#scavenger of blue flame

[cloudy-reverie]

Artwork from Karakara Kemuri's newest series!

[xenomorphicdna]

I finished the skittleing

Hehe all creechured up

[bisexualiteaa]

actually dying for a cooper howard x vaultie!reader smut where they have some slow burn longing steaminess, but coop thinks she’s too good for him UNTIL she comes in contact with a sex pollen-esque chem and he finally gives in to save her 🥵 please work your magic and elaborate however you want

A Flame in Your Heart

Cooper Howard x Fem Reader (SMUT!!)

CW: NSFW like absolutely filthy y’all, you’ve been warned. 💀 unprotected sex, irradiated cream pie, p in v, p0rn w/ plot, slow burn, flirting, cursing, perverted thoughts, dub-con (because of chem usage though consent is asked and given!) rough sex, dirty talk, choking, praise kink, degradation, squirting, mention of fingering, FEELINGS!! Slight deviation from TV series, possible grammar/spelling mistakes, cooper starts off mean but slowly warms up to reader

AN: I absolutely LOVED this request! I was up all night writing down all my ideas and spent all this morning perfecting it, and this has to be my longest one yet! I thank you for your patience anon and my lovely readers as I finally post this! Hope you enjoy and that I have done your ask justice! ❤️

Life outside of the vault was difficult to say the least. You felt hunger and dehydration in ways you’d never experienced before, going out of your way to do desperate things you would normally never do in order to get said food and water. The heat was unbearable, every stretch of land you walked across had a danger lurking around every corner, and worst of all, you’d never felt so alone. You weren’t sure what it was about you, maybe it was because you were new to the surface, maybe it was your nearly perfect skin, but everyone seemed to stare or glare at you when you would walk through. It wasn’t until you’d passed through Filly, meeting Ma June that you realized people didn’t take kindly to people like you. “Vaulties” she called them, an audible disdain in her tone, making you look down to remember you were in your blue and gold Vault-Tec suit. “I’ll be going then, have a nice day!” You said skiddishly, offering her a kind smile before turning and exiting the shop. You just wanted to make friends, why was that so hard up here? So when your eyes set on a man clad in classic Wild West cowboy clothes, watching smoke settle after a stand off, you weren’t sure why but you knew that was who you needed on your side in this world. Before you knew it, your feet were already moving and mouth speaking to him, grabbing his attention.

“I ain’t no charity case sweetheart, I don’t take on strays” The ghoul spoke, his southern drawl making him even more memorable than the marred texture of his skin. You looked to the dog that trailed not far behind him as he walked, changing its pace to keep up with the man. “The dog there with you tells me otherwise” you quipped. “Ain’t my dog” he responded harshly as he continued walking. “I can make it worth your while!” You yelled, making him stop in his tracks for a moment, a scary sight at first before you worked up the nerve to come closer once he turned back to you. “And how you suppose you’d do that?” He asked, and at first you didn’t know what to say, the words leaving your mouth before you could really think of a good enough reason. Did nobody like company anymore these days? “Well…I can be your scavenger! Pretty good at collecting stuff” you offered, shaking your bag and making things rattle around inside to prove it, making him give a huff of a chuckle. “‘f I wanted a pack mule I’d‘ve found a brahman” he shot you down. “Okay, then I can be good company to talk to!” You offered. “They make radios for when I want to listen to someone yack” he shut down once again. “I’m a good cook! Even with shitty supplies, I can make a stew that’d put a smile even on the meanest son of a gun’s face” you said, hopeful that he’d at least take you for something, but you had a feeling he’d probably turn you down again. “Iguana on a stick’s just fine” he said, though he had to admit the stew sounded good. Reminded him of home before all this wasteland bullshit. “Oh, umm…” you said awkwardly, your tone growing quiet and my how it put a sad look in your eyes. The evil part of him liked it, seeing your sweet innocent face all downturned but the part that was still human deep down, the part that hardly ever saw the light of day anymore, had half a mind to let you.

“Got a lotta nerve walkin’ up t’ me, girly. If you somehow been lucky enough that you ain’t met dangerous yet, you’re lookin’ at someone who could put you down before you’d even mutter your last words” he threatened, motioning to the double barreled shotgun in his hands. “I know, I saw it first hand. You hold yourself well, I envy that. I’m new to all of this and just really want someone who can help me hold my own the same way” you explained. “Look, I know I don’t look like much but please just give me a chance” you begged, looking up at him with a fighting spirit in your eyes that he had to admit, he was pretty impressed in seeing in a vaultie. “You help me, I help you, however that ends up being” you offered, standing strong on this and damn if he didn’t see a little bit of himself in you at that. He gave a sigh, tilting his head down before shaking it, not believing himself for the words he was about to say. “Alright, but the minute you start draggin’ you’re out, got me?” He said, and he hated the way his cold heart seemed to pump a little faster upon seeing your eyes light up with joy and a smile stretch to your face. “Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!” You said, opening your arms up to hug him but being met with the barrel of his gun poking your stomach to keep space between you. “I don’t do hugs” he spoke gruffly, making you back up enough to where he’d drop the gun back to his side. “R-Right…sorry” you apologized, embarrassment washing over you but still glad to finally have someone in your company. “C’mon, I ain’t got all day now” he said, motioning you to start walking, so you joined him.

Your travels with him certainly weren’t at all what you were expecting them to be. From being used as bait, to being tied up with rope most of the time you’d traveled together, or being sent in as his scavenger, you weren’t prepared for a lot of the reality you faced with being up on the surface. Most nights made you question why you’d ever left the comfort of the vault, why you’d abandoned a trusty food supply, regulated temperatures, a safe place to sleep that wasn’t riddled with radroaches or had the likely hood of waking up to a raider with a knife at your throat for no reason. Then you would remember the experiment in your vault, why you left that awful place for arguably a worse reality on the surface but at least you had freedom. Out here you were free to say what you want, do what you want, consume what you want so long as you could defend yourself incase that supply wasn’t unclaimed. You’d gotten pretty handy with a gun in the most recent weeks. Cooper, you learned one night was his name, using empty glass bottles as targets to help teach you accuracy and how to hit things from a longer range. In exchange, you came a little more useful than he had first thought. You had some useful stuff on you for trade like chems, ammo and food, were a good extra bag to hold stuff in, and you were a better cook than you’d talked about. Sure you had a tendency to talk too much, and you weren’t great with a gun, but you were getting there.

“Might I suggest takin’ them clothes instead of wearin’ that suit?” He said, making you look at him weird for suggesting you strip a dead raider of their clothes. “Why would I do that…?” You asked, genuinely confused and not sure what he was implying either, he was a hard man to predict. “Because, people see that shit and get real mad. People up here don’t like vaulties or the ones that run ‘em” he said and it made sense, it helped you understand why you kept getting evil glares each time someone would look at you or talk to you. You figured he knew best, so you took the shirt and pants from one of the female raiders, tucking them into your bag to change into at a better time. He gave a chuckle watching you do so, apologizing to the dead body profusely as you took their clothes and whatever valuables they had on them for the betterment of your own survival. You were still so naive, part of him was hoping he could slowly start to break and corrupt your way of thinking, but that was a thought for another time.

Before you knew it, night finally began to fall. The sun setting across the horizon gave the air less of a hot, harsh bite as the temperature began to cool rapidly across the sands of the Mojave. All you managed to grab was a pair of beat up, old jeans and a tank top, so as soon as the sun set, the chill set in. As you both set up camp for the night just outside of an abandoned rest stop, you started a fire to cook some of that stew you talked about being good at. He had to admit, it was pretty damn good, likely the best thing he’s had since before the bombs went off. Though even the kindling fire couldn’t manage to chase the chill away, watching you run your hands up and down your arms to try and warm up some by it. He felt a slight pang in his heart, watching you shiver like that, how your eyes lit up by the blaze of the fire and your hair seemed to be tousled just right. You were pretty, too pretty to be trekking this wasteland, and certainly too pretty to be trekking it with him of all people as your company. Even he had a heart still, as cold as it was, so out of kindness he shrugged his duster from his shoulders, draping it around you. You looked at the fabric pooled around you, pulling it over you better before looking to him as he sat down across from you again. “Ain’t no use if the cold gets ya” he said, making you smile appreciatively at him as you realized what he did. “Thank you” you replied, a slight blush fanning to your cheeks as the chattering of your teeth finally died down and you grew warmer. It smelled like him, sure it had splatters of old dried blood and was rather worn, but it had that gunpowder and smoke smell to it that you associated with him. “Don’t say I never did nothin’ for ya” he replied, trying to sound cold but it didn’t come off that way, making you chuckle. “What do I owe you?” You asked, making him fall silent for a moment as he pondered the answer to your question. He looked you over for a second before tipping his hat down to cover his face a bit, the signal that he was about to try and get some sleep. “Just keep watch for a bit, I’ll be up in a few hours” he responded, and while it wasn’t what you were expecting, you’d take it.

He was startled awake a couple hours later when he heard a commotion, you yelling at someone telling them to back off that this place had been claimed. The raider you were up against didn’t seem to like that very much, claiming that wasn’t how it worked up here. The altercation took a turn for the worst when the man reached for his gun but you were quick to fire and kill him before he could let out a shot. A shaky feeling set in your hands and a horrified expression across your face at the realization that you just killed someone. Cooper, who was certainly wide awake now, was rather impressed by your quick timing and precision, coming up behind you to lay a gloved hand to your shoulder. “Well would ya look at that, looks like them lessons been payin’ off after all. How’s it feel?” He asked, looking down at you as you stared at the gun in your hands. “He was yelling at me but…he was aiming at you. I don’t really know what came over me, I didn’t like that he was going to shoot you so I just…I killed him” you said, recounting the encounter to him as if he hadn’t seen it himself. He didn’t really know what to think in that moment as you explained how your mind worked, he was proud for sure at your show of improvement with a gun, yet also touched at the same time. No one ever really looked out for him since he started his bounty hunting, he was a well hated man by many but you defended him without really any reason to. You’d just learned his name not but two weeks ago, and before that he was dragging you around with rope yet you still defended him, had you two really gotten closer in the time that’s passed since? He wasn’t sure, but it was something he could mull over while you were sleeping. “Get some rest vaultie, sun’ll be up soon” he said, knowing you likely wouldn’t get much sleep with the adrenaline still coursing through you, but it was at least worth a try, you two had a long day ahead of you.

When you woke up that next morning, things felt a little different between you two. You weren’t some annoying little dog following him anymore, you were an equal. He no longer looked at you and treated you like you were lower than him as you both set out across the wastelands, he had respect for you. Hell, he even started talking with you now when you were out traveling which was almost unbelievable. You learned through those conversations that he used to be an actor in Wild West themed films, explaining his outfit, and that he was married before the bombs dropped. You of course told him bits and pieces about yourself in exchange, after all it only felt fair but it was also nice to just finally talk to someone after all this time.

When night time fell again you two sat enjoying a meal by the fire together, only rather than across from each other, he sat next to you, making a blush come to your face as you’d smiled sweetly at him. “Glad to know I don’t have germs anymore” you said jokingly, making him chuckle. “Give an old man some credit. It ain’t exactly all peaches and marmalade out here darlin’, even cute can be deadly” he said, the nickname and him calling you cute sending a deeper blush to your cheeks despite knowing it’s just how he spoke. Whether it was the lack of contact with other people for so long, or just his charm you couldn’t quite tell, but it always seemed to have an effect on you. “Just teasin’ you, I get it. I’d tie me up and use me for bait too if I’d been doing this as long as you have. It’s a shit hole out here” you said, making him look at you as you dropped the first curse word he’s ever heard from you. “Well I’ll be damned, either I’m a bad influence or you’re finally growin’ outta that naive shell there, vaultie” Cooper replied, making you laugh as you saw a smirk stretch to his thin, marred lips, the first one you’d seen in a while that wasn’t brought on by drugs, chems or that first sip of a good bottle of alcohol. “Probably both” you quipped, making him chuckle. “Yeah, probably. Been told I ain’t easy to stomach” he said, making you hum. “You’re alright in my book, Coop” you replied with a sweet, genuine smile that matched your tone and was that butterflies you felt in your stomach? Did you just call him Coop? No ones called him that in ages, why did it make his heart start to flutter a bit? “You ain’t so bad yourself, vaultie” he responded, still affording you that small smile before turning back to his food. “Keep making food this good and I just might have to keep you around” he joked, making you giggle and break the slightly tense silence. “It’s not much but I certainly try. I’ll definitely make sure to stay good at it, I like traveling with you” you said, unintentionally coming off flirtatious and fuck there it goes again, that feeling in his chest and his stomach like he needed to hit his inhaler but he felt great. What were you doing to him?

