#spring fling collection

[thekimdelacreme]

China Glaze “Crushin’ On Blue” - a dark cornflower blue with pearly blue shimmer. This is 2 coats. From the Spring 2017 Spring Fling collection.

[wandasaura]

GOLD THATS IN YOUR EYES

summary — you’ve known natasha romanoff since she first defected to shield, but it’s taken you years to realize that you’ve loved her since then too

warning(s) — fluff, mentions of the ohio mission, hurt/comfort

prompt — finding excuses to be alone with each other x noticing their individual quirks

song — mood ring by kira kosarin

🌞⊹ ˚ . 18+, men/minors dni ⁺ 𓈒 ꒰🧺꒱ 🌷 ･ mommy maximoff ✧

Natasha Romanoff was not a very sociable person, in fact, she was quite the opposite. Most people would be surprised to learn that the infamous ex assassin was admittedly somewhat of an introverted homebody, preferring the chosen silence of isolation over bustling crowds where judgment ran wild. For a woman with such a bold way about her, she was admittedly rather soft. She was soft in the way she moved around the kitchen when nobody was around to watch her frolic through cabinets on the balls of her feet, arches deep and perfect, and heels exquisitely raised above the floorboards. She was soft in the way she spoke, too. Her words were always calculated, always direct, and blunt enough to be chalked up to dry humor, but if you listened closely, if you closed your eyes and let the weight of her spoken sentence weigh on your heart in the way she’d never intended for anybody to actually do, you’d notice the soft hitch to her tone that was endearingly Russian, and the way her nose twitched whenever she wasn’t sure how a comment would be received by the masses. Natasha Romanoff was a lot of things, but an arrogant agent was not one of them; not that she’d ever admit that. 

You supposed that she felt a crippling need to assert herself as if she were in a position of calculated authority. Some could say that she was in a stance of power, having been deemed not only a level six agent but also an Avenger by time she was twenty-nine, yet even with the moniker of being the only reformed Black Widow to escape Dreykov’s grasp, Natasha was never the authoritarian she prided herself on being when others were around. Granted, you were never one to challenge the way she raised her chin when she was at the center of a room full of men, and you were never one to comment on how her shoulders squared defensively whenever someone took a step to close for comfort. She radiated confidence and certainty, but beneath all of the hurt that she had turned into defensiveness, she was merely a woman that had been wronged and burned by every bridge she’d ever dared to build. You saw her as such, she knew that you did, so maybe that was why she never tried to act that way with you. It was an unspoken mutual understanding that all bets were off when fate brought you two together. 

Natasha Romanoff played a lot of games. She liked the challenge of breaking down her opponent before they had the chance to break her down themselves, but the second anyone got too close she pulled a mask over her features and her bleeding heart became a loaded gun. You’d never met someone so guarded in your life, and yet she placed all cards face up on the table whenever she got you alone. Natasha Romanoff was not the sick and twisted woman she allowed the general public to believe she was. She woke up screaming from nightmares bi-weekly, the rasp in her gravely tone not natural but consequential. She closed her eyes whenever she washed her hands in fear of the clear water becoming red with the blood of her innocent victims. She stepped only on the tiles that she knew were silent, scared to make ripples in the water and alert attention. People who didn’t know Natasha Romanoff would say she was something similar to the atrocities that occurred beneath the midnight sky, but you would say she was the shadow of sweet flowers that disappeared after sunset. 

