#safest hooves

[thebestofoneshots]

MARAUDWEEEN

Renegades | Remus Lupin x reader

Pairing: Remus L. x Reader + bits of Sirius x reader

Word Count: 6.8 k

Warnings: Smut, fingering, P in V, lots of praise, bit of oral near the end (male receiving) consent is sexy, lusty!Remus, childhood friends to enemies to lovers.

Prompt: As a part of the Maraudween Series, this fic takes you to an Alternate Universe where Remus Lupin is the Sheriff of Moonridge and you’re an outlaw he’s bound to chase after, but there’s a catch, you knew each other in the past, and the tension between the two is palpable, to say the least.

Maraudween is a Halloween-inspired anthology series where each chapter transports you into a distinct alternate universe. From the real world to old western Texas and even through the dark times of vampires. These standalone tales invite you into a realm of boundless potential. Experience the enchantment of Halloween as it weaves its spell, intertwining the magic of costumes, AUs, terror and spice.

NSFW (Smut under the cut) ♡

The sun was hot against you, almost burning the unclothed soft skin of the back of your hand as you stared at the long dirt road ahead of you. There was a man a few feet from you, tall, broad chest, handsome. The Sheriff of Moonridge, Moony, as Sirius would call him, just to spite the man. Or… The Wolf, like most criminals, knew him. 

Things didn’t go awry on his watch, Moonridge was the safest town in the west and it was because they had a protecting Wolf against all the bandits that even dared get close enough. No one had managed to cause havoc in his town. No one except yourself. 

His hand was on his hostler, so was yours, you could see his grip tightening in the distance, a warning, telling you he was ready, telling you he was faster, telling you you’d be gone in an instant if he took it out. He was the fastest gunsIinger of the West. You smiled, placing your own hand on your own hostler, because it didn’t matter if he was faster, not today at least. 

3 seconds passed, he was looking at the way you smiled when a horse barged in from the side. Sirius and Firebolt. Your smile grew wider as the man on the horse extended his hand and hauled you over it, zigzagging his way towards the Sheriff. 

“Took you long enough,” you huffed. 

Sirius looked back and flashed you a smile as he bit his lip “Saw this beauty,” He said as he raised one of his hands up to your face, there was a small gold ring on his pinky, contrasting against the rest of silver rings he wore “Had to get it for my favourite outlaw.” 

“You’re not gonna appease me with a little trinket.” 

He pouted “Come on baby, you really think I only got one little trinket?” he asked as he nodded to the thick bag that hung from his belt “I’d get you the entire jewellery if that’s what you wanted.” 

You smiled and rolled your eyes, pulling out his gun and firing a warning shot against the Sheriff's feet even in the horse, you had one hell of an aim. That’s how Sirius had discovered you and hauled you into the life of an outlaw after your parents passed away and your uncle was ready to sell you to an old man in exchange for a piece of land. 

When you were about to pass next to the man, you put the gun back on Sirius’ hostler and placed your hand on his shoulder, “What are you…?” he started to ask, but shut his mouth when he noticed. 

You had leaned down and taken the Sheriff’s hat from his head, and placed it on yours “Thanks Sheriff,” you said in a cocksure tone, a mocking smile and a wink before taking the gun from Sirius again and shooting another warning shot. A few more horses had gathered around you, the rest of the gang. 

“Just shoot him somewhere Fox!” Barty said as he got slightly close. 

“Oh, but Sheriff Moons is the only one that puts up a fight, it will be boring if he’s gone,” you responded with a pout. 

“Why the hat?” asked Sirius, he looked to you over his shoulder before turning back ahead, you could hear the hooves clicking against the ground, approaching your group fast. You turned around and saw the Sheriff, chasing after you on his massive steed, a gift from the bankers after he stopped a robbery, if the rumours were true.

“A little souvenir,” you said with a shrug as you turned around and waved at the Sheriff, hoisting your own gun out and shooting at the side of a light post, causing it to fall down on the floor, a few metres ahead of the man. 

“You missed,” teased Crouch. You just smiled, the kerosene from the broken street lamp was on the floor, slipping through the sides and making almost the perfect line, you shot at that this time around and the fire started ablaze. 

“You were saying?” you asked your friend, he gave you an approving look. There was a reason you had been made a member of The Marauders, and it wasn’t just to be the leader’s little plaything as some other bands assumed. 

Regardless of the fire, the Sheriff’s horse had no fear, and jumped over it, still trailing close behind, “Prongs, you got the timing right still, correct?” Sirius asked. 

James nodded, he was Sirius’ best friend, and one of the minds behind the plan of this heist, “Of course,” he said and Sirius tightened his grip on the reins and spurred Firebolt. 

Things were getting faster, you kept shooting at things to deter the Sheriff from following, but he was just as relentless as your gang, and followed behind the three of you. “It’s coming,” you said when you heard the whistle of the train. The chug-chug of it would have been enough to deter any horse, but you had trained yours well. 

When the train was about to reach the spot you walked through, the horses jumped, to the other side of the tracks, your hat –Remus hat– almost flew off your head, but you managed to hold it with one hand while you used the other to grab onto Sirius and avoid falling of the horse yourself. Once Crouch, the last one to cross made it, the train passed right in front of you, making the perfect wall, in between you and the sheriff. 

But that wasn’t the end of the plan, there was a chirping sound from a few carts back and suddenly a side of the train fell open, inside waited for you the rest of the gang. Peter, the mousy guy nicknamed Wormtail and Evan, Bartie's lover. The second guy was a lot more on the peaceful side, but when Barty joined he clarified that he came as a package. Either Evan came with him or he continued by himself, the way he always had been. 

James and Sirius agreed, and he was glad he did, since it was thanks to that, that they had another master planner in the team. All the horses jumped up the ramp and into the train, and Evan and Wormy quickly picked the latch up and closed the cart. You smiled and looked at Sirius, a shine in your eyes that let him know exactly what you wanted, “Was it perhaps dangerous?” Yes. But Sirius already knew you found a thrill for danger when he recruited you. He also knew you ended up in a better mood when he indulged you. 

You gave him a wink and went to the door of the wagon and opened it with a rather strong pull, slipping out only partially, the Sheriff, had been shocked when the train passed and there was no one left, being stunned by the magic of it before realising you’d somehow gotten on the train and chasing behind. He was a few blocks back, and you smiled, pulling off the hat in a small nod and waving to him with it “Thanks for the souvenir,” you shouted. He pulled his gun and aimed a shot, but you moved to the side and he missed by the hair, you were expecting it. You gave the man a pout as he aimed again, but Sirius was faster, pulling you inside and shutting the door before the second shot even reached the cart. 

“You’re absolutely insane,” Evan said in disbelief. 

You shrugged “I like to think I’m fun.” You then placed the hat back in your head “What do we think?” you asked with a smile “Nice souvenir, right?” 

“It’s rather elegant,” agreed Barty. 

“How long are we staying?” Sirius asked Evan. 

“12 more minutes,” the blonde responded as he checked his pocket watch, “then we’re out and ride towards Hideout 6.” 

You smiled and hummed “I love Hideout 6.”

Barty almost rolled his eyes, he knew why you liked it, he liked it for the same reason. It was big, it had comfortable beds and private rooms. He just didn’t like when Sirius and you were too loud.

A few minutes later, you heard a clock chime and James spoke “Time to get down.”

 Peter rode with him, while Evan got on Barty’s horse. You, as you had done earlier, mounted Firebolt along Sirius. They opened the ramp and you all rode down and towards the hideout. In less than half an hour, you’d already gotten there. Evan checked the traps, to make sure no one had sneaked inside while you were gone and you all got in. You took a piece of dried jerky to snack on and walked upstairs, Sirius and the rest stayed, splitting the plunder. While on a normal gang, you wouldn’t trust them to do it evenly without you, you knew Sirius and James would never allow such scheming inside the Marauders. More than a team, the group was like a family. 

You were lying on the bed, the sheriff’s hat over your head blocking out the light when you heard a knock on the door “Who?” 

“The love of your life,” he responded, you rolled your eyes but mumbled something that sounded close to “come in”, not that it had been necessary, Sirius was already walking inside. “I see you’ve kept the hat,” he said before sitting beside you, turning the bag he’d hold onto and letting the contents fall on the bed. 

You took it from your head and sat down beside him, to take a peek at what he’d kept, “Smells nice,” you said pointing at the hat dismissively. Sirius took the hat to his nose, and it really did smell nice. While most cowboys’ hats smelled like nothing more than sweat, this one had a rather distinctive and pleasant aroma, most likely from whatever grooming products the owner used “We should ask him what cologne he’s using now.” 

Sirius sighed “You miss him, do you not?” 

You shrugged, ignoring the question “We’ve picked very different paths to his own,” you said simply, a tone that let Sirius know that you did not want to talk about it. But after all, it had also been why you never shot him directly. 

You all knew The Wolf of Moonridge, except you knew him as Remus. 

Sirius traced his finger over your clothed thigh, and you gave him a soft smile, one that contrasted with whatever mask it was you wore when you stepped outside the hideouts and onto a raid. One that only he and maybe James were allowed to see, he loved it. And then gave you a similar face in return. He grabbed onto your hand and pulled it towards his, taking the ring from his small finger and slipping it onto your ring one. Sirius had always had relatively thin fingers, even for a man. 

You extended your hand with a half smile and looked at it, turning it around swiftly as you stared “Looks good on me, doesn’t it?” 

“Anything looks beautiful on you,” he said, and then smirked “In fact, nothing looks better on you.” 

You gave him a rather incredulous look with his suggestive little tone, he pulled you by the hips on top of him, the rest of the gems and jewels he had stolen already forgotten on the bed as he pulled you into a heated kiss.  You were already halfway removing the buttons of his shirt when there was a rather urgent knock on the door. 

You both ignored it, and went back to kissing, but the person persisted, both of you separated from each other and looked at the door “What?” you said at the same time, annoyance laced in your tone. 

“We’ve been found out. Moony followed us somehow.” 

“What?!” You asked with a frown “Not Hideout 6!” you whined. 

“That clever son of a bitch,” Sirius huffed “Alright luv,” he said, his hand patting your leg “Time for some action,” he added with a half smile.

You hummed in response. As Sirius stood up, you grabbed the bag and threw all the jewels inside, fastening it to your belt before putting your boots on, “Hey babe?” He hummed, “Don’t you think Sheriff Moons grew up rather handsome?” 

Sirius threw you a look “He grew up fine,” he responded. 

“Aye he did,” you said. “If it were a different situation, perhaps we could drag him to our bed.” 

He looked at you, eyes narrowing “You want to drag him to your bed, don’t you?” 

You shrugged, putting on the sheriff’s hat again “He smells really nice.” 

Sirius laughed at the silly innocent smile you were giving him after hearing such a request “If anyone can convince him, it’s definitely you darling…” He dragged you by the waist and placed another kiss on your lips, taking some time to smell the sides of your face, exactly where you had placed the hat earlier “You’re right, he does.” 

When you separated you smiled up at him, and then you heard a gunshot, “I hope he doesn’t fucking ruin hideout 6 for everyone,” you said with a huff as you took a кnife and placed your gun in your hostler. Sirius grabbed you by the waist again, pulling you to him. Your eyes shone with lust at the instructions he whispered into your ear, “And that would work?” you asked, turning to him with a shrewd look. 

“Don’t overestimate your abilities, darling,” he told you with a wink and nodded, a sly smirk forming on your face as you both placed yourselves on each side of the door. Sirius opened it carefully, the gunshots still going off in the distance. 

There was a moment of heavy breathing as the door opened completely, and then Sirius leaned over the frame, only letting a little of his head out as he searched for signs of someone. He pulled back and nodded. The two of you stepped out, guns held high as you walked down the stairs. 

Midway down, you heard a gunshot, the bullet biting onto the wood of the railling and spluttering to the side. You looked around, they were shooting from the outside, Barty and Evan were shooting from one of the windows while Peter and James were on the sides of the front door, the hinges had been torn apart by a gunslinger with surprising accuracy and the door was currently laying on the floor. 

“Well there goes hideout six,” you mumbled “How many?” 

“At least 6 of them,” Barty responded. 

“Sheriff’s with them,” James warned. 

You took a deep breath but nodded looking at Sirius and tilted your head just a little “Andromeda's Strategy?” 

Sirius took a second to process your suggestion and nodded in response “We’re doing Andromeda, get ready.” 

You smiled, in seconds the boys were shooting and both you and Sirius finished walking down the stairs and into a more secluded area. You walked to the side of the house and used a lighter to turn on a long fuse that was connected to the garden with an underground pipe. “Ears!” you shouted, and everyone placed their hands over their own.

3…2…1… Boom!

The explosion caused some of the men to fall back and then started emitting a good deal of smoke. You didn’t say a thing, everyone knew what they had to do. Sirius mounted Firebolt and offered you his hand, but you shook your head “I’m taking his horse, he’ll have to follow.” 

Sirius gave you an incredulous look, and then smiled proudly “I’ll see you at our spot later, deal?” 

You nodded with a little smirk as you bit your lip. “If things go as planned, we’ll definitely have fun.” 

Sirius winked at you and started riding away. You took that as your sign and went through the smoke. The others were still distracted enough not to notice you when you walked behind them, uniting most of their horses and firing a shot just next to them to scare them away. You mounted Moony’s horse and let the last one free, but you didn’t prompt it to run, after all, Remus would have to find a way to follow you. 

Once some of the smoke dissipated, you made sure Remus saw you, pulling the horse back a little to make him stand on his back legs for just a second before riding away. The boys were already riding in all sorts of directions, all different to your own and the men didn’t know who to follow behind, until Remus gave them orders. 

He’s certainly good at giving orders, you thought as you waved at him with a taunting smile on your face. One of his men, a short, disagreeable-looking dude pointed his gun at you, and you stared at him, you knew he was a bad shot from the sole way he stood, legs wobbling and posture askew, poor dude, it might have been his first day. He fired the shot, but Remus pushed him away before he tried again “Not at my horse,” he said sternly. 

You smiled “Yeah, not at his horse,” you repeated and rode off. Remus mounted the only horse left and indicated the others to follow behind the trial of the rest of the marauders. 

“She’s the best shot in the county boss, it’s a bad idea to go alone.” 

“I’ll be fine,” Remus said, offering no further explanation before following behind you.

You both sped through the desert, it didn’t take him that long to catch up with you “Darling, I’m gonna need you to give back my horse and my hat,” he shouted, as he levelled with you. 

“And surrender like that?” you asked with a pout “That wouldn’t be fun Remus,” you said before spurring the horse, leaving Moony behind. 

Eventually, when you lost sight of him, you walked inside a small abandoned-looking little house, where you used to live before your family passed away. You walked inside and waited, you started to get bored at some point and went to rummage through the kitchen. You heard the creak of a floorboard and then someone was hauling you from the back, a кnife at your throat and a strong arm pressing you against his chest with enough force to keep you there but not enough to hurt you. 

You pulled your hips back against his “Is that a gun or are you just happy to see me?” 

He tightened his grip, кnife prickling at the tender skin of your neck “Come on… why do you do this?” he asked. 

“Because it’s fun Moons,” you replied as you felt the кnife pierce just slightly, deciding to pull your hips back again, this time making sure to roll them against his. 

“Stop that!” he ordered. 

“Make me,” you responded with a devilish little smirk, he hauled you off him and onto a nearby wall, кnife still at your throat. 

“Come on darling-“ 

“It’s Fox now,” you interrupted. 

“Does Sirius also call you that now?” 

You didn’t respond, jaw clenching slightly. 

“Thought so,” he said with a nod and whispered your name, almost a plea, completely in contrast with the way he had you against the wall, a small line of bIood already dripping from your neck, “Just… come back.” 

“Back where?!” you said with a frown “With Uncle Cliff? So he can sell me off to the first old banker that asks for my hand? No, thank you.” 

“Marry me, I’ll ask Cliff for your hand.” 

You scoffed the кnife digging deeper into your skin, Remus pulled it back when he noticed, not having realised he had caused you to bleed, “What a hell of a proposal, with a кnife against my neck and one against your ribs.” 

“What кnife against my–?” He looked down and realised your hand toying with one of the buttons of his vest, he sighed and turned back to you “I’m faster. I’ve always been faster.” 

“No doubt,” you smiled, “but you want to slice my throat as much as I want to get married to an old rich banker.” 

“You don’t want to stab me either,” he said as he pulled back, raising his hand and placing the кnife on its hoster. “The offer’s on, either way.” 

You raised your eyebrows, leaning back against the wall and using your ascot to clean the bIood from your neck. “The marriage proposal you mean?” He looked to the side but nodded. “Why didn’t you ask me before?” 

That seemed to take him by surprise “I’m sorry?” 

“Before this,” you said, arms open, trying to express before you became who you were now. 

He swallowed “You’d always liked Sirius.” 

“That’s bullshit.” 

He huffed “I thought you wouldn’t want me.” 

That pulled a frown “What? Why?” 

Then he pulled a look at you, a frown and a small tilt of his head as if he didn’t want to say it. He didn’t want to say it was because of the way he looked, because of the scars, because he had nothing to offer you back then. 

You gasped “Don’t be ridiculous, you must get hundreds of women thrown at you, the Handsome Wolf of Moonridge, you think I haven’t heard the stories?” 

“They’re not like you.” 

“You hold way too high standards for me Moons,  I think I’m just like them, swayed by the handsome cowboy,” you said and walked towards him, placing your hand on his badge “And the little shiny star on his chest.” 

He frowned, “You just want me to let you go,” he said bitterly. 

“Au contraire,” you said with a tilt of the head. “I want you to join us. We could use a great gunslinger.” 

He raised his eyebrows “to stop being the Sheriff and join your gang of outlaws?” 

“Mh-hm,” you said, your hands were now on his neck, tracing over some of the scars with a feather-like touch. 

“No.” 

You stood on your toes to whisper in his ear, “Allow me to persuade you.” 

“NO,” he repeated, stronger this time, you smiled. You could hear the wavering in his voice.

You pressed a soft kiss, wet kiss to his jaw, and you felt him tense, another kiss and he was relaxing against you, his body giving in while his mind still raised with thoughts, you continued kissing until you reached the corner of his mouth, pressing a kiss that lasted just a second longer before pulling away “Tell me if you want me to stop,” you said looking at him, a deadIy serious tone in your voice. 

Remus looked at you, eyes pleading before he placed his hands on the sides of your head and pulled you into a kiss. You kissed back instantly, brushing your tongue over his and deepening the kiss when he parted them to let you in. Remus was kissing you like you were the air he needed to breathe, and you kissed back in a similarly desperate manner. 

Eventually, you pulled apart to take a breath, and you saw his doubtful face. He was about to say something when you leaned down to trail kisses from his jaw to his neck, fighting with the collar of his shirt for more space. 

He saw you reach for your кnife, and he let you, if he was going to diе in between your kisses, then it would be the sweetest farewell a man like him could hope for. But you only used it to cut the buttons of his vest, letting the кnife fall on the floor before pulling the piece of clothing off from him. He allowed you, he’d allow you to do whatever the hell you wanted to him at that point if he was being honest. 

He had been pretty passive up until then, but the moment you grazed over his thin linen shirt with your fingernails he seemed to be brought back. Placing his hand on your hips and pushing you further onto the wall, you smiled in between kisses as he pressed his knee in between your legs. You were still kissing him as you started to rock your hips against his leg, grinding on him shamelessly. 

He groaned at the feeling of your hips rolling back and forth, grabbing your hair and pulling it lightly to get your lips away from his neck, to be able to look at your face again, to make sure it was real, to make sure it really had been you. 

You smiled when you realised he was staring, thinking of a snarky remark to give only for it to be caught in your throat the moment he leaned down to kiss it. Licking over the place he had unwittingly cut and savouring the taste of sweat and copper “I’m sorry,” he mumbled against it as he continued to press kisses, “I’m sorry,” he repeated. Neither Remus nor you were sure if he was sorry for slicing your skin, for not daring to ask you to marry him before you became “Fox”, or for taking this long to finally press his lips to yours, perhaps it was all of it.

“Then make it up to me,” you managed to say with another roll of your hips against his leg. 

He hummed into your neck, a mischievous smile, reminiscent of when you were children appeared on his lips “Tell me what you want.” 

There were so many things that you wanted, but the only thing that could come to your mind in that precise instant was “Fewer clothes.”

“Yours or mine?” he teased and you huffed in response as he pulled his hands from you to unbutton his shirt and pull it off, he then went for yours, untying the ascot with his hands and teeth and immitting your earlier movement by taking his кnife to break the buttons of your shirt apart, and pulling it off along with your jacket, leaving you only with a corset. 

He took his moment to look, to appreciate, before you spoke “Commission a drawing, it’ll last longer,” you teased. 

“Sirius must have hundreds already, I could always confiscate them when we finally trap you.” 

“Or you could ask for them nicely once you join our team,” you countered. 