“Hey, if it isn’t too much can I ask you a sort of…personal question?” You asked, holding the beat up bowl in your hands as you looked over at him. This was normally the part where he would say no, absolutely not, he wasn’t here to be questioned on his personal matters. Yet, with you, it was different. Ever since last night he hasn’t been so on edge with you, it was like he’d warmed up to you. “Depends on what you’re askin’ there, sweetheart” he said, the nickname once again making you blush. “Do you…miss them? Your wife and daughter?” You asked, not sure if it was a good subject or good question to ask but after finding out, you were genuinely curious. He looked down at his bowl again, thinking of the proper response to your question. The old him would have been defensive, told you it was none of your business, but now? He wasn’t sure. “Ain’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about ‘em. About the way I ran out on ‘em when them bombs dropped” he answered, making you give him a sad look as genuine guilt filled his tone. This was the most honest and open he’s been with you this whole time. “I feel guilty. Not sure if I feel guilty for runnin’ out and leavin’ ‘em behind or guilty for the way I ran out, been tryin’ t’ figure that out for quite a while now and I still ain’t sure” he added, and you sympathized with that. Everyone has regrets, things they’ve done in the past that they aren’t proud of, people up here were no different in that aspect. “Well, in the short time I’ve gotten to know you, I’ve come to understand that everything you do has a valid reason behind it. So even if you feel it was a shitty thing to do, you obviously had a reason for doing so. No one can blame you for trusting your gut, and I don’t think you should blame yourself for doing so” you responded, your hand falling to his as a comforting gesture, your words ringing in his head almost as if you’d opened something in his mind, something he’d never really gave himself to think about before. He looked down at your hand that rested on his, noticing the way you didn’t flinch away from him like others did, the way you were brave enough to walk up to him, talk to him, *trust* him when he made it very clear that you shouldn’t. It was smaller than his, softer for sure, but warm all the same, then he looked up to see that caring look in your eyes and smile on your face that told him that you cared. “Guess you’re right, still wonder sometimes if it was the right choice to make” he replied. “I understand. Everyone has regrets, we all look at the past and hold at least something that we’ve done before in regret, it’s what makes us human” you said, making him give a huff as a chuckle. “You got anybody?” He asked, making you look down as you moved your feet along the dirt. “An ex-husband, but not anyone I really care about, no. My parents passed a few years before the bombings and he and I split up when I caught him cheating on me with some other woman in the vault..” you explained, not sure why it hurt you to tell the tale still, but you felt it was only fair considering what you’d asked of him to share. “Sorry t’ hear that” Cooper said, making you chuckle weakly, a somber look coming to your face that made his heart wrench. “I haven’t exactly been in love since, and considering he and I split up just a little over ten years ago, really says something I guess, huh?” You asked, trying to laugh to bring up the mood, knowing you sounded pathetic. “He was the fool, not you darlin’. He was the one skippin’ out on one hell of a woman” Cooper said, making you look to him and blush a bit as you gave a chuckle at his response.

“Thanks” you replied appreciatively and with a smile before casting your gaze down to see your hands were still connected and it left you blushing harder with embarrassment, you’d been holding his hand this entire time without realizing it. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable if I have I-“ “relax vaultie” he cut you off, pushing your hand back down onto his to assure you that he was far from uncomfortable. “It’s…rather nice actually” he admitted, making you feel relieved but your heart fluttered in your chest from it. A thick tension soon began to set in between you both after that night, something of an unspoken, kindling romance beginning to develop. “Then there it can stay” you said, making him smile softly at you, tipping his hat at you as a silent thank you.

Months passed on like this, where you’d spend the days scavenging, picking the land for its resources you could find and hunting bounties by day, then spending your nights by a fire growing closer and closer with every passing day. Through your shared meals, jokes, deep conversations, and plenty of near death experiences, you started to notice your fondness of the ghoul you traveled with. The way you’d hang onto his words with that southern accent that seemed to pull at your heart strings, or the way you’d go out of your way to stand between him and a stray bullet. You’d helped him on more than one occasion in getting out of a sticky spot, or getting him the stuff he needed to keep from turning feral. In return, he started to notice he was feeling the same towards you. There was this sudden need to keep you safe, to do nicer things for you, to speak better towards you, even flirt with you at times. Some nights there’d be so much tension in the air, it’s a miracle you haven’t jumped each other yet. Though in his eyes, as much as his heart yearned for you, he knew you were too good for him. You’d been hurt before, and he had a reputation for hurting people, feeling undeserving of even just the sweet smiles and company you afford him even now. You didn’t need someone like him, you needed a good man, someone who didn’t kill for a living, someone who could treat you right, someone who didn’t look the way he did. You were soft and warm, he was rough and cold, though he supposed that’s where the term “opposites attract” came from. So even when he was a whole bottle deep, he was sure to hold his tongue to a certain point.

Some of those nights around the fire were spent sober, others not so much, and this night happened to be one of those nights spent under the influence. You two had stumbled across a mini-mart, doing your best to out run the radstorm that had been trailing you guys for hours, coming in just to find whatever supplies you could to make it through the next week and possibly hunker down for the night. So imagine your surprise when you seemed to have found the largest chem stache you’d both ever laid eyes on. “Coop! Come here, you gotta see this” you said, making him run towards you to make sure you weren’t hurt or in trouble. His nerves were eased once he saw you, fully intact. “Tell me I’m not seeing shit” you said, pointing to all of the supplies sitting in a box on the table, joined by other supplies around it. You both looked at each other in complete and utter disbelief, this would keep you stocked for months, maybe even a whole year if you conserved it well. “Well ain’t that just the prettiest fuckin’ sight” he said. There was no way a horde of chems this large and this valuable was just completely unprotected you reasoned, so you routed around the place, scoping out for any raiders, straggling traders or ferals who happened to still be around. It was as if heaven was shining down on you both as you found no one around, seemed like no one had been here for days. So you did the most logical thing anyone would do in this situation. Stuff each of your bags to the brim of drugs of all varieties! Seeing as you had food, chems and even some clean water and alcohol lying around, Cooper locked and barricaded the door shut, proposing it could be a good spot to sleep for the night. With a radstorm approaching, it was best to have a roof over your heads to keep out the rain and potential radiation sickness that came with it. “This is the closest fuckin’ thing to a slice of heaven I’ve seen in ages” he said, aside from you is what played in his mind but he couldn’t speak that out loud, no matter how much he wanted to. “You said it!” you replied, and it’s even better with you here you thought, but thought it best to keep it to yourself. He plopped down on the couch, kicking his feet up to rest on the small table that seemed to be in shambles, enjoying a tape that was playing on the TV that he was surprised to still see functioning. “Holy shit, this thing still works?” You asked, amazed to see working technology out in the wastelands, sitting next to him as you watched it with him. He gave a smirk at your reaction, thinking it was cute the way your eyes would light up when you got all excited over something. Deep down it made him want to give you everything you laid eyes on like that just to see it pointed towards him. “Guess so” he replied, enjoying your excitement only to see you turn and look his way, which was his signal to stop staring holes into you before he gets caught. “I dunno about you baby doll, but I ain’t about to spend tonight sober with this stache sittin’ here ‘n front of us” he said, making you laugh as he routed through all the different drugs and chems til he found what he was looking for.

In the process of searching through it all, a small metal box fell to the floor at your feet. It looked like a box of mentats only the design was different, instead of the characteristic green and white box was a red one covered with hearts labeled DN-Chem. You supposed the worst that could happen was turn into the man sitting next to you, which you figured wasn’t the worst fate to succumb to all things considered, so you went against all better judgement and said fuck it, popping two of the mentat like chems and chasing it with the vodka he’d found to wait for it to take effect. “The hell is DN?” He asked, looking at the box, wondering what it was you took. “Don’t know, guess we’ll find out here soon because I took two” you said, taking another sip from the bottle of vodka he passed your way, and he gave a chuckle as you handed it back to him. “You come a mighty long way, little lady” he commented before setting the metal pill box down. He took the bottle from you, taking a swig, then placing one of the small viles into his inhaler before taking a hit of it then lying back, breathing a sigh of relief as it and the alcohol entered his system like the perfect remedy to any ailment. As about a half an hour rolled by, you waited for the high to set in but it never came, instead you were just getting hot, like really hot. There weren’t any windows open, and it was night time so you shouldn’t be this uncomfortably hot for how it was but you felt like you were on fire. “Shit, it’s hot as hell in here…” you complained, shaking off your jacket that you’d picked off of some raider a few weeks back, making him look to you curiously. “Lightweight” he quipped, making you chuckle. “Accept I don’t feel anything, I just feel hot” you said, making him hum with intrigue before turning back to the TV. “Give it some time, you’re new to all this. ‘m sure your body is wonderin’ what the hell you just put in it” he said, and he had a good point, maybe it was just a side effect of not doing them so often compared to his every day use.

As time went on, you began to notice the way your eyes couldn’t help but be glued to him, more specifically glued to the way his legs were now spread as he sat back. You wondered to yourself what he looked like beneath all that cowboy get up, what his reaction would be like to see you getting on your knees for him and slotting yourself between his spread legs. You shook your head to try and rid yourself of such inappropriate thoughts, but what you couldn’t stop no matter how hard you tried was the feeling of arousal beginning to pool in your panties. Sure he flirted with you every now and again, but you doubt he felt towards you the same way you did for him. To him you were sure you were likely more akin to a pet than a friend, useful and nice to have around, but not anything further. At least so you thought. You’d rather hoped you were wrong in assuming so, that maybe he saw you the same way you saw him. You bit your lip as you tried bouncing your leg to relieve the ache between your thighs, a light pink dusting your face and neck even up to the tips of your ears, but nothing worked. Even as you closed your eyes, all you could picture was you laid out on the couch beneath him, or bent over it with him behind you, or you riding him on it. “Been awful quiet. You doin’ alright over there, sweetheart?” Cooper asked you, and the audible whimper you let out from the nickname left you completely embarrassed. You clasped a hand over your mouth, god you were horrified but he gave a grin and a chuckle in response. “I’m so sorry, I don’t know what’s gotten into me all the sudden. I feel so…weird?” you said, unsure if that was really the proper word to explain it but it was the only way you could really word it off the top of your head with how much your brain felt as if it was turning to mush. “Ya took some chems, it’s gonna feel a bit fuzzy” he said, trying to assure you that feeling a little funny was normal, but this? This didn’t feel normal, not even for a chem high. You tried your best to swallow harshly, doing everything you could to try and relieve the dry ache you felt in your throat at the moment upon looking at him. You grabbed the bottle of vodka, taking a few sips but even that couldn’t grant you bliss from it. The throbbing in your core was driving you absolutely insane. You swore up and down that it was like you could feel your heartbeat in your chest, stomach, and in your cunt all at the same time. “No, this is different…I don’t think what I took was a normal chem, Coop…” you said, trying not to panic at the effects that were setting in but god you felt like you were absolutely feral. He turned to look at you, watching as you clamped your thighs together and the red that fell over your face. “I feel like an animal in heat” you said bluntly, making him go into a near coughing fit as you took him off guard. However that piqued his interest enough to pick up the little metal box again to see what it was you took. “I ain’t ever heard of a chem that does that, was that DN shit the only stuff you took?” He asked, growing slightly concerned for you and whether he had a possible horde of laced chems, or just an extremely horny woman on his hands. Speaking of hands, you were lost in thought staring at them, at the way they gripped the couch like you wanted him to grip your thighs, at the way they looked in those leather gloves he always wore. You wondered how it would feel wrapped around your throat, or how it would feel if his fingers were buried deep inside of you. Shit. This was getting out of control.

“Hey, ya with me still?” He asked, snapping to try and get your attention back on the matter at hand, making you shake your head yes as you broke from your perverted thoughts. “Is that DN shit the only thing you took?” He asked again, making you shake your head yes once more, because you knew damn well your voice was going to betray you the moment you tried to speak. That had to be it, it was the only thing that was different out of it all and the only thing he’d never heard of before. He knew it wasn’t the vodka either because he was drinking it with you, so if it was affecting you, it would have affected him and it hadn’t.

It took him a minute to put two and two together before he finally realized the abbreviations stood for Date Night, reading the instructions and effects on the inside of the tin’s lid. “Shit..” he said as he read it, realizing this was a hand made thing thrown into the bunch by whoever was running this place. “Did you read the lid before you popped them pills?” He asked, making you go wide eyed. As if this couldn’t get any fucking worse, this shit show could have been avoided had you just read the inside of the lid. “There was instructions?? Oh my god…what the fuck did I take?” You asked, concerned for yourself and the tone he had while reading it. “Somethin’ that the creator of it called Date Night. Looks like it’s a…well looks like it’s a handmade sex chem” he said, making you cover your face with your hands out of sheer embarrassment, you’d never wanted to die out in a radstorm more than you did right now. “Please tell me you’re fucking joking, cooper…” you whined, watching him read it more. “How much of it did you take?” He asked, almost scared to know and you were scared to know why. “Two?” You replied, making him whistle at that as he read it. “Fuckin’ hell sugar..” he said through a chuckle, and that nickname made a shiver run through you, sending electric bolts straight to your throbbing cunt. You did your best to bite back the whimper. “You’re only s’possed take one, and with you bein’ new t’ all this, I wouldn’t have taken more than half” he said, making you just wish you could just dig a hole and die in it already. “Fuck me…wait, shit! N-Not literally fuck me I- well I mean I’d like if you did but…FUCK! Forgive me Cooper, I’m so sorry, I can hardly think straight” you said, making him chuckle. “Well sweetheart, I think you and I both know there’s only one good fix for this situation” he said, making you whimper pathetically at the thought, your thighs squeezing together even more as you tried to fight to stay sane. Your eyes cast downwards to his lap once more, seeing the tent forming in his pants, clearly you weren’t the only one all worked up here. “I don’t want to make you feel like you have to, Coop. I can run off and take care of myself if it makes you uncomfort-“ you rambled but before you could finish, his hand cupped the side of your face, pulling you in for a long awaited kiss. You moaned into it without meaning to, feeling the way your body immediately relaxed upon wrapping your arms around him with no hesitation as the sweet innocent kiss turned passionate and dirty rather quickly.

“I won’t lie t’ you, doin’ this with you has passed my mind more times than I’d care to admit, but I don’t wanna cross that line unless you really want this” he said, looking into your eyes and making sure that this was truly what you wanted, that you felt the same way he did. “Coop, I know I’m under the influence of whatever the fuck this drug is, but trust me when I say, I’d be just as good with it sober. Been thinking about it for probably just as long as you have, if I’m honest with you. I want this, I want you and right now I want you so fucking bad that I might lose my mind if you don’t fuck me” you answered bluntly, taking him by surprise at just the sheer amount of absolute filth that left your otherwise innocent mouth, making him chuckle at your use of curse words and how desperate you were for him. “That so sugar?” He asked with a grin, enjoying teasing you at your neediest moments, including now. “God yes, Cooper please..” you begged, nearly moaning in reply and he’d spent time mulling over it before, denying himself the chance but just as the chem stache was a pot of gold, he took this as one of the best opportunities being placed in his lap by whatever higher power existed out there, making him waste no time in kissing you once more. “Good, because I don’t think I’d be able to hold myself back once we’ve started” he said, and the idea made you moan. “Don’t want you to hold back, want all of you” you said, and your wish was his command.

