#sea sky and sun ;; summer scramble

[fandomxpreferences]

Ten Seconds

Masterlist

Pairing: Rafe Cameron x female!reader

TW:none I don't think

Summary: Who knew life could change so quickly?

Word Count:3.3k

One. Rafe's eyes land on your features, taking in your plump lips that shine with strawberry-flavored lipgloss and the mild sunburn dusted on your cheeks.

Two. He takes a deep breath and for the first time, feels like his lungs can fully expand to take in the salty sea air in all its glory. 

Three. His heart thrums in its cage, seemingly unlocked by a key he wasn't aware existed as it flutters away and lands in the palm of your hand.

Four. Your sweet scent intoxicates him, hitting his bloodstream like a drug that smells like tanning oil and cotton candy. 

Five. The tension dissolves from his body as your energy engulfs him like a down comforter, and muscles he's never felt before unwind and go lax.

Five seconds is all it takes for Rafe's entire world to shift, and you disarm him without even knowing he exists. 

Six. Your laugh floats to his ears like a summer melody that drips with sticky sweetness like a melting popsicle, and he decides it's his favorite treat.

Seven. His knees nearly buckle when a smile brighter than the sun graces your features, chasing away the darkness that shrouds him.

Eight. Your head tilts back and the hues from the setting sky dance off your exposed neck with an angelic glow, and suddenly pink is his favorite color. 

Nine. His eye catches a glint of gold and his attention is drawn to the rings scattered on your right hand, suddenly he wants to add an even shinier one with a diamond that could be seen from space to your left. 

Ten. Your lip quirks up as you catch him admiring you from afar, and the breeze that's thick with sand and hushed whispers that he previously inhaled is sucked from his constricting throat.

Ten seconds is all it takes for Rafe Cameron to believe in love at first sight. Time stands still altogether as he watches you excuse yourself from your friends and make your way toward him.

He notes that you seem to float instead of walk, moving oh so gracefully as if you're a celestial being and he's about to have a religious experience.

Your gaze never leaves his, the eye contact so intense that it sends fire racing through his veins, burning so hot it leaves a scorching trail in its wake. 

He's frozen in place, utterly entranced by the way your long eyelashes fan across your face when you blink. 

Another ten seconds is all the time it takes to cross the few feet of distance that separates the two of you, and his head swims at the close proximity. 

Your aroma is even stronger up close, and he's sent reeling as he wonders if it could be bottled up and turned into a candle. 

He doesn't even know your name and has never heard you speak, yet somehow you feel like home. It doesn't make any sense, but then again, neither does falling in love with a stranger. 

You watch him for a moment, eyes raking over his chiseled jawline and backwards baseball cap. There's a few strands of sun bleached hair poking out and ticking his tanned skin in a way that reminds you of a character in The Outsiders.

He looks boyish and rugged at the same time, and your interest is fully piqued. He's easily the most attractive man you've ever seen.

Your melodic voice rings out like a siren song that's calling just for him, and the ever-present violent storm that rages just under the surface relents. 

"Do you always lurk like a stalker or am I just that special?"

There's that smile again, unabashed and erasing any logical thought from his brain. You wait for a moment, your eyebrows shooting up expectantly as he stares down at you like he's been struck with lightning. 

Rafe scrambles for words, begging his mind to string together a coherent sentence that will keep you within arms reach. 

"Uh, sorry. You just-"

He cuts himself off and your grin widens. 

"What? Do I have something on my face?"

He's painfully aware you're teasing; you don't make a move to wipe your mouth and your smile doesn't falter for a second. 

"You're stunning."

He breathes a sigh of relief as words finally find him and your features soften in a way that makes his heart skip a beat. 

Despite the stench of stale peanuts and sweat, you still feel like you're in the center of rom-com. There's shitty music playing, yet you hone in on the dizzying rasp of his voice.

"Stunning?" You question, and he nods his head slowly.

"Exquisite, actually. Downright bewitching if I'm being completely honest."

Rafe has never used those words before; he's never seen anyone or anything that warranted them. You most certainly do. 

You laugh lightly and in a split second, he makes it his life mission to get that sound out of you as often as possible. 

It's a fleeting moment; a blip in the universe, but it feels like an entire lifetime as he studies the look in your eye.

It's a mix between enamored and mischievous, and he can't even begin to comprehend the feeling it gives him. 

"Those are big words. I figured someone as gorgeous as yourself would get by on pretty privilege."

He ignores the blush crawling up his neck, tilting his head with a smile of his own. 

"Are you saying I look dumb?"

He's used to women being flustered around him, his sense of humor usually throwing them for a loop. You don't miss a beat though, and his stomach does a somersault.

Your head shakes from side to side and he fights the urge to run his fingers through your hair that looks a little too soft to be real.

"No, I'm saying you're attractive enough that you could be dumb and no one would fault you."

His smile only grows at your quick wit and ability to match his energy. He's quickly learning that your tongue is sharp as a knife, and he loves the way it cuts him.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

You study him for a moment, pondering your next words.

"Do you have a name? Or should I just call you pretty boy?"

He pretends to think for a moment before taking a step closer. He's elated when you don't move back, and rests his hand dangerously close to yours on the table. 

"Rafe. Though pretty boy works just as well."

He's about to ask you the same when you offer it up on a silver platter. 

"I'm Y/N. Though if you have a fitting nickname, you can use that too."

Your voice holds a teasing lilt and he lowers his head so it's only a couple inches from your ear. 

"I'm sure I could think of a few."

In fact, he could think of more than a few. He doesn't want to come on too strong though, and much to your displeasure, he backs away just as quickly as he advanced. 

He wonders for a second how he hasn't seen you before and worries that you're a touron. It's a fleeting thought, quickly swept away when your hand grazes his. 

"Hopefully I get to hear them."

He doesn't miss the lust that causes your voice to turn sultry and shifts a bit as his pants grow tighter. 

"Where are you from? I haven't seen you around."

He changes the subject to something more innocent in an attempt to distract himself from his growing arousal and you tsk.

"I'm from right here in OBX, but I didn't go to the academy and I generally stay away from figure eight. I kinda ride the line between kook and pogue."

He nods his head, the decades-long class war nowhere near the forefront of his mind. 

"So I take it you know who I am?"

It's a pointless question; anyone who grew up within a twenty-mile radius of Kildare knows his family. 

You give a timid smile and nod.

"Yeah, I just didn't want to be too presumptuous. Your reputation kind of precedes you."

His heart sinks as he feels any chance he had with you drifting away. 

"So then why are you talking to me?"

There's an underlying sadness in his voice that you catch, and your eyebrows furrow. 

"I never believed in judging people without knowing them. Besides, I know that picture-perfect family stuff is bullshit. Everyone has their skeletons."

He straightens up at this, genuinely taken aback at the lack of judgment in your voice.

"And what if I told you the rumors are true? That I am some violent asshole that rains terror on those around me?"

The words leave his mouth before he fully processes them and he kicks himself. Is he trying to scare you away? 

Your bubbly smile returns and his breath hitches as you take a step closer.

"I'd say I haven't seen it yet. Besides, underneath the scariest fighters is usually a big softie that's misunderstood."

Rafe's chest squeezes, and he can't believe how in five minutes you've got him figured out better than his lifelong friends. 

"You're something special, you know that?"

And he means it. There's a gravitational pull that calls out to him, and despite his usual attempts to push people away with a giant wall lined with barbed wire, he doesn't want to do that with you for even a second. 

"So I've been told. Though to be perfectly candid, it means a little more coming from you."

He goes to respond when your attention is ripped away by one of your friends telling you it's time to go. 

You turn back to him with an apologetic smile and even though you're still right in front of him, he already misses you. 

"Can I get your number?"

He's nervous as he asks, another new revelation. Usually, he's smooth and practiced. However, the idea of you turning him down makes his stomach lurch.

"About time."

He pulls out his phone and watches as you text yourself a heart so you have his number as well before you turn away and saunter off into the night.

Rafe doesn't even make it thirty minutes before texting you, any thoughts about it being too soon overpowered by his desire to see you again. 

His heart soars when you respond almost instantly, equally as eager to talk to him. 

How's the rest of your night going?

He shoots it off without a second thought, genuinely interested in the answer. He frowns when you text back immediately. 

Shitty, to be honest. Got dragged to this party and I'm bored, but don't have a ride home.

He types out his reply and hits send without considering that it may be creepy. 

Send me your location, I'll come get you.

He watches as three bubbles pop up and then disappear, that new nerve-racking feeling overtaking him once again. 

At the party, you stare down at the screen and contemplate your options. You're really not having a good time, but letting a man you met two hours ago pick you up doesn't seem wise.

Still, something in your core that you can't explain trusts him and you finally answer. You don't bother telling him he doesn't have to, something in you just knows that he doesn't mind.

Rafe jumps off the bar stool and beelines toward his rover when it pops up that you shared your location and he starts toward the address that's wedged between the cut and figure eight. 

He hops out and is instantly hit with the stench of beer and weed, loud bass causing his chest to vibrate. 

His face scans the crowd for your face as he weaves through drunk idiots doing keg stands and yelling a little too loudly. 

He finds it in seconds, and his feet carry him forward as if they have a mind of their own. 

You smell him before you see him, his expensive cologne that smells like vanilla and whiskey cutting through the sweat and vodka.

"Hey, pretty girl."

Your heart leaps at the pet name, and you have a feeling it's just the first of many. 

"You actually came."

Part of you believed he was bluffing, but you're beginning to realize that when Rafe says something he means it.

"You called."

Something about the simple statement gives you goosebumps. He said it with such conviction; as if he'd find you even if you were across the ocean on another continent. 

You shoot your friends a quick text to let them know you're leaving before grabbing your bag and standing. 

You try not to focus on the way your skin burns as he places his hand on the small of your back to lead you away, the gesture feeling too natural for someone you don't even know. 

Rafe drives you home, comfortable conversation flowing with ease the entire ride. 

You try, and fail, not to swoon when he walks you to your door and kisses you on the cheek. You're not usually the type to kiss on the first night, but if he'd asked, you'd have taken him straight up to your room and let him do whatever he wanted. 

You fall asleep easily, your psyche filled with images of a blue-eyed man that swept you off your feet. 

The next week is filled with non-stop texting and time spent surfing as the two of you grow closer. 

You've come to the conclusion that you were right; Rafe is massively misunderstood. 

He's confided in you about things he's never told a soul, and as ridiculous as it sounds, you could easily find yourself falling for him. 

He's told you all about his abusive father and the pressure he's under, about how his mom died when he was ten, and how he feels like he's always the second choice. 

You don't tell him that he'd never be your second choice, how you'd choose him first in a crowd of a hundred million people. 

Instead, you lend a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on, something else Rafe has never done before you. 

You're sat on the beach between his legs now as sand digs into your bare thighs, but it's a small price to pay to be in his arms. 

It's an unusually hot day, the sun rays beating down harshly on your glistening skin. You've just finished surfing, now relaxing as the two of you hydrate with ice-cold Gatorade and much on cheez its.

Your back is pressed into his firm chest comfortably, his free hand snaked around your front and resting just below your belly button. 

"You know," he starts and you shift to lay your head so you're peering up at him. His eyes stay focused on the waves ahead, eyes swirling with an emotion you don't recognize. 

"I've never met anyone like you. You make me feel safe and calm. All the noise in my head fades away and I'm at peace finally."

He pauses and you wait patiently for him to continue, pressing a chaste kiss to his bare pec as silent encouragement.

"You make me feel special. Like I'm worth it."

Your heart clenches at the admission and you turn around fully so you're seated in his lap. His arms wrap around your waist as if it's second nature, and your hands come up to gently grasp his jaw. 

"You are worth it, Rafe. I'm sorry the people who are supposed to love you have made you feel like you aren't."

You don't miss the way tears gather on his waterline and you lean forward slowly, giving him time to pull away. 

When he doesn't, you continue and the world stops on his axis as your lips mold with his. 

Everything else melts away and your mouths move in sync, only the two do you existing in this little bubble. 

Your ears tune out the sounds of seagulls crying and screaming kids, the heat from the unforgiving sun giving way to electricity that sparks every nerve ending in your body. 

His tongue tangles with yours, the flavor of spearmint and fruit punch mingling on your tastebuds. 

You pull back and give him one last short kiss before returning to your original resting position, both of you desperately attempting to catch your breath.

One month is all it took to officially become Rafe's girlfriend. You told each other your darkest and silliest secrets, quiet whispers and unspoken promises in the dark of the night. He became your best friend and boyfriend, consuming all your senses. 

Two months is when you gave yourself to him completely, sweaty bodies writhing in unison under fairy lights and the glow of the moon. You would have given in much sooner, but Rafe insisted on taking it slow, wanting to do it right. You're glad he did, the wait was worth it. 

Three months in, you introduce each other to your friends and family. Ward actually took a liking to you immediately, boasting about how good you've been for his son. You found a sister in Sarah, the two of you having girl's days regularly and laughing at Rafe's expense. Your parents and friends accepted Rafe with ease, him finding the father figure he always craved in your dad.

Four months is when you finally said what you've both been feeling since week five. A quiet confession while tangled together as a movie played in the background. 

"I'm in love with you." You whisper it so quietly, your voice thick with emotion. 

"I'm in love with you too. So much so that it's maddening."

Five months into your whirlwind relationship, the two of you moved in together. Rafe was itching to get away from Tannyhill, and in a shock to you both, Ward offered up one of the estates to be your new home. 

It's your safe space, a perfect combination of the two of you with carefully chosen throw pillows and pictures lining the walls. 

Six months is when you knew without a shadow of a doubt you wanted to spend the rest of your life with Rafe by your side. The two of you are well established now, the honeymoon phase long past and replaced with a much sturdier and ironclad love and respect. 

Seven months in, Rafe surprised you with a two-week-long vacation. It's an all-inclusive trip to Italy, the time spent sightseeing and eating local cuisine that still makes your mouth water.

Eight months is how long it took for him to convince you to quit your job and let him take care of you. It doesn't take much persuading by this point, you know that he's not going anywhere and you trust him when he says you'll never lift a finger again. 

Nine months in, he takes you on another trip; this time a month-long adventure in Greece. You see the world and he buys you anything you show the slightest interest in. You're happy and comfortable, more content with your life than you ever imagined. 

Ten months after your chance meeting, he buys you a new car. He'd absolutely insisted that you deserve the best of the best and your old beat-up Civic doesn't meet the mark. You cried, and the two of you drove up the coast for a blissful long weekend. 

Eleven months is when Rafe planned an elaborate party and dropped to one knee. You nearly collapsed with joy as he placed the four-carat Cartier diamond on your left hand and celebrated with your closest friends and family. 

That night was spent in bed talking about the future, shared desires of having kids, and settling in OBX. It took you a while to wrap your head around the fact that at just twenty-one and twenty-two years old, you'd found the one you belong with. 

Twelve months after your friends forced you to go out, you eloped and married your best friend. One year is all it took for you to believe in soulmates, and become a Cameron. In 365 days, your life did a 180 and you're married with a new Lexus and a house that's more than you could have dreamed of.

But really, all it took was ten seconds for your life to change forever. 

[lunena]

𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐥𝐲

"𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘐 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶." - 𝘓𝘦𝘦𝘏𝘪, "𝘖𝘯𝘭𝘺"

Pair:  Jaemin x female reader Genre:  Fluff, romance, smut, established relationship WC:  5.3k Synopsis:  Your days are breezy and life is easy with Jaemin by your side. Eight months after your mutual confession during the holiday vacation, your love is as profound as ever and only continues to grow. With your aunts beach house empty and begging for company, you and Jaemin decide to take a trip with just the two of you this time around. After months of developing your relationship into something stable and laced with passion and tenderness, you definitely deserve the time alone, and spending the week on your own time plus island time can only do wonders for your relationship. Warnings:  Sexual content, unprotected sex

 * sequel to Upon Your Invitation *

 ▻ 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 | 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥 | 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳

  In the morning, the sun is but a feather against your skin; pale yellow streaks soft like a flower descending the walls with the sun's ascension, caressing his face that beams even in the deepest of slumbers. The sea-blue walls are no match for the golden warmth of the summer light filling the room, no match for the boy next to you emitting the most alluring comfort, his proximity a blanket in itself.

  Jaemin is pure perfection. He’s more than perfect if that’s possible. He sends your mind scrambling, jumbling your thoughts and halting your words in the very presence of him. He both drives you crazy and keeps you grounded. Whether pertaining to major or minor things—minor things such as now, as you’re conflicted over whether you should get up and make breakfast for you two or just stay in bed with him. He looks so beautiful laid on his back, his arm stretched out to rest under your head, his head turned toward you. He looks so beautiful with the sunlight cast over his features and his golden-brown hair, bending with the curves and falling short where the light cannot reach.

  There is no rush. There are no plans to tend to today, there is simply the dawning blue sky overhead and the ocean right across the street. You could fall back asleep, but the enamor satisfying your senses is too abundant, too fulfilling to pull away from. It’s a stable feeling, one so palpable you couldn’t imagine yourself surviving without it.

  You rub your hand over the expanse of his bare chest and up his neck. As his eyes flutter open, finding your gaze and locking you in, you bring your hand up to his face, thumb lightly tracing over his bottom lip. Ah, there he is. Your favorite person. “Morning,” you mumble.

  The corner of Jaemin’s lips pulls up, his hand coming up to wrap around your wrist. “Morning, lover.” He turns onto his side, brings your hand to his lips, and places a lingering kiss. “What do you want to do today?”

  “Hm,” you hum, inching your body closer to him. It’s hot, the sun already heating the island, but that doesn’t stop you from curling into him, wrapping your arm around his torso, and pulling yourself in tight. “I was thinking we could do the same as yesterday, and the day before, and the day before,” you trail, a smile growing on the boy's face. “Beach all day, make dinner, hang out with you.”

  His eyes fall slowly from your eyes to your lips as you speak, over to your cheek, up to your forehead, and land back at your eyes. “Sounds perfect. Wherever the day leads us, I’m happy.” With a kiss on your forehead, he props himself up on his forearm. “Got an idea for breakfast?” he asks.

  “Yup. Coffee and you.” You reach up to pull him over you, his hand falling beside your shoulder to brace himself, his face mere inches from yours. “But coffee can wait, I’d like you first.”

  He grins before connecting your lips. If you weren’t awake before, his kiss is what truly revives your senses, piquing your attention and preparing your heart for another day of love overload. Jaemin’s lips moving sweetly with yours, slow and full of meaning tells you, We don’t have to go anywhere, I could stay here with you like this all day.

  When his hands ghost over your skin, subdued like the morning, your hands comb up into his hair, subtly pulling him closer to you, expressing your lax yet residual desire for him through faint grips and pulls.

  He pulls away for a moment, eyes coasting over your face as he did just a moment ago between your tired, hooded eyes and your beautiful lips, and through your hunger for him to return to his tender kisses, his words soar straight to your heart. Straight to your soul. “My world. My girl.”

  This far in your relationship, meaningful messages and terms of endearment as such are delivered with casual nuance, but the weight is not lost. Instead, understanding has been established, as well as the understated knowledge that there isn’t a hint of hesitation or mistruth in your words. It doesn’t ring with power and shock as it did when you both first came to terms with the true size of the feelings you contain. Now, it’s simply music to your ears—easy listening as he tells you you’re his entire world and everything in it, as you tell him his soul is so perfect for you that nothing in this world could ever make you feel as safe.

  It’s when he reconnects your lips and his body presses down into you, the pressure of his pelvis pressing into yours, that you smile against his lips and push him back up. You pat his chest. “Alright Needy, time for coffee.”

  After you slip out from under him and push off the bed, he lets his body fall and you hear him sigh with a chuckle. “You’re evil.”

  “Gotta get the coffee going,” you say, slipping on his sweatshirt that’s hanging over the chair in the corner. “We can save that for later. Love you.”

  “Love you,” he responds against the pillow.

  You pad out to the kitchen, squinting your eyes for a moment at how bright both the kitchen and the living room are despite the blinds being shut. The island sun is different, and this vacation has proved that statement every day since you two arrived. It’s one of the best agents in finding peace and in allowing a deeper connection to settle between you and your lover.

  It’s the first vacation since the holiday group trip where it’s just you and Jaemin. There have been a few weekend trips since that vacation, but you always had a handful of the boys with you guys. This is your first one alone, and to say it’s going amazing would be an understatement. Yeah, it’s nice not having the boys around, and no, it’s not like you and Jaemin never spend time alone together. But the moment you stepped into your aunt’s beach house, you knew this was going to be different. It was going to be stabilizing, grounding.

  And it has been. There’s no itinerary to follow. Hell, there’s barely anything to do in this town to fill an itinerary with. There’s the beach, the friendly neighbors, and each other. Up until now, that has proven to be more than enough. Whether you find board games in the closet to pull out and play, make a full dinner together, or put on a movie and cuddle up on the couch. There is always something to keep you stimulated, and even if it isn’t much or even if there isn’t anything left to do, it’s enough. Being with Jaemin is enough.

  The coffee machine whirs and brews as you prepare both of your mugs, and as you make your cups, you check the fridge for what you can pack with you to the beach. You eye some fruit on the shelf, as well as remember that there is some lunch meat left so you can make sandwiches. Chips too, of course, because snacking is the most convenient for the beach. All that you really need to prepare is your food, because it’s pointless to plan how long you’ll spend on the beach and what exactly you’ll do once returning home. Maybe the wind will be too chilly and drive you both back home, or maybe the sun will feel so good that you’ll fall asleep under its rays and stay for hours. It’s hard to say, and being that this is an as-you-go type of trip, you simply follow whatever feels right at the moment.

  You finish up both of your coffees and place his in front of a stool at the breakfast bar, and you sip on yours as you pull out different cases and bags of food and water bottles to pack in the cooler. Along with the cooler, you have one beach bag filled with two towels, sun lotion and spray, a speaker, and two books—one for him, one for you. You also have a cute pale green umbrella with pineapples scattered about, courtesy of your aunt’s shed. 

  Jaemin leaves the bedroom looking just as he did when you left him mere moments ago—bedhead, now also further messy from your hands, gray fleece shorts, and the quaint gold chain he wears often. “Hello again,” you greet, “I’ve got chips, fruit, sandwiches, and water. Want anything else?”

  He slowly strides past his coffee, rounding the corner of the bar and continuing toward you. “Yeah,” he lifts his arms in front of him as he speaks, “more kisses.”

  You roll your eyes with a smile as he closes in on you, engulfing you in his arms and dropping his lips to yours again. These kisses are not so sensual, but smothering; teasing. Short and playful consecutive kisses are placed one after the other, migrating to your cheek and down to your jaw, your neck, and back up before you push him away. “Alright, alright. Seriously, is there anything else you want to bring?”

  “Nope. Everything you listed sounds good.”

  Upon finishing up the cooler, you both head back to the room and get ready for the day. It doesn’t take much, and in no time, you both have your bags in tow and are headed out the door. Jaemin locks the door, and you notice the neighbor is out watering her beautiful array of flowers. She looks up, a smile spreading on her face.

  “Morning, lovebirds!” she calls. She’s an older woman, full of spunk and spirit. Upon first impression, you’d never believe her real age. “Heading to the beach?”

  “Yes ma’am!” you respond. Jaemin throws his arm around your shoulders, pulling you close to him, and you know it’s a direct and proud response to the “lovebirds” comment. 

  “Good, it’s a beautiful day. Might head down myself. You two enjoy it! I’ll see you later!”

  There’s something wonderful about the community on this island. Almost everyone here is a permanent resident, and if not, they’re here a good portion of the year. Enough to establish a presence among their neighbors. Most of the residents are older, retired, spending their free days under the sun and basking in island life. Despite their age, though, their spirits are young and vivacious. One neighbor gave you a recipe for a crazy cocktail you’d never heard of, promising to make it with you before you two leave. Another neighbor promised you five pounds of shrimp without you even asking, because her cousin works on a local shrimp boat and she can get it for free.

  Living here for the week amidst these people has made it seem like you’ve lived here for years. Like you and Jaemin are a married couple, permanently retreated to the island, embarking on a life full of sun, sand, and never-ending love. It’s something that definitely doesn’t seem out of reach.

  The sun has since fallen from her position directly overhead and is beginning to veer off toward the horizon, but her warmth still lingers. You and Jaemin still milk out another few minutes laying underneath the rays, each on your respective towels—Jaemin on his back, you on your stomach.

  The day lasted as all of the others did: basking underneath the sun, occasional dips in the ocean, taking turns sitting under the umbrella to read while the other stayed under the sun. Conversation consists of what to make for dinner, whether you’ll watch a movie after dinner or find a game to play, or maybe you’ll take a night stroll along the beach. But as this entire trip has gone, you’ll figure it out after dinner. 

  “Hey,” Jaemin calls quietly, head turned toward you.

  “Hi,” you respond with a smile.

  “Ready to go? Or do you want a couple more minutes?”

  Your gaze lingers before you prop yourself up on your elbows and close the distance between the two of you. You rest your arms atop his chest, your head atop your arms, and your eyes can’t seem to find purchase on a single feature of his. Beautiful boy. “A couple more minutes.”

  Jaemin chuckles and wraps his arms around your body, lazily securing you into place. “Have you thought about what to do for dinner?”

  “Well,” you trail, recalling everything you remember seeing in the pantry and the fridge when you packed the cooler this morning. “There’s pasta—linguine, I think it was. We have lemons. We could make lemon garlic pasta?”

  “I like that idea. Maybe a little salad too, if we give ourselves enough time,” he offers with a wink, and you bury your face in your arms. He laughs at your bashfulness, and you turn to press your head against his chest, allowing the vibrations of his laugh to surge through you, electrifying your very being to the very last nerve.

  “Wine or a poorly made cocktail?” you ask, to which he dramatically sighs in thought.

  “We bought that funky-looking bottle of champagne, maybe that?”

  “Mmm. I think that will be perfect,” you lift your head, slide up his body until your lips hover tauntingly above his. “We’ll save the bad cocktails for tomorrow night, maybe invite the neighbors over.”

  His eyes are soft—pools of honey that pull you in and trap you in the consistency. When he closes his eyes in contentment, you internally curse. “I loved that,” he hums.

  “Loved what?”

  “‘Invite the neighbors over.’ So casual, like it’s a normal thing we do often.” He lifts his hand from your waist to draw a finger down the side of your face. “One day, it will be normal. When we have our own house, our own home, we’ll have our neighbors over all the time. We’ll have the guys over, your friends over. Our families. When we have our home. I can’t wait for those days.”

  There are no words to say that can amount to how much you love that image. How excited you are to have that with him. When we have our home. Not a house, not his, not yours. A home. Together.

  So you smile. A bright, sparkly-eyed smile that relays just how much you crave that too. And to seal your commitment to that dream, you plant your lips on his. Deep, rich kisses that solidify just how much this vacation has meant, even though it’s nowhere near over. Just how far you’re both in this, how devoted you are to the long run of it all.

  Cooking has proven to be an impossible feat. Whether Jaemin is standing in front of the counter, chopping the lemons, or his front is pressed to your back, hands rubbing at your sides as he drops kisses to your neck and down to your shoulder. He’s a walking distraction, and for some reason, his allure is elevated in this setting. 

  You cook together all the time. You move around each other in the kitchen as if you’ve been two partners in business for a lifetime and then some. Now, you find yourself at a pause against the counter, watching his back muscles move beneath his t-shirt as he stirs the pasta and prepares the pan with the ingredients. 

  What were you supposed to be doing? You couldn’t remember. The ingredients were prepared, the champagne was poured and indulged in, your glass almost empty. Maybe it was a refill you were supposed to grab. 

