#nox has done nothing wrong

[cryptidwithacopiccollection]

HAPPY FUCKING BIRTHDAY @original-character-chaos!

Here's the art :D

+a sketch of the Payne family

Have awesome day, you are a wonderful friend and an amazing artist! I couldn't ask for a better co-author :]]]]

[spumoniiee]

i started watching wakfu and this is what i’ve gathered

[haveyouseenthisskeleton]

Skelly learns their kid needs glasses because kid called another skeleton dad (said 'other skeleton is similar in shape) extra points if the 2 skeletons don't like each other lol

Heya I'm back! Did you all have a fun Christmas?

Undertale Sans - That's fine. He totally didn't get offended when you ran past him to run in Red's (Underfell Sans) arms and watched helplessly as Red played along, looking him straight in the eyes. Someone is going to find dog poop in front of his house later today.

Undertale Papyrus - I mean, it's ok, he's confusing himself with Delta (Disbelief!Papyrus) every day as well, he's not mad. It's easy to mistake them all together. Delta feels like the chosen one right now, so Papyrus lets him have his fun.

Underswap Sans - He huffs, annoyed the kid confused him with Nugget (Horrorswap Sans). He's not particularly mad at the other skeleton, but clearly, make an effort. He's missing an arm??? Nugget is just happy to have attention even though he looks very uncomfortable with the sudden hug. Please, help him.

Underswap Papyrus - His heart breaks in pieces as the kid runs past him to jump in Rus' (Swapfell Papyrus) hands. How can you do this to him? With this walking trash can out of all people?! Honey falls dramatically on the floor like a dead sea star. He's done.

Underfell Sans - He hisses at Dune (Dustale Sans) as the kid runs straight to him. The poor skeleton is so confused, not understanding what's even going on as he suddenly has a child in his arms. Oh well. If it comes to him, it's his. Red can only watch in horror as Dune blips in thin air with his kid. Uh oh. S/O is so going to kill him.

Underfell Papyrus - His jaw falls on the floor as his kid runs happily to Torpedo (Mafiafell Papyrus) and hugs his legs like it's a perfectly normal skeleton. Edge comes running, snatches his kid from him and throws himself at Torpedo's face to attack him lol. Torpedo is way stronger than he is though so it gets quite embarrassing when Edge has to flee, his kid above the head, chased by a very pissed-off mafia leader who swears he will end him before the end of the week.

Horrortale Sans - The kid runs straight to Sans. Oak looks at the scene, completely defeated. Welp. That happened. There's a long awkward silence between the two skeletons lol. I mean, Sans did nothing wrong, but, uh, he can guess why Oak feels hurt by this so much. He tries to defuse the tension with a joke, but Oak stays silent. Big boy is sad :(

Horrortale Papyrus - He's so confused when the kid runs to hug Chief (Horrorfell Papyrus), almost knocking the poor skeleton out of his wheelchair with their force. They look nothing similar???? Well, Willow is not (too) mad about this, since Chief is part of his dysfunctional family, but still. That was rude. He's pouting.

Swapfell Sans - He gasps loudly as the child runs and jumps in Wine's (Fellswap Gold Sans) arms, both from shock and offense. Wine is in shock as well actually. His eye sockets are entirely black. He just picks the kid by the hood, looks at them from head to toe and just "Ew." before pushing him back to their father. "EW? WHAT DO YOU MEAN EW?" Nox screams, enraged. Wine simply shrugs. The kid has the good idea to take a step back as Nox lunges at him to kill him as usual.

Swapfell Papyrus - He looks at Coffee (Fellswap Gold Papyrus) as his kid runs to him. Coffee looks in utter panic, not knowing what to do. Rus simply smiles at him. "Welp, you're the father now. Good luck." Rus then vanishes in front of his eyes as Coffee is asking if he's joking, then screams at him with more and more distress to come back lol. Rus is such a jerk.

Fellswap Gold Sans - He's scandalized as his hair runs to that asshole of Sam (Farmtale Sans). How dare they?! He raised them and all of this for this? That's it. Wine is pissed off. He leaves like a drama queen, stomping the floor angrily, leaving the confused kid behind with the framer who gasps in shock when he realizes Wine is abandoning his kid. What the hell? Sam grabs him by his expensive jacket and throws him on the floor, asking what the hell is wrong with him. Wine growls back, hissing like a snake. Uh... Either of their brother better act quick because they are going to fight and none of them is willing to stop lol.

Fellswap Gold Papyrus - The kid runs happily to Creeper (Mafiatale Papyrus) which makes Coffee, who ran after him, stop dead in his tracks. Uh... Coffee is terrified of that guy. He's not sure what to do now. He's too scared to go and ask the skeleton to please give back his child. So, uh... He's just staring, hiding behind a tree, slowly having a panic attack. Please? Help? Someone?

[liviavanrouge]

Family

Livia: *Looks down, gripping the elf doll Avos gave her*

Linger: As you can see Elf Chief! Your own son has brought an outsider into our home!

Livia: *Looks at Linger, her ears flattened back*

Linger: A fae jaguar at that, kust look at her features, her ears are more pointed than the average jaguar and her canine teeth match the ones we have!

Jungo: *Looks at Livia* Avos brought you here?

Livia: *Looks down ashamed* Yes sir....

Jungo: A shame....

Linger: Chief-

???: Who the hell said you could make her feel bad?

Avos: *Lifts his hand, purple and black flames cloaking it*

Linger: *Grips his arm, a terrified look on his face as he scrambled back*

Avos: I leave home for five minutes and you're causing a scene

Vix: *Covers Livias eyes, his eyes wide* Don't look

Avos: *Lifts his hand and swings it down, screaming filling the air when Linger's head rolled across the ground*

Jungo: *Stands up alarmed* AVOS-

Avos: *Kneels down in front of Livia* Did my father say anything mean to you?

Livia: *Shakes her head* No...

Avos: *Stands up and wipes his hand on his cloak* That's good, let's head back...

Livia:*Nods looking up at him* Okay...

Avos: *Picks her up with one arm, using his aura to mask her Saintess power*

Jungo: AVOS, COME BACK HERE!!

Nox: *Walks after his father, holding Vix's hand*

Jungo: AVOS!! NOX! VIX!!

Avos: *Walks outside*

Livia: I'm sorry-

Avos: Don't apologize....you have done nothing wrong

Livia: But-

Nox: I found you so damn annoying before, you know, couldn't stand looking at you!

Livia: Huh?

Nox: I hated you so much but you grew on me to this degree and it ain't fair!

Vix: *Chuckles* My Love, just say you care

Nox: *Sighs, looking flustered* I care about your well-being and happiness....

Avos: *Smiles* And I'm not afraid to touch you anymore Livia, since I know your power won't hurt me

Vix: And you've grown on me as well, despite my attempt to assassinate you before, sorry about that by the way...

Avos: *Sets Livia down and holds his hand out* Shall we go home?

Livia: *Stares at them then takes Avos' hand*

Avos: *Smiles and nods, walking beside her* Alright, let's go home

Nox: Hey hold my hand too!

Livia: *Giggles, smiling at him* I have my doll silly!

Nox: *Flinches looking embarrassed then looks away* Wh-Whatever! Don't then!

Vix: *Chuckles, gently squeezing Nox's hand*

Livia: *Beams at them, walking back home*

@queen-of-twisted @yukii0nna @zexal-club @teddymochi @soulfungai

[thisfairytalegonebad]

"It should have been me." - Whumptober day 6

Fandom: Final Fantasy XV Character: Gladiolus Amicitia Rating: Teen and up Warnings: Brief eye trauma but it doesn't happen to a human or anyone we like and it's not described in detail, it's literally just one sentence.

Read below the cut or on AO3 here.

“One day, you might give your life for Noctis, and it will be your greatest honour,” Gladio’s father used to tell him, over and over for as long as he can remember. It’s a simple truth, one Gladio has grown up with, deeply embedded into his mind and etched into his skin in the form of a great eagle.

They put so much effort into preparing Gladio for his inevitable death that will save his King that no one stops to consider what will happen to him if he lives.

----

It starts with a road trip to see Noct off to his wedding, just the two of them and their two closest friends, and it’s easily the most freedom all of them have tasted in their lives.

And then, Insomnia falls and it all turns into a horrible nightmare Gladio can’t seem to wake up from. Instead, he’s thrust into situation after situation that leaves him completely and utterly useless, unable to protect his Prince - no, his King, now - and his friends, and with the way things are going, he half expects to lose Iris in a freak accident or something, but at least she stays safe.

Noct gets plagued by headaches sent to him by an actual god, and Gladio can’t even punch anything about it. He does get the chance to punch Titan later on but he’s not stupid, he knows the god perceived him as nothing more than Gladio would perceive a fly - annoying and difficult to get rid of but ultimately harmless. When Noct’s headaches finally stop, Gladio doesn’t fool himself into thinking he’s played any significant part in it.

Soon after, he thoroughly gets his ass handed to him by Ravus Nox Fleuret. The man bats him aside like it’s nothing - their difference in strength is startling. It scares him, so much so that he ditches his friends, his charge, before he can properly think about it, to stand trial against Gilgamesh and prove his worth once and for all.

He gets a shiny new scar for his trouble and his friends welcome him back with open arms, but the victory tastes bitter and it doesn’t bring him the relief he hoped for.

Finally, they make it to Altissia. It’s pretty and under different circumstances, Gladio would have loved it - the city has a famous library, the biggest in all of Accordo, and he itches to explore it - but the thought of what should have been hangs over them like a dark cloud.

Noct forges the covenant with Leviathan and Gladio and Prompto find him unconscious, next to an Ignis who lies so startlingly still that Gladio has to take his pulse to make sure he's still alive. The first time Ignis wakes, he's in so much pain it leaves him nearly incoherent, face littered with silver burns their potions won't touch, and all Gladio can think is it should have been me.

Noct doesn't wake up for a long time, but when he finally does, they continue on and Ignis comes with them. Gladio isn’t sure why he’s even surprised - for all his intelligence, his stubbornness makes Ignis stupid and Gladio feels like he’s the only one still sane. He’s angry, so angry it makes his blood boil and he itches to punch something. He’s angry at Noct for shirking his duty. He’s angry at Ignis, who got the chance to sacrifice himself for Noct, something Gladio has been denied thus far, and he doesn’t even have the grace to bow out, choosing instead to haunt Gladio as a constant reminder of his own failure. He’s angry at Prompto, who has done nothing to deserve his ire, whose only crime it is to try and mediate between him and Noct. And he’s angry, so, so very angry at the universe, the gods who laugh at their misery from above and who pretend to aid Noct but take so much more than they give.

Gladio doesn’t think things could go any more to shit than this, but he’s quickly proven wrong when they lose Prompto without knowing if they’ll ever be able to find him again, or if he’s even still alive. Noct swears he is, swears he can still feel him through the Crystal’s magic and gods, Gladio wants to believe him but the kid fell off a moving train in the middle of a snowstorm and Gladio has always considered himself a realist rather than an optimist.

He doesn’t have time to dwell on it, though, because he’s soon occupied trying to keep Ignis alive on his own in daemon-infested enemy territory because Ardyn managed to separate them from Noct and Gladio has failed again to stop him.

Prompto, as it turns out, is more resilient than Gladio dared to hope. He survived the fall off the train, even camped out in the snowy wilderness on his own for a while, and a few curatives fix his body right up but the mental scars run deep - they can only guess what happened to him once Ardyn got him, he won’t talk about and Gladio doesn’t pry. Instead, he tries to be supportive, a rock for the others to lean on, resisting the urge to go find Ardyn and rip the bastard’s throat out with his teeth.