By the time your brain could finally catch up with you again, your clothes were strewn out all around you, your tank top hanging over the back of the couch, your jeans thrown haphazardly on the arm rest behind you, his pants on the floor, his hat on the table and shirt and duster having fallen somewhere behind the couch. By now, you’d already cum on his fingers twice, and on his cock once, this was your fourth round and this shit still had you on fire. “Yes!! Oh fuck, Cooper!” you moaned as your legs wrapped around his hips, keeping him as close to you as you could get, your fingers digging crescent shapes and puffy red lines into his back that unfortunately he knew wouldn’t stay long thanks to his ability to heal stupidly fast. “Doin’ so good for me, baby doll. Look so pretty like this for me, all splayed out like a needy little whore” he praised and degraded through his groans, making you moan and roll your eyes into the back of your head at the praise mixed with degradation as his cock was drilling deep inside you like tonight was all you guys had. “Yeah, you like that, huh sweet thing? Like it when I tell you how good it feels and call you names?” He asked, making you nod your head yes because there wasn’t a single thought in that brain of yours other than his name, which you spoke like a mantra. “Never knew such a sweet lil’ thing like you would be such a dirty little minx. Fuck…enough to make a man like me go feral, ya know that?” he said, making you giggle as you moved his free hand up to your throat, urging him to choke you, and he groaned at the sight. Your kiss swollen lips all puffy and shining with spit, your cheeks dusted a constant pink that grew darker anytime his cock brushed that spot deep inside that made you cling to him, your eyes half lidded, looking up at him like he was your savior. It made him absolutely rock hard knowing you’d pick him over anyone else in this god forsaken wasteland. “My, you are just a little freak, ain’t you? Oh we are gonna have fun together, you and me honey” he promised, squeezing your throat tight enough to restrict your airflow but not enough to hurt or cause any damage. Just enough to get that puddle of a brain of yours all fuzzy as you got closer to your fourth orgasm of the night. “Cooper…’m so close, so close please!!” You begged, feeling the heavy drag of his cock as he pounded into you, leaving you damn near screaming as it nudged your cervix and that spongy little bundle of nerves deep inside. “Go on honey, I gotchya. Let go for me, wanna see those pretty faces and hear those pretty noises you make” he said, angling his hips just right to hit that spot over and over again. “Oh fuck, oh fuck I’m gonna cum again, I-“ you warned before your moans rose in pitch as your walls clamped around him, gushing on his cock as your orgasm hit you like a freight train. Your body arched off the couch, stars filling your vision for a moment as you felt your release gush out and coat your inner thighs, screaming his name like it was your only chance at salvation. “Well ain’t I just the damn luckiest man in the wastelands right now, got me a pretty little vaultie and she’s a gusher” he said, making you whimper at his teasing but judging by the way he emptied himself inside you for the second time, you took it as a sign that he liked that about you. “Holy shit, I-I didn’t know I could do that” you said, thoroughly shocked with what your brain and body were doing as they almost seemed to almost be working against each other. “Do it again for me” he said, grabbing you and moving you both to where you were straddling him this time. His hands rested on your hips, helping guide you as you speared yourself on his dick with ease from how absolutely soaked you were, making you both throw your head back and moan. “Now that’s a damn good sight” he said, making you lean in to kiss him once more as his hands helped you start and keep a steady rhythm with your hips. It was definitely going to be a long night, but one you two have been needing for months, maybe even longer.

It’s a good thing ghouls have remarkable recovery time, because in order to finally get you sated and back to normal, you both had to spend all night going at it. Granted, it was aided by the mix of pent up sexual tension and pent up sexual frustration, but it was dawn before you both had gotten to a point where you could even *try* and fall sleep. First few times was on the couch between missionary, doggy and you riding him, next was you bent over it, with your pretty legs spread and ass in the air for him. Then, you used the arm rest of the couch as a pillow beneath your hips as he stood up while you laid out on the couch. He liked that one a lot for the way your tits would bounce with each and every forceful thrust into you, jolting your body. After that, it was done standing up with your back pressed against a wall, your legs and arms wrapped around him to keep him deep inside of you and fill you til he had nothing left to give you. From that point on, the rest of the night was all a hormone-hazed blur, but you knew well that he took care of you. You woke up unbelievably sore, your joints aching in places that you had no idea could even ache, a swollen, angry throb between your legs for the harsh, almost punishing treatment to your pussy followed by bruises, bite marks, scratch marks, hand prints etc. littered your skin as you woke up curled into Cooper’s side. You gave a gravelly groan as the sun shone in your eyes through the windows, making him chuckle at the way you were such a ray of sunshine except in the morning. Coming to learn that you absolutely *hated* mornings. Though you suppose you started to enjoy them more since traveling with him. “Mornin’ sunshine” he said coyly, making you groan disapprovingly at the way the sun was in your eyes, making you hold your hand up to cast a shadow on your face and grant you some relief. “Morning” you answered, your voice hoarse and half gone from sleep and all your activities that transpired the previous night. “Ain’t that a pretty sight” he said, turning and seeing you curled up to him, naked, your hair all messy from sleep and the hickeys and bite marks littering your skin, making you chuckle. “Last night was definitely something, can’t believe you’ve been holding all *that* out on me” you joked, making him give a dry laugh. “Could say the same thing about you, sugar. Had no idea that mind a yours could be so filthy. You’re a wild thing to party with, lil’ lady” he teased, sliding his arm around you to keep you close, making you hum as you lay soft, appreciative kisses to his collarbone and chest. “You’re fun too, and thank you for taking care of me last night. I’m sorry that it ended up happening the way that it did, I wanted to work up the courage and tell you some other way, I really did, but I guess life had other plans” you said making him chuckle as he saw you blush when he kissed your head. “Drunk words are sober thoughts they say, so I’d say I made out pretty good. But don’t sweat it, not sure how I deserved someone as good as you, but it’s good to know I ain’t as hard to stomach as most people say” he said, pulling you in for a soft, heartfelt kiss. “I think you are just perfect, Cooper” you said, your hand resting on his scarred chest as you looked at him with that gaze he swore he’d do anything to see pointed his way.

“You really wanna be my girl?” He asked softly, sounding shocked and with some self doubt still lacing his tone, but he had to be sure this was what you wanted outside of the drug’s effects. He cared for you deeply, in a way that he hasn’t felt in a very long time, but maybe you were just the right person for him to finally open his heart up to. His question made you giggle as your heart fluttered in your chest with excitement. “I absolutely do, I meant it when I said it last night, I mean it just as much now. I think we’ve danced around it for long enough, don’t you?” you replied, making him smile the most genuinely happy smile you’ve seen him wear since you’d met. “Just checkin’” he said, before laying a sweet kiss to your lips, wishing every morning could be like this one. Maybe it could, now that you were here with him.

[the-monkeies-girl]

Caesar with his gray hairs makes me go feral, hate to be blunt but like he looks so fine. Love my men older

Why are you so real for this? ( Barks degradingly. )

There was something different about him, your mind tugged on its own self to figure out the clues that Caesar was peppering you with as you watched him place a berry into his mouth. Languid as if he were teasing you, his green gaze flickering to you once as he chewed and then again once he swallowed.

'Staring,' The King signed at you as you drew your gaze to the shared bowl of fruit you were both meant to be enjoying before you found yourself gawking at your mated love. 'Rude. You,' Caesar swiped his teeth against his canines, the movement evident as it brought your attention down to his beard and you were captivated by the thickened fur that tapered near his mouth, down the entire scape of his entire rough but acutely sensitive body. At least, sensitive to your stare and your eyes only. 'Told me that.'

'Sorry,' You signed half-heartedly and continued onwards. 'Have you... done something new to your look? Different. Don't know what.' 'No.' Caesar was perplexed at that, giving you minor side eye as you traced the features you had grown to love in your time at the Colony. The features that he chose to let you love and touch with admiration and affection. He was lying, your brain spiked and your eyes narrowed. Something was different. Humming deep in your chest, you looked over at Blue Eyes who had been paying attention to the conversation but would never admit to that willingly and you tilted your head towards Caesar, ever so slightly asking the younger Ape if he noticed anything unusual. He was mid-chew at that, only shaking his head and looking at his Father's broad shoulders as he was sitting slightly behind the two of you. Dropping it, you rested your shoulders forward and plucked a few berries to pop into your mouth, unable to turn attention to anything but your beloved as he munched upon his own sustenance.

--

It finally hits you when you're alone in the nest together, finally able to see him in more vivid light when you two are around the fire-pit that rested there, the flames crackling a beautiful orangey glow against his gait as he walked from one side to the other, almost pacing in nature but you knew he was preparing his things to depart early in the morning on a scouting expedition with the council. "Caesar, can you come here?" You asked, feigning innocence as your eyes were amply spread, your lips parting in the way that he enjoyed. There was a heightened sense of anticipation at your words, at the implications that drew him closer to you, every step that curled his toes before they exploded under his weight a tiny bit more heady. Caesar knew it was coming, your onslaught. You always gave it to him before he'd leave. It came as a mild surprise though that you were waiting until the very last--- Your hand was in his beard, Caesar looking into your eyes at any indication of what your thought was, green settling after they were crazed for information. Rarely did you touch him this ardently to begin with. Shy and reserved was often the way to go, so incredibly Human to Caesar but he understood the sentiment of you being nude and being near to him as a sacred thing that took time to crack open. Scavenging your hand through, Caesar let out the smallest of growls as you tugged roughly, bringing his face inwards to inspect. A mild exaltation left your parted mouth, sounding like a mixture of a moan and a sense of relief. "You--- You're starting to gray." His brow hardened, the hand that he had ghosting over your ribcage in readiness to pull you to him raising as he signed, 'Gray?' "Your fur, you have---" There was a soft giggle from you, "Gray in it. I--- I didn't know that Chimps got gray fur like that." Must have been more pronounced because of the ALZ? Caesar watched your reaction, noting a small build up of sweat against your forehead as you trudged your hand into his beard again and urged him forward, the sudden smell of your arousal knocking on his front door and the yearn in the drop of his navel sprung to life on its own.

"It's kinda..." Your eyebrows raised in a suggestive manner and the grasp you hand on his beard dissipated as you dropped it down to his chest, further down to tickle at the very navel that he was yelping for release from and Caesar urged his much larger body against your own, subdued but you were there to catch him slightly as you flattened your hand there and drew yourself to your knees. The Ape King blinked. Not once, not twice. Three times as he recognized the glimmer in the mirrored glaze of your irises, farther away from him know but the position you put yourself only meant one thing and he wasn't going to take that away from you. Or from himself. "Think you got gray everywhere?" Your breathing was picking up, evident from the shift in your shoulders as you brought your hands down, past the stiffened muscle of his pelvic to his thighs were you rubbed the inner most part, Caesar staggering above you to keep calm and collected as the fur aligning his collarbones stood on end. "You..." Dropped baritone tickled the inside of your ears and left you shivering softly, leaning in and placing the tiniest of fleeting kisses to his left thigh, Caesar tightening himself up again at that, "Should... check for me..." Like he even needed to ask, you rolled your eyes at him in a bratty fashion and drew your face closer to his own arousal. "What if I find more?" Caesar was huffing through his nose wildly at this point, keeping his hands in check as to not allow himself to take it all too soon, to give you a bit of grace knowing that this was the sort of thing that garnered your utmost attention and diligence, "I..." Swallowing hard, he took a deep breath in and nodded himself into minor submission, "Will let you... do what you please to me..." There was no contemplation, a small smirk rising against your cheeks, "You're on, Ape King."

[unknownarmageddon]

      Killer watched Cross from where he was sat, slumped, legs up against his chest, pressed into a corner of the crumbling building they sought shelter in. He rest his head on the wall beside him. Cross was tending to the fire he had gotten going, and fiddling with his backpack, a handful of feet in front of Killer.

       The fire’s light and warmth barely reached Killer from where he was, and so he was cold and shrouded by shadow. He watched its flames dance, but really he was focused on Cross in the corner of his vision. Cross didn’t look at him. Maybe he glanced up at him, once, twice, but Killer acted like he didn’t notice. There was so much distance between them now, had been for a painfully long time. He felt it. It made him so tired. 

        Killer felt weighted down, heavy. Sluggish. Like he just wanted to sink into the concrete below him. Cross wasn’t there to pull him out now. 

          Eventually, he watched as Cross killed the fire. Darkness swelled to fill the building, and Killer could only barely see the vague outline of Cross’ body now. Killer shifted to a slightly more comfortable position, assuming this was Cross getting ready for bed.

     But then Cross didn’t move. Instead he pulled something white, about the size of his head, from his backpack. Killer couldn’t quite make out what it was, but he saw Cross mess with it. In the silence that came with the dark, the sound of plastic clicking came to him. 

      Cross was oddly gentle with it, Killer noticed, as he carefully, slowly, did what Killer could only assume was inserting batteries into it. 

    Batteries? Couldn’t be. Those were a precious resource now. Batteries meant electricity, and electricity was as valuable as life. People sought them like water in a desert. Especially since by now, they had all either corroded or been snatched up by other scavengers. Where in the hell did Cross get batteries. And how long had he been looking. 

      Killer sat up just a bit straighter, squinting at this object Cross held. What was it. 

       Cross stood. Killer heard the brushing of his clothes. He stepped over toward Killer, eyes not fully on him. He paused a hesitant couple feet away, and when Killer didn’t react, he sat down beside him. But not too close.

       Killer now saw that the white thing was a short cylinder with a navy blue dome protruding from the top. All of it sat on the bottom half of a cone that stuck out underneath. It was placed in front of Killer, then Cross pressed a button on its side.

     Stars erupted from the dome, spewing out from every side and scattering across the ceiling and the walls. They seemed to stretch on forever, reaching every corner light could. The skeletons were instantly illuminated by a soft blue-white light; Killer saw stars dancing and spinning on Cross’s face, and he became visible to him again. 