You noticed every miniscule detail there was to know about Natasha Romanoff, but you know that she noticed every detail about you as well. She noticed the way you avoid going out in the rain when it’s cold, and how none of your socks ever seem to match even on missions. She noticed how you migrate down to the kitchen in the ungodly hours of the morning just to bake pastries for the team to eat at breakfast, usually cinnamon rolls or blueberry muffins with a crumb coating that Wanda particularly is a fan of, but eventually, she’d unraveled that your little habit wasn’t merely because you wanted to be hospitable toward the people you fought alongside with when extraterrestrial disasters fell to earth, but rather because your mind needed something to focus on when the nightmares of human travesties became too paralyzing and suffocating to handle alone in the dark. The first time her attention to detail became apart was a gloomy day in November, the leaves not all fallen from trees but the air frigid enough to belong in a barren January day. At that point, you’d fallen into a routine of going out for a run through central park each morning, always returning with not only a coffee for yourself, but one for her as well, but with the downpour of raindrops the size of nickels, you’d chosen the lower level gym as your route that day. Natasha wasn’t much a fan of the rain, but she never minded freezing temperatures. She found you in the debriefing room that early afternoon, her hair sodden and crimped from pallets of rain that fell overhead, but in her hands were two cuts of still steaming coffee from your favorite little cafe. She’d tried to say that she was just in the area, but you knew that she had gone out of her way to assure that at least part of your morning remained unchanged throughout the storm. 

Your relationship with Natasha had been an unspoken arrangement for as many months and years as you could remember, but recently things had changed. You’d always found yourself alone in a room, two friends existing within the same space naturally, but lately even that hadn’t felt so innocently charged, and you were as much at fault as Natasha was. The Russian lingered in the kitchen just to watch as you mixed together batter for muffins that Tony would eat half of, but you hung around in the lower level gym just to hand off a water bottle when she completed her workout. Any excuse either of you could grasp onto just to spend a few uninterrupted minutes together had been abused and properly overused, but there was no admission of feelings anywhere close to the tip of your tongue. 

There were some days that passed, even now years later, where when you looked at her beneath the kitchen lights, or against the punching bags, you only ever saw the broken woman that Clint had brought in from the KGB. She’d been merely a shell of herself at that time, fiery red hair matted with knots and the blood of her targets, face smeared with dirt and gunpowder. You hadn’t been on base when she’d been dragged in wearing heavy metal shackles and dehumanizing cuffs, but Maria had filled you in on everything prevalent regarding Fury’s newest asset. It had taken you three weeks to run into her when you returned, traumatized from the loss of your team and spiraling into shallow thoughts of death and finality, but from the very first moment you’d never seen her as a threat, and she’d never seen you as the lucky survivor that walked away from a raid. Her eyes were soft, softer than the wings of a newly hatched butterfly, and when she stood beneath the sunlight on the deck of the helicarrier, accent thick and sweet like the spring breeze that carried pollen beneath its current, you’d seen the daintiest twinge of gold within the green of her eyes. Maybe it was at that moment that you’d known you wanted to spend your entire life at her side, or maybe that had come much later, but what you’d definitely realized in that first month of knowing her, was that she wasn’t as complete as she wanted everyone to assume she was. There was so much despair and longing beneath her mask of confidence and casualty, so many agonizing emotions that she’d never fully overcome. There were times where you wondered what could be missing from her life that even now, deemed a hero and residing amongst people that just wanted to do good by the world, but you always circled back to the heavy acknowledgement that aside from you and Clint, nobody truly knew Natasha Romanoff. She’d spent her entire life beneath the thumb of power hungry generals, and when she’d gotten a taste of freedom and self identification, she’d conformed to be the woman that everyone else wanted her to be. 

Some days however, you saw someone entirely different beneath her eyes that still held specks of gold when the sun fell upon her the right way. You saw a woman that was confident albeit flawed, painfully witty although reserved enough to hide within the walls when she didn’t want to be seen fully. But sometimes when you looked at her, you saw a woman yearning to love in the fullest sense of the word, and that broke your heart the most. She had never been shown unconditional love, never been held softly yet tightly, never been allowed to love back. Natasha Romanoff had been taught that love was the greatest weakness any woman could surrender herself to, and yet she was finally at a point where she wanted to experience the tragedy of loving something temporary. Death was unavoidable, she’d learned that young, but love transpired through isolation even if it never felt entirely complete again. For the first time since you’d met Natasha, she wasn’t scared to submit herself to the experience of loving someone to a fault, even though it meant she could very well lose it all tomorrow. Even if it didn’t seem like it to others, you noticed the subtle ways that she made progress as the years progressed, and each time you looked at her and saw a willingness to explore emotions rather than suppress them, you wanted nothing more than to squeeze her tight and be the one to teach her how to love. 