When they lose Noct to a gods-damned rock, Gladio damn near loses it. His hands are bloody and bruised by the time Ignis manages to drag him away from the Crystal, and all his efforts have not even left a scratch on its smooth surface.

----

If Gladio were to have his way, he’d tuck them all - Iris, Prompto, Ignis - into a safe corner away from harm, but he knows that no one ever listens to him and humanity cannot spare three skilled fighters now that the light is gone, so they train and they hunt and Gladio can’t watch them try to get themselves killed so he leaves.

During the years of darkness, he only ever sees them for a day or two every couple months - it’s not what he wants, but looking at them hurts too much so he hides himself away like a coward. He hunts and he helps Cor’s Glaives and his specialty is escort missions because the instinct to protect is burned deep into his core, and at least his inability to keep people safe only seems to extend to those he loves.

Still, he barely makes a difference in the world and he’d hardly call what he’s doing living, so when Ignis shows up on his doorstep one day, telling him all about a prophecy and a possible way to stop it, he doesn’t even let the man finish before he says yes.

“It’s dangerous,” Ignis says, “We’ll have to kill a god.”

“I don’t care,” Gladio says, and that settles that.

It’s easier to pull himself together, now that he has a goal in mind, and so by the time Noct finally comes back to them, he’s more than ready.

----

The Draconian doesn’t hold back. There’s no doubt that he’s a god, and even fighting Titan, Leviathan and Ifrit combined couldn’t compare to the sheer strength of Bahamut.

The god is enraged and hell-bent on collecting his blood prize after all, so he targets Noct and Noct alone - Gladio, Ignis and Prompto don’t even seem to be on his radar. A mistake, Gladio is about to show him that as he races over to Noct and stands in front of him, blocking the enormous sword the Draconian hurls at him.

The impact shatters his wrist and dislocates his shoulder but he stands unmoving, and for the first time the god looks at him, really looks at him. He raises his sword and Gladio goes to block again, but this time, the impact sends him flying.

He crashes into the rubble and the world explodes into blinding pain, his vision is swimming and he feels his consciousness slip, but he holds on long enough to watch Noct take advantage of Bahamut’s distraction.

Noct warps up until he’s face to face with the Draconian, and then he drives his father’s sword straight through the god’s eye and into his skull.

Bahamut screeches in agony, the sound rattling Gladio’s already broken body, and that’s the last push for his fragile consciousness.

----

When he comes to, he can’t move without his body screaming in agony, and it takes him three tries to croak out a single word.

“Noct?”

Gladio has a long road of recovery ahead of him, Ignis tells him, and his fighting days might very well be over, but that sounds ironic coming out of the mouth of a blind man who fights better than most who still have their sight, so Gladio doesn’t worry about it too much.

It doesn’t matter, anyway - Bahamut is dead and Noct lives, and that is the only thing that counts.

----

Read all of my Whumptober prompt fills here.

[the-starry-seas]

decided to assign Florence + The Machine songs to my clones

Aces

Racer: June (In those heavy days in June when love became an act of defiance / You were broken-hearted and the world was too, and I was beginning to lose my grip / Choirs sing in the street and I would come to you / I'm always down to hide with you)

Fury: Seven Devils (Holy water cannot help you now, a thousand armies couldn't keep me out / And it's an evensong, it's a litany, it's a battle cry, it's a symphony)

Blue: Shake It Out (Regrets collect like old friends, here to relive your darkest moments / I am done with my graceless heart so tonight I'm gonna cut it out and then restart)

Whisper: Morning Elvis (If I make it to the mornin' I should've come with a warnin' / And after every tour, I swear I'll quit It's over, boys, now this is it, but the call it always comes / Oh, you know I'm still afraid, I'm still crazy and I'm still scared)

Ember: Free (Is this how it's always been? To exist in the face of suffering and death, and somehow still keep singing? / There is nothing else that I know how to do, but to open up my arms and give it all to you / And for a moment, when I'm dancing, I am free)

Ghost Squad

Harlow: St Jude (Another battle never won, and each side is a loser, so who cares who fired the gun? / I'm learning, so I'm leaving, and even though I'm grieving, I'm trying to find the meaning)

Karla: Cassandra (I used to move into the future, bring it all back, let it bleed through my fingers, a treasure in my hands / Well, can you see me? I cannot see you. Everything I thought I knew has fallen out of view.)

Cavalry: Are You Hurting the One You Love? (Bite your tongue until it tastes like blood / Are you hurting the one you love? You'd like to stay in heaven but the rules are too tough)

Boom: Leave My Body (I'm gonna be released from behind these lines and I don''t care whether I live or die / I'm gonna leave my body [moving up to higher ground], I'm gonna lose my mind [your history keeps pulling me down])

Ray: Hardest of Hearts (And the kindest of kisses break the hardest of hearts / There is love in your body but you can't get it out, it gets stuck in your head, won't come out of your mouth)

Tally: Breaking Down (Even when I was a child, I've always known there was something to be frightened of / I think I'm breaking down, all alone, on the edge of sleep)

Nox: Spectrum (We are shining and we will never be afraid again / WIth metal on our tongues and silver in our lungs / Say my name as every colour illuminates)

Shay: No Light, No Light (I was disappearing in plain sight, Heaven help me, I need to make it right / You want a revelation, some kind of resolution / And I'd do anything to make you stay)

Clone Force M

Winter: I'm Not Calling You a Liar (I'm not calling you a ghost, just stop haunting me, and I love you so much I'm going to let you kill me)

Bee: Delilah (These chains never leave me, I keep dragging them around / 'Cause I'm gonna be free and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight / A different kind of danger in the daylight, can't you let me know?)

Indigo: You've Got the Love (Sometimes, it seems the goin' is just too rough and things go wrong, no matter what I do / Sooner or later in life, the things you love, you lose, but you've got the love I need to see me through)

Jewel: Remain Nameless (I wish to remain nameless and live without shame, 'cause what's in a name, boy? I still remain the same / Tell me what you're running from, I know everybody lets you down and I'll do the same)

Nebula: All This and Heaven Too (And all my stumbling phrases never amounted to anything worth this feeling, all this heaven never could describe such a feeling as I'm hearing)

Zenith: Falling (Falling is not the problem, when I'm falling I'm at peace. It's only when I hit the ground, it causes all the grief)

Sunny: Third Eye (You don't have to be a ghost here amongst the living, you are flesh and blood and you deserve to be loved / I'm the same, I'm the same, I'm trying to change)

Star: Howl (If you could only see the beast you've made of me, I held it in, but now it seems you've set it running free / Like some child possessed, the beast howls in my veins, I want to find you, tear out all your tenderness and howl, howl) [+ bonus: Long & Lost (Without your love I'll be so long and lost, are you missing me? is it too late to come on home? / It's been so long between the words we spoke, will you be there up on the shore? I hope)]

Sky: Sky Full of Song (Be careful, oh, my darling, oh be careful what it takes. From what I've seen so far, the good ones always seem to break / I feel like I'm about to fall, the room begins to sway, and I can hear the sirens but I cannot walk away)

Silver: Stand By Me (I won't be afraid, oh I won't be afraid, just as long as you stand, stand by me / Whenever you're in trouble, won't you stand by me? Oh stand by me)

[synthized2021]

hi stalker that i want to give NO energy to but here i am, finally saying some shit which you desperately crave. i don’t need to defend myself, don’t need to give my side either but considering you STILL have my name in your mouth even after i delete my blog ( thanks to the people that pointed this out for me ) , that you’re still checking my blog when i apparently have done SO much wrong to you ?? that says a lot about the situation than it does me being a ‘freak’

i deactivated my account bc my mum comes first. not because of /you/,  the fucking ego on you tbh. gaslighting, manipulative, abusive person that you are. i deactivated bc my mum is in a bad state. 

i’m a carer for my mum who has mental and physical health issues. i don’t need to justify myself to anyone, especially not you.  you knew this was the case for me and yet when i don’t respond to you for 40mins bc i was playing video games /with/ my mum . . . you create this witchhunt for me.  love that for you. does nothing for me, you’re the one wasting your energy, not me. i couldn’t give a shit about you. even my mum thinks i should have gone legal with the lies you were saying about me on a public platform, even talked to tumblr about it but at the end of the day, it is only tumblr and you’re NOTHING to me.

read it clear bc you love to check up on me so much,  you are nothing to me.

i can’t take any of the shit you say seriously when for months you have been calling me your ex-girlfriend. something i told you specifically not to do when we were friends. we had voice memos between us where you cried over the fact of losing me. was our rship intense? yeah. you’ll probably say that’s BS but it was bc as mentioned, you cried your eyes out in a memo to me about losing me. that i was the only one that understood you etc. now you have twisted things that i’ve said I.E elvis and made them gross. that’s up to you but i know my truth and so do the people that have asked for my side of the story. i’m 31 years old, i had NO intention of anything romantic / sexual with you and the fact you continue to call me your ex-girlfriend ??  vom emoji, tbh. 

you are nothing to me. actually nothing. did i anon you ?? yes. did i want to be friends with you again ?? yes. MY MISTAKE bc you are still the most horrible, manipulative person i’ve ever seen on this hellsite. 

i’ve already explained the spotify situation to you, i’m not wasting energy on it. and stealing your canons / aesthetic ? yeah okay. it’s funny bc i’ve had a character called nox for about two years and i told you abt them in the summer and suddenly you have one called nox too ??  🤔 i’ve had my universe for ten years, don’t kid yourself into thinking any of your stuff has any inspiration for me. i couldn’t give a damn about your story, just like you shouldn’t give a damn about mine.

i planned on coming back to tumblr in the new year once my mum is settled with her health, and christmas stress is been and gone. if i do come back, it’s NOTHING to do with you so drop the fucking ego in thinking i give one single shit about you.  you were an awful friend, and i regret ever talking to you.  if you hate me so much, idk . . . move the fuck on and stop checking up on me.  that makes you the obsessive freak, not me.

finally !! i’ve given you the lil’ bit of attention you so desperately wanted this whole time. now leave me the fuck alone bc i want nothing to do with you and have no intention of EVER having anything to do with you. even to see what other lies and BS and my name constantly in your mouth.

[sola-whumping]

Umbran, Febuwhump: Head injury

Dizzy.

He was dizzy.

Sickeningly so, in a way that made him sway as the world around him spun.

Nox reached to touch his head, that bright flash of pain that was now fading into a dull ache within his skull. Stablizing himself against the wall did nothing to help, but the movement made everything worse.

He just- wished he could stop being so dizzy.

He didn’t see the second blow coming, or maybe it was the third. Either way the hit knocked his head against the wall in the same way, made his head spin and his skull crack with that loud overwhelming agony that stayed until a dull ache replaced it.

And just like that he was back to reeling, back to staring uncomprehending at the red on his hand. In the back of his mind he knew something was wrong, something with where he was being hit, but he didn’t have the faintest idea why.

He didn’t see the next blow coming.

✨Masterlist✨

Taglist: @haro-whumps @poisoned-by-royalty @wide-awake-but-comatose @whumpsy-daisies @misspelledwitch @string-of-broken-hearts @captainseconds @lave-whump @whumping-out-of-timee @littlespacecastle

[elentiyawhitethorn]

When Passion Rules the Game | Part Seven

CW: NSFW, language

AN: Wow, I wrote seven chapters in seven days and I feel so accomplished! This fic has been so fun to write, and I hope everybody enjoyed. (Last chapter btw)

Part Six//Masterlist//2835 words

By some miracle, Aelin made it through the rest of the day. She introduced herself to Nox, showed him the ropes, and got some work done. And as soon as she had completed the day’s tasks, she just about bolted out to her car, headed to Rowan’s apartment.