     Killer’s soul almost exploded. He felt it flare, spark, like a fresh wildfire. He was surprised his ribcage didn’t cave in. He wrapped his arms around his legs, stared with wide eyes, tracing the ceiling. He couldn’t fucking believe it.

     Stars. Almost proper stars, too, not the triangular ones in children’s star projectors. Maybe there were even real constellations in this thing. 

      It was beautiful. Christ, it was fucking beautiful. It felt unreal. And to think, all this was held in that little bit of plastic in front of him. 

      Killer could almost make himself believe it was the real thing. He could almost pretend the dark dusty concrete above him was the night sky, he could almost pretend these stars weren’t powered by just batteries. That the bomb-smog had finally settled and the stars had come back. It was damn close, anyway.

God, when was the last time he saw stars? It felt like he was a kid again, truly looking up at the sky at night for the first time, when everything was new and wonderful. 

“…I.. I remember you saying how much you missed the stars.“ Cross spoke up softly. “Figured this would be the next best thing.” 

     Killer felt his cheeks grow wet, and his vision was blurred by the dark tar now pouring from his sockets. He wiped at it, if only to keep seeing the specs of light. 

      This star projector was a promise. They both knew it the moment it turned on. It was a promise. A whisper. A promise of how Cross cared so much it almost hurt. A promise of their survival. Not just physical, literal, survival, but their survival. Together. A promise of them getting out of this pit, bridging the distance, refounding the proximity. A reiteration of all the nights they spent sharing warmth in the same sleeping bag. 

        Fuck holy matrimonies and rings, none of that mattered now in the end of the world. Not in the same way. But this projector….. Cross had seen Killer mourning the stars and given them back to him. Cross had fucking given him the stars. 

God, he had even found batteries. Batteries. 

   At some point Cross had moved closer. Killer didn’t care. He leaned on his shoulder, and his soul burst all over again from feeling his warmth on him after however long it’d been. It was a warmth that made him want to just melt into him and not ever think about the world. 

     Maybe things would be okay. It’d take some more time, but maybe it would end up okay. 

apocalyptic kross au belongs to me, @psycho-chair, and @denieatsart

[felassan]

this post is just some info on yesterday's DA:TV Fandom party at SDCC. :>

What was this party? [Here] is a post with the pre-event information that was made available. [Here] is a pre-event article that contains an interview with the organizer. And [this article] on the event contains some additional information, like on the versions of this party held in previous years, which helps for context. There was no new DA:TV information of note from the party

Links to Fandom (the company's) Twitter account, their Instagram. If you look at these (including on the Instagram Stories), you can see some pictures and stuff from the party. for those interested in watching a video version of some of these, Ghil Dirthalen posted a video recording that she made last night of Fandom the company's Instagram posts [here]. there are also more pictures and stuff from the party that you can see if you click through to [some of] the source links below here in the rest of this post.

As was previously reported the other week, Jason Derulo headlined the party (like as in a gig). Here's an image of him there [source] (the him singing DA stuff part was a joke tho btw hh). They considered having an orchestra because of DA's musical score but they got Jason Derulo

One of the party props was a big background of the DA:TV key art [source]. Here you can see the DA:TV logo on another backdrop. [source] This tweet contains both of these backdrops from a different angle

There was also an archway prop based on this DA:TV key art, and big screens which projected images from the game (including of Varric and this screenshot) [source]. It looks like these images were also projected to television screens? [source]

This tweet contains the questions and the answers to the DA-themed scavenger hunt (transcription of this at the end of this post), as well as a partial look at the map layout of the party

This is how photos taken in the DA themed photo booth look (this DA:TV screenshot was the backdrop) [source]

There was a VIP section at the party [source]. Gary McKay, the General Manager of BioWare, was there [source], as were John Epler and Zach Mendez (Lucanis) [source], Ali Hillis (Harding) [source], Nick Boraine (Emmrich) [source], Kari a BioWare Brand Director [source], Jessica Clark (Neve) [source] and Corinne Busche [source]. Erika Ishii (Rook) also visited but got kicked out of VIP hh [source]. Some cosplayers from the DA community were also personally invited by BioWare & PR at EA Games and attended! like Ladytoxie as Bellara ^^ [source, two], and some celebrities also, such as Doug Jones [source]

Ladytoxie mentioned that they will be posting a Vlog of their experience and coverage of the event, "probably next week" [source], having documented it at the time [source] (tysm!!)

Ladytoxie reported that it was a good, memorable experience and that everyone was lovely [source]

There was supposed to be some DA:TV-related pins and lanyards being handed out at the party, but these got stuck at customs, so there wasn't any goodies being handed out [source]

Links to some more images from the party: [one], [two], [three]

Scavenger hunt text (questions and answers) transcription:

"Clue 1: Step up to spot the flames where Fandom's 20-year tale burns bright, celeberate twenty years of worldbuilding where this terrifying Dragon Age wiki takes flight. Answer: Archdemon Clue 2: Follow the path and find the shining blue gem, discover the wiki of this Dragon Age elven hedge mage for your chance to win! Answer: Solas Clue 3: Search for the place where steel balls ricochet, where the flippers dance and the wizards gather to play. Find the wiki of a dwarf and son from the House of Tethras, known as a Dragon Age rogue with his crossbow, Bianca. Answer: Varric Clue 4: Venture to where 360 degree views are spun, where fans share your favorite #/fandom20 with props that are comically fun. Scan the QR code to reveal this order of warriors who defeat the Blight, and with the invasion of darkspawn, they put up a legendary fight. Answer: Grey Wardens Clue 5: Finish your scavenger hunt quest where Dragon Age lore comes alive, a photo booth adventure where fantasies thrive. Pose in a setting of this wiki's southern continent vast, two moons overhead, in a world built to last. Answer: Thedas"

[source]

[daryl-dixon-daydreams]

"Spent a night in the drunk tank after that, thanks to Merle," Daryl drawled.

"Mmm," you hummed, nodding. "Of course it was Merle's fault." You offered him another piece of venison jerky from the bag and he accepted gladly. It was a cool day and you were enjoying a little break before you continued on your way to scavenge supplies.

"What 'bout you? Ya ever get arrested?" he drawled, eyeing you curiously. "'M gonna guess not," he added with a laugh.

You smirked at him. "I was actually. I was arrested for being too cool."

Daryl let out a snort and a laugh and nearly choked on his bite. "Lemme guess—charges were dropped due to a lack of supportin' evidence. Ya fuckin' nerd..."

"Hey!" you laughed, whipping the rest of bag of jerky at him. "Ass."

"Ahh, tha's why I like ya though," he said, his blue eyes crinkled at the corners.

Flames of heat licked your face in a flush and you smiled at him. Daryl's heart skipped a beat.

Prompt: "I was arrested for being too cool." / "Charges were dropped due to a lack of supportin' evidence."

[apompkwrites]

happy production day || ortho shroud

masterlist characters: ortho & idia (platonic) genre: angst contains: ortho birthday !!!!, pov switches again, ending might be confusing with how I formatted it but please ask if you have questions !! summary: two birthday parties fit for a shroud. notes: hihi :] I promise I love the shrouds. btw not a part of the canon black sheep series!! or, at least, not in timeline yet :)

"a little to the left," idia called to you, waving his hand. "no, back over."

"right here?" you chirped, tilting your head slightly to look at your older brother.

"yep! perfect," idia gave you a toothy grin before walking over, holding up his arms to help you down from the ladder. you took a single step down before idia's hands landed at your sides, picking you up to place you on the floor.

"what next? what next?" you beamed, practically bouncing in place. idia laughed at your excitement, reaching down to ruffling your hair. the blue fire flared under his touch, a trait you had noticed in all of your family members.

"we're gonna set up a game," idia revealed, him sharp teeth poking out from his lips as he grinned. with just that one sentence alone, your eyes glimmered with curiosity.

"what kind of game?"

"a scavenger hunt," idia explained. and before you knew it, you were rushing around your house, planting little puzzles and clues for your brother to find. it took you a few hours, but that time was cut down since idia was the one to actually make the puzzles

so, when the time came for your little brother's birthday, you woke him up by shaking him, excitedly pulling him out of bed to begin the hunt.

little did you know, that was the last birthday you'd throw for your little brother.

"a little to the right," you directed, watching as one of the ignihyde member's drones flew through the air. "too far... there we go!"

one of the dorm members let out a soft sigh of relief, waving for his drone to return to him. he walked off, presumably to gather with some of his other friends. but you had no time to dwell on that.

you walked over to where the tables were set up, inspecting each one carefully. you hummed in satisfaction, moving on to set up the plates in a pile beside the silverware.

once you finished setting up the plates, you wandered the venue. it was nice, all decorated with blue. streamers, banners, screens, everything that screamed a celebration could be found in the dorm's main hall. the perpetual flames that flickered on the porcelain pedestals only added to the atmosphere.

maybe you could light the birthday candles using those flames. what a funny thought.

with nothing else to do but wait, you found yourself floating down the hall towards the dorm rooms. and you reached that oh so familiar room that you spent most of your days in.

your metal knuckles tapped against the door. it immediately opened, revealing your two brothers inside.

"(name)!" ortho cheered upon seeing you. he stood up from where he sat on the floor, immediately grabbing your hand to pull you into the room. idia greeted you with a small grin, his eyes staying glued to his phone as he tapped furiously at his screen.

ortho sat you down beside him and immediately handed you a controller. when you looked to the tv screen, you noticed it was an open world RPG, one fitted with multiplayer. it was ortho's favorite to play in your downtime while idea busied himself with his dailies on his mobile games.

you logged into your account and let yourself become consumed by the game. and ortho did the same, idia's room now filled with sounds of the main characters yelling and enemies dying.

hours passed since you started playing. idia had finished his dailies long ago and had taken to just watching you and ortho play. that was until he reached over your shoulder to grab your controller and pause the game. with that single look, you knew it was time.

you helped ortho up from the ground and held his hand. idia smiled softly at the sight of you two and (begrudgingly as always) left his room.

"oh, are the decorations ready?" ortho beamed, his voice peaking slightly as he spoke.

"mhm! i spent all morning getting the others to help!" you explained, floating behind idea towards the venue. "the rest of the afternoon let the dorm members prepare their gifts!"

"gifts? they didn't have to!" ortho gasped, which drew out a wheeze-like laugh from idia.

"trust me, they did," he remarked, earning a deadpan stare from both you and ortho.

"big brother... what did you do?" ortho asked. idia paused for a moment before shrugging. and you didn't get anything else out of him, no matter how much you two pried.

"happy birthday ortho," a handful of dorm members cheered.

"key phrase detected. now playing special voice message: "i thank you for celebrating my production date," ortho read off from a script. it earned a few laughs from the other dorm members.

meanwhile, idia stood off to the side, idly watching as his two younger siblings conversed. you were adjusting the sash that sat around ortho's torso, brushing off some of the streamers that fired from the confetti cannons.

it was a strange day. it always was. idia never liked celebrating them. it was cruel. two cruel days out of the year that always reminded him of how much of a failure he was for his siblings.

i should of been there, he would think. if I was, they would still be here.

we could celebrate their birthdays for real. i could give (name) and ortho the birthday treasure hunts they deserved.

but, he couldn't spend long wallowing in his thoughts. not when you and ortho looked up at him with those sparkly, glassy eyes, illuminating with everything except that pure childlike wonder he had grown up seeing before that day.

but, for now, if he thought long and hard, used his imagination to escape...

he could see them.

"big brother! look at the gifts i got!" ortho cheered, holding up a box with a figurine of his favorite video game hero. you stood beside him, smiling brightly as ortho showed the figurine off.

yeah... he could see them.

taglist: @brokenncrown @help-meplz @destinationdesignation @rainys-personal-garden @kalims @sxftiebee @luxaryllis @auld-a @the-dumber-scaramouche @ayra2452008 @tinywho-man @spadecentral @justeclem44 @bajifairyy @mulandi @sadimon @stormyovent0aster @sn00zl4x @f1fty-f1fty @bloomed-night-flower @madusas-girlfriend @b0nkers-papaya @arandomeroacher @randonamedcl @potabletable @meerpea @luvcalico @chlousp @prettyinblack231 @dindarasuum @elizaboba @ravenlking @reveristmain @lasignoramybeloved @poto-de-michi @sherryuki-callmeyuki @cadit-in-aestus-sidereum @valeriele3 @munchkinkazooie @venusdandy

[readnburied]

169 Scavenger Hunt Reading Challenge 2024 — Announcement

As this year draws to a close, it’s time to announce the 169 Scavenger Hunter Reading Challenge 2024. This is a reading challenge which is hosted by me and takes place every leap year. The first one took place in 2020 and 2024 will be a leap year so it’s time for this challenge to appear. 

Rules & Levels

The challenge will run from January 1st, 2024 till December 31st, 2024. There’s a list of 169 items given below and your job is to find each item in the books you read. You can find multiple items in one book, or you can choose to read one book per item, that is up to you. 

There are levels of accomplishment based on how many items you manage to find in the books you read which are as follows: 

Bronze Level: 0 — 52 items

Silver Level: 53 — 91 items

Gold Level:  92 — 169 items

So without any further delay, here is the list of items you need to find for the 169 Scavenger Hunt Reading Challenge 2024. 