He huffed a laugh in response “And now?” 

“And now?” You repeated. 

“What else do you want?” he asked, his fingers tracing over your collarbone, torturous feather light touches that made you feel like you were on fire. 

You flushed and his gaze darkened, “touch me,” you whispered and he complied, his hands trailing all over your body shamelessly as he started to flex his thigh muscles, causing you to go back to riding it, with his help now. 

He too, without being prompted, went back to kissing your neck, now trailing kisses down your collarbone and towards the valley of your breasts. Lucious, soft breasts that would press against the fabric of your corset whenever you breathed, taunting him. He wanted to see them bare, and so he trailed his hands through your back and felt the laces. He toyed with one of the ends before looking at you, you nodded and he undid the top, trying to unlace it as he kissed. 

But Remus wasn’t a particularly patient man, even being often teased by his friends due to his sometimes explosive temperament. He went back to his hoster and took the кnife out. “Don’t move,” he commanded. You stared at him with a smirk as he peered over your shoulder, grazing the skin of your back with the кnife before latching it against the lacing of your corset and cutting them all open in one swift motion. 

You smiled, holding the piece of clothing against yourself and releasing only when he had pulled back enough to see. You let it slowly fall from your chest, it wasn’t even halfway down when he fisted it and threw it to the side, desperate to see you. 

To see you up front, to see what his imagination had been showing him for so many years but better, brighter, warmer, softer and alive. He had seen a few of Sirius’ drawings, all from the fantasies of his head from when they were younger, but nothing compared to this, nothing compared to you. 

“Fuck you’re so beautiful,” he murmured under his breath. 

“Could have it every day if you joined us,” you said, taking one of his hands in yours and leading it to one of your breasts. 

He smiled at you, eyebrows raised but complied, letting your hand guide his, squeezing and then pinching your now hardened nipples “Could also have the entire law system behind my back, having to turn my head and worrying about getting shot every ten seconds,” he responded sarcastically as he trailed kisses down your neck towards the breast he wasn’t touching yet, “Not being able to sleep properly, always with a gun under my pillow and a кnife strapped to my leg.” 

You moaned when he kissed your breast, he was enjoying the way the soft, supple flesh pushed under his mouth and sprang back just as he pulled away to look “Wouldn’t it be worth it?” you asked, breathless. 

The sounds you were making were driving the man to insanity, him fading and fading away, leaving only the hungry wolf. He hummed as he took your nipple in between his teeth and nibbled on it softly, causing yet another moan to erupt from your mouth. Perhaps it would be, he thought. 

You lowered your hand towards his pants, palming him softly as he groaned into your breast. He was hard and he was definitely big, a testament to his height after all. You couldn’t be sure until you actually saw him, but he felt bigger than Sirius did.

“Fuck, dove…” he said as you started stroking him gently, hand still over his pants, dragging up and down and gripping unto him when you felt the outline against your palm. 

“Language Sheriff,” you teased, this time it was you who pulled his hair and dragged him towards your lips, kissing him with an almost feverish ardour that left the two of you breathless, all the while you continued to rock your hips against his thigh and he continued to flex his muscles against your cunt. And your hand, that devious hand of yours, the sharpest shot in the west, trading the gun for his cock, never stopping the lazy and soft strokes. “Ask me that question of yours again Remus…” you breathed into his mouth when your lips separated for just a second.

He smirked into your lips “Tell me doll, what do you want?” 

You smiled “I want you to…” you breathed “touch more.” 

He looked surprised at your request, and you used the moment to drag the hand on your waist lower, enough to bring it in between your pants. Remus took the opportunity and seized it, using his free hand to unbutton the few buttons that kept the pants in position and freely roam around, you were wet, almost impossibly wet. He didn’t wait too much, tracing his fingers through your folds as he used his knee to hoist you up and get better access, massaging and exploring the sensitive area until he discovered a spot that made you tighten your grip around his bicep, digging your nails so hard you almost pierced his skin. 

“You want more of that?” he asked as he brought his lips back to your neck, you nodded and pushed your hips against his hand again, chasing for more  friction and he chuckled, shaking his head in between kisses “No, no, use that pretty little mouth of yours to ask for it dove,” he tutted. 

You whined in response, and he just chuckled further, taking his hand away and placing it on your leg “Remus!” you warned. 

“Yes, dove? What do you want?” he asked calmly. 

You scoffed in frustration licking your lips as you fought your way to surrender, and then you thought of yet another way to rile the man up “I want your fingers, Remus. I want them inside me, now.” 

He considered asking you to say please at least, to beg, but he was mildly aware that you may or may not bonk him in the head if he dared to do such a thing, so he only listened, dragging his fingers back to your cunt, toying with your clit until he was satisfied with how wet his hands were and then, without a warning, digging two fingers inside you. Your breath hitched in your throat and your nails dug into his bicep even more, leaving little crescent moons imprinted on his skin, very proper for the Wolf of Moonridge. 

“Hurts?” he asked breathlessly. You buckled your hips against his fingers in response. “Good,” he added and started pumping them in and out, curling them inside of you and toying with your clit as he did “You’re so fucking tight,” he mumbled, more to himself, but you heard either way, and clenched around his fingers, causing yet a few other curses to leave his mouth.

As he fingerfucked you, you brought your free hand down, stopping your own strokes to take it off, unbuttoning his pants and letting them fall on the floor with a thud as you also took the button of his briefs off. His cock pretty much sprang and bumped with his belly as they too fell on the floor. You buckled your hips against his hand, head pulling back and biting your lips as he touched a particularly sensitive spot. 

“Fuck Remus,” you breathed out, his name on your lips making the most pleasurable sound he’d ever heard. 

He repeated his actions and in a matter of seconds, he had you panting, barely managing to make a coherent thought until you clenched around him again, hips making the most erratic movements until you leaned down your head against his bare shoulder as he slowed his pace. 

“So… You still very sure you don’t want to be the Sheriff’s little wife?” he asked in cocky tone.

It took you a minute to process his question, his fingers still moving inside you although the pace had slowed significantly, and then you stared down, his cock was still there, hard and proud, a bit of precum brimming from the tip, you smiled and reached down, wrapping your hand around him and relishing on the way he groaned, the sound so close to your ear you almost shivered in return. You moved your hand up and then down and then toyed with the tip. Sirius had taught you how good it made men feel, seemed to be working just as well on Moony. 

As you stroked him, Remus’ fingers became less confident, less focused, almost lost in the pleasure you were giving him, he was panting, you had managed to stand straighter and he had his head on your shoulder now, head cloudy and kissing your neck whenever his head allowed him to make a coherent thought. He had never felt this good with anyone. Whatever it was you were doing to him, you clearly knew what to do. 

“Ask me that question again,” you taunted. 

He seemed fazed, blinking at you in between pants “What,” breath “do you,” another deep breath “want?” 

You smiled at that “I want this,” you tightened your grip around his cock just a little “now.” 

That seemed to bring Remus’ vigour back, he pulled his leg from under you and allowed you to fall back on the ground, you pushed your pants off as fast as you could and Remus took a moment to look at you, to really look at your naked frame and his pupils were blown, much more that they had been in the past. He tried to memorise every curve and corner and crevice, scared he wouldn’t be able to see them again, you saw the way he stared at you and bit your lip “I said now, Remus.” 

He didn’t make you wait another second, placing both of his hands on the side of your waist and hoisting you up on him, so you were straddling him, you bit your lip at the feeling of his thick and warm cock against your folds, and grinded against him by pushing your hips and tightening your legs around his torso. He tightened his hold on your waist, his breath growing heavier as he felt your wetness against him directly. 

You rolled your hips again “All right, hold on,” he said “I’m trying to adjust.” You just rolled your hips against him again, causing the skin around his cock to ride down, and prompting him to hiss. “I said wait goddamnit,” he insisted a bit more commanding this time around. 

 You smirked “I like it when you order me around Sheriff Moons,” you joked, and he threw you a warning look, you opened your mouth again, but he had taken his cock into his hands and rubbed the tip to your clit, so instead of another witty remark you only managed to gasp.

It was he who smirked now, but then he stared at you, looking at you attentively “I’m going in,” he informed, and then he did, slowly, to allow you to adjust to his size, not completely at first, only the tip before pulling out again, next time he went in he pushed a little further again. You breathed slowly, he didn’t move, not until you started to clench around him, almost drawing him in even more “You feel so fucking good dove.” 

That was all the encouragement you needed, you rolled your hips against his, a little harshly and he pushed towards you again, you let a sound in between a whine and a moan and he repeated the action, pushing in and out just to hear that sweet sound of yours again. The sound that made him go wolfish, undomesticated, wild.  

Like an animal, like the wolf they always compared him with, he had no control, not when he was with you. At some point, you felt his lips on yours again, and you kissed back eagerly, you’d never taken Remus as a romantic, but then again, the way he was fucking you against the wall wasn’t exactly the most romantic either, he was harsh and strong and he pushed in and out of you with a ferocity that had you mumbling his name incoherently, sometimes Moons, sometimes Moony, sometimes Remus. That was his favourite.  

Regardless, there was something about the way he held you close to him, the way his hands would travel up and down your thigh, almost reverently, that you could see there was care behind his actions, perhaps something more, something hidden and locked up for years out of fear. 

At some point his movements became a little erratic, you clenched around him, just to tease and he bit your earlobe in response “I’m going to…” 

“Yeah, I know…” you responded. He pulled out of you, ready to catch it with his hand, but then he turned to you, a mischievous smile on his lips “where do you want me?” 

You were almost taken aback by his words, but you wouldn’t pass out such an opportunity, you kneeled down in front of him, and peered at him through your lashes “In my mouth.” 

He froze, and you smiled, the very reaction you had expected. Then you nodded your head and dragged it closer to him, wrapping your lips around his tip, and bobbing your head, just once, and you felt the spurts of liquid into your mouth, you bobbed again, helping him empty himself before separating completely, a line of spit forming between your mouth and his cock. You looked up at him as you panted, breath heavy and chest rising up and down, your nipples still perked, your lips wet and glossy, you were the prettiest sight he’d ever seen and he was about to lean down to kiss you again when you spoke. 

“Have I convinced you yet?” 

Remus didn’t say a thing, he looked at you as a deer trapped in the headlights would, still hazy and seeing stars from his close orgasm, but then he heard someone clear his throat, and he was quite literally looking at a star now, Sirius.“If she hasn’t,” Sirius said as he tilted his head in the most lustful and cocksure expression he had ever seen in his life, biting his lascivious lips before he spoke again “I may have an idea of how we can convince you… together.”

A/N: well I’d been wanting to write e Cowboy au for a while, and while there are still some other tropes that I would have liked to use (like the ties to the railroad trope) I’m pretty happy with the final result hehe. Especially with some of those dialogues between the reader and Remus. I literally had to stop writing to take a breather more than once.

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[her-devils-advocate]

Year 850, then; Year 854, now

pairings: Levi Ackerman x (GN!) reader

genre: Hurt/comfort, fluff, fluff and comfort, angst, angst and fluff

summary: Two tender moments between you and Levi after being injured in battle, leaving him to worry and look after you in his own ways.

Warning for the ending of aot spoilers

word count: 3,765

ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54818275

Year 850, then:

It had been a gruelling expedition, one that had resulted in a multitude of casualties, including your own. It was a routine mission, you and your squad had been tasked with surveying the land, finding the safest route to one of the scout bases and supplying it ahead of time. You only needed to bring simple necessities like spare food and medical equipment that the upcoming squad would require during their stay there, as well as clearing out any titans that had happened to be found along the way. A small risk, all things considered.

On paper, it was one of the safest missions that the scouts had taken in a while. After the previous expedition had resulted in many deaths, the scouts had put a small pause on activity outside the walls while everyone recovered and re-evaluated future missions.

Levi had scoffed at the mention of Erwin sending you as the squad leader, mumbling under his breath that such a mission was beneath you and your team. You had reassured him that you were the best choice; that it would be a simple in-and-out mission. You and your team would be back before he knew it.

“I still don’t see why we are bothering to send you of all people on a supply run to that dusty old base. What a waste of time and resources when you should be focusing on training your team. How are you supposed to prepare your team for the upcoming missions while wasting energy supplying another?”

“Levi, it’s alright.” You remember the smile that lights up your face when you see him roll his eyes, his lips pursed in what was definitely not a pout. The captain would never do such a thing, of course. That's what he told you when you gleefully pointed it out, at least.

“Having me lead the squad is probably just a precaution, in case anything happens. I highly doubt that we will encounter many titans, if any. You know the route is usually empty each time we send out supplies. I’ll be back before you even have a chance to miss me.”

“Tch, sure. If anything, it will give me the peace I need to finish that paperwork.”

You mentally cursed yourself for tempting the universe to put you in your place, forcing you to eat your words.

On paper, it was a simple task. 

In actuality, the pouring rain obscured your vision, making it almost impossible to see more than a few feet in front of you as the dark clouds dimmed the world around you. The heavy rain mixed with the steady march of the horses along the ground. Their hooves drummed against the wet earth, vibrating through your cold and tense body, splashing through the slowly growing puddles. The howling wind echoed in your ears, taking the words of your squad and drifting them up to the dark clouds above. 

It was a perfect recipe for disaster, especially when neither you nor your team could spot the two abnormal titans rapidly approaching your position. 

The last thing you remember is the shooting pain as one of the titans reached its elongated limb to swipe at your horse, sending you flying through the air and crashing into the ground.

That's how you find yourself lying in a lumpy bed, the scratchy material rubbing against the sections of tender skin not currently covered in bandages. You sit up with a small wince, pain rolling over you in long waves at the motion. You carefully wiggle your arms and legs, happy to feel them move at your command despite the hot flush of pain. 

Hange and Commander Erwin arrive shortly after you wake, sitting beside you and keeping you company as you give your report of the mission. They don't miss the way your eyes flicker with shame, guilt reflecting in your eyes for not noticing the danger until it was too late, despite battling the elements. 

You are usually careful once you and your squad are in Titan territory, always on high alert and on the watch for the slightest hint of danger. While it’s not the first time you’ve found yourself on the bad side of luck, the guilt and feelings of failure never seem to lessen. 

“You will be happy to know that everyone survived. They are a bit battered here and there, but your squad will be alright in time. You are the most injured out of everyone, in fact, congrats!” Hange says, amusement and relief shining in their eyes as they watch you sigh, sinking deeper into the frustratingly stiff pillows.

“That is good news, thank you Hange. Not that I don't appreciate you both visiting me, seeing both of your faces certainly helps to brighten my day, when I’m not in trouble or receiving bad news, that is.” 

You hear the two chuckle, despite being friends with Erwin, you have forced his hand enough to be given a few small slaps on the wrist in the past. 

“But where's Levi? I figured he would be here to lecture me on getting injured at the very least.”

Erwin gives you a knowing smile, sitting up in his chair a little straighter, “Don't worry, I’m positive that you won't get away from that lecture. I've already gotten my version from him at least twice now.”

You raise your eyebrow quizzically, you knew of Levi’s frustrations with the mission yet you never figured he would chew Erwin out over it.

Before he has a chance to continue, Hange lets out a loud laugh, desperate to share a fact they know Levi would happily keep to himself.

“Shorty refused to leave your side when you were brought in, even with the medics stating that he was getting in their way. He only left just before you woke up to fetch you some food, claiming you're ‘a damn brat when hungry’.” 

They lower their voice to mimic him while crossing their arms and glaring as they speak. You let out a small, surprised giggle, the action causing you to wince as your ribs protest.

“You know, if anything, he’s probably going to be even more pissed that you decided to wake up after he left,” Hange says with a small wink.

As if on cue, Levi opens the door with one hand, carefully balancing a plate of unusual food on the other.

“I got held up by the damn brats. Braus and Springer found me in the kitchen and decided to take over, wanting to show me a secret they had when it came to making the most out of our shitty reserves or something. I figured there was no harm, those kiddos have been vibrating with nerves ever since they got the news.”

He pauses once he takes in the sight before him, his eyes widen when he finally spots you awake. You give him a warm smile as you see the relief that washes over him. His eyes linger on you briefly before he clears his throat, trying to push down the visible urge to rush over to you despite the small audience. 

“Apparently they have found a way to make eating potatoes for the hundredth time in a row more exciting for them. Didn't bother to share that with the rest of us. They also told me not to share this information with Erwin since they don't want to be lectured on using our reserves for their little experiment.” 

Levi turns to the man in question, ignoring the amusement glinting in Erwin's eyes as Levi’s glare hardens. “I told the kids that the day they get to tell me what to do will be the day all the titans are finally killed, once and for all.”

You can’t help the giggles that erupt from you despite trying to hold back, rapidly dissolving into loud laughter that only grows even more frantic when Hange joins in. Their laughter is even louder as they grasp at their sides, rapidly running out of breath themselves. Tears roll down your cheeks as you try to catch your own breath, bringing a hand to clutch at your tender ribs as each gasp causes the pain to flare angrily. 

“Oi, what’s so funny, you two?” Levi’s displeased voice cuts through the growing chaos, only betrayed by the subtle redness of his ears and the softness of his eyes as he watches you struggle to compose yourself. Hange waves their hand in his direction, yet each time they try to speak, more giggles slip from their lips. 

He scoffs before shoving the plate onto your lap, mindful to avoid your injuries before pulling Hange out of the chair beside your bed and settling down into it, ignoring their cries of protest.

“Hey! I was sat there first, shorty. Erwin!” “Yeah, well I’m sat here now, four-eyes. Don’t you have a titan to go poke? And you,” Levi turns to glare at Erwin, who was simply content to watch his soldiers bicker despite their positions, “don’t you have some paperwork to fill out or something?”

The tall blonde slowly stands from his chair, ushering Hange out of the room alongside him before turning towards you with a kind expression.

“We know when we have overstayed our welcome, we wish you a speedy recovery.”

You give Erwin a small nod before looking down at the food placed on your lap. You notice the thin slices of potato that had been cooked until they were crisped. You glance up at Levi, raising a single eyebrow.

“Don’t ask me, the cadets wanted to make something nice for you. They were worried.”

Once Erwin and Hange can be heard moving further down the medical wing while Hange happily chats the other’s ear off, Levi moves from the chair he had rudely claimed. He nudges you, silently requesting you to shuffle over to give him room on the uncomfortable bed. Once he is settled, you rest your head on his shoulder as he carefully brings his arm around you, protectively pulling you close to his side.

“Just them?”

“Tch, shut up and eat your meal.”

Year 854, now:

Thick clouds of dust begin to settle over the ruined ground, it sticks to your hot skin as you breathe heavily. Silence uncomfortably blankets everyone as they let the moment sink in. You had done it, you had all succeeded. Not that it feels like a success.

Your whole body screams out with each movement you make, you had stopped keeping up with your injuries hours ago, simply having more important things to focus on. The stakes were too high to risk caring for every injury. The adrenalin and fear had kept the pain manageable as you pushed your body to its limits, but now, nothing can help as you try to stifle your whimpers.

You don’t know how to feel, already emotionally and physically past your breaking point. You can hear Armin wail somewhere behind you, the sound is haunting as each scream stabs deep into your heart. You don’t want to turn around; you can’t will yourself to do so. You know you should be there to help comfort everyone, but your body is frozen. You’ve always been good at lending a comforting shoulder to the 104th cadets in the past, but now you doubt that anything you do could bring any peace to them.

With Armin's sobs breaking the tense silence, sound reluctantly returns to the world. The bitter victory has no celebration, only relieved sighs and mourning.

You spot Levi from a distance, perched against a fallen rock. Dark blood slowly oozes out from his extended leg, having been broken multiple times and further injured during the final battle. 

You allow yourself to feel happy, knowing that he will be alright and that you are both alive. 

Your stubborn body unfreezes, despite the pain and exhaustion, allowing you to slowly stumble your way towards him. Your eyes are glued to the destroyed ground as you approach your captain. You take the time to rack your brain of things to say, what can you even say after everything you have both been through? Everything feels too casual, too insignificant compared to the lifelong trauma, both the physical and mental kind, that has been thrust upon you both in the past couple of weeks. You feel selfish for your happiness at his survival, having said too many goodbyes in such a short period. Too many good people have been lost in the twisted war.

“Well, look who showed up…”

Levi’s tired voice stops you in your tracks and your question dies in your throat with a quiet choke when you look up to the crowd now surrounding you. 

They are all there: Erwin, Hange and their squad, Levi’s squad, and the dozens of scouts that had risked everything to get you both where you are now. Your eyes blur with thick tears as you catch Hange’s eye, gazing at you in sadness. You want to scream, to run away, to run up and embrace them. You try to compose yourself, but the tears pour down your cheeks when you see the spirits of your squad smiling at you in pride. 

“Hey boss, you’re looking pretty banged up” The tall redhead of your group approaches, you remember the day he first joined your squad, all smiles and false confidence. Next to him stands his closest friend, you had chosen both of them at the same time, not wishing to split them apart. Next to them is your second in command, a quiet girl with a strong heart.