There was no hesitation in Aelin’s mind as she firmly knocked on Rowan’s door. He would let her in, explain, and she would realize that this was all some cosmic joke.

Aelin heard footsteps approach the door, and she braced herself, straightening her back and plastering a smile on her face.

But the door never opened. After a moment, Aelin heard the footsteps retreat, and she blinked in confusion.

She knocked again.

Another minute passed. No more noises sounded within the apartment, and Aelin started to scowl. What right did he have to ignore her? She was his boss! Well, not anymore—but that was beside the point.

Aelin reached for the handle and jiggled it, but it was locked.

“Rowan,” she called. “Please let me in.”

“Dammit, go away, Aelin.”

She hadn’t been expecting a response, and to hear that animosity toward her frightened her. Rowan must have quit because she was sleeping with him, and he wasn’t comfortable with the situation. Aelin had never done anything like this before, never unintentionally harassed someone out of their job, and her heart started aching. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

Coming to terms with the fact that Rowan wasn’t going to let her in the door, Aelin pulled a bobby-pin from her hair and inserted it into the lock. She had been a rambunctious teenager, always causing poor Aedion and her parents trouble, and picking a lock was second nature to her.

She smiled internally as the last tumbler fell into place and the lock clicked. Aelin absentmindedly discard the bobby pin in her purse and turned the knob.

Rowan was sitting on the couch, hunched over with his head in his hands, clearly upset about something. His head snapped up the instant Aelin walked in, and his eyes narrowed. “How did you—”

Aelin shut the door, cutting him off. “Why did you quit.” She was slightly angry at herself, and it came out in her tone.

Rowan sighed. “I resigned.”

“Same difference. Tell me why.”

Rowan stood up, but still kept his distance. “I found a new job. I thought it would be a better opportunity for me.”

Aelin scoffed. “You were just relocated to Terrasen. Don’t tell me you’re moving again.”

“I’m not moving. I got a job at Salvaterre Enterprises. It pays more.”

“If you wanted a raise, I—”

“I left. It’s done. There is nothing to say.”

Aelin frowned, trying to cover up the fact that her heart was fracturing in her chest. “But—”

“Do you always break into the homes of employees who decide they don’t want to work for you anymore?”

The ice in Rowan’s voice had Aelin trembling. “I want to know if you’re leaving because of me.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because you’re sleeping with me!” Aelin yelled. “And you’re quitting because you’re worried about it or you’re not comfortable with it or something and I can’t just let you do that! I can’t just sexually harass one of my employees and let them leave.”

Rowan’s eyes widened. “You’re not… Aelin, this is not your fault.”

“Then what is this?” she rasped. “Why did you even apply at Salvaterre Enterprises anyway?”

She could see the hesitation in his eyes. Rowan took a step forward, then paused. “I can’t… I just needed to go. I’ve never been uncomfortable around you, Aelin, I swear.”

“Then why, Rowan, did you go? Because I’m going to keep believing this is my fault if you don’t prove otherwise.”

He hissed out a breath and turned around, running his hands through his hair. “It’s because I…”

“Because you what?”

“I can’t… I shouldn’t say.”

“Tell me,” Aelin’s demanded. She dropped her purse on the floor so that she could cross her arms.

“Because I’m in love with you!” Rowan shouted, spinning back around. “Because I love how passionate you are about your work, and how funny you are, and how you pretend to have an attitude but spend your whole life trying to help people. I love the way you tuck your hair behind your ears when you’re nervous, and how red your face gets when you’re embarrassed, and I even love the way you eat your gods-damn bagels with a fork. And I can’t do it anymore!”

Aelin couldn’t summon words. Rowan loved her?

He was breathing hard, surprise evident on his face. Maybe he hadn’t meant to say all that.

“I think you should go, Aelin. Don’t feel bad. You’re not to blame.” Rowan sighed, turning his head.

He expected her to leave. To walk out and pretend this had never happened, to forget about him. Aelin didn’t know what she was going to do next, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to forget about him.

Rowan took a deep breath, then looked back at Aelin, who wasn’t breathing at all. “I’m sorry, Aelin. But I need you to leave now.”

Aelin didn’t do that.

Rowan gasped in surprise as he felt Aelin’s lips crash into his. She had mindlessly surged forward with no intentions of stopping herself. Aelin fisted her hands in his shirt and pulled him closer, tangling her tongue with his. Rowan kissed her back for what could have been a minute or an hour; Aelin was too lost in him to tell. When he finally pulled back, they were both panting.

“What does that mean?” Rowan gasped out.

“I think I might be in love with you, too.”

Rowan yanked her back to his mouth, and Aelin felt herself melting into his touch, trying to get closer and closer, touching as much of his body as she could.

They parted again, and Rowan raised his hand to her face. “You really feel the same?” His thumb stroked her cheek and Aelin leaned into the touch.

“Of course I do. You’re amazing and kind and hilarious, and despite your protests to the contrary, you’re a total sweetheart. I love you, Rowan. I should have noticed it a lot sooner, and I must have been blind not to until now, but I see it now. I love you.”

Rowan leaned forward and pressed their foreheads together. “I love you, too. I’ve never felt like this before. I’ve cared about people, but no one has ever driven me so insane.”

Aelin laughed. “I drive you insane? I have never broken so many rules because of one man. And that’s really saying something.”

“Oh, I know,” he replied, their noses brushing. “No goody two shoes knows how to pick locks.”

“Don’t ask me about that,” Aelin said, laughing. “Or I’ll ask you why you have a picture of a scowling teenage boy with chains dangling from his jeans hanging up on the wall.”

Rowan groaned. “My mom made me hang that up when I moved in.”

“Oh, you’re a mama’s boy, then?” Aelin teased.

Rowan smiled, but the expression turned fond as he leaned forward that last half-inch and kissed her. It was nothing like any of the kisses they’d shared before; this one was soft and sweet. This one was full of love.

When they pulled apart this time, Aelin whispered, “I still can’t believe you love me.”

“Neither can I,” he replied softly. “I never expected you to say it back. Though I’ll admit, I wasn’t surprised to find you stubbornly knocking on my door.”

Aelin smiled, then tugged Rowan down to the couch, plumping onto his lap. “So now that we’ve gotten the love confessions out of the way, maybe we can try to be in a relationship? Be together?”

Rowan smiled. “I would love that. But I might have to dump you if you ever call me a sweetheart again.”

Aelin let out a choked laugh. “But you’re so sweet. Like a little cinnamon bun.”

“I really hope you did not just say that.”

Aelin grinned. “Now that we have all this sorted, you’ll come back to the company? Nox was good at the job, but he doesn’t have your work ethic, and I had to tell him how to—”

Rowan smiled sadly and interrupted her. “Babe, you would be my boss. We may be able to keep a lid on friends with benefits, but you think no one’s going to be upset to hear you’re in a relationship with me?”

“I don’t care what people think,” Aelin insisted, despite the sinking feeling in her gut.

He tugged her farther onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. “It’s still wrong. I can’t do it.”

“But… Rowan, you can’t give up your job for me.”

“I’m not. And if it came down to it, I probably wouldn’t. And neither would you, I would guess, should you ever be in that position. Your dedication to your career is one of the things I love about you.” At Aelin’s sad nod, he added, “But I got job with Salvaterre Enterprises, remember?”

Aelin rasied her brow.

“I wasn’t lying,” Rowan said with a grin. “I got a good position there, nothing worse than I had with you. I’ll miss working with you, but I’m excited to be working there, and I’m excited to be with you.”

Aelin bit her lip. “Okay, but I don’t care that you already got hired. I’m sending a recommendation for you. Not just because I love you—never because of that—but because you are an amazing worker. Besides, I know Lorcan.”

Rowan blinked in surprise. “Lorcan Salvaterre?”

Aelin flashed a grin. “We went to college together. Like you, he pretends to be an ass, but is super sweet.” Rowan scowled, and she laughed. “And he’s head-over-heels for Elide. I’ve been trying to set them up for ages.”

“Wow,” Rowan said.

“Underestimating my connections?” Aelin asked snarkily.

“Just shocked that you have friends with money. After all, you just about swiped my savings last time we played poker.”

Aelin smirked. “Lorcan always paid up in other ways.”

“I really hope you didn’t just imply…” Rowan trailed off.

“Imply what?” Aelin asked innocently.

“Did you sleep with my new boss?” Rowan asked, dreading the answer.

She laughed. “No, I was just kidding. I made him do my homework for a month every time he lost.”

Rowan breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll admit, I’m surprised you would trust someone to control what grade you get.”

Aelin snorted. “Oh, I wouldn’t. I turned in my own work. I just wanted to make him do it for the fun of it. He went ballistic when he found out I never turned any of his hours’ worth of work in. He’s been trying to get me back for it ever since.”

“Um, perhaps I won’t tell him I’m in a relationship with you, then?”

Aelin cackled.

After another hour of chatting and laughing, Aelin decided she would tell her cousin and friends about this tomorrow, and Rowan said he would do the same by calling his mom. She could barely contain the joy that flowed through her thinking that people would know about them, that he cared about her enough to tell his mother already.

The hand that Rowan had resting on her thigh started stroking her, and Aelin started trying to recall what underwear she had put on his morning. Hopefully something nice.

Aelin ground down on Rowan’s lap, and he stood in one sudden movement, pulling her legs around his waist. Aelin sighed against his neck as he carried her to the bedroom. It sure as hell wasn’t the first time she’d been in here, and it wouldn’t be the last.

Aelin smiled into Rowan’s shirt, but that smile dissolved when Rowan threw her onto the bed. She smiled up at him prettily, the epitome of virtuous and wholesome. Rowan just snorted and said, “Take your clothes off and touch yourself.”

Feeling blood race to her face, Aelin sensually stripped off each piece of clothing, a bit more urgently than she’d been attempting to do. It was hard to act sexy when Rowan was shirtless and smirking at her.

Once she finished, Aelin lay back and spread her legs slightly. She let one hand tug on several strands of hair, delighting in the way Rowan’s eyes tracked her hands.

Then Aelin licked her lips and moved one hand to her stomach to stroke the smooth skin. She smirked at Rowan as she moved her other hand to her mouth and sucked on her thumb, making sure he was able to see as her tongue swirled around the digit. Aelin brought her wet thumb to her nipple and rubbed it roughly, parting her lips in a breathy moan.

She noticed the bulge in Rowan’s pants becoming more apparent as she played with her nipple and teased him with the hand moving on her lower stomach, and she grinned. “Get on with it,” Rowan growled.

Laughing, Aelin spread her legs farther and trailed her hand down, pressing a finger into her entrance. She immediately gasped and inserted another finger, unused to having control over when she got what she wanted.

Knowing exactly what she was thinking as she started thrusting her fingers harder, Rowan smirked and pulled his shirt off. No matter that seeing him watching her made her even wetter, Aelin couldn’t concentrate on what she was doing when she looked at him. She averted her eyes to ceiling and started pumping her fingers in deeper, groaning.

But it was not to be. “Look at me,” Rowan commanded, and Aelin had no choice but to obey.

Holding his gaze, Aelin thrust her hips into her hand and and brought the second hand down the rub furiously at her clit. She was moaning now, making more noises than she did when she was by herself, turned on by the way Rowan rid himself of his pants and started pumping his own length.

“Stop,” Rowan ordered, right as she felt release nearing. She couldn’t. She couldn’t stop. She was so close, and just few more thrusts and she would be at the edge and—

Aelin’s hands were forcibly removed from her pussy, and she cried out as she was flipped over on the bed and spanked.