“Hi.” Your voice was soft, delicate as it filled the otherwise silent kitchen. You’d heard her sneak up behind you minutes ago, but only now did it feel like the right time to greet her. She was close, but too far, pressed against the island in the middle of the kitchen whilst you stood beside the sink, hands full of strawberries that Tony had asked you to turn into something delicious. You’d rolled your eyes at the billionaire who had made a habit of soliciting you for pastries, but here you found yourself in the kitchen anyways, trading hours of sleep for muffins that would be gone by the early afternoon. “Wanna help me?” You laid the freshly washed strawberries on a clean kitchen rag, falling into the process of patting them dry without much thought or intention. All of this came so naturally now; she came so naturally now. 

“I, um, I could actually just go for a hug. If it’s not too much trouble for the busy, Chef.” Her voice was hoarse, scratchy and thick as it fell onto your ears. Without the running tap, you could hear the quiet hitch in her breathing, wheezing exhales falling out into the space between your warm and yearning bodies. Your eyebrows furrowed, hands abandoning the strawberries in an instance. In all the years that you had known Natasha Romanoff, in all the years that you had seen her in the aftermath of a nightmare, she had never asked for a hug. You could count on one hand the amount of times you’d ever hugged her, and they’d all been for your own selfish reasons. You spun around to face her, palms dragging across your pajama bottoms and riding the water that clung to your palms so you could embrace her fully. 

You hadn’t spared her a single glance when she’d first entered, wanting to give her the chance and time to make herself known by her own judgment and comfortability, but now that your eyes traced the delicate shadows across her face, you could make out the unbridled tears brimming in her eyes. She was ghastly pale, a fitful sleep indicative by the deep bruising beneath her eyes. You’d never seen her so distressed, but for a single second you thought about how she’d chosen to seek you out instead of trailing down to the gym and bullying a punching bag like she’d gotten into the routine of doing. 

“Can I touch you?” You asked carefully, not wanting to make any sudden movements and spook her back into her shell of isolation. This was progress, and selfishly you wanted any excuse to pull her in close and hold her tight. When she nodded, a weak and fragile incline of her head, you closed the gap between your bodies and melted into her chest. She held you protectively, like she’d needed to feel you to ensure that you were safe and real. A single hand reached up to cradle the back of your head, and her lips found a home on the crown of your head as she inhaled your scent deeply. “You know you can always ask for hugs. Not just because you had a nightmare, but whenever. I mean that.” 

Natasha cleared her throat, though she simultaneously tightened her grip around your waist as if whatever she wanted to say would be enough to make you either run away or disappear entirely. You didn’t comment on it, letting her have the time she needed to get her thoughts in order. You grabbed onto her sleep shirt, tight fists bunching up the material and holding it possessively. Natasha felt the motions, felt the way the cotton shirt hugged her belly tighter now that most of the slack was taken up by your grip, and you smiled softly against her chest when you felt her breath out evenly.  “Today’s the day we left Ohio.” She started, and immediately your head shot up to search her blue eyes. You’d heard little about Ohio, even littler about the little blonde haired sidekick Natasha found herself protecting for three years, but you knew that what had happened had ruined her. You knew that something as little as moving away was never as simple as it sounded for her. “It was spring break. I left without being able to tell anyone I wouldn’t be coming back. They- They ripped Yelena out of my arms. I– I will always come back for you. You’re the first place that has ever felt like home outside of Ohio. I just– I needed to tell you that I’ll always come back to you.” 

“I will always come back for you.” You meant every word that you said, but you could see a cloud of disbelief hanging over Natasha’s gaze as she let your eyes meet again. There was something different about ehr now, something softer and smaller than you’d ever seen. It wasn’t unpleasant, but you couldn’t bear the thought of her so distraught, you especially couldn’t bear the thought of what she had looked like at only eleven. She’d been so young and the world had been so cruel, you just wanted her to know that she was loved, and she was cherished now. She wasn’t just another soldier anymore. “Nat, can I kiss you?” 