“Hi Leon, you can say that again. It’s good to see you again… It’s really good to see you all.” Your voice wavers as you take in the sight of them all, you gradually lost them one by one. Some before Eren’s little stunt, some after. Yet each loss hit hard.

“We’re proud of you, we knew you could do it.”

Your team salute you and the captain one last time before joining the others, fading away with a mixture of emotions on their faces. Some are sad to leave you both behind, some are happy to have gotten a final goodbye at last and some are relieved to see you still alive.

You take in a deep breath, willing your bruised heart to slow down before it bursts out of your chest. Your hands feel numb and you feel your body begin to shake as your mind tries to catch up.

“Oi, sit down before you hurt yourself even more. You look like you're about to pass out.” Levi’s voice is void of emotion as his damp eye looks up at you in concern. You sigh before waddling over to him, your body feels like stone as you collapse against the hard rock, being careful to keep a gap between your bodies, not wanting to possibly hurt him.

“I feel like I might, I also feel like I’m about to be sick.” In any other situation, you would laugh at the way his face scrunches up in disgust at the thought.

“If you do that, you better lean the other way. I don’t want to be covered in it.”

You allow yourself to let out an amused scoff, it feels unnatural to laugh as you scoot closer to him to lean your pounding head against his shoulder.

“Aye aye, captain.” You weakly raise your fist to your heart, giving him a lighthearted salute. You hear a small scoff of his own in return. 

“How…how are you doing?” Your whispered words crack as they fall past your lips and you feel him stiffen beside you.

“Good question, you?”

“...Good question, I’m going to go with tired for now.” You can feel your energy quickly fade as black splotches begin to take over your vision, and your body feels light and heavy at the same time.

Levi’s hand brushes your own. He gingerly takes your hand, softly rubbing circles into the back of your hand. “I’m going to need you to control your breathing, you’ve already lost a lot of blood with your current injuries. I need you to stay awake until we can get you sorted. Alright?” 

You give him a non-committal hum in response as you try to keep your eyes open. They feel like lead and you want nothing more than to fade into the warm embrace that sleep would bring. 

Even besides Levi, the panic continues to swirl around you, dancing maliciously with the pain and nausea. A part of you knows that there is no reason to be scared, you won, yet everything is still unknown. Where do you go from here? Can either of you last for much longer in your sorry states?

Before you can get too lost in your mind, a sharp wave of pain rushes through you when Levi gives you a gentle jab with his elbow, his eyebrows are furrowed with worry as you let out a deep grunt.

“I’m serious, don’t you dare fall asleep until we know you’re in the clear. Do you hear me?”

His words are harsh and yet you can hear the frantic worry that's hidden just below the surface. You want to reply, to tease him for his worry, just like old times, but when you go to open your mouth, you feel as if you are miles away. The world grows darker and the part of you that's not overwhelmed with panic feels guilty for the added stress now thrown onto Levi.

Light chatter surrounds you when you open your eyes, you squint as the harsh sunlight invades your vision. You can feel a thin blanket covering your body and a stiff pillow supporting your head; you feel groggy as you try to take in your surroundings and you mumble incoherently. The chatter dies instantly, a blurry head popping up in your light of sight, blocking the sunlight peaking through the medical tent flap.

“Captain Levi, they’re awake!” Connie’s voice booms through the small, cramped tent. You wince as his voice pierces through your skull, causing it to pound angrily. You had hoped you could sleep through the worst of your injuries, but you have never had the best luck.

“We can see that, quiet down.” Levi’s voice causes your heart to lighten. You groan as you bring yourself to sit up within the medical cot, Levi’s hands holding onto you tightly as he helps guide your stubborn self into a comfortable sitting position.

Connie is hovering nervously by the side of your bed, while Jean and Armin are sitting on the floor nearby. Levi has claimed the singular chair within the tent, placing it as close to the cot as possible. His leg has been wrapped up in bandages once more while his old ones have been replaced with clean ones. You scan his body for any more serious injuries, relaxing when nothing new stands out.

“Hey, I’m alright. We’re all okay.” Levi gives you a knowing look as the rest of the group nods in reassurance.

“Mikasa has already left…She wanted to leave with Eren before…They wouldn’t have given him a decent burial here.” Jean says awkwardly, unsure of what to say or how to say it.

“Way to make things depressing, Jean.”

“Alright, how would you have told them, Connie? I would love to know.”

“Enough, don’t start, you two.” The pair stiffen as Levi’s gruff voice cuts their bickering short.

“Sorry, captain.”

You watch the shenanigans in amusement, your eyes shining with more tears as you take the moment in. They are all okay, they will be okay. The gloom that surrounds you all begins to vanish as a new form of normalcy tries to settle in. 

Levi gives them a stern look before slowly standing from his chair. You watch as he grits his teeth, doing his best to keep his mask of nonchalance firmly in place despite the agony he feels. 

“What are you doing?”

“What do you think? I’m going to find you something to eat. You’ve been asleep for hours and I know you haven’t managed to eat much during all the bullshit.” “Levi…” “What? You’re a damn brat when hungry, it’s more for our sake than yours.” You can’t help the smile that finds its way onto your face despite your concern. You can hear the others snicker, trying to stifle their amusement before he turns on them as well. 

“Oh, captain. It’s alright, please sit down.” Armin rushes up to Levi, his hands hovering before him as if he’s scared to try and place them upon Levi. After a moment of uncertainty, Armin proceeds to gently help Levi sit back down. Your heart warms as you watch Levi reluctantly accept their help without any pushback.

“Connie has already sorted out the snacks,” Armin explains in response to Levi’s questioning glare.

“Yeah, I found a basket of fruit and sandwiches that everyone had put together when we made the camp. Before anyone says anything, I know it’s bad considering…yeah…but I managed to swipe a few for us.”

You thank Connie as he tosses a slightly squashed sandwich in your direction, not realising just how hungry you are as you bite into it. You feel Levi’s hand grasp yours as he slowly eats his own. A peaceful silence falls over the tent, only to be quickly broken.

“Hey, Armin. That was pretty brave of you, y’know.” Connie’s loud whispering catches the attention of everyone as you all slowly turn to watch the pair. Armin raises his eyebrows, confusion plastered clearly on his face.

“Telling the captain what to do like that. I’d have fainted if I were in your shoes.” “Well…” Armin takes a moment to consider his words, a playful gleam in his eyes.

“Remember 4 years ago? He did say we could tell him what to do when all the titans were dead.”

Your eyes widen as your shoulders begin to shake with restrained laughter. Jean and Connie are frozen in shock as Levi lets out a loud groan.

“I was hoping you kids had forgotten that, don’t get cocky.”

You don’t miss the way his voice softens as the group's playful behaviour sinks in. You squeeze his hand, receiving a light squeeze in return when you shuffle to lean closer to him.

His voice is low, just loud enough for you to make out his whispered words. 

“I think we’re going to be alright.”

“Yeah, I think we will be.”

[trashogram]

He Chose You Fluff:

——— “Mama?”

You glance up from the little table, pausing mid-wipe of the sticky apple juice staining its surface after Charlie had abandoned her carton.

You find your daughter peering through the arched French doors, little palms and dotted nose pressed against the window pane. “C’n we go outside?”

At first you smile, knowing that your daughter’s nursery is just above the palace garden. It may be the safest place in all of Hell, and also one of Charlie’s “favoritest” playgrounds, per her own exclamation not a week ago.

“Of course, muppet.” You say as you resume cleaning what’s left of your little brunch date. “Do you wanna pick more daffodils for Daddy?”

“No, not the gard’n. Outside.” The toddler turns on her hooves to look at you with wide, ruby-red eyes.

You stop again, but your smile fades. “Outside? Like… outside the gates?”

“Mm-hm!” Charlie nods enthusiastically, overlong hair bouncing on her shoulders. “Let’s go!”

She’s already toddling over to you, hand outstretched to take yours. And it takes you a moment to stop stacking cups and plates and putting away the toys that your daughter had insisted join you while you had “mommy and baby” time. Your mind is practically sluggish trying to come up with something to say. Idly, you know that beyond the garden under Charlie’s tiny balcony, glints and gleams of the magically-enforced gate are visible behind carefully plotted ancient trees. It shines perpetually with the crimson sun as well as the swirling quasar of Heaven’s taunting light. It’s always there, even when Charlotte isn’t in her room but playing in your estate or being carried around as her you and Lucifer go about your day.

A twinge of anguish brings a crease to your forehead as you imagine how many times your child must’ve looked directly at the gate with interest. All at once you’re picturing Charlie being older and resenting that barrier, not understanding why the Morningstar family relies on it so damn much. Wishing she didn’t have to be kept in. Likening it to a cage.

(It’ll be even worse than when your daughter asked why she didn’t have any wings when you and Lucifer both did.)

Your hands uncurl from the stuffed animal you’d been holding as you sigh, slow and deliberate. You look back at Charlie, already hanging off of you, waiting with a smile on her face.

She tugs at you and it feels like nothing. You exhale again, mentally chastising for getting too far ahead of yourself.

“Hmm,” You make a show of thinking long and hard about the request as you rise from the floor. “Why don’t we ask Dad first? See if he wants to go with us?”

“Ok!” Your daughter grins, leaping onto the tips of her hooves and holding her chubby arms out. You pick her up and sweep out of the room, what’s left of the mess forgotten as you go.

“Daddy!” Charlie calls out. It’s too loud and too close to your ear but you snicker as she continues to chant. Lucifer is probably on the other side of the castle, but the daughter of the Devil is nothing if not overly excitable.

You have high hopes that Lucifer will turn that excitement into distraction from the idea of leaving the safety of the palace for now.

[aurumacadicus]

I tagged this and the other post with 'minotaur steve' so you guys can find them together lol.

--

"So, there's this prophecy," Tony begins, rolling his ball of twine up as he walks away from the hidden labyrinth entrance. "I don't remember it exactly because I was too busy killing a guy trying to chop down one of my heart woods, but the gist is something like 'The bull-headed son of the Rogers clan is the only one who can save the Stark Forest.' So let's get going and--hey? Are you listening to me?!" He turns, scowling because the Rogers minotaur hasn't followed him.

His rant dies on his tongue the moment he sees the minotaur. The man's ovine head is tipped up, eyes closed, nose to the sun. Tony can see his nostrils flare as he sucks in deep lungfuls of air. He looks... somehow smaller, his curved, sharp horns no longer scraping the stone ceilings. The wind ruffles through his golden brown fur. He looks at peace. Tony suddenly remembers that all the minotaurs are kept locked in the labyrinth. They never get to see the sky.

He reminds himself that only this one has any modicum of intelligence suited for the outside world. The other minotaurs had proved that by grabbing for him when they saw him searching their halls, hungry and boorish. He's still not sure whether they hungered for food or for want of a cow, and he doesn't wish to know, either. Still, he wishes he could have rescued this one under better circumstances, even though he knows he simply wouldn't have left his forest unless he had to.

"...What should I call you?" he finally asks, more gently than he means to.

The minotaur reluctantly draws his head down, eyes fluttering open so human and blue that it makes Tony's breath catch in his chest. "...My," he begins, slow, as if not used to making human syllables. "Ma. She called me... Steve."

"Steve," Tony repeats quietly. He holds out his hand. "I'm sorry, Steve. The humans we meet will not be kind to you. You'll have to stick with me."

"No one has been kind to me but Ma," Steve says, and his fingers rub over the circled star scarred onto his hip before he reaches out to take Tony's hand.

Tony swallows thickly. Steve's hand dwarfs his, and he can see the muscles in it twitching, careful not to crush his own with his grip. He's scary, part of him acknowledges. Steve is at least seven feet tall not including the horns, maybe taller. Tony's bad with heights if there are no trees nearby. He's built like the stone walls they'd walked through in the labyrinth, wide and sturdy, muscles visible through his fur and skin. He'd watched Steve's hooves shatter the brick as he'd warned away another minotaur as they passed through its territory to leave.

But Steve has gentle eyes, and he's so careful where he's holding Tony's hand. He must have gotten practice, holding his mother and protecting her from the other minotaurs wandering the labyrinth. She had obviously instilled in him a gentleness that the other beasts had never known.

"Once I've done what the gods say needs doing... must I go back?" Steve asks, eyes sad.

Tony doesn't remember that part of the prophecy either, but he knows, suddenly and with certainty, that he'd burn his own forest temples to the gods down before he'd force Steve to go back into the labyrinth. "No. You can stay with me. I'll protect you from anyone who says you need to go back."

Steve smiles, and something about him softens further. "Lead the way."

Tony turns, mind already racing with routes to take that would keep Steve safest. Humans always want to take on monsters for glory. Steve might be the only one who can save his forest, but they need to make it back there in one piece. He still needs to take them to the tiny isle of Brookslynne to retrieve the Rogers weapon, so it will be a long journey. He doesn't want to travel at night, but maybe--

"...About your payment for my help," Steve says slowly, reluctantly. "You don't... look like you have the right parts."

"The gods don't really care about a person's parts when it comes to a bargain," Tony mutters. If Steve's only seen male minotaurs and human women, he's not going to give him the birds and the bees talk.

"The gods don't really care about a person in general," Steve agrees darkly, and Tony bites back the questions he has about how it must have been like to grow up in the labyrinth, seemingly the only truly intelligent one of his kind. It's none of his business, anyway. He just needs Steve to save his forest.

[yanderes-galore]

Could you write a romantic rivalry between The Lamb vs The Fox? (Cult of The Lamb)

Oh I have some good ideas for this.

Yandere! The Lamb vs The Fox

Pairing: Romantic - Rivalry

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Religious themes, Cults, Manipulation, Violence, Darling is oblivious/heavily brainwashed, Mentions of wanting to eat others, Murder, Jealousy, Kidnapping mentioned, Overprotective/Possessive behavior, Stalking, Marriage, Dubious relationship(s)

When I read this rivalry this is what I imagined.

You are one of The Lamb's many followers, their favorite actually.

Your life has been with their cult since they "saved" you.

Your leader, The Lamb, is very charismatic with that Red Crown on their head.

You listen to their teachings in great faith, attending every sermon and praise them with every breath.

You thought the skull necklace they gave you was a divine gift from your leader, completely unaware of its properties.

You have no idea The Lamb is pulling wool over your eyes and manipulating you heavily.

You feel so lucky to be chosen by them for a marriage ritual.

You have no idea The Lamb is manipulating you into their perfect little spouse all because they love you.

You're unaware of any danger, you just trust your leader and spouse with your life.

You have no idea The Fox is watching you at night from the outskirts of the cult.

The Fox's love is easily interchangeable with hunger when it comes to him.

He watches you with salivating jaws as you rest and The Lamb cleans.

The Lamb knows of The Fox... in fact, they've often made deals.

To get rid of rivals The Lamb has offered their meat to the hungry Fox, he's a method of disposing the evidence.

While The Fox enjoys these deals and feasts on the problematic followers greedily...

The Fox's hunger soon can only be satiated by one thing.

You, The Lamb's chosen spouse.

"Little Lamb..." The Fox coos "You could pick another partner, couldn't you? They are the final thing I want... then I will give you something in return."

The Lamb of course refuses such a request.

They've worked hard to keep you safe... they've tried to give you a long and happy life... they'd never just give you away.

The Lamb offers Ratau instead... The Fox merely frowns.

"Little Lamb... I could give you anything you want, just give me your special one. I'll take good care of them."

The Lamb refuses, for once not taking a deal and turning away to see your face again.

This begins tension between the two parties.

The Lamb finds other methods to get rid of problematic followers while taking care of you.

Meanwhile The Fox stalks you closely, waiting for the opportunity to pounce.

You have no clue about the predator in the bushes.

The Lamb merely makes you look into their eyes and holds you close.

You're not allowed to go outside... The Lamb tells you your safest in the cult.

Yet The Fox calls for you in the night, begging you to meet him.

The Lamb never rests, always watching you as you sleep until morning.

However... crusades take a long time.

One night... The Fox might just take you away.

This fear keeps The Lamb on their toes/hooves, often having a few followers wear moon necklaces to watch over you when they're away.

This is what their rivalry would be... The Lamb protecting you while The Fox plots to steal you away.

Eventually... The Lamb may just slip up...

Only time will tell.

[wolven91]

A Heated Bed - Chapter 1

[Trigger Warning; Dubious Consent. References to Depression / Isolation]

Matt sighed through his nose as he turned off his workstation and glanced up and out of the office window, into the transport sector where he worked on board the spinning station. From here, new arrivals and materials would be shuttled off to wherever they were needed aboard the station itself.

Another day done, just like the hundred that came before it and now he was just going to head home. Without a hint of uncertainty, he knew that his evening would follow the same pattern as all the others. He thought getting a job out in the stars would be exciting! He'd be like Kirk or Mal or something!

But no. He was just a clerk.

He was still just 'Matt' and as it turns out, the rest of the alien folk up here, tend to give humans a wide berth. Thanks to everything that had happened, humans were well known now as the 'rare' ones and had a multitude of rules and regulations surrounding them. The aliens couldn't even get a selfie with a human without some serious thought first thanks to the worry that something in the background would tip off 'would-be' kidnappers. Not only that, but thanks to his inherent 'value', the various governments enforced the requirement that humans scattered themselves out. No one station could have too many humans or they'd become too juicy of a target. The station Matt was on was actually, fairly 'near' to the Sol system, at least on a galactic scale. He was on the 'southern' most edge of Galactic Community territory.

So here Matt stood on his own, completely ignored. Oh sure, everyone apparently loved humans, but right now? Nobody wanted to get too close in case they got into trouble by overstepping some hastily thrown together rule with little to no thought behind it. It seemed no-one really knew what to actually do about humans, so ignoring them was the safest choice and the administration would deal with whatever issue popped up.

Matt considered that it had been just short of four months since he'd last stood on a planet as he leant against one of the railings exiting the office in which he worked. He was in no rush, so stopped to watch the 'world' go by. Despite him being high up, it was louder out here, claxons and alarms whooped and alerted staff of moving machinery in the distance. The transport sector of the station was a huge, cavernous and very busy space, it could have fit the statue of liberty and the torch would barely scratch the roof. As it was, most of the walls were dominated by airlocks and maintenance bays, pulling ships in to be disembarked or their payloads removed within the safety of the station, but the centre of the zone was administration and various storage bays for materials.

Far above, tram stations ferried passengers at high speeds around the circular station, disappearing into the massive bulkhead walls that separated the sectors. One such tram silently whizzed past as some of Matt's colleagues exited the office space and headed towards the lift.

"Did you hear?" Matt overheard as they walked past.

"There's a new species joining the station! They just arrived, let's get down there quickly!" Burbled a sluggat, while the young male taurian trotted along beside them.

"They're not new, they just didn't leave their territory very often until now. It's like someone lit a fire under every single one of them or something?" The youngster said. The taurians were an odd bunch, the males seemed to gracefully glide along despite having hooves beneath the flowing silk dress.

What they were discussing however, perked the human's curiosity. The various races that he'd seen so far were all as unique as they could possibly be and aside from sharing the odd trait, most were a sight to behold when they first arrived. It was jarring to the human mind to see an alien; to understand and know that they were conscious behind the eyes and not human at all. Matt wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but he tried to take the many eccentricities of the various races in stride.

Walking to the lifts that would take him down to the station foyer, he found that seemingly everyone had the same idea. But at the sight of the walking bad luck charm that was Matt, the being closest to the lift's buttons started 'subtly' hitting it rapidly.

"Oh no, the doors are closing I don't understand what's happ-" The closed doors cut it off. Matt frowned but he wasn't surprised. They were as subtle as a brick through a plate glass window.

By the time Matt made it down to the new arrivals building, he had long since lost his passion for seeing the new race and was wondering why he was even still heading in this direction. He walked over to the main balcony and looked over to the entrance to the station from the docks and saw the usual traffic one expected, not the heaving mass of new arrivals.

He sighed and leaned down to rest his chin on the side of his fist that rested against the rail in dejection. He didn't really feel sad anymore, he just wanted to talk with someone... no... not even that... just to feel physical touch again, that would be enough. He closed his eyes and made a hopeless wish.

"Excuse me." Said a calm, smooth voice from behind and above him.

He flinched, clanking his head off the higher railings that protected the taller races from falling and straightened up to turn around, rubbing his head. He hadn't heard anyone approach; ssypno slither, taurians clop and ursidians shake the ground, who could sneak up on him so well?

Turning around he was left staring at the fluffy midriff of an alien, so he tilted his head back and kept tilting.

Eventually making eye contact with the owner of said midriff, it had heavily lidded, bright green eyes that regarded him in an aloof manner and yet there was a vague interest there, like it had seen him from a favoured seat and couldn't decide whether to get up to come to him or remain seated.

