaw, barely hiding a scar that cuts his way across his cheek. 
“Y/N, this is Cassian,” Mor introduces, no trace of her earlier seriousness to be found. She is once again all smiles. “He’s Rhys’s general.”
General. He certainly looks the part. He could crush my head with his biceps alone if he wanted! 
I don’t know how to move in these stupid skirts, let alone curtsey or bow in any sort of way as I would have back home so all I can manage is to dip my head in greeting. “Hello.” I hope it's enough to not offend this hulking mass of a male.
Despite his size, an easy-going grin cuts across his face. “Glad to officially meet you, Y/N!” His voice booms, even under the din of the rushing crowd. “We should get moving, he’s waiting.”
“Waiting for what?” I ask Mor, wrapping my arms around myself as a breeze hits me head on.
“You didn’t tell her?” Cassian returns.
“He told me not to,” Mor retorts as she loops her arm through mine to help lead me forward. 
This is not instilling anything but anxiety in me, but this is my chance to look around  so I have to take it. Not that the cold helps. It’s an effort to try and count the tents as my teeth start chattering. 
We follow the crowd down the hill, past a set of sentries that guard the path at the bottom as we head into the main encampment. Some of the people around whisper to each other in a mixture of languages, but there is too much moving and noise for me to get a good grasp on what’s being said. Mor doesn’t say anything either, just keeps one arm looped in mine and the other in Cassian’s to keep us from getting separated.
Once inside the main encampment, past another set of sentires, the path splits and becomes rows of tents, laid out like city streets. I’ve never seen a camp look so methodically laid out, each space like a well groomed and planned street. There are even amounts of tents on each side, firepits and places to sit breaking up the road between them. It’s all very homey and… permanent. A spike of envy rises in my chest as I take it in. This is not a camp that ups and moves frequently. It is settled and intentional in its spacing. It might not be the cities the Night Court once boasted in the days before Hybern, but it is still far more a city than the Grasslands had ever seen. I try to count them as we pass, but lose my train of thought after fifty, when the road starts to thin and people push in around us from every direction. I will have to get back another time and recount. 
The path continues forward, for some time, growing smaller and smaller until we come to a standstill. Mor huffs something about being late as we’re forced to wait under the rising sun as whatever is ahead of us gets closer, one step at a time. Eventually, a large amphitheater comes into view, set deep into the ground like a giant, stone step flanked pit. It must have taken months to dig this deep, let alone shape the stones into such smooth edges. How long has this encampment been here? 
It takes what feels like an hour to reach the flat edge at the top where holes have been drilled into it so that banners can be held aloft, each massive pole waving a different flag. There are multiple Night Court black flags, the shimmering triple stars over matching mountains, but there are others too: Twin Wyverns chasing each other’s tales, their golden maws open and ready to snatch and eat the other; A set of bat-like wings open and extended across a crimson flag, an eight point star at its center. Under each banner, crowded atop the steps are fae of all shapes and sizes, all separated into sections, their clothes matching the color of the banner they sit or stand under. I’ve never seen anything like it. I want to take a second to take it in but I can’t focus on any of it. Not when, at the heart of the pit, standing over two bound figures, is the male that claims to be my mate.
My breath hitches in my chest when I see him. 
He is the enemy. 
This is the male that stormed into our camp all those years ago, this is the male that slaughtered my people in cold blood. Any warmth I had ever seen in those, nearly glowing, violet eyes is gone, only cold indifference remains. Atop his raven hair sits an obsidian crown, the pointed centerpiece glittering with three gems in the center, a nod to the stars marked on the arm of every person crammed into the amphitheater. He wears fighting leathers, but not the ones he’d worn into battle, these are all black, polished to a shine in the early morning light. And his wings! By the Cauldron, I’ve never paid so much attention to anything as I watch the massive membrane flare out behind him, decorated in swirling patterns of violet and blue ink, the patterns a twin to the tattoos that circle over his exposed biceps. He looks every bit a Lord. No, every bit a Dark Prince. Wisps of darkness slither off his shoulders, twining over his fingertips, dancing around his hips and thighs. I feel the power of him in my veins as Cassian leads us down the steps.
No one pays us any mind as we pass, their attention and anger, judging by the shouts they throw, are all honed at the males kneeling at Rhysand’s feet. They’ve been stripped down to their underthings, bare chests slashed with even, precise lines of a blade, the blood long since dried. Both have short, dark hair and eyes so black it looks like all pupil. There are more slashes beneath their eyes, the marks fresher than the others, a few droplets of blood dripping down their cheeks like tears. 