  As Jaemin transports the pasta into the pan and finishes off the preparation, you top off your glasses and bring them both to the breakfast bar, as well as silverware. The overhead lighting falls against his back in such beautiful accents and creates dramatic shadows, accentuating his structure. Makes you want to forget dinner and bury your face into the wide plane, wrap your arms tight around his middle, drown in his intoxicating fresh scent.

  But he put a lot of effort into dinner tonight as he always does, so at the very least you have to will yourself to sit down and eat some.

  “Alright,” he calls, “let’s eat.”

  With conversation, teasing, tension, and relaxed smiles, you somehow make it through dinner without jumping out of your chair and throwing yourself at him. You talk about the day you both had, how you felt, how you’ve been feeling since you arrived. This vacation so far has been casual, yeah. Taking things day by day, waking up on your own time, lazy kisses, and arms draped around the other like a light blanket. But even with delicate touches and light conversation, you can’t always tame the ravenous beast inside of you that craves Jaemin. Especially the Jaemin that sits beside you in his black gym shorts and the giant gray t-shirt that hangs from his shoulders. He looks so cozy and warm that it only draws you in. Makes you want to crawl into his shirt with him, press yourself against him. Be warm with him. From him. You’re greedy and you can’t deny it.

  But you refrain. “I’ll clean up,” you offer, collecting his plate along with your own. You round the corner of the bar and move to drop your plates into the sink, Jaemin on your tail. His hands plant themselves at your side, molding to your skin. Not squeezing, but they’re secure in their place. 

  “You don’t need to clean right away,” he rasps by your ear, urging your heart to skip a beat. 

  “Is there something else I should be doing?” You feel the question poses a dirty response, luring him toward the lingering temptations. Instead, he leans the opposite way.

  “Yes. Sit with me on the couch, let’s watch a movie. I was thinking Jaws.”

  You roll your eyes and turn to leave the dishes as they are, taking his hand in yours and going to grab your glass before landing on the couch. Yeah, you would have liked to break the tension a little bit, get a taste of what’s been lingering since this morning after parting. But sitting with him is just as fulfilling. 

  Being with him gives you energy from his presence alone. But nights like these, where you simply come down from the day by sitting on the couch together and finding a movie or a show, this is when you really recharge. When he holds you close, his arm around your shoulders and his cheek squished against the top of your head. When your legs are draped over his lap, his hand swipes up and down your thigh in delicate, mindless motions. When the both of you are together as one in the moment, simply existing together, that’s when you find it in you to look forward to the next day and what it has in store for the both of you. 

  You’re barely ten minutes into the movie when his light brushes on your thigh inch down further with every stroke, over your knee, circling at your calf and back up. When he reaches your thigh, his fingers tease the inside of your thigh, warming the skin in their wake, and suddenly this blanket draped over you is stuffy.

  When his movements alter from light brushes to gripping your skin, kneading, massaging, that’s when you pull your attention from the television to look at him. You expect him to look at you curiously. Surely he didn’t stray from indulging in the fun earlier to watch a movie, only to end up here anyway. 

  But he wears a proud, devilish grin, obviously unable to hold it in. “Maybe the movie was a bad suggestion.”

  “It’s clear there are more pressing matters at hand.”

  He chuckles, his hand moving up from your thigh to your cheek, a hasty caress before pulling you in, laying his lips on yours. His kiss is so tender, so right. It only grows needier, as his hand slides back into your hair, yours moves up to his neck, and you’re aimlessly trying your best to pull each other closer.

  You break away and move your legs to straddle him, the quick pause giving him a chance to turn the movie off. No matter how turned on you are, no matter how much sexual tension has built up, no one wants to have sex while Jaws plays in the background. 

  Straddling Jaemin is a wonder in itself. You can feel everything, see everything. It’s the perfect position to do what you want with him, however you please. The perfect position to make him feel good. To focus on him.

  As your hand glides from his neck to his nape, then up through his hair and back down, your other hand falls down his chest, landing on his pec. You grind into him, light at first, just enough for him to yearn for more. When he sucks in through his teeth, grips your hair tight, you know he wants more.

  “I want to ride you, Jaem,” you utter, kissing his cheek. “I want to make you feel good.”

  He slides his hands down to your hips, squeezing firmly. “You can ride me until you fall apart, baby.” He glides his hands back up the sides of your breasts, and his deep, abundant yet delicate gaze meets your own. “But I’m still going to turn you over and make love to you, and I’m going to feel amazing while doing it. Just by lying there for me, you make me feel good.”

  The image of you sprawled beneath him almost has you getting up and pulling him to the bedroom, entirely skipping the part of you riding him until you fall apart. You know how good he can make you feel. You know how good he works your body, how right he does you. But just as he does you the way you deserve, you want to do him the way he deserves. 

  Your hands fall to the hem of his shirt, lifting the fabric up and over his head. To his declaration, you could respond by saying good, do my body how you please. Or you could say I’ll do whatever you want, just to make you feel good. Or, you could simply say I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you. So many words fill your brain, so many ways to respond to him cram your throat, but all you can do is smile and reconnect your lips, aching to show him rather than tell him.

  Jaemin moves to lift your tank top as you did with his shirt, lifting to your knees as you fumble with the waistband of his shorts, eager to rid him of the obstructive fabric. He giggles, placing his hands on yours to calm them. “Climb off for a second.”

  You move to the side and he slides his shorts off along with his briefs, his erection springing free. He isn’t fully hard yet, and that fact alone has you eager to crawl back on top of him and get him there. You slip your shorts and panties off, dropping them at the bottom of the couch. “Alright, come here,” Jaemin says, his hand pulling your thigh back over his lap.

  On this couch, you’re two naked bodies on the brink of pleasure, eyes crawling over each other as if you’ve never seen the other so bare. He smiles as his eyes ascend your body and find yours once again, his demeanor so genuine, so entirely taken by your love and your devotion.

  When your lips find each other again, your kiss is intense, thick with desire and yearning. His hands are pressed flat to your back, flushing you into his front, pinning your bodies together, and you grind into him again, your sex thrumming with excitement from the tease. You could get off just from grinding into him alone, but you’re aching for more. You crave the sensation of him inside of you. 

  Your hand feathers over his stomach, falling to his length, and you reluctantly pull away from his kiss and hover above him to grip him, bringing his tip to your entrance. With an unbreakable moment of eye contact and the exchange of unspoken need, you sink down his full length. 

  You watch his eyebrows furrow for the briefest moment. His hands pressed to your back fall to your ass, gripping each cheek before sliding over to your hips, and you sit there for a moment. Reveling in the way he fills you the way no one ever could—ever will. Because aside from the size of him that feels as if it were made for you, he knows how to work you. He knows what you like, he knows how to get you to the high you deserve to achieve and then some. He’s perfect for you, in every sense of the word.

  His hands find purchase at your hips, and with his firm grip, you begin to move. Up and down his thighs, riding, grinding to your hearts’ desire. Did you close the curtains? You suddenly remember you might have cracked the window open. You’re about to look over and check, but Jaemin’s lips on your shoulder, his teeth just barely grazing the skin, pulls you from your conscience. 

  Your head falls back in a strained moan as his teeth graze over your collarbone, your senses slowly but surely growing overwhelmed at the moment and its actions. Good. He feels insanely good.

  Sex with Jaemin is never a one-way road. It’s never one person doing most of the work, doing everything in their power for one release. You work together. You find a rhythm that both of you can tap into, and once you both find it, you take off like a rocket. Even with no words spoken, you know where to meet one another.

  So as you ride him the way your body has craved to, touch him the way your hands ache to, you clock the way his hands help you move with the shakier you become, his eyes attentive to the way your chest rises and falls, and his muscles flexed in exaggerated dedication. Right now, this feels good as is. It’s almost soothing the way he glides in and out of you. It’s concentrated. Despite how good it feels, though, he knows you need something more. Something different.

  As you grind up his thighs once more, he doesn’t let you fall back. He brings you to a pause, tightens his grip on your hips, and lifts you just to the tip of his dick just before pushing you back down the entirety of his length.

  Moans, grunts, and borderline screams fill the room as you bounce relentlessly on his dick. If the window is cracked, you’re sure the neighbors can hear if they’re still awake (pray they’re not). You cry his name, he chokes on curses, and you know the peak is dawning. There’s no rhythm to your movements, your lower body stuttering with every rise and fall of your hips. You hold onto his shoulders for dear life, trying to rest your forehead against his, though your movements are too ragged and shaky to remain stable. 

  You can feel it. You’re right there, and you know he is too just by the way his hands are gripping your flesh harder than they are moving you along his length. He’s trying to hold his composure, but you want him to release.

  You drop your mouth to his ear. “Baby. Let’s get there together.”

  A dam has broken. Determination washes over his eyes, his hands splaying over the sides of your thighs and hips, thumbs dipping into each crease, and he’s thrusting into you from his spot beneath you. With the force of him plowing into you nonstop, there’s no way you can keep yourself afloat. 

  Your body is turning to jelly. You’re molten rock turned lava as your body comes undone and lets the pleasure come to the surface, pouring out in cries and shakes. “I’m right there, babe. I’m right there,” he assures, pounding persistently to reach euphoria with you.

  And he does. After a few hard thrusts and overstimulation avoided, he pulls you down hard against him, securing you against his lap, and he unravels inside of you, filling you to the brim and more with his warmth. 

  His head falls to your shoulder with heavy pants. You drop your face to the crook of his neck. All you want is to sit here forever, reveling in the ecstasy surrounding the two of you. You don’t want to get up, lose the feeling of him inside of you. You want to wrap your arms around him, keep him close and never move from this moment. The perfect ending to another perfect day.

  “Alright,” he mumbles, his head falling back onto the couch. “Back to Jaws.”

  Jaemin exhales a short, breathy chuckle at himself and you playfully flick his chest before he allows himself to laugh fully. He throws his arms around you and pulls you down onto the couch. You can’t even complain over your leg now wedged uncomfortably between his body and the couch. Maybe it’s because of the dwindling yet still present buzz of pleasure coursing through you, maybe it’s because you wouldn’t rather be anywhere other than lying wrapped up with him—be it comfortable or not.

  Jaemin rakes his hand through your hair, his chin resting against the top of your head. “My girl,” he hums, soft and delicate. Careful when he relays the one of many names he’s given you. “I’m so happy we took this vacation. I’m so happy I’m here with you.”

  “Thank you for taking the trip with me.”

  He pulls his head back, places a kiss on your forehead. “I love you. Forever and ever.”

  You smile. “And ever.”

  You lie content in his embrace, recognizing the dawning exhaustion and deeming it a good time to put the movie back on. Relax, rewind, and if you’re still mentally there by the time the movie ends, move to the bedroom and go for round two. If not, you can go at it in the morning before you repeat the same day you’ve been living.

  Some may find such a repetitive schedule too monotonous to follow. Some may find such a go-with-the-flow schedule too freeform. You and Jaemin are not those people.

  Waking up every morning beside him, making coffee and having breakfast together, going to the beach when it’s sunny to get your fill of vitamin d, or staying in, lighting some candles and cuddling on the couch when it’s raining. Making dinner together like you often do. Sharing a bottle of wine. Making honeymoon level love to each other. You could do this every day, sharing these casual moments with your lover.

  Turning in your spot to press your back into his front, you pull his arm around you, interlacing your fingers, and bring his hand to your lips. You place a tender kiss on the back of his hand, and you can feel his smile grow against the crown of your head. 

  When you didn’t think you could love him any more than you already do, when you didn’t think this relationship could grow any more than it has over the past eight months, this vacation has proved you wrong. It has surprised you beyond belief, exceeded your expectations, and just as it has shown you there is so much more love and intimacy to explore, it has also brought you to recognize you’re locked in. You’re grounded in this relationship and everything that it is, and if every day of the rest of your life is spent like this with him, then you’re happy. Both of you.

[revasserium]

could i request 'the thoughts of falling stars' for suga, please and thank you? :D also welcome back! i've missed your writing!

reqs are open :) and thank you darling! i hope u enjoy! <3

the thoughts of falling stars

suga; 2,193 words; a pirate falls in love with a falling star...

what do dreams dream of in our waking hours? what do stars think as they fall towards that place beyond our far horizons?

there are some stories too big for a single person, a single life to tell.

there’s a man with starlight hair and a sunrise smile who pedals stories for the price of dreams. what kind of dreams, you ask? well, it depends on the length and breadth of the story he tells.

once upon a time, a pirate fell in love with a falling star.

there’s a place beyond the edge of the earth where the world ends and the sky begins, that’s where all the falling stars go. at least, that’s what all the stories say. and if the stories say so, then it must be true. and men will chase the sound of stories much farther than they’re ever willing to chase the truth, sometimes, even if the story and the truth are one and the same.

by the time koushi is five years old, he’s certain that there’s nothing to the world but the sea — the endless stretch of honeyed depths, sweet and silken as it laps against the sides of their ship, the ship that he was born on. the ship that will one day be his.

dreamcatcher is her name, and never once had he thought to question it.

by the time he is eighteen, and by all considerations, a grown young man, he thinks he knows all there is to know about dreams.

the day that he watches you fall, he wonders if you’ll like him, and even though his parents had reassured him time and time again that it’s none of his concern, that falling stars don’t have likes or dislikes, that once they’ve caught you, all that there’s left to do is spin your hair into the stuff of dreams and toss what remains back over the edge of the world. it’s what they’ve always, always done.

he wonders anyway, and what a wonder it is because when he pulls you up over onto the light-soaked deck, all he can do is stare. you’re beautiful. but of course you are — most falling things are. like rain and sunlight and love. though he doesn’t quite know about that last one yet.

he will though, in time.

but for right now, all he can do is scramble up to untangle you from the star-catcher net. it’s his first time flying solo, his parents having passed on the tradition to him barely a year ago, sending him off with a brand new net and the promise of a whole ocean of yet undreamt dreams.

his fingers are gentle as they pull the thick ropes away from your delicate limbs. your eyes are closed, and he briefly wonders if you’re asleep.

when he first dips his fingers into the spider-silk of your hair, tugging out the first wisps of dreams, he tastes the hint of a summer breeze, bright and sweet as lilies. then, the tang of strawberries, the crunch of freshly fallen leaves, the warmth of fingers dancing over smiling cheeks. he tugs his hand back, blinking away the reverie.

he’s done this a million times, he thinks, spinning the hair of fallen stars into dreams that he can then sell to the people who live on the other side of this deep, honey sea, who toil day in and day out without the promise of reprieve. it’s a sad life, and no wonder they’re willing to pay so much for one good, sweet, endless dream.

but something about you stills his hand, and he finds himself sitting back on his legs, watching you as you sleep.

the sun rises as it is wont to do and still, he’s not spun a single dream.

he watches as the sunlight warms your face, and then — he watches as you open your eyes.

there’s an entire ocean caught beneath the sweep of your lashes.

“oh,” you say.

oh, he thinks.

you blink as the sky breaks into day, the light settling itself over your shoulders, almost ~~almost~~ blinding.

“you… i thought…” your brows furrow in confusion, and then your eyes widen as you seem to take in the scope of your current situation.

“please —” koushi holds up his hands, palms out as you scramble away from him, clutching the material of your dress, thick with the velvet of the night. “i’m not gonna hurt you!”

your eyes narrow and he feels his chest seize with — something.

“y-you won’t? you’re not here to steal my dreams?”

koushi blinks. steal? he’d never thought of what he’d been doing as… stealing. but…

“uhm… no?”

but he can’t help the hot flush that washes up his chest into his cheeks as he looks away.

“oh… then… thank you… i guess,” you say, and you flash him a smile, and it’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen — he wishes he could catch it in his hand, to pull it into his chest. for how many people can say that they’ve ever caught a falling star’s smile? and how many can say that they just let it pass them by?

“f-for what?” he asks, though he has an inkling, and that inkling turns out to be true as you wave towards the golden waves below.

“for… saving me from the sea.”

koushi presses his lips, swallows hard, and glances out over the far horizon. he should be heading back towards the mainland today, back towards those people with their callused hands and honest, hardworking lives. who don’t know where the dreams come for or what the true price might be.

“it’s… uhm — well… do you want breakfast?” koushi pushes himself to his feet, looking anywhere but at you, twisting his hands together as he fusses over the small sack of rations he brought along for the trip. he pauses as as the thought crosses his mind that he has no idea what falling stars eat — but he’s already asked, and he can hear the sounds of you shuffling to your feet, so he busies himself with preparing a few slices of bread, careful to spread them thick with honey and jam.

“thank you,” you say, nodding as he offers you a piece, and he watches in muted wonder as you take a large bite, your expression cresting into sheer, unadulterated joy as you take another bite, and then another, letting out a soft, thick groan that makes his entire body tingle.

“mm… it’s so good!” you polish off the rest of the bread slice, licking your lips with a bright-eyed smile, “is there… more?”

“y-yeah! here — have another one —”

and so it goes like this — him teaching you about the earthly things, like bread and honey and well-churned butter, and you teaching him about heavenly things, like songs and stories and the weaving of dreams.

when he finally tells you, with halting words and nervous hands, the trick and the trade that his family has always toiled in, you are quiet. but you don’t shrink away from him in horror; in fact, you don’t move at all.

“oh… so that’s what you do.” your voice is light, too light, and koushi wants so desperately to drop to his knees, to clutch at your hands and shake his head and say no — not anymore.

instead, he only swallows and nods and averts his eyes.

“what… what i used to do,” he says after a while.

it is your laughter that saves him.

you reach out to trace a finger across his cheek, “hey… look at me… koushi — koushi —” and you say his name like it’s something more than a name, something that weighs more than a single body, and he melts into the sound of your voice, into the sweet of your caress.

“the thing about dreams,” you tell him, pulling him close, letting him fall into you as he curls his arms around you and buries his face in your chest, “and the thing about love,” you say, smiling as he fists his fingers in the night-sky of your dress, “is that you can always make more.”

he looks up, eyes wide with hope, palms tender with salvation.

“so… i haven’t been hurting you? any of you?”

you laugh, shrugging, “maybe… just a little. and maybe, it would’ve been nicer for you to ask —” you cast your eyes up towards the darkening sky, at the cover of thick, velvet night, “there isn’t a star alive who wouldn’t have spun you dreams if you had only thought to ask.”

why didn’t we think to ask? koushi wonders as he drops his face back into the crook of your neck and you content yourself with twisting your fingers through his hair, the strands going silver the more time he spends with you.

“i’m still sorry…” he says, earnest, as he pulls back.

“i know… i know you are.”

and you’re both older now, and you both know things — great things and good things and solid, knowable things — like the weight of a hand as it holds another hand, the warmth of lips when met with another pair of lips. and the rush and pull of falling asleep in each others arms, the utter, unsinkable joy of laughter, the light and solid of love —

because he is in love. and — koushi is fairly certain — so are you.

but the problem with forever is that it is only ever a promised thing, and promised things are so, so often not earthly things to give. and even though you had once been a part of the heavens, falling stars are only ever just fallen after they hit the ground.

it was a selfish thing to do, and you know it is — but love makes people do stupid, selfish things.

“i… i could wish us forever — if you wanted,” you offer, because it’s what you wanted, and you hadn’t really explained to him what forever really means. and a part of you think he’d never really understand, anyway. at least not until he’s lived it.

“y-you could?” koushi’s eyes are wide as he clutches your hands in his; he presses his lips to them, and you can see his joy, his elation rising up in him like the shifting of the tides, and you lean in to kiss him, to drag the sweetness from his lips.

“yes…” you breathe, and you don’t tell him of the consequences.

“okay,” he says, nodding too fast and too hard and clutching at you like he could press your bodies into each other, like he could weave the solidness of your realities together until they were one and the same, “do it.”

you nod, “okay,” you take a long breath, card your fingers through his hair and start to speak.

“let me tell you how stars are born…”

once upon a time, a pirate fell in love with a shooting star; and she made a promise that wasn’t hers to make.

“tell me a story!” a little girl asks, with eyes bright as stars, her smile just as wide, and koushi hums, tapping a finger along his lips as he looks around at the crowd that’s gathered around him.

“ah… but stories don’t come for free,” he says, grinning as he leans in, his voice thick as the honey sea.

“how much?” a little boy with sunrise hair asks, glancing between koushi and the little girl.

“just a dream,” koushi answers, twirling his fingers through the air, and the world seems to shift around him, the boy swaying on his feet before he catches himself against a red brick wall, shaking his head.

“o-okay then… you got your dream. tell us the story!”

koushi nods rather sagely as he leans back against the wall and takes a breath.

he spins the dream in his palm, letting it ghost over his lips as he leans down to breathe it in — it’s a lovely dream, all sunshine and summer haze, rose petals and moonlit bays. he tucks it away in his knapsack, pat it with a finger and prays —

one day, he thinks, he hopes, he dreams, it’ll be enough. one day, he’ll spin enough dreams to bring you back, because you’re still out there, he knows — he knows, in all the dreams he’s ever stolen from the hair of falling stars.

and he knows that if he collects enough dreams, pours them over the edge of the world, that one day, you’ll come back to him. because a gathering of stolen dream is how the stars are born.

koushi clears his throat and starts to speak —

“once upon a time, a pirate fell in love with a falling star…”

[adminbryantsaki]

Incubator/oviposition

Day 9 of spicytober featuring  Luna! Merman! Hizashi Yamada x Omega! Reader.

(I do not own Hizashi Yamada/Present Mic. Horikoshi Kohei does. If this isn’t your cup of tea, blend of spices, or brew of coffee, move on. Reader discretion is advised. @lhcartoonist has requested to be tagged in the Hizashi stories)

Wc: 4,633

Tw: ABO, Monster fucking, Heat/rut, oviposition, breeding, mention to child bearing and pregnancy.

It was a dark and stormy night. Thunder rolled and lightning crackled across the sky as you stared out your window to watch the stormy seas as you couldn’t manage to shut your mind off to sleep. Now, this wasn’t one of those summer storms that was caused by the increase in humidity and overall temperature in the air, this storm, was one of those mid- autumn storms that made you want to curl up under a blanket with a warm drink or a good book by a fireplace to help you stay warm.

You had lived in this town by the coast for a couple years. You had been told by the townsfolk that once a month on the full moon, for a week, a group of mysterious men come from the sea and claim a mate for themselves. Sometimes the men stay in the town or they take their mates back to the sea with them. Some don’t even take a mate at all and wait for the next month. You had seen these men but they never had picked you for a mate. Once you ran into one of them in the market and he helped you pick up your groceries you had dropped. You could remember his bright green eyes and long blonde hair that shone in the sun but you had never gotten his name. You hoped to see him amongst the group of men that would emerge from the waves in the next few days. But for now, you had hunkered down in your single room cabin that you had on the edge of town near the forest that you also heard that a pack of wolves and some rumored to have seen a Naga that resided there. Some of the townsfolk said that it was a pack of werewolves that lived in that forest but you never paid any mind to that. You just wanted to see your mysterious man from the ocean again. You checked your calendar and the full moon was quickly approaching. Your heart lifted a little knowing that you would hopefully see him again. You just hoped he would be able to make it to shore safely with the storm.

The next few days went by quickly and the night that the men were to come from the sea had arrived. You had set up an area in front of your one bay window that faced the ocean. You had acquired your favorite snacks and drinks along with enough blankets and pillows to make yourself a nest to be comfortable while you watched the waves. A couple of your neighbors along with yourself had set out some piles of clothes out in the dunes for the men to wear as they had been known to arrive in the town without clothes or had stolen some from people’s clotheslines.  You had left a note and placed a marker where you had set your offering in hopes that your green-eyed mystery man would accept your offer.

Hours passed and the moon had risen by the time your eyes began to grow heavy. The haunting noise of a siren’s call that sounded a bit like an Orca’s mating call. woke you from your slumber and you jolted awake only to see the man staring right at you through the window. You screamed and scrambled away from the window in fear. The man looked concerned and he pulled a piece of paper that looked like your note from his pants pocket, unfolded it, and pressed it against the window. You calmed down and steadied your breathing. You let yourself take a closer look at the man and you saw that he was wearing the clothes you had left in the dunes. You also saw that it was the blonde-haired, green-eyed man you had bumped into the market. You relaxed and let out a sigh of relief and walked closer to the window to open a section of the panes to invite him to come closer. He came closer to talk with you.

“I found your gift. I guess you left it for me. Thank you.” He told you.

“You’re welcome. Are you cold? You can come inside if you’d like. I’ll make a bed up for you.” You asked.

“That’s very kind of you. I am a little chilled.” He responded as he rubbed his arms and a puff of air came from his mouth.

“Come down the hill to the porch, that’s where my front door is.” You spoke.

“Ok. I’ll meet you there. He said and began walking down the hill. You ran through your house and arrived at the front door to let him in. He was already there waiting for you and he smiled when he saw you on the other side of the door.

“Come in and warm up. It’s a cold night tonight.” You told him and opened the door wider to let him inside. Your mystery man was inside your house, He smelled like the sea and gave you a sense of calm and safety when you were in his presence.

“Do you want anything?” You asked.

“I’d like to take a hot shower to warm up if you don’t mind.” He asked. You nodded and showed him to your bathroom and set out a warmer set of men’s clothes out for him.

You arranged a nest for him in your guest bedroom and began to close your house down for the night when you saw him come out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel. You blushed and looked away when you saw him.

“Sorry! I was just checking on you before I went to bed for the night.” You spoke.

“Whoa!  Didn’t see you there. I should be alright for the time being. Thanks for letting me crash at your place for the night. I should be alright. Thank you… what is your name, lovely?” He asked.

“Oh, I’m Y/n.” You said as a shade of pink covered your cheeks.

“I’m Hizashi. Thank you, Y/n. I’ll see you in the morning. Have a good sleep.” He spoke.

“You’re welcome. I set up the guest bedroom for you.” You spoke before you ducked out of the hallway and into your bedroom where you shut the door and laid on your bed and stared at the ceiling for a while before quickly passing out.

The next morning you woke up to smelling something good coming from the kitchen. You rose from your bed, pulled your bathrobe on, and went to investigate what the amazing smell was. You found Hizashi in the kitchen making breakfast.

“Good morning, sleepyhead. Did you sleep well?”  He asked as he plated the food he made.

“Yes, I did. Thank you for asking. Did you make food?” You asked. He nodded and handed you one of the plates. He then walked to the table and sat down with you across from him.

“Thank you for doing this. You didn’t have to do this. You’re a guest.” You told him.

“It’s the least I could do… think of it as a thank you for letting me stay with you.” He spoke as he ate. You smiled and ate as well.

After breakfast, you went back to your room to get changed and get ready to go to work. When you were about to leave, you were stopped by Hizashi.

“Where are you going?” He asked.

“I must go to work. If you want to stay, you can. I don’t mind having a roommate for a while.” You told him. He nodded and kissed your head before you left.

On your way to work, you saw something odd off in the distance in the dunes where your marker was. You moved closer and saw a dried-out fish tail laid over your marker. You gingerly touched the tail and a couple of the scales flaked off and turned to sand as they fell to the ground. You covered your mouth in shock and continued your way to work keeping a note in your mind to talk with Hizashi when you got home that evening.

When you did finally arrive home that evening, you were greeted by the blonde and a smell of seafood and garlic.

“Welcome home, Y/n! How was your day?” He asked.

“It was good… Hizashi, are you a merman?” You asked him. He froze when he was plating food for dinner and looked at you.

“How did you know?” He asked.

“There is a dried-out fish tail on the marker that I put in the dunes the night that men were to mysteriously appear from the ocean each month around the same time.” You told him as you set down your things and took your shoes off. The man sighed and he brought the plates over to the table.