169 Scavenger Hunt Reading Challenge 2024

wristwatch

Scarf

Mason Jar

Ticket

Fuse

Guitar

Rocking Chair

Rock

Picture Frame

Fireplace

Moon

Calendar

Duffel Bag

Boarding Pass

Star

Plate

Ceiling Fan

Coffee Cup

Barista

Sparrow

Bottle

Soda

Egg

Mascara

Strobe Lights

Martini

Leaf

Stethoscope 

Squid

Dagger

Blue Car

April

Bow

Cat

Tapestry

Bookshelf

Pearl

Ice Cream

Christmas Tree

Grandfather Clock

Staircase

Shampoo Bottle

iPhone

Crocodile

Facebook

Winter

Teeth

Pen

Space

Spa

Mouse

Bar Stool

Sculpture

Faucet

Shoe Rack

Tulip

Black Tie

Gym

Flag

Soccer Ball

Halter-Neck Dress

Seashell

Windmill

Selfie

Mahogany

Red Light

Wallet

Brain

Building

Fashion Designer

Chinese Vase

Seed

Hot Chocolate

Envelope

Heart

Herb

Flame

Road

Web

Stitch

Music Notes

Chocolate

Sling

Bracelet

Bell Boy

Shovel

Racket

Flip Flops

Fireworks

Waffles

Frosting

Condensation

Sticker

Headline

Tea

Folder

Salt

Soap

Pipes

Tiles

Raindrop

Brick

Gravel

Cloud

Teardrop

Ring

Speaker

Balloon

Basketball

Marble

Pestle

Parsley

Tracks

Ice Cube

Pouch

Comforter

Fridge

Rainbow

Highlighter

Bulb

Earthquake

Lamp

License

Diploma

Gown

Tunic

Wand

Boots

Lighter

Laptop

Socks

Cookies

Foam

Dolphin

Grass

Helicopter

Skyscraper

Credit Card

Boat

Camp

Hat

Invite

Vampire

Syringe

Coat

Switch

Twig

Bag

Bulldozer

Couch

Pizza

Hot Air Balloon

Keychain

Charm

Medicine

Tweezers

Fountain Pen

Pirate

Treasure Chest

Mist

Instrument

Carton

Moisturizer 

Baloney

Fish

Sweater

Cabinet 

Air

Popsicle

So here is the list of all the items you need to find to complete this reading challenge. I hope you find it interesting and wish to participate. If you do, feel free to comment down below and if you can’t or don’t want to comment that’s okay as well. I just hope you enjoy doing the challenge! 

Happy Reading!!

[novemberhope]

Summary: Cordelia is a little kid fending for herself. She tries to steal from Shakky. Notes: This came to me a while ago when I was trying to sleep. Finally I found time to write some of it down. Word Count: 1407

The afternoon sun rose high above the Sabaody Archipelago. Bubbles floated gracefully through the air. The many mangrove trees shielded the secluded little beach from sight. But not everyone was living a happily life.

At just six years old, Cordelia knew her way around the island. Her long, dirty black hair fell down her back, tangled and unkempt. She was barefoot as always and her dress was dirty and torn in many places. Many children like her roomed the Sabaody Archipelago, left behind when their parents went to join the various pirate crews and set sail from Sabaody into the New World, or were fished out of the sea when the ships they were on ended up sinking when the crews attempted to set sail for Fishman Island. Some were born on Sabaody, fathered by charming young pirates that then went on their next adventure, not caring who they left behind. Some had family on the island that either couldn’t take care of them or only did the bare minimum. Cordelia had no idea who her parents were. She remembered nothing about her early years and only knew the life on the streets, running away from drunk pirates and drunk marines alike, being depended on the kindness of strangers. She had learned to scavenge, to rely on her small size and swift feet. Adults had come and gone, and she had learned the hard way that trust was a foolish thing.

Today, she had spotted something of interest, guiding her like a moth to a flame. She crept closer, her stomach twisting with hunger, until she spotted a woman sitting on a weathered log, her dark, short hair barely reaching her chin. She wore a tight shirt and even tighter pants.

The woman had a cigarette hanging from her lips as she watched the waves lapping at the shore. She seemed oblivious to the fact that she wasn’t alone at the beach.

Cordelia’s heart raced as she eyed the coins scattered on the log beside the woman—a small treasure just within reach. She crouched low, the grains of sand sticking to her dirty feet, her fingers itching to snatch them. She had many times stolen before; it was a matter of survival, after all.

Just as she was about to pounce, the woman’s smoky voice broke the silence. “You’re not very good at hiding, are you?” She didn’t turn her head, but her eyes narrowed, a smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Cordelia froze. She took a step back, her heart racing with fear. Her many experiences had taught her that adults were rarely kind. “I wasn’t… I wasn’t hiding!” she lied.

The woman finally turned, her black eyes narrowing at the girl before her. “Bullshit, kid. You were as subtle as an explosion in a library.” She flicked ash from her cigarette and regarded the girl, her expression shifting. “You look a bit worse for wear. You hungry?”

Cordelia was caught off guard by the sudden shift in tone. “I’m not hungry,” she stammered, though the gnawing emptiness in her stomach gave her away.

The woman chuckled softly. “Right, and I’m the queen of Fishman Island.” She leaned over, the sun catching the coins as she picked them up. “You can have one, if you want. But first, you have to speak properly.”

Cordelia hesitated, her distrust showing. Adults rarely showed kindness, but something in this woman’s presence felt different—granted, she seemed tough, but though Cordelia could work with. Fake niceness and then ending up being locked in or hit she could not.

“I… I just need a coin,” she said finally. “Please.”

With a resigned sigh, the woman threw a coin to Cordelia, who caught it with the reflexes of a street cat. The girl’s pretty blue eyes lit up.

“That should buy you a meal, but you can’t keep fending for yourself like this at your age. Do you have a place to go?” the woman asked, her tone shifting into something more serious.

“I’m fine”, Cordelia snapped, making sure to keep enough distance between them.

“You’re what? Five? Seven? You can’t fend for yourself. There are worse things than hunger in these waters, kid.”

Cordelia’s heart thudded in her chest. “You just want to lock me up somewhere to take me away!” she said, taking several steps back. She had seen some kids being rounded up and taken away. It happened now and then and she hadn’t seen any of them ever again.

“Not necessarily, but you understand you need help, right? What’s your name?”

Cordelia crossed her arms defiantly. "I don’t need a name. I’m fine."

"Are you really?" the woman asked. "How about you come with me? I can get you something to eat, no strings attached."

Panic sized Cordelia at the thought of being trapped. "No!" she yelled, turning around and sprinting along the beach, the sound of her bare feet slapping against the hot sand.

As she reached the water’s edge, huge boulders loomed before her, blocking her escape route. She looked towards the mangrove trees, ready to change direction, but she could hear voices coming from there. Frantically, she looked in all directions, paranoia overtaking reason. Gripping the rough surface of one of the rocks, she began to climb.

But as she scrambled, her foot slipped against the jagged stone, sending her tumbling backward. She landed in the water, waves crashing over her, pulling her down. She had never learned how to swim. Fear washed over her as she was sinking deeper.

Then strong arms reached for her. The woman from before had leaped into the water after the girl and caught her just in time. Cordelia was coughing and spitting out water as she was pulled to safety upon the shore. The woman sat down with her on the sand.

"You can’t just run away like that!" the woman gasped, pushing damp strands of hair back from Cordelia’s face. The girl sat on the sand shivering and shocked, water dripping from her face.

"I don’t need you!” Cordelia said defiantly.

"You’re right. You don’t need me," the woman replied. “But you do need food… and a place to stay for the night. Just think about that."

Once again, Cordelia was torn. She had lived for so long on her own, never trusting anyone. And yet, sitting next to this strange woman who had cared enough to save her… she really wanted to go with the woman.

Later, as the sun was setting, Silvers Rayleigh strolled into the Rip-Off Bar. His eyebrows rose as his eyes fell on Shakuyaku, who was preparing food for a dirty young girl that was sitting at a table, looking at him with distrust, scowling at him as he came closer.

"What's this?" Rayleigh asked, as Cordelia scowled at him.

"This," Shakuyaku began, "is Cordelia. I’m thinking about letting her stay for a while."

Rayleigh chuckled. "A little firecracker, aren’t you? How do you feel about staying, Cordelia?”

She glared up at him, her blue eyes narrowing. “You can’t make me stay. I won’t! I don’t trust adults.”

“No one’s asking you to trust us right now,” Shakky said softly, crouching down next to the table to meet the girl’s gaze. “But you could have a meal, a place to rest. No one says you have to stay if you don’t want to. You can always leave.”

For a brief moment, Cordelia looked like she wanted to get up and run away. Instead, she avoided looking at the two adults and grabbed the plate that Shakky had placed in front of her. Ignoring the cutlery, she started to grab everything with her fingers, shoving as much food in her mouth as possible.

“Guess we’ll work on table manners another time,” Rayleigh chuckled.

“Just let her eat,” Shakky said. “She nearly drowned today.”

Cordelia kept on eating. She didn’t say anything but she was clearly watched them closely, ready to bolt at the smallest sign of danger. The danger never came. She still kept eating like every meal would be her last one but eventually she started to allow Shakky and Rayleigh to sit at the table with her. She did not shrink back when they made sudden movements and she even grinned sometimes when they joked around. Very slowly, trust was being built - and for the first time in her life, Cordelia allowed herself to get close to someone.

[cloudy-reverie]

[xenomorphicdna]

Map boi is back with more map

This time it's the ★exterior★

It's not as nice looking as the interior, (which you can find → here btw) but i think it's bigger as a region.

I will be making at least one more, and it will be of Two Birds' can because it's got lots of rot bits and that sounds like fun to design.

Pearl dialogue and some rambles below the cut↓

I know I said dialogue but fr look at this

THE DIFFERENCE in canvas size here

Pearl dialogue for both of the two regions

Bright Pink pearl dialogue when read by Veil Of Dreams:" What is it Mouse? Oh a pearl, alright I'll have a look. Ah this one is one of mine, it contains various notes regarding Four Blue Flames when he was still being constructed. It was actually a personal request of mine to have him built, his technology is better than mine in practically every way and he makes for a great research partner. I admire his work ethic, but I do wish he took breaks. After our creators' Ascension he's only become more wrapped up in the Great Problem, I worry for him. ... There is nothing more on this pearl that would interest you, you can have it back, I do not need it."

Bright Pink pearl dialogue when read by Four Blue Flames: "Hello Mouse, a pearl? Let's have a look. Hm, where did you find this? It's encrypted so I cannot read it to you, but I can guess that it was written by one of us. Unfortunately, I am of no use to you, but if you like pink then the pearl would make for a great decoration. Or alternatively, you can trade it to the scavengers. Of course, they will ruin the pearl like they do with the rest but if you are in need of explosives the scavengers excel in their creation. Now if you do not mind, allow me to get on with my work."

Deep Red pearl dialogue when read by Veil Of Dreams: "Rodent, you've got a pearl, allow me to read it for you. Oh, this one holds digital copies of several pieces of literature, I was missing many of these from my memory banks. I have them saved now, but I do not like the implications of this. Please Mouse, take the pearl and bring it to the library in the Capital."

Deep Red pearl dialogue when read by Four Blue Flames: "Oh a pearl, let's see what it says. This one is filled with all sorts of religious literature, it's rather old, from the Green hegemonic linguistic dynasty. It contains texts for meditation and prayers and various forms of religious guidance. I actually did not have this archived, so I appreciate your fondness of treasure hunting, you are a great help. I think this one would fit nicely in the Capital's library, please, bring it to Veil Of Dreams and he will guide you from there."

[altraviolet]

hiii :3 hope it is okay that im doing an ask 😰😰

I hope that you’ve been doing well this year! I love your writing so much! I have never sent you an ask before so I dont know how to write it….

This new chapter is so amazing as usual! I love your descriptions and just…everything that you write is so unique to my brain I’m unsure on how to praise it correctly.

These are my favourite bits as of now:

Rodimus grabbed his waist with unexpected speed and tried to pull him sideways. "My... hrgh, you're heavier than you look! My turn on top.”

———————

The disk data pads joke coming full circle, brilliant.

———————

his side, his flame-shaped chest. Soundwave touched Rodimus's face with his fingers. A very slow, soft touch.

Rodimus kissed his fingertips as they passed his lips. They were thin and light. Hidden in the single joint of each was a ring of blue biolights.

"Tell me someday," said Rodimus quietly.

"Affirmative." Soundwave held his fingers against Rodimus's face. Rodimus nuzzled them.

———————

Its absence pressed cold on Soundwave's plating. He leaned forward and said softly, "Preferred: true cheerfulness.

Preferred: Rodimus, happy."

Rodimus looked up at him. His eyes flashed. His field seeped out with surprise and a little pain.

Soundwave wanted nothing more than to wrap his tentacles around Rodimus, feel his sparkpulse, pulse something in return that would bring that smile back. He wondered if Rodimus had agreed to ignite the crystal for the portal only, or if he had another reason, a deeper reason-

———————

But another thing I’ve found interesting throughout the whole fic is obviously drift and rodimus’s ex-situationship i guess you could say. And this bit:

"Rodimus! Did you get-" Drift stopped short before their table. "Oh my god." He looked back and forth between Rodimus and Soundwave. "That aura." Rodimus's face fell.

He yanked his field in. Soundwave held perfectly still, uncertain what was happening. Drift gave Rodimus a faint look of horror. "Don't tell me it was with him.

"Okay. It wasn't with him," said Rodimus, a warning tone in his voice. "And since it wasn't, there's no reason to say anything about it to anyone."

—broke me omg. I was also wondering, since a few of my friends also read this, if there was a previous fic written of the grey/greying years with ratchet, rodimus and drift? I have seen you talk about it and it seems very:

😰🫣🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️😳😭❤️💔🖤❤️‍🩹.

And if there is a previous fic about it i would love to read it, but obviously i am very content with everything you have written!!!

i dont know how to end asks but i am finished! hope you are doing well :DD

Alright it's been about 5 days since Ch 46 was uploaded so hopefully anyone who was trying to avoid spoilers has gotten to read it. I've been saving this ask til now for that reason.

Thanks so much for the kind message :D It's always fun to see which parts people liked.

>The disk data pads joke coming full circle, brilliant. heheHEHE. there are quite a few circles in this fic. glad you enjoyed :D

>if there was a previous fic written of the grey/greying years with ratchet, rodimus and drift? no, no previous fic. the characters are referencing the event, just as they've referenced the Scavengers or TCs, etc etc. Dratchet isn't a pairing I'm into, so I'm unlikely to explore the gray years in a fic. But I'll never say never. Obviously there's interest in this, and I think it could be a very powerful story (although devastating for Rodimus).