She, he assumed based on her rich voice, was tall, at least eight feet and wider than himself as well. The thick long fur that covered her from the top of her pointed ears to the tips of her large paws reminded him of a snow leopard. She sported greys, blacks and whites, giving her a very unique appearance. The other aspect he saw was that she was muscled; this couldn't be someone who did nothing all day, this was a dangerous person even without the obsidian claws that protruded slightly from the tips of her hands and feet. One of said paws with tapping the claw against her chin as she considered him.

"Er, hello? Are you one of the new arrivals?" Matt asked, aware he'd never seen one of these things before.

"Mm, yes... Hold still please." She said absently, not ignoring him, but like she was thinking about something more important while interacting with him. She stepped forward, closer to him, crowding him, it was a far cry from his usual environment of having an oasis of space in the crowds, he stood his ground. A strong arm reached out and, nearly touched his face, but paused a hair's breadth away, she smelt of something like citrus.

"Are you an ill taurian?" her cool voice asked, hand still somewhat hovering close by. Matt could feel the tiny hairs on his skin sensing her proximity.

"Ah, no. I'm a human, I'm afraid this is normal."

"Good." She decided cryptically before turning and stalking away, a long thick tail trailing behind, briefly brushing under Matt's chin before leaving the human confused, bemused and alone once more.

=== 0 ===

Sometime later it was late, and Matt found himself back in the residential district and on his floor, nearing his room. His quarters were sequestered away from others, practically having an entire habitation block to himself. Once more, it was easier to just isolate the vulnerable human than have him potentially interact with others.

His interaction with the new alien however was replaying in his mind. It was one of the longest conversations he had had in over a month. He was disturbed however, as ever since that interaction, he had a vague sense of being watched or followed. Turning and looking over his shoulders, each time resulted in empty hallways and nothing out of the ordinary. Did he want to see her again? Did he want more than to 'just' see her?

"Yeah.." He vocally admitted glumly with a hint of guilt to himself.

He chalked the 'being followed' feeling up to his mind wanting to see someone, his brain had a brief taste of the 'good life' and now cried out for more. He got to his door and placing his forehead against it, unlocked it. He straightened up, smelt citrus again and opened the door with a confused expression as he wondered the scent.

"This will do." Said a familiar voice both behind and above him. Strong paw-like hands grasped his waist, effortlessly picked him up and, bodily turning him, he was pressed against the strange alien's wide hip as she ducked her head through his front door gracefully and entered his abode with him under her arm.

"W-what are you doing?!" Matt exclaimed, stunned into compliance, not considering that he should maybe flail about or resist in some fashion. He was stunned into limply going along with the strangeness of the situation. Was this a kidnapper!? Is this how it all worked!? Nobody had actually explained it all, they just said 'kidnappers'!

She, again, whilst responding to him, was focused on looking around his modest albeit basic home and stalking further in.

"There are no sunbeams on this station, and it is cold. You will assist, I am adopting you." She said as a matter of fact as she moved into his bedroom, her movements were so graceful that despite him being held horizontally against her hip, he wasn't jostled or shaken with her footsteps as she moved.

Walking up to his bed, rather than move around it, she merely took a step up onto it, walking into the centre before turning in place. The whole thing groaned under her and his weight. Next, she released him without warning, so he fell the short distance and bounced one, then twice onto his back with the fall. He blinked, still utterly shocked into confused stillness.

"Hmm, you're clumsy then. That is fine, I will work with you." She said while staring down at him from her seemingly mile up vantage point. From his perspective, her legs went on forever. Her arctic colourings were emphasized, but it was how she was looking AT him that caught his breath. She wasn't avoiding him, she wasn't ignoring him or even treating him like he was made from thin porcelain. He was the sole subject of her attention, she wanted to give him her attention and he had no clue what to do.

Before he could react further, she folded herself down onto his mattress and duvet. Laying on her side she effortlessly grabbed a hold of his hips and drew him into herself with one solid pull whilst he uttered a single squeak in surprise. Her strength moved him without so much as a grunt of effort by her.

He struggled for a moment, but the arm he was now laying on, curled around, bicep flexing against his cheek and held his opposite shoulder, the other arm draped over him and held against his chest, gently running fingers up and along his jawline, soothingly. A long fluffy leg entwined itself around his own and she curled in on herself, forcing him deeper into her 'hug'. The very thick and fluffy tail made a reappearance and settled, draped across him... almost protectively? He continued to try and half-heartedly pull away, but despite the strangeness; he was secretly... shamefully... enjoying it. Despite his wiggling, none of his actions could have actually broken her hold...

Tiring himself out however, he eventually recognised that he could feel the soft, thick pelt fully covering and pressing into his back and sides with ease, his head was tucked under her chin still resting against her arm while her chest fur framed his world with the ends of her pelt, surrounding his vision. He was warm, for the very first time in a long time, he was deliciously warm. The interloper was right, the station was cold, he'd just gotten used to it.

Laying still, whilst confused, and bewildered, he had to admit it was quite pleasant being held so firmly and protectively as a 'little spoon'. When the rumbling purr started behind his head and chest, it rolled through him like an old-fashioned massage chair. It was soothing and she offered no other words or statements as they settled. Catching his breath, the rhythmic rumbling gently unravelled the tensions that had built up in his back and neck. It was a few minutes later that he flinched awake, realising he was dropping off and he realised that this was completely mental!

She couldn't just 'adopt' him, right!? This was technically his home! It was the other way around, surely!

He took in a breath to start shouting, but the coiling loneliness inside his chest had him pause. It gripped at his heart, inspiring fear. Whilst his mind happily supplied the idea that protesting might ruin a good thing. It was an alien, right? A new one? Maybe they didn't understand this wasn't normal? Sluggats are strictly opposed to physical contact, even offering a handshake is tantamount to threatening one's life, so maybe she was just unaware?

Stifling a yarn, he came to the decision that he would have words with her in the morning. He could share his home for a weary traveller this once. She may be rude, but he'd be polite...

...yeah... that was it...

=== 0 ===

Many hours later, Matt had no desire to wake up.

He felt warm and calm, the bliss of a rare full night's sleep undisturbed was not something he had any desire in leaving any time soon. As his mind came back to the waking world however, he understood that he was laid on his front.

Matt smiled as he realised, he didn't need to go to work, it was the weekend. He couldn't recall any other pressing matters that needed his attention either. He was safe to relax and take things slow today, no need to leave such a comfy bed.

He rolled his shoulders to prepare to stretch when he noticed that his movement was severely limited.

In fact, he could barely move at all; something rather large and heavy was weighing down on him across every inch of his body and limbs. He could breathe, but it was like having several weighted blankets on top of him.

Opening his eyes, the first thing Matt took notice of was that he was pressed deeply into the mattress. He could see a curtain of grey and white fur bordering his vision from whatever was limply placed on his back. He was essentially spread eagle on top of the covers, but every inch of him was covered by something warm and soft. He moved his arm, sliding it across the bed and out from beneath the foreign arm that had been placed on top of his own, the larger of the two thudded against the mattress with the sudden loss of his limb beneath it.

A stirring from above and a low grumble, rumbled through his spine as whatever, or more to the point, whoever it was, woke up apparently due to him moving his arm so suddenly. The other occupant of the bed reached out to his hand, pushed their leather pad clad fingers through the spaces between his own fingers and gripped his hand, holding it still with a strength that prevented any more use of the limb. The worrying part was that the arm and hand weren't tense at all but held a strength that dwarfed the human's. The interloper's hand was nearly double the size of his, he could feel the pads warming the back of his palm. They were soft and almost hot to the touch.

Matt blinked in utter confusion as he tried to remember what was going on. After taking some time to calm himself and figure things out, he realised that the strange dream he had last night, was not a dream after all. The giant cat-like alien that had joined the station yesterday, had followed him home, physically picked him up, barged into his home and declared that she had 'adopted' him. Regardless of how well he had slept after so long buried beneath her, or how soft and warm her fur was, this was beyond what he could accept as proper behaviour. He needed to give her a stern talking to.

"Umph.." He started, catching a mouthful of fur and duvet, forcing him into shaking his head to clear it.

"Er... excuse me? Hello?" He stated in as demanding a tone as he could, bearing in mind he was still buried underneath the one he was trying to address, which undercut his authority somewhat. He didn't get a response, so he cleared his throat and again, he also tried to buck his hips, moving the body above him, but only barely as she was still a dead weight from above, her hips merely fell back down on him from behind.

"Excuse me!"

A groan was spoken directly into his ear.

"Mm. Go back to sleep. It's too early, little one." A drowsy voice spoke out, before the head on top of his lifted and he felt a broad, wet, and rough tongue lick the hair on the back of his head twice, before the weight returned and it pressed him back down into the mattress.

"What.. hey! No! Don't go back to sleep! What's going on here!" He exclaimed, again, trying to wiggle as much as he could with his limited movement, he had to get her awake and moving! In the end it appeared as if he was recreating 'the worm', the now long-lost dance move of the now destroyed Earth.

A deep and dramatic sigh of someone extremely displeased was given in response, before her almost 'noble' voice came back, far less sleepy this time.

"What is it? This is far too early 'human'." She asked from behind his ear.

"Who are you? Why are you in bed? What's going on?!" He asked in a tirade of questions that tumbled out from him.

Another exasperated sigh came from the creature, before her hands released his, she curled her arms around his chest, a leg looped behind his knee and she rolled in one movement, so she was on her back, her head against his pillows and he was dragged along for the ride. He ended up facing upwards, being held against her body with her underneath his back. A clawed hand snagged the duvet and pulled it over both of them, leaving the top of the thick cover, underneath Matt's chin. The hand landed on his head and began to draw a set of claws gently through his hair, ever so slightly scratching at his scalp.

Overall, it felt quite pleasant, the low rumbling purr returned as it rolled over his body. At least she was awake, so far, his attempt to establish dominance over the situation was going well.

"I am Her Highness Varuna; you may call me 'your majesty'. We are here because we were both tired and due sleep, we are still tired I will remind you. As for what's going on, I am being rudely awakened and you are asking questions."

"I meant... highness? No, I meant why are you in my home? What did you mean by 'adopting' me?"

A rumble.

"Ah, you were able to provide appropriate warmth and I am adopting you because you do not currently live with another felinoid. Now my turn my human. What is your name and how many humans are there on this station?"

Matt's eyes briefly rolled up in his head as she continued to run her fingers through his hair, scratching and clawing at his scalp. She would draw her hand through one way, then brush back with the curve of her claws, rather than the points. Goosebumps crawled up and down his arms. He supressed a shiver, but she still gave a single mirthful 'humph' as his body quivered.

"I'm Matt... and none. Just me."

A dissatisfied huff came from above as her hand stopped to grip his head in her oversized paws gently.

"Urgh.. There is not enough. The rumours that you humans were rare has been understated. This is both good and bad it seems. You humans are perfect, and I do not wish to share." She growled to herself, before she relaxed and continued her attention.

"Share? Like with the rest of your kind? I thought you were a queen or highness or something?" Matt asked confused as to why someone of her position would be in his room and would even need to consider 'sharing' whatever that meant.

"A-a-and you can't just 'share' me! What if I don't consent? I-I-I could have you kicked off the station for breaking into my home!"

She sighed, a brushed the back of her furred fingers against his cheek.

"I am sorry if I have offended, if I have distressed or hurt... I apologise..."

"It's fine." Matt parroted automatically before admonishing himself. He was meant to be angry! He was supposed to be angry! As a severe introvert though... even back on Earth he had been adopted by those who were more outgoing than him.

"I have no interest in upsetting you, but my kind are very interested in your kind. You are supremely unique, and we are a race of those who seek out the unique."

"W-what do you mean? Am I being kidnapped?"

A flinch from below.

"No! Bleck! Not at all, freedom is above all things! Freedom of the self, freedom of the choice, freedom is ultimate and the only thing that must be demanded." She stated firmly seemingly repeating a mantra or oath. She pulled away from him for the first time to raise a single digit upwards to emphasise her points.

"If you... choose... not to have us around, then we will not be around. Our people... our... society... is about enjoying oneself, I believe 'hedonistic' might be the correct word, but poorly explains it. We no longer must toil, so why should we? If you want to; go, work and earn. If you don't? Relax and work on yourself. Freedom, above all."

"So.. where do I come in? How am I to be 'shared', this is what I'm confused about."

"Alongside Freedom, is experiences, the truly desired 'unbuyable' thing." To punctuate her next sentence, she started by tapping his nose with a soft leather pad on the end of her finger. "Humanity is new and rare. We sought you out to experience you. I would have settled for sight and smell, but then you spoke with me rather than ignore. You did not stop me when I reached out to touch you. Even last night, your home was easy to find as it smelt of you, so I waited. You did not protest my entry until we were already settled and even then... you did not say 'no'."

A joyful 'hm' came from behind his head.

"Your actions were half-hearted, so I believe you enjoyed last night. Am I wrong?"

"No..." Matt tilted his head in reluctant agreement, but that was pushing it to say the least. He'd need to teach them the do's and don'ts before they got into trouble. Still, he'd rather have a bit more control over his life than being 'told' what he was going to do.

"But! You can't just barge into someone's house and expect to be welcomed in, arms wide! This is weird!"

"You don't like this?" She asked, hurt bleeding into her tone and her hand moved away in hesitation, holding away from him as if to release him. The loneliness returned with a writhing behind his ribs, it felt like a snake retreating backwards, towards her.

"It's not... it's not that it doesn't feel good, but you have to.. to.. introduce yourself or something? Be invited in."

She was quiet for a time, her hand clasped his head again, but didn't move now, but it warmed his exposed flesh pleasantly.

"Strange, no wonder we kept to our own for so long. We expected to be welcomed and praised, but the reception so far has been.. underwhelming. I suppose I could lower my expectations... 'Slum it' if you will? Would you be able to teach me the social graces of your world?"

"Social g like you don't know how to interact like the rest of them? I mean, I'm still learning myself, but I guess I could?"

"Matt, was it? May I start again?"

"..sure?"

"Good morning warm human." She began, a jovial tone now adorning her voice, Matt couldn't help but snort and grin as he remained laying on top of her, chuckling against her.

"Good morning crazy cat lady. How are you?" he responded, playing the part.

"I am well! May we share heat, it is cold, and you are very warm?" She asked, starting her purring once again beneath him.

Matt rolled his eyes and relaxed somewhat. She seemed to mean well, if not a bit ditzy, not to mention she was quite one track minded.

It was going to be an 'interesting' few weeks attempting to educate his new 'student'.

=== 0 ===

"My name is Ruby." The felinoid answered him later on as he cooked.

Matt frowned as he leant over the stove, finishing up at getting the 'bacon' as crispy as he could. How he had ended up on cooking duty after being the 'bed' as well, he wasn't sure; but the large cat creature currently picking through his apartment behind him had wrangled this somehow. Still, he was glad to find that whilst pigs did not survive earth, there was something called a 'squidgit' that if their meat was prepared correctly, tasted very similar. Apparently, you could cook them every which way and they tasted different each time.

He scraped the 'bacon' strips onto a plate, next to the scrambled eggs on both plates. He had no idea where the eggs came from, however.

He looked behind him to see the green eyes with the black slits in the middle staring back at him. She had seated herself in the middle of his sofa with one leg crossed over the other, she rested her hands, fingers interlaced, in her lap.

"I like your eyes by the way..." He blurted out without thinking.

"Mm, thank you. I had them changed a few years ago, I got bored with my natural yellow colour."

"Changed?"

"Freedom, my dear Matt, freedom in everything. We felinoids will often change our appearance. Quite dramatically I will add. Our kind are adept at appearance adjustments."

With a nod and quick, nervous smile, he walked over and offered the plate. It wobbled slightly due to his nerves. He wasn't used to being under such scrutiny after months of being ostracised by the rest of the aliens aboard. Why did he care so much as to what this alien thought of him? He couldn't be smitten or anything, she was an alien. She accepted the plate with one hand, with an ever so slight smirk, tugging at the edge of her lips.

"Cutlery." Matt reminded himself, turning and moving back to the kitchen to retrieve somewhat clean utensils from the sink. He gave them a rapid but thorough wash and dried them in short order. When he moved back to the sofa with a knife and fork in hand, an empty plate was being held out for him to retrieved back.

His mind was confused for a moment; he'd given her a plate of food. Right? Had she'd just tipped the whole damn plate down her gullet?

"I should thank you, shouldn't I?" The artic felinoid stated, blinking slowly. "I'm very grateful, that breakfast was delicious." She finished as he plucked the empty, greasy plate from her hand.

"I-... sure, no worries?" He returned to the small kitchenette and retrieved his own plate. Whilst she claimed not to no what manners to employ, he hadn't actually 'taught' her anything yet, but she was now seemingly acutely aware of what social expectations were placed upon her.

Matt moved to sit down and considered that the last twelve hours had been very strange, he'd gone from pariah to the sole focus of an overbearing, but seemingly harmless 'felinoid'. They had been apparently part of The Galactic Community for hundreds of years like everyone else, but had kept mostly to themselves, until now of course. Ever since Humans appeared Walking back to the sofa, he took note of her white and grey fur; she looked exactly like one of the old snow leopards of earth, all the way down to the spots and thick fluffy tail and oversized paws. Her size was something of note, easily larger than him, her ears brushed the ceiling when she stood up straight.

Her strength was also of note, she was not slim. Her arms, whilst covered in a long thick pelt, that Matt knew was also incredibly soft thanks to last night, barely hid the bulging muscles beneath. She proved she had no issue picking up and carrying him like he weighed nothing.

When he stood next to the sofa, he realised that there simply wasn't any space for him to sit on the cushions of the seat. The size of her hips took up much of the space of his rather crappy, standard issue sofa and to try and sit down would have him perched half on top of her. With a shrug, he chose instead to perch on the sofa's arm.

Ruby, however, had different ideas.

Before he could perch and start on his light breakfast, a grey furred arm and dinner plate sized hand wrapped around his sternum.

"Wait! Wait, wait, wai-" He cried out, trying to prevent his breakfast from spilling as he was dragged from the arm, and into the centre of the sofa onto the larger creature's lap. Thankfully, he hadn't spilt anything.

"That was dangerous, I could have spilled!" He complained as he attempted to disengage, but with an arm locked around his waist, he found the act impossible while holding a plate with both hands, so he reached down with one. When a clawed hand plucked a strip of bacon from his plate, his priority changed immediately.

He lost one piece but defended the others by starting into his breakfast with no further delay. The large feline sat beneath and behind him chewed the stolen bacon slowly as she held onto him carefully. It was only once he started to relax that he noticed she was purring again.

"So, we have a problem that will need to be addressed today." Ruby stated calmly whilst Matt's mouth was full. It didn't stop him from 'mm'ing as a wordless question.

"Not with your mouth full, little one. But yes, my dema- err.. Request? Yes, my request from yesterday remains quite important. My people will begin spreading out amongst the stars. They will want to meet you humans, but... like myself... will not know your... er... protocol?" A hand landed on the top of his head and a set of claws poked through his hair. She started talking again as Matt swallowed the last of his eggs and settled into having the back of his head scratched.

"We wish to make the best first impression and avoid upsetting your kind. We can compensate you and others if you agree to assist us in learning your ways. I wish to 'employ' you as a cultural guide? Would you like to come with me when I leave here?" She asked gently while still steadily scratching at him. He leaned forwards to put the plate down and was gently pulled back onto her whilst she laid back, horizontally across the sofa, taking him with her. She released her claws from his hair and instead hugged him from behind as if he were a cushion or favoured teddy.

The way he sank into her fluff, how he felt it cover his ears from behind and tickle his cheeks. It was incredibly pleasant and relaxing. He considered her words.

Did he want to just end his life here? To leave everything behind? What of his colleagues? Friends on the station? All for some random personal-space ignorant, socially inept space cats?

=== 0 ===

Half an hour later, Matt had his bags packed. Or rather; bag. Singular. He had little he needed to bring aside from a few sets of clothes and some mementos of sentiment. He had no friends on the station, he had a contact which treated him like a house plant rather than a person. His choice was made purely on the fact that his depression and apathy had been lifted all in one evening and he was petrified of it returning.

Was this a good idea? Probably not. Was it healthy? Also no. But he didn't have a good answer and he had nothing else to lose. His planet was dead, his people were scattered, and he was working a crappy job that a computer could do just to save up money to buy things for his domicile.

When Matt stepped out of his bedroom, Ruby was leaning against the front door with a foot raised against it and her arms crossed over her chest. She grinned like the cat that caught the canary.

"You're helping many of my kind, you know? Is noble."

"Let's not pretend I'm saving lives here, I'm a glorified heating mat." Matt said, stopping in front of the alien. She looked genuinely shocked, leaning down and lifting his chin with a finger.

"You are very important Matt; I am not ignorant to how you were when I met you. Alone and distant from the others? I am not blind to the lack of pictures of friends on this station in your home. The only ones you had, were in your bedroom and seem to be of family. Your journey to this apartment was one of an outcast." She pushed off the door and stepped close to him again, looking down at him with a firm expression that left Matt guessing what she might have been thinking.