“Sit down, I’ll explain everything.” He spoke and you followed him to the table.

Once the both of you were seated, Hizashi took a deep breath and looked at you with his piercing green eyes.

“I am a merman. Along with several other men that came with me when we come to land in search of a mate. We come each month around our…netsu to wadachi.” He spoke with a hint of a blush across his face.

“What’s that?” You asked as you kept eating.

“It’s a time where people of both genders experience a sexual frustration. Some wish to bear children and others want to give children. Some want to do both at the same time. Some stay beneath the waves while others come to the surface.” He spoke and took a bite of his food. You ate in silence as you listened to him and thought.

“Are you talking about a heat and a rut?” You asked him.

“Is that what you call them here? Can you tell me which is what?” He asked. You blushed a bit and nodded. You told him what a heat was and what a rut was. He listened with full interest as he ate his food. You leaned back after you had finished your food.

“The meal was amazing. Thank you again, Hizashi. Why are you doing all of this?” You asked.

“I remember the last time was on the surface and I bumped into you in the store down the street… all I can remember was that I was instantly attracted to you and I made a vow to myself that I’d do whatever it took to make you mine the next time I came to the surface. It made me happy to find your gift in the dunes.” He spoke as he did the dishes.

“Really? You want to make me your mate? We hardly know each other.” You told him.

“We have the week before the other men that came with me along with myself must return to the ocean or the elders will deem us traitors and never allow us to return.

We can spend that time getting to know each other. But I’d like to give you my bond mark as soon as possible.” He told you. This made you nervous and you looked up at him.

“A bond mark? That is a bit serious. How do you even know we’re compatible?” You asked him.

“It doesn’t matter for me. I experience both a rut and a heat.” He told you. Your mind ran through the list of dynamic you had come across or had heard about.

“I think you’re a Luna. That dynamic is a rare one and it makes sense why you experience both a heat and a rut. Do they alternate every other month?” You asked. The merman nodded.

“If I’m a Luna, then what are you?” He asked.

“I’m an Omega. I only experience a heat.” You told him. A sly grin spread across his lips.

“Then you’re in luck, I got my rut earlier this week. Don’t worry, I’ll try not to force you into anything you don’t want to do. But I do want to bond with you, tell the other mermen that came with me that you’re mine. There’s a couple of them that are in rut as well.” He spoke in a deeper tone and walked over to you. You blushed a deep shade of red as he held his hand out to you.

“Come with me, please. I only wish to mark you. No mating until you’re comfortable.” He told you. You hesitated before you nodded in agreement and he led you into the guest bedroom that smelled strong scent of the sea. You peeked inside and saw that he had made a nest large enough to hold the both of you overnight and he pulled you into the room and pinned you against the wall. He shut and locked the door before kissing you roughly on the mouth. You gasped in pleasure and clawed at his shirt which he pulled off and tossed to the floor and kissed you again, moving down to your neck and nipping softly at your sensitive neck and slipped his hands up the bottom of your shirt pull you closer by your waist. He gave you another kiss, picked you up to wrap your legs around his waist, and carry you over to the nest where he laid you down and climbed in with you. He pushed up your shirt and left a trail of kisses up to your neck. He kissed you deeply before looking at you.

“Where would you like your mark?” He asked in a slightly deepened tone that made something inside of you spark alive. Your scent began to flow out of your scent glands and he inhaled the smell.

“You smell so good, baby.” He told you and rubbed circles on your side. You looked down at him and let out a quiet moan.

“I want my mark in a place where people can see it.” You said breathlessly. The merman before you kissed you before going to your neck and biting down. You let out a cry of pleasure and he released from your neck to watch the mark form a circle with a music note coming from a conch shell. Hizashi smiled as he was satisfied with the marking and he kissed your cheek.

“Do you feel ok? Did I hurt you?” He asked and checked your mark for any bruising or bleeding. You shook your head and cupped his cheek.

“I’m ok.” You reassured him. He relaxed a bit and laid down next to you.

“Do you want to mark me?” He asked.

“Is that allowed with your species?” You asked him.

“Yes. It’s expected for both of us to mark each other no matter the dynamic.” He told you and kissed you again. You kissed him deeper and looked at him.

“Where do you want your mark?” You asked him.

“On my neck, like yours.” He spoke and tapped the side of his neck that was opposite to your mark on your neck. You blushed a deep shade of red and you climbed on top of him. You were nervous and he could tell.

“Just relax. You’re not going to hurt me.  You’re going to do fine.” He told you and cupped your cheek. You smiled then kissed him deeply on the mouth before going to his neck and biting softly. He let out a low, rumbling groan in his chest before moaning something that sounded like an absolute melody in your ears. You pulled away to see your symbol form on his neck and you were amazed at watching the mark form. The merman watched you and smiled.

“I didn’t know I could mark someone and have it actually watch it transform into something like that.” You told him as you laid on his chest. He kissed your head and smiled.

“I guess different dynamics are taught differently here on land than in the sea.” He spoke as he rubbed lazy circles on your back.

“I guess so.” You spoke sleepily before yawning.

“Get some rest. I want to go out into town with you later.” He told you. You nodded before passing out on your new mate’s chest.

You woke up later in the day sometime in the afternoon. You saw Hizashi coming into the room wearing a new set of clothes.

“Afternoon, love. Did you sleep well?” He asked as he walked over to you and kissed your cheek.

“I slept fine, thank you for asking.” You said and kissed him back.

“Do you want to get changed before we go out?” He asked.

“No, I’m fine. Where do you want to take me?” You responded and looked at him.

“I’d like to take you to my favorite restaurant in town. But the other mermen are in town and your mark is still fresh. I’ll run into town and get food from the restaurant. Do you have any allergies?” He asked.

“No I don’t.” You told him and he kissed you.

“Stay here and relax. I’ll be back soon even though I want to show you off to the others. But I don’t want to cause any trouble.” He spoke and kissed you again before he left. You blinked as he left the room and you thought as to why you being out with him would stir up trouble. You did hear him about your mark being fresh and you understood that. You didn’t pay any mind to it as you got out of the nest and went to freshen yourself up in the bathroom.

A little while later, Hizashi came home bearing food that smelled wonderful. You called out from your office where you were working to tell him where you were and he came into your office.

“What are you working on?” He asked as he entered your office and set a warm takeout container on your desk.

“A story.” You told him.

“What kind of story are you working on?” He asked as he sat down on the other side of your desk and ate his own food.

“A fantasy story. I’ve been playing with different plots and none of them have stuck.” You spoke as you set your work aside and enjoyed the food that he brought for you.

“Maybe I can help?” He asked as he was interested in what you were doing.

“Maybe later. For now, I just want to enjoy the food and talk with you.” You told him.

“What do you want to talk about?” He asked.

“Why would you taking me out into public stir up trouble with the other mermen?” You asked.

“Your mark is still fresh and they could try to take you from me. Your mark hasn’t healed over yet. The others would notice and they’d reprimand me for not being a good mate to you.” He told you.

“But you are a good mate to me.” You told him as you were a bit frustrated that his people would do that. You shook your head and kept eating.

“I know. It’s the stupid culture that the elders established years ago.” He spoke.

“What is that?”

“’Once you’ve bonded your mate, keep them away from other alphas or they will be seen as free game until the mark has set.’” He quoted. You sighed.

“I’m guessing the mark being set is when it heals over?” You asked. He nodded and finished his food.

“I’m sorry that it must be this way. If I could, I’d change it.” He told you as he stood up and took both your containers since you were done.

“Why can’t you?” You asked as you handed him your leftovers.

“I’m not one of the leaders of our people. I’m one of the entertainers.” He spoke before going to the door.

“Good luck on your story, Y/n.” He told you before going to the kitchen, leaving you to go back to your story.

Friday came too quickly that week. Soon, it was time for you to say goodbye to your mate or goodbye to the life you had made for yourself on land and join him in the sea. Hizashi woke you up gently with a few gentle kisses on your head.

“Good morning, my love.” He whispered in your ear and went down to your neck. You groaned and laid on your back to look up at him.

“Morning, ‘Zashi. Today is the day, isn’t it?” You asked him as your eyes were still closed.

“Yes. Today, we must make a choice. Either I stay here on land with you, or you come with me back to the sea.” He told you.

“You know I want to stay here. But I also care what you want too, my love.” You spoke as you ran your fingers through his hair. The blonde cuddled into you as he had no shirt on and he buried his face into your neck and thought for a moment.

“I’ve decided.” He spoke after a few moments of quiet except for the gentle pattering of rain on the window.

“What have you decided?”

“Screw the Elders. They didn’t really approve of me bringing human music to the kingdom a while ago and they’ve been slowly trying to push me out of the social circles down there. I’d rather stay up here where I’d be appreciated and be with the one, I love. I knew I was always meant for a life up here. I’d just have to tell my friends that I’m staying. Wouldn’t be surprised that they are staying as well. I guess the whole group of us are a band of misfits.” He spoke as pulled his legs to his chest and looked at you. You sat up and kissed his cheek.

“If that’s what you want, I’d like that and you can stay with me. We are mates, after all.” You told him. He kissed you back deeply and hummed.

“Let’s have breakfast then I’ll tell my friends about my decision.” He told you and got off the bed to go to the kitchen. You got out the bed and followed him.

“Since you’re staying on land, are there any special rules or guidelines we need to follow?” You asked as you sat at the breakfast bar.

“When I get sick or when scales begin to form on my body, I just need to take a dip in the ocean for a while.” He spoke as he began to make breakfast. You nodded in agreement as he slid a mug of hot coffee in front of you. You cradled the drink in your hands and sipped at the hot liquid.

“What about kids? Can merpeople and humans even procreate? Or are humans just fancy and viable incubators for you people?” You asked. Hizashi was silent for a moment.

“Our species can procreate. You know the chef down at the diner? He’s half human, half Merperson.” He spoke. He looked at you with a serious look that you had learned to know.

“I didn’t know you wanted kids. That’s nice to know as tonight is the peak of my rut and it’s very hard to resist taking you right now.” He told you as he looked at you with a look of lust. You felt your face heat up as you looked back at him. He made sure the stove was off before he walked over to you and kissed you deeply. You kissed him back and he picked you up only to set you on the counter. You pulled away for air and you saw where your mate had set you.

“Here? On the counter?” You asked.

“Alright, I’ll take you to the bedroom, my love.” He spoke and carried you as you giggled all the way to the bedroom. He closed the door behind him. He laid you down in his nest and he kissed you deeply, biting on your lower lip. He bit on the other side of your neck as he pulled what little clothes he still had on his body before removed the pesky clothes from your body. He kissed you more and wrapped your legs around his hips before he pulled his cock out and slid into you. You moaned out which made him groan into your neck. You held onto him as he began to thrust into you.

 He locked lips with you as his pace sped up and he pushed your legs gently up to your chest. He let out a deep guttural groan as he bit down on your neck, injecting a type of aphrodisiac into your veins. Your mind went foggy which made each thrust he gave you seem like you were seeing fireworks. You let out a string of moans and clawed at his back. What pulled you out of your blissed-out state was the feeling of something wet and egg-shaped dropping into your womb. You wanted to push him off but you couldn’t move your limbs. He looked down at you and cupped your face.

“Shh. Relax. I’m giving you, my eggs. I couldn’t hold them any longer, I’m sorry, my love.” He spoke and kissed you. You relaxed when you knew that it was his eggs. You had guessed that merpeople had their children through eggs like fish. You managed to move your arm and cup his face.

“Don’t worry. I’m happy to have them.” You spoke before crying out in pleasure and arching your back, pressing your body against his. He let out a siren’s call when he released into you and gave you the last amount of his clutch to you. the sound had you fixated on him and the two of you had locked eyes when the both of you came down from your high. He kissed you then kissed your neck before pulling out, lying next to you, and pulling you close to him.

“My mate. All mine. No one is ever going to take you from me.” He spoke as you cuddled into him and quickly passing out.

Later in the day, You woke up to a note on the pillow next to you. You sat up slowly despite being sore from the morning’s activities and read the note.

Y/n,

I’m heading to the beach to tell the others about my choice. I’ll be back later. I set up a bath for you to soak in. I figured you’d be sore after what we did this morning. I love you and I’ll be back soon.

Love,Hizashi.

You smiled and slowly made your way out from inside the nest to see a trail of flower petals leading to the bathroom. You got out slowly and made your way along the path where you got to soak in the tub until your mate got home. He found you in the bathtub and he smiled.

“What did they say?” You asked him after you had gotten out of the tub with his help.

“They’re staying too. They agreed with me about what the elders said and have done. I’m so happy, Y/n.” He told you and kissed your forehead. You smiled too and let him hold you for a while. He made you food and helped you. The two of you watched the sunset that evening in each other’s arms.

Everything was going right for the both of you. You had fallen in love with your mystery man and he had found a home that accepted him.

The end.

[thetempleofthemasaigoddess]

A seal-skin around my shoulders (part 6)

Elendil x Selkie!reader

NSFW! But you can skip the second section of this part without losing much.

This part is dedicated to @daeron-the-flautist

*****

The plums you are eating are tastier and juicier than ever, maybe because you are in good spirits, or maybe because you paid for them with your own coin; you also bought some bread and cheese, and a flask of light wine, all of it neatly arranged in the basket hanging from your elbow, swinging back and forth as you happily walk down the cobbled street towards the harbour. It is a sunny, warm day, one of the last before that long summer that saw your arrival in Númenor gives way to autumn, and since the stablemaster dismissed you earlier than usual today, you decided to surprise Elendil at the end of his work with the Sea Guard.

The great sails of the ships (frigates, brigantines, caravels, dinghies; thanks to your lover's teachings you can name all the types of vessels docked at the harbour) flutter in the wind against the cloudless sky. The uniform of the seamen is almost the same shade of blue of the Sea behind them; a few young men scramble to obey the orders of an officer on the bridge of one of the largest ships, learning all the naval maneuvers and the notions a future captain has to know. A few other seamen, like your lover barely older than cadets, are busy hauling a halyard or tossing heaving lines to moor the ship to the pier. A couple of them you recognize, since your lover has already introduced you to a few of his friends, but it takes you a while before you see him; finally, after a few minutes of wait you have spent munching on your plum, the seamen get into line on the bridge to be dismissed by the officer, and it is then that Elendil stands out among the others, taller and -in your opinion- undoubtedly more handsome than his comrades, his hair tossed by the wind.

A small crowd has gathered on the pier, friends and relatives waiting for the seamen, but when Elendil finally comes ashore, nimbly swinging from a thick halyard while most of the others line in front of a rope ladder, he immediately sees you, as if the harbour were empty except for you. A huge smile opens in his sun-kissed face, as he quickly moves to reach you.

"(name)." he greets you, and the way he utters your name -intimate, almost reverent, as if it were something precious to protect- never fails to make your heartbeat quicken "What are you doing here? Should you not be at the stables?"

"I was; but I finished work earlier than usual, and I thought I would surprise you." you happily explain "I brought some food, we can sit somewhere and eat before returning home."

Your plan is met with approval, and after Elendil has said goodbye to his comrades he takes the basket from your hand -"You need not worry, it is not so heavy." "I know, this is why I want to carry it."- while you link your arm to his. You take your time walking along the pier, telling each other about your day and simply enjoying that vicinity you have only experienced for a few short months, but that you both know you cannot do without. You love being in Elendil's company, even if you are not doing anything special, you reflect, because his very presence is a balm for your soul; when you are with him, you feel safe and valued, and if you were to disagree, or even to fight, about something, you know it would not affect the feelings binding you to each other. You want to be worthy of him, of the kindness and the loyalty he never ceases to treat you with, but at the same time, unlike what you felt with your past lovers or even your friends, you know you do not have to prove yourself to him, because what he gives you, he gives freely, not in return for something else; he really is the best of men, and there are so many things you love about him.

You also love him, in your heart you know for sure, and that simple feeling is enough to fill your heart with happiness and gratitude.

"There is something I wanted to talk to you about." Elendil says after you have told him about a new arrival at the stables, a huge stallion with a coat as dark as night, that only allowa the princess to ride him but haughtily lets you curry him and feed him apples.

"What is that?" you enquire... and then suddenly stop, forcing your lover to do the same.

"(name)? Is everything all right?"

You have reached the far end of the harbour, where the busy centre of the city gives way to a few less populated neighborhoods; it is a pleasant enough area, but still, you stop as if an invisible wall had forbidden you to procede.

"This way... we would reach the beach where you have met me, would we not?" you inquire, already sure of it; you feel it, as if a menancing voice were calling your name from beyond the city's high walls, threatening and at the same time mocking you, the grim memory of a treasure you have lost forever.

You had never returned to the beach, not since the night you went after discovering your seal-skin was lost forever, and you cried and cursed the Great Father, kneeling on the sand and feeling as if you had lost everything and everyone you loved. Númenor being an island, it would be impossible to avoid the Sea altogether, and at least once a week you go promenading at the harbour with Elendil, or cut through the coast to reach the palace whenever you are late for work; more than once you and your lover have even gone swimming together, playing with the waves and splashing each other like children, and then letting your skin dry under the sun as you lie on the sand, lazily kissing and looking at the clouds.

It has never bothered, or upset, you; at least, not so much that you had to find another way, or that the pleasant afternoon with Elendil was ruined by nostalgia and heartbreak. Each time is easier than the previous one, so much that you started forcing yourself to visit or at least pass through certain places that could remind you of your lost home, to heal yourself from that very sadness; until now, it has worked quite well.

But the beach... that beach... you fear it could be too big a hurdle to overcome, especially since Elendil -who you fear in the depth of his heart is not yet fully convinced of the sincerity, or rather of the depth and the resilience, of your feelings- is present and has already realized the reason for your hesitancy.

"We do not have to go there, if you would rather not." he gently reminds you "There are so many other places. We could visit the small garden near the offices of the Scribes' Guild..."

"No. There is fine."

"Are you sure?"

"I am." you answer decisively; you smile as you take his hand in yours to draw him along the way "It is a nice place, and I do not want old memories to ruin what we have. Come, you must be hungry."

Since you did not think to bring a blanket, Elendil uses his cape to protect the food and the flask from the sand; you sit side by side, your lover's arm around your shoulders as you happily eat and talk, the smell of salt in the air caressing your faces.

"You had something to tell me?"

"Oh, yes. A friend of mine has told me his mother is going to open a new shop in a few weeks." Elendil tells you "They will sell fabrics and cloths, and since my friend's mother is a capable tailor, they will probably also make bespoke clothes for clients. She will need at least one assistant, and my friend could introduce you, if you wish."

"But I already have a job." you point out, passing some bread from the basket to him. He takes it and then offers it back to you, who bite a piece directly from his hand, your lips touching his fingertips; there is something indescribably sensual in that light contact, and you see your lover smile as he cleans crumbs from your mouth with his thumb "I am busy every day at the stables already, I have no time for anything else."

"You could leave the job at the palace's stables for this; it would be better paid, and you would have more time for yourself."

The main drawback of your current job, that otherwise you generally like and even enjoy, is that it keeps you busy every day, without vacations or free days; horses must, after all, be fed and cared for daily without exception, and it has happened more than once that a soldier or a messenger had to take one without prior notice, which meant someone -namely, you- had to be there to saddle and prepare the beast for them. You enjoy spending your time with the horses, but you had reflected more than once that it would be nice to have a full day to yourself, once in a while... and not to return home every night smelling of manure.

"You think I could do it? Working in a shop, I mean."

"Why not? You have learnt to read and write flawlessly, and the shopkeeper can teach you everything you need to know, if she hires you as an apprentice. Believe me, (name); you can do everything you set your mind to."

To see him so sure of your potential warms your soul; he has nothing but your best interest at heart, because he cares for you, and also, you are sure of it, simply because he is a good man naturally inclined to help those who need it.

"I will think about it." you promise as you pass him the wine flask "If I had to work less we would have more time to spend together, and the shops in the city close early enough I could come and see you at the harbour when your work-shift ends."

Elendil smiles; it is the smile you have fallen in love with. "That would be nice." he agrees.

You and your lover take your time eating, then you walk for a while on the shore, two series of parallel footprints following you before the eternal back-and-forth of the tide cancels them. The beach is empty around you, no other citizens of Armenelos who decided to escape the bustle of the city for a tranquil stroll... and no Selkie coming out of the water to bring you home or even just make sure you are all right; you are alone, and now that you are facing it, that emptiness helps you put your heart to peace. You had not hoped, rather feared, you would feel something, a calling, a yearning, towards the place you had been born in, but you do not; you feel absolutely nothing as you contemplate the vastness of the mass of water in front of you, cold and deep and dangerous, and completely alien. You are no longer part of it, nor it of you.

You are free. For better or for worse, you are no longer a creature of the Sea, and your future is a book yet to be written.

"I am glad we came here." you confide in Elendil, and he looks at you, pleasantly surprised, and you see a weight disappear from his shoulders, a weight he had carried silently until now and whose absence fills his heart with relief.

"Are you?"

"Of course; it is a nice place. But if you are here with me, I would be happy wherever we might go."

The happiness and the harmony between the two of you is too beautiful and precious to be expressed in words, something that you never cease to marvel at; you join hands and continue your stroll, until Elendil reveals he has another matter to discuss with you, one that concerns his occupation rather than yours.

"The commander has asked for volunteers for a mission that is to leave in two days; the King is sending five hundred men to the other side of the island, where a few local lords are said to be rebelling against the crown."

Even you, who still knows next to nothing of the politics of the kingdom, understand what it means. "Do you think there will be battle?" you ask, immediately anxious; Elendil let you carry the basket, since it is empty now, and your free hand is firmly clasped in his. He mentioned the need for volunteers for the mission, and you do not need to inquire to know he has already put his name forward.

"The King will send his most capable ambassadors to try and resolve the conflict. But it is possible that the vassals decide to join forces and challenge the authority of the King, yes. They are to leave in two days."

"And you have to go?" you ask, hating how fragile your voice sounds.

Elendil does not answer; he stops and sighs, his gaze lost beyond the gentle hills surrounding the beach under a sky spleckled with red. "I am a member of the Sea Guard." he gently remind you; he is serious, though, and this is a side of him you had not seen before "Fighting has been part of my training, and part of what I have been always ready to do. I do not relish in war and bloodshed, but If I distinguish myself in this mission, the commander might recommend me for a promotion to captain."

"Which is what you want more than anything else, to have your own command and a ship to lead."

"It is, and this is why I cannot miss this opportunity. War is a terrible thing, and no one will be happier than me if a peaceful solution to the conflict is found, but if not, I will fight, to protect my kingdom and for the glory of my family. Does your..." Elendil hesitates "Do Selkie know of war?"

"We do. We do not have grand armies like your people, but sometimes tribes go into battle to conquer richer hunting grounds, or because of some perceived slight."

"Has it ever happened in your time?"

For the first time since you met him, your smile is tainted by sadness; you have never been a warrior, but that does not mean the consequences of battle have never influenced your life.

"Why do you think I was raised by my grandmother?" you point out; it is not something you are happy to talk about "And the same might happen to you."

"It might, yes."

He is so serious, so sure and determined, you know you could not change his mind even if you tried, and since it is so important for him, for his future and his honor, you cannot try, not even if every fiber of your being begs you to. He has always supported you, ever since you met; now it is your turn to do the same for him, without guilt or reproach.

"I understand." you say in the end "I... I will be worried for you; this you know. But I know this is important for you and your future, so..."

"So?"

"I do not know; you do not need my permission, or my blessing. Go and do what you deem right, and when you return, I will be there waiting for you."

He hugs you tight, wordlessly; he kisses your brow, and the words he murmurs in your ear are carried away by the wind, but you feel them nonetheless, and you kiss him to convey a promise you know you will keep until the end of the world.

*****

There is no special reason why it happens that night; it simply does. You are not thinking about the home and the friends you have lost, nor about the fact that your lover is going to leave in less than two days; there is not nostalgia in your heart, nor fear that you might lose him just like you lost your parents.

You simply want it. You want him, and you know he wants you; you have felt his hands move on your skin when he hugs you, you have seen the way his eyes follow you as you wash yourself at the basin, only a light shift covering your body. He has never told you, maybe out of shyness, maybe out of decorum, because of the unwritten rules that govern the lives of the Land-people, and that consider following one's desires, chasing one's pleasure, a sin.

Fortunately, those rules do not apply to you; or at least, you are happily capable to forget them, at least for one night.

Elendil is folding his tunic on the chair next to the bed when you reach him; he smiles, unsurprised, since while your clothes and other material possessions are still in the guest room, you have long discovered his bed is much more comfortable, or at least you are if you are sleeping next to him, your lover's arm around your waist keeping your body close to his and your cheek resting on his chest, so that you fall asleep lulled by the sound of his heartbeat, caressing the warm skin of his chest.

"Shall we go to bed? We both have to rise early tomorrow morning."

It is pleasant. Sweet. Comforting. More intimate than what you have ever experienced with anyone else, so peaceful and satisfying you often wish the dawn would never come. When you are with Elendil you feel... safe is the first word you would use, not because you have escaped some terrible danger or are hidden from enemies who could hurt you, but rather because you know nothing painful or scary can touch you as long as you are with him; truly you have never felt closer and more in harmony with anyone else, and you want to spend the rest of your life next to him.

"Yes, let us go to bed."

You want him; because you care for him, and you want to repay everything he has done for you, not out of obligation -or worse, the Great Father forbid, because he expects you to- but simply because your heart is overflowing with gratitude and the desire to make him happy... and because your very skin burns at the thought of having him inside you. He is so handsome, so strong and gentle in his daily life, and you do not doubt he will be the same in a more intimate situation. As Elendil has done with you, you have also admired his slender, athletic body, his large and callous but delicate hands -how would it be to feel them on your skin? How would it be to have them hold you by the hips as he moves above you?- his broad shoulders, the smooth and silky hair that from his chest disappear under the waistband of his trousers...

You do not know what the future holds for him, or for you; but even if you did, your decision would still stand. You have given him your heart weeks ago; tonight, you will gift him something perhaps less precious, but equally important.

You have no idea how a Land-woman would broach this subject, but Elendil knows you have been raised according to the precepts of your people, therefore you trust he will not be disappointed if your approach is different from what he could have expected... and you will do your best to make sure he appreciates the experience in any case.

As you are both still standing, you hug him from behind, grasping his shoulders as you press your body against his, feeling his warmth on your skin; you kiss his naked back, devout and loving as you want him to understand you want to be to him, and you hear, and feel, him sigh as your hands start moving on his chest, his smooth, supple skin feeling so marvelous under your fingertips, until you find his nipples, and this is when Elendil moans, his restraint already shattered after a single minute as he quickly realizes what you are offering.

"(name)..." he whispers, and no one has ever uttered your name like this, no one ever could, no one you would want to. Only him, all of him, this is what you want, and all of you is what you want him to have.

"Please, Elendil, let me. Let me make you happy."

He turns, slowly, and the way those Sea-blue eyes look at you make you shiver, with anticipation rather than fear. He does not ask if you are sure, if this is what you really want, if you are only doing because you feel you owe it to him; he cares, but he does not need to, because in that moment your heart is speaking to his without the need for words, and it is glorious, exhilarating, to realize you both feel and want the same.