Cassian leads us to the bottom row, where I recognize the shadowy figure of Azriel, saving us a spot. The other male stands with his arms crossed over his chest, the dagger he’d been spinning in his hands last night now safely strapped to his thigh. I shiver as he puts a hand on my back to motion me into a seat between him and Cassian, with Mor squeezing her way in between him and I so we remain together. The shouting of the crowd grows louder with each passing second, the volume and anger making my hair stand on end. I find myself reaching out for Mor’s hands, huddled beside her for both warmth and protection. 
Up until this point, Rhysand has been pacing, hands clasped behind his back, wings flaring behind him. Only once I’m seated does his gaze flick to me, eyes roving over my new attire and I hate the flutter in my stomach the look brings me. I should want him to be looking at me like that, but after what Mor had said, after what I’d done once he’d left… I look away quickly, torn more than ever on what I’m supposed to do here. 
I feel, more than see, the little smirk he gets as his eyes linger on the marks he’d left on my throat, but am spared from any more thoughts about last night when he finally looks away to address the crowd. It’s first in Illyrian, then in Basic. The change in languages makes his voice deeper, huskier; I’m more drawn to it than I’d like to be. Many things about the male are attractive, I’m not so blinded by disdain for him that I don’t notice them, his voice among the top qualities. There are quite a few females around me who lean forward in their seats, enraptured with his every word. It’s almost distracting enough that I forget there are two bound men at his feet.
Almost. My eyes flick to them. Their wounds are precise, methodical, not so deep it’ll kill them, but not so shallow it doesn’t hurt. They keep their heads to their chest as Rhysand speaks, dark eyes darting around for an escape. They say Amarantha’s men are worse monsters than the Illyrians, but they certainly don’t look terrifying now. They’re scrawny, like someone had plucked them off the street, no scars upon their skin to reveal any past battle wounds. I can’t decide if that means they’ve never seen a battle until now or if Amarantha’s fighting men have such an advantage that they’ve never been injured in one. 
“Amarantha thinks that she can do whatever she wants,” Rhysand’s voice booms across the amphitheater, the worn stones trembling beneath us. Darkness mists off his body, violet eyes glowing like starlight in his tan face. “But Hybern and his General have no power here!”
The crowd roars in agreement, some of the fighting men on their feet now, stamping the butts of their spears against the ground. 
“These are our lands!”
My ears ring under the din of the crowd. Mor grips my hand a little tighter to keep me steady. At least she’d been right about one thing: The amount of bodies packed into here makes the cold a little bearable, but I press as close to her as I can all the same. 
“We have bled and died for it!” Rhysand continues. “And we proved last night that we are not to be underestimated! We proved that if Amarantha thinks she can come here and take what is rightfully ours, that there will be blood to pay!”
A shiver runs up my spine as he speaks. Not just at what he says, but the truth of it. There is no mourning here. The injured in the crowd are few--only a handful of males sport bandages, no blood seeping through the white linen as if even the wounds that had landed were superficial and healing, not the open, bleeding mess I’m so used to seeing--and he’d said last night that his men had no casualties. Not only were their numbers greater than I had anticipated, but their powers are far beyond what we feared they were. Rhysand himself is a living testament to that. There isn’t anyone among us who doesn’t feel the reverberations of his power in our veins. His darkness doesn’t just flow from him, it ebbs into us, brushes against every person present like it’s introducing itself to us one by one. I don’t need to see him in battle to know that he can easily blow Amarantha’s men away by himself. He won’t even need an army.
I swallow the lump in my throat. Am I prepared to go up against a one man army?
“And we will make sure that is a lesson that bitch never forgets!” Rhysand roars as stars glitter around his outstretched hand, twinning between his fingers. His wings flair out behind him, the apex talons at the tip growing sharper, the violet of his eyes deepening, I swear I see fangs forming in his mouth. He’s not just powerful, he’s something wholly other.
The crowd jumps to its feet demanding the heads of the two males bound before them, and their Lord obliges, using a glittering trail of starlight to separate their heads from their shoulders, blood splatter across the stones. 
Rhysand lifts their heads up by the hair, admiring his work with nothing but pure satisfaction as he calls Azriel over to him. “Why don’t you deliver these to their doorstep?”
The shadowy figure of Azriel doesn’t even break stride as he grabs the heads from his lord and vanishes into shadow with them.
Interesting, so they know where Amarantha’s camp is? Tam had never been able to track her. Or maybe he’d never tried. 