She froze for a minute, arms slackening around your waist as she stared deep into your eyes, an onset of fresh tears threatening to fall from her own, but before you could withdraw your question, before you could backtrack and excuse your vulnerability as simply being exhaustion, she was pulling you impossibly close, settling both of her hands on your cheeks as she cupped your face and settled her forehead against yours. Her touch was familiar and foreign at the same time, a coming of age to all the daydreams you’d fallen into with her at the center of them all. You’d thought about this moment for months, thought about how her calloused palms would feel against every inch of your skin, her she was always cold but not uncomfortably so. Now, beneath the kitchen lights and her greenish-gold gaze, you realized that you’ve wanted her since the very first moment you met her. “I thought you’d never ask.” Her lips, still impressionable with sadness, curled upward into a smirk, but you didn’t waste a second to kiss it away and show her the truth about love and connection. 

Natasha Romanoff had kissed more people then she could keep track of, but never had any of those intimate encounters come voluntarily. For so many years her life had been a means to the mission, but she was free now. Finally, she was entirely free. In so many ways, more than you could even contemplate, you were her first, and desperately you hoped that you would each be each other's last.

[nostalgicfun]

my day job is at a college, and this morning my boss was like "go collect all the suggestion slips from our suggestion boxes around the school and create a document and a spreadsheet outlining the needs of the student body."

Ok cool very easy! fun, even!

there were two. two suggestions.

"spring fling should be steampunk themed :3 I'd like to see more pipes and gears with no discernible function"

and

"free food. starbocks. privitized resturaunts."

I can't wait to turn in my 1/8th page report with "pipes and gears with no discernible function" and three out of five words misspelled on it. the students have spoken, boss; such are the needs of the student body.

[layaispunk]

OOH OKAY could you write one where reader is trying on bikinis for dbf Joel and things get hot and heavy and he’s an absolute MUNCH?

love your writing!!🫶🏾

spring cleaning with dbf!joel

pairing: joel miller x female!reader

a/n: thankyou to all of you who sent fic requests! i'm working on them one by one. ♡

wc: 1.5k

warnings: unprotected p in v smut, 18+ minors dni, established relationship, dbf!joel (could be any joel you want) age gap not specified, reader does not live with parents, dirty talking, lmk if i missed something pls

Joel had only meant to stop by and fix the damn window.

That was the plan, anyway. Show up, use the tools that were permanently stashed in his truck, tighten a hinge here, swap a pane there.... and go home. Easy.

Except now he was sitting on the edge of your bed, hands planted on either side of his thighs, watching you dig through a little drawstring pouch.

It was just supposed to be spring cleaning. You were going through all of your stuff because you were moving out, and you put two boxes. Keep, and donate. Joel was in your bedroom, surrounded by half-filled boxes and open drawers and clothes you’d been flinging over furniture all afternoon.

You looked up from the pouch with a grin, one of those expressions that always knocked the wind out of him.

“I totally forgot I had these.”

You reached in and pulled out a tiny scrap of bright fabric. Then another. And another.

Joel blinked. "What're those, baby?"

“Bikinis,” you said, laughing, spreading them across the bed. “God, I used to collect these. I haven’t worn half of them since college.”

“Jesus,” he muttered under his breath, rubbing a hand over his jaw. His eyes caught on a black one with gold rings at the hips, and his brain short-circuited a little.

You looked over at him, casual as anything. “Should I just donate all of them?”

Joel cleared his throat. “I mean… seems like a lot.”

“I should try them on first,” you said thoughtfully, holding one up to your chest. “See if they still fit or if I still like 'em.”

He gave a small, helpless laugh. “I think that's a good idea, sweetheart,”

You turned, already walking toward the bathroom. “Yeah. D'ya wanna be the judge of which ones I keep?”

His head tilted. “Oh, is that how this is gonna go?”

You smirked over your shoulder. “You did offer to help today.”

“Didn’t know that meant sittin’ here helpin' you spring clean,” he grumbled, but his eyes were already following you. Your hips swaying just a little more exaggerated as you disappeared around the corner.