Thank you again for the kind ask! Hope you are doing well, too :)

[aussiepineapple1st]

What is Happening to Me (Part 9)

Leon x F!Reader

Words: 2,178 Contains: Blood, Angst, Injury.

Part 1 | Previous | Next

Swimming to shore, you pull the raft up onto the grainy sand. There was a small cove that you could lay Leon down and get a fire started, you were freezing cold from the icy water. The sky was very overcast and threatening to rain at any moment. Stepping into the raft you kneel down beside Leon and place a hand on his chest, feeling it rise and fall unevenly. He's probably broken a rib or two, you can't imagine the force he took from the crash landing. Sitting Leon up you move around to be behind him, wrapping your arms under his pits and pull him out of the raft, dragging him to the small cove. Gently laying him down on his back you stand up and go to find some sticks and leaves you can use to build a small fire.

You keep your eyes on Leon for a moment before walking out of the small enclosed area. Walking to where there were some trees and grass you start to scavenge enough materials, making your way back. Kneeling down you place bark on the sand first, adding grass and dead leaves you turn to Leon, rummaging around in his pockets you knew he had a lighter here somewhere. Ah! Got it! Using the lighter you burn the leaves and make sure it catches before placing the sticks and more bits of bark to start building it.

"(Y/N), Are you there?" You hear Hunnigan's voice in your ear.

"Copy.."

"I managed to track your location, it seems you're on a coast near Whitbeck, England."

"England?!" You were shocked, you were almost to Germany, but not quite. "Damn it!" You say frustrated and pull your legs up to your chest, burying your head in your knees and arms.

"How is Leon?" Hunnigan asks as you could hear her typing.

"Alive, but still unresponsive." You say turning your head to look at him laying on his back, the fire lightly illuminating his features. Blood now dried and crusting around the corners of his mouth and left nostril.

"Alright, just hold tight, I'm going to get in contact with the UK branch and see if they can get a helicopter to your location." She says frustrated at this turn of events.

"Thanks, Hunnigan.."

"Don't mention it, you're both going to be just fine. Keep Leon warm and alive, that is your current mission." She says then hangs up the line.

You sit there in silence, watching the flames dancing around as the cold breeze sometimes blows through the covered area. You felt your eyes beginning to water but you blink the tears away, shivering you huddle closer to the fire, holding out your hands to warm them up. Every so often you would glance over to Leon and watch his chest to make sure it was still rising and falling, your brain then starts to think about what happened. Only the flight staff had been turned, the Men giving you the info were dead, but only because they were being eaten. You didn't even hear them screaming for help when they were taken down. Does that mean they were killed before the zombies got to them? It was hard to tell with how mutilated they were. The pilot's were dead then turned, meaning they got infected after they died. The flight attendants were the only ones who turned without being dead first, from what you saw in the quick moments before shooting them that is.

You scratch your fingers on your scalp as you groan in annoyance, this was a set up. Someone knew Leon and you were coming to help, hoping to get rid of you on the flight to Germany. You were so tired, you had swum for a good hour before making it to shore, the current kept pulling you out to sea until you managed to get closer. You were frozen and couldn't feel certain parts of your body from the water, your drenched clothes with the cold wind blowing on your back wasn't helping. Looking over to Leon's chest you watch as it is still rising and falling, looking away then quickly double taking back to him as you see his head turned to you, ice blue eyes staring your way. "Leon!" You say moving to your hands and knees, crawling over to him.

"Hey.." He said weakly, his face contorting into a pained wince. Yep, he's most definitely broken something.

"Where does it hurt?" You ask going into immediate medic mode.

"I think I've just broken a rib.. nothing too bad." He grunts, trying to adjust his body to get more comfortable.

"Can you breathe alright? Do you think you've punctured a lung?" You ask, the blood on the corners of his mouth giving you the thought.

"Could have.. I can still breathe though. I've got two." He jokes trying to make light of the situation. "Do you know where we are?"

"Hunnigan got back into contact when I had you on the raft, she said we are on a coast near Whitbeck, England."

"England.." Leon repeats, a hand lifting to rest over his temple, he had a massive headache. Most probably a concussion. You give a nod as you watch him, He had come home from missions a little bruised, but you had never seen him in this state before. You reach down and take his hand, laying down beside him, allowing the fire to be next to Leon as you press your wet body against his side.

"Hunnigan is contacting someone to come get us in a helicopter." You inform. "There's nothing we can really do apart from wait." You explain. Leon gives a nod and wraps an arm around you to hold you close, feeling your trembling body.

"You're all wet. How come I'm not?" He asked curiously.

"Oh.. To get us to shore I had to push the raft." You explain. "It took me about an hour but I got us here." You say with a tired chuckle.

"An hour?! That water has to be almost frozen, Are you okay? You could have Hypothermia!" You wave off his worry as you stay snuggled into him, you hadn't thought about that.. Damn it.. You're both not doing the best right now.

You both lay there beside the fire, keeping warm as best as you could, discussing what could have gone down. Finally you come to the conclusion that someone else was on that Jet who either was working for the person causing these outbreaks and heard you were coming, the staff were unknowingly infected while on the Jet or some other cause making the staff turn. Everything had happened so quickly it was hard to even process details. Leon was talking to you when you suddenly stopped replying to him, you had fallen asleep, your body entering repair mode. Leon sits up and checks to make sure you are okay before removing his leather jacket and laying it over you. He gets up allowing the fire's warmth to touch you and hopefully warm you up as he goes to have a look around where you were.

A good half an hour passes and you wake up, feeling the weight of a leather jacket laying over you as you hear the blades of a large chinook in the distance. Leon was standing out on the beach, a hand raised up to shield his eyes from the rain now falling. You hear Hunnigan responding to Leon, but not able to hear what Leon was saying, he was too far away.

"Alright, I'm taking a note of that now... Hmm, I'm not sure... Yes, she is." There was a little pause. Leon looking towards you, seeing you were now sat up dropping sand on the fire to extinguish it. "Understood. You can get there with this chinook, it's ready to take you to Erfurt." Leon walks over to you, now able to hear him responding. "Thanks, Roots. I'll contact you once we are on the ground. Condor one out." He kneels down in front of you, his wet, navy shirt hugging his body as water drips from his hair. "Hey.. You okay? The chinook will be landing her in a moment." He says offering a hand to help you to your feet.

"And it's going to take us to Erfurt?" You ask, Leon nods and stands up. You hand his Jacket back to him and he puts it on, sighing at the warmth now hugging his cold body as he looks out to the beach seeing the large chinook landing.

The back opens and a male walks down the ramp, a familiar figure to both of you. "Chris?" You both say in unison as you hurry to the cover of the chinook.

"Hey! Heard you needed a lift to Germany!" He said smiling brightly at the both of you. He hands a blanket to the both of you as well as earpieces so you could communicate while in the air.

Once in the air you were both seated beside each other, dripping wet and warming up from the blankets you had wrapped around you. "So, what happened?" Chris asks, his gaze staying on you as he was wondering why you were with Leon. Had you gone back to work already? He had popped in last week to see the two of you before heading to England himself.

You clear your throat before speaking. "Our Jet ended up having infected staff. Leon crashed the Jet into the water, Don't worry.. I saved his butt." You smirk looking to Leon with a cheeky grin.

Leon's eyebrows just raise and he leans forwards from resting against the back of the seat. "That's basically what happened, yeah. It seems someone knew we were on our way to Germany to deal with their work and tried to get rid of us." He elaborates.

Chris just shakes his head, eyes flicking between you both, a small smile on his face. "You two always get yourself in these types of situations, don't you?" Leon just sighs and gives a defeated nod.

"I wouldn't know." You chuckle and look up to Chris who's gaze was still on you, you could see a look furrow his brows before he turns away from you. "Chris.. I'm fine. This is my first mission. Well.. You know what I mean."

"I'm just surprised.. It's only been 2 months."

"Well I was going to have to get back to work eventually, couldn't let Leon have all the fun." You smile and look to Leon on your left, he doesn't look to you as he felt a fair amount of guilt at Chris' words.

"Hold on.. Are you (Y/N) (L/N)?" One of the females in Chris' crew ask. You give a nod, surprised eyes looking to Chris who gave you a proud smile and leans back against the seat he was on. "No way!! I never thought I would actually meet you. You inspired me when heard about what you did in California!" She says seeming to be excited to be talking to you.

"Oh.. I'm glad." You smile, looking to Chris once again. "What did I do in California?" You asked.

"What do you mean?" The same lady asked you. "It's just ONE of the many cool things you've done!"

"I'm sorry." You shrug. "I can't remember anything from before 2 months ago. I apparently hit my head and woke up after a week not remembering anything." You explain to her.

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. And you're back in business? Impressive." She said gloating once again. You sit there in silence, feeling a little bad that you couldn't remember, hoping you didn't let her down. But unbeknownst to you, you had just inspired her even more.

"I don't think you should be on duty yet." Chris spoke up. "Leon, why is she doing such a big mission on her first day? Why not do some work in the office or something?" You could tell in his tone he was slightly annoyed that you were on the field. "It's only been 2 months."

"You think I don't know that? I can't control who gets dragged into jobs. Not with the DSO." Leon snaps back, his own frustration on the situation coming forwards.

"Guys!.. Guys, it's my choice. I accepted going on this job, so drop it.." You say feeling a little overwhelmed. "I don't know why, but deep in the back of my mind I just felt like I needed to get back to work.." Both Leon and Chris look at you with a little sorrow in their eyes as well as a hint of guilt. "What?.. What are you both not telling me?" You asked knowing that look in their eyes.

Leon shakes his head. "I'll tell you when we're alone." He explained. You give him a frown, you had been alone for 2 months at home. Why look guilty now when you had mentioned the reason why you accepted so early?

Part 1 | Previous | Next

🏷️: @phoenix666stuff @maehemthemisfit @greywardensaywhat @growingupnrealizing

[es46]

An amphibian mixing great apes and giant salamanders, with a touch of pachycephalosaur. - URONEL-ARONA Title - Stagnant frog Monster class - Amphibian Known locales - Forests, with occasional forays to canyons and wastelands Element/ailment - Water + Bubble + Effluvium + Fire Elemental weakness - Ice (3), Fire (3), Thunder (2), Dragon (1), Water (0) Ailment weakness - Sleep (3), Poison (1), Stun (1), Blast (1), Paralysis (1) Uronel-Arona is a bizarre ape-like amphibian known to inhabit forests, though it known to venture towards canyons and valleys in search of food. Instantly recognised by its simian countenance and the hard boney protrusions on its body, Uronel-Arona's purplish-blue colour hints at its strange ailments, including slits on its arms and tail that vent heat and a watery substance stored in a throat sac. Notably, it is accompanied by a mutalistic species of scalebat that acts as a vector for effluvial bacteria. Uronel-Arona is an osteophage, dedicated entirely to eating bone that it crunches with protruding jawbone lining its mouth. Occasionally it will supplement its diety with hard-shelled nuts and fruit, but bone is its prized meal. To this end, it has allied with scavenging scalebats who host a flesh-eating bacterium nigh identical to the variants found in miasmic-rich locales. The scalebats strip the flesh from carcasses, leaving the bones fresh for Uronel-Arona. Small creatures are not safe from this deadly alliance, and likewise humans may be considered a potential meal. Any field researcher should endeavour to avoid the amphibian's attention by exploiting its sense of smell, coating themselves in lavish rich odours to deter it and its symbionts. As expected, the scalebats releasing effluvium is a dangerous ailment, and Uronel-Arona's protruding spines are often coated in the bacteria. In addition, it produces a thick watery substance in a throat sac that it can spit out in large globs, reacting with the air to create a bubbling effect akin to the leviathan Mizutsune. More strangely, specialised muscles and vents on its arms and legs can rapidly vibrate to produce intense heat. Flint-opening openings on the vents react to ambient miasma to produce flames, essentially allowing Uronel-Arona to ignite its own limbs for a terrifying assault. This heat can also be channeled through the throat sac, making the water it spits scalding hot. Uronel-Arona excels at frightening carnivores away from their kills. Between its size, strength, and the aggression of the scalebats, most monsters flee from the amphibian. The larger males will endeavour to secure a huge carcass when the time comes to find a mate, competing with each other by butting their thick skulls. Presenting the prize to a female, the dominant male is permitted to fertilize her eggs, which are then deposited into the carcass where the tadpoles will eventually hatch and feast on the bone inside. The young emerge as froglets who make their living in the undergrowth, accompanied by scalebats that may well be the offspring of the parent Uronel-Arona's symbionts. Despite its strange appearance, this monster is surprisingly dangerous (Low Rank - 4, High/Master Rank - 3). Hunters must be wary of both its brute strength and its variety of ailments. Fire and ice weapons are advised to disrupt its thermal processes, as well as repelling the scalebats. Aiming for the arms and tail when it is overheating can damage the heat-generating musculature and significantly weaken it. Uronel-Arona are respectably powerful monsters and so have few natural enemies. They clash with Jansilla, whose young prey on the scalebats, and likewise contend with carnivores like Alkanodos and Rathian that it aims to scare from their kills. When they venture into canyons and subterranean turf, Uronel-Arona may contend with the likes of Qessalys and Caustasioth. Overall, it is confident in its own abilities, though it won't dare challenge a true apex. - Thank you reading and take care.

[savage-rhi]

Mending Shadows // Chapter 33

Summary:

Y/N was a simple Scavenger of Lucis, until meeting a deadly blow at the hands of an infected creature. At the crossroads of death, they are found by Niflheim’s cryptic Chancellor with his own agenda. Now bonded to Ardyn Izunia, and tossed into the world of Niflheim, Y/N struggles to cope with their new life as an Imperial Icon all the while battling their feelings toward their fate and that of Ardyn’s.

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Y/N’s mind was suspended in darkness. 