Rhysand flicks the blood off his hands as he looks to the crowd and says, “We can expect a swift response, so let us be ready.”
A shiver runs down my spine at the thought. He can’t really be trying to take on Amarantha, can he?
“Bring all your un-marked forward, let us ensure the protection of those within our borders before we prepare to strengthen outside it.”
Shit!
I’d forgotten about that part. Why else would this outfit they’d dressed me up in not have sleeves unless they needed to mark me? It should have been obvious from the beginning but I’ve been so in my head I haven’t even stopped to think about the reasons behind all this. 
Mor grabs my arm gently, but I feel the strength hidden behind it regardless. She thinks I might try and run. Truth be told, I want to. How am I supposed to go home with Rhysand’s mark? Even if I manage to get all their numbers and weaknesses, that mark is permanent. It might literally be the signature on my death warrant, no matter what information I take home.
But it also puts me right in the middle of all important matters here. Rhysand said he wanted me to ride out with him. The things I could see if I do that! I’d know how many fighting men he has, would learn battle strategies and weak points, all things no one back home has ever been able to touch. 
Thankfully, Mor helps me stand, my shoes feel like they're full of sand. Even if I’m ready to face Rhysand, am I ready to face Tamlin when this is all said and done? 
Around me, males and females all step forward. A few struggle against it, having to be pulled down into the center of the amphitheater, others go alone, heads high. They’ll have to go through the blood littering the floor to get there, which is clever on Rhysand’s part. Swearing fealty here, after blood has been spilled makes this oath all the more magically binding. We’re all entered into a blood oath without spilling any of our own to do it. 
I let Mor lead me forward, despite every instinct to run. I will be closer than anyone to Rhysand. I can give my people the chance they deserve at having a good life. Maybe, when this is all said and done, this walled in haven could be a place we could call home, safe from war and hunger. I can ensure our future, all I have to do is damn myself to do it.
And put this male through more misery. The image of him last night, the dark circles around his eyes flashes across my mind and I have to give myself a little shake to rid myself of it. I can’t let one tragedy sway me, how many tragedies has he himself caused? 
My chest aches, I rub absently at it like that might relieve the tension. He is the enemy. I have to keep telling myself that, over and over, until it’s ingrained into my very thought process. One loss cannot compare to what he has put us through. I have to think about all the lives I will save instead of the one he has lost. 
It takes so much time for me to convince myself that I am capable of doing this that I genuinely miss everyone’s else’s pledge to Rhysand. By the time I am settled and ready to raise my head again, it’s just me and him, and a river of spilled blood between us. A fitting meeting ground I suppose. 
Mor gives my arm one last squeeze before she slips into Cassian’s arms and I swear the whole world centers in to just me and the massive Illyrian before me. He looks even more a dark prince up close.
“Hello, mate,” he purrs.
I swallow the lump in my throat. Don’t throw up here, don’t throw up in front of all these people.
Rhysand leans in close enough for me to smell the citrus and jasmine scent of him, the heady fragrance invading all my senses like it's trying to carve itself into veins. I’ve never been more aware of his size compared to mine. “Kneel,” his voice is a lover's caress, made for the gentle darkness of the bedroom. “Take my mark, so that you’ll have our full protection, and then you and I can have some fun.”
Those violet eyes flick to my bruised throat, his fangs biting into his lower lip as he admires his work and heat rushes through me. I want to play, just as readily as I had last night, maybe more. 
I tear my gaze away first. There’s no going back from this. 
My heartbeat is a clanging gong in my ears, breath a heavy rasp that tears from my throat as I lower myself onto my knees. The rough stones bite into my exposed flesh; the blood now cold against my skin. 
Rhysand reaches out to touch my cheek, thumb stroking over my skin as he nods encouragingly. His touch makes me think of last night, and what I had done in the aftermath of having those hands on me. I’d managed to not think about it until now, but now that the thought is here, I can’t stop it anymore than I could last night. Heat licks its way up my spine. 
He is the enemy. I am not supposed to feel like this while on my knees, I am supposed to hate him. I really need to pull it together.
“I-” Am I even capable of separating myself from what I want and need to do here? I can’t stop thinking about how badly I want his hands on my body. It’s not supposed to be like this!
“I swear fealty to you, My Lord.” Am I supposed to say something flowery? Make some grand gesture? I never really paid that much attention during these things, I’d spent most of my time trying to figure out how to get out of them, not into one.