When you came back out, you were in a red two-piece that Joel immediately knew would be etched into his memory until the day he died. It was the kind with a halter top and those little low-rise ties at the hips. It looked like summer and sex and trouble, and suddenly Joel wasn’t sure if he was breathing properly.

You twirled, hands on your hips. “Too much?”

He didn’t answer. Just stared.

Your lips curved. “Joel.” You stepped closer. He let his gaze travel, slow and deliberate, over your bare thighs, your stomach, the soft curves of your chest. When his eyes met yours again, they were darker. Hungrier.

“Well?” you asked, coy. “Keep or donate?”

He gave the faintest shake of his head. “Darlin', if you think I’m lettin’ you give that away, you’ve lost your mind. It really suits you.”

You bit your lip, barely able to hide the way your body lit up under his stare. “Want me to try the next one?”

He nodded, voice low. “You go on ahead. I’ll be right here.”

Right here. On your bed. Palms getting sweatier by the second. Heart thudding like he was twenty years younger and hadn’t already spent countless nights with you.

He adjusted how he sat, legs a little wider, eyes fixed on the doorway as you turned to disappear again. He tried to look casual, like he wasn’t dying inside. Like he hadn’t just watched his girl stroll out of the bathroom like she belonged on the cover of a vogue magazine.

You were gone for less than a minute before your voice floated in from the bathroom.

“You better not be falling asleep out there.”

He huffed out a laugh. When you finally stepped out of the bathroom, he looked up and went completely still.

This one was different, black and white polka dots. The top had better structure, cupping your breasts just right, giving you that kind of shape that made his mouth go dry. The thong bottoms were black, sitting high on your hips and left your legs bare all the way up.

You stood there in the doorway, adjusting the strap over your shoulder like you didn’t know what you were doing.

Joel leaned back a little and exhaled through his nose. “That one’s trouble.”

You tilted your head, giving him puppy eyes. "You don’t like it?”

He gave a small shrug. “Didn’t say that.”

You smiled. “You’re allowed to have an opinion, you know. That’s why you’re here.”

“Thought I was here to fix your window,” he muttered.

You walked further into the room, standing a few feet in front of him. “Yeah, but you already fixed that. So now you're helping me.” You grinned.

He let his eyes trail up, slow and unhurried, until they met yours again. “Mm. Should’ve charged you extra.” He muttered, sarcastically.

“For what?”

“For this.”

You snorted. “You’ve seen me naked before, Joel.”

“I know,” he said, nodding. “Still feels like you’re settin’ me up.”

You folded your arms. “How?”

“You're showin' me bikinis and askin' which ones to keep, but they all look like that. What exactly am I supposed to say?”

You raised a brow. “That it fits?”

He leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees again. “It fits.”

You bit your cheek to keep from smiling. “Comfortably?”

He gave you a pointed look. “Sweetheart, you’re wearin’ a piece of string for the bottoms. There's no way that's comfortable."

You laughed, turning around to check yourself in the mirror behind him. Joel couldn't stop staring at you.

“I think this one makes my boobs look better,” you said thoughtfully.

The bikini looked good, but you couldn’t decide if it felt right. If you liked the cut. If it made your hips look weird. If the color washed you out.

Joel was still sitting on the bed, hands braced behind him, watching you with that quiet look he always had when you got like this. Overwhelmed. When your brain spun out in circles and you couldn’t settle on a damn thing.

“That one’s a yes,”

You turned to him with a frown. "Joel, If you're gonna say yes to all of them, I’m gonna end up keeping every bikini I’ve ever owned.”

Joel gave a half-shrug. “Baby, I'm sorry. I think you look incredible in all of them.”

You let out a frustrated sigh and turned back toward the mirror. “I just… I don’t know. I can’t tell anymore. I've been getting rid of things all day, I can't decide anymore."

His voice came quieter this time. “C’mere.”

You looked over your shoulder.

“I mean it. Come here.”

You hesitated for a second, then stepped over to the bed, standing between his knees. Joel watched you for a beat, his hands resting loosely on his thighs.