The passage of time was an elusive concept that slipped through their soul like grains of sand in an hourglass. There was no such thing as the external world. There was no Eos, no Niflheim, no Lucis, no Ardyn--only a void that unfolded with a surreal fluidity. Memories couldn’t plant their roots in this place. Nothing flourished here, except two things: presence, and song. 

Although not aware of themself, Y/N latched onto the melancholic tune that somehow wormed its way into the dark to meet them. The idea of colors slowly began to return in splotches of vibrant blues and purples and vibrated against the sound, creating hues beyond the spectrum of the waking world. Little by little, like a rock being polished by the waves of the ocean, imagination and existence blurred into an ethereal dance. 

A glimmer of light broke through Y/N’s eyelids. It tugged at the fringes of their awareness. Everything was blurry, but they could detect movement. Shapes wandered around their peripheral, and so did voices. They couldn’t make out what was being said, but felt… something. 

It was hard to put words to tone much less decipher the delicate touch that would occasionally glide across their face, squeezing their right hand when all ministrations were complete. The simple ritual was conducted by only what Y/N could perceive as an entity. Shortly thereafter, would the song emerge and play it’s gloomy notes. Though Y/N couldn’t comprehend the movement of time, they had a feeling the entity had done this on numerous occasions, and they felt warm at the thought that something beyond recognition regarded them. 

The process repeated itself many times over. Just as Y/N would be on the precipice of awakening, they’d fall back into dark shores. Only peering through when they once again could hear the dreary song, and watch as colors tried to choreograph it's energy. 

A chord struck and reverberated all through the void, and Y/N’s consciousness suddenly remembered the name of the music. 

Shiva’s Lament… 

Y/N felt themself once more peering out from the dark and taking a step back into the waking world. The corner of their eyes still heavy with fog, Y/N’s ears followed the poignant timbre of sound that felt both like a warm hug and a haunting cry. That’s when Y/N’s exhausted gaze fell upon Ardyn, watching as his body sway while he adjusted the bow against the strings of a violin. His fingertips delicately moved against the neck of the instrument to seamlessly connect notes that longed for each other’s company like lost lovers. 

Shiva’s Lament…Y/N repeated in mind, as the memory of their debut night in the Vixen carded its fingertips against their brain. Their eyes traveled over Ardyn with awe, for his hair looked like whisps of flames against a glow of light that emitted from his body. Y/N was surprised to see him without his jacket and scarves. He was dressed so casually that it went against his nature, but it never once took away how graceful Ardyn looked from Y/N’s point of view. 

Gods, he was so beautiful in the glow that words couldn’t describe it. If it were possible to move their limbs, Y/N would’ve reached out to him.

Like heartstrings being carefully tended to, Ardyn made the violin weep with such a soulful quality that Y/N could feel themself drifting back to sleep. They didn’t want to be lured back into the dark. No, they wanted to latch onto the flowing melody and let Ardyn guide them through the storm; like he had done at the wedding when they danced. Like how he carried them through Outpost 98. He was always there at that midpoint between life and death for Y/N. A personal reaper who offered some shreds of comfort before the finale. And like the grim itself coming to collect his toll, Y/N succumbed to Ardyn’s song and went back to the void. 

There was nothing but dreamless sleep for what felt like ages, and Y/N awoke once more but with a sharp gasp like a newborn babe taking in air for the first time. As Y/N adjusted to the world, their labored breaths became calm until there was a steady flow. They could no longer hear their pulse rattling inside their skull, and took this moment to gather everything around them. 

Niflheim…The familiar colors all throughout the room assured Y/N they were no longer in Altissa, but this wasn’t their usual sleeping quarters. The distinct smell of rich spices and musk was strong. They could feel it leeching out of the blankets that covered them. It wasn’t unpleasant by any stretch, but it added a layer of confusion to Y/N as they carefully rose up from the bed. 

As the blankets bundled around Y/N's waist, they noticed the black and red coloring of the sheets. This was Ardyn's bed. This was his scent.

Y/N dryly swallowed, and noticed they weren't alone. Slouched upon a chair a few feet away, Ardyn lay motionless. His arms and legs both crossed with his head leaning against the top rail. Soft strands of breath left his mouth, and Y/N adjusted and crawled on the mattress toward him. As Y/N got a better look, they noticed how wearied he was. More of the wrinkles around Ardyn's eyes were prominent as were dark circles. He looked as if he had stayed up for several nights in a row, and hadn't a moment of reprieve. Y/N wondered if he was sick, and the idea made their skin crawl as they worriedly searched him. It was so peculiar to see signs of stress in Ardyn's features, given he was permanently stuck in his thirties.

Sighing in relief at not seeing anything else, Y/N decided not to entertain the thought any further. They tried to remember how they ended up here, but alas nothing came forth. There was not a speck of a hint, minus how delicious the red velvet cinnamon rolls tasted in the morning after leaving the beach. Y/N felt that their mind was permanently on a dead television channel, akin to the annoying tingle of compressed nerves they felt down their arms and legs. 

“Gods be damned…” Y/N whispered.

Maybe after eating breakfast, everyone went back home. Maybe they had jetlag from riding the airship and needed to sleep it off. Maybe nothing nefarious happened. Maybe they had one too many drinks at the wedding and passed out. Maybe in their drunken state, they dreamt of swimming in the ocean with Ardyn. Maybe...

“We both know that’s a lie,” Y/N murmured to themself while they looked upon Ardyn’s sleeping form.

Whatever happened in Altissa, Y/N knew they had been out cold for a long time. Something had to have gone down, or Ardyn wouldn't have been here. Not like this. 

Growling out of frustration, Y/N could only recollect small fragments of seeing Ardyn playing the violin. With how blank their head felt, they wondered if perhaps that too was only a dream. A fleeting thought that sounded beautiful and offered them comfort during a near death experience. With how weak they were in body, it made sense to Y/N that their brain would latch onto something like that.

Y/N suddenly noticed an object that was sitting in Ardyn’s lap. Shifting their legs so that they were dangling off the bed, Y/N curiously observed the open leather bound book. Marks from what appeared to be pencil was scattered around on the pages, creating an image Y/N couldn't decipher from this angle. Wanting to get a better look, Y/N slowly stood up and stumbled while walking toward Ardyn. Their body quaked as gravity made itself known again. Gritting their teeth, Y/N shuffled toward the chair and thanked whatever was listening that they need only take a few steps forward. With each lift of their feet, Y/N's calves felt as if they had been crushed under rocks. As they drew close, Y/N evened out their breath and gently reached for the book, being mindful not to bump Ardyn all the while. 

With shaking fingertips, Y/N brought the book to their face and quietly observed. The first few pages were littered with intricate drawings of figures and faces. People Ardyn had no doubt seen around Niflheim, or maybe even somewhere from his past. The warm glow that drifted through the curtains nearby illuminated the drawings further. Free flowing gestures accentuated the little imperfections people naturally had. There was character to every face, and every limb as if Ardyn's mind was a camera that had taken several shots of people in motion. They were surprised that a hand pulled this feat, let alone that Ardyn had any artistic endeavor. 

“Wow,” Y/N smiled as they whispered to themself. 

Page after page was filled to the brim, and Y/N wondered if anyone knew about the Chancellor’s creative pursuits. Mid-thought, they flipped to the next page and froze. The subject jumped out at them immediately like a reflection out of time. Y/N was staring at themself. He had drawn a portrait of them. 

Mouth falling open, Y/N realized there was more than just one. Their eyes drifted from sketch to sketch, and as more was revealed, Y/N felt astonishment tightly grasp their heart. Disbelief danced on the edge of reason as Y/N flipped a few more pages, revealing more of themself. 

Ardyn had acquired every nuance of Y/N's persona with the stroke of a pencil. There were smiles and frowns, comedic poses, and moody postures. Moments of vulnerability that only the artist himself could've witnessed firsthand. Even among half finished doodles he had clearly given up on, their essence remained intact. All the while, the subject had been completely oblivious to how immersed the artist was as he captured quiet intensities and delicate manner. 

This somehow felt more intimate than coming across the contents of one's diary, and Y/N blushed as they forced themself back to the first page. 

The room suddenly felt warmer than usual as Y/N had a deeper understanding of Ardyn's observations of humans. Each sketch was a silent testimony to how he truly paid attention to all the little nuances most took for granted. It was scary how he could get into someone's head, let alone commit a wink or a grimace to memory via graphite and parchment. It also enamored Y/N, especially when they realized some of their portraits went as far back as their debut night. Disbelief and other emotions swirled inside of them, realizing these drawings captured unspoken feelings Ardyn kept hidden from the world. 

Biting the inside of their lip, Y/N winced out a weak grunt. Their stomach twisted in a painful knot. Dehydration finally clawed to the surface, and Y/N carefully put the sketchbook back in Ardyn’s lap before limping away to seek something to quench their thirst. 

Ardyn was lost in his own world between worlds. He didn’t register Y/N had awoken, nor was he disturbed by them tinkering with his sketchbook. Everything outside of his head wasn’t a matter of consequence. Not when he felt so weak to the point of entering a period of temporary hibernation. If Ardyn were aware, this would’ve been day three of this mini holiday he had unintentionally succumbed to. That being said, he had been granted anything but rest.

After the fiasco in Atlissa--and dealing with the political consequences of the event--Ardyn had long sought shelter amongst the whispering commentary of daemons and the poor unfortunate souls he had consumed ages ago. Their voices forged several paths before him as he combed through the past week and a half. He cut through memories of conversations, and meetings--putting them into boxes and categories he could summon at a later time.

In this dark space, Ardyn was also seeking answers to questions. Trying in vain to find a point in time where he perhaps mistook an event as insignificant. The first attack on the House of the Courts made perfect sense. The arrival of several Imperial fleets had pushed people past an already unstable edge with the betrothal to boot. Ardyn couldn’t fault the citizens of Accordo for that, for even he sympathized to a degree with their hatred toward the empire. It was easy for him to understand how the embers of men could grow into a forest fire, yet unlike a voracious flame, they didn’t get far without a clear sense of direction. However, he couldn’t let bygones be bygones with the secondary attack. Not when it was so personal that it dare felt insulting. 

A fleeting glimpse of a meeting Ardyn had with investigators tip toed around his conscious. It had been evaluated that the coup had been sprung by a Lucian faction soliciting aid from Accordo’s anti-imperialist groups to achieve an ulterior goal. Of course this faction was MedZin, and Ardyn ensured that little tidbit was expunged off official documentation via bribery of monetary gain.  Of course he spun a believable lie to Aldercapt and the Imperial Counsel, that this ensemble's primary objective was to cause upheaval and undermine the empires national relations. Of course Y/N and other Higher Imperials were targeted to deliver the message--and of course, Aldercapt was pissed off to no end. He spent a great deal verbally lashing out against the surviving ambassadors for not having the foresight to take better charge of security. 

Ardyn managed to sate Aldercapt's tempter tantrum, and settled down the unease amongst his colleagues with diplomatic solutions. He extinguished many fires that day, yet he couldn't put one to rest and that was the truth of the situation. That day of reckoning and bloodshed had been wasted on one simple task: to ensure Y/N's capture. 

A daemonic voice lulled Ardyn to another memory. While Verstael's associates checked to see if Y/N had imbued Tuti with the scourge, Ardyn had studiously interviewed her. The poor thing would live another day if she could get through her recent trauma. He thought the endeavor of a formal checkup was a pointless effort on Verstael's end, for Ardyn knew Y/N didn't have the capability of infecting humans. Not when he himself personally suppressed such an ability via influencing the hivemind--just like he had been doing to Y/N's memories. Making sure the locks had been well fortified. 

Through Tuti’s ramblings, Ardyn confirmed some long held suspicions about why Y/N was specifically targeted. MedZin, as far as they knew, believed Y/N to be Adagium and thus responsible for their main research facility being compromised. It was clear as day. After all, it was Ardyn himself who left a trail of bread crumbs to Y/N's feet, ensuring the fault for the damage would befall their reputation. He had put a target on their back to wash his hands clean of the sins he committed in Lucis during that time. By all accounts, Ardyn should've been ecstatic that his former nemeses weren't seeking him out, however, he felt anything but contentment. 

Y/N was supposed to be the lamb. A sacrifice to sate the sanguine tongue of Gods and bless him a boon to further his true path, and yet when it came time to reap the lamb for slaughter, Ardyn didn’t have the stomach for it. Like an impetuous child who couldn’t fathom barbaric acts, he had taken the innocent creature into his arms and ran away from responsibility, knowing full well he didn’t have the means to keep such a beast happy and healthy. His so called mercy was an act of selfishness that strayed him off the path of divine retribution. All because of one simple act of defiance. All because his heart led him astray, just as it did when he had taken the scourge into himself on behalf of the deep love he had for his people. 

Ardyn saw himself back on the beach in Altissa.  

Love… 

Aera flashed in his head. Her smile, and her blood. 

Look what that got you in the end… 

I warned you long ago Lucis Caelum, thou brings plenty of pain upon amongst himself. 

“The great Ifrit…what an honor to be graced by your riddles and mystery,” Ardyn’s mind bitterly spoke out into the void. While he couldn’t see him, Ardyn could sense the Inferniums spirit and how warm the atmosphere became. “I assume you’ve come to impart more vague threats?”

I take no honor in such intimidation despite thy hatred for thee. 

“How considerate,” Ardyn scoffed. “Our last encounter would suggest otherwise of your intentions.” 

Make no mistake, my wrath will be as swift as my flames when divine timing commences. You know of the purge within your veins unlocking me from this cage. How the scourge has grown weak to protect thee. It is not the king of light who will bring you peace, but I in the end due to mankind's tampering with nature. 

The serum… Ardyn held a belief in his gut the issue with Ifrit was connected to him getting jabbed long ago, and this confirmed all suspicion. He mused to himself at the irony, and didn’t know whether or not to despair or laugh. 

“Then why torture me with your very presence at this moment, shouldn’t you be saving that for your grand entrance when you take over my body?” Ardyn muttered. His eyes glanced around the endless dark, feeling out the vibrations of the hivemind and that of the god that dwelled inside of him. 