The words are barely out of my mouth before I feel a tingling sensation shoot its way up my arm, from fingertips to shoulder. It’s not painful, feels like my arm fell asleep and lost feeling, even though I still have all my motor functions. When I glance down at the source of the discomfort, a band of ink colored darkness spreads across my skin. It moves in swirling patterns across my bicep, twisting and twining until the familiar pattern of triple stars makes itself clear among the ink. We brand people with an iron in the Grasslands, this magic tattoo is a new sight for me.
Rhysand takes my hand and helps me to my feet before I can even think about reaching out a hand to feel the new piece of me. I don’t even have time to feel guilty about it either, not when he’s crashing his lips against mine, the hunger he feels palpable as his hand slides into my hair. 
The crowd whoops and hollers, reminding me that they’re even there. I’d truly forgotten about them up until now. 
His other hand still strokes my face as he pulls away just enough to say, “I swear, no harm will come to you under our watch.” 
Lofty promises I’m sure, but with the crowd pressing in, now that the spectacle is over, there is not much time to dwell on it either. The next couple of minutes pass in a blur as we all shift from the amphitheater to a mess tent full of benches and long tables full of food and drink.
Rhysand hasn’t let go of my hand, not even at Mor’s insistence that she should get to show me around. The mark might as well be a rope tied around our wrists, dragging me along beside him as he greets various soldiers and sentries. 
The heat of the room soon makes me forget I was ever cold in the first place, a sheen of sweat clinging to my skin the longer we linger. 
In the back center of the tent is the seat of honor, it alone has a single table, everyone else crowds into each other, clambering for seats with no real order. The fighting men mingle with the elders and children and maids alike; the armored sentries dumping their helmets on the tables, the horse hair plumes drifting over the worn wood, holding spots next to the seats of scantily dressed dancers. 
As everyone finds their seats, serving girls start bringing in the food and drink, until all the tables are full of dozens of dishes I can’t name. My stomach rumbles as Rhysand leads me along, an arm looped around my waist like he thinks I might slip away at any moment. He hasn’t stopped touching me since his mark wrote its way across my right arm; a good thing for my plan, I suppose, but I my mind won’t stop narrowing in on the way his fingers dance over my hip bone or the strength of his arms around me. To some degree, I feel small next to him, but not in a way I can convince myself I hate. Not in the way I had felt small back home. 
It’s not long before Rhysand claims this would-be throne and before I can ask where I should disappear to, the warlord is gripping me by the hips and pulling me into his lap! My brain short circuits, all rational thought flying out the window.
He slots one powerful thigh between my, very exposed, legs the scrape of his leathers against my bare skin enough to make my whole body shiver. He’s all sleek muscle, body chiseled from riding and fighting and it is not as if I hadn’t noticed--especially after last night--but I’d never been so aware of him before.
His breath is warm over the shell of my ear as he leans in to whisper, “Now we can play, Darling.”
Here?! Cauldron he’s really going to be the death of me! And rationally I know the more people see us together, the easier it will be for me to maneuver and get information, but it is very hard to think rationally when I can feel so many eyes watching my every move.
Rhysand brushes his nose over the juncture of my neck and shoulder, the soft waves of his dark hair a contrast to the harsh flash of teeth he brushes against my skin a moment later. My heart thunders in my chest, heat rushing to my cheeks. I’ve lost sight of Mor and Cassian, though I doubt they’d be stupid enough to interrupt, let alone save me.
Rhysand sucks a new mark into my neck as he trails a hand up my exposed thigh and the notion that I need to be saved leaves me. This is what I had hoped would happen last night--what I had tried so hard to pretend I didn’t want. The crowd starts to blur in my vision, the only people here are the two of us as he gets closer and closer to the apex of my thighs.  
He is the enemy. Yet, my head falls back on his shoulder as both his lips and his hands trail higher. Every move is warm and calculating and my body is so eager to surrender. I tell myself this is part of the plan, part of the game, but my body doesn’t care about any of that. It just wants more of him.
His hand stills at the pathetic excuse of a covering the skirt offers, thumb stroking against the inside of my thigh. My breath hitches in my throat.
“I’m sorry about last night,” he says softly in my ear. “I’ll make it up to you.”
I think I might actually be so pathetic that I’d beg for it, body squirming under his grip in search of more friction. I’ve never been more acutely aware of the ache between my legs. More so when I find myself grinding my hips down, unabashedly, against his thigh in front of all these people, the scrape of his leathers a heady friction that makes me bite down on my lower lip. 