You are touching him again when his mouth finds yours in a searing, blazing kiss, your hands exploring his back, his chest and any part of his body they can reach as Elendil's mouth ravishes yours, his tongue seducing your lips into granting him access; a moment later he is kissing your neck, sucking on the side of your throat, and now you are the one moaning, uncontrollably, desperately trying to press yourself against him, because you need him, you need to feel him, to feel his body against yours otherwise you will wither like a flower on the first day of winter. A well-known, but still terrible and uncontrollable heat has started roaring in your belly, and right then Elendil's thigh presses against yours, and his desire is so beautiful, so blunt and masculine and ravenous, that you would happily give in to him right now... but it is his pleasure you want to take care of, not -or rather, not immediately- yours, and this is why

"Wait." you stop him as you feel Elendil's hand slip under the skirt of your dress "Not now. I want to take care of you."

You have no need to explain yourself further, and Elendil cannot help smiling as he sees you unfastening his belt and then sliding his trousers along his legs, the skin slightly paler than that of the upper part of his body.

"Wait." he stops you in return a moment later, as he sees you kneeling, and he offers you an hand to rise again "Let us go on the bed. You will be more comfortable that way."

Your lover is beautiful in his nudity, even more than usual, and his smile is full of affection and happiness as he sits, his back to the wall, and spreads his legs to let you lie between them; his eyes shine like never before.

"You are so beautiful." he says, and those are the last intelligible words he utters for a while, apart from a few "Yes, yes!." and "Valar, (name)!" in a tone that makes you feel quite proud of yourself. You lazily caress Elendil's thigh as you suck him, his shaft the perfect size and girth for your mouth; he tastes sour, somewhat pungent, but it is sweet and pleasant nonetheless, just like the thought that very soon you will feel it inside you.

You whine when he finally asks you to stop, and Elendil laughs, taking your chin in his fingers before bending to kiss you. "It is not your pretty mouth I want to finish in, my beauty." he tells you, his lips a breath away from yours "Will you let me ravish you? Will you allow me to take you and bury myself inside you? I want to make you scream my name, and come inside you so hard we both forget where we are."

This is the same man who was too bashful to hold your hand in public in the first days of your courtship and who blushed that time the wind lifted your skirt and he accidentally caught a glimpse of your knees. You smile, and instead of speaking, you take his hands to rest them on your leg, under the hem of your dress.

"Let me be bare for you." you say, and your poor dress is almost torn from your body as Elendil seems determined to have you disrobed as soon as he can; in the end you are, and your lover sighs as he looks you over, his fingertips barely touching that skin he could only picture in his mind until now.

"You are exquisite." he whispers reverently as he opens his arms and welcomes you in his embrace; you circle his neck with your arms, and he holds your hips in his hands, possessive, reverent, delighted - everything you could ever wish for in a mate and even more "More beautiful than a Valië, the most magnificent creature in all of Arda..."

You are flattered, but there will be time for compliments; what you want right now, what you need, is to be one with him, as close physically as you already are in spirit, so interwined it will be impossible to say where one ends and the other begins.

Elendil thinks differently - or rather, his self-restraint is enough to let him savour the moment; he looks at you, pleased and excited, as you sit on his lap, and then he lowers his face on your chest.

"Oh, darling..." you sigh, and then you cannot talk anymore, because he is returning your earlier favour, stimulating your nipples with his fingertips, then with his lips... oooohh... his tongue... oh, Elendil, do not stop... and then even his teeth, delicately biting you and making your body scream with desire "Please..."

"Please what, my beauty?"

"Please take me, Elendil, I cannot... I cannot take it any longer..."

Your lover, busy sucking your breasts as if it were the last day of his life, smiles; for a moment he appears to seriously consider torturing you a little longer, but then he takes pity on you - or rather, given the way he looks at you, he wants you as much as you want him. He kisses you one last time before pulling you with him on the bed; you are lying on your back, heart hammering in your chest and at the same time the deepest and most sincere peace surrounding you, when Elendil props himself up on an arm next to your face and uses his free hand to tenderly caress your hair.

"I love you." you whisper; you told him already at the beach two hours ago, but those are words that do not lose meaning, or intensity, the more they are repeated, and as you see Elendil's eyes shine with joy just like they did then, you know they will again, and again, when you will tell him those same words in a day and a month and a year and a decade.

Which you have every intention of doing.

"I love you as well, my darling... my beautiful (name)..."

Elendil's hand leaves your hair to press the tip of his shaft between your legs; you kiss him again determined to make him realize how sure you are and how much you want him, but a moment later your breath catches in your throat as you feel him start pushing. You are wet more than enough to take him inside you, but the friction of his flesh against yours makes you tremble.

"Oooh..."

Elendil's capacity for self-restraint is considerable, but he is already tense when he starts moving inside you; he looks at you, happy and awed, and you are quite sure those same emotions are reflected in your eyes as your hands move on his body, on his skin and his soft hair, because you want all of him, you want him deeper and more completely than anyone has ever wanted their mate, having Elendil inside you and sharing your pleasure with his is not enough, you want more, you need more...

"Please..." you whisper, completely lost in the world of pleasure and sensation that has exploded all around you, and you would not be able to articulate more if it meant saving your life, but your lover seems to understand nonetheless; he smiles, ravenous like a predator that has caught the prey under him -and are you not? Have you not fallen prey of this Man, of his kindness and beauty? And are you not, unlike most preys, happy to be devoured?- and then arches his hips and pushes - a more possessive, almost brutal movement, and the muffled scream that escapes your lips is reassurance enough of how much you are enjoying his ministrations, because that first push is followed by another, equally savage, and then another -and your second scream is not muffled- and another, and another...

He is relentless. Insatiable. Tireless. His hips ram against yours, and stars appear behind your eyelids. "Mine, mine, mine." he repeats like an invocation; gone are the occasional bashfulness and the unspoken fear you would not enjoy the experience as much as him, Elendil knows how much you want him, and he has given himself permission to relinquish all control and simply feel, and relish, and he is groaning, his mouth searching and then finding yours in a new kiss, and he has never been more handsome and more perfect than now, and seeing his pleasure, so free and visceral, makes you even more desirous to live yours...

"I am yours." you whisper; you take his beautiful face in your hands, and kiss him again, biting those luscious lips you know you will never have enough of, and you hear him moan "I love you so much... take me, Elendil, do what you want with me...

And he does. Thank the Great Father, he really does, and soon you are climaxing for the first time, a violent, wondrous sensation that fills you as you are falling, you are flying, even though Elendil's arms are still possessively holding you, and he is laughing as he caresses your face.

"You are so beautiful in your pleasure." he says, his tone full of affection, and then a smirk opens on his lips "Have you had enough of me already, my beauty?"

You are quite sure you will never have enough of him, and surely you are not yet satisfied for tonight, but to express those sensations in complete sentences is beyond you at the moment, therefore you will have to show it to him. You lock gaze with your lover and

"Again." you forcefully order, lifting your legs to lock your ankles behind his hips, and he smiles; it is as if all his dreams had come true before his very eyes.

"As my lady commands."

*****

You have fallen asleep in each other's arms, murmuring words of love and promises of devotion, Elendil's hand in your hair and your cheek against his chest to listen to his heartbeat; the simple, visceral and so natural peace that often -but not always- follows intimate moments like the one you have just shared. You did not think about his imminent departure, nor about anything else; the world outside the house, outside your shared bedroom, had lost any significance. You were lost in him, and he in you, and you succumbed to the joy of his presence as you dozed off.

And then the Sea calls to you, and you awake.

Tagging as usual @starlady66 and @elvenenby.

[dreamingofmoonshadows]

My home is tucked away between a paradise of coconut trees and groves of mangoes and bananas. My childhood memories are scented like the monsoons of our land - the ones that leave puddles in our courtyards and cooling winds behind.

Jasmines bloom around the courtyards and in crevices in the streets, hang over walls and showers into the roads in sweet smelling blossoms. My grand-aunt weaves them into gorgeous hair garlands, and tells us of a time when this was done by hand for weddings and festivals and when whimsy struck. I have seen a million jasmine wreaths, all lovely and set delicately for sale, but the ones she wove were ever unmatched.

Ours is a coastal town, and the sound of the roaring sea is as familiar to us as any lullaby. There is sand in our hair, me and my cousins, as we lie exhausted on the beach, watching the sun come up. We are spent, Kalari having taken every inch of our energy, muscles aching in that almost sweet exhaustion. It is summer, and the air will be warm soon. But the sun has not come up; we can exist in this infinite seconds without thoughts or words. Like this, we feel like the heroes of the 'Northern songs', tales as old as this town, and maybe older still.

In my memories, toned warm and golden by nostalgia, we are scrambling up the trees of neighboring houses, competitive and filled with gleeful pride. The temple is close, and we can hear the devotional songs - rhythmic, lovely songs in praise of the gods. A street away, the call to prayer rises from the mosque. They meld together just the same in the mornings, the sounds my mother wakes to. I would not know, pleasantly and deeply in the embrace of sleep.

Fear is absent from these memories. We learn to swim in the temple pond, and I glare at my father mutinously, warning him that never would I learn to swim if he threw me in like he did my sister. My sister, who has already declared that she would never come near the pond ever again. Weeks later, I am swimming already, and my sister is too. We are born in a coastal town; a river winds down across our house. Water is in our very blood. I think of the tales of how mermaids where only humans that chose to stay in the oceans, and I feel like I can understand; I would stay there forever too, if I could.

The festivals arrive with riotous joy, colours lining the streets and homes. I drape myself in traditional skirts, and braid jasmine wreaths into my hair, the white stark against the locks as black as night. My sister and my eldest cousin are tying a swing between two arecca palm, and he is teasing her for her height. It is Onam, and we sing songs as old as the land - songs of celebration, songs of victory, songs of welcome, songs of joy. It is Vishu, and the crackers are bright enough to light the night sky alight. We laugh as we set off firecrackers in competition with a house we cannot see. It is the temple festival, and we slip past the crowds and to the stalls, giggles muffled as we pore over the glit and glam of balloons and plastic toys and delicacies.

I went home a month ago. I had thought, perhaps, that nostalgia had sweetened those memories; but my home is as lovely as it is in my mind. The mangoes had ripened to sweet rot, the scent heavy in the air. The rains were coming, showers gently caressing the streets, heralding the days when the sky would darken from sunrise to sunset. I stood on the beach, watching the sun kiss the horizon, the birds flying home in impossibly lovely flocks. Far away, the temples and the mosques ready for prayer. I don't cry, but my heart settles, like it had not for so long now. This is what it must feel like, I think, This must be what they call peace.

[yinjiyang]

The Tempest on the Horizon -- Part One

       "Ooooooowwwwwww!  Ooooowwww!  Owww-wee-owww-wee-owww-wee-owwwwwwww!" The boy's overly-dramatic whines could be heard throughout the apothecary vessel as it sailed with several others in its fleet, waters sparkling in the noonday sun of the eastern seas.  "Ow!  Ow ow ow ow ow ow!" the younger twin called out with each pierce of the needle at his exposed back, the elderly woman following the drawn design with the long and thin stick in her grasp, ink mixed with the powder of ground crystals gave each line a shimmering effect as the needle slipped beneath the skin.        "Yang," a dark-haired man spoke with loving annoyance as he leaned against the rail, watching the younger of his twin sons receive their tribal tattoo.  Each line a gradient of blue and silver akin to Leviathan's scales, all along the the boy's torso.  The boys' father did not have such a tattoo as that honor was reserved for the Dominant's immediate bloodline, the crystalline ink intended to increase the Bearer's magic and resistance to petrification.        "But it HURTS, Father," Yang whimpered while rocking his head from side to side.        The elderly artist lifted her stick and thwacked the boy's ear.        "OW!  Thessaly!  Why--"        "Stop squirming or there will be more where that came from," she playfully warned with a scowl and a point of the needle at his cheek.  Yang made an exaggerated grimace and slumped against the table again with a huff, finally still to allow the artist to continue her work.        "Ow."        "I swear to the scales, boy..." she warned, trailing off with an unspoken threat.

       "Yiiiiiiiiiiiiiin," he whined as he rolled his head to the side to look to his brother.  "Why didn't yours hurt this bad?  What'd you bribe her with?"        "Nothing, flotsam head," the woman said.  "Your brother just has better manners."        "GULL SHIT!  You are just playing FAVORITES, Thessaly!" Yang proclaimed.        Meanwhile, their father turned his head to look at his elder twin son who sat silent on the rail, staring at the western horizon.  Tuning out the bickering between Yang and his torturer artist, he watched the wind tossing Yin's hair, the dark fabric of his tunic; he took note of the distance in his son's dark eyes, worry shadowing the gaze of one so young.  Only twelve springs in this world and the boy had the aura of weighted thoughts.  Bai knew the reason his children received their tattoos so young, the ritual usually reserved for the Bearer's sixteenth summer, but war...war raged in Valisthea, from sea to land to sky and beyond.  Even the boys had to be prepared to defend their tribe.  Stepping closer, the father stood behind his eldest, gently capturing the flowing locks into his hands and raking his fingers through the dampened tresses to remove tangles created from the wind's tossing.  At first, the pair said nothing, just half listened to the banter between Yang and Thessaly while Bai habitually wove braids at the edges of his son's hair.        Sometimes, words need not be spoken.  Bai did not have to ask his son the thoughts weighing on his mind nor the reason why he watched the horizon so intently.  The latter was answered eventually when Yin suddenly sat up straighter, muted excitement.  Bai chuckled as he tied off a braid and stepped away to allow his son room.  The smile spread over Yin's lips as he caught the shimmer of blue and glints of silvery white in the distance.  "Mother..." he whispered, rising to his feet and rushing away from the rail, past his brother and the tattoo artist.  "They're back!" he announced giddily as he continued to run across the deck, his excitement spreading to his younger twin who immediately wriggled away from Thessaly despite her protests.        "THEY'RE BACK!" Yang shouted gleefully as he scrambled after his brother.  The woman just sighed in exasperation and shook her head with a smirk as Yang joined his brother in the race to ring the ship's bell.  Both twins rang it together, the tones carrying to the other ships in the fleet who promptly joined in the ringing, welcoming Leviathan and her Dominant with a cacophony of chimes.  The massive sea serpent rapidly approached, lured by the familiar music of the bells, adding her own bellows to the accompaniment, the voice of the beast blending pleasantly with the tones and percussion of the waves.  In an instant, in a flurry of swirling blues and silvers, Leviathan transformed into a beautiful woman with long, flowing hair of night, falling with a carefree grace to the apothecary ship and landing on the deck with a bright smile and arms open wide.        Nigh-immediately, those arms were filled with her two boys, the jewels of her armor tinkling with a melody of their own from the force of their joyful embrace.        "Welcome home, Mother."        "Welcome home, Mother."        "My pearls," she cooed, wrapping her arms around their necks and pulling them closer to press tender kisses to their crowns.  "Oh, I have missed you."        "Excuse me, boys..." Bai said as he stepped behind his wife, wrapping his arms around her waist and playfully yanking her away from their children to spin three times.  Her laughter was beautiful, melodious, contagious as she jokingly kicked and flung her arms to the side.  Within a blink, she had swung in his arms to wrap her own around his shoulders and plant a series of kisses to his own, savoring this reunion.  "Did you miss me, too?" he managed to mutter against her lips between kisses.       "Eh...a little," she cooed as her feet finally touched the deck once more, winking at him as she placed thumb and forefinger an inch apart to sarcastically indicate just how much she had missed him.        "Welcome home, Yue," Thessaly called from her stool, waving with the needle still in hand.        "Thank you, Thessaly," the chieftain's daughter replied with a warm smile and sparkle in her eye as she looked to the artist.  "Happy to be home."  Squinting suspiciously, however, she put her fists on her hips, fingers of the left grazing the curve of her whip as she noticed what the woman was holding.  "Have you not yet finished with the twins?"         "Oh, I completed Yin’s during the last half moon..."         Without needing to say anything more, both women slowly--in unison--turned their heads to stare down the younger twin.  Yang  stood awkwardly for a moment and then put on his best, most charming, totally-not-the-culprit smile.  One beat of silence...two beats of silence...         "ARGH!  FINE!" he groaned, stomping back over to the elder tattoo artist and slumping dramatically onto the table again.  Yue's warning stare melted back into a smile.  With a cleansing sigh, the Dominant returned her attention to her husband.         "We have to call a meeting of the elders..." she spoke quietly so the others could not hear.        But Yin could hear, his dark gaze focused upon his parents as they conversed in hushed tones, his spine straightening as the tension began to build within his soul.        "The skies to the west..." she continued, "...they fall..."        Bai's expression instantly faded to worry.  "How many..." his voice trailed off.  He could not bring himself to ask, to imagine, the lives lost on land and from the sky, casualties of war.        "Too many," she whispered back, palms resting on his chest, the feel of his heart beat bringing her comfort, though her words held a tremble Yin had never before heard in his mother's voice.  "The time has come, Bai..."  Her lips pressed together tightly, a deep inhale through her nostrils as she tried to remain composed in the presence of Thessaly and her children...but her husband could see the impact of what she had witnessed, how she was barely holding herself together for the sake of her tribe.          All he could do was nod, nod and rest his hands upon hers for a moment.  He understood.  And finally, after he took a deep breath of his own, Bai took hold of the large conch at his hip and stepped away from his wife and into his duties as a commander.        "DROP ANCHOR!" he bellowed over the apothecary ship, the crew immediately springing to action before the man even had the time to blow into the shell, the sound of the horn roaring through the air to signal to the other ships the same order.  Another horn echoed his from another ship in receipt of the order...and then another...and another...

[bike42]

Wednesday September 20, 2023

Early start to the day - breakfast at 7, in the vans by 8am. We took too vans and a taxi for the twenty minute ride. Since I’m the one that usually manages logistics, my brain can’t help but want to know how Jules gets the vans to our pick up point - I figure the taxi driver must shuttle him back for the second load.

It was a beautiful drive up a hairpin turn road. Lots of sheep grazing and some cattle, and we saw the peat fields that Skye is famous for. “The Quiraing” is a popular hike on Skye, so we got an early start as they say the car park will fill up. It’s on the tip of the island in an area known as “Trotternish.” The ridge was formed by a massive landslide, which created high cliffs, hidden plateaus and pinnacles of rock.

It was breezy, and the clouds moved around - revealing glimpses of blue sky and rays of sun that would highlight the spectacular landscape. I hiked the first part towards the back of the pack as I was so busy snapping photos. We got to a waterfall/stream crossing that even had our guides a little anxious I could tell. The water was really raging, and you had to step into the waterfall to get the best footing - wet feet happened earlier today!

Keith stopped periodically to tell us about how earlier settlers lived on the mountains in the summer, with the women making cheese and butter from sheep’s milk and burying it in the bogs to preserve it (bog butter apparently is still a thing). He said they had no musical instruments but they were known for making musical tones with their mouths and creating tunes that way, but he declined to give us an example.

We had an early whisky break, and watched a photographer and a guy in a sheep costume but couldn’t quite figure out what that was about! Keith said this area is frequently used in adverts in Scotland. He’s known car companies to helicopter a car up here for a photo shoot!

We came to a point where we could head down, or do an out and back to the top. Nearly all of us went to the top. It was muddy - probably more so because it’s so much more heavily traveled than the other trails we’ve been on. There was also some technical scramble towards the top - nothing we haven’t done before, but the mud made it slippery and yucky. Very good hand washing will be necessary before eating anything!

From the top, we looked down on the village of Staffin, all neat looking small white houses with neat yards. Across the water, we could see the hills of Torridon where we’d been yesterday!

Normally, it’s an out and back trail, but we connected to the Loch Langaig trail which brought us down to the Atlantic coast. They’d made arrangements for us to have lunch at Flodgarry, Hotel in the Skye - a wonderfully comfortable place to get out of the weather, enjoy a Belhaven stout beer (not quite as yummy as Guinness) and have salad, soup and a brownie with ice cream for lunch.

We had a quiet van ride back, most napped but I enjoyed the scenery. Lots of tourists out driving the island and stopping at view points. Most view points had a coffee truck or shack, and others had crafts like knit goods and pottery for sale - my kind of stop, but we cruised on by.

We arrived back at the hotel at 2 pm. We were scheduled to do a boat ride, followed by walk with local tour guide Sarah. But remnants of a hurricane are about to hit western Scotland, and the boat ride was cancelled due to expected high winds. We lounged in our room, then went out to meet Sarah at 4pm - very small group: Helen, Kelli & Nelson and us.

Sarah was very interesting! We could have talked with her all night. She came to Skye 17 years ago as a Conservation Ranger - working with birds, especially reestablishing Sea Eagles. Over the years she married, had kids and now does a variety of things, including “crofting.” She was also an amazing historian and seemed to be able to recall all dates, and names of all things in Scottish history since the beginning of time!

We walked down to the harbor, where of course, it started to rain again. Sarah told us the orange boats we see moored are “life boats,” which I think are similar to our “Coast Guard.” They mostly do runs out to neighboring islands to transport people needing medical care to Skye where there is a small hospital. We asked about fishing, and learned that there is some mussel and prawn fishing, but what is caught is transported to the eastern side of Scotland. Historically industries included kelp farming and herring, but those were “boom and bust.”

Sarah and her family are now “crofters” - small scale tenant farming, some crops for their own consumption and sheep and cows. During the Clearance, landlords forcibly evicted many on the tenants to create larger estates. Improvements came after the Small Landowners Acts (1886-1911). In the area, the Crofts were primarily re-established after WWI, with the government owning the land and leasing it to crofters. Typically, it’s a small strip of land, with a gathering of houses called a township and a larger common grazing area. Sarah told us they pay the government about £250 per year, and do many other jobs to supplement their income. The system works because industry and tourism need workers, and it forces “farmers” to work other jobs besides crofting. Like we learned in Ireland, there is no value in the sheep’s wool, yet they have to be shorn. They pay £1.25 for each sheep to be shorn, but only receive about 10 pence for the wool! The value is in the lambs, for which they receive about £200 per lamb. They sell them when they’re small, and another provider handles keeping them until they’re just right for butchering. Eating lamb always makes me feel bad, but I do like it so!

Other things we learned:

There are 10,000 people on Skye

The island is mostly seasonal (most tourist attractions close down in October)

There are two primary clans / landowners: MacLeod and MacDonald. The MacDonalds weren’t the best business people and the government ended up owning most of their land, which has been converted to crofts.

Skye and the western part of Scotland was ruled by Norway until 1200’s and was completely separate from the rest of Scotland. People Traveled between islands in boats known as Birlinns. It was a peaceful time where arts and culture developed as they weren’t having to defend their land or fight with each other. Then the “Lord of the Isles” that conspired with King of England to bring the rest of Scotland into the UK. In 1540 - James V - sailed here to Portree - which means Harbor of The King. Skye = cloud island in Norse

Became popular with tourists during the Victorian era - taken with the rustic landscape, featured in paintings, poems, and books.

We walked through town to the Gathering Hall - built in 1800s for Landowner Classes to gather. Only used twice a year as they travelled and visited all around the Highlands. Sarah told us of all night parties by the upper class even in her time here. She recalls going to work in the morning and watching the still drunk party goers jump into the sea in their kilts and ball gowns! Now the hall is used for lots of different activities.

We walked up to a park where their Highland Games are staged. She had lots more to say, but the wind was now brutal (glad we skipped the boat!) and the rain was pelting us! We did learn that the Highland Games were traditionally to show who was strongest, and the winners typically became the leaders of the region. Eventually, it changed to have rulers pass on their kingdoms to their offspring - I like the having to win it option better! At that point, Kelli got bopped on the head by a flying chestnut, so we declared the walk to be over and scurried back towards the hotel.

Jeff and I followed Kelli and Nelson into a crowded pub, but we were soaked for the second time that day and getting cold. It didn’t feel great to get dry and cozy only to have to go back out in it to get to the hotel! We were blown back to the hotel with gusts that nearly knocked us off our feet! We arranged room service with the front desk, and went up to our room for hot showers and dry clothes. We had a bottle of wine, soup and bread and cheesecake. Perfect. We watching a program with a tour of Cornwall (not expecting sunny skies like we saw on the TV but here’s hoping). We played a couple of games of cribbage and enjoyed being snuggly in our room with the storm lashing at our windows!

[chanfictions]

May I get beach vacation headcanons for Jiraiya? I can just imagine him in toad printed swimming trunks 🐸

I know you asked for headcanons, but the imagery was too much. I just couldn't stop myself. 🐸🐸🐸

A Perfect Day

Jiraiya x Reader

No warnings, only fluff and some flirty innuendo.

1.9k

The cheery summer sun hung high in the sky amidst a soft bed of white, wispy clouds as the ocean below buzzed and hummed with gentle, ebbing waves, nestled between the horizon and the sandy shore. Small children giggled and squealed in the lazy rolls of surf that lapped at the edge of the busy beach while their taller counterparts played and bobbed in deeper waters.

As you walked down the duney path flanked by swaying leaves and forgotten seashells, you adjusted the heavy beach bag digging into your shoulder, pausing when you felt the warmth of a familiar gaze zeroing in on you from behind. "You aren't fooling anyone with those sunglasses, mister," you smirked, giving your mountain of a companion the side-eye over your shoulder with a playful waggle of your hips.

"Who says I'm trying?" He quipped with a cheesy grin, tipping the lenses forward with a flirty wink. He followed a few strides behind you, clearly intending to admire his favorite view as the two of you approached the sea.

When you stepped off of the path and onto the open beach, a blast of salty air gusted through the sheer, fluttering cover-up wrapped about your hips and rushed across your face, trying to take your big, floppy sun hat with it. You squealed in a bit of panic, scrambling to keep the gift Jiraiya had given you from sailing off your head, nearly toppling over as your flip-flops caught a hefty scoop of sand from your uncoordinated flailing. A thick arm caught you around the waist as the weight of your beach bag threatened to tip you over sideways, pulling you into his delightfully firm chest as you chirped with a surprised squeak.

"You're such a klutz," he teased, taking a moment to fix your hat before relieving you of the awkwardly weighted bag. "I told you to let me carry that thing."

"You're already carrying everything else, though," you protested with an eruption of giggles, pointing out that Jiraiya strongly resembled a pack mule with a pair of chairs, an umbrella, and a cooler miraculously balanced about his chiseled form. The froggy-printed swim trunks sitting low on his hips just made you snort with more laughter as their little cartoon faces stared back at you from behind the myriad of things he was holding.

"It's my solemn duty to carry all of the supplies. That way, I can watch you walk around in the tasty little number you've been hiding from me," He hummed teasingly, planting a kiss on your forehead as he hooked the bag onto the mass of other things in his hands. "And what's so funny, hmm, little lady?"

You snorted again, covering your mouth to suppress another giggle fit as you pointed at his trunks. "I got those for you as a joke. I never expected you to wear them in public."

"What's wrong with my gama-shorts?" He pouted, feigning offense with a downward glance at the patterened fabric around his thighs.

"Nothing. They're perfect," you flashed him a smile, standing on your toes to press a kiss to his cheek before turning with a hand holding your hat to the top of your head as the warm breeze gently rustled through the fabric circling your legs, eyes scanning the expansive coastline up ahead. "Where should we set up?"

"Your pick, princess."

With a quiet smirk, you snickered to yourself, knowing Jiraiya was far too busy admiring your ass to be of any help in selecting an ideal spot for beach lazing. Perching your hand upon your hip in thought, you eventually pointed to an open swath of sand, peering over your shoulder at him as you posed your inquiry. "What about there?"

A cheerful smile spread across the sannin's face as he made a declaration of approval. "Works for me!" Truthfully, he didn't care where on the beach he ended up, so long as you were with him. With an easy hum, he brought the folding chairs and umbrella to your side, setting things down as he went to give you space to flip open a large blanket to mark your chosen spot. He paused for a beat, eyes trained on his favorite asset as you bent forward to smooth down the corners of the cloth.