“What did I tell you?” Rowan’s voice was the sharpened edge of a blade, and Aelin shivered.

“You told me to stop,” she whispered.

Rowan’s hand smacked her ass once more. “And did you?”

Aelin whimpered. “No, sir.”

He spanked her again, his hand stinging the sensation flesh of her bottom. “Why not?”

“Because,” Aelin rasped, trying to summon even a single coherent thought, “I needed to come. I needed to.”

“Hmm,” Rowan said, trailing his finger along the curve of her ass. She shivered at the sensation. “But you knew I wouldn’t let you. And look where we are now.”

Aelin squirmed in his grasp. “I’m sorry.”

“Are you?” He brought his hand down, the slap sound filling the air. “Or are you just saying that so I’ll stop?”

“I’m sorry. Please, I’m so sorry.” Aelin clung to the sheets, burying her face.

Rowan hummed thoughtfully and spanked her again. But before Aelin could beg him to stop again, callused hands gripped her thighs and spread them, Rowan’s cock filling her almost instantly.

Aelin moaned loudly into the sheets. “Rowan, gods.”

He grabbed her hips, pulling her onto her knees and farther onto his cock. She whined and lifted her ass higher in the air.

Rowan’s grip was bruising as he slammed into her. He started pounding into her, and Aelin wondered how she was supposed to walk into work tomorrow and concentrate on her job, let alone walk at all.

The fingers Rowan had on her hips dug harder into her skin, and Aelin felt even wetter knowing that he was marking her right now. His cock was hardening fully inside of Aelin, and the immense awareness she had of him was driving her crazy.

Rowan’s balls slapped her pussy and she screamed into the sheets, her orgasm forcing its way over her body in a shattering earthquake of pleasure. Rowan kept moving, fucking her senseless as she shook and screamed, finally coming and spilling into her.

Once he separated their bodies and rolled over, Aelin turned on her side and put both an arm and a leg across his body. “I love you.”

Rowan kissed her neck. “I love you, too, darling.”

Aelin snuggled closer and, instead of reflecting on her previous shortsightedness and poor judgment, thought about how much she was looking forward to a life being teased, laughed at, fucked, and loved by Rowan.

Little did Aelin know, Elide would owe Dorian twenty bucks after losing the bet about how long it would take them to confess their feelings. What an interesting day tomorrow would be.

———

Tag List:

@aelin-bitch-queen

@autumnbabylon

@evolving-dreamer

@feysand-loml

@flora-shadowshine

@gracie-rosee

@infernoqueen19

@julemmaes

@lemonade-coolattas

@live-the-fangirl-life

@midsizewitch

@mis-lil-red

@morganofthewildfire

@nehemikkele

@pagemasters

@realbookloverproblems

@rhysandswingspan

@rowanaelinn

@sexy-dumpster-fire

@sleeping-and-books

@story-scribbler

@swankii-art-teacher

@thenerdandfandoms

@theysayitscrazy

@yesdreamblog

[sw124]

BonelyHearts Reader Insert4

{Female!ReaderXSkeleton household}

Camping! Pt.3

[Warning: I’m gonna be descriptive with the food so please eat something before you read this. No theirs nothing graphic, its just I’m describing the process of cooking some food, sorry if it makes you hungry]

You could’ve sworn that the trip wouldn’t be that long, guess you were wrong. Well never the less it was time to start dinner, before the trip even started you had volunteered to do ‘dinner’ on the camping trip while the others did ‘breakfast’. It was only four in the afternoon but dinner prep was gonna take a little bit plus you had to set up dessert too. If you started now you’d have it done in less then forty minutes, well no time to waist...especially with these boys.

You got out a few pots, two larger ones an one smaller one, one for boiling water, another to make the sauce and lastly the third was to collect the water. It was expensive but you bought two small propane burners, after the camping trip you can gift one out to a friend and keep the other for when you’d make Hotpot dishes for winter.

You filled the first pot with water, bottled water to be exact. Then put that on the first burner, you turned it on and set it to high, you added a touch some olive oil into the water and let it sit. Now on to the sauce, you reached into the cooler and pulled out a two large cartons of heavy whipping cream, a container of grated Parmesan cheese, a stick of butter, garlic paste in a squeeze tube, chopped parsley in a small ziplock and lastly the bag of mixed veggies. Zucchini, asparagus, onions, mushrooms, yellow squash and lastly carrots.

In the pot you threw in the stick of butter and a dollop of garlic paste, you put the pot on the other burner and melted the butter with the garlic, you threw in the veggies when the butter had just melted. You waited till the veggies were cooked throughly, mostly caramelizing the onions and mushrooms. Once that was done you added in the heavy whipping cream an Parmesan an started stirring. After you let that set you checked on the water, it was at a full boil now-

.....

“Boss I thought I told you I was handling dinner, either you go sit by the fire and wait or go for a walk.” You growled.

The one thing you hated was Boss leaning over you while you cooked, he knew you were preparing a pasta dish an by the law that is Boss he has to supervise you...not this time.

“I need to make sure your not going to add anything...unessesary to the dish.” He countered.

You groaned under your breath, you wanted this to be a bit of a surprise but of course that was wishful thinking....you shook your head and continued. Grabbing two boxes of spaghetti you poured them into the pot.

......

You looked up to find that Boss wasn’t alone, all of the skeletons were now crowding around the kitchen tent, intently watching you cook. You wondered if they were hungry and was planning to offer something to tide them over, that thought passed when you saw the remnants of chip crumbs on some of their clothing.

“Can I help you boys?” Your voice going mono.

“We’re just watching, gotta do something to ‘pasta’ time way, ya know?” Said Sans, earning a glare from half of the group.

Ash and Poplar strategical placed themselves near you, Poplar blocking Boss and his...needling gaze. Everyone else was just watching quietly, well Nox made a comment or two about the sauce bubbling but that was ok, he even reminded you about the parsley. It was also nice to have Russ help you strain out the water when the noodles were done.

“Ok, everything is just about ready. You boys get your bowls an I’ll start plating ok?”

The boys did as told, it was kinda cute seeing them all shuffle to get their bowls together. You had your bowl there along with your fork, Red got back first and you first filled his bowl partly with the noodles before ladling on the sauce...well it’s as more of a soup but you called it sauce. You make sure the noodles were half submerged. You repeated this until all ten skeletons had their portion, you filled your bowl next before joining them at the picnic table.

“Ok boys, lets dig in!” You announced.

You didn’t hesitate, you instantly twisted a bundle of spaghetti on to your fork along with some asparagus. It tasted heavenly, the creamy, buttery sauce mixed with the Parmesan was just delightful. You were happy that it turned out so well, you looked up. To your surprise and delight everyone seemed to be enjoying the food, Boss even gave you an approving nod.

“Wowie! I’ve got to tell Undyne about this, she an Alphys would love to try this dish!” Papyrus was beaming as he examined his food, his smile was just so cute.

Nox seemed better off eating in silence, but you couldn’t fake a smile of content like his. Blue was engulfing his noodles, you had to suppress a chuckle when he stared fanning his mouth, of course the food would still be hot. You poked at the carrots you had in your bowl, you were hoping they were cooked right and not too hard. After one bite you were delighted to find it had a little crunch but it was cooked properly.

“Whatcha call this anyway?” Asked Stretch, twirling his fork.

“It’s kinda like Alfredo but with a few stuff added in, it doesn’t really have a name. I just made this dish up one night when I was super hungry and didn’t want to go out in the pouring rain to get food, the only difference is the veggies.” You were slightly embarrassed in telling the story, despite it being true.

“Its still good though, you should invent dishes more often!” Said Blue, shoveling another bite into his mouth.

You smiled, thankful the food was cooked well. Ash and Poplar really seemed to like this dish, you wondered if it was because of the vegetables or the sauce. Either way it was cute seeing him try to get at least one of each veggie on his fork along with the noodles.

Soon everyone had finished eating and cleanup was underway, you noticed how quickly the sun had begun to set. Yep winter was fast approaching, cleanup didn’t take long at all with everyone helping out. Once everything was washed and put away for the evening it was time to bust out dessert. You hurry back to the van where you kept it, pulling out three large bags of marshmallows and a bag of frosted gram-cracker cookies. The top halves were frosted in chocolate, it’d make things a lot simpler.

“Ok boys time for dessert, we’re making s’mores!”

You handed each skeleton a long stick too use, they all were sharing a bewildered expression...had these boys not heard of s’mores?

“Do you guys know what s’mores are?”

“I’m afraid we don’t.” Said Papyrus.

“Oh well its a fun, interactive snack and common camping treat. I’ll show you how its done.”

You began by skewering your marshmallow, you got the large flat ones so it’d be easier for the skeletons to handle. You held your marshmallow over the fire, you loved this part so much, watching your marshmallow turn golden brown or even catch on fire and burn just a tiny bit. Once the marshmallow was done you showed them how to sandwich it between the gram cracker cookie, you told them that normally they’d have a plain gram cracker and a bit of chocolate to do it but you wanted to make it easier and quicker. You even mentioned that to them while you were making your s’more.

“An there you have it, your very own s’more!”

You held it up and showed them, you then took a big bite and just like you expected the marshmallow stretched out...and it tasted amazing. Gooey, sweet and crunchy, the chocolate was melting and it wasn’t dripping on to your fingers.

You watched everyone follow your lead, you also said they can just eat the roasted marshmallow if they wanted or the gram cracker cookie instead. Which was what some of them did, Russ was having fun making the s’mores. Awe he looked like a little kid when he took that first bite, Nox though didn’t seem that impressed and settled for just the cookie. Stretch was pouring some honey on his s’more, Blue was scolding him about it, Poplar and Ash were throughly enjoying making s’mores together.

Papyrus was yelling at Sans again, Sans marshmallow now turned into a comet, Red and Boss settled for the gram cracker and roasted marshmallows. It was cute watching them all experience a traditional treat of camping, you made another s’more and switched to just making roasted marshmallows. Nox was kind enough to get some drinks but just for you and Russ, when questioned by Blue he countered saying he wasn’t everyone’s servant and they all had legs that weren’t broken. An besides he got one for you cause you were a lady and you had prepared dinner, it was only proper.

After having your fill of marshmallows you were about to get up and start the process of cleaning up the dishes. Well that was the plan until you felt Poplar’s hand rest on your shoulder.

“No, no don’t get up. We’ll take care of clean the dishes and everything, you just relax.”

You blinked, surprised. “Are you sure, there’s a lot to clean up-“

Sans stood up. “Rule is if you make dinner then you don’t have to clean up the kitchen.”

“A rule that you don’t seem to follow brother.” Growled Papyrus but smiled. “But he is right human, you shouldn’t shoulder the burden of clean up. The ten of us will have it done in no time!”

“If your sure then alright, the communal wash station is just up the way there; Sans I’m sure you can show them.”

Sans nodded, everyone else got up and started cleaning up the kitchen tent area. Nox was sure that Russ didn’t slack off, Red wasn’t happy about being forced to get up and work but he couldn’t say much with Boss standing over him. You watched all ten skeletons shuffle off over the hill, it was nice of them to do the clean up but at the same time you felt kinda bad since you made a little mess while doing it. Well you knew how to remedy that!

You stood up, walked to the kitchen tent and started preparing mugs of your special coco for them. Coffee was going to be rationed so you felt slightly bad for Nox but it was too late for coffee anyway, you filled each mug carefully and smiled. You took some of the left over marshmallows and put them in the mugs, you had just put the last marshmallow in when the boys came back.