"You have natural abilities and skills that somewhere else would be valuable. Here, you are out of step with your surroundings and seemingly... Left questioning your value, wrongly." She shook her head with a pitying look to her eye, yet her words were firm. She believed what she was saying.

She reached out, placed her long arms over his shoulders and pulled his back towards her. She gripped him against herself and held him there.

At first, he didn't understand what she was doing, again, her odd actions caused a jarring to his expectations. The outside world, however, was lost to him for a time, the fur of her torso muffled the air circulation humming and was replaced by the sound of her heart beating and her lungs breathing in and out steadily.

The lonely man's arms gingerly reached up and around the felinoid' s body, and he hugged her back for the first time. It was the first time he'd held someone away from Earth. It actually physically hurt his chest to apparently reconnect with someone, to consider reopening himself after protecting himself from isolation. After so long as being held at arm's length by others, he wanted to latch onto her like a lifeline.

He gripped at the fur at her back and breathed into the fluff that pressed into his face. Ruby placed one of her hands at the back of his head and stood there, she would not rush him nor prompt him to move. She was patient, she could wait for him until he was ready. It would be his choice, his freedom to do so. To her and her find, freedom was as vital as air and this human was not 'free' here on this station.

It was only a short hour later when Matt finally boarded the felinoid ship as it prepared to leave in search for more elusive humans.

They had barely been checked, the station administration seemingly rushing through Matt's paperwork. Matt had been pulled aside and been asked if he was being coerced, but in the end the administer let slip that he was glad Matt was leaving. He was too dangerous in the administrator's opinion. Matt had thought that there would be more effort in a supposed long-term resident demanding to leave, but it seemed his request to leave was received with gratitude and relief instead.

He felt like he should be betrayed, but he had to admit that he also felt relief and gratitude right back at them for being able to leave with such ease.

Whether The Galactic Community was informed of his change of location Matt didn't know, the ship was tracked and he would be met at the next station to ensure his safety in the void, but when he put his bag down and looked up, he found himself looking at a team of felinoids who, whilst were wildly different in appearance, each had a rapturous grin, one or two waved at him.

Suddenly his vision was blocked by the furred back of a snow leopard, Ruby.

Her tail flicked rapidly from one side to another, was she agitated?

"We have gained an ally. However, we must; be polite." Ruby stated clearly and definitively. She remained in front of Matt, until the group stalked away. Ruby turned back to Matt and picked up his bag with ease.

"They will need teaching but are harmless. You will need to be a teacher before we arrive at our next destination, I hope you are ready."

Matt watched as the group disappeared around a corner and the last tail trailed behind.

In all honesty, after spending multiple moths just pressing buttons on a computer, the human was ready for a new challenge.

=== 0 ===

Unfortunately, the new challenge began that evening.

The engines were probably several hundred meters away and behind many bulkheads, but the human could hear them, and Matt lay awake in his bed. It wasn't really the humming of the engines that was keeping the human awake, however.

The creeping doubt that plagued every decision in the dead of night had made itself known to him by 'midnight' aboard the felinoid ship. It was a frigate it seemed and just one of a small group of ships that travelled together.

His bedding was tangled around him as he stared up at the distant ceiling. He'd thrown his lot in with this new species while knowing precious little about them. God, why had he been so stupid?!

Was his life aboard the station been so bad that at the first offer from a complete and utter stranger of another possibility, he'd just jumped with both feet?!

He had to admit he wasn't happy aboard the station. His conscious mind agreed that he couldn't have stayed there much longer without him going crazy or doing something stupid. But no number of antidepressants would alleviate the crushing loneliness of being avoided by everyone else. Christ, they didn't even have antidepressants that were designed for humans up in the stars.

Sure, tell someone a drug's name; the materials might not even exist outside of Earth, let along share the same name.

But his subconscious continued to jab and peck at his choices. They didn't care about him. They just wanted to use him.

That's why he was given his own room alone. Alone again. He'd had one night of glorious sleep and now he couldn't pass out on his own.

Matt rubbed his face and let out a growl in frustration. He could argue the toss with himself all night but there was no way to prove that these giant bipedal cats actually had his best intentions in mind.

Till a thought occurred to him, it wasn't completely true, that there was no test.

Ruby, the snow leopard that had 'recruited' him onto the ship full of them. She had made a point to show him around the ship. She finished by introducing both his room and hers, which were near one another, almost directly neighbours.

'If you need me, day or night, my door will open for you. I will only be upset if I find out you didn't seek me out when in need.' It was the last thing she had said to him before disappearing down the corridor and away from his room. He stared after her, focusing on the swishing tail and ample rump beneath the grey and white dotted fur.

'Prove it.' His tired mind demanded now in the darkness. He'll always mistrust them if he didn't test their promises.

Without thinking, he sat up, and in naught but loose knee length nightwear, moved to his front door. It slid open without a noise and revealed low lights highlighting the corridor.

'Am I doing this?' He asked, doubting himself as he lingered in his doorway, torn between truth and familiarity.

He glanced back into his dark room. He wouldn't make any social faux par in there. He looked down the corridor, he could see her front door. He could be shunned horrifically if they didn't stand by their word...

His first step was the hardest. The other steps went by too quickly. He was lightheaded by the time he approached Ruby's door. His mind screamed not to, his subconscious promised to be good, just don't knock on the-

The door opened as if it was his own, he had no need to knock...

He stepped within, mimicking her from the day before. The room structure was no different from his own from what he could see in the gloom, despite different adornments.

"Hello? Ruby?" He whispered into the oppressive darkness barely a whisper. He took a few steps towards the bedroom, before realising what he was doing.

"I'm an idiot." He admonished himself, turning and intending to go back to his room.

A large paw on his shoulder caused him to jump and have his heart attempt to blast out of his chest.

"Don't say that please." Stated a shadow with Ruby's voice. "Are you okay?" She asked, turning him to 'face' her, another large broad paw found his other shoulder. He couldn't actually see anything, merely a silhouette of blocked light.

"Ah.. yeah, yeah, I'm... not sure why I'm here."

A low growl came from the shadow before she spoke again.

"Big changes dear Matt, freedom is imposing to those who haven't tasted it properly. You will doubt yourself, that is normal. But you chose a course and now you should commit until you know better. There is a cure for the voices this evening my Matt." She promised.

He gave a small smile into the dark, whilst he could not see her, to her it was as bright as day.

"What's the cure?"

"Come with me..." she said simply, turning but catching his hand in hers. Her digits with padded, furred, longer and thicker than his. Her hand or paw engulfed his own and marched him silently into the bedroom proper.

"Climb in, be careful." She requested as he felt for the edge of the bed and climbed aboard. Their beds were far larger and more luxurious, squishing significantly beneath him, certainly more than anything he'd enjoyed before. But when he felt Ruby climb in immediately after him, he was confused when a second set of hands from within the bed, grasped him down onto the mattress, rolled him so he was facing Ruby and a large body began to spoon him from behind.

Ruby was in front of him... Who was..?

Looking down at the thick arms that were curled around his chest and stomach, he deduced the fur to be pure black or some other similarly dark colour.

"That is Onyx, my current lover, they will help me keep the doubts away..." Said Ruby as she pressed up to his front and wrapped her own arms over both of the other occupants of the bed.

His back was pressed into devilishly soft fur, while Ruby's longer fur and chest pressed into his front. Her head rested almost touching his forehead, while he could feel warm breath gently washing over the back of his neck in time with the moving chest touching his back.

A rumbling growl and yawn came from behind his ear.

"Doubts?" a male voice asked from behind his ear.

"He has doubts hunting him. True freedom is new for him." Stated Ruby, speaking over his head as she settled.

Matt felt a rough tongue gently run up at the back of his neck once.

"It's okay... we're here. You're not alone... You are safe." rumbled the gravelly voice.

Likewise, Ruby gave a loving lick to his forehead, before rubbing her cheek over his face. First one cheek, then the other as the pair of aliens began to purr loudly, whilst Onyx nuzzled into the back of his neck. If he didn't know better, Matt would have worried about an earthquake, but now, just two larger-than-a-human cats, both purring while whispering sweet nothings and reassurances into the blighted man's ear.

Their limbs intertwined and while there was no blanket on the bed, every inch of his exposed flesh had at least some of the felinoid bodies and fur pressed against it. With the exception of his face, he wasn't exposed to the air.

Slept came surprisingly swiftly shortly after this to Matt. He rested obscenely well and woke the next morning feeling incredibly refreshed.

Getting out of bed however took several hours, not that anyone within that bed cared...

=== 0 ===

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[straw-kid]

As He Falls In Love With You...  - Diego Brando Oneshot. 

JJBA Steel Ball Run Headcanon

It was at the Steel Ball Run race when Diego laid his eyes on you. When he rode next to you, he would stare at you with a sullen expression. He always passed you at Silver Bullet, leaving you with dust on your lips, what a annoying guy. He always seemed to want to show himself to you.

Full of himself.

Diego was very unsociable. He didn't talk to anyone, he just scowled at the Steel Ball Run members. He never smile.

For Diego, feeling some curiosity in wanting to know who you were was something that messed with his ego. Why would he want to know who you were?

Pfff you are pathetic! 

But damn, to watch you hold the bridle of your horse with a strong expression, with a desire to win the race, oh my... what good looking...

It was on an extremely hot day that you can't keep up with the race, your horse is tired, sweaty from ears to hooves. It would be fair to stop and rest. Uuuh what a terrible day. You tethered your horse and left it under one of the few shades that held a horse. You, on the other hand, almost sunbathing. Sweat ran down his forehead. Would you be able to continue this race alone?

You take the canteen, empty. Ah, bad luck.

That's when you hear a distant gallop getting louder and louder. It is then that you recognize who is there. Diego.

You give a heavy, dry sigh. "What is this guy doing here?" you think with yourself.

That superior expression washed over you and all you did was look away. Diego didn't say anything, he never speaks, and it's in that moment of intense silence brought by him, that you notice, he was a strong figure, an aura of power, it was as if he controlled the sound around him, for a moment not even Silver Bullet's hooves echoed.

Diego approached. "you look awful" took a canteen from his things. "here, drink it" it was the first time you heard his voice. it was more serious than you expected to hear.

You divide the water by filling your canteen with Diego's water. "ah ah ah, I need it more than you. It's not because I'm being nice to you that you might take advantage of me." He take his canteel back. 

"tsc" You make a mean face. "Don't look at me like that, if I didn't share it with you, you wouldn't make it past today".

Diego was bold in his words, a bit full of himself. In addition to the canteen, he offered a few snacks for your horse.

After that moment, everything seemed to be over, that diego only showed a mere pity for you and continued the race alone, but it was not what you expected. Diego then makes you a proposal. "You look like you're carrying a lot of junk on your horse. I wouldn't do that with my Silver Bullet if I wanted to win.... However, the path ahead will get colder. We're going up some hills."

Indeed, you carried a lot of junk. But as the Steel Ball Run courses were, it was definitely important that you were prepared. It was impressive the fact that Diego carried almost nothing in Silver Bullet, it made sense that he ran like the wind, he was light as the wind.

Without delay, Diego got right to the point. "I would need support during this route, as you can see I also don't have so much water because we share it. So let's make a deal, I'll take you on the safest and fastest route of this race and you give me shelter with firewood.”

It was a fair deal. you wanted to win and you weren't in the best of conditions to continue, Diego knew different paths but he wasn't going to be able to continue for that long.

"Sure" you say shaking Diego's hand and at that, he opens a naughty smile. And because of the newness on Diego's face, you not only noticed the perky lips, but what preceded his face. Diego have hazel eyes, how big and full of life they were.Diego had a harmonious face when he wasn't with a grumpy look. You felt something.

You found out that day, Diego was a pretty boy. 

Riding with Diego was like riding alone. He didn't talk to you, very silent, he just warned you about something far down the road, it was like he smelled the dangers and you had no idea how he was so good at it (his stand but you just don't know about this OR even know that this exists!)

Resting in makeshift camps with him was awkward at first.He was bossy, told you what to get and what he needed, criticized the way you arranged things, but as time went by, you got used to his way, and also, he stopped bossing you around.

Diego's company was pleasant even though he was someone in a bad mood.

Diego would never tell you this, but since he decided to give in his ego, to have you for company, it was comforting. 

There were nights when you shivered with cold, and he stoked the fire instantly. There were days when you hadn't eaten enough and Diego would say "I don't need all of this, if you don't want it I'll throw it away". You have been noticing these subtle gentle behaviors. He didn't know how to be kind.

As the journeys passed, he became more sociable with you. Having said that, he started talking more. You had kept the following information with you: a big fan of coffee, he liked the strong taste that comforted with the heat. He enjoyed the company of animals more than that of people. Too much noise disturbed him to think and sleep.

Although Diego became more talkative, he didn't bring up many facts about himself and you were more interested in that, but it seemed like asking him that was too much. Without having the facts spoken aloud, those being watched spoke much more about him.

Diego likes to eat, even if it's a goo or a delicacy from an expensive restaurant, he'll eat, no matter how much he complains, any food seems to please him. He is very fond of family, from the little he tells about his tragic childhood, he always speaks highly of his beloved mother, he seems to like the idea of ​​being surrounded by people he likes, or dreams of. In moments where you catch him off guard, he's looking at you, but he doesn't turn away when that happens.

Normally you turn, it's embarrassing!

Diego is always looking after you. But it is no longer like someone who is angry about something, however, relaxed eyes, Diego has a calm look for you, and only for you.

You  guys didn't break up after the deal, you're an unbeatable duo. You like being together. Sometimes Diego passes by you and always touches your shoulders and very rarely, touches your waist, but when you do that to him, he tends to dodge his back, you never understand.

Yeah, Diego touches you sometimes, rubs your back when cold, touches your arm when want attention, touches your hand when need to make a quick move. But don't try to do that to him, he will give you a grumpy look.

There was only one moment when the touching was more intense than the casual ones. The race was intense and Diego had hurt his forehead. you had demanded that he let you help him, he was proud, he wouldn't even let him pay triple the prize of the race. With that said, you left him in agony on the floor overnight. In the middle of the night, you woke up, with a bad feeling. Diego was lying down badly, he had a fever. He was weakened, it would not be possible to continue like this.You took his head and placed it in your lap, so you could handle his face well, clean the wound properly, and help with his fever. Your icy fingers touched Diego's hot forehead, who contracted his eyebrow in disdain, he knew it was you with him. You ignored his expression. You took his hair off his forehead, tucking it behind his ear, wiped the damp, warm cloth on his forehead.

Without realizing it, you massage your blond hair with one hand. Angel hair, fine and light, it glistened in the firelight.

Even though it was no longer necessary, you didn't remove the cloth or hands from Diego's face anymore and he had nothing but the expression of tranquility on his face.You slide your fingers across his features. Dry, plump lips, thickly wired brows, strong jawline. 

What a man to be in your lap right now, right?

Suddenly, you feel a hand touch your back, slide gently to your waist and meet your hand, Diego took your hand, waking you up from your trance. He looks you deep in the eyes and places a kiss on the back of your hand. "Thanks Y/N, you sure are sweet". He smiles. 

You are simply on fire from the heat you felt.

That never happened between you again, Diego was someone too closed for any interaction that required a lot of personal space.

Even if you didn't know about the existence of stands, Diego always used it to protect you, sensing danger for miles around and smelling fruit or animals to hunt, however he would never tell you or show you, maybe that would spoil something, maybe it would make you think he was a scary monster.

Diego is like that, he only demonstrates from afar without being direct.

[kindheart525]