He chuckles in my ear at my neediness, the sound so rich and deep it only further ignites the heat in my lower belly. If he is supposed to be the enemy, why is his whole body made for such pleasurable sin? There isn’t an inch of him that couldn’t be used to turn me on.
“It’s… it’s ok,” what even are words? “This was important.”
He hums as if thinking, fingers still stroking idle patterns into the tender flesh of my thigh. He’s so close to where I want him. 
“Thank you for being understanding,” he says softly. He sounds about as fragile as he had looked last night and that pang in my chest is back. “I can’t… I can’t risk it, not again, not with you. My mark will guarantee your protection, even if I am not physically here. You’re safe, and you’ll stay that way.”
I slowly raise my hand back, until I can thread my fingers through his hair and he leans his whole head into my touch. “No one’s ever really looked out for me before,” I whisper. Not a lie and not part of this game, but something that slips right out of me before I can trap it behind my teeth. 
“Never again,” he vows.
Perhaps if there wasn’t so much blood between us, I could believe him. 
I can’t take the words back, and I hate that we constantly end up more vulnerable than I thought we could be, I need to get this back on track. The less vulnerable I can keep things between us, the better. All I need to do is keep his focus on what we’d been doing. The more he’s thinking about my body, the less he’s looking at what I’m doing--and the less guilty I will feel. 
 I grind my hips back against him, trying to regain control of the situation, the obvious proof of his own arousal pressing into my ass. 
He hisses, even as he nips at the underside of my jaw. “Needy little thing, aren’t you?”
“You did say you’d make it up to me,” I tease in return, scraping my nails playfully along his scalp. 
“I did,” he muses. “Though I was thinking about doing it after we eat.”
“Liar,” I retort. 
His hand finally, blissfully, snakes higher, dipping beneath my skirts. “See, I was planning on making it up to you with my tongue-”
All thought eddies from my mind as his fingers stroke over my core, heat licking its way up my spine. I have to bite down on my lip to keep from making a sound.
“But if my hand is what you’d prefer, I’ll happily give it to you.” He slides a finger into the budding wetness between my legs, testing to see how much I can take. “That’s what you were thinking about last night, right?”
I freeze and he chuckles in my ear as he says, “It was rather distracting, having your side of the bond open, right as Azriel was going to work on our captives.”
He’d heard me?!
Shit shit shit! How much did he know?
“H-how did you…?” My hips buck instinctively as he curls a finger inside me, hitting a spot I didn’t know was so sensitive. 
“Think of the bond like a bridge,” he explains it so clinically, as if he isn’t currently adding a second finger inside me. “With a door on each end. Last night, you opened your door and let me walk right in.”
“How…” I roll my hips to match his pace, desperate for the friction, even as my eyes squeeze themselves shut from the embarrassment of this conversation. “How much did you hear?”
“Heard and saw,” he corrects, teeth scraping along the underside of my jaw. 
I wish the floor would open up and swallow me!
“Just the last bit, I think,” he continues, picking up his pace as my body clenches around his fingers. “When you called out for me. Want to tell me what you were imagining I was doing?”
Thank the Mother he hadn’t walked in when I was thinking about how much I hated him! I’d be dead otherwise, mark or not, and this wasn’t the position I wanted to be in if that was going to happen.
“This,” I whimper, turning my head to brush my lips along his throat. As long as he thinks it was nothing other than my general horniness, I’m safe, embarrassment aside. 
His fingers plunge deeper, wetness dripping down my thighs; I have to be leaving a mess on his pants at this point. “Hmmm, not very creative,” he tuts. “You could have had any part of me you wanted, and all you could think about was my hands?”
Considering the way my thighs start to shake, breath catching in my throat as he hits a spot inside me that has stars swimming across my vision, I’m pretty sure his hands are far beyond the limits of my imagination. No dream had ever felt this good. I intend to defend myself, or at the very least tease him in return, but the only thing that makes it past my lips is his name, soft and pleading as a prayer as my hips chase the motion of his fingers. My whole body is on fire. No part of my imagination would have ever been able to create this.
From somewhere inside the tent, music has started playing and some of those dancers I’d spotted on the way in start the entertainment portion of the afternoon, which I’m sure is a fantastic display, given the approving sounds of the crowd, but I can’t even pay attention to it. I’m barely aware that it’s there as I press my forehead into Rhysand’s shoulder and whimper, body tight as a bowstring.
“Just like that,” he whispers in my ear, chin dropping to rest on my shoulder so he can watch the way my hips rock against his hand. “Doing so well for me, Darling.”