“Hey guys, the coco is ready if you want some.”

You didn’t have to say it twice, the boys were all over that coco. Though Nox wasn’t happy about not getting his coffee but he digressed, he put his marshmallow into Russ’s cup. You smiled an enjoyed your own cup, the rest of the night was spent chatting and playing word games with them. Word games like ‘Going to the picnic’ which was your favorite game cause you could be as sarcastic as you wanted to be.

After finishing the fourth game of ‘going to the picnic’ you checked your watch. It was fifteen minutes to ten, that meant bed time. You wanted to get up early to start the second day of camping.

“Ok boys its getting close to ten lets start getting ready for bed.”

Unlike with most people no one groaned, they all simply agreed that it was getting late and it was time to sleep. First thing you were going to do is take a shower in the communal showers nearby.

“H-Human are you going to take a shower?” Asked Russ.

“Yes, why you gonna get one too?”

You noted a lot of the skeletons looked...concerned, was something wrong with the showers?

“Actually we’re in need of showers as well, let us accompany you if you don’t mind.” Said Boss.

“Oh, well grab your things and follow me ok?”

That wasn’t a problem, you grabbed a bag with your toiletries inside along with your sleeping attire you picked for camping. You were about to leave when you noticed...only Russ and Boss had got their things. Everyone else was busy trying to find their things.

“Shall we go human?” Asked Boss.

“Don’t you want to wait for everyone?”

“They said to go on ahead, they’ll catch up with us.” Said Russ.

You shrugged and headed for the showers with Boss and Russ, you noticed they were walking very close to you...despite you were leading the way with one of the flashlights you brought with. You tried not to think about it, what you wanted was a shower. The hikes today had been sweat inducing and you wanted to freshen up, you walked into the women’s side and found you weren’t alone. Other women were in there from the other campsites.

It was fun chatting with them as you all showered together, one of them was a elderly woman in her mid-sixties enjoying her forty-fifth anniversary with her husband. You gawked at the number, wow forty five years. The other woman with you was a younger lady camping with her fiancée, you had a laugh with the two women comparing them together. The young lady getting married turning into the older married lady with many years of happiness.

You enjoyed chatting with them, once you dried off you walked outside. Boss and Russ were there having showered and changed, you hoped they didn’t wait long. You were escorted back, was it you or were the two of them very vigilant on the way back. You felt like one of the s’mores when they were walking so close to you, your arms were even touching them. Once back another group went to shower, it was weird but...you chalked it up to them being concerned with you walking in the dark. Though you were sure there were no wild animals.

You gave a small yawn and crawled into your tent, you took off your shoes and slipped on some thick socks. Your feet got cold quickly, your pajamas for this camping trip were sweatpants and a light sweater. It was gonna get kinda cold since it was autumn, you turned on your camping lamp before going back outside. You made sure everything was put away and the fire was properly put out with, once that was done you crawled back into your tent. You zipped up the flap in your tent but unzipped the other two sides, most of the skeletons had come back already.

You dimmed your light and took out a book, you weren’t quite sleepy yet so decided a book was nice for a while. You said goodnight to your boys before zipping up the flaps on both sides.

It was only ten minutes later you felt your eyelids getting heavy, you put a bookmark in the book, turned the lamp off and tucked yourself into your sleeping bag.

Lulled to sleep by the sound of nature....and some skeletons snoring.

To be continued..

[For context, I’ve gotten questions on why I had the reader start dinner at four. Where I’m from in the upper Midwest it gets dark very quickly in both Fall and Winter so for that reason why dinner started early, that and in my family we start cooking around 4-4:30 so that everyone can get something done before supper. Examples are making a call, doing a chore, going to deliver something etc. This is dedicated to the @bonelyheartsclub I hope you enjoy this I’m having a lot of fun writing these.]

[noxtms]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NOXTMS ! it’s a little bit early to be celebrating two years of my beloved, but it’s not the first time - nor will it be the last - where my timezone has come in handy ( and been a great excuse ) ! as far as i’m concerned, the group turned two four hours ago, and that’s the story i’m sticking to. 

on the one hand, it feels almost silly to make such a big deal out of this, and on the other, i know that this group is one of a kind. i’ve been writing a long time, so in as humble a way as i can say it, i’ve opened and run successful groups before - but nothing else i’ve ever done compares to noxtms, and i don’t think anything ever will, again. i could claim all the credit, but that’d be so very wrong of me, because at the end of the day... none of this is down to me, at all. it’s all you guys ! for whatever reason, you gave this silly little group a shot, and you stuck around to make it worth something, now.

i try to say it regularly enough that it never gets forgotten, but in case it’s been a while, it’s really important to me that you all know how highly i think of you all and how much you mean to me, outside of just an rp group. i’ve never been surrounded by so many talented people, before - more than that, i’ve never been SO sure that i’m surrounded by the literal best that the tumblr rpc has to offer. nox is a community that i’m really glad i get to be a part of, everyday. i love to write with you all, i love to develop my characters across from you, craft all these detailed connections and build this sprawling world brick by brick, but i mostly love that i’ve gotten to know you all, one at a time, and gotten to count you all as friends. all the running jokes nox has, all the times we’ve sat on voice together ( whether it be gamenight or just for a chat ), all the times you guys have let me vent or shared some happy news or sent a pic of your cute pets to the photos channel - it’s all been one interaction at a time, and it’s all turned us into a place i’m happy to be in, a feeling i hope you guys share. 

i don’t care about the person that created this fandom. i don’t really care about it, anymore, if it’s not the noxtms version. i care about what we’ve created - and continue to create - here, and i care about the people i now credit for all the most interesting thoughts and opinions and takes. in my opinion, this world literally belongs to us, now, and that’s the best feeling of all. i’m glad that something i loved when i was a kid hasn’t been totally ruined on me, and i owe that entirely to you guys and what we’ve done here. 

today is just as sad a day as it is a happy one for me, and i can’t really. deny that. try as much as i might i cannot make it feel any less bittersweet, because there are people so important to the very fabric of this group that just aren’t here, right now, and i really, really wish they were so i could share it with them too - but i’m so glad that all of you are here, and i’m so excited to keep on writing this story with you guys. at the very least, i know that whatever i get to do next - or get to witness, knowing you all - is either gonna cheer me up or make my heart ache, just in a way better way. 

I LOVE YOU ALL SO, SO MUCH ! that’s really what i need to say, and the only way to properly sign off. i’m so grateful that i’ve met you all and i can’t wait for the next milestone, which i know is gonna feel just as good. thank you, thank you, thank you for EVERYTHING, but most of all, for giving my group a chance and still being here with me, now. i. love. you !

[haveyouseenthisskeleton]

Skeleton is in a shop. Suddenly, the shopkeeper comes to him, angry, and starts to accuse him of stealing the food. He's clearly just a racist who wants him out of the shop because he hates monsters. What is skeleton's reaction?

Undertale Sans - He's nervous, and simply tries to ignore him to focus on the shopping list. Several people are watching, and he's pretty sure he saw an offended teenager record the whole thing. He's more annoyed than anything. Man, he just wants to buy some vegetables and leave. He knows answering will only fire the guy, so he stays silent.

Undertale Papyrus - "HUMAN, I UNDERSTAND HAVING A BAD DAY, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO LUNGE AT ME LIKE THIS AS I HAVE DONE NOTHING TO DESSERVE IT." Papyrus is very calm, trying to appease the guy, which makes him somehow even more angry. Papyrus is uncomfortable, not sure what to do to get out of this situation. The human keeps being more and more agressive, and Papyrus decides to leave to avoid a confrontation. His words have made him angry too and he doesn't want to lose control for something this futile. He goes in another shop. Now he's the one having a bad day.

Underswap Sans - He asks the man to calm down three times, without effect. So out of nowhere, he gets out his police armband and says that he's going to do a food safety checkup. The man suddenly shuts up and becomes really pale. Blue will inspect every little piece of food in the shop and won't have any mercy as he notes everything that is wrong. The guy is going to pay. A lot.

Underswap Papyrus - Honey has his back against the shelves. He wants to disappear so badly, terrified. He hates when people screams at him for no reason, and he can't even defend himself, so much that people starts to actually think he is guilty and now there's five people screaming at him to assume what he had done and to give the food back. Honey is having a panic attack, he's too stressed. He grabs his phone and sent a "help" at his brother, who comes running to him after a few minutes. Seeing his police uniform, the guys shut up and starts to accuse Honey in front of him. Blue gets angry and screams that they have no proof and that it's just a monster agression. He takes his brother out of here so he can calm down.

Underfell Sans - "you want something to really cry for asshole?" He makes all the bottles of very expensive wine blue and explodes them all on the floor before angrily stomping out of the shop. He flips his bird at the shopkeeper on the way out as he is screaming hysterically on the floor. Red doesn't regret anything.

Underfell Papyrus - Edge doesn't say anything, bored, and keeps shopping. But then the man did a mistake and grabbed his arm. Edge grabs his arm and forces him on the floor, arm twisted behind the back. "TOUCH ME AGAIN AND YOU'RE DEAD SHITFACE." That's enough to make the guy shit himself and leave, pale like death. Edge gives him a death glare before leaving, and chuckles when the guy ran to hide behind a shelf. He feels so powerful.

Horrortale Sans - The guy is too loud and he has a headache. Oak asks him to stop screaming several times so he can focus on what he is saying, but he just kept being more angry, so Oak gets angry too. He grabs what he needs and teleports back home without paying. What can he do anyway? He doesn't even have his name. Oak doesn't care at all.

Horrortale Papyrus - Willow tries to defend himself, but the man is very insistant. But Willow attracts grandmas, and the old ladies are really angry about what the man is saying when all Willow is doing is clearly pick his favorite pickles. They all team up against the man who is forced to give up because, somehow, it keeps coming more and more angry old ladies. Willow is stunned as well. The ladies then insist to pay for his groceries and he is just so in shock he nods and accepts. He feels bad when he goes home though and invites them all to have a tea party some time later in the week to thank them properly.

Swapfell Sans - Nox starts to scream back. You don't impress the captain of the royal guard that easily. He's naturally authoritarian and in seconds, the guy shuts up because he's lacking of arguments. Nox then resumes to his shopping. He will insist the guy gives him a discount on his groceries or he's going to fill a report to the police office. The guy quickly obeys. See, that's not that hard!

Swapfell Papyrus - I mean, it's not like he wasn't stealing actually. He panicks, scared the guy might call the police and teleports out of here with all the video games he hid in his hoodie. Oh well. That happened. It's not like the guy can catch him anyway. He's too fast for him

Fellswap Gold Sans - He smiles politely and leaves the shop, leaving the groceries behind him, not arguing back. However, this night, the shop is reported being on fire. No one will ever know who did it. That's probably just a coincidence it happens after Wine visited this shop in particular.

Fellswap Gold Papyrus - The man calls the police and Coffee is panicking too much to defend himself. He gets arrested and screamed at by the police officers so much that he tells them what they want to hear so they leave him alone at last. When Wine learns it though, he is pissed off. He takes the best lawyer in town for his brother, and he's going personally scream at the police officers for not doing their job correctly. He then attacks the shopkeeprer in justice to make him pay, and he will win, Wine is very good to corrupt people. His brother is free of all charges in two days and the guy is in trouble for monster aggression and racism.