*** The normal text and italicized text are separate stories running parallel, to avoid confusion ***

~~~~~~~~~~

Starlight Glimmer couldn’t deny it any longer, it was branded into her daughter’s flank and everything. Prophecy had a gift, a wealth of potential that Starlight had only seen in one pony before her. It was a great power but also a great responsibility, and Starlight wanted to help her nurture it in the safest way possible. And let her know where her gift came from.

Aura Twinkle had to face the inevitable. The doctors told her there was nothing she could do now, she’d made her choices and now she was facing the consequences. She didn’t regret it, she got to help so many ponies and she’d do it all again. But she did regret leaving her family behind, leaving her daughter. She knew she had to break the news to Starlight but she wanted to make it as easy as possible.

“Elysie? Come here.”

“Pumpkin, can you come here?” 

“Yes Eema.”

“Eema, are you okay?”

Starlight patted the space next to her as her daughter approached, turning to look her in the eyes.

Her little Starlight came to where her mother rested, her expression fraught with worry. The way her mother called her over, barely able to pick herself up, seemed to suggest there was bad news. Her mother groaned as she heaved herself to an upright position, looking her in the eye.

“You have an amazing power, sweetie. You have the power to help a lot of ponies. But I want you to be safe above anything else. Did you know your Savta had powers a lot like yours?”

“Look at you, my little pumpkin. Such a strong filly. You’re going to change the lives of a lot of ponies one day. Do you know I help ponies every day?”

Prophecy gasped in awe.

Starlight nodded hesitantly, a lump of uncertainty forming in her throat.

“No! Really?”

“Yes...what’s happening Eema?”

“Yes! She helped a lot of ponies learn about their futures. She could predict bad things before they happened, but she could also tell ponies about good things in their future! She did it all by reading their auras, isn’t that nice?”

“Helping lots of ponies is one of the best things you can do, pumpkin, but it can take a real toll on you. Sometimes you bite off more than you can chew...like I did.”

“Yeah! Do you think I could do that, Eema?”

“Wh...what does that mean, Eema? Are you...”

“Well, if you want to. But I need you to listen to me.”

“Listen to me, Starlight.”

Starlight took Prophecy’s hooves in hers, tilting her chin up until she looked her straight in the eye.

Twinkle took Starlight’s hooves in hers, lifting her face until she could look into her tearful, heartbroken eyes.

“Your Savta used her powers so much that that it hurt her. A lot of ponies asked for her help and she never told them no. She drained all the magic she had and that’s how she died, Prophecy.”

“I’m not going to make it, Starlight. I don’t have much time left. Soon, I will just be a memory.”

Prophecy’s eyes filled with fear.

Starlight’s worst fears were confirmed in an instant the moment those words fell from her mother’s lips, she immediately started sobbing as it all hit her like a train wreck.

“Really? Her powers made her lose all her magic? Am I going to die too, Eema?”

“NO! You can’t go! There has to be a way to stop it! There has to be a cure! You have to get better!”

“No! Goodness, no.”

“I’m sorry, there’s nothing we can do.”

Starlight was pained seeing her daughter so scared and discouraged so quickly made to comfort her. She had the same fear but she wasn’t going to let her absorb that.

It broke Twinkle’s heart to see her baby so broken up, she wanted to cry with her but she was just too exhausted. She couldn’t be physically strong anymore but she wanted to be emotionally strong for her little one.

“You’ll be just fine. But I want you to be careful, Elysie. If you’re tired, take a break. Say no to ponies if you need to. Your Savta always put others first and I admire that, but...please, I want you to take care of yourself.”

“You’re going to be okay, I promise. You are so smart and talented, you’re not going to let your destiny ruin you. Instead it will make you stronger. Take good care of yourself in whatever you do, Starlight, and always remember me.”

Prophecy nodded.

Starlight sniffled and nodded weakly.

“I promise, I will.”

“I will, Eema.”

“Good.”

“I know you will.”

Starlight smiled and held her daughter close.

Twinkle leaned into her daughter, using her remaining strength to feel her daughter’s aura, to make one final prediction.

“I’m no prophet but you have great things ahead of you. Your Savta would be proud.”

“I see wonderful things in your future, Starlight. I’m already so proud of you.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Previous: Trouble in Absentia Next: Static Brain

[tamurilofrivendell]

Beauty and the Beast | Chapter 21

Previous Chapters [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20] Read on AO3 [x]

Pairing: Thranduil/Fem. Reader Summary: A Beauty and the Beast inspired tale with Thranduil the Elvenking and a human reader from a nearby village Taglist: @captainchrisstan​ @rebleforkicks​ @yjrevolution​ @majahu​   @honey-wine @accio-boys​ @achromaticerebus​ @solomonssimp​ @tired-ass-show-girl​​  @dreamlessnight​​ @daddy-long-legolas​​ @sleepyamygdala​​ @coopsgirl​​

The next afternoon, Thranduil readied himself and moved down the corridor to your room to fetch you. He was still feeling quite unsure about yesterday’s... well, it was not an argument but he did not entirely know what to call it. Still, you said it was no big deal, and he decided to believe you. He did feel bad in a sense, keeping you locked away as it were, despite the fact that you had willingly given up your own freedom for your father’s crimes.

Today, instead of simply lunching in the dining area as usual, he planned to take you on a ride through the safest parts of the forest. He decided to put his trust in the fact that you would not simply run off at the first opportunity, not that you would get far if you tried, but regardless.

He strode through the corridors towards your room, passing Elros on the way and falling into step with him to discuss some matters relating to the upcoming festival. Elros soon took his leave, scurrying over to Myleth who had just left your room. Thranduil eyed the pair for a moment, aware that there was some sort of romance budding there, but he moved it to the back of his mind. It concerned him not.

Knocking at your door, he awaited your voice allowing him entry, and moved inside. He had asked Myleth to ready you suitably for riding and she had done as asked, eliciting a nod of approval from Thranduil as he took you in.

You looked back at him, feeling much better than you had yesterday, deciding that a good sleep had been all that you must have needed after all. “Afternoon.” You bowed your head slightly, looking back up at him.

“Good afternoon. You look well.” Thranduil smiled in return, gesturing for you to follow him. He led you back down the hall and out a door you had not noticed before. A winding path brought the two of you to what was obviously the stables and you brightened considerably as your gaze roamed the many steeds standing there, chewing hay and neighing softly. What your gaze fell upon next, however, drew a loud gasp of surprise from your lips.

A large elk stood in the very end stall, contentedly passing the afternoon with its horse friends. When the elk noticed Thranduil, however, its entire posture shifted. It seemed to straighten up before your very eyes, hooves stamping in excitement. Then you could have sworn it bowed before the king. The beast seemed to fully brighten up at the mere sight of him. Thranduil couldn’t hide his smile as he stepped away from you and over to the majestic creature, pulling an apple from somewhere deep in his robes, and holding it out to his steadfast companion, who took it happily, wolfing the fruit down greedily.

You gazed at the elk with wide eyes, having never seen anything like it in your life. Thranduil turned to you with a soft smile when he noticed the way you were looking upon his elk. “His name is Mahtar.” He told you, studying the wonder in your expression. “It means warrior. He has been by my side through many battles.”

You tore your gaze from the beautiful animal and turned your awe to the king himself. “You... you ride him?!” You asked, stunned. Mahtar was huge, and yes elves were incredibly tall, the king the tallest you had seen, and yet it was still such a wonder to you.

Thranduil chuckled, nodding. “Yes. He is my most faithful friend.” He reached up to run his fingers down over the elk’s snout, smile growing as Mahtar showed his appreciation of the gesture by stamping his foot.

“You may ride with me.” Thranduil said, glancing at you before gesturing to the many other animals in the stables. “Or you may choose a steed more to your liking.” He didn’t wish for you to be afraid, after all. Most people worried about mounting such a creature and also falling off - not that Thranduil let any other actually ride this particular elk.

You were quiet for a minute as you thought about it, mulling the idea over in your head. You knew how to ride a horse, of course, growing up on a farm... but the desire to sit atop that magnificent elk was overwhelming and you would not be expected to actually take control, you reasoned. Thranduil would have the reins.

“I would like to ride Mahtar.” You murmured eventually, shuffling forward and hesitantly reaching a hand out for the elk to sniff.

Thranduil smiled. “Then let us be away before we lose the daylight.”

Riding on the back of Thranduil’s elk was magical. There was no other way to describe it. It was also a little terrifying. He was so large, meaning you were incredibly high off the ground. At first, the fear of falling had been so great, but Thranduil’s firm grip around your waist soon eased any alarm.

You wondered why he was taking you out of the safety of the palace itself instead of taking you into a garden as usual, but you certainly weren’t going to complain. It was such a nice change, to be properly out, and you were a little stunned that he trusted you not to run away. Though, with the last few times you had ventured into this forest, you had no desire to go stumbling through the suffocating air and the dizzying paths that seemed to lead nowhere. Besides, even if you had wanted to try and escape, you knew you would not get more than three steps while Thranduil was with you.

When he reached the clearing he had intended to show you, Thranduil gracefully dismounted the elk and offered his hand to assist you in doing the same. You made a face as you reached for him, feeling far too high, and you wobbled slightly as you swung your leg over the elk. As you grasped Thranduil’s hand, you felt yourself slipping and panic siezed you but before it got much further, Thranduil had you in his firm grasp. He pulled you gently to the ground, hands moving to your upper arms to steady you. A beat passed while you both sort of looked at each other and then he smiled, stepping back and releasing you.

Thranduil reached up to pet the elk, giving the animal another apple, before he moved to unpack the bag of food that the kitchen staff had provided. You did your best to push past the sudden cold feeling that had settled over you when he had moved away, and turned to help him unpack the lunch, though he was quite insistent on doing it himself. Eventually, he allowed you to spread a blanket, causing you to shake your head in amusement as you set about the task.

“Is it alright to be here?” You couldn’t help but ask him, looking around at the trees surrounding the clearing. It looked very nice in this particular part and didn’t feel as suffocating as the other times you had ventured into the forest but you wanted to be sure as visions of orcs ad spiders flickered through your mind.

“We are quite safe.” Thranduil assured you as he moved over, drawing your attention back to him. “The darkness has not yet fully permeated every inch of the forest. I know these paths like the back of my hand. No harm will come to you. Not whilst you are with me.” He said it like a promise and you smiled a little, lowering your gaze as you moved to sit down.

The two of you passed lunch happily enough and Thranduil found himself pleased to see you looking and sounding better than you had the day before. You were engaging in conversation with him again, and smiling, much to his delight. Maybe all you had needed was a change of scenery, some time outside the confines of his halls. Though this could not be a regular thing, he decided that he would not mind allowing it every so often if it would help you.

The ride back was peaceful, at least to your eyes. Thranduil’s arm tightened its grip on you just slightly as he noticed the swirling mist closing in, his gaze narrowing as he turned it skyward. He was just in time to see the large spider descending upon the two of you and he urged Mahtar into a run, drawing his twin swords in the same instant and swinging them overhead, slicing the beast into pieces.

You let out a yelp as, without his hold, you started to slip again but his strong fingers clasped around your upper arm before you could topple to the ground below, pulling you back again, arm pinning you to him protectively. Your own hands grasped at his arm, holding onto him in turn, sinking back against him and closing your eyes. Your heart was beating hard, threatening to burst free of your chest, but it wasn’t fear that had you in its grasp... it was caused by Thranduil’s firm hold and his strong body against your own.

Two days later, the snow came.

You had been standing in the library a few hours after lunch, looking out of the large window with wonder in your eyes as you watched the flakes falling, settling across the ground of one of the large gardens down below.

Thranduil had entered the library and spotted you instantly, catching the look on your face and smirking slightly as he moved over to join you at the window. “Why don’t you go wrap up warm and then meet me in the garden.”

You turned to him with a big smile. You had thought that perhaps he would be too busy today to even join you here but you weren’t complaining. “I shall meet you there.” You said, turning to tidy up the books you had been flicking through before making for the door.

“Ask Myleth to find you some suitable boots.” Thranduil called after you, turning back to the window, watching a few birds flit close to the palace walls. Truthfully, he did have some things that he should attend to, mainly some issues he was currently having with Erebor, but he thought this would be a much better way to spend his afternoon. The dwarves could wait. He followed your retreat a minute later, leaving to ready himself to brave the cold, not that it would affect him quite as much as it may affect you.

Myleth had seemed over the moon to dress you for a trip into the garden with the king. She always did and you had grown used to it by now, not blushing quite as much in the face of her child-like excitement. It was a little amusing and it’s not like you could ever truly be mad at Myleth. She found you some fur lined boots that would keep them warm in the snow and threw a soft, warm robe about your shoulders. Then, for some reason you couldn’t figure out, she tied some red ribbons around strands of your hair that she had pulled back into little braids.

She walked with you down the corridor, hanging off your arm and talking animatedly with you as if you were the best of friends. When you both reached the heavy doors where the king was waiting, Myleth gave him a bow and took her leave. You inclined your head out of respect, realising that you had been forgetting such actions the last two days and immediately feeling anxiety pool through your stomach as it hit you. However, you also realised that you had not received any reprimand for not sticking rigidly to such protocols.

There was a pause and when you looked up, Thranduil was looking at your hair with an intensity you wouldn’t have expected. Eyeing him curiously, you wondered what he was thinking but then he had moved, smiling at you and turning for the doors. He had been fixed upon the red ribbons in your hair, the colour bringing out your eyes... red just so happened to be one of Thranduil’s favourite colours and he wondered if Myleth had fixed up your hair this way on purpose but he had pushed the thought away quickly because why would she?

Thranduil held the door and then followed you outside into the cold. The snow that was coming down had slowed considerably, the lightest flakes falling from the sky now. You stepped out onto the white blanket that covered the grass and tilted your chin, giggling as it landed upon your nose and cheeks.

Thranduil found himself enchanted by the sight.

Legolas smirked as he looked out of the window, Tauriel at his side shaking her head in mild disbelief. Myleth and Elros were standing on the other side of the wide window, practically peering out round the corner so they would have easy access to jump out of sight should the king look up towards them. Galion did not seem to care as he stood directly in the middle of the large window, shamelessly staring down into the garden where you and Thranduil were enjoying the afternoon.

“Can you believe it?” Legolas practically beamed, casting his gaze over the others as he took in their expressions.

Galion shrugged. "Actually, yes.” He stated, surprising Elros who turned to look at his friend with a question in his eyes. Galion spared him a glance, chuckling. “You think I do not spend enough time with our king to see?” Even Legolas seemed a little surprised, having thought only he and Myleth to be so astute in this situation. Galion laughed again, turning his attention back to the garden below, watching the two of you feeding a few birds that had been circling overhead mere moments ago.

“Well, I never thought I would see the day.” Murmured Tauriel. It was not that she thought the king heartless beyond reason. Of course not. He loved his kingdom and cared for everything and everyone in it. She had just never thought of him this way, especially not around a mortal, who he had always seemed so... wary of. For lack of a better word. She also wasn’t sure how the two of you could have come together so naturally in this way without a bigger push.

“But isn’t it wonderful?” Myleth said, casting her attention to Tauriel. “Look at her! See how this girl has breathed new life into not only our king but these very halls!”

Tauriel nodded, smiling because she couldn’t deny it to be true. Something had been changing here and it seemed like it had since you had dared to set foot in these lands. “Yes. I have to agree.”

Back in the garden, you were delighting in the little birds that had come so close. They normally would not be so trusting of humans but with the great Elvenking there, any nerves they felt in their little bellies was assuaged. They landed not far from the two of you and Thranduil produced some seed from somewhere deep in his pockets, handing you some and watching you sprinkle it upon the snow for the birds to eat. Then he crouched and beckoned you to do the same, gesturing for you to hold your arm out, a little of the seed in your palm.

Thranduil smiled as he watched, delighting in the sound of your laughter as a bird landed upon your outstretched arm, pecking delicately at the seed in your hand, soon joined by another. You thought it was magical and you smiled as you watched the birds flutter off after having their fill. Still grinning, you moved to stand again, having to reach over and steady yourself with your hand against Thranduil’s strong arm as you did so, following the birds across the garden.

Thranduil watched you go, doing his best to ignore the little feeling your touch had ignited within him once again. It was not the first time he had felt it but he had been doing a very good job of ignoring it. It was something Thranduil had not felt in many a century and a massive part of him was not yet ready to admit to himself just what it was.

You, however, were reeling a little. Spending so much time with him was starting to make you feel more and more and it was frustrating you to have to come to the realisation that you probably did have, or were starting to have... feelings for him. For this elf. Not just any old elf, the Elvenking. You tried to keep telling yourself it was absurd, it was childish, it was absolutely ridiculous. You glanced back over at him and found his eyes already on you, watching. You smiled, looking away after a beat and ducking behind a tree as you felt a familiar heat rush to your cheeks.

“I do hope you are not intending to make me chase you.” Thranduil’s smooth voice carried across the snow covered grass and you couldn’t help but laugh out loud, peeking back round the bark to look at him. A bird had come to rest on his head, watching you with curious little eyes. It was most amusing but the addition of the bird made him look no less regal. If anything, it only made him look more like a king of the forest.

“And what if I were to tell you that is indeed my plan, my king?” You teased, unable to help yourself as you played along.

“Then I would have to say, my dear-” Thranduil spoke again, gaze pinning you in place as a wide smirk spread over his features. “-you had better hope yourself a fast runner, indeed.”

A squeal flew from your lips as he advanced and you fled your hiding place, practically flying through the snow as a roaring laugh sounded from somewhere behind you.

[hugsandchaos]

Friendship Is Haunting

Prologue Part Three

2,784 words

Zecora walked through the forest and easily avoided the exposed tree roots. Her eyes and ears were open for any sudden movement around her. The forest was dangerous with many predators and hostile flora. The morning was often the safest time to leave her house since creatures were either going to sleep or waking up, but one could never be too sure that every one of them weren’t active. The morning light breached through the canopy and lit up some of the forest floor well enough for her to see where she was going. The first of the birds chirped in the distance, and soon enough, others would slowly follow. Then the busy day for survival would begin. Zecora was planning on stopping by a lake up ahead to collect some water from it and was following a path in her mind to get to it, but a red color in the middle of her imaginary path made her stop in her tracks.

She stared at it for a few seconds before taking a cautious step forward. Blood wouldn’t hurt her, but whatever caused it to spill in the first place could be nearby. She lowered her head to get a closer look. It was dry. She relaxed a little bit knowing that whatever happened occurred about an hour ago or more, but as she lifted her head to continue albeit on higher alert, she spotted some kind of green liquid dried up barely a step away from the blood. Then Zecora noticed another drop of blood. Then another, and another, and more of the green stuff followed the drops of blood. Before she knew it, the zebra was following a trail of blood and the green stuff. She didn’t have to walk very far before she looked up and realized that she was heading towards a cave.

However, inside the cave, just a few steps from the entrance, she could see a creature leaning against the cave wall. The white around their waist looked... familiar, in a way. Z could see from where she was standing outside that the white was stained with the blood and the odd green substance she’d been following, and their legs had multiple untreated scrapes. Zecora first thought was to help the creature, but there were problems. The first one was that she hadn’t brought any medical supplies. She hadn’t expected to be met with such a sight on her way to get some water. She didn’t have magic to carry the creature, or a carrier either. It was left at her house. As she looked at the creature, she realized he might be a bit heavy for her carrier to make the whole journey from her house and back, and might actually need her wagon.

Zecora paused that train of thought. If she could wake them up, then she could help them walk to her house. With this new plan in mind, she came closer until she could lift a hoof and give them a careful shake. There was no response. She tried again, but it had the same results. She tried again. The creature groaned, but didn’t wake up. She tried again. No response. The zebra’s panic began to really climb, and in only a few seconds, she made up her mind.

As fast as she could, Zecora turned around and broke out into a sprint. Her house wasn’t very far when she walked, so running there and back wouldn’t take much time. She just hoped that the creature’s life wouldn’t have been lost in that time. She zipped past a tree which was familiar to her for the lowest branches curving upwards slightly almost like a masquerade mask and turned right. A few seconds later, she spotted her house through the thick greenery. Zecora’s heart was pumping faster as she ran around it to get the wagon on the other side. She ducked under one of the wooden beams and stood back straight up when her ribcage was under the metal harness. She lifted her hooves to make a few adjustments before taking a few steps forward to test it and make sure it was secure. Thankfully, it was, and the wheels worked as well as she had hoped. Now with a way to carry the creature, Zecora began running again. The wagon wasn’t exactly as pretty as the ponies of the nearby town, but it was well suited for riding through difficult terrain and narrower roads than what the other carts would’ve allowed. This made it easy to get back to the creature almost as fast as she had left them.

Luckily, no predator had gotten to them in the few minutes she was gone. Unfortunately, however, the creature still hadn’t woken up. She went inside the cave and turned around so that the wagon was next to the creature. After that, she got herself out and was by the creature’s side in seconds. Now comes the hard part.

Zecora moved one of her hooves behind the creature and pulled them away from the cave wall. They were lighter than she had expected for their size, but she still had to wriggle her other hoof behind them to move them far enough from the cave wall to get their entire body on the ground. She ducked low and quickly moved behind the creature to catch them from falling down. They were quite heavy, and the zebra briefly lowered even closer to the ground, but she managed to rise back up a little. Their arms hung above and behind her head. She could feel the creature slowly beginning to slip off, but she used one of her hooves to wrap around the arm dangling in front of her and managed to pull them. This way, more of the creature’s body would be on her back and even out their weight. Zecora slowly pushed herself up and kept her good around the creature’s arm. She leaned slightly whenever she felt the creature slip in order to keep him up. Their weight was putting quite a bit of strain on her, but she pushed on and walked a few steps closer to the wagon. Each step was a little difficult to balance, but she made it.