“Please,” I beg. Gods I’m begging Rhysand. Did that even matter at this point? I’d already gotten on my knees for him, already taken his mark, what was a little begging in retrospect?
He places a tender kiss beneath my ear. “Beg a little more.”
Color heats my cheeks. “Please?” I tilt my face up enough to brush my lips over his warm skin again, my hips doing most of the work now as he slows his pace. I could honestly cry from the sudden lack of stimulation. 
“Little more.”
What could he possibly want me to say here?
Something flares in my chest as my brain spins, the same tugging feeling I’ve felt the last couple of days when I think about him. Is that the bridge he spoke of? Is that really him on the other side and not some bullshit? I mean, he did know what I’d done last night… So maybe this is real, maybe we really are…
It clicks and I drag my own teeth over his throat, leaving a little mark. This is how I keep up this ruse, right? “Please, mate.”
Shadows swirl up my thighs, caressing all the sensitive spots his hands are too occupied to touch. That little tether in my chest warms as he once again picks up the pace. His own hips rock forward, erection hot and heavy against my ass as he leaves another bite mark where my shoulder meets my neck. I’d said exactly what he’d wanted to hear.
“Good girl,” he praises, voice so low and husky it pushes me right over the edge.
Stars swirl across my vision, body going limp in his grasp as I finally hurtle over the edge. I’ve never cum so hard in my life! It’s only by biting down on my lower lip that I don’t let out a scream.
He holds me gently as I come down, shadows now stroking in soothing patterns over my skin as I catch my breath. 
“Fuck,” I whisper. 
He kisses my cheek as he removes his hand from between my legs. One of his shadows brings a cup of ale over for me to drink.  “Let’s get you some food, hm?”
It is still hard for me to wrap my head around that this male is the one that so easily slaughtered my people--the male that just took two heads off in the amphitheater. There is such a contrast to him it makes my head spin. It is even stranger to me that he is still very obviously aroused and not doing anything about it. He’s very content to let me just sit here in his lap after giving me the best orgasm of my life with nothing in return?
“What about you?” 
Rhysand places another kiss beneath my ear. “We have all day, Darling.”
That thing in my chest warms at the thought. At least there are some perks to seducing the enemy, right? 
------
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crazyyluvr · 4 months
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After finishing the Shadow and Bone trilogy in less than a week and starting the Netflix series, I'm now ready to write for Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows! Feel free to send requests for the characters that I will soon add to my masterlist <33 thank you and you may resume your scrolling KNGDFK
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thetwistedbeauty · 1 year
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“Morally Grey” Characters
Morally grey characters are a staple of literature and storytelling, and they can be some of the most compelling and thought-provoking figures in a narrative. These characters often blur the lines between good and evil, making readers question their motivations and actions. However, the acceptance of morally grey characters hinges on how their complexity is presented within the story. While morally grey characters can be intriguing and even empathetic, it becomes problematic when their moral ambiguity is used to excuse or downplay abusive or harmful behavior.
Complexity vs. Excuse: Morally grey characters should be portrayed with depth and nuance. Their actions and motivations should be explored in a way that allows readers to understand the complexity of their choices. However, this complexity should not serve as an excuse for abusive or harmful behavior.
Accountability: It's essential that morally grey characters are held accountable for their actions. Their choices, even if morally ambiguous, should have consequences within the story. This accountability demonstrates that the narrative acknowledges the impact of their behavior on others.
Character Development: Morally grey characters should ideally experience growth and change over the course of the story. They may grapple with their actions and seek redemption or self-improvement. This development adds depth to their character arcs and provides a path for reconciliation with the audience.
Exploring the Grey Area: Morally grey characters can serve as a vehicle for exploring ethical dilemmas and the grey areas of human nature. However, this exploration should be done with sensitivity and an awareness of the potential real-world implications.
Avoiding Glamorization: It's crucial to avoid glamorizing abusive or harmful behavior, even within the context of morally grey characters. Romanticizing or justifying such behavior can send harmful messages to readers.
Balanced Perspective: Authors should strive to present a balanced perspective on morally grey characters. This means acknowledging both their strengths and flaws, their virtues and vices. Readers should be encouraged to form their own opinions rather than having a character's behavior imposed as unquestionably acceptable.
In literature, morally grey characters can be some of the most captivating and thought-provoking figures, challenging readers to question their own moral compass. However, their complexity should never be used as a means to justify or romanticize abusive or harmful actions.
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