"You, sir, are far from subtle," you huffed playfully, spying him around your leg as you got things situated.

"Can ya blame me? It's a great view." He was decidedly not referring to the scenery.

You just rolled your eyes with stifled laughter, shaking your head as you unpacked the bag containing all of the things you would need for the day. Sunscreen, novels, notebooks, and plastic cups all made their way out onto the blanket as you worked on getting things organized. Jiraiya popped the large umbrella open after driving the post an impressive depth into the sand behind the perimeter of the blanket, taking a moment to adjust the angle to gift the area with a bit of pleasant shade before setting out the chairs. Closing your eyes, you took a deep breath of the delicious, salty air and exhaled with a content sigh, unable to conjure a more delightful way to spend your vacation. Picking up the bottle of sunscreen, you set down your floppy hat on an open chair along with your cover-up and rose to your feet. A warm presence moved behind you, reaching over your shoulder to grab it from your light grip before you could even flick open the cap.

"Let me help gou with that," he hummed flirtatiously in your ear.

"Oh, you're gonna help, huh?" You mused, tilting your head back to look at him with a new wave of laughter making its way through your chest as those large palms of his smoothed the jarringly cold goo over your skin. His voice buzzed in your head as his hands languidly wandered the landscape of your scantily clad body, slowing to enjoy the curve of your hip, moving over your stomach and dipping dangerously close to the hem of your bathingsuit bottoms. Forgetting where you were for a moment, you closed your eyes, biting back a breathy sigh and sinking into the wonderful being behind you. Your lids snapped open a second later as you recalled that this was a very public setting. Face flaming, you squealed and spun around, swatting at his scarred chest. "You dirty tease, there are people here!"

Jiraiya beamed at you shamelessly, mischief staining his features as he took another dollop of the white lotion onto his finger, smearing it across your chest with a smirk. "What, can't a guy help his lady put on a little sunscreen?"

"That is so not what you were doing," you retorted lightheartedly, quickly spreading the rest of it across your chest and rubbing it in before swiping the bottle back from him. You intended to subject him to a similar torture, slowly running your hands over his chiseled body, massaging the substance into every curve and dip of his muscular frame. You took your sweet time -- watching him groan and struggle to maintain his composure under your calculating, sensual touch. Fair is fair, after all. It brought you immense satisfaction.

"You know, I'm not above throwing you over my shoulder and whisking you off somewhere private to punish you for that," he murmured suggestively in your ear in a playfully threatening tone, settling his hands on your hips as he stood behind you.

"You started it," you giggled back, spinning around in his grip and giving him a winning smile. "Come on, let's go for a swim. I don't know about you, but I'm boiling already."

"You know me, doll. I'll follow you anywhere."

"Yeah, you'll follow my ass anywhere!" You cackled over your shoulder, sticking your tongue out at him as you broke into a jog toward the water. Jiraiya's laugher boomed behind you as your feet sunk into the hot sand, kicking up little clouds with every step. You all but skipped through the damp, squishy border that stood between you and the rocking waves, launching yourself into the water with the enthusiasm of child diving into a ball pit. Spitting out a mouthful of ocean spray, you bobbed at the surface once you drifted out a bit, spinning around to face the shore. Perplexed, your eyes shifted around, as Jiraiya had seemingly vanished.

Suddenly, something brushed against your ankle and began wrapping about your legs. Shrieking in genuine terror, you thrashed in the water, kicking and twisting until a familiar head of white hair erupted from below the surface, bringing with it the wide, grinning face of your most beloved troublemaker. His arms curled firmly around your body, lifting you above the cresting waves as he stood on the deep sand below.

"Gotcha," he smirked.

"I thought you were a shark!" You squeaked, gasping with a few broken breaths of relief as you wrapped your arms around his neck, burying your face in his wild, wet mop of hair. "You look like a crazy old merman," you giggled. "All you need is a trident."

"Neither shark, nor merman, but a Sage!" Unable to contain his flair for the dramatic, Jiraiya took that opening and jumped with surprising ease up onto the surface of the water with you still in his arms, striking a pose as he began one of his famous "Toad Sage of Mt. Miyuboku" skits, only to be rudely interrupted by Mother Nature as a massive wave crashed over you both, toppling Jiraiya from his perch above the choppy surf. You shook with laughter when he sighed, looking like a wet dog that lost a fight with a package of seaweed as his mouth bubbled over the troughs of water. "No one ever lets me finish that speech."

After countless splashing matches and enough horsing around to tire out even the most rambunctious genin, you eventually made your way back out of the quiet tides toward your cozy little nook of beach with a wave of goosebumps speckled across your skin. The pleasant breeze left a chill behind as it kissed the water still dripping down your shoulders, prompting Jiraiya to wrap you tightly in a towel once you reached your umbrella and rub your arms with a wink and a cheeky offer to help you warm back up. Answering with a teasing promise of later, you spent a few long moments basking in his embrace before flopping onto the blanket together, enjoying some drinks and sandwiches from the cooler. Bellies full and bathed in each other's pleasant company, you sprawled comfortably across the blanket to read and dry off under the heat of the sun while Jiraiya settled into a beach chair to write.

As the soft churns of the waves marked the passage of time, Jiraiya scribbled notes on one of his pads, smiling quietly as he gazed down at where you had slowly dozed off in the amber rays of the now setting sun with your face smushed upon the open pages of your book. Setting aside his upcoming novel, he rose from his chair, stretching for a moment before sitting down on the warm blanket beside you. He sighed contently, idly brushing his knuckles across your cheek as he hummed happily to the bright orange sky.

"This truly was a perfect day."

[crimsonophelia]

Can I request for a fluffy friends to lovers fic with Venti and a human gn reader? They’re good friends (but the reader doesn’t know his real identity) and when reader brings up their desire to see a wind wisp in real life Venti decides to surprise them by transforming into his true form and paying them a visit. The reader finds this mysterious little wind wisp at their doorstep and gets excited, takes care of it, and while feeding it apple slices starts talking about how their good friend Venti would love to see them - but oh, he’s less of a friend and more of a crush who I’ve loved for a long time… wait, where did the wisp go? Wait, Venti?! When did you get here?!

featuring: venti x gn!reader

warnings: none

published: june 30, 2021

form: imagine

a/n: thank you for sending this in—i need more venti requests, he’s my baby <3

you could tell that the drink was beginning to hit you hard when you felt your muscles go slack. it was your fourth pint of the night, and although you thought that you could hold your drink fairly well, you could never hold a candle to your bard friend’s seemingly bottomless appetite for wine. venti was on his seventh--or was it eighth?--mug of cider for the night, and was still fairly unfazed, if you consider his usual bumbling amiability to be his default. after a long day of working and whatever it was that venti did in the daytime, you two had decided to meet up at the angel’s share that evening for a drinking night between friends, and to catch up on life and whatever else goes on in the city of mondstadt. 

the night had begun with a mug per person, as you and venti caught up with each other. due to your duties at home, and his rather inconstant job as a traveling musician, it was oftentimes difficult for you and the bard to stay in touch--responsibilities always seemed to get in the way. so, naturally, you took advantage of every opportunity you could get to see venti, one-on-one, and simply talk. after knowing him for quite a while, he really was a delight to talk to, always full of witty riddles and forever knowing the right thing to say at the right time. venti really was quite remarkable. 

he also had the unique talent of contagious alcoholism; after having spent an hour or so drinking and chatting with him, you unwittingly started drinking more than your usual limit, absolutely carried away with whatever small conversation venti had you engaged with at the moment. the conversation had somehow strayed into the topic of myths and legends of mondstadt. venti was speaking of some strange conspiracies surrounding the origin of the anemo hypostasis up in the mountains, and as the alcohol began to break down your proper judgement, you began to go on and on about how you, as a child, dreamed of seeing an elusive wind wisp. 

you had heard stories about the boy revolutionary, armed with his bow and his words, accompanied by a little white wind wisp, leading mondstadt’s journey to freedom. the story had enchanted you when you were young, and clearly you still had not given up hope of meeting a similar wind wisp. perhaps it would bring you the same joy and power to change your life for the better, just like it did for the hero of old mondstadt. 

venti listened to your reminiscing closely, looking at you with a quizzical look of interest. your intoxicated state made it so that you didn’t notice the look on his face as if he was plotting something, but, to be fair, venti’s poker face was notable for its impregnability. the night ended with him having to walk you home, propping your arm over his shoulders so that you wouldn’t trip and fall on the cobblestone streets. the last thing you remembered was him tucking you into bed, and singing you one of his funny little songs.

the next morning, you woke with a pounding headache and the bright noon sun peeking through your shutters. archons, was it so late already? you pulled yourself out of bed, trying not to stumble, distracted by the pounding in your head. you had a long list of things to do today that you had to complete, and you severely regretted drinking so much and so late with that damned bard last night (though you could never really hate him--he was too adorable).

slipping on whatever clothing closest to your bed and sluggishly following through with your daily morning routine, you got ready to head out the door to water the carrots and potatoes in your backyard. as you pulled open the door, prepared to step out and face the piercing daylight, you caught yourself as you almost stepped on the little figure at your doorstep. lying there on its side, was a wind wisp. yes, just like the ones you had read about all your childhood and you had mused about endlessly last night. it had its little eyes shut, sleeping probably, its delicate little form curled up on the step. 

you were bewildered, partially at the coincidence of it all, but mostly by the rarity of what had occurred before your eyes. a wind wisp, something most people never even saw once in their lifetimes, suddenly showing up right at your doorstep after you had talked about your desire to meet one just the night before. crouching down, you scooped up its little body in your hands. the little thing began to wake, hands rubbing its eyes sleepily, as it made a chirping noise. it was ridiculously adorable. 

“hey there, little guy”, you cooed. “what are you doing here?”

as it began to regain consciousness, the wisp floated up off your hands, small gusts of air emitting from its form, and it flew up to nuzzle against your face. it felt like a warm breeze brushing against your cheek, and you heard it chirping in your ear. 

you giggled. “well aren’t you the cutest little thing!” you raised your hand to pet it, and it made a little gurgling noise, leaning into your touch. something about its mannerisms felt so familiar, almost like something you had known in a past life perhaps, but you couldn’t put a finger on it. its presence was just endlessly comforting, even though you had only known it for a few minutes. 

reaching into your pantry, you pulled out some apples you had picked the day before, and cut it into small slices. the wisp watched you eagerly as you went about your business, like it could understand everything you did. holding up a thin slice to the wisp, a little hole in its void of a face opened up and enveloped the slice whole. a little shocked but certainly entertained, you gave it an approving head pat. 

as the day went on, the little wisp continued to follow you throughout mondstadt as you ran your errands. you went outside, behind your house, to take care of the crops you were growing. as you watered your plants, the little wisp helped you disperse the water more efficiently, blowing a gentle wind from your watering can so that you didn’t have to walk as far to water the faraway plants. you go to pick some apples and sunsettias nearby, and the little fellow would fly up to the hard-to-reach fruits and throw himself against them to knock them loose from the branches, right where you could catch them. you worried a little bit whether he was hurting himself by doing so, but he appeared to be pleased just to assist you, and he certainly was not ashamed to take a few bites from the fruits of your shared labor at the end of the day. 

considering how efficiently your errands were completed today, of course all thanks to the helper you acquired that morning, you thought it would be nice to use the time you had in the late afternoon to take the wisp out for a picnic dinner at windrise to show your appreciation. gathering some of the fruit the both of you had collected, and some sandwiches you made, you placed it all in a little wicker basket and set off for the great tree with your companion upon your shoulder. 

upon arriving, you laid down a gingham blanket in the shade of the great tree of windrise, just a moments away from the ancient statue of barbatos. you felt like a child again, remembering the summers of carefree exploration, tunneling through the thickets in the forest, or catching frogs by the creek, or tumbling down the hills by the sea. and now, a wisp joined you, taking you back to the memories of those years, when life was much simpler.

you couldn’t help but to think of venti, the bard, the friend, who had brought you such comfort through difficult times, whose music, like the warm touch of the wisp, reminded you of home and the beauty that life could bring. your companion was now feasting comedically fast on the food you had brought along, swallowing up fruits whole, and chewing for several moments before helping itself to another. you chuckled and gave it a pat. “greedy little fellow, aren’t you?” you couldnt help but to think venti would have loved to meet the wind wisp, considering his love for nature and all sorts of fauna, and considering the small resemblance between himself and the creature.

“stick around for a bit and i might introduce you to my friend, the bard”, you told it, not really caring that it probably couldn’t understand you. “im actually not sure that we are friends, to be honest. these days we rarely see each other but...” you trailed off, distracted by the sound of the breeze through the branches. the wisp stopped eating and watched you intently. “well”, you began. “i sometimes find myself wishing him and i were more than friends. maybe not lovers, not right away but... i just know that dearly. i cannot be sure that he feels the same, but that is of no matter.” you pat the wisp’s little head again. “if i can make him happy, even just as friends, that is enough for me.”

out of nowhere, a strong wind blew past you, knocking over your wicker basket and sending it flying several feet away. agitated, you scrambled up to chase after it, finally grasping it before it could fly too far. you were perplexed—where in the world could such a strong wind have come from? the sky was clear, and there were no clouds obstructing the setting sun. how odd, you thought to yourself.

you turned around to bring the basket back to your sitting spot, but to your surprise, the wisp was gone. no, in its place was now your bard friend, venti, sitting there on the blanket like he had been there all along. how in the world did he get here without you noticing, and where in the world did the wisp go off to? you hurried over to venti, questioning, “since when did you get here?”

the bard smirked, and fiddled with his lyre that you just noticed he had brought along with him. he had that look on his face again, the one he wore whenever he had some sort of plot in mind.  “whatever do you mean, [y/n]?”, he replied amusedly. “i’ve been here all along.”

[luffles424]

Luminous

☼ Pairing: Jimin x reader 

☼ Genre: tentacle monster!Jimin, some fluff, smut, mostly just pwp

☼ Count: 9k

☼ Warnings: 18+, public sex (no ones around but they’re on the beach), tentacles (kind of a given), big dick jimin, manhandling, lots of cum, some cumplay, creampie, cum inflation/belly bulge (not a whole lot, just a small bump) unprotected sex, restraints, choking, multiple orgasms, overstimulation, tit fucking, thigh fucking, oral (m recieving), deep throating, anal, double penatration, minor nipple play, praise kink, mating cycles, slight impreg kink

☼ Summary: The Busan summer festival is your favorite event of the year. You like all the food and things to do, but your favorite part is watching the fireworks at the end of the night, gathered with friends and family. It’s fun and joyous. Except this year you’re spending it without them. So you find a secluded spot on the beach to watch alone. Except... you might not be as alone as you thought you were out here. 

☼ a/n:  This was written for Sol’s (jamaisjoons) collab event ‘The Summer Bucketlist’ and my prompt was ‘watching fireworks.’ Uhhh this idea was originally very different and then I started thinking about tentacles and now here we are 🥴🥴🥴 Hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think! My ask box is always open ~ 💙💙💙💙

☼ Banner made by the absolutely amazing @jamaisjoons​ (who did such wonderful work on it and I hope the fic lives up to the beautiful banner she made me 💕💕💕)

You let out a small contented sigh as you slip your feet into the water. This is your favorite place in all of Busan, this hidden little jutty of rock just off one of the smaller, less popular beaches, more popular among locals only. You’ve spent more time than you can count out here hanging out with your friends, passing the time and using the salty sea breeze to help combat the heat of summer. You’ve been out here plenty on your own too, just like how you’re out here alone right now. 

The sun’s dipping below the horizon, the sky slowly turning an inky black. The perfect backdrop to what’s going to happen soon and the main reason you’re out here at all to begin with rather than at home. The summer festival is happening and once the sun disappears, the sky will be decorated with fireworks, and you and your friends discovered years ago that this is the best spot to watch them, unobstructed and no one around to fight for seats. 

You kick your feet idly in the water, enjoying the warmth of it as you lean back on your hands as you watch the last few rays of light slip away. You wished your friends could’ve made it though. But Namjoon was stuck in the city for work and Taehyung was out with his girlfriend at the festival. A brief feeling of sadness overcomes you because you had been planning to go with Taehyung and his girlfriend and your own boyfriend as a double date. Until he dumped you a week ago over text because he’d moved to the otherside of the country and apparently was nothing like the man you met since he didn’t even have the balls to break up in person. 

You suspect that there was a lot more than his flimsy excuse of it’s just not working and long distance is hard. It most likely has something to do with the new girl that you’ve been told about that has shown up on his socials. 

For what it’s worth, Taehyung and Namjoon both offered you company but you waved them off. Namjoon’s job opportunity is much more important and as much as you love Taehyung and his girlfriend, you didn’t particularly feel like being third wheel to their (normally adorable and heart warming) love. 

You think this is better anyway. It’s peaceful out here. The smell of salt being carried by the breeze brings a myriad of memories that all bring a smile to your face and it’s easy to forget about the hard things in this moment. It’s healing to be out here. As much as it sucked that you got dumped, you can’t be too upset. You saw the cracks forming the more he opened his mouth and talked, if he hadn’t done it, you likely would have been doing it soon anyway. You let your head fall back, letting your eyes slip closed as you simply enjoyed this. You should tell the others that you all need to make another trip out here soon. 

Plus you’d come much earlier when the sun was still high and swam some. Using the ebb and flow of the ocean to erode your worries and stress. Then you’d sprawled out on your beach towel on your rocky perch and let the sunset dry your skin before you slipped back into your shorts and tank top and allowed the peacefulness to swallow you. 

You startle slightly when there’s a loud, echoing boom and color flashes across the sky. You’d been lulled into such calmness and had almost forgotten why you were out here to begin with. You watch the sky passively, watching the occasional flash of color and shapes as the firework people warm themselves and the crowds up. You know the real show won’t start for at least another 45 minutes, knowing the tell by the fact that there’s still the faintest of traces of blue on the horizon. 

Your feet continue their idle movements in the water, until something slick brushes the bottom of your foot and you scream on instinct, quickly jerking your foot free from the water. You back up an extra foot from the edge, to the safety of the blanket that you spread across the rocks, just as an extra precaution. You’re sure that whatever touched you was probably just seaweed. Maybe a plastic bag or some other trash that someone carelessly threw into the ocean. But anything touching you in the water when the water is nothing more than an inky black expanse is enough for you to decide that’s enough soaking for the night.

Just as your heart rate is returning to normal, something slips over the edge of the rocks where you’d just been sitting. It gleams in the moonlight, silver, smooth, and shiny, as it makes a cursory probe at the edge, like it’s looking for something. It’s probably no thicker than your thumb and you deliriously wonder if octopi are even capable of coming up on dry land, let alone the reason why one might be coming up right now. Though the longer you stare at it, the more you realize that it’s far too smooth to be from an octopus, completely devoid of the telltale suckers. 

You shuffle a little further away. You really don’t want to move too quickly, not if you don’t know what it even is and if it can follow you or how fast whatever it is. But your slight movement only seems to catch it’s attention and to your growing horror, it lashes out almost faster than you can see and wraps itself firmly around your ankle. You scream again, because aside from that, there’s really very little you can do out here all alone with it on you.

Any attempts to free yourself prove futile, the slender appendage is far stronger than you would’ve expected from such a jelly-like creature. It gives its own experimental tug, one that pulls you marginally closer to the water before you once again scramble backwards. It lets you and that just serves to freak you out more.

Then, a few more tentacles appear over the edge of the rock, watering dripping and spreading out around them and then there’s a… hand? You frown as a seemingly human hand, if perhaps a little ashen looking, plants itself on the rock right alongside the tentacles. The fingers flex for a moment before something, somehow even more surprising, appears. A fairly human face, or at least up to the eyes as that’s the furthest it raises, peaks up over the edge, gaze quickly zeroing in on you. Your heart stutters in your chest as your eyes meet and its pale silver eyes gleam like its tentacles. It’s hair is wet and slicked back and, though the locks are currently water logged and a few shades darker, it’s clearly also a similar shade of silver as its tentacles and eyes. 

Another hand joins the first along the edge of the rocks and for a moment it doesn’t move at all. You stare at it, you know it’s definitely bigger than an octopus now. You don’t think you could take it. It’s dead silent aside from the gentle lapping of the waves and you’re terrified to move for fear of what it’s going to do to you. It gives the slightest of tugs on your ankle and when you don’t budge it finally lifts itself from the water. 

You try to back away again, but it’s grip keeps you in place and you let out a startled scream when another tentacle darts out to wrap itself around your other ankle. The… monster… sits on its knees at the edge for a moment after pulling itself from the water. 

It, he?, looks almost perfectly human. Skin a dimmed golden shade, frame small but packed with lean muscle… apparently well endowed in human terms. You jerk your gaze quickly away when you realize just where you're staring. Your life is on the line, now is not the time to to fucking ogle the monster and think about if he can get hard like a human and if it possibly gets bigger. You force yourself back to his face, cheekbones prominent and lips plush as he seems to be looking you over as well, though his gaze continually seems to dart behind you, brows knitting in confusion. 

His eyes appear almost human except that it doesn’t seem like he has a pupil, silver swallowing the whole of the iris. It’s slightly disconcerting. His tentacles shift behind him, drawing your attention to them finally. The ones not on you shift behind him restlessly, never seeming to settle. A thin one drapes itself on his shoulder before slithering across his skin to the other side, forming a strange sort of living necklace. It’s hard to pin down an exact number with them constantly moving, but there seems to be a lot and they seem to come in primarily two sizes, thinner ones like the one draped around his throat and wrapped around your ankles and thicker ones easily the width of 3 or 4 fingers, you try very hard not to compare their girth with what you had glimpsed between his legs. 

You’re trying to formulate a plan to get away when there’s another boom of a firework, bathing everything pink for a moment. And what you’re certainly not expecting is for the way the monster startles at the sound. The tentacles around your ankles tighten almost painfully and then before you can completely comprehend what’s going on, you’re being pulled closer to him. Once you're close enough, he’s leaning down over you and you squeeze your eyes shut, unsure of what’s about to happen but positive that it’s unlikely to be good.

But nothing happens and as the seconds stretch, you slowly peek an eye open. His face is almost directly above yours, but it’s not you that he’s looking at. Instead, he’s studiously scanning your surroundings, looking tense and on edge. When you glance at the way that he’s leaning over you, you realize that he seems to be almost… protecting you? Which only serves to confuse you more.

Deeming there to be no immediate threat, his gaze turns down to you and you freeze now that you're faced with him this close. He blinks down at you before his lips part and he makes a strange sort of clicking sound, but you’re more focused on the sharp teeth revealed when he makes noise. Definitely sharp enough to tear into you and eat his fill.

“Please don’t eat me,” you squeak out, hands coming up to cover your face.

There’s silence for a moment before a deep chuckle sounds from him. You peek between your fingers at him and there’s a smirk stretching his lips. 

“Oh, I have met your kind before.” His voice is soft and surprisingly melodious given the higher pitch the clicking was. 

You can’t help the words that slip from your lips. “My kind?”

His lips twitch and he tilts his head. “Humans. Are you not human?” He pushes himself up slightly to inspect you again. “You do not appear to be one of my kind.”

“There’s more of you?”

His gaze darts around. “A few.”

You swallow, about to speak again when another firework goes off. He startles above you and drops closer once more, body pressed firmly to yours as he glares around, trying to discover the source. 

You’d laugh at his constant startling if your throat wasn’t suddenly so dry. His chest is every bit as firm as it looked and you can feel every shift and ripple as he looks around. It’s incredibly distracting. Why did the monster have to be hot? You squeeze your eyes shut again. You should not be thinking about how it’d feel to touch the monster with your hands. Or how other parts of him would feel. 

He shifts off of you slightly. “It is safe for now.”

You blink your eyes open, frowning at him. “Safe? What are you talking about?”

His head tilts and he reminds you of a confused puppy. “Do you not hear the loud noises?”

A giggle slips out and that seems to perplex him further. “No, no. I do. It’s just… Have you not been around here before?” 

“I have always lived here.”

“Have you… been on land before?”

His brows pinch and there’s the slightest of flushes coloring his cheeks a deep blue-gray. “I come up here every year.”

“How have you not heard them before then? They’re just fireworks.” You see the streak of a new one and point to it quickly, drawing his attention to it just before it reaches its peak and explodes in a sparkling cascade of gold. “They’re for entertainment. They’re not dangerous.” You pause. “Okay they are. But not at this distance. The only people who could possibly be in danger would be the ones firing them.”

“Fire… works?” He mumbles, sitting back on his haunches as his face remains tilted towards the sky even though the phosphorus has long since burned out. “Will there be more?”

You slowly push yourself up, cautious of what he might do but his focus remains firmly upwards. “Yeah, they’ll keep shooting some singles off for a little bit longer then they’ll start the big show.”

He says nothing else and you wonder if you can use the time to slip away before you realize that he still has two tentacles wrapped around your ankles. There goes your chance for escape. At least he doesn’t seem interested in eating you. Yet.

Another firework goes and you watch his eyes widen as he follows its trajectory up until it stops in an explosion of color and sound. But you’re far more taken watching the childlike glee on his face and the way the colors gleam on his skin and tentacles. The colors add another level to his already stunning looks, making him look far more ethereal and angelic. He grins as he watches and he looks much less like a terrifying monster. Though you worry what will happen once the fireworks stop and there’s nothing to distract him. Maybe when the real show starts he’ll be so engrossed that you can slip yourself free of the tentacles and make a quick and quiet escape. 

You shake your head, looking away and up at the sky too. There’s nothing much you can do right now with their grip on you still too tight, so you might as well also watch the show. The fireworks are slowly starting to increase in frequency and he seems to squirm in excitement the closer together the pops of color come. 

“Do you have a name?” You ask suddenly, looking back over at him. Maybe you can text Namjoon or Taehyung and tell them that if you disappear to look for something with that name. Probably Taehyung. He’d be more likely to believe that you’ve been taken by a monster than Namjoon. He’d probably ask if you’ve drank or smoked anything. Get too drunk camping once and claim that bigfoot tried to kidnap you and you never get believed again. 

He doesn’t answer right away, doesn’t even seem to acknowledge that you spoke. But then his lips purse and he looks over at you for a moment. “Jimin.”

“Jimin?” He bobs his head and turns back to catch another firework going off. “My name’s Y/n.” You murmur, unsure if he’s even interested. 

It hurts a little that he didn’t seem interested in you back, but you suppose that you don’t know whatever his monster customs are. And you really shouldn’t look too deeply into why it hurts that a monster doesn’t seem interested in you. That should be a good thing. It means you have a better chance of getting away. 

There’s a long break in the fireworks and Jimin’s lips push out into an adorable pout as he turns to you with sad eyes. “Is it over?”

You laugh and shake your head. “No. It’s actually just getting ready to get started. Now it’s the big show. You thought it was good before. Just wait.”

He gives a simple nod and turns back to the sky, content to wait patiently for the rest. Silence descends on you both and you feel like you should be more worried about the tentacle monster sitting in front of you. But Jimin seems harmless enough, he certainly hasn’t tried to eat you or anything and that’s certainly got to count for something. He seems far more interested in the fireworks than in you now anyway. 

You’re just starting to relax when something cool and damp brushes the skin of your lower back. You freeze, back stiff as whatever it is tentatively touches the warm skin before slithering further up your shirt. You bite down on the urge to scream, you don’t want to startle Jimin again. Just because he was protective before, doesn’t mean that a scream coming from you would produce the same result. And before you can twist to see what is crawling up your shirt, the tentacles around your ankles slide a little further up your legs, ends timidly probing along your flesh as they go.