[rainofaugustsith]

100 Days of Writing Thank you @the-wip-project and @barbex! So I've not done this for a few weeks...and feeling bad about not doing this for a few weeks has added to not doing this. But I really enjoy it and I did commit to doing 100 days and it's helpful - so I have decided I'm going to try to do 100 entries even if it ends up going longer than the actual project (yeah, it will). I've seen some brilliant posts from @tishinada and others on headcanon, so I'd like to share some of mine. Today: Sith eyes. As we all know, when someone's in touch with the dark side, their eyes can turn gold or red. I personally don't think this necessarily means "heh heh evillll" but that dealing with the Force on an intense level does take its toll. I think it can also happen if a person has experienced a lot of rage, specifically.

I also think everyone has their own individual threshold for how, why and when this happens. As we've seen in SWTOR there are characters carrying a lot of anger and hostility who seem to be truly evil who don't have gold eyes (I'm thinking of Thana Vesh to begin with), and characters who openly use DS Force techniques who also don't have gold eyes (thinking of Senya, who Force chokes someone in front of the PC). In the Empire, I think that the reactions to this change really differ with the individual. On a societal note, there's nothing wrong with it. It's what it is. Aesthetically nobody minds, and some people prefer the gold eyes as a mark of beauty. Some people who are really upset about their eyes changing over will use Force masks or contact lenses to hide them. That's accepted, because it's personal choice. On the other side, though, it's considered shameful to try to fake gold eyes with contacts or cosmetic surgery - but some people have. My headcanon for Lana is that she actually was upset. She liked her green eyes and didn't want to lose the color. But Lana accepted it and grew to like her new look. It made her look slightly more threatening to her adversaries, and that was a help. Now when she looks at old holos of herself with green eyes, she doesn't really see herself there. Viri's headcanon is that her eyes actually snapped back and forth from blue to gold to blue again several times during her career as the Wrath. She shrugged that off and didn't care either way. Her eyes finally fixed on gold when she voluntarily absorbed some of Lana's rage and anguish after the incidents of Copero. If they hadn't turned gold then, they would have undoubtedly turned permanently gold after what she went through with Zildrog's power and her blood sacrifice. Viri was deeply upset about needing a cybernetic foot and ankle, but the gold eyes were fine with her. Lana was actually upset about Viri's gold eyes - because she thought she was the cause. Viri had to speak to her at length about sharing pain through their bond and reassure her again and again that it was fine.

Ror, my erstwhile ex-Jedi, was delighted when her eyes went from brown to gold. It was one more "fuck you" to the Jedi and one more very open sign she was not part of them, and she out and out celebrated with a wild cantina party.

Suvia is a Darth Nox and deals heavily with the dark side, but her eyes are green and always have been. The cosmetics that Suvia cares about are her tattoos, which she will never explain to anyone.

[dragonheart-swtor]

Friends and Fears

Summary: Eris is the Alliance Commander, Cipher Nine; Reykal is the most recent champion of the Great Hunt. Each of them finds someone utterly unintimidated by them in the other - something both of them need, especially when discussing old fears usually best left buried. Or, Just a quick one-shot of a bar chat between friends that should've taken me a week and instead somehow took me the better part of a year because I kept getting stuck. (Title subject to change, I've been sitting here for twenty minutes and can't think of anything better so it's either this or the doc name which is just "Spooky", if anyone comes up with anything better feel free to give me a heads-up)

Tags: Female Bounty Hunter & Female Imperial Agent, alcohol consumption (not excessive)

Find me on AO3 at Dragonheart37!

-----

The tiny, grimy cantinas that dotted the streets of every space station like this one were always bustling with activity, rowdy with fights and gambling and music, and this one was no different. It wasn't the kind of place where you couldn't take your hand off your credit purse, but it definitely was the kind of place you wanted to keep a vibroknife on you at all times, just in case. Any self-respecting citizen – Imperial, Republic, or Alliance, and probably Zakuulian too – would steer clear of a place like this. Which was, of course, exactly why it was the best kind of place for an Alliance Commander and a Great Hunt champion to disappear; Reykal always fit right in without even trying, and all it took was a change of makeup and a less formal outfit for Eris to go unnoticed in a place where no one was looking for her.

Reykal had promised this particular spot had the best food and drinks this side of the station, and she wasn't wrong – the fare here was greasy, but good, and came in truly enormous proportions. Better yet, it was busy and loud, and after a quick scan and sweep for bugs – purely out of habit, of course – Eris could actually believe that she didn't need to be on high guard for people listening in. It was nice to just settle in and amiably listen to Reykal spin dramatic stories of her most impressive hunts – even if she'd heard one or two of them before – and of her most recent ones as well, side jobs taken while the Alliance didn't have anything of import for her.

She was just wrapping up one such story when Eris spotted the Sith.

Eris, through sheer power of habitual control, did not stiffen at the sight of him – masked and robed in full Sith garb, clearly just passing through the cantina on his way out from a back room somewhere. She tracked him for a moment – but he didn't turn to look at them, just swept past as if the room were empty instead of crowded with people. She carefully didn't turn to watch him go, despite the urge to do so and despite seeing Reykal turn out of the corner of her eye. Instead, as soon as she was satisfied he wasn't approaching them, she locked her eyes on the reflections in her glass to the exclusion of all else, using the visual focus to shutter everything else away. If there's nothing else in your mind, there's nothing they can read. Just glass, light and color reflected over the curved surface, playing shapes over the pale green liquid inside, tiny bubbles floating to the surface – no thought, no emotion, just glass. Nothing they can read.

“Kinda spooky, aren't they?”

She glanced up at Reykal's interruption. The Togruta sipped her brandy. “Sith. Jedi. Force people.” She wiggled her fingers as if that needed further explanation. “The way they move, the way people move for 'em without even realizing. How they answer questions you haven't even asked sometimes.” She snorted into her glass. “Fuckin' spooky.”

Eris chuckled despite herself, tension easing at the sheer casualness of Reykal's blasphemy. The Sith was gone, the door swinging shut behind him as Reykal spoke – out of the usual range of mental contact. Reykal's eyes sparkled with humor too; she stretched her arms out in front of her across the bar like a cat, all relaxed grace despite her bulk. “It's not the way I would have put it,” Eris admitted, “but I can't say you're wrong.”

“They make everybody nervous. It's not just you. Though I'm surprised you haven't gotten more used to 'em, considering.” She smiled when Eris blinked, a little surprised. “You hide it well. But you quit moving for a split second every time one of 'em comes into the room. You spend more time watching them than me, or Dad, or Hylo. Which probably isn't good for your wallet, knowing Dad and Hylo.” She grinned to take the edge off the joke, points of her fangs still hidden.

“Apparently I don't hide it well enough,” Eris remarked, sipping her own drink – some bubbly lime-and-mint mix she'd already forgotten the name of that the bartender promised tasted almost exactly like its alcoholic version – as she scanned the crowd once. “I've had some... bad experiences. Let's just put it that way.”

“Yeah, I can imagine. You worked with 'em back in the Empire, right?” Reykal rested her chin on one hand, fingers tapping her temple absently. “I did a job for some Intelligence guy, back in the day. Forget his name. Seemed pretty skeeved by the whole thing. Ended up having to kill him after he did try to murder me. 'Loose ends,' or whatever.”

Eris blinked. “Oh, that was you? I think I heard about that.”

Reykal raised her eyebrows. “Really? I thought it was supposed to be under the table, nobody was supposed to know about it.”

Eris laughed aloud at that, shaking her head. “Intelligence always knows.” She paused. “Which probably wasn't the most comforting thing to say, was it?”

“Probably not.” Reykal grinned at her again. “I figure if Intelligence was going to come after me, they'd have done it by now.”

“You were a low-priority target,” Eris assured her, smiling back wryly. “We had bigger fish to fry, at the time. That would have been right before the Dominator blew up and everything went to hell.”

“Bigger fish to fry, eh?” Reykal chuckled. “I'm insulted.”

“Intelligence deals with pretty big fish. Be glad you weren't one of them.”

“Speaking from experience?” Reykal asked, arching an eyebrow.

Eris shrugged, sipping her drink again to hide her smile. “That's classified.”

Reykal scoffed, mocking exasperation at the old half-joke. “'That's classified.' Someday I'm going to have to get some actual drinks in you to get all those classified stories out of you.” She winked. “Personally, I think you just can't hold your alcohol and that's why you're never caught dead with it.”

“That's also classified.” She didn't bother to hide the grin this time.

“Kriff's sake,” Reykal exclaimed, throwing up her hands. “You're impossible. I don't know why I bother.”

Eris laughed. “I'm sure you're very put-upon to deal with me.”

Reykal downed the rest of her glass and turned to flag down the bar droid; Eris took the opportunity to sip her drink and sift through her thoughts again, deliberating. “You're right,” she murmured after a moment of quiet. Reykal turned back to her, raising an eyebrow, and she clarified, “The Sith do... make me nervous. They all do, but... Sith especially.” She huffed a half-hearted laugh. “It's not exactly a secret, at least not to them. They can feel fear a mile away.”

Reykal took her refilled drink absently, attention focused on Eris much more seriously than she had been before. “Working with 'em doesn't help?” she asked. “You and Beniko seem... close.”

Eris tapped the rim of her drink, staring down into it as she thought through her next words. “Minister Beniko and I have worked together closely for long enough that I'm no longer concerned about her...” She trailed off.

“Acting like a murder-hobo Sith?” Reykal filled in. Eris gave her a look that made her snort and raise an appeasing hand. “Sorry. But you were thinking it too.”

“I would have phrased it more tactfully,” Eris sighed, “but... yes. Sith... they tend to use their power to its utmost to control those around them. It's just how things are in the Empire. And they have a great deal of power.” She pursed her lips. “Do you know some cultures worship Force-users as demigods?” Reykal shook her head. “It's true. And who can really blame them?”

Reykal nodded. “A lot of people are scared of them. Not just in the Empire, either. Anyone in their right mind would be wary.”

“It's... bizarre, to be equal to a Force-user,” Eris admitted. “In the Empire, even the lowest Sith acolyte ranks above the Force-blind. To have Minister Beniko and Darth Nox at my war table – my war table – and not be answering to them as superiors... I'm still not used to it, even after all this time. And Master Garen'ishta, and the Barsen'thor – even Senya. I'm used to having to be afraid of them. At this point, I'm not sure I'm capable of not being nervous around them. Not...” Not after Jadus. And Zhorrid. But that she couldn't say out loud, not here, not even to Reykal. “Not after working directly under them for so long.”

Reykal hummed sympathetically, running a finger around the rim of her glass. “I don't blame you. I talk a big game, but really, Force-users have been some of my most dangerous targets. There's a reason most hunters don't take contracts on them at all.” She took a sip of brandy, jaw working as she thought. Quietly, barely audible over the noise of the bar, she added, “D'you actually think any of 'em might turn on you?”

Eris pursed her lips, but shook her head. “Not at this point. The Jedi will fight alongside us for as long as they're convinced our cause serves the greater good – no matter how much the Barsen'thor pretends to be aloof. If Nox were going to turn on us, she would've done it by now; she's had ample opportunity, and in any case, she hates Zakuul and Arcann for stealing her place in the Empire from her too much to ally with them. Senya... Senya will stay loyal for now, at least. And Minister Beniko has long since proved her loyalty, as I said.”

“Well, that's good, at least.” Reykal cracked a grin. “Better'n if you were actually logically worried about 'em.”

Eris smiled. “Are you insinuating that I'm being illogical?”

“Hey, you said it, not me.”

“You are insufferable,” she said mildly, taking another sip of her drink.

Reykal laughed aloud, fangs flashing in the light. “Eh, that's why you like me. None of that faffin' about trying to be dainty and diplomatic about it.”