Zecora reached up and unlocked the back of the wagon before pulling it down to a small ramp. The climb was extremely short, but very tiring. She slowly dipped her head down and crouched, allowing the creature to slowly slip off her back and into the wagon. Their arms and legs were stretched out of the wagon, but Zecora, panting and ready to continue despite her body already pretty sore, adjusted them into a more comfortable position the best she could. She had went by the way their limbs had moved and made sure that they wouldn’t fall out. Now the creature was seated with their chin tucked into their chest, both arms by their side, and knees bent and up. It was a little bit small, but it would work. Zecora backed out and raised the back up again. As she began locking it, she heard something. Something that made her heart skip a beat.

The sound could only be described as a mixture between a hiss and a chirp, and the zebra knew exactly what that meant.

Zecora’s heart somehow got even faster as she locked up the back of the wagon and rushed to the front. She quickly readjusted the harness and bolted out of the cave. Adrenaline was giving her more strength to pull the wagon, so she was able to push herself into a speed-trot even with the heavy cargo. She didn’t know if the gaidryc was following her, but she didn’t dare slow down or turn back. It was much better to be safe than sorry. She had to get to her house as soon as she could. Her heart was now practically pounding against her chest, ready to burst out. Still, her mind screamed at her to run faster. Through her frantic mind, Zecora kept the heavyweight behind her in mind and did her best to avoid roots, rocks, fallen vines, and other debris that could cause her to have to stop. She soon took another turn at the tree with the “masquerade” branches. It gave her hope that she’d make it. She turned and continued.

Soon enough, she saw her house. The sight of it gave Zecora more hope that she’d make it. She hadn’t heard the predator since the cave, but it could easily be following her and she wouldn’t notice. She closed the distance between her and her house a little slower than she would’ve liked, but she made it regardless and stopped a meter away from her door. Quickly pulling the harness off, she practically kicked her door open and ran towards the carrier she kept inside. The wagon was too big for the doorway, and the creature was very heavy, so she’d have to use the carrier. It was just big enough for small distances. She bit the harness instead of taking the time to put it on and sprinted back outside. To her relief, she didn’t see anything outside aside from the wagon and the injured creature. The gaidryc wasn’t there. Still, she wasn’t about to slow down. Zecora rushed to the back of the wagon and unlocked it.

The creature was awake, but barely. Their eyes seemed to struggle to stay open and stared off into the distance. They were unfocused and threatening to close. She laid the carrier at the bottom of the ramp and, as gently as she could, bit the creature’s clothes. She used just enough strength to hold them in her mouth and hoped it wouldn’t be enough to accidentally cause some bruising. She pulled on them and slowly backed up. The creature let out a small groan as they were dragged down the ramp and onto the carrier. Once they were on it, their eyes had closed again. Luckily, the steady rise and fall of their chest helped ease the zebra’s anxiety that the situation was even worse than she thought. Zecora moved to grab the harness and pulled them inside. Once she was finally inside, she shut the door. She felt like she could take a moment to breathe, but the creature was still injured. Who knew how long they’d been out there? Or if the scrapes were already infected? Zecora quickly got back to work after hardly a moment’s “break” and rushed to the shelves where she kept her medical supplies.

When Danny came back to the waking world, he felt as if he was even more exhausted than before. His entire body was heavy, and he felt as if he could practically sink into the soft mattress. The blanket above him wasn’t bad either. It felt as if it was his only source of comfortable heat. He was familiar with not feeling like getting out of bed and ultimately (regrettably) defeating that urge, but this time, it felt like it was stronger than ever. Danny didn’t even want to move to muzzle into the comfort of the bed. He was just so tired, and his head was so fuzzy, and the bed was so...

Danny’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. He began pushing himself to wakefulness and fighting back against the urge to go back to sleep. When did he lay in a bed? Last he remembered, he had passed out in a cave. Not a bed. Where was he?

It was surprisingly difficult to open his eyes, and once he did, everything was still blurry. Danny groaned in discomfort as he struggled intensely to lift one of his arms. He tried to sit up, but then he heard what sounded like... hooves? He turned his head to the left, where the sound was coming from. It took him a while to let eyes focus, but when he did, he was absolutely shocked.

Danny’s body moved way too fast for itself as he sat up and tried to crawl back from the zebra. He stopped when his head began to spun and groaned in discomfort. The slightly familiar dark spots briefly clouded part of his vision, but after a couple blinks, they were gone just as fast as they came. Once his vision was cleared up, he saw that the zebra was still there. Not only that, it was closer.“Please, calm yourself! You need to rest to regain your health.” The zebra spoke in a pleading tone. Danny froze. He heard her voice and watched her mouth move, but the fact that a zebra had just spoke was baffling.

Her face had a slightly more humanoid appearance, almost in a cartoonish way. It was flatter than the zebra’s he’s seen in pictures and her eyes were bigger, too. This was both slightly unsettling and the tiniest bit comforting. He didn’t know how long he was in shocked silence, but it must’ve been a while since he noticed that her expression shifted to what had to be concern.“You... You can talk.” Danny muttered. Oddly enough, the zebra seemed to calm down when he said that. Given their close proximity, he wasn’t surprised that she heard him. The zebra lifted a hoof to her chest and breathed a brief, silent sigh of relief before smiling at him.“Speaking is something I’m able to do, and I’m pleased to know that so can you.” She said.

How was this possible? Had he been somehow pulled into another universe or something?! One full of talking zebras?! How long had he been unconscious? He wanted to say only a few hours, but it obviously wasn’t that if he had been transported into some kind of treehouse. Unless he was knocked out pretty hard. Wait, what if this was a dream? Or a hallucination?

Something poking his arm snapped him out of it. He jerked his arm a little and blinked a few times to help refocus his vision. The zebra had briefly touched him and looked at him worryingly. This definitely wasn’t a dream, or a hallucination. The touch was too real to be either of those things.”I’m sorry for making you uneasy, but you started to look queasy.“ She said. That’s when Danny noticed something. His legs, which he used to kick himself back, were now uncovered by the blanket. The scrapes he had left unattended in his frantic escape from the house were now bandaged up. One of the bandages had a splotch of red. It was the bad leg, he must’ve somehow missed it. He glanced at the zebra and looked at her in disbelief.”...Thank you.” He said, hardly believing that he was talking to a zebra. She gave him a warm smile.“You need not to thank me, I’m happy to help. Although I’m not sure how to assist you to regain your health. Your species is one I’m unfamiliar with, so I fear some medicine I have might make you more sick.” She said.

The words felt almost as if he heard them, but wasn’t able to pay attention enough to understand it. Just like in class.“I’m sure you said something, but I’m gonna need a minute to process.” Danny said. The zebra nodded in understanding and turned around.”I will give you space to think. Let me know if you need something to drink.” She said as she walked away. Danny hadn’t noticed this, but there were apparently thin, white curtains in what would be considered a doorway. She closed them to give him some privacy and dim the room a little. It was easier on his eyes that way.

The young halfa slowly moved to lay back down. He was still extremely tired and really wanted to just sleep. He wanted to sleep for weeks, maybe even months. But a part of his mind kept reminding him of the danger he could be in right now. He fought to stay awake so he could think, but he eventually lost that battle and slipped right back into sleep’s comfortable, warm embrace.

Over the course of the next few weeks, Danny stayed with Zecora while he healed. He wasn’t allowed to do much for the first week (not that he had much energy), but by the second week, his injuries had healed enough for him to be “allowed” to get up and move around more. The young halfa soon began to trust the zebra and appreciate her helping her. He was later determined to pay her back for the big favor she’d done for him, even when he was distrusting of her. Before he knew it, he had made a new friend.

[silver-tooth-the-panther]

The Animagus Virus

(A MLP Infection AU)

After their latest concert in Canterlot, Vinyl and Octavia have to head back home to Ponyville. However, the Friendship Express wouldn’t take them home. The conductor told them that Ponyville was shut down. Not willing to be deterred, both of the musicians simply decide to walk back home.

Luckily, they know their way back since Canterlot isn’t too far from Ponyville, so it only took a few hours. When they got back however, everything was deserted. No life echoed in the town, sending chills down their spines. Trembling, both Octavia and Vinyl went up to Twilight’s castle to seek answers.

Octavia knocked on the door, calling for the princess of friendship. Somepony did respond and creaked the door open, but it wasn’t the pony they were looking for. Starlight peered out from the other side. Darkness made it hard to get a good look at her. Both of the musicians sigh, but their comfort didn’t last long.

Starlight flung the door open and as the light shines on her, Vinyl and Octavia realized that something was wrong. The unicorn has a long, black grin on her face and her eyes are sunken in. Her hooves were cracked and broken which made them look like long, sharp claws. Strangely, she walked on her back legs, not on all fours.

She immediately rushed towards them, swinging her long limbs. The musicians ran away from the twisted pony. Eventually, Starlight exhausted herself and headed back to her territory. Octavia and Vinyl found themselves in a state of panic and confusion. Luckily, they found a letter meant for Fluttershy right outside of her cottage.

In that letter, Pinkie wrote to her girlfriend and tells her that she hopes that she can hang in there until Twilight can finish making a cure. It tells them that there has been an infection going around and Ponyville is in quarantine. The virus is known as the Animagus virus.

The Crystal Empire was the safest place to go, so they knew what they had to do. Octavia and Vinyl carefully gathered supplies and embarked on a long and dangerous journey. Shortly into their journey, Vinyl heard the whimpering of a filly in agony. Cautiously, She shuffled through the bushes to find the pained pony.

There she found Scootaloo, whimpering and crying in pain. She was clearly infected, but she strangely wasn’t aggressive. Vinyl and Octavia debated on taking her alone with them. Octavia was scared that she might infect one of them, while Vinyl knew that she wouldn’t attack and wanted to take her to help her.

They decided to take her with. Bandages covered the filly’s body as she rested on Vinyl’s back. Scootaloo clutched onto them, hoping that they can get her to safety. What dangers will they encounter next? What even is this virus and how does it work? Most importantly, can they get to the Crystal Empire before Scootaloo’s body gives up fighting?

If you guys like this concept, I can definitely do more with this infection AU! Let me know if you want more of this!

[ask-healthy-light]

By the time that Light realised that Summer was determined to dive into their arms, both Kirin were lying on the ground already, to the great amusement of the others, who all needed to take some time to recover from their laughter; but although Ty worried about Light's reaction, they merely let out a deep sigh, before they told themselves with a chuckle that they probably should have expected it.

After Ty let out an immense sigh of relief in turn, he and Light were both helped up by the others, to whom he also apologised for his behaviour, only for them to briefly wave around their hooves and claws, and told him not to worry, as long as he did better next time; and Summer firmly nodded with a growing smile on his face, before he turned back to Light, and asked them what they wanted to do.

Although Light figured that learning more about their powers from Summer would be interesting, they knew that their priority was still set on the Marauders to the East, so they politely asked Boom if he still had his maps; but before Light had even finished their sentence, Boom manifested a map out of seemingly nothing, and after some time of turning the map around, he asked the others to follow.

As the group of eight travelled further East, however, Ember asked the others to keep an eye on the Sun, for if it sank too far to the horizon before they made it to their destination, they needed to make camp, hidden, and well-guarded; for as Captain Inferno and Princess Nox both already knew, the night would bring nocturnal Dragons along with it, and their presence here would make them targets.

Since it would still be a long journey to the East, even at galloping speed, Boom thanked Ember for her warning, and asked her what she believed was the best place to set up their base for the night, as well as what they would have to look out for after the Sun had set; and although Ember preferred not to answer Boom's question, Nox sweetly asked her to tell him, for the sake of the entire group.

With an immense sigh from Ember, which also produced a wisp of fire that nearly singed the manes of their hooved companions on the ground, she begrudgingly told Boom that contrary to what she figured they thought the safest place to be, they needed to find low ground; for Dragons hated walking, and they always flew around while on the hunt, so the higher they were, the easier they could be found.

As for what they had to look out for during the night, she admitted that even she did not know, for not only had she never before ventured so far East, and she did not know what they could encounter, but she also rarely flew anywhere in the dark, if she even went outside at all; for one of the only things she remembered her Father taught her when she was but a Drake was to be careful in the dark.

Knowing that Dragon Lord Torch rarely cared about any Dragon, and showed minimal concern for Ember, most of the others realised that her warning had to be taken especially seriously if her Father was the one who taught her; and after they expressed to Light, Summer, and Courage how important it was that they find a safe place to stay the night, their pace steadily slowed down, until they stopped.

Fortunately, the nearest claimed territories were at least a few leagues away in any direction, and they doubted that they would be bothered by any Elemental Dragons, but still, they knew they had to be aware of the danger that could befall them during the night; so as the Dragonesses looked around for natural shelter, the others split up for the moment, and joined one of the three on the ground.

It took some time before any duo or trio found a place that fit all of their requirements, but when Inferno and Shining returned to the meeting point to tell the others, the others followed them to a cave that lead into a ditch, with a small spring flowing out of it; and after Nox assured the group that she saw nothing, and that the cave was empty, they all sighed as they put down their satchels.

After Light put down their mat, Summer asked them if they wanted to learn, to which they said:

"As long as we put the safety of the group first, I will follow."

(Thanks for reading! And if you enjoyed, please reblog! Thanks in advance!)

Send an ask or request! | Start at the beginning! | Next part!

Featuring: Nox Lunarwing and Summer Typhoon from @nox-lunarwing Boomlord from @thedumbguywithaheart43

[adventures-on-foster-island]

How to care for the Mareep line

Mareep were some of the first Pokémon ever domesticated by humans. Some wild Mareep naturally shed their fur every spring, and may be unrecognizable to the average trainer during this time, however domesticated Mareep continue to grow their fur all year. These Pokémon were selectively bred for longer, softer wool and docile temperaments for hundreds of years before becoming the creatures we know today.

This line typically gives live birth, and newborn Mareep come out with what are known as "fairy fingers" covering their hooves. These fleshy coverings protect the mother from the baby's hooves during gestation and labor, and will dry and fall off within a few hours after birth. As with all ungulate Pokémon, it is important that the mother and baby bond in that first hour, and that the baby begins to nurse as quickly as possible.

As Mareep grow during the first few months, it will become apparent what breed they are. Wool or fur type is the biggest indicator, followed by size and temperment. Care requirements vary slightly by breed, but all are herbivores who need rough grasses to aid in digestion. League standard Mareep and its evolutions should consume some regular electric type packaged food made for herbivores, but also should be allowed time to graze. Wool production Mareep should have a varied diet of mostly vegitation from the pasture, supplemented with hay and or grains during gestation, nursing, winter, and drought. A favorite of the line are nutrient rich legumes, such as clover, however care must be taken to avoid over grazing, which damages the root systems and kills the helpful plants.

Most well-known varieties of Mareep produce wool, and these Pokémon must be shorn at least once a year, more frequently for faster growing wool or in warm climates. Some groups in recent years, such as PETA and Team Plasma, have made claims that shearing is an unethical practice, which has lead misinformed trainers to "rescue" these Pokémon from farms, only to later find their Mareep blinded by their own fur and suffering from the heat and weight. If the idea of shearing a Pokémon makes you uncomfortable, you could opt for a variety that produces a hair-like fur instead, though these are rare and expensive in certain regions. These breeds will naturally shed their fur, however will instead need brushing to help get it all off. It is also worth noting that the longer fured Mareep are not accepted by the league or contest circuit.

This line feels safest when part of a flock. Most flocks consist of ten or more Mareep, a handful of Flaaffy, and one or two Ampharos. There is a pecking order, so to speak, with the Ampharos, or oldest member of the pack, being the leader. Lone Mareep and Flaaffy can become quite skittish, particularly in open spaces or near large canine or feline Pokémon. Proper socialization with the rest of your team early on is key for maintaining the happiness of these prey species. Ampharos on the other hand do quite well without other members of it's line so long as its other requirements are met.

[greyskywrites]

Brother of the Moon XIII.

Afterlife

4.2k | kofi | ao3 | tag

Lucian

The world is asleep under the snow, one moon after midwinter and at least another moon away from the thaw, when Lucian wakes before dawn and he knows. He sits up, rubbing his back and letting out a breath. It had started some time in the night, but the pains had come and gone before. They’re still coming now.

Eadwin stirs behind him, touches his arm. “What is it?”

Lucian tilts his head back, face toward the ceiling, trying to keep his breathing steady. “When the sun comes up,” he says, “you’ll want to get Sister Fiona.”

Eadwin starts up and Lucian holds out a hand. “Slow down. I don’t think we’ll need her before you have enough light to see by, and I don’t want you killing a horse or breaking your neck in the dark. Just—sit with me a while.”

Eadwin comes around to his side of the bed, sliding a hand across Lucian’s back. “I don’t know how you’re so calm.”

“No sense in getting worked up now before we’ve even started,” Lucian sighs.

“I’m fucking terrified,” Eadwin says.

Lucian laughs. “Language, Brother.” He only calls Eadwin ‘brother’ to tease him. He leans into Eadwin’s side, thinking of the day he woke up in that hospital and Eadwin had clearly been at his side all night. “I’ve changed my mind,” he says, “send someone else when there’s light, I don’t want you to leave me.”

Eadwin takes his hand and sits with him until the light outside goes from black to silvery gray. He does a decent job of concealing his worry, except that his grip tightens whenever Lucian reacts to a pain.

Lucian pulls up the moonstone that never leaves his neck anymore, running the smooth sides under his fingers. Eadwin kisses his wrist and goes to rouse the others. Lucian is hardly alone but that Fortune appears, pulling the blankets off the bed and making the room ready. “All of my children were born in this room,” she says, “and I never lost one that made it this far, so I’ll pray some of that luck rubs off on you.” She draws the curtains against any spirits that might look in, and walks a candle in a full circuit around the room, muttering a prayer and making the sign in each corner. Lucian hears the creak of the gate and the hooves in snow as someone leaves.

He thinks of the Queen of Heaven giving birth to the first people in the dark underground, in the caverns of what had once been her husband’s body. He paces restlessly, keeping close to the bed so he can grasp the posts when an ache becomes too much. Mother, he thinks, not knowing if he’s praying to the Heavenly or the earthly one, the one who died birthing him—please I have so much life left to live.

How long, how long has he spent bargaining with Heaven? With ghosts?

“Where’s Eadwin?” he asks. “I want him here.” Eadwin was with him when he tried to take his own life, was with him when Wulfric would have killed them both, Lucian needs him there now. This is the threshold of the world, between life and the road after, and if he is going to risk falling on the wrong side of that threshold he does not want to spend his last moments without Eadwin.

“Men don’t belong in the birthing room.” Fortune says it without thinking, only seems to realize her mistake as the last word leaves her lips.

“When you figure out how to do this without me, you let me know,” Lucian says. “I want him here. He put me in this condition, he can damn well be here for the result.” He has always been safest when Eadwin was there.

Fortune lets out a breath and goes to the door, shouting for Eadwin.

Eadwin is swift about coming back up the steps, and he stays with Lucian as Fortune makes things ready for the midwife. Lucian wraps his prayer beads around his hand, the rose medal clasped in his palm.

Sister Fiona arrives with two other nuns, and Hanne brings hot water and soap for washing. Veils are taken off to the small hair caps beneath, sleeves are pinned back and aprons pulled over habits. Hands are washed and purifications performed. Prayers are said, with only a little stumbling where the written prayer says Holy Mother watch over your daughter and Sister Fiona corrects herself to say watch over your son. Sanctified rosewater is drawn in circles over Lucian’s forehead, his belly.

Eadwin holds tightly to his hands, and Lucian thinks of that grip as his mooring, the thing holding him to hope and safety and life. He focuses as much of his attention as he can on the grip of their hands together, thinking that he cannot have come all this way to die here. I am going to live, he thinks, and so will my daughter.

She comes into the world with a scream, and Lucian sags back against Eadwin’s chest, trying to catch his breath. Eadwin wraps both arms around him, kissing his temple.

Their daughter shrieks while she’s washed clean, and when she’s placed in Lucian’s arms. The thin wisps of hair on her head are redder than he would have expected—he had envisioned her with Eadwin’s dark hair. Her tiny fists are clenched tight, her face contorted in all the fury and dismay such a tiny thing can muster. Lucian laughs, and draws her up to kiss her head. “My little fighter,” he murmurs, “you should be angry, to find the world this cold.”

When Sister Fiona is satisfied that neither of them are in any immediate danger, she washes her hands and gathers up what she needs for the blessing. “What will you call her?”

Lucian looks up. “Luna.” He’s given it a great deal of thought, ever since he was put in the convent at Grenacre. When Margaret spent every day reading Eadwin’s prayer book, the one still inscribed with the name he took as a brother of the Moon: Eadwin Lunadora. He had kept that name close to his heart, when he had no guarantee that he would ever see Eadwin again. “Her name is Luna.”

Sister Fiona nods, and performs the blessing there at the bedside, sprinkling Luna with rosewater, praying for her good health and long life under the protection of the Queen of Heaven and Her angels.

“Sisters, have you eaten?” Fortune asks. “Hanne will have made something.”

They leave Lucian and Eadwin for a moment, while Lucian adjusts his nightshirt to bring Luna to his breast. Eadwin gets up and draws a blanket around them, pausing to stroke Lucian’s hair.

“I’m alright,” Lucian sighs. “We’re alright.”

“If I may be frank,” Eadwin says, “I would prefer to do this as few times as possible.”

Lucian laughs, smiles. “What, you don’t want to keep going until we get a son?”

“I don’t care about having a son, I care about you.” He strokes Lucian’s cheek, and drops a hand to caress Luna’s head. “She’ll look like you, I think.”

“Ah, all babies look the same,” Lucian murmurs. “Stay with me.”

“Always,” Eadwin murmurs, getting back into the bed and wrapping an arm around him. He traces circles on Lucian’s shoulder, murmurs, “Let him drink my life’s blood, let him eat my flesh.”

Lucian turns his face toward Eadwin’s. “Let it redden his lips, let him suck the marrow from my bones—”

“—and dress himself in my skin,” Eadwin murmurs, stroking Lucian’s cheek. “For I give my life to him, to keep as he wills, and in the belly of my lord—”

“I will be reborn,” Lucian finishes, and tips his face up for a kiss.

Abigayle brings a tray of food up, eager to see her new granddaughter. “Ah,” she murmurs, “she looks just like my girls did.”

Eadwin takes a drowsing Luna down to let the household see her while Lucian sleeps, Sister Fiona keeping an eye on him while he does. He dreams himself as Margaret, meeting their mother again as she was in the moon mass. They are sitting in the church, the candles all lit and filling the space with golden light. Her mother strokes her hair which is still cut short, and smiles. “You’ve done well for yourself, darling. Are you happy?”