Another tentacle, one of the thicker ones, slides across your arm, wrapping once around your wrist and nestling the tip into your palm. The cool sensation is bizarrely familiar and it takes you only a moment to realize that whatever crawled up your shirt a moment ago is another tentacle. You’re about to speak when a thin tentacle trails up your arm to rest against your shoulder, gently tracing your jaw and neck. 

You swallow. “Um, Jimin?” All you get is a hum in response. Does he not realize what’s going on? “Jimin? What’s happening?”

Either your words or tone finally pulls his attention to you and when he sees his tentacles wrapped around you, he flushes a pretty blue. He scoots away, working to encourage them to release you, but this time of year they always have a bit more mind of their own. He makes an irritated clicking noise when they don’t move.

The one in your hand seems to respond to his sound though you’re not sure if it’s the way he wanted it to or not but it tightens around your wrist slightly before becoming… slicker?

You look at it, a weird mix of horror and maybe a little arousal. Maybe you shouldn’t have watched so much hentai when you were younger. You look back up at Jimin, at a complete loss. “Jimin?”

Jimin looks incredibly embarrassed, burying his face in his hands and making more distressed clicking noises. Probing tentacles aside, he looks adorable all flustered like this. A few of his tentacles wrap around his wrists and shoulders, patting his skin soothingly but that only seems to make him more distressed. 

The tentacle at your back has reached the tie to your bikini top beneath your shirt and is prodding at the knot with interest. You don’t know what to do to stop the distress you can practically feel coming from Jimin. The tentacle in your hand squirms slightly, drawing your attention back to it. You swallow, sneaking a quick peek at Jimin as you do the only, seemingly illogical, thing you can think of right now and you close your hand around the rowdy tentacle and squeeze. 

The result is instantaneous and certainly not what you had expected. Jimin moans. So then even if he’s not in control, he can still feel through them. Interesting to know. Jimin’s mouth hangs open for a moment before his gaze is meeting yours and you suddenly feel like maybe that was the wrong thing to do. 

There’s simmering fire in his eyes as he tries to speak as calmly and evenly as possibly. “I told you I come here once a year, correct?” You nod and he continues. “I come here to mate.”

You blink at him, mind completely blanking out. “M-mate?” You hate how high your voice sounds. 

He nods, sending a glare at the tentacles touching you. “When I saw you here, I had assumed you were one that I have spent the mating period with before.”

“Fuck, did I ruin your hookup?”

“Hookup?”

Your body heats with embarrassment. Maybe if you ask nicely, Jimin will let you go drown. “Whoever you were supposed to meet here. Did they not show up because I was here?”

He’s quick to shake his head. “I did not have plans. But sometimes if someone is near they will stop by. If they are not, I can take care of myself.”

The image of Jimin splayed out on the rocks by himself, tentacles sliding across his skin, wrapped around his cock, drawing more of those noises from him shoots straight to your core. Your pussy clenches around nothing and your hand accidentally tightens around Jimin’s tentacle again, drawing a gasp from him. 

“I apologize for not warning you sooner. The fireworks distracted me but it appears that it did not distract them.” He gestures to his tentacles. “Give me a moment and I should be able to free you so you can leave.”

His eyes slip closed and your gaze drags over him, startling slightly when you realize he’s started to grow hard too. You feel crazy that the first thing you think is how badly you want to touch. 

This is such a bad idea, but before you can stop yourself or second guess, you’re speaking. “What if... you didn’t though?”

Jimin freezes, but the tentacles seem to grow more restless at your words. Another thick one stretches the distance between you both to rest against your thigh, slicking your skin wherever it touches.

“You do not know what you are saying.” He grits out.

The tentacle in your hand squirms and you give it a small squeeze, maintaining eye contact with Jimin as you do so you get to fully enjoy the shudder that ripples through him. “I um, think I have a pretty good idea what I’m saying.”

He shakes his head, hair falling over his eyes. You didn’t think it would be so hard to convince a tentacle monster that you wanted him to fuck you. This was by far the stupidest thing you’ve ever done. For all you know, he could eat his partner afterwards. If you live past this encounter, no one would ever let you live it down. If they even believed you. Your gaze drops involuntarily back to his cock and you find that he's fully hard now. And it’s almost a little intimidating how big he is, longer and thicker than anything you’ve ever taken before. You don’t think your fingers would be able to wrap around the girth. But any apprehensions you think you’d feel normally are nowhere to be seen, all you feel is overwhelming want. You want to try to fit him, to feel the burn as he stretches you out. You want to taste and you want him to absolutely ruin you. 

Unsure of any other way to convince him that you do want this, you switch tactics. If you can’t convince him with words, you’ll just have to show him what you want. You release the tentacle in your hand, though it keeps itself wrapped around your wrist, and move to remove your shirt. Seeming to know your plan, or maybe just through a stroke of luck, the tentacle that has been exploring your bikini top seems to have discovered how to undo the ties and as your top hits the ground beside you, your top slips to your lap.

His eyes dip to the scrap of fabric in your lap before they trace slowly back up, expression worryingly blank. You belatedly realize that this might not even be a good signal to him that you do want this. You don’t know what others of his kind look like, if any of them look anything like you. For the most part, he looks human enough, you’d think that maybe this was enough, that maybe this is at least sort of familiar to him. You feel suddenly self conscious, this was such a dumb idea. You really shouldn’t let the horny brain lead. You’re just about to cross your arms to cover yourself when the tentacle that had been on your thigh slithers up your stomach to sit between your breasts. 

You glance at Jimin and his eyes seem darker, jaw clenched tight. His tentacles seem to grow more agitated behind him and the ones around your ankles tighten to tug you closer, both to your surprise and apparently also Jimin’s. He flushes, staring down at you with wide eyes as your thighs come to rest against his. 

The tentacle on your chest squirms and Jimin’s gaze drops to watch. Your gaze drops too, intending to look at the tentacle currently writhing around on your chest and smearing slick there but you only make it halfway. Because Jimin is now fully hard, thick cock curving up towards his belly and the sight of it has you enraptured. He looked big when he was still soft, but now fully hard, or at least what you assume is fully hard, he looks positively massive. The skin of his cock is the same muted tan of the rest of him, the tip almost blue-gray, close to the color his cheeks turned but deeper in color, and it’s leaking more silvery looking fluid. You wonder if it’s the same thing that is leaking from his tentacles. 

Jimin shudders and it takes only a moment for you to realize that the reason is because a thin tentacle has wrapped itself around the base of his cock. It makes you want to touch too. So tentatively, you reach out, gaze flicking between his cock and his face to gauge his reaction and giving him more than enough time to pull away. 

He watches your fingers brush against the tip, dragging a smear of slick further down the shaft but he makes no move to stop you. He lets out a shaky exhale and, emboldened by the noise, you wrap your fingers around him. Or you at least try your best to because his girth keeps your fingers from meeting. 

Jimin makes a rumbling noise and then there are two more tentacles massaging at your thighs, working their way up until they meet the edge of your shorts. They only probe along the fabric for a moment before slipping beneath and continuing their exploration towards the apex of your thighs. They trace the edge of your bikini bottoms before one of them presses against your pussy through the thin fabric. 

You gasp and Jimin’s gaze is back on your face, attention wholly focused on you as his tentacles press again, but this time with a little more pressure. One happens to brush past your clit and you jolt, a moan slipping from your lips and the tentacles seem desperate to recreate that reaction as they narrow their focus to your clit. 

Jimin groans again and his hands come up to cup your cheeks, his tentacles all stilling for a moment. He waits until you look up at him. “Are you sure? It will be harder to stop once we start. Are you positive you can handle it? I do not mind spending the time alone.”

It’s sweet how concerned he is about you. But now that he’s started, all you can think about is being fucked by him while his tentacles play with every inch of you. You squirm back slightly and he seems to take that as rejection, if the flash of disappointment you catch on his face is anything to go by. You quickly undo your shorts, tugging them down your legs, assisted by his tentacles once they reach your ankles. 

He swallows and you watch as the tentacles from your ankles relocate to your thighs to keep you spread wide as the two that had been in your pants resume their work on your clit, now free of the hindrance of cloth. You bring your slick fingers to your mouth and keep eye contact as you lick them clean. It’s salty like the sea, but rather than the bitterness of cum, his has a hint of sweetness to it. It’s slightly addictive.

He stares at you for a moment and then he’s making another clicking noise and the tentacle that had been around your wrist unwraps itself and slips between your legs to join the other two already there, though it bypasses your clit to circle your dripping hole instead. 

“Needy.” He coos, though you’re not sure if it’s directed at you or his tentacles. Maybe both. 

He shuffles in close again, seemingly content to just watch his tentacles play with you. You whine, you like the feel of his tentacles, but you want him to touch with his hands and lips too. You want more. Maybe the needy was directed at you after all. He glances up at your noise, watching the way your mouth drops open as his tentacle finally wriggles it’s way into your pussy. It’s firmer than you expected from touching it, but still much more malleable than a cock would be. But it’s softer nature allows it greater freedom to explore your walls as it moves slowly in and out of you, certainly a different experience for you but you definitely can’t find it in you to hate it when it can reach all the right spots inside of you easily.

You reach out, grabbing the first part of Jimin you can grab, his arm, and tug him insistently down on top of you. He complies easily, seemingly curious as to what you want. You wonder if he’s ever kissed a partner before, if that’s something that his kind does. You hesitate and Jimin immediately notices, head tilting in curiosity. 

“What is wrong?”

You’re gasping before you can formulate your question, the tentacle inside you having quickly found your g-spot and is now making sure to rub it with every thrust, sending waves of pleasure rippling through your body. Jimin’s head dips down and his nose rubs against yours. 

“Are you okay? I have never been with a human and so I am unsure of what might hurt or bring pleasure. Please tell me if they are hurting you.”

He looks so sweet and it makes your heart stutter a little. You tilt your head, capturing his plush lips in a kiss. They’re warmer than you expected, giving the cooler temperature of his tentacles. It takes him a moment of inaction before he seems to catch on to how to kiss back. He makes a small noise when your tongue brushes his lips but he easily parts them for you. His sharp teeth skim your lip and it leaves you gasping into his mouth. He seems pleased with the response and he trails his lips across your jaw and down your neck. 

“You did not answer my question.” He murmurs, teeth gently teasing the skin of your neck, mindful of their sharpness. 

His tentacles are driving you mad, bringing you so close to your orgasm but seeming to know exactly when to slow back down to draw it out even longer. “What… question?” You gasp out.

“Are you okay?”

You’d scoff if the tentacles around your clit hadn’t started circling in tandem, winding the coil in your belly tighter. “So… so okay… Fuck, Jimin, are you sure you’ve never been with a human before?”

He pulls away from your neck enough to look down at you, a pleased smile stretching his lips. “I have not. Am I doing good?”

You nod enthusiastically, hands tangling in his hair to pull him back in for a messy kiss. He makes a pleased sort of clicking noise in the back of his throat and his tentacles speed up. And this time when your orgasm draws near his tentacles keep their speed rather than slowing again and you cum, back arching off the blanket as your pussy convulses around the tentacle. His tentacles continue their ministrations and Jimin pulls away to stare down at where his tentacle disappears inside you with wide eyed wonder. 

He groans as he watches with rapt attention. “Does it do this every time?”

You squirm, oversensitivity quickly setting in as his tentacles refuse to let up. The borderline painful feeling robs you of words to tell him to slow down and give you just a moment to breath. The tentacle inside of you swells and then everything grows a little slicker as Jimin chokes on a gasp. You struggle to reach out to grasp any one of the tentacles, to just lessen the sensations ravaging your pussy just a little, but before you can even make contact, another tentacle is wrapping around both wrists and dragging them above your head. 

“J-Jimin, please…”

Jimin pays you no mind, tentacles working faster under his focused gaze and it doesn't take long for you to be thrown into a second orgasm, though it feels almost like the first one never ended. You cry out, much too loud even if the beach is seemingly deserted right now. You shudder as your orgasm crests and Jimin’s tentacle seems to stiffen inside you before you feel suddenly wetter and stickier and full. The tentacle slips out of you after a few weaker thrusts and a small gush of thick liquid follows and the tentacle suddenly seems much less enthusiastic than its counterparts. Fuck, did that mean…?

“Jimin,” you whine, waiting until he finally tears his gaze away from your dripping pussy. “Do… do your tentacles cum too?”

His head tilts in confusion. “Come?” He thinks for a moment before realization seems to overcome him. “Ah. Do you mean do my tentacles also release?”

Embarrassment creeps over you. Something so clinical shouldn’t have you aching to be filled again when you just came twice and apparently already filled. You nod shyly. 

“Yes. They also release. It is to give the best chance of a successful mating.”

You swallow, eyeing the tentacles behind him wearily. “Do they all have to?”

He shakes his head, a hint of amusement dancing in his eyes. “They do not. Only the big ones release. And from those, they do not all release every mating.”

You feel equal parts relieved and disappointed, though you know that you should probably question your disappointment. But you’ve already come this far, no reason to start questioning your potentially bad decisions now. 

He tilts his head. “Does it bother you? They do not need to do it near you if it makes you uncomfortable.”

You choke, unsure how to respond for a moment. This whole situation should really terrify and appall you. But you only find yourself growing hotter at the idea of being used by his tentacles and covered in their cum. You chew your lip before giving a small nod. 

His eyes trace over your face before he seems to light up and he leans down to press a kiss to your lips. “Does the thought of that arouse you, sweet? I must admit, most of my previous partners were less than enthused about that aspect of mating.”

You groan, wanting nothing more than to bury your face in your hands in shame but Jimin’s tentacles keep your hands studiously bound above your head. Even his own kind didn’t like it. Why were you so weird? He giggles, leaning down to brush your nose with his own. His face is set with a kind smile, but his eyes still dance with mirth and lust. 

“I find it very arousing that you like it so much. Tell me what you are thinking about, sweet.”

To punctuate his words, another tentacle slips between your legs, rubbing along your sticky slit. You moan and Jimin’s eyes shine with fire. “I… was thinking about you fucking me and filling me up and leaving me all messy.”

He smirks. “I can do that, sweet. Just ask.”

“Jimin, please, fuck me… Fuck, ruin me…”

Jimin’s grin turns positively feral, sharp teeth on display. And for a moment, fear ripples through you as Jimin looks truly like a monster for the first time since he’s surfaced. But then his tentacles shift around him, eager for their chance to touch. Jimin shoos the thick tentacle away from your pussy, the ones around your thighs assisting him in situating you how he wants. He runs the tips of his cock through the mess left there by his tentacle and a pleased chirp leaves him. 

“You are already so full. Do you think you can take more?” He purrs.

You nod and his cock presses against your entrance. He presses just the tip in and he stretches your pussy more than the tentacle did. You gasp, breath robbed from you as the stretch borders on too much. But Jimin seems to sense it and pauses with just the tip inside, allowing you all the time to adjust to his massive cock. 

Jimin’s hands skim up your thighs, the tentacles resting passively on your clit once again coming to life and the jolt of pleasure has you squirming on Jimin’s cock. His hands rest on your hips, gripping them with bruising strength to keep you from moving. You whimper at the casual display of strength, at the way that he seems to not even be trying to hold you still while his tentacles slowly circle your clit to get you to relax. 

Two other tentacles slip up your body, pressing against your breasts and kneading at the flesh experimentally. The sensation is different, while the tentacles don’t have the surface area the way a hand does, they are capable of moving in ways a hand simply can’t. They grope at the flesh, exploring and testing the limits. One brushes past your nipple, causing you to gasp and suddenly both are on the pebbled buds, playing with them to draw even more noises from you. Their motions mimic the motions on your clit and pleasure sparks across your body once again. 

The tentacles shift slightly, long bodies draping down the sides of your breasts and then they press the mounds inwards, forcing the flesh together around the tentacle still resting on your sternum. Jimin grunts at the sudden pressure around his tentacle and your gaze drops to watch with fascination as the tentacle starts to thrust into the tight space, silvery tip gleaming with each press through. 

Your pussy clenches at the thought of it slipping a little further up and into your mouth, of tasting that salty, sweet slick from the source. A high pitched noise sounds in Jimin’s throat as his hips stutter forward at the feeling of your pussy tightening around him and you moan as he slips a little further into you, stretching you just a little more. Now though, the stretch makes you ache for more, the burn finally passed with the aid of the tentacles playing with your clit and nipples and slowly pulling your pleasure back to the surface. 

You really need him to be completely inside of you and when you dig your heels into his ass to try to get him to move, he seems hesitant. His tentacles, however, seem more than thrilled at the idea and more than happy to help you in your pursuit. The ones around your thighs tighten and pull you closer, until Jimin is buried to the hilt in the clutch of your pussy. The noise is filthy, the mess from his tentacle spilling out around his cock to smear on your thighs and drip down your ass. 

Jimin goes rigid when he’s fully inside you, eyes trained on where you’re joined. He seems transfixed by the sight of your cunt swallowing down every inch he has. Your whine has his head snapping up to look at your face, drinking in the way you’re moaning. The tentacle between your breasts slips a little further up, tip bumping your chin once before it’s shifting to your lips. Your tongue darts out, swiping through the salty fluid. Jimin shudders, hips flexing where they press into you and you let your mouth fall open for his tentacle to slip in. 

Your tongue swirls around the tip and it squirms, pushing in further than you expect and causing you to gag. It pulls itself from your mouth with a pop and you frown at it’s loss before shifting your gaze to Jimin, who seems to be glaring at the tentacle like it did something wrong. 

“Jimin?” When he looks at you, you give him an amused smile. “It’s okay. It just takes me a minute.”

His head tilts but the tentacle makes its way tentatively back to your mouth, hovering until you open again for it to slip back in. It goes a lot slower this time, keeping its thrusts shallow. You hum encouragingly, tongue pressing and massaging the underside as it moves and the tentacle slides a little deeper. You gag only slightly this time, much more prepared now, and after a few thrusts you grow used to the intrusion and it can slip just a little bit more down your throat. 

Jimin watches for a moment before groaning and then he’s pulling his cock out until just the tip remains before slamming back in. You moan around his tentacle, noise muffled as it delves further down your throat. It stays there for a moment and the lack of oxygen has your head start to spin. Your hands twitch where they’re still bound above your head, but before the real need for oxygen comes and you have to try to alert Jimin that you need to breathe, the tentacle is pulling out, switching to shallow thrusts while you get a quick break to breathe. The sudden rush of oxygen has you feeling nearly euphoric and you can only hope that the tentacle does it again. When you whine around it, it pushes back into your throat and the rest of the whine is muffled by it’s girth. 

Jimin’s fingers flex against your hips as he watches and feels how much of his tentacle slips into the waiting warmth of your mouth and with a moan he starts fucking into your pussy with a quick pace. Your hands grab at the tentacle binding you, needing something, anything, to ground yourself as Jimin fucks you senseless. You feel wholly overwhelmed at the way his cock fills you, the way the tentacles swirl around your clit, your nipples and breasts, at the way the one in your mouth begins to stiffen up. 

The tentacles shift on your breasts, kneading the soft flesh once again before pinching at your nipples. You moan around the tentacle in your mouth and it gives a shudder before flooding your mouth and throat. You choke slightly, jerking your head slightly at the sheer volume being released into your mouth, far more than you can handle. Spit and cum drip from the corners of your mouth as you struggle to swallow and the tentacle pulls itself from your mouth before it's finished, painting the lower half of your face even more in its silvery essence. Jimin’s eyes gleam at the sight, seeming to become even more frantic with his thrusts. 

“J-jimin…” You whine, voice rough from use. You’re not entirely sure what you’d finish that statement with.

“You are doing so well.” He coos and the praise has your mind going fuzzy. “You look so pretty like this.”

He reaches up, sliding a hand through the mess on your cheeks before letting his hand drag the mess back down your body, leaving a shiny trail down your throat, in the valley between your breasts and across your stomach. He slams in particularly hard and you cry out, voice echoing across the empty beach and ocean, much too loud but you no longer care.

Jimin glows golden, the light haloing him and your fucked out mind is sluggish to make sense of the sudden color change. Then you remember why you were out here to begin with and you make the connection just as the resounding boom of the firework follows just after the shower of color. The fireworks show must be finally starting because the next second Jimin is bathed in blue, then pink.

But as quick as your attention was taken by the colorful shadows splashed across Jimin’s beautiful face, it’s taken back as he shifts suddenly, hands leaving your hips to push your thighs together as he continues to fuck you. Your calves come to rest on one shoulder and Jimin uses the new position to fuck you even harder. 

Something slick drags along the crease where your thighs are pressed together and a second later a tentacle is pushing into the tight space. Your skin tingles where it presses into your skin and with every thrust it makes through the tight press of your thighs, it bumps the tentacles on your clit. Jimin presses a kiss to your leg and you feel the breath leave him as his tentacle speeds up and he hisses.

The sensations are nearly overwhelming, to the point that you almost miss the new slim tentacle kneading the flesh of your ass. It delivers a pinch to the skin that leaves you gasping and you’re much more aware of it as it runs along the seam of your ass. You squirm, or at least attempt to, because between the tentacles restraining you and Jimin’s firm grip on your thighs, you’re left nearly immobile as you get fucked. The tentacle slips a little further up, gathering some slick before it’s dipping back down to prod at the tight ring of muscle of your hole. 

You shudder and if you could move, you’d press down onto the tentacle, force it to fill you because you need it as much as you need Jimin’s cock in you. “Fuck, please, don’t tease…”

Jimin’s face is set in concentration and you don’t think he heard you, except a second later the tentacle breaches your ass. You moan, glad that it was a smaller one to start. It thrusts tentatively, growing bolder as your noises raise in pitch and then a second slim tentacle is joining, slipping past the tight ring of muscle to thrust in counterpoint to the first. 

Jimin’s thrusts slow, his head tilting back as he pants. He looks like a sculpture, so beautiful that it aches a little. Something that people should look at and marvel over. A moan slips past his lips as the tentacles in your ass speed up a little, taking some time to also shift apart and spread you open even more. 

“You… are endless…” Jimin breaths out. It sounds reverent. 

The tentacles slip from you and you have no time to mourn the loss before they’re being replaced by one of the thicker tentacles. The stretch hurts a little, but with so many other things happening to your body at the same time, you’re quickly distracted from the ache. The tentacle stills anyway, allowing you time to adjust to its thick girth. 

“You are so full of surprises.” He says, head dropping forward once more to let his gaze rake over your shuddering figure.

The tentacle in your ass thrusts in response to Jimin’s words and when you don’t indicate any pain, both pull out and thrust roughly back in. The tentacle between your thighs and in your ass thrust opposite Jimin, keeping you full and stimulated when Jimin pulls out. 

“Please… Jimin please, fill me up, you said you would…” You feel slightly delirious with need, every thrust of his tentacle adds extra pressure to your clit and you feel so close to cumming, teetering on the edge. 

Jimin gives you no verbal response, only that of him pressing your thighs together a little harder. A few more thrusts of the tentacle between your thighs has you clamping down on Jimin’s cock and the one in your ass as you cum, body shuddering as the tentacles and Jimin continue to thrust. You squeeze your eyes shut, vision nearly whiting out entirely as your orgasm slams into you. The tentacle between your thighs lasts only a handful more thrusts before its stiffening and releasing, splattering your chest, belly, and thighs in the silver cum. It gives a few weak final spurts before slipping back through your thighs as Jimin parts them once more. 

His cock twitches as his gaze falls over you messy form, the normally silvery liquid lighting up in splashes of color with every new explosion that happens above you both. He’s never seen a more beautiful sight. One of his hands lands on your thigh as the other bats his tentacles away from your clit, an action that you're grateful for for only a moment because he quickly replaces them with his fingers. You arch and cry out, jerking your hands with enough force that you seem to startle the binding tentacle and it releases you. Your hands wrap around his wrist, tugging futilely at it to get him to let up. 

You moan his name desperately, trying to squirm away from the sensation as his tentacles keep you held close as he continues to fuck you through your overstimulation. 

“Can you do that for me one more time? You feel so good when you do that, sweet.”

You whimper. You want to say no, that it hurts a little and that you really don’t think you’re capable of another orgasm. But the pout he wears stops you and you find yourself nodding without even thinking about how you’re going to get past the too much feeling currently overwhelming your body. 

Jimin gives you another feral grin, eyes roving over your figure as his fingers work quick circles around your clit. For no experience with a human, he’s an incredibly fast learner. He seems to know your body better than your ex had and the two of you had been together for almost 2 years. 

The tentacles on your breasts move to collect some of the slick covering you, smearing it around your nipples as the pinch and play with them, the slick adding a new layer of feeling to the actions. 

“Come on, sweet.” Jimin purrs as his cock seems to swell ever more and the tentacle in your ass starts to stiffen. 

Another rough thrust and a few twists of his fingers and you’re cumming again with a cry of his name. Your pussy and ass convulses around him and Jimin lets out a series of clicks and chirps as he finally cums, flooding your pussy and ass with more silvery slick. There seems to be a never ending stream from his cock and after a few moments, pressure on your lower stomach makes you look down, groaning at the sight of your slightly distended belly.

Jimin makes a contented noise, rubbing gently over the swell. “You would look so beautiful swollen with my children.”

His cock gives another twitch and a feeble last spurt of cum and Jimin and his tentacles seem to deflate. His chin presses to his chest as he takes in slow, deep breaths. The tentacles all slowly slip from your body and you mourn the slight warmth you lose. Another few moments pass and then Jimin is gingerly pulling his cock from your abuse pussy and gazing over your whole body with almost reverence. 

You feel too exhausted to do much more, but you can feel his cum dripping from you, forming a puddle beneath your ass. At least you're next to the ocean for easy clean up. If you had the energy to do that. Maybe in 5 minutes… Or an hour. You can’t even feel your legs right now. You’re pretty sure you’d just drown.

Jimin stretches out beside you, arm coming to wrap around your middle, seemingly unbothered by the fact that it lands in a mess. You blearily realize that his tentacles seem much smaller now too. His head tilts and you realize that he’s watching the fireworks again. Like he didn’t just fuck you within an inch of your life and leave you ruined for anyone who comes after him. 

You watch in silence for a while, endeared by Jimin’s ohs and ahs as he discovers new types of fireworks, the different shapes and effects that can happen. 

“Jimin.” You call softly. His nose brushes your shoulder in response. “Will… Nevermind. It’s stupid.”

Jimin pushes himself up enough so that he can look down at you, frown marring his pretty face. “What is it?”

You fidget, suddenly hating that you’re naked and still covered in him. You glance over at the water.

“Do you wish to go in, sweet?”

It’s an easy out and you don’t feel strong enough to ask the real question yet, so you give him a simple nod. He grins, scooping you up and gracefully sliding you both into the water, arm wrapped tight around your middle to keep you afloat. 

Colors flash around you as you stare into Jimin’s eyes, every color reflected there as well. Before you can second guess yourself, you lean forward and press a kiss to his lips. He lets out a surprised noise and then giggles when you pull away. 

“Do you wish to go again?”

Embarrassment fills you and you shake your head. “No. Um…” You take a deep breath. You can do this. “Will I see you again?”

Jimin’s face is unreadable for a painful stretch of time, though you’re sure it’s only a few seconds before he’s grinning. “I find myself quite taken by humans. I could certainly use a guide.”

You grin back, pecking him again. “First lesson, when humans like someone and want to spend time with them and go on dates, they give them kisses.”

He hums, giving you a kiss of his own, just a little deeper than yours. “I think I quite like kisses.” Then he grins and it’s full of mischief. “I think fireworks are my favorite though.”

You snort, prodding him with a finger. “You sure it’s the fireworks you like?”

He makes a thoughtful noise before nodding. “They make you luminous, sweet.”