Eris shook her head, still smiling, but didn't deny it. It was true, really – Reykal was perhaps the only person she talked to on a regular basis who wasn't constantly embroiled in politics and diplomacy, who was brashly open about her thoughts and feelings. It was refreshing, if she was honest – a chance to relax for once, to not constantly have to be watching her every word and gesture. To pretend they were just two friends at a bar and nothing more, for a little while.

Reykal spun around on her stool and leaned back against the bar, flipping her back lek over the edge so it wouldn't get crushed. “We should go shooting after this,” she offered, grinning lazily at Eris. “See if your pistol aim's gotten any better.”

Eris arched an eyebrow, eyeing her skeptically. It was hard to tell in the cantina's soft mood lighting, but she was fairly sure Reykal's lekku were flushed a deeper red than usual. She half-smiled. “I think you've had one too many drinks for that, Master Candessan.”

“Pah, too many drinks. I've shot in worse situations'n this, more drunk'n this.” She grinned again to take the edge off the comment. “Suit yourself, though. What do you do for fun, anyway, when you're not gettin' swamped by hell-knows-what kinda work from the Alliance?”

“You might have heard of this thing called 'reading,'” Eris said, allowing herself an impish grin.

Reykal scoffed playfully through her teeth. “Oh, sure, now the high-and-mighty Imperial act  comes out.”

“Don't tell me you're a literary connoisseur.”

“Doesn't mean I don't read.” She stuck out her tongue at Eris in a gesture so childish it startled a genuine laugh out of her. “Miss Hoity-Toity Imperial-Logo-Boxers over here, makin' fun of us peasant folk. What's the Alliance come to?”

Eris swatted her shoulder, trying and failing to stifle her laughter. “Why do I tell you anything?”

“'Cause you like me,” Reykal reminded her cheerfully. She slid off the stool to stand next to the bar. “C'mon, finish your drink already and let's get outta here. We can go window-shopping on the boardwalk and see if there's anything to spend the night on.”

“I do have work to do tomorrow,” Eris told her, but she swallowed the last of her drink and stood as well, sliding a credit chit across the counter to the bar droid as it clanked over.

Reykal wagged a scolding finger at her. “Ay, none of that. You said we'd get a night on the town, you're getting a night on the town. You work yourself too hard.”

“Very well,” Eris agreed, shaking her head with a fond smile. “But I draw the line at drunk bounty hunting or robbing anyone in an alley.”

“You're no fun.” Reykal offered her arm with a dramatic flourish and Eris took it with another laugh, letting the bounty hunter lead her out the door.

[hopelessly-me]

This fic is for Nox who sent me a DM on discord and said she wants more witchy Clint. And since @noxnthea deserves all the good things in life- I had to write her some witchy Clint with a dash of future winterhawk.

I hope you enjoy it! (1765 words.)

Clint sat perched on a barstool, leaning over the desk and reading from his book. One elbow was propped up on the desk, his head on his hand as he read the lines. His other hand was near his mug of tea, the spoon spinning automatically for him, a thin purple line running from his finger to the mug. It was a quiet afternoon so far, and Clint really hoped it stayed that way.

The front door opened and he could tell from the giggle that his day just got a little less fun. Clint marked the page he was one and closed his book before he sat up straight. “Welcome to Herbs and Roses. If you need anything, let me know.”

“Thanks!” a girl called out cheerfully. “Com’on Buck,” she said, pulling at the hand of a man following behind her. He looked around the store a bit suspiciously, hesitant before he followed through.

Clint smiled and shook his head before he got up and made himself a mug of fresh tea. What he really wanted was coffee from across the street- the cutie behind the bar was always so nice, and it helped they knew his exact order so even in his sleepy states he could get his caffeine fix. But tonight he was supposed to work on some spell work, maybe even some shadow work, and coffee somehow made that worse. His friends had warned him that sometimes you needed to be off certain things when practicing spells you didn’t know because it could exaggerate the process. Apparently that was coffee for Clint, which was a damn shame.

“Hi.”

Clint nearly startled and looked at the girl that was standing much too close. She was a sweet little thing, big blue eyes and dark, curly hair. She gave off that energy of kindness, with a bit of spunk and a whole lot of fun- she was definitely someone Clint should hang out with after he took on too much negative energy from others. Being an empath was the worst.

“Hey. Something I can help you find?” he asked.

“I’m looking for a love potion,” she said, following Clint as he walked back to his spot behind the counter.

“A love potion? You?” Clint asked, setting his mug down and leaning in. “Seems unlikely. Who doesn’t fall for your charm?” he asked. Maybe a little flirting would soften the blow once she became demanding, if she became demanding.

“Apparently the guy I want to date,” she answered. “It’s a witches shop, right? Don’t you make love potions?”

“It’s not something we keep in stock, no,” Clint answered. “I am of the firm belief that everyone has body autonomy so I don’t stock items that take away any layer of that. No love potions, no truth serums. Usually the people using them don’t understand the consequences that come with their use.”

Soon enough the man she walked in with joined her and looked as surprised as Clint felt. It was the cutie from across the way who worked at the coffee shop. He smiled after a moment and looked at his sister before he gave a ‘what can you do’ type of shrug.

“Is that something all witches have to say?” the girl asked. “Some spiel about how bad things can happen, yada yada. Like it’s a liability clause so you don’t get sued.”

Clint laughed and picked up his mug and took a sip before he set it down. “I wish anyone luck suing me for using spells- those aren’t covered under anything the government takes seriously. But no, that’s not why I say that people don’t understand the consequences.” He propped both elbows onto the table and rested his head on his hands. “Let me ask you a question- what’s your name?”

“I’m not supposed to tell that to people, right?” she asked, all proud of herself.

“Hmm- yes and no. But seeing as I’m no fae and I am not collecting your hair, I think you are safe,” Clint teased. “My name’s Clint.” He offered her his hand.

“Rebecca,” she answered, shaking his hand for a moment.

“Rebecca. That’s a nice name. And who is this?” Clint asked.

“My brother, Bucky,” Rebecca answered.

“Rebecca and Bucky. Okay Miss Rebecca. How about I cut you a deal?” Clint said. “I will make you this love potion- I certainly know how to make it, I’ve made it before. But there is a price.”

“Five bucks?” Rebecca asked.

“Close,” Clint replied. “I will give you enough of this potion to make this person fall hopelessly in love with you for a year. But- in exchange I want Bucky here to drink it too for a year.” Rebecca’s eyes widened at the request. “That’s not asking too much. No cost of supplies. You wouldn’t owe me anything really. Just a moment to convince your brother that this is a good idea.”

“You would- you would make him drink it?” Rebecca asked, horrified.

“At least you would be asking him to do it, right?” Clint asked. “You are giving him that choice. Or would you have me add it to his drink without him knowing?” Clint asked. “Anyway, what is a year of someone’s time? Or even just a weekend? What did you want this potion for? A dance?” Clint guessed.

“I… I couldn’t. Not to Bucky,” Rebecca replied, stepping closer to her brother. Clint looked up at Bucky who didn’t look too concerned- he must have caught on to what Clint was trying to do.

“So if you wouldn’t allow it to happen to your brother… what makes you think I would allow it to happen to someone who also might not want that?” Clint asked. Rebecca stared at him before the lesson started to kick in. “Love potions strip away who you are and your choices, and replace them with the desire to appease, and love, the person who casts the spell. All your body autonomy? It's gone. And you have to hope that the person who made you drink the potion will grow bored and stop. And even when it stops- it doesn’t get much easier without time to heal and a good therapist.”

Clint stepped around the counter and walked down an aisle, looking at a row of books before grabbing one and bringing it back, setting it on the counter. “This book is filled with stories from people who were used by others, and by the spiritual world. Love potions, truth serums, spells to make you do the bidding of others, and people who used a spirit board thinking it would be fun. I think… you may benefit from reading this book.”

“How much is it?” Rebecca asked.

“It's from my private collection. As long as you bring it back in the condition I lent it, it’s free of charge,” Clint said. Rebecca nodded and picked the book back. “I know it’s October and that means it's spooky season and all the kids your age are looking at witchcraft and thinking about dabbling. And there is nothing wrong with dabbling as long as you know there is a give and a take. So. My suggestion?” Clint said. “If you want to dabble, come back and see me, and I will connect you with a person who can help you learn the safe way to do some things.”

“You don’t teach anyone?” Rebecca asked.

“I don’t- I’m not suited to be a teacher,” Clint answered. “I’m more suited towards… helping people find their paths and connecting them to others who can take that path too. So. Read this book and come back to me. Let me know if you are serious. No harm either way.”

“Thank you,” Rebecca said, hugging the book. “Bucky?”

“Go ahead, I’m going to stay behind for a minute,” Bucky said. Rebecca nodded and waved before she took off. “How many times a week do you get to give that talk?” he asked.

“You don’t even want to know,” Clint replied with a laugh. “Although having you there made it easier. No one ever thinks about the consequences unless someone they love is there.” Clint sat down on his stool and picked up his mug. “If it helps and she wanted to go through with it, I wouldn’t have done it.”

“That is comforting,” Bucky admitted. “So… witchcraft?” he asked, looking around the shop.

“Pays the bills. Been burned before in the past and want to make sure it never happens again,” Clint answered.

“Sounds like an interesting life story,” Bucky replied. “You know... when you get off work, since you were such a big help to my sister and all, I could make you one of those fancier drinks you like but rarely buy. All it would cost is some stories.”

Clint smiled and picked up his mug. “Sounds awfully close to a date,” Clint commented.

“No, a date would be taking you to dinner. I was thinking about asking that after the coffee repayment,” Bucky said. He leaned forward, his arms crossing on the desk space between them. “You can say no if you aren’t interested.”

“I am very, very interested,” Clint answered. “But tonight I have to… do-” Clint waved his hand at his book. “And I can’t have coffee before I do spell work or else I will end up with another disaster.”

“Sounds like another good story,” Bucky said, starting to smile. “When are you off next?”

“Wednesday. I get off at six,” Clint answered.

“Well, would you look at that? I’m off Wednesday at six as well,” Bucky said. “Meet me over at the shop when you are done here?”

Clint tried not to look or sound too eager. “See you then,” he said as casually as he could.

The door opened and Clint saw Rebecca’s head pop back in. “Stop flirting and let’s go.”

“You are… a huge problem. Do you make potions to make little sisters less annoying?” Bucky asked, walking backwards to the door.

“Sadly, no, or else I would have used it on my older brother,” Clint replied.

“Shame,” Bucky said, wrapping an arm around his sister’s neck and pulling her in, using his free hand to ruffle her hair. “Wednesday at six!” he said before he dragged them both outside, laughing and smiling.

Clint watched them as they went and picked up his mug. He slowly took a drink, trying to keep the giddy feeling down. “Okay Clint- that was… one way to get a date,” he said. “Now where were we-” he said as he opened his spell book.

[fenrys-moonbeam-lochan]

With oath sworn like these

Summary: Rowan and Aelin are tired parents. Lorcan and Fenrys are to the rescue.

Ao3

Part of my Comfortember2020

XXX

Rowan startled awake as a pricing cry of a baby filled the air. Beside him, his Fireheart groaned and turned over, gently holding her stomach.

"Not again," Aelin murmured, "Mala above, the poor boy is going to cry and scream his voice away,"

Rowan murmured his agreement and was about to get up when their son's cries suddenly stopped. His wide eyes met his wife for a split second and then he was jumping out of the bed and racing toward the jointed nursery.

They had sent the nanny away. No one was supposed to be-

As he was about to open the door, a familiar wave of controlled, dark magic hit him and he sighed in relief.

He turned to his wife who was hurrying up behind him, a worried look on her face.