Margaret nods. “Yes.”

“You have so many people to care for you here,” her mother says. “I’m glad you don’t feel so alone, anymore.”

He wakes when Eadwin comes back, settling into the bed with the baby against his chest. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It’s alright,” Lucian murmurs, moving to tuck up against his side. “I’m glad you’re here.”

Eadwin slides an arm around his shoulders, and Lucian falls asleep watching Luna breathe.

#.

Spring comes, and Lucian goes out to set snares for rabbits. The deer will be too skinny from the winter, and all of them are sick of venison. Luna rides in a sling on his back, quiet and astonished by everything in the forest. He sings to her as they walk back along the river, keeping an eye out for signs of bears beginning to stir.

Luna’s hair is coming in red-gold, but her eyes are dark like Eadwin’s. She’ll be a haunting beauty when she grows up. Lucian means to teach her to hunt.

He has found someone in the village to teach him how to make arrow shafts, and the smith is willing to trade arrowheads for meat. Even so, he’s careful not to fire at anything he doesn’t think he can get the arrow back from. The ducks will be back soon, Tom says, with a wink and a sort of nudge.

Lucian marks where the wild hazel grows, and cuts the heads of green ferns still tightly coiled to bring back with the mushrooms and early greens. “We’ll make this your second home,” he says to Luna. “Nobody will be able to make a prisoner of you if you know how to survive the woods.”

It’s been not quite a year since he left Grenacre for good, and even he sometimes forgets what he used to be. Not Margaret, but a lady. Someone who wore silk and was waited on. It feels like a fanciful story. The only thing he misses is having someone else to clean the stables.

Some great old tree came down in the winter, clearing a sunny stretch in the thick canopy. Lucian marks its location to bring Will and Tom back so they can cut it for firewood, and sits with his back against the trunk while he nurses Luna. He knows Eadwin will worry the longer they’re out, but he can’t quite bring himself to hurry back. Not yet. Out here in the forest is the only place he gets true quiet anymore, his only conversation partners the birds and the frogs.

He looks down at Luna, thinks of the vision he had of swallowing the golden eye. “What do you think?” he asks. “In a few years, should I eat the other?” His blood had hardly come back but that it stopped again, and he’s going to see Sister Fiona to have that taken care of. It’s too soon to have another.

Luna sleeps on his back as Lucian makes his way back into the village. Eadwin has his eyes on a plot nearer the forest, further from the river, where he says they could build a new house. A bigger house, with a proper barn for the horses, perhaps a cow or two, and a garden where they can grow flowers, not just vegetables. Lucian says he will just be glad to have a proper bed.

The sisters at the church are installing bee hives to fund their work. Luna’s name and the date of her birth is written down in the books there, and in the front of Eadwin’s prayer book. It’s written as Brewster, though people have taken to calling Lucian—and Luna by extension—Hunter.

Eadwin has also written down the day of their marriage, otherwise only recorded in Grenacre abbey under Lucian’s old name. They say Lady Margaret died of a broken heart.

Joan and Sky are planting the garden under Abigayle’s watchful eye. Peas and beans and carrots and beets and lettuce and cabbage. “Oh, bless you,” she says, when Lucian shows her the contents of his basket. “We’ll get these mushrooms to drying.”

“You’d think if Uncle Eadwin spent so long in the Moons, we’d be growing our own mushrooms,” Joan says, shaking seeds into her palm out of a jar.

“Once he has an inch of space, we probably will,” Lucian says. “He means to sell them.” Eadwin has taken to keeping his books like he keeps his prayers. Others in the village have begun to pay him a fee to make and keep books for them, hoping to see the same improvements as their own household. He can’t build a cathedral—but maybe a house.

#.

They build a house up against a hill. There’s a special outbuilding for the brewing, a bath with a great cauldron for heating water, and a barn for the horses. They find a stud to breed the mare to, and she drops a beautiful lively colt. They buy a pregnant milk cow who gives a heifer. Everyone grows a little fatter on butter and cream.

There’s an enormous garden, with strawberry rows and flowers along the edges. Young fruit trees stretch toward the sun. There is a particular lot where Eadwin cultivates mushrooms, and when it rains the ground explodes in a riot of shapes and colors. They buy a small barge to take their own goods down the river to the market.

It is in that new house that their son is born, three years after Luna. Lucian names him Eadwin, which the elder Eadwin protests, but Lucian won’t be moved. They call him Little Ed. He will be the last child, and his hair will grow in dark over grey eyes.

Luna is wild and keen, and she grows like a weed. Every spring she goes out to check the snares with Lucian, and every autumn they go to the wild hazel trees to look for nuts. She knows the names of the trees before she knows her letters—and in learning her letters she tries Eadwin’s patience at every turn.

When Lucian asks, the sisters at the church write to their orders, looking for fragments of information, recipes and magics that have been collected by the church. They look over everything together, and Lucian decides what he is willing to try.

The potion he’s meant to drink is so vile they switch almost immediately to a salve. It makes him smell rather noticeably like pine resin and horse sweat, but only for a few hours in the morning which he can usually spend out of doors. He thinks for a while that it must not be doing anything at all—until in the middle of a sentence his voice cracks in such a heinous way that in spite of his valiant efforts Eadwin cannot keep a straight face.

Oddly, Lucian’s gradual transformation seems to make their neighbors less confused about him. Luna thinks the appearance of hair on his cheeks and its thickening on his arms means he’s turning into a fox or (because she likes them) a squirrel. She is deeply disappointed to be told otherwise.

Alone in their bed at night, Eadwin still claims Lucian will be the death of him, though he’s perfectly able to keep up. Their bigger house has thicker walls.

He watches his face change in the mirror, watches Luna and Little Ed grow and thinks how strange it is when news comes to them as if from another world. Lady Wulfwyn of Eagletop has become notorious for turning down marriage proposals, which her lord uncle refuses to do anything about. (They hear of this because Lord Andrew’s son is the latest in a string of failed suitors.) Lord Aethelric, it is said, keeps a lover openly—but he also won’t marry. Eadwin mutters that it will make it difficult to find Everard and Mildred good matches when they’re older.

Eadwin still wakes before sunrise every morning to pray at the icons on the wall. They’ve collected them gradually—the Queen of Heaven, the Moon, St. Luce. Around their windows they’ve had roses painted, and falcons and black stags. The rose bushes in their garden climb higher every year. Lucian prays his beads in the quite moments of the afternoon while his children sleep. He reads the poetry Eadwin wrote for him while they were separated.

Eadwin still writes when he can’t sleep, which is usually when the moon is full and bright outside their window and he has no mass to tend to. Lucian will wake and find him still at his desk. If it is a good day, his pen will be scratching at the paper like soldiers marching to battle. If it is a bad one, Eadwin will be staring out the window at the garden and the forest beyond, and Lucian will bully him back into the bed to sleep. “It’s not me that will be the death of you if you don’t rest.” But the children— “But nothing. They are overrun with relatives.” Especially when Bree and Joan make good matches for themselves and take to their husband’s homes. There will always be somewhere in this village for Luna and Ed.

He watches Eadwin sleep sometimes, turned onto his side and breathing softly under the blankets, and thinks of Margaret’s father summoning her in Grenacre, the first time she saw Eadwin standing there as impatient as a crow watching the butcher and trying to hide it, spinning tales for her father to persuade him to part with her. The way his gaze had flitted to Margaret’s measuring her expression, adjusting accordingly. As though they had already understood each other.

Chance and accident that they met at all. Lucian wonders what Lady Catherine thought of it when news of the scandal reached her. He wonders where in Grenacre those black antlers were hung. He imagines them high over the mantle in the dining hall, a reaching black shadow over Harry’s head. The hide still hangs in their bedroom, Luna lives in hope of seeing a black deer.

Autumn comes, and Lucian goes out hunting.

#.

Eadwin

He is up late working on the books while Lucian cuts new fletching for his arrows. He bought a parcel of falcon feathers when last they went to market, and he is gradually replacing damaged fletching with it.

Setting aside his tools, Lucian asks, “Do you ever miss her?”

“Who?” Eadwin asks, ascertaining the later hour by the position of the moon in the sky and the low height of his candle. Perhaps he should put away his pen. It has been a long day and Luna resists her lessons every time the sun comes out, a behavior which Lucian is in the habit of indulging.

“Margaret.”

“Is she gone?” Eadwin asks. “I thought we spoke just last week.”

“You know what I mean,” Lucian says. His voice has a low warmth it didn’t used to have, though sometimes the way he was trained to speak as a lady slips through.

Eadwin turns to look at him, at the trimmed beard that has come in so nicely, the changed shape of him. The beard makes him look older, which Eadwin thinks is why he let it grow. “No,” he says, “everything I love about her is still there in you. All I ever wanted was for you to be happy.” He holds out a hand, drawing Lucian to his side. “Have I done something that made you think otherwise?”

“No, it’s only—sometimes I feel so distant from her, and I wore her name until the day we were married.” Lucian slides an arm around Eadwin’s shoulders.

“Before we reached Eagletop, I thought that you would have been happier if you were born a man.”

Lucian pauses, looks at him. “You never said a word.”

“That’s not the sort of thing you say to a lady,” Eadwin says. “Particularly not when every time someone else says it to her she looks absolutely miserable.”

“Not even after she says the Queen of Heaven showed her what she ought to be?”

“You’d also just told me you were with child, so my mind was preoccupied with other things.” He shifts in his chair, pulls Lucian into his lap. “In any case, you were right.”

“About what, specifically?”

“That I should have just stolen you for myself from the beginning.”

Lucian smiles and kisses his temple. “Come to bed, thief.”

The sandalwood perfume is long ago run out, but Eadwin’s come to know the scent of him beneath that. Lucian is covered now in fine red hair, folding in among the pale scar-like strips on his belly that came after the children. Every fold and scar and bruise—Eadwin thinks he knows Lucian’s body better than his own, down to the scent and taste of him.

And it is still his preference to touch Lucian until he begs—or curses Eadwin, depending on his mood.

#.

Lucian

It’s spring, six years after he left Grenacre when Lucian first hears the song. They’re in town after going to market, staying the night in a tavern before going home in the morning. He has left the children with Fortune and Abigayle.

A man is sat by the fire, plucking at his harp and singing for pennies tossed into a hat. He has a good voice, but Lucian isn’t really listening until he hears that name. Lady Margaret.

It starts with quite the scene; a beautiful young woman locked away in a tower (Grenacre never had any towers) by her father who would share her beauty with no man for fear of how his only daughter would be ruined. Lucian gets up from the table to move closer and listen. In the song, Lady Margaret spends her days wishing wistfully for a rescuer. A young and handsome monk comes to ask for her father to part with her to marry his lord. The song paints him as a talented deceiver, who never has any intention of delivering the lady to her betrothed. (Wulfric and Eagletop go entirely unnamed.) Then the song has it that the monk seduces and despoils Lady Margaret, wins her heart and persuades her to kill her betrothed. Her father dies of a broken heart over the scandal (Lucian can’t help it, he snorts) and her brother cloisters her in a convent. The treacherous monk abandons her, and Lady Margaret throws herself from the church spire, leaving her bastard daughter a church orphan to be raised by nuns. He would be impressed that they guessed it was a daughter, but he suspects it only sounds more tragic to have a motherless bastard girl who will never be claimed and who will be redeemed by growing up a nun.

“Did you write it yourself?” Lucian asks, when the song is finished.

“I did,” the man says.

“Your poetry’s not bad, but the story is all wrong.” Lucian flips him a coin. “Grenacre Hall doesn’t have any towers.”

The man looks at him, puzzled, but Lucian just smiles and goes back to the table with the others. Eadwin had been out, tending to the horses. “What’s that look?” he asks.

Lucian leans in to lower his voice. “Did you know you’re a dangerous seducer and known deceiver?”

“Am I, now?” He raises his brows. “Is that how we met?”

“According to the song.” Lucian takes a drink. “I think you should write a version, just for us.”

“I was never much for music.”

“A poem, then.”

In the morning when they untether their barge to turn back upriver, which will take them nearly all day, silver ribbons of mist are rising up off the dark trees. Lazy black eels disappear into the murk when the barge is disturbed, some as thick as Lucian’s arm. The Penbreak is quiet today, calm and smooth to disguise the cold and strong currents beneath. Even in the height of summer it’s cold enough to freeze a person who fell in. (The fish taste just as muddy as Lucian suspected they would.)

Lucian hums the tune of the song under his breath, wondering how many of the songs he knows are about someone, and how much any of them are true. The black stag hunt would make a good song, if anyone who cared knew the story. He can imagine Lord Aethelric commissioning one, though he can’t imagine how fantastical it would be.

The barge falls into a lull when they have nothing to talk about, and Lucian watches the trees. Mostly its birds they’ll see along the shore, the occasional bear.

They come around a bend, and a doe lifts her head from the far bank to watch them. There are two small fawns at her side, teetering about on their little legs. One is red, its spots bright and white. The other is black as charcoal.

Lucian watches them in silence, not wanting to spook the doe. He hears the others fall still as they notice. “Well,” Tom whispers, “would you look at that.”

The doe makes a sound to draw her fawns’ attention, and they fade into the trees like shadows.

Lucian glances back at Eadwin, and smiles.

End.

[ashleyfableblack]

Another piece and a bit of an excerpt from "The Festival of Serpents" a Lyra Heartstrings and Sweetie Drops cross-cultural jam, set in The Eternal Courtship AU.

Bonnie brushed through her wife's mane, listening intently as Lyra went on about her ancestral homeland…

"When I was just a little filly great, great grand-mam Flameberge used to tell us all stories about them, Selene and Marceline. She was something else."

Her smile was tinged with the nostalgic sadness of family lost. Bonnie paused in brushing through her wife's now bright orange mane to lovingly stroke her cheek. Lyra gave her hoof a nuzzle and continued.

"Great-great grandda Fortune Fair, now he was a crazy old coot. I used to think his mind was just gone. We ALL did. The way he would carry on about 'The Old Ways'. Still, he seemed so happy sometimes- like when he used to tell us about the time he actually saw Marceline."

"Met her? Isn't She one of your people's gods?"

Lyra nodded. "Yep. She gave all us Mares of the Isle our red manes and big floofy chests." Lyra puffed up the crest of her barrel- a trait normally only seen in pegasi and even then, hardly so prominent as Lyras.

Bonnie smirked and gave her wife an affectionate nuzzle. "Remind me to thank her sometime."

Lyra kissed her hoof with a proud ruffling of her fluff. "Heh. The legends differed on what She looked like. Some said She was stone gray with a mane as black as ink and huge, hooked wings with wounds on her neck like a vampire bite. Some of the old-timers said She WAS the first vampire, others said… well, She roamed the deepest parts of the woods, far from the edges of any of our villages or fields. WAY out where She could be alone, doing whatever gods do when she wasn't with Selene."

Lyra laughed heartily and began to pantomime exaggerated waves of her hooves, speaking with the raspy tones and exaggerated accent of an old stallion mariner of the Coltic Isle.

"Back in those days, before the coming of those Golden Coast heathens a unicorn knew their place. Children of the world were we, children of the isle, the soil- but our mares, they were the daughters of the wood and we KNEW our place weren't there. That was HER land and we knew well enough to respect Our Lady's sovereignty…"

Bonnie laughed as Lyra turned to her, squinting and jutting out her chin. She theatrically sipped from an unseen flagon and wiped at an invisible beard.

"BUT there were those of us who were daft enough to go wandering where we shouldn't. And I just happened to be a stallion of such dubious mettle." She cackled and slapped her flank with a huge grin. "I had just been blessed with the delightful learning that your dear grammie would soon be blessing our happy home. Being a proper stallion of the isle, the lads took me out to celebrate, perhaps a little too much, it turned out."

Her voice grew more ominous in tone. "Soon, I was full of the spirit and wandering about in the woods. Not just any woods, mind you. These were the dark places, where the light found no home. The beautiful moon herself never touched the soil and the tree bark was as black as the pitch beneath the icy depth of the seas. I felt about in the dark, terrified by my own stupidity. Even …eh… encumbered… as I was , I knew I was not in the safest of places. Birds didn't sing out there. Nor bees fly. They knew better, as I should have. The things which grew knew no hoof nor horn. Things which were not for pony-kind. Old things lived out here, dark things, dangerous things."

Lyra's eyes darted about excitedly with a panicked glare "It was soon I heard their laughter. whispering in my ears. Taunting me, teasing, just on the edge of hearing, like shadows in my mind. They hissed and giggled- cruel, mocking voices like needles dipped in honey and hate. EVIL voices cackling tiny shrill things, threatening me with madness. I ran as I never had, tears in me eyes. I knew it would be my last night on the sweet coast of my family. My last thoughts would be fearing for your grammie and how I'd not be there to greet her into this world.

But then, I saw…"

She lifted a hoof and pointed to the distance, suddenly very still, reverent.

"The voices stopped. EVERYTHING stopped. The world itself froze in dead silence, like winter had claimed it all. The only way I could tell you I yet lived, sweet lassie, was the pounding in my chest and the blood, rushing through my ears. The eyes. Two spheres of green flame, floating in the dark. They drew me in. It was like looking into the maw of the serpent herself at the end of all things."

"She came from the dark… like nothing I had ever lain eyes upon. The most …beautiful and terrifying mare a body had ever beheld. Her ivory coat seemed to sprout from the dark, glowing like a star- like I was watching creation unfold. A body as lithe and graceful as the music of the wind. She had fetlocks that seemed to flow in a breeze all their own and a mane as crimson-red as the blood of Equis' own soul, trailing down to the grass. She towered over me, looking down with those eyes. Impossible eyes. They were… like looking into time. I could see our village being built, stone by stone. I saw the faces of my own dear ma and da, falling in love at the sweet summer festival. Meeting my sweet beloved Flameberge in the flower of our youth. I saw the birth of our first foal, and felt the cold across my gut of four stallions carrying my mortal remains to the pyre. There was no doubt about it, I was in the presence of The Wood Herself, The Great Mare of Soil and Stone and I was an idiot in the very deepest of trouble."

[mnmovdoom]

@coffee-in-veins

I heard someone needed some fluff so I typed this in a rush, didn’t proof-read it, I’m not even sure it’s fluff anymore, but I hope it’s at least entertaining!

As expected, Reynauld was with his horse.

Dismas couldn’t understand, as much as he tried, why Reynauld spent so much time around the horse. Why constantly groom it to complete blackness, if it would end up grey with hay dust again? Not to mention, the smell in the stables was… bad. The air was heavy with hay dust and the thick scent of hay, plus the scent of sweat from the big black horse and the sharp tinge of leather from its saddle and headpiece. 

But above all, Dismas couldn’t under why he always ended up here, in front of the horse’s open stall, staring at it in displeasure while Reynauld fussed around the horse, two different brushes in each hand and a comb between his teeth and a hoof-pick tucked between his belt and gambeson. 

Today, there was a ball of thick yarn and a scissor left on the floor just outside the horse’s stall. 

“What the heck,” Dismas meant it as a question, but it came out as a statement, like a particularly appalling deed had been done already and Dismas was being made to witness the catastrophic results.

Reynauld’s head whipped around to look at him, and while Dismas was always pleased to see Reynauld beam whenever their eyes met, this particular beaming felt like doom.

Fives minutes later and Dismas was standing outside in the yard, watching warily as Reynauld tied his big black horse to an iron ring on the wall. Dismas didn’t trust the head collar and the rope to hold the damn horse if it suddenly fancied charging away - but his biggest concern right now were the items in his hands: the yarn ball and the scissors in one, and a bucket of water in the other. 

The Light had created Dismas for the sole purpose of torturing him.

“It’s very kind of you to help me plaiting,” Reynauld said, flashing Dismas a smile like he hadn’t volunteered Dismas to help him plait the damn horse. Whatever plaiting meant. “Come, let us begin!”

Sighing in resignation, Dismas shuffled over, making it a point of keeping Reynauld between himself and the horse’s head - though between those horrid teeth and the iron-clad hooves that kicked randomly at innocent flies, Dismas wasn’t sure what was his safest option. He eyes the horse’s hooves warily, but all four of them were firmly planted on the ground… for now. Right, plaiting:

“I just need to hold this for you, right?” Dismas asked, watching Reynauld dip the comb in the bucket and then comb through the horse’s mane again. Would Dismas admit that horse’s mane was softer and better looked after than his own hair (or Reynauld’s, or even Audrey’s)? Never. 

“I need you to cut some of the yarn to tie the mane,” Reynauld explained as soon as he finished combing the horse’s black mane. He left the comb floating in the bucket and began to section the horse’s mane. Would Dismas ever admit he was jealous of how gently Reynauld treated his horse? Never. Right, to help Reynauld, Dismas had to step closed to the horse. He knew the front hooves were called ‘hands’, and the way they stomped was a little less aggressive than the way the feet did - those hind legs had too much… mobility. Sighing, Dismas approached carefully, and while Reynauld held out a thin section of mane, not wider than a finger, Dismas measured the yarn necessary to tie it, wrapped it at the top of the section closer to the horse’s neck, and cut the yarn. 

He did this another seventeen times and thought that was it, he could walk away without having gotten bitten or stomped on. But as soon as he turned his back to go, Reynauld grabbed his arm, turned him around, and pulled him closer again:

“Wait, now we need to plait!” he exclaimed, furrowing his brow like Dismas knew exactly what he was talking about. He probably realised it was Dismas he was talking to, because he set out to explain what plaiting was. He divided the section of mane in three smaller sections, then started to braid it.

So plaiting was braiding. Dismas was not about to braid a horse!

“And then we finish like this…” Reynauld muttered, mostly to himself, as he curled and folded the braid upwards. “I need more yarn to tie it, Dis.”

Dismas didn’t know how long it took, but he assumed that was fast work when it came to plaiting. Reynauld’s fingers were deft and sure, and not even Dismas’ sluggishness when providing more yarn broke his rhythm. Soon, the horse’s strong neck was completely exposed, topped by pompoms of braids. Reynauld chose to let the forelock loose, and while Dismas didn’t like horses and this particular one caused him great aggrievance, he had to admit… the big black horse looked nice. 

“Now, the tail!” Reynauld exclaimed, grabbing the bucket of water and the comb again and going to stand right behind the horse. In that exact moment, it kicked a fly but Reynauld didn’t even bat an eye.

“No,” Dismas said, his tone definitive. He refused! He was not going to risk himself getting kicked just to braid the horse’s tail!

But when Reynauld reached for him and pulled him close by the arm, Dismas grudgingly hid behind Reynauld, watching him comb the tail and section it and braid it and curl it and fold it upwards. Reluctantly, he held out the yarn to wrap it around the tail, then cut it and leaped backwards to watch Reynauld tie it. 

Alright, the horse looked real fancy. Dismas didn’t like horses, but he could see why such a noble animal was the symbol of a noble knight. 

He kept watching as Reynauld went to get the saddle and headpiece, and in no time, his big black horse was ready. Leaving the ball of yarn and the scissors on the ground next to the bucket, Dismas turned around and began to walk away.

“Oh, come on-” he complained, as soon as Reynauld grabbed him by the back of his jacket and pulled him closer:

“You can’t just walk, I plaited him for you!” Reynauld sounded particularly offended, like that one time the horse had pinned its ears to the back of its head when seeing Dismas for the first time and Dismas flipped him the finger. 

It took a moment for Reynauld’s words to register, it took a moment for Dismas to notice Reynauld holding out his cupped hands to help Dismas climb to the saddle.

Reynauld had… had embellished his horse, his status symbol, for Dismas.