[starglitterz]

Hello, this is my first time asking but, can I request a Kazuha headcanon with gender neutral reader? I haven't thought of any scenerios though

hi !!

i made into a oneshot instead, i hope that's alright !! headcanon was kinda vague T_T

one order of an ice-cream coming right up ! i hope you enjoy it, and ty for ordering from quill’s dessert cafe 🍧

please reblog! it helps a lot :)

kazuha.

the sun has just begun to dip below the horizon, the last of its warm rays splashing gold hues across the pastel sky. a gentle summer breeze whistles softly, curling around you like a the familiar warmth of a hug from your lover. you're standing at the docks of liyue, gazing absently at the ships, or more specifically the crux, the magnificent fleet captained by none other than beidou, and also the fleet that your boyfriend, kazuha will be leaving on today.

the feeling of an arm wrapping around your waist jolts you out of your thoughts, and you tilt your head up to be met with kazuha's lips curved into a sad smile. you turn around, burying your head in his chest, unsure of how to convey what you're feeling. in the end you settle for asking, "do you really have to leave?" kazuha sighs, lifting your knuckles to kiss them, "i wish i didn't have to. but i don't want you to get hurt. if i stay here for too long, the inazuma guards might find me, and they might take you too."

you know he's right, but it doesn't make his departure ache any less. what's worse is that you don't know when he'll come back, or if he even will. the ocean obeys no one, not even the formidable captain beidou, and storms can wreck even the strongest of ships in a second by dashing them on razor sharp rocks or pulling them down into the darkest depths where they'll never be seen again. you're terrified that kazuha will just disappear, swallowed up by a monster of the sea.

kazuha rubs comforting circles on the small of your back as he nuzzles into your neck, inhaling your scent and memorising it to revisit while he's away. "oi, kaedehara! get over here, we're about to leave soon. captain's orders," a voice yells from aboard the ship, smashing through your quiet tryst. you're gripping onto kazuha's shirt, silently begging him not to leave, and his pale crimson eyes, almost the same colour as the coppery bloodstains on the floor he has seen from his time at inazuma, fill with longing. he wants so desperately to stay, but this is for the both of you and the future he wants to build with you someday.

"hey, look at me," he murmurs, caressing your cheek while you lean into his touch as your brain scrambles to ingrain this in your mind forever. parting really is such sweet sorrow, you idly think. kazuha peels your hand off his shirt and drops something into your open palm before folding your fingers to close on it, "take care of this for me, alright?" pressing a final kiss on your forehead, kazuha quickly boards the ship waiting for him, and you bid him goodbye with as much encouragement as you can muster.

"i love you!" you shout into the distance, cupping your hands around your mouth to amplify your volume. you imagine your boyfriend smiling as he hears it, and suddenly recall the item he slipped into your hands. unclasping your fingers, you glance downwards, only to be met with a single maple leaf, the same shade as the streak running through kazuha's snowy hair. you're more grateful than words can express for the simple gift which almost feels like a part of him left in your caring hands, and vow to keep it safe.

and as stars begin to blanket the navy quilt of the night sky, you offer up a prayer to the archons to protect kazuha, clutching the leaf to your heart.

quill speaks !

hi ! sorry for going so off the rails from what u requested, but i hope u still liked it :)

are u guys going to pull for kazuha or for klee?

i hope you enjoy your stay at quill’s dessert cafe, and do check out the menu if you'd like ! 🍭

© starglitterz 2021. do not repost or modify in any way.

[dragonkeeper19600]

Jaws: The Musical (Concept)

So, out of curiosity, I looked online to see if anyone had ever adapted a musical from Jaws. There is a musical called Bruce that’s scheduled to debut in Seattle next year about the production of Jaws (and I would be interested in seeing that), but as for a musical of the Jaws story itself, I found one that’s for kids and about 48 minutes long.

Now, I’ve never seen this musical, so I cannot attest as to its quality, but, in my opinion, both of those choices are wrong. This musical should be the full two acts, and it should be aimed at adults. 

I’ve been brainstorming, and I think I’ve got a hypothetical musical all mapped out. You might think a musical based on Jaws is silly, but a lot of successful musicals have been adapted from really strange things (such as a comic book artist’s coming-out memoir, a crappy Roger Corman movie, and a collection of goofy cat poems), and I feel like a Jaws musical could be really epic. The story easily lends itself into a two-act structure. The first act is the shark attacks on Amity Island, and the second act is the hunt for the shark in the Orca. 

However, the musical wouldn’t make the mistake of putting lyrics to John Williams’s iconic Jaws theme. The theme would obviously be used as a leitmotif throughout the show, but it’s not the type of song that lends itself to lyrics, and I think that would be corny,

So, the musical would play out like this:

ACT ONE:

The movie opened with Chrissie’s death, so the stage show will do the same. The scene will be short and all dialogue, no singing. The shark will also not be seen, but its presence will be implied by the music, lighting, and Chrissy’s acting.

First song: “Welcome to Amity Island.” Functions as an intro to the setting of Act One. The tone is joyous and celebratory as the islanders welcome the flood of tourists that always come in the summer. A big portion of the song is sung by Mayor Vaughn as he sings about what a wonderful vacation spot Amity Island is. We also meet Brody, and a dark undercurrent is introduced to the song as he finds Chrissy’s mangled body.

Brody, of course, takes steps to close the beach right away, but he’s stopped by the Mayor, who sings the second song, “Summer Dollars,” where the Mayor insists that closing the beaches is bad for the town and that Brody shouldn’t be causing an unnecessary panic and causing hysteria that could drive tourists away. Brody tries to argue back but in the end, Vaughn has his way.

Brody returns to the station, apprehensive about keeping the beaches open. Here, we’re introduced to Brody’s wife, Ellen, who saw no problem with visiting him at work since nothing ever happens on Amity Island. Brody expresses his uneasiness, but Ellen assures him that his fear of the water is making him overestimate the danger. This gets Brody’s coworkers curious, so, with a little prompting from Ellen, Brody sings his first solo, “Drowning,” about his fear of the water. In the song, Brody sings about a childhood incident where a bully held him underwater at a public swimming pool. Not only did this give him a fear of water, but the bullying he received as a child is what set him on the path to become a cop, since he wanted to be able to protect people from suffering the same mistreatment he did. However, he moved from New York City because the working environment there was unfriendly to cops who wish to protect and serve instead of, well, being typical American cops.

Next song: “Blue Sky” Just as the Mayor wished, the beaches are open, and summer is in full swing. Brody is there with his family, anxiously keeping an eye on the water. The rest of the ensemble doesn’t share his anxiety, however, as they frolic and play in the sun. Brody is jolted to his feet several times by the sound of screaming, but it’s always a false alarm. However, the mood turns scary as we segue into the next song:

“Shark!” - While out swimming on his raft, young Alex Kintner is attacked and eaten. Brody sees it and screams the title of the song. It’s pandemonium as people rush out of the water, and the song is fast-paced and chaotic. However, it ends on a mournfully quiet note as Mrs. Kintner calls for her son. (”Alex? Alex!?”)

Quick scene transition, and we move immediately into he next song, called “Something Must Be Done.” Here, at a town council meeting, the townspeople argue back and forth about what to do about their shark problem. I imagine the music here sounding like the “Mayor’s Meeting” theme from The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. Brody argues strongly in favor of closing the beaches (in song, of course), but he is shut down not only by the Mayor but by the rest of the townspeople, who still rely on the income brought in by the tourists. People throw around various suggestions, with one woman finally declaring that she’ll reward whoever catches the shark with three thousand dollars. The song descends into a cacophony as people argue over each other.

The noise is interrupted by the screech of nails on a chalkboard. It’s Quint who sings the titular song, “Jaws,” as he sings about his job as a shark hunter and how dangerous sharks can be. (”Those jaws will swallow you whole. / A little shakin’, tenderizing’, down you go.”) He offers to kill the shark for ten grand, not three. The woman who made the offer balks at the high price, and the Mayor explains that kind of money isn’t in the budget “right now.” Quint takes it in stride and tells everyone they’ll know where to find him if they change their minds. He’s supposedly addressing the room, but he looks right at Brody as he says it. He can tell Brody is the only one who will actually listen.

Many sailors of various aptitudes come to Amity Island, hoping to catch the shark and cash in on that three thousand dollars. Among the new arrivals is Hooper, who introduces himself to Brody as a marine biologist from the Oceanographic Institute. Hooper sings his intro song, “Beautiful,” referring to his views on sharks. Hooper recounts how he was bitten by a shark as a child, but instead of coming to fear them, Hooper walked away fascinated by them and now views sharks to be beautiful creatures. However, the song takes a somber note as Hooper is brought in to examine Chrissie’s remains, and the word “Beautiful” is shifted from referring to sharks to referring to Chrissie when she was alive. (“She was just a kid. / So much of life to live. / Now, bits and scraps are all that’s left. / Of a girl who was once so beautiful.”)

“Hell of a Fish” - The fishermen succeed in catching a large tiger shark, presumed to be the shark that killed Alex and Chrissie. Brody joins in the celebratory atmosphere, but Hooper examines the dead shark’s teeth and is convinced they’ve got the wrong fish. The Mayor and the fisherman who caught the tiger shark argue that this is the shark that’s been causing the trouble, while Hooper argues back that it’s definitely not. Hooper angrily demands that he be allowed to dissect the shark to confirm whether there are human remains inside, but Mayor Vaughn rejects his request. He doesn't care if they’ve got the right shark. He doesn’t believe a third attack will happen either way. (”We’ve got a hell of a fish to show. / And shark attacks are pretty rare, you know?”) 

This song is interrupted by the entrance of Mrs. Kintner, in funeral attire, who goes up to Brody and slaps him. She then sings “My Boy Is Dead,” a slow, tragic lament about her son, Alex. (“He was just a boy. His whole life still ahead. / Now, I’ll never know what he would’ve been. / Because my boy is dead.”) Mrs. Kintner blames Brody for not warning the town after Chrissie’s death, and Brody takes the blame to heart. The song ends with a callback to “Hell of a Fish,” as Hooper bitterly remarks that he hopes Mayor Vaughn is right about the tiger shark being the culprit, otherwise there’s a “hell of a fish” still out there somewhere.

“Cloud on the Horizon” - Song is kicked off by a TV reporter, who delivers a brief story to the audience about the recent shark attacks on Amity Island. The holiday-making resumes on Amity’s beaches, but people are more nervous than before, The ensemble sings amongst themselves about whether they should go in the water. They finally do so with a little encouragement from the Mayor. Meanwhile, Brody encourages his son Michael to stay in the shallow pond.

“Shark! (Reprise)” - A shark fin is spotted in the water, and the ensemble takes up the alarm, scrambling while frantically singing a reprise of “Shark!” However, the alarm dies down when the fin is revealed to be a fake worn by a swimmer. However, a lone woman takes up the cry again as the shark is spotted swimming toward the pond where Michael is. The music ramps up as the shark takes down a boater mere feet away from Michael, and the audience gets their first clear view of the shark.

“Red Sea” - The song functions as a reprise of “Blue Sky,” but also contains musical elements from “My Boy is Dead.” Brody pulls his son Michael out of the water, unsure of whether he’s still alive. Luckily, Michael is only in shock. Ellen runs to call for an ambulance. As he waits by Michael’s body, Brody sings his second solo, loudly berating everyone in town, including himself, for allowing this to happen three times. All of the beachgoers, including the Mayor, are cowed by his song.

“(Can’t Find) a Good Man” - This is the first song between all three crew members of the Orca. Brody goes to hire Quint to kill the shark, agreeing to pay whatever he wants. Quint knows he has Brody by the balls and keeps upping the price, demanding additional payments like various kinds of booze and a color TV in addition to the ten thousand dollars. Brody agrees to all of it, but Quint’s one crew member refuses to go out after the shark, so Quint fires him. Hooper and Brody volunteer to go along, but Quint is reluctant to bring them aboard. He contemplates whether he should go alone, since Hooper and Brody will be useless on deck. Hooper loudly argues that he's qualified and “doesn’t need this working class hero crap,” but Brody is more gentle and persuasive. He reminds Quint that his own son was nearly killed by this shark and feels he owes it to both his family and the town to help in whatever way he can. Quint is won over by Brody’s humility and agrees to take them both on.

“Farewell, Amity Island” - Reprise of “Welcome to Amity Island” and the Act One Finale. Like “Welcome to Amity Island,” this is a huge ensemble number, this time centering around the Orca’s upcoming departure. Several characters come to see the ship off as Quint yells at Hooper and Brody, including the Mayor and Ellen. The Mayor apologizes to Brody (“I know you’re angry. You have every right to be. / My own children were there in that same red sea.”), where Ellen bids a tearful farewell, knowing she might never see Brody again. Brody’s sung farewells are intercut with a spoken back and forth between Quint and Hooper, as Quint snarks at everything Hooper does. The song also contains instrumental traces of “Spanish Ladies.” Brody and Ellen’s embrace is broken up by Quint as the Orca shoves off.

ACT TWO:

After the act two opener (which is an instrumental of “Jaws,” the song Quint sang earlier), we return to the Orca where Quint fishes off the stern, loudly singing “Spanish Ladies” a cappella. It sounds pretty good, but he’s interrupted by Hooper, who yells that he’s been listening to Quint sing for three hours and can’t take it any more. Brody has no choice but to listen to the ensuing back and forth as he chums the water. 

The childish behavior is interrupted when Quint gets a bite. He's convinced it’s the shark, but Hooper, still annoyed with Quint, believes it’s some kind of sport fish. Hooper begrudgingly goes to help Quint pull in the line, but a moment of inattention causes the line to snap.

“City Hands” - Quint berates Hooper for losing the shark and trying to tell a professional shark hunter how to hunt sharks. Their animosity finally erupts into an angry duet as they hurl very personal insults at each other, with Hooper calling Quint a drunken, senile sea dog, while Quint berates Hooper for being a coddled, privileged city boy. Their musical fight looks like it’ll get physical when Hooper snatches the beer Quint was drinking out of his hand and chucks it into the ocean. Luckily, Brody breaks it up, pointedly reminding them why they’re here and that they don’t need to be at each other’s throats when the shark will gladly do that for them. Quint sheepishly apologizes to Brody and only Brody. Hooper likewise backs down.

Brody returns to chumming the water only to toss a shovelful of chum directly into the shark’s face. The shark is right beside the Orca, and it’s huge. There is an instrumental score but no singing as all three men work together to try and bring in the shark. The shark seems unfazed by all the bullets and harpoons they shoot into it, but they manage to attach one barrel to the shark. Quint is satisfied that the shark will tire itself out with the barrel attached and that all they have to do is wait it out. Brody is all for returning to shore and calling the Coast Guard, but Quint ignores him.

Scene transition, and we’re in the ship’s cabin that night. All three men are staying up to wait for the shark, and they’ve had a bit to drink. Quint catches Brody examining the rope burn he got on his hand earlier in the day and reassures him that it won't leave a permanent scar. This segues into the duet “Something Permanent,” as Hooper and Quint compare scars. The tone isn’t angry and harsh as before but jovial and upbeat. Clearly, the earlier animosity is forgiven. 

“Those Eyes” - This is Quint’s solo about the sinking of the Indianapolis. Brody asks Quint about a scar on his arm that he hasn’t mentioned. Quint offhandedly mentions it’s a tattoo he had removed. When Hooper makes a joke about it being a “Mother” tattoo, Quint informs him it’s actually for the U.S.S. Indianapolis. Hooper clearly knows the story, but Brody doesn't, so Quint tells it. The song is slow and eerie. The words “those eyes” are used to refer to both the sharks’ eyes and the eyes of his crew mates as they were devoured or lay dead in the water. Quint sings that he still sees those eyes looming up at him in the dark of the night. He then catches the looks on Brody and Hooper’s faces and chuckles darkly, telling them not to look at him with “those eyes.” After all, they delivered the bomb. No one comments on this, but all three men have now sung their backstories at some point in the show.

Hooper quietly starts to sing “Show Me the Way to Go Home.” The other two join in. Their singing is interrupted by the shark ramming into the ship.

The crew scramble back on deck. Quint, his mind still swimming in the memory of the Indianapolis, wildly fires a rifle at the shark, but he only succeeds in driving it away, Hooper goes belowdeck  to assess the damage. The ship can still run, but it’s struggling. Brody loudly advocates returning to shore, but Quint refuses.

The shark returns, leading to the next song, “Barrels.” The song has a lot of dialogue and instrumental but also functions as a reprise of “Something Permanent,” as Quint gleefully proclaims his intent to leave “something permanent” on the shark. The crew manages to attach three barrels to the shark, but they lose track of it again. 

Quint decides that since barrels and weapons don’t seem to be working, and the ship is only becoming more damaged, that the thing to do is lure the shark back to shore and drown it in the shallow water. Hooper warns Quint that he’s overtaxing the engine, but Quint only leans harder on the throttle. The engine gives out. 

Brody goes to the radio to call the Coast Guard for help but is shocked when Quint smashes the radio with a baseball bat before the message can get out. This leads to an even angrier reprise of “City Hands,” now with Brody insulting Quint instead of Hooper, calling him “certifiable.” Quint shouts more than sings that he can handle it and he doesn’t need rescuing “this time.” The song shifts to the slower, gentler melody that was used when Brody calmed Hooper and Quint before as Quint tells Brody he vowed that would never be helpless in the water again. Both Brody and Hooper, who was heard the entire outburst, are struck silent.

“Beautiful (Reprise)” - Hooper somberly volunteers to be lowered into the anti-shark cage. Brody argues against it, but, for once, Quint is willing to hear Hooper out. Hooper sings about how putting himself in harm’s way is his only chance to the tune of his intro song, “Beautiful.” Hooper then admits that Quint is right, he hasn’t been through what Quint has, but he’s willing to try and prove his worth. Quint and Brody realize they don't have much choice and agree.

Hooper goes into the cage. Brody takes Hooper’s glasses, and Hooper gives them both one last look before he puts on his mask and goes under. 

“In the Cage” - Instrumental. While below the water (which is just another part of the stage covered in blue spotlights), Hooper tries to attack the shark with the syringe on the end of a spear, but he drops it. The shark begins to break its way into the cage, but Hooper manages to escape and hides behind some rocks, apologizing to the men above for failing.

Quint and Brody, of course, can’t hear him, nor can they see what’s happening below. Quint and Brody pull up the cage to find it mangled and empty. Brody is devastated, thinking that Hooper is dead, but Quint seems to be truly unraveling. He sings a shaky reprise of “Those Eyes,” this time obsessing over the look Hooper gave them before he went under. He frantically recalls that he saw the same look on the faces of his crew mates after the sinking of the Indianapolis. Tragically, the song also functions as a callback to “My Boy Is Dead.” (”It’s far too late for me now to take back the things I’ve said. / They’ll haunt me ‘til my dying day. / Because that boy is dead.”)

“Quint’s End” - Instrumental, spoken dialogue. Quint can’t get the last image of Hooper out of his mind and begs him to stop looking at him like that. Brody is alarmed as Quint’s pleas to Hooper change to pleas to his dead crew mate, Herbie Robinson. Quint has slid into a full-blown PTSD flashback. In his mind, he’s back in the waters of the Pacific thirty years ago, surrounded by sharks and dead crew mates. Brody tries to calm Quint down by reminding him where he is, but at that moment, the shark leaps onto the stern, and the Orca lists backwards. (In my head, the Orca set is on some kind of platform that can be raised at an incline.) Both men begin to slide toward the waiting jaws of the shark. Brody manages to grab onto the door frame leading into the cabin. He tries to hold onto Quint, but Quint slips out of his hand. Quint tries to fight back against the shark, but with a sickening crunch, Quint falls silent. The shark retreats with Quint’s lifeless body.

“Smile!” - Payback time. The Orca is sinking fast, and Brody knows that if he ends up in the water, it’s game over. Brody manages to ward the shark off with one of Hooper’s scuba tanks. The shark takes the scuba tank into its mouth, giving Brody the chance to climb onto the mast with Quint’s rifle. The music ramps up in speed and intensity as the shark closes in. Brody’s singing ramps up to match as he fires at the shark again and again, reminding himself of his promise to protect others and vowing that this shark will never kill anyone again. Then, with a final, bombastic, “So, smile you son of a bitch!” he gets a hit on the tank, and the shark explodes. He whoops and hollers as the music swells.

The finale instrumental is both sad and sweet. The sinking mast deposits Brody in the water. Hooper surfaces besides him. They laugh together, relieved that it’s over. Hooper asks about Quint, but Brody only responds with the single word, “No.” Hooper and Brody are close enough to paddle back to shore, so they do just that. As they set off, Brody begins to sing, “Show Me the Way to Go Home.” Hooper joins in. The curtain falls.

[bipercabeth]

“you didn’t need to do this” + any ship !!!

Percy tests the weight of the present Annabeth has just pressed into his hands, rolling it over to see if it’ll give any indication of what’s inside. Whatever it is must be held down as thoroughly as the wrapping paper, which is more scotch tape than decoration. A fresh breeze blows off the Atlantic, rustling the stray curls that hang from Annabeth’s twin braids. August smiles kindly on her as it always has, with sunlight dripping down the contours of her body. Summer doesn’t shine on anyone else quite as gracefully. 

Annabeth’s hands fly out to cover Percy’s as he raises the present to his ear. “Maybe don’t shake it.” 

Percy freezes, noting the way she worries her bottom lip. He’s known her to be many things over the years, and nervous isn’t often one of them. “Annabeth. What did you get me?” 

“Open it and see for yourself.” 

When the paper and tape give away, Percy holds a cardboard box with a picture of his dream camera on the front—a dream in the truest sense of the word, given that he’s never said it aloud due to the long odds of ever get his hands on one. 

He must be silent for too long, because Annabeth shifts on the towel next to him. There’s still time for her to break composure and laugh, to tell him this is all a prank and tear open the box to reveal a gag gift on the inside. 

Instead she says, “I don’t know much about photography, but my dad has some connections through his university and they said this was the best for land and sea, so it won’t fry like your old one.” The words come out hastily, stumbling over each other in their rush to escape. 

Salt air whistles in Percy’s empty lungs. He doesn’t have the words for this—for her. “You didn’t need to do this.” 

That straightens her spine with a flash of defiance that melts away the nervousness, igniting the righteous spark in her eyes that Percy loves. “No, but I wanted to.” She jabs her thumb between his furrowed brows. “Don’t give me that guilty look. It’s my money and I’m going to spend it on my favorite person if I want to, especially on his birthday.” 

“You know I can’t accept this.” 

“Would you buy it for yourself?” 

“Annabeth.” 

“Answer the question.” 

“Yeah in like, five years. But I can’t—” 

“Nope.” Annabeth scrambles upright, spraying Percy with sand. “You’ll have to catch me first.” 

With that, she dashes down the shore without looking back. In a microcosm of the entire decade of their friendship, Percy grumbles and gives chase. The beach is empty, giving him peace of mind as he burrows the camera in their clothes before taking off. 

Annabeth is too many strides ahead, her braids taunting Percy each time her feet strike the sand. Time moves slowly, suspended in the afterglow of a summer spent just like this, running after the girl too golden to be true. 

Just as Percy starts to think it’s a hopeless pursuit, she veers into the water, stumbling through the waves and diving as soon as it’s deep enough. Percy plunges in after her, never more grateful for his years on the high school swim team than when he wraps an arm around her waist after a few strokes. 

They’re still close enough to shore to stand, the water rising to their heaving chests which are mere inches apart. It’s just deep enough for Annabeth to struggle to keep her lips above the swell of the waves, so Percy keeps holding on. Aside from that, he doesn’t know what to do. He wasn’t expecting to catch her, let alone hold her. 

Annabeth tilts her head westward. “Sun’s setting,” she notes, her ribcage swelling under Percy’s palms. “It’d make a good picture.” 

Percy doesn’t have to look to know she’s right, though the shot he’s thinking is more portrait than landscape. The sky is alight with a palette of orange, pink, and yellow cast on the clouds, like the only grey things allowed in this photograph are Annabeth’s eyes. Her face is smooth, an uninterrupted line of shadow cupping her cheekbone down to her neck. There is just as much to be said for her shadows as for her light—it’s the contrast with each that makes the other. 

A particularly tall wave slaps their shoulders in an attempt to pull Annabeth away. Percy adjusts his grip and tugs her closer, one hand on the back of her thigh as her legs hook around his waist. Neither of them misses their simultaneous sharp inhale; they just can’t make out what it means. 

Annabeth’s hands trace a brave path along Percy’s shoulders, collecting droplets of water with a light touch. “You can pay me back for it. One dollar a month.” 

“Annabeth...that’s—” 

“The rest of our lives? I know.” She runs her fingertips along the back of his neck with a smile glimmering like the sunlight on the waves. “That’s how long I’m hoping to keep you for.” 

They come together slowly, creeping together as the sun kisses the horizon with the same soft touch. Waves part as they pass, looking to flow through space between them that no longer exists. Every inch of skin presses together, held in place by desperate hands dimpling the soft flesh underneath. All their lives have lead them toward this moment in one consistent arc across the sky, traveling west to finally collide. 

Percy pulls back to take a mental snapshot, afraid of losing the memory of the the rise and fall of Annabeth’s chest against his and all the movement a camera cannot capture. Language does not leave much space in the brain for memory, and so it is the first thing to go as he takes her in.

“Perce,” she says, colored with a mix of vulnerable and smug only she could wear well. “I’m gonna need you to say something.” 

“They’re all going to be of you.” 

“What?” 

“The pictures.” One of his hands leaves her thigh to flirt with the edge of her jaw, the ridge that divides light and shadow. He watches her through the new lens of new love and presses his smile into her skin with the same delicate touch of August. “They’re all going to be of you.” 

[helloliriels]

SUMMER CALLING...

by helloliriels

The teacher concluded, wrapping up the year with "I will leave you all with this one piece of advice: Pick one thing, and do it well!"

"I pick John Watson!" Sherlock claimed quickly (and loudly), giving a dead serious look to the teacher and then glancing over at his classmate, who was now dying of embarrassment.

           The shade of red John was turning, was next level. It was creeping up his neck and ears. The only thing redder, might actually be a lobster.

But he was smiling. Grinning! Stupidly, from ear-to-ear, as he turned to make eye contact with Sherlock slyly. Keeping his head down.

Sherlock was beaming. Quite proud of himself. 

And (John just knew), wholly unaware of the innuendo his statement had conveyed. The meaning was not, however, wasted on the remaining room full of 10th graders. And the teacher suddenly found himself wrangling with a loud and rowdy room. As the remainder of the class scrambled to claim their own first "picks" for the summer - "Jessie!" "Kate!" "No no NO! She's mine!" Tugs and pulls and slamming backpacks, as they all climbed around - laughing, pointing, directing, choosing, shouting!

John Watson was holding his sides, rolling out of his chair in-stitches with laughter. This summer was going to be great! Christ, he had it bad! He winked at Sherlock, and signaled with his thumb for them to quietly find a way out, amidst all of this ruckus (yeah?) It was the perfect diversion.

As the pair of them snuck out the door, Sherlock made sure to plant a kiss on his cheek, and wink at him. "Like my plan?" He asked, and John's eyes went wide. "You?! You cock!" He slammed his backpack against Sherlock's side, playfully (the only thing in it was his sweatshirt and some trainers). They dodged a few elbows and hands as they wove their way through the room to the waiting door, and then out to the hall. "I'm never living that down. You know that don't you?!" John yelled over his shoulder, as he hoofed it, slamming into the back doors into the brilliant sunlight that opened to them. Sherlock could tell he had loved the attention. Jogging along behind as the doors closed in their wake.