"It's alright," he told her, "It seems like out broody companion finally made it,"

Rowan opened the door and sure enough, Lorcan was pacing the length of the room while gently cooing at the baby in his arms. Cadyn was still softly sniffling but the attention of his uncle seemed to have done the trick. He was a lot more calmer.

"You know," said Aelin, "You could have announced yourself better. Nearly gave us a scare,"

Lorcan gave her a sheepish look, "Apologies. The storm slowed me down a bit but I promised Fenrys I would be here to train the recruits with him first thing in the morning. I was passing in front of your suite when I heard him cry. My ears are a bit more sensitive than your human guards,"

Rowan smiled at him. Lorcan might have a hard time sparing any sincere apologies but Rowan knew he meant that one. The older male had made it no secret that he adored the Whitethorn Glathynius children and he took the safety and care of their children as seriously as he took his own.

"He is at the peak of his cold," said Aelin told Lorcan, while gently stroking Cadyn's hair, "And honestly I haven't seen him this peaceful in days. I never had this much trouble with his sister,"

Rowan moved closer to his wife, gently placing a hand on her back, "It's not your fault, Love. Every child is different. And I haven't had much luck either,"

"Not to mention the two of you weren't in this much stress when you were with Evalin," said Lorcan

"Oh?" said Aelin, raining her eyebrows, bemused. Rowan's own lips quirked up in a smile

"Hmm," said Lorcan, his eyes on Cadyn and completely oblivious to their amusement, "You have all these treaties lined up and not to mention you became with child again only four months after this little one was born, and now you're five months along. Small children can pick up on moods, you know. He's probably sensing that his mama is very stressed and very tired while his papa is ready to pull his hair out,"

When he didn't get any response, Lorcan looked up to see his Queen and companion suppressing laughter.

"What?" he said, annoyed

"Pray tell us, Lord Lorcan Lochan," said Aelin, a grin on her face, "How did you come to know all this? If I didn't know better, I would say you've been taking lessons from the healers and midwives,"

"That name," He growled at her, "You are very lucky I'm holding your child right now,"

Aelin merely smirked.

"Come on, Queen," Lorcan grumbled, "You know my son and daughter are only a year apart. Who do you think walked around with Zirrek while his mother was carrying his sister,"

"I'll give you that," said Aelin, "Well, thank you for your service Lord Lorcan Lochan but we will relieve you now,"

Lorcan looked to the child and then to Aelin's outstretched arms.

"I have a better idea," he said, "Why don't you two say goodnight and I'll stay with the little one. Poor thing is probably going to want constant company,"

"We can-" started Rowan

"And probably needs it too just in case he develops a fever," continued Lorcan, talking over Rowan

"Lorcan," said Aelin with clear exasperation in her voice

"The two of you seem much too tired to be staying awake and I know you don't want to bother the nanny since you already sent her away,"

Rowan raised his eyebrows at him, "Are you sure this isn't another attempt at spending more time with and I quote 'the most adorable little thing'?"

Lorcan stared back at him with a blank face, "You have meetings in the morning too, don't you? I can function on very little sleep, you cannot,"

Aelin sighed and turned to him so they could lock their eyes together.

He's being annoying again. We never should have introduced our children to him.

A much as it pains me to admit it, he is right.

Really? He'll become even more insufferable about hogging them.

Fireheart.

He's worse than Fenrys!

After a little more back and forth, they finally turned back to Lorcan. He looked at them expectantly.

"Fine," said Aelin, "But I expect my child to be in perfect shape come morning,"

"Of course," said Lorcan, in obvious delight. He gave Cadyn over so they could say goodnight. The little boy squirmed a bit in their hold but settled back when they gave him back to Lorcan. If Rowan didn't know better, he would say Cadyn preferred the other male.

"Don't be foolish," said Lorcan

Rowan looked at him in surprise, "What?"

"I know what you're thinking, idiot," he said, "I'm just a lot warmer than you, that's all,"

Aelin snorted, "Come on, Buzzard. Uncle Lo has it handled I think,"

"Yes. Yes," said Lorcan, practically shooing them away "Go to sleep. Cadyn and I will be fine,"

Rowan shook his head as they headed back to their room. As he closed the door behind him, he heard his companion murmuring to his son.

"Did you hear that, Cadyn? You're going to spend the night with Uncle Lo. Yes, you are,"

Rowan couldn't help but smile to himself at Lorcan's, admittedly adorable, antics. If he had known that it would take children to make Lorcan more tolerable, he would have made the cadre adopt a hoard of them years ago.

xxx

Lorcan had stayed up with Cadyn the whole night, gently coddling him and giving him his draughts when necessary. Now, he stood by the window as the sun coloured the horizon, almost as beautiful as the precious little one in his arms.

"You're a beautiful little thing, you know," he said to Cadyn, "I don't know how your parent created two people as lovely as you and your sister but it happened,"

Cadyn stared at him with his Ashryver wide open ad curious. Usually, he would have answered with a little coo of his own but right now, he was silent.

"Still feeling a little weak, aren't you?" he said, "The healers are probably setting up now. We should get you checked out, hmm?"

Behind them, the door opened and Lorcan instantly recognized the scent.

"I did not expect you to be here," said Fenrys, "You didn't stay in your room?"

Lorcan turned to him, grinning at the younger male's surprise at seeing Cadyn in his arms.

"I spent the night," Lorcan said, answering the silent inquiry, "He was sick and crying, figured I would give his parents a break,"

Fenrys snorted as he came closer, "And I'm sure your intentions were entirely selfless. Absolutely nothing to do with spending time with 'the most adorable little thing', hmm?"

"You say something once," grumbled Lorcan, "And they never let it go,"

Fenrys snorted, gently stroking Cadyn's cheek. The little baby turned his head toward his other uncle, arms waving as he recognized the familiar face.

"How tired are they?"

"I really don't think they should be woken up right now, especially since they haven't gotten up themselves. Really, when was the last time Whitethorn slept in?"

Fenrys grimaced

"Their meetings," he said, "I told them they should give more responsibility to the nanny and the governess. It's what they're paid to do,"

"You can't completely blame them," said Lorcan, "They don't want to be the kind of parents that depend entirely on others to raise their children. As it is, someone is going to have to do something about those meetings now.

"Well, you're the Lord," said Fenrys

Lorcan snorted, "Yea, and then Aelin will cut my balls off for even daring to touch her schedule,"

Fenrys shrugged, "Tell her I was the one behind it,"

"Well," said Lorcan, pondering, "I suppose that could work,"

Just then Cadyn let out a small sound, the first one he had made since his crying himself out the night before.

"I think our prince agrees," murmured Fenrys, gently placing a kiss on Cadyn's head. The little boy let out a happy little squeal in answer, weakly waving his arms.

"I'm going to call Nox," said Fenrys, "The three of us will figure something out, give them a little more time,"

"Moonbeam-" Lorcan tried

"I'll get the healers for Cadyn too," Fenrys called out right before shutting the door behind him.

Lorcan sighed.

"That one still has the brain of a hyperactive child," he told Cadyn

Cadyn cooed in response.

"Of course I'm right,"

xxx

When Rowan woke up, his first thought was he hadn't woken up this refreshed in a while. His second thought was oh shit.

The rays of sunlight coming in were completely wrong. They were supposed to be up ages ago.

"Shit," he cursed out loud.

It was loud enough to wake his wife up too. It took her a few seconds to get her bearings right but once she did, her eyes widened.

"We are very late," she said, "Very very late. Why didn't anyone wake us up?"

"I don't know," said Rowan pulling clothes out of the closet, "But we need to get ready,"

Aelin nodded and turned her head toward the nursery door, "I'm going to quickly check on Cadyn,"

Rowan nodded as he put on his shirt, "I'll come too,"

They stepped through the door and stopped. Cadyn was laying on a blanket on the ground while Evalin was gently playing with his hands. Fenrys was curled around the children in wolf form and Lorcan was watching from where he was perched on the arm of the sofa. How he got his large body to balance there, Rowan would never know.

As soon as Evalin noticed them, she got up and started to run toward them.

"Mama! Papa!"

Rowan grinned down at his daughter, the sight of his child chasing away any irritation from having woken up late.

"Princess," he cried, matching her enthusiasm and scooped her up. The little girl giggled and kissed his cheek.

"I had breakfast with Fenrys and Uncle Lorcan," she said, as Aelin took her and kissed her head.

"Oh did you now?" said Aelin, "Now only if these males had woken us up on time,"

By now both Lorcan and Fenrys were standing and winced at her dangerous tone. 

"Uh," started Lorcan, "We moved your meetings around. The dignitaries are watching the session we were supposed to train. The tour of the gardens has been moved to a 'sunset tour' thus your meetings will not start for another hour and...let me see...twenty-two minutes,"

"Gives some more time," said Fenrys

"Oh and I took Cadyn to the healers," continued Lorcan, "He should be fine in a couple more days. Evalin is had her breakfast but we brought some extra with yours just in case she wants to eat with you,"

"Breakfast?" asked Aelin, tone carefully measured

Lorcan's eyes flicked to Rowan's for a brief moment before going back to the queen.

"Uh, yes," he said, "We thought it would be a good idea,"

"He keeps saying 'we'," said Fenrys, mischief clear on his face, "But really he was the one who arranged it. Nox and I just nodded and followed along,"

"Really?" said Aelin, voice quiet

"Fenrys Moonbeam!" hissed Lorcan and then turned toward Aelin, "Look, you were obviously tired and I figured it wouldn't be too big of a problem and it was Fenrys's idea to begin with-"

He abruptly trailed off as Aelin took a few steps forward and wrapped her arms around him. Lorcan's expression went from comically baffled to absolutely panicked. His eyes widely bounced between Rowan and Fenrys, his whole demeanour screaming 'help me!'.

Neither of the males stepped forward to help, quite content to watch his discomfort. Fenrys had even picked up Cadyn so the little prince could watch the show too. 

After a few moments, Aelin stepped back and quickly cooled her expression.

"We will blame that on the fact that I am pregnant and hormonal,"

Lorcan vigorously nodded his head, "Of course. Whatever you say,"

"Good," said Aelin and turned toward the table, "You said something about breakfast," 

Lorcan instantly took to the subject change, "It left it in the other room in a warming tray. I'll be right back,"

He stepped into a room and came back with cut-up fruit, warm eggs, bread and fresh juice. As promised there were smaller portions for Evalin. 

"Here you go," he said, setting everything on the table, "You can eat, get ready and then be down for your meeting in about an hour,"

"We can take the children if you like," said Fenrys

Aelin's eyes met Rowan's for a second and then she smiled at the wolf, "No, Fernys. It's fine,"

"Alright then," said Lorcan, already backing toward the door, "I'm going to leave now,"

Rowan smiled. The older male really wasn't hiding his desire to be out of there as soon as possible. It seemed like the show of affection from Aelin had disturbed him enough to even willingly leave Evalin and Cadyn's side. 

"We do have those recruits to look at," said Fenrsy, obviously taking pity on his former commander.

"Yes. Yes," said Lorcan, "The recruits. Have a good morning,"

With that, Lorcan practically ran out the door

"I think you might have broken him a little," said Rowan

"Maybe," said Aelin, amused

"I'm going to go make sure he's not too broken," said Fenrys, "You all try to relax a bit,"

"Thank you Fenrys," said Aelin

Once the young male was out of the door, Rowan sat down with Aelin and placed Cadyn in his lap.

"I have a pretty great court, don't I?" said Aelin while storing their daughter's hair. 

"I suppose you do," he murmured, "I suppose you do,"