Your fear has called to me. 

“My fear?” 

The fear of profound loss. Thou dreads this depravation above mortality. 

“What are you, a shrink?” Ardyn sneered. His sarcastic quip did little to deter Ifrit’s expository as the god continued to speak through thought.

Through thee, I will seek thy own retributions toward mankind and the gods. At such time, I proclaim a hand will never lay upon the soul you miss. 

Ardyn glared and averted his gaze, feeling every fiber of his being--of his soul--wanting to lash out in blind fury. The god of eternal flame certainly knew where to hit a man when he was down, that much Ardyn gave Ifrit credit for. 

“Aera… my Aera is dead,” He muttered with sorrow. “No one can harm what’s gone. Not even the accursed gods can break a spirit beyond the astral realms. I took you as an entity of intelligence, not a mindless beast yet it seems I stand corrected.”

It is not the ancient oracle I speak of. 

Ardyn became dead silent. 

I shall grant thee this one kindness in memory of who thou once was. 

“You know nothing of my feelings!” 

Thy knows enough through your meddling in darkness. 

“Get out of my head!” Ardyn yelled. He suddenly felt the air become humid and felt his soul crawl as if it had been doused in flammable liquid. Through sudden surprise, Ardyn could sense that Ifrit was prepared to light the match. 

Enjoy domain over this god and darkness, Adagium. The end draws near, and I shall bask in the fires of my hatred for thee! 

The voices of daemons began to screech, rattled by Ifrit’s intrusion. The presence of the Infernium disappeared, but the temperature of his spirit remained, and Ardyn felt overheated. Like a runaway vehicle, the sensation slammed into him and shattered like glass. It was as if he had been stranded in a desert, and there was no oasis that would grant him reprieve. He couldn’t sate the pain in his body, nor how parched his mouth had become. However, absolution lay before Ardyn in the form of a blue void that would openly swallow him whole if he chose to dip his feet into the surf. 

The waves of the beach beckoned Ardyn to seek refuge. He could feel it drawing him in like how the very moon controlled the currents. Ardyn rushed into the tides just as he had done before in Altissa until he had fully submerged. Through darkness, he saw a warm glow illuminate the water around him. There were no facial features to be seen coming from this light, but he recognized this presence. He was safe here, so long as he swam forward. 

Y/N…

He woke up. 

Ardyn’s eyes nearly bulged as he shot upward from the chair. Panting in fright, he blinked several times. Every so often he glanced around to ensure he was fixed in reality, and not dwelling within the hivemind or elsewhere. When his body and mind no longer determined an incongruity, Ardyn rubbed his forehead and deeply sighed in relief. He felt his shoulders relax while he slouched further into the seat. 

For a moment Ardyn contemplated how long he had been in the dark. The thought was short lived as he did a double take of the bed, and saw Y/N was missing. His eyes widened as the link between himself and Y/N suddenly became reestablished. Memories and sensations that weren't his suddenly hit him all at once, and Ardyn nearly shouted as he gripped the arms of the chair to stabilize himself.

For several minutes, a rush like adrenaline filled Ardyn’s body from head to toe. He was overwhelmed, beyond stimulated for what felt like eternity until it came to a screeching halt. Through Y/N’s perspective, Ardyn witnessed them falling to the floor in the kitchen. He winced as if he had experienced this for himself.

As soon as he regained control of his own point of view, Ardyn jump into action. He tossed his sketchbook to the mattress nearby and sprinted, not caring if he bumped into anyone or anything. What mattered was meeting Y/N in the middle. What mattered most was seeing them awake and most importantly, alive. 

Once Ardyn ventured through the kitchen door, he came to a grinding stop. Y/N still remained on the ground several feet away, but they held up a hand for him to remain where he was. Confusion placated him as Ardyn raised a brow while catching his breath.

“You’re---”

“Awake, I know,” Y/N interrupted quietly. Their gaze fell to the ground as their body quivered. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I got hungry and came here. The scourge flared a moment ago and I slipped. I guess you felt that, or you wouldn’t have come in running. ” 

Ardyn took a few steps toward them. “Allow me help you back onto your feet.”

“No, no,” Y/N shook their head, their eyes finally peering up toward him as he stopped midway. There was a mutual look of solace, signifying both had missed one another to some capacity despite Y/N's reluctance. 

“Let me handle this, please.”

“Y/N--”

“Ardyn, please just let me have this.”

At first Ardyn was stumped. He couldn’t understand for the life of himself why Y/N was being stubborn. Defeatedly, Ardyn studied Y/N’s features. He noted how bloodshot their eyes were. How tears stained either side of their face. The way their skin both looked rejuvenated and stricken by disease as if trapped between limbo. He felt fear creep up in the form of assumption; worried that Y/N wasn’t out of the woods yet with their coma. However, he couldn’t allow himself to dwell. Not when there was another pressing issue he was contending with: a morbid curiosity if Y/N remembered anything. 

With careful eyes he quietly observed Y/N hobble to their feet, trying to resist the urge to catch them should they fall again. As soon as they stabled themself, did Ardyn speak up.

“It would seem the luster of your pride remains untarnished by your little two week respite.” 

“Was that Ancient Lucian or you talking fancy?” Y/N countered with a tired yet playful scoff. They faintly smiled seeing Ardyn trying to resist grinning at the witty remark. 

“I could put it into laymen’s terms for you?” Ardyn gestured. 

“And ruin your fun nitpicking my head? Nah, that’s not very sportsmanlike.” 

“Ah, a little cranial commentary never harmed anyone, right?” Ardyn chuckled. He let out a breath he had been holding in as repose briefly tangled him up. 

"I saw your sketchbook." Y/N murmured. 

"Beg your pardon?" 

"I didn't know you were an artist." Y/N reiterated, offering a small smile as compensation. 

"Oh," He was taken aback. The redirection having caught him off guard. "I wouldn't assign myself such a title..." 

"Don't be so humble." 

"Far from it," Ardyn mused. He felt his hands shake as his cheeks lightly flushed. He never expected to have been caught by anyone regarding his little hobby. His heart stammered as the recent sketches he had done of Y/N sleeping flashed in his head. Ardyn cleared his throat. "I take it you saw everything?" 

"I know I shouldn't have looked, but...curiosity got the better of me." Y/N shyly shrugged. 

"And?" 

Y/N noted his body tensed, as if bracing himself for a scolding hit. 

"You made me look prettier," Y/N began, reminiscing the few portraits that stood out to them and smiled. "Far more diplomatic than I deserve." 

"And here I spent many a night wondering if I tarnished your image." Ardyn quipped sarcastically. The small smirk he wore hid most of his fright like a shield. 

Y/N shook their head at him. "You can't tarnish what's already tainted."

Ardyn sighed. "Don't you find this sort of duress fatiguing?"

"When I'm around you most of the time, yeah." Y/N nodded, letting out a tired laugh as did he. 

Both became quiet as they felt the scourge sync them up further. The familiarity was a breath of fresh air, and either felt a dull ache had finally been satisfied. There were no words that needed to be spoken, for both felt the same relief as the other. 

“I’ve so dearly missed our little banters as of late.” Ardyn confessed quietly. 

“Me too, I think.” Y/N admitted, letting Ardyn's earlier proclamations sink in as they gulped. "Two weeks, huh?"

“Well, nearly two weeks I should say you’ve been out cold.” Ardyn corrected. 

“Are you going to tell me what’s been going on?” 

Ardyn cautiously gazed over Y/N’s form. “I harbor no desire to inundate you. Not in this condition.” 

He could see the frustration instantly come to Y/N’s face, and could sense a bottled tension Y/N had been holding onto for quite some time wanting to spill over. Reluctant to witness such a travesty unfold, Ardyn's mouth opened to speak and found himself surprised when Y/N softly interrupted him. 

“At least,” Y/N paused as their bottom lip trembled. The corners of their eyes brimmed with fresh tears. “At least tell me if Tuti is alright. I know…I know I tried to hurt her.”

"She's fine," Ardyn reassured with a nod. It became clear to him that while he had been in the throes of darkness, Ardyn had failed to keep a tight leash on Y/N's fragile state of mind. A plethora of curses came and went through his body as made an attempt to soften the blow. "Everyone is just fine."

“But I’m not…” Y/N sniffled, wiping their eyes. “I'm sorry. I know the last thing you need right now is to see me crying like this.”

His right hand reached out. “Y/N--”

“It all came back to me when I started eating,” Y/N interrupted. Their voice shook as they began to regale the intrusive memories that flooded them. “I popped a grape into my mouth, and the sudden squishy noise made it come back. All the bodies. The awful stench. How their skin felt sliding down my throat...I know what I did Ardyn. I know what I've done." 

"Let me stop you if only for a moment," Ardyn strongly implored. Keeping his eyes on theirs, Ardyn gently shook his head to emphasize his point. "No one knows what you've done. I've made it so. As far as the public is aware, you lost conscious from having hit your head on the way to the airships. The only souls who know the truth are the dear companions we've kept close, and for the record, Betrys and the Serpent Society--hell, Senator Rodrick and his bride, they've been nuisances wanting to know how you've been fairing. See for yourself in your chambers, it's filled with tributes wishing you well. There's no need to catastrophize."  

"You really think hearing that I received material goods is going to make me feel better?"

"You misconstrued my intention--"

"It doesn't matter," Y/N interrupted again. "There's no coming back from this. You know what the worst part it was? There was some part of me that was still aware, that enjoyed what I was doing to those people! I liked chasing Tuti. I liked it when I scared and then killed those people who tried to harm us. It wasn't my daemon, it wasn't the hivemind, it was all me! It was all me!" 

“Y/N, it’s not as simple as you’re making it out to be! I assure you---”

“Spare me! I should be rotting somewhere, not them! You can’t just---wave a hand and make this...this feeling go away, as you do when you’re dealing with matters as Chancellor! Ardyn, you can’t fix this! No matter how desperately I wish you could, and no matter how earnestly you yearn for it!"

Ardyn’s heart pounded as Y/N’s voice grew hoarse from screaming. The final yell broke them, for they devolved into pained sobs as he watched Y/N turn their back to him. No longer having the courage to look him in the eye, nor face what they had done any further. He flinched upon seeing Y/N weakly hit their head with their own hands until grief held back their self hatred. 

“I shouldn’t have waken up. I shouldn’t--” Y/N shoulders trembled. 

The air hung heavy with the weight of Y/N’s emotions, and Ardyn felt a palpable tension not only in the room but within his body. He was relieved that Y/N couldn’t recall their actions at Outpost 98, but he was quite disappointed in himself that he couldn’t lock away what had happened in Altissa. If only he hadn’t been distracted by Ifrit, of trying to seek answers in darkness, if only he had kept up his concentration, if only he had been more dutiful keeping watch over them in bed, if only…

There was no use. The damage had been done, but now came the tricky part: how to proceed.

Ardyn felt a compulsion to rush to Y/N’s side, but uncertainty held him back. He was caught between a desire to be a supportive presence, fear of encroaching on Y/N’s vulnerability, and wanting to leave Y/N on their own while they settled with their fright. This wasn’t his battle after all. He didn’t have a stake in Y/N’s guilt, but he knew there was no chance in six hells he was going to let that go. No. Not when he could feel the very essence of their humanity, reaching out through the scourge to be forgiven. 

Ardyn hesitated further. He swallowed hard as he began to feel his own emotions mirror the turmoil in the kitchen. Hands twitching nervously at his sides, he took a cautious step forward. The noise was enough to quiet Y/N down, if only for a second. Once the silence cemented for a time, did Ardyn let go. The words left him without a second thought.

“May I hold you?” He asked barely above a whisper. He had never felt this nervous or so resolutely inclined to act on such a powerful impulse. 

Y/N sniffled as their head turned to the side, giving a faint nod. The silent permission granted Ardyn the courage to close the distance between them.

As he approached Y/N, Ardyn placed a hand on their quaking shoulder. Initially startled, he felt emboldened to proceed. Slowly, his hands traveled down Y/N’s sides, securing a hold at their waist before enveloping them in a gentle embrace from behind. His touch was a delicate balance between assurance and tenderness, and he could feel Y/N melt little by little. The fragility he sensed in Y/N stirred a desire to shield them from further harm, to be a source of solace in the midst of uncertainty. He squeezed a little tighter, holding onto Y/N as if they were a fragile bird whose wings had been clipped. His nose softly pressed the back of Y/N's head as he breathed, acknowledging how much he had missed their scent. 

“You’re right,” Ardyn murmured. “You’re a menace. I can’t undo the past nor your actions, and yet I remain at your side.”

“Ardyn--”

“You speak so low of yourself it's utterly exhausting,” He bitterly whispered against their scalp. “I don't move men nor stars for anyone. Do you have any idea of how much I’ve sacrificed on your behalf, the lengths I've gone? Damn you. Damn you for mattering to me." 

"I can't--"

"We will get through this. That's one promise I can keep."

Y/N slowly turned around to face him. His arms still remained securely attached. 

Y/N sniffed while noting the contours of Ardyn's face. There was an unmistakable sadness that echoed in the depths of his golden hues. No amount of glaring nor putting on a strong front could hide it away. His vulnerability only grew when Y/N nonverbally acknowledged the unshed tears glistening in Ardyn's eyes. They had never seen him in such pain before, and it nearly snapped them out of their own melancholic trance. 

"Are you crying?" Y/N's voice trailed they watched Ardyn bite in the inside of his bottom lip. He visibly shook.

“I thought I lost...” He couldn’t finish the words. Not when the gods could so easily come to claim another soul he couldn't be without. His arms adjusted, giving Y/N the opportunity to part ways while a silent understanding was shared. As soon as Y/N reached a hand to touch his face, it was over. 

Y/N found themself reciprocating a tight hug as Ardyn brought their body to his chest and squeezed. His soft lips peppered the side of their forehead while he held them close, not having the courage to let go.