They quickly beat their way to the fence line, bounding over it. Backpacks launched out ahead of them, as they heard the final bell ringing farewell in the distance. They could find the packs later, they decided.

Shirts, pants, shoes, flying. They stripped as they ran.

Summer called.

       The sky was blue.

Hand-in-hand. They raced each other. 

        One pale and dark like the moon on a starry night, 

        One tan and golden like the sun on a mortal day, 

                      down to the endless sea.

@sgam76 , @aelaer , @sparkypipart , @7-percent , @spacewhalesrock , @xxx-cat-xxx , @khorazir , @vanimelda4 , @pipmer , @quietlymischievous , @totallysilvergirl , @shelleysprometheus, @elldotsee, @shiplocks-of-love, @honeybeemotorcycles , @dragonnan , @thetimemoves , @therealsaintscully , @arwamachine , @insistentbass , @khorazir , @raina-at , @mama-orion , @ohlooktheresabee , @jamesphillimoresumbrella , @discordantwords ,  @simplyclockwork ,  @sherlockedcarmilla , @iwearthedamnhat , @br-nz​

https://archiveofourown.org/works/30153873

SUMMER CALLING by helloliriels

[positivityfortoday]

☀ PositivityForToday’s 10K Celebration ☀

There are SO many things worth living for and reasons to smile and be happy! With the help of my lovely followers/friends, I have compiled a list of 1,000 things that make people happy, for my 10,000 amazing followers! Hopefully, this list is able to help you, make you feel better, or give you a reason to smile today! 

☀ 1,000 Happy Things ☀

Seeing cows while driving

Moss on really old fallen trees 

Seeing a lil baby you don't know in public, and they smile at you!!!

Parents doing their kids hair or just people doing someone they care about’s hair

Really ragged old and well-loved stuffed animals 

When the dandelions start blooming

Spring blossom

Daffodils

Bluebells

Sharks

When you're sitting outside your house or something and people passing by wave and say hi

That feeling in the summer when you have your window open and you're listening to your favorite music

When someone does a hobby just because they enjoy it even if they aren't the best at it

Comfort shows and books

People speaking their native languages

When my brother gets something to eat and always gets me something he knows I like

When I finish a crossword 

When I see something that reminds me of someone I care about

Paintings

My best friend (I love her so much shhhh don't tell her)

My dog! I love him 

My little sisters! Adorable, creative, and very witty. I love them

Music! I get the happy shaky feelings and just,,, y e a h/listening to songs

Singing! Especially for band practice!

Sunlight beams in the morning

The moon

Eagles

That feeling when you’re with friends and you’re all laughing so loudly, and you just feel complete

Talking to my favorite people/talking to my best friend

Sunrises and sunsets

Seeing the stars

Cats

Butterflies/Moths

Snails

Warm sunshine

Purple gel pens

Hugs

My children

Sunny days

Beautiful views

Spending time with my family and friends

Playing badminton

Cycling

Playing with little kids

Playing with dogs

Whales

Animals doing daft things 

Talks and walks with my son 

Morning breakfast and coffee 

A good spicy lunch

Laying in my bed at night and just checking on current affairs and news

My boyfriend

My friends 

Art

Owls

Minecraft

Voice acting

Petting my dog

Smelling Flowers 

Feeling a cold thing when I’m warm or a warm thing when I’m cold 

Giving and getting kisses

Random texts from friends

Coffee flavored chocolate 

Singing

Moths with big white wings

Underdone scrambled eggs

A rainy night

Bubbles

That first warm day of spring

Going on hikes

Being outdoors

Candy

Chocolate 

The smell of playdoh 

Taking photos

Getting new clothing 

Candles

Birdwatching

Going on picnics

Writing poetry

Reading books

The holidays

Making people smile/laugh

Coffee

A nice warm blanket

Eating ice cream

Snow globes

Lightning bugs

Flowers after the snow melts

The smell of rain

Sitting on the steps early in the morning

Being the first to wake up

The feeling I get after running

The comfort of a favorite shirt

My girlfriend 

Family

Random acts of kindness

Babies

When I play with my dog by pretending to run at her and she goes crazy with excitement 

My cat 

Rain

Baking

Piano (playing or listening)

Small flowers

Flowy skirts/dresses

Wholesome romances

Hearing a song for the first time and loving it immediately 

Playing my flute

Horses

Listening to vinyls on a record player

When someone remembers a little detail about you

Painting my nails

Doing yoga

Doing exercise

Beating a personal record

Rainbows

Making crafts

Taking a shower after a long day

Going to the zoo

Going on vacation

Being at the beach or near water

Watching Netflix

Going to the movie theatre

Watching a live play at a theatre

Learning something new

Teaching someone how to do something 

Toasting marshmallows and eating S’mores 

Cupcakes

Seeing a shooting star

Taking a nap

When someone compliments me

Decorating my room

Picnics

My favorite band

My favorite celebrities

My favorite actors

Setting a new goal

Collecting rocks

Putting on fresh clean sheets

Seeing Christmas lights

Listening to birds chirping

Giraffes

Camping

Sitting by a bonfire

Eating mashed potatoes

Bullet journaling

Driving in the car with the windows down

Dancing

Looking at pretty pictures

Concerts

Funny jokes/puns/memes

Fireworks

Sparklers

Pretty clouds

My favorite shoes

Getting new art supplies

Making photo edits

Making gifts for my friends and family

Getting gifts from people 

Balloons

Succulents 

Playing an instrument

Drinking a nice cup of tea

Iced tea on a summer day

Eating fresh fruit

Getting my hair braided 

Eating at a restaurant 

Being on a boat

Swimming

Making new friends

Finding an animal in nature 

Pumpkins and pumpkin patches

Carving pumpkins 

Autumn and all the beautiful colors

Acting for theatre

Making video edits

Wearing a costume for Halloween

Dressing fancy

Finding four leaf clovers

Pressing flowers

Scrap booking

Handwritten letters

Stickers

Hummingbirds

Elephants

Eating breakfast 

Gardens

Inspirational quotes

Wearing my favorite necklace 

Baby animals 

Little streams and ponds

Foxes

Sun shining through trees

When it’s foggy out and you can see dew drops on plants and spider webs

Being on a swing

Finally accomplishing a goal you’ve been working on 

When a new season of your favorite show comes out

Doing my makeup

Cleaning and organizing 

Daydreaming 

Taking a bath

Christmas 

Watching funny videos

Wearing sweaters and hoodies

Fuzzy socks

Helping people 

Little figurines and objects

Popcorn 

Brownies

Looking out the window 

Wolves

Opening a window for fresh air

The smell of coffee 

Watching YouTube videos 

Getting a haircut 

Seeing a deer in the woods 

Watching birds fly

Finding shapes and objects in the clouds 

The smell of fresh laundry

When someone tells me something reminded them of me

Stepping on crunchy leaves

Animal crossing

My switch

Softball/baseball

Basketball

Soccer

Seeing cool cars/old cars

Rollerblading

Drawing with chalk on a sidewalk

Going to bed early

Stargazing

Making progress

Checking things off my to-do list

Taking Polaroid pictures

Going for walks

Jogging

Going to the library

Starting a new book

Finishing a good book

Playing board games

Koalas

Slippers

Big trees

Sunlight coming through the windows

Waking up on Christmas morning

Getting book, song, movie, etc. recommendations from my friends

Making music playlists

Finally receiving packages I ordered in the mail 

Baking desserts

When my favorite song comes on

When people make playlists for each other

Finding new characters to ship

Having free time

Sticky notes

Sunbathing

Traveling

Peace and quietness

Alone time

Meeting my step/exercise goal for the day

The people who love me

Soup

Coloring books

Getting into bed after a long day

Pillows

Fandoms

How unique and different everyone is

Getting a lot of work done

Looking forward to my future dream job

Playing video games

Being on Tumblr

Taking time for myself

Practicing self-care

Face masks

Finding money you forgot about

Holding hands

The smell of apple pie

Starting a new tv show

Getting letters in the mail

When the seasons change

Summer

Mugs and teacups

Smoothies

Breakfast food

Disney

Going into the woods/forest

Trying new creative outlets

The smell of sunscreen

Eating the food you’ve been craving

Knowing and feeling that people care

Telling a good story

Laughing so hard can’t stop and your stomach hurts

Late summer nights

Late night drives

Sparkles

Glitter

Listening to people I love talk about their favorite things and what they’re passionate about

Listening to podcasts

Turning up the volume of my music

Putting my headphones in

Blasting my favorite songs through my speaker

People accepting and supporting others for who they truly are

Wearing something cozy

Soft light

Love

Warm weather

A well-rested night

Waking up in the morning and feeling refreshed

Knowing that every day is a fresh start

Well written characters

A book I can get lost in

Sloths

My parents

My siblings

My grandparents

The feeling of sand beneath your feet

Heated blankets

Bagels

Toast

Getting something for free

Samples

Constellations 

Mason jars

Practicing a new skill

Finding a new hobby

Lazy weekends

Mac n cheese

French fries

Having deep conversations with my best friend

New jeans

Going to IKEA

Skirts 

Dresses

Doodling

When other people are happy (especially people I know and love)

Marching band

Sleeping in

Having the day off

Getting new books

Playing guitar

Playing ukulele 

Random compliments

A change of scenery

Cuddling

Waking before the sun is up

Reading old letters

Zebras

Exploring

Building Lego sets

Using photoshop to make edits

Journaling

Walking along the seafront and breathing in time with the waves

A good rom-com or nostalgic show

Writing lists

Pinterest boards

Looking back at my accomplishments

Talking on the phone with a friend or family member

Wrapping presents

A blue sky

Loving someone 

Waterfalls

Washi tape

Penguins

Donuts

The color yellow

Sleepovers

Cooking dinner

Kind gestures

Trust

Inside jokes

Songs that make you feel nostalgic

Seeing other people’s art

Comfy clothes

Wearing pajamas

Calligraphy

When someone calls you by your nickname

Going to Target

The first sunburn of the summer

Ramen noodles

Chinese food

Thrift shopping

Flower fields

Flowers growing in random places, like through a crack in the sidewalk

Writing

Sparkly snowflakes

When it snows on Christmas

Mixing paint colors together

Perfectly shaven legs

Puddles

The color red

Thunderstorms 

The smell of flowers

The ocean 

Adult sized onesies

Driving a golf cart

Fairytales

Cartoons

The color blue

Pasta

AO3

Crickets chirping

Seeing everyone’s houses decorated for the holidays, especially Christmas

Other people sharing what makes them happy

Monkeys

Being understood

When someone texts to make sure I got home safely

Iced coffee

Becoming better at communicating with others

Seeing a friend for the first time in a while

Good morning and good night texts

Drinking a cold glass of water

Deep conversations in the middle of the night

Collecting sea shells

Building blanket forts

Tan lines

Being under lots of blankets

Making better health and money choices

Getting chills from a song even after hearing it countless times 

Liking how I look

Hot chocolate

Finding new music

Buying cute things

Wearing an outfit I really like

When someone tells you how glad they are to be your friend

Gardening

Watching raindrops race down a window 

Trying new food

Finding exactly what I was looking for 

Planning my future

Finding a song that perfectly fits my mood or describes how I’m feeling

Writing little notes to people

When someone tells me I did something good

Eating ice cream on a hot day

Making friends with animals

Going to football games

Seeing people genuinely interested in something

Snow days

The last day of school

Winter break

Spring break

Thanksgiving

New Year’s Eve

Turtles

Sitting outside on a cool summer day

Watching rain

Watching the ocean waves come in

Netflix binges

A new movie release I really want to watch

Driving with a window down for the first time in the spring 

Taking a cruise

Giving helpful advice

Getting helpful advice

Doing a favor for someone who needs it

Someone referencing one of my fandoms or something I love out of no where

Learning and knowing stuff

Doing something physically challenging or scary

Listening to my bedroom fan while I fall asleep

Coming up with a new creative idea 

Finding something I wanted at the store on sale for a good deal

Finishing all my assignments on time or even early

Hugging my dog

Taking my dog for a walk

Teaching my dog a new trick

When strangers stop to say hi to my dog

Listening to audiobooks

The weekend

Finding a new flavor of chapstick

Drinking Kool-Aid, it makes me feel so nostalgic

Watching nature shows on a weekend morning

Watching cartoon shows on a Sunday morning

A good TV show, most likely something I've watched before because that way I know it ends well

A good, delicious comfort meal on a Friday night by myself 

A café in the city centre at noon when it's not filled with the morning rush or afternoon coffee breakers

The stars from my childhood bedroom because they're the brightest here

Listening to my favorite playlist really loud on a long road trip and singing to myself loudly in my car

Having an entire day to myself without interruptions from anyone

Opening the curtains first thing in the morning 

A new jacket

Going to the cinema on a first release day because it's always super exciting and full of people anxious to see a movie they've been waiting for forever

Listening to live music

Riding roller coasters

Going to amusement parks

Lizards

Seahorses

Starfish

Eating fair food

Feeling an instrument vibrate when you’re playing it

Hearing my dog snore

When my dog dreams in his sleep 

Wearing a new piece of clothing for the first time

Feeling the sun on you

Eyes in the sunlight

Seeing city lights

Singing in the shower at the top of my lungs

Looking at someone and them knowing exactly what they’re going to say

Laughing till you cry

Being under a blanket

Going to craft stores

Watching boats

The idea of traveling the world

When my dogs let me lay my head on them

Listening to an old song and having it bring back memories

Candy corn

Crazy socks

Quotes

Fall and the leaves changing color and the crisp feeling in the air

Making snowmen

Making gingerbread houses for Christmas

Making videos with family

Burning a candle

Booping a dog’s nose

Getting letters/notes from people; writing them

Snow globes

Dr. Pepper

Doc martens

Fortune cookies

Potatoes

Easter

Finishing something

Skipping rocks

Warm rain

When someone opens up to you

Finding the right words to say exactly what you wanted

Animal footprints

Eating outside

Fairy lights

The smell of a hotel

Windows

Meeting a new dog

Dolphins

Getting magazines in the mail

Being in the woods as the sun starts to rise and the animals wake up

Warm days

Adirondack chairs

A warm breeze

Clothes and blankets hanging outside to dry

Feeding birds

Aquariums

The color green

Tie dying things

Going to art museums

Going to science museums

New albums from my favorite artists 

Seeing moss in nature

Finding cute little mushrooms 

When a dog wags its tail a bunch and is excited to see me

Playing fetch with my dog

Obsessing over something and having someone to talk about it with

Going on a walk with my best friend and talking about life

Looking at old pictures and reminiscing on good memories

Reading a book that's so good your brain wants to read faster than it can

Laughing with friends about the weirdest things

Being appreciated for doing small things you wouldn't even have thought about yourself because it's something you *just do*

Being creative

Watching animals

A story I can't put down

Stretching

The moment when you listen to a new song/album by your favourite artist

When you're at a concert and anticipating the moment before the band comes out

When at a concert and they play your favourite song live

The moment when someone compliments your outfit 

When you see someone wearing merch of something you like 

Seeing the sunrise/sunset 

Watching the sun rise out of the water or sink down into it as it’s setting

This ecstatic feeling in general when you're just living in the moment with people who love something as much as you do

Hugging my cat and smelling his fur

Listening to my music by myself and singing to it 

Making edits I’m really proud of 

Losing hours in a good book or fanfiction

Writing sentences that I actually like 

My siblings and my parents when they're being chill and funny

Watching my favorite tv shows and movies and yelling about them into the void 

Finding a new good song 

Fresh out of the shower + fresh clean sheets feeling when you go to bed

When I come downstairs in the morning and my dog greets me right at the bottom step with her lil’ tail wagging

Knowing that if I ever needed someone to chat with, someone would be there to lend an ear

Tigers

Lions

When you shuffle your music and the exact song you want to hear plays

When all my family is around the outdoor fire on a summer’s evening

When my nieces and nephews give me squishy kid hugs

Being home alone and being able to cook or bake in the kitchen without disruption

Driving around with a friend in the evenings and just belting our favorite songs

Seaside walks

Disney World

Seeing live theatre

The sun shining on leaves and stone buildings

Dancing when I'm alone

Color-coordinating my outfit

Floating on my back in the sea

The smell of summer nights

The smell of winter mornings

Colorful things/environments

Bunnies

Walking along lakes/rivers/the sea

Spending time in nature

Taking care of my plants

Giving affection to my loved ones

Listening to other people's stories

Reading about people I've never met before or places I've never visited before (especially if they are now just a part of history)

Embroidering

Pandas

Swimming in a river or the sea

Stargazing (my favorite moments usually happen an hour before sunrise)

White-caged-bird

Feeling the breeze when I spin and my heartbeat when I dance for an hour at a time

All the wonderful smells of flowers and colours that nature has to offer

Sharing good laughter with someone

Feeling like I belong

Travelling and discovering new customs of different cultures

Hiking or foraging

That feeling when I'm approaching the end of a really good book and I let myself be engulfed by the fact that it's a unique experience, that I'll never experience as the first time again

Observing my local fauna

Petting and taking care of an animal (double the joy if it is friendly with strangers)

Drinking a good cup of honey tea

Finding a perfume that suits me

Eating something sweet

Enjoying a meal with others

Cat paws tapping on the floor

Dipping a biscuit into tea

Trying to catch leaves falling from the tree

Having sunlight hit your face when you’re napping

Objects that cast a rainbow when the sun shines through them

Seeing patterned shadows

Ambient mood lighting

Sleeping

Wearing jewelry 

Cheese

Playing chess

Fresh air

Going somewhere new

My Mom’s cooking

Being inspired

When someone holding your hand rubs their thumb lovingly in circles

Picking strawberries

Otters

Painting the walls of my room

Wind chimes

Seeing that your favorite people are active online

Finally understanding something you were struggling with

The excitement you get when someone reblogs your writing or art

Getting a new notebook or journal

Appreciation

Validation

When someone tells you they love you and mean it

The smell of freshly baked bread

When my dog falls asleep on me

Making new online friends

Found family

Finishing cleaning my room

When someone lays their head on your shoulder

Doing something right on the first try

Finally sitting down after standing for a long time

Getting goosebumps from hearing or seeing something you love

Seeing a gorgeous view

Loving someone and them loving you back

Freshly baked gooey cookies

When a song comes on and everyone starts singing

When I’m out for a run and it’s hot and it starts raining. Nothing makes me feel more like a human than getting caught in the rain on a run

Swimming in the ocean

When people are talking about something they really love and get carried away trying to explain it all to you

Puppies

Being in the middle of nowhere and actually getting to see the whole sky of stars that you never get to see in a city

Finding people that love the same things you do

 When something silly reminds you of someone you love; like every time I see an orange and green gummy worm I think of my sister

When you’re hugging someone and they squeeze you a little bit before they let go

Weather where you can leave all the windows open in your house

Trampolines

Driving with no destination in mind

Falling asleep to the sound of rain

Hearing other people laugh

Laughing only because you hear someone else laugh and it's just so contagious

The first snowfall of the year

Disney movies

Listening to someone tell stories and they have like 15 side stories in between the main one

Romantic movies

Bubble baths

Smiling between kisses

Wearing sweatpants

A clean house

Pizza

My computer

Cheesy pickup lines

When people tell me they miss me

Cool spring mornings after a storm

My job

Butterflies

New shoes

Oversized shoes

Caramel apples

Volunteering

Meditating

Running my blog

Finding sea glass at the beach

Getting my nails done 

Planning vacation

Hot cider

Telling people I love them

Writing in my gratitude journal

Eating homegrown vegetables, fruit, and herbs

Remembering a good dream I had

Happy endings

Colored pens

Decorating for the holidays

Finishing a really good tv show

Leopards

Summer rain

Thunderstorms where I can just open my window to the full extent and just watch and listen

Calls with my best friend

Seeing a meme and sending it to my friends

Getting an email from AO3

That moment when you get an idea for creating something

Walking barefoot on the grass

Sending thank you notes

Writing events I’m looking forward to on my calendar

Dippin' Dots

Spicy food

Seeing a full moon

Eating cookie dough

Eating seasonal food

Bubble wrap

Going to the car wash and getting rainbow soap

Dark chocolate

Soft blankets

Weighted blankets

Soft drinks with crushed ice

When I get an unexpected phone call from someone I love

Wearing flip flops

Longer daylight hours

Having a BBQ

Frosting cookies

Making cupcakes in the microwave

Watching the Hallmark channel during the holidays

Taking selfies or photos with people I love

Putting on lotion

The smell of a baby’s head

The Office

Online shopping

The smell of freshly cut grass

Surprising my family or friends

Looking at the clock when it’s 11:11

Being productive

Quilts

Doing good on an exam

Someone doing a favor for me (especially when I didn’t ask)

Eating pancakes with syrup

Origami

Sprinkles

Confetti

Waving at people

Giving high fives

Complicated Handshakes between you and your best friend

Naps/feeling well-rested

Eating one of my favorite foods

Hearing good news from/about a friend or family member

Looking at nature (these days it's seeing squirrels in my neighbour's garden and looking at my plants and trees)

When make someone happy or feel like I made a difference (including a satisfied client)

Success (good grades, a gifset that does well)

Hugs from my mom

Learning new things

Chatting with my friends because they’re all amazing people

Group watches of my favorite tv show or movie

That feeling when the house has just been cleaned/when I’m freshly showered

Making jokes/laughing with people

Reading fluffy fanfics

Driving on the road to a destination far away, I love the trip as much as (if not more than) arriving at the actual place

Reading affirmations

Green tea

Getting breakfast or lunch from a nice restaurant 

Learning about topics that won’t benefit me; like Chinese history, geography, ancient flora and fauna, etc. just things that I find cool 

The jokes my girlfriend makes, especially when they’re the same ones she always makes

Stories from the past! Stories from history from people who actually lived through it

Stories in general, just hearing the life experiences of people in completely different positions from me. I love hearing people’s stories

Drawing intricate things, like old buildings, landscapes, and plants

Cooking a nice meal

Grocery shopping and farmers markets especially 

My cat! All of her weird little habits too, like how she stands in front of my feet so I’ll push her where she wants to go 

Botanical gardens

State parks

Museums

Art galleries

Listening to stories my grandparents tell

When people tell me about their life goals and dreams

Being surrounded by the people I love 

Living the best life I can

Partying hard the night away

Daydreaming

Sunflowers always make me smile

Warm tea

Big fluffy clouds in a blue sky

Friendly babies

Hearing a past favorite song

Singing karaoke 

Biking riding

Helping others

Chocolate milk

Sweets and fruits

Having fun doing things I love

Dragons

Video games

My favorite things

Writing

Affection

Exercising

Being on Tumblr

Pinterest

Looking at flowers and plants

Playing with my cats

Chatting with my friends (at the moment it’s through zoom, of course)

Finding new ways to decorate my room

Window shopping

Spending time with my boyfriend

Wearing my favorite outfit/accessory

Eating something delicious

The cool side of my pillow 

Tears of joy

Woodpeckers

Reading poems

Hugging trees

Tree houses

Airstreams/campers

Playing frisbee

Making sculptures

Puppy ears

The first day of spring

The first day of summer

Sending silly photos to my friends

Building sand castles

Winning prizes at the fair or arcade

Marbles

Cacti

Scrolling through my phone

Writing fanfiction

Seeing someone you haven't seen for a really long time

Putting together collages

Printing out photos I love

DIY projects

Sewing 

Crocheting 

Listening to steel drums

Haunted houses

Going through a corn maze

Picking fresh fruit or vegetables

Bubble tea

Starbucks

Dunkin donuts

Disneyland

Disney Princesses

Climbing trees

Finishing errands

Rewatching my favorite episodes

Scrunchies

Milkshakes

Ice cream blizzards

Listening to acoustic versions of songs

Hot tubs

Rubber ducks

Coconut flavored food

Dipping fries in ice cream

Discovering a new type of animal

Seeing hot air balloons

Frogs/toads

Splashing in puddles 

Having plants inside my house

Teddy bears

Iridescent/holographic things

Bird houses

Breakfast in bed

Crystals/gemstones

Ziplining 

Dew drops

Glow sticks

Flower crowns (especially handmade ones)

Spring rain 

Watching other people make art

Lighthouses

Finding heart shaped things in nature

Thinking of getting my own apartment

Coming up with a new recipe for food

Cookbook recipes passed down through families

Bookshelves

Making pretty yogurt bowls

Seaside houses

Flying on planes and being in/above the clouds

Flower bouquets

Looking at and learning about the planets

Fruit snacks

Palm trees

Weeping willow trees

Cherry blossoms

Eating cake

Decorating cakes with eccentric icing designs and colors

Whipped cream

Having snowball fights

Hearing Christmas music

Tattoos

Wearing rings

Green grass

A tidy organized desk with cute desk supplies

My craft room

Hammocks

Little cottages

Cotton candy (and cotton candy flavored things)

Looking at all the paint pallet colors in paint stores

Stamps

Taking silly photos in photobooths

Going to the mall

Making jam, especially strawberry jam

Reading outside

Finding a bird nest and watching eggs hatch

Looking at photos of my family and friends 

Finding old flora and art books

Eating fresh corn on the cob with butter on a summer day

Lily Pads

Icicles

Inner peace

Sitting under a tree

Not having to turn on the light in your room when the sun is shining through

When restaurants have patios you can dine at

Fishing on a pier

Seeing old couples in public

Making gifs

Trees swaying in the wind

Anime

Dying Easter eggs

Laying in the trunk of a car and watching the clouds or stars

Night lights

Flower shops 

Outer space

Kitchens

PB&J sandwiches

Toasted Cheese

LoFi music

Listening to/watching ambience videos

Turtle necks

Peaches

Looking at old maps

Figurines of the earth/globe

Honey and bees

Cheesecake

Seeing footprints in sand and watching them be washed away by waves

Anything related to the moon, stars, and sun

Reading my horoscope (even if I know it’s not real)

Archways decorated with hanging flowers

Yogurt

Pudding

Knowing that I’m not alone

Ancient roman sculptures

Macarons

When someone tells me they care about me

Weddings

Watercolour

Birthday parties 

My brother

My sister

When my dog leaves his bed to lay in the sunlight

Doing mini photoshoots with my friends

Hand making bracelets/necklaces (friendship bracelets)

When someone calls me darling or honey

Love letters

Game night

Skateboarding

Stress balls and squishy toys

Starting something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time

Playing cards

Doing puzzles

Word searches

Kittens

Ordering takeout

Stepping out into the fresh air

Creating vision boards

Getting a massage

Writing positive affirmations

Lunch dates

Standup comedy

Listening to classical music

Nature/animal documentaries

Having someone there to listen to me

Listening to someone when they need it

Accepting myself for who I am

Looking back and seeing how far I’ve come and all the progress I've made

Doing something my future self will be thankful for

Speaking up for myself

Being near loved ones

Finding time for my hobbies

Giving myself time to rest

Saturday mornings

Marrying the one I love

Discovering new things

Going to new cities

My idols

Pastries

Feeling the wind on my face on a car ride

The sensation of music in my ears and like nothing else matters

People who have my best interest in mind

Simplicity

Fulfilling my dreams

Discovering a new ice cream flavor

Knitting

Making myself a priority

Knowing that I am important, and I matter

Thank you all so much for following me and supporting my blog! It means a TON! I never expected for this blog to become popular, especially because I originally started it to help myself get through some mental health issues. I am so happy to be able to share my journey of healing with you all! It means the world to me to help or make a positive impact on even just one person’s life! Each and every single one of you is amazing!! You matter and you are SO important! Thanks again for your everything! Have a great day!!! Sending sunshine your way!!