“Sit,” he pointed to his lap.

With a soft huff, you eased yourself onto him, your thighs settling on either side of his. Joel shifted slightly, accommodating your weight, hands coming up to rest gently on your hips.

You let your arms drape over his shoulders, your chest still rising and falling a little faster than usual from the back-and-forth with yourself. Joel’s gaze flicked up to meet yours.

“Better?”

You nodded slowly. “I'm overthinking everything. I know I sound dramatic, but I feel exhausted.”

His thumbs brushed a slow arc along the curve of your waist. You let yourself breathe a little easier in his care. "I understand, baby. You've been cleaning around all day." The contact, the warmth of him, the quiet way he listened without rushing you, grounded you.

Your hand slipped up into his hair, absently scratching your nails along his scalp. Joel closed his eyes at the feeling, his chest rising beneath you in a deep, slow breath.

You stayed like that for a moment, just breathing together. Just his arms around you and the quiet.

Then you said, softly, “I need a break.”

Joel opened his eyes again. “Then take one, baby. I’m right here.”

You leaned in and kissed his cheek. Then the corner of his mouth.

Your hand slipped from his hair to his jaw, your thumb brushing over the stubble there. You kissed him properly now, soft, slow, lips barely parted.

Joel’s hand tightened on your waist. “You sure?” he murmured, voice low, eyes not leaving yours.

You nodded. “I just want to feel good for a minute. Want you to make me feel good."

His forehead pressed to yours. “Then I got you.”

Joel’s hands slid up your back, slow and warm, before trailing back down to your hips. He kissed you deeply, with his hand cupping the back of your neck like he wanted to hold you still for a second, keep you grounded in him.

“Lay back for me,” he said, voice low and steady. “Just let me take care of you.”

You moved without hesitation, easing onto your back on the bed. Joel followed, kneeling between your legs, hands already on the drawstrings at your hips.

He glanced up once, gaze catching yours, waiting for any sign to stop. When you didn’t give one, he tugged slowly, the little bow slipping free.

He dragged the thin string down your legs with that a gentle touch, then he pushed your thighs apart and settled in between them like he belonged there.

“Just relax, baby,” he said, kissing the inside of your thighs, higher and higher. His hands held you firm, thumbs pressing just enough to spread you open.

You breathed out shakily, head tipping back into the pillow as he kept going, mouth trailing up your thigh like he was in no rush at all. One hand slid up your stomach, slow and steady, until his palm cupped your breast, thumb brushing over your nipple in lazy circles that made your hips shift, desperate for any kind of friction.

“Joel…” you murmured, voice soft but tinged with a hint of frustration.

He smiled against your skin, his beard scratching gently at your thigh. “Mm? Somethin’ wrong, sweetheart?”

“You’re teasing me,” you said, a little breathless.

“Yeah, honey, I am,” he said, kissing the curve where your thigh met your hip. “You been runnin’ around all day, stressin’ yourself out… Thought I’d slow things down for you a little. Let you breathe.”

Your hips shifted toward him, aching for more and needing him closer. "Joel. Please.”

He looked up at you through his lashes, lips still pressed to your inner thigh. His voice was low and steady, thick with want. “You don’t need to beg, baby. I’m gonna give you what you need.”

His hands smoothed along the tops of your thighs, firm and steady as he settled in lower. "You just relax for me now,” he said, voice darkening just slightly. “Let me take care of this perfect little pussy, yeah?”

Your breath hitched, thighs twitching under his grip. Joel pressed a kiss right over your center, slow and steady. You whimpered softly, hips lifting, and Joel just groaned against you.

“Jesus,” he muttered, half to himself. “You’re soaked, baby. That for me?”

You nodded, fingers curling into the sheets.

“Thought so,” he murmured. “Been sittin’ on my lap lookin’ like that, all soft and pretty… You knew what you were doin’, didn’t you?”

His voice was all gravel and heat now, words brushing against you like a caress. “Gonna make you come on my tongue, sweetheart. Not stoppin’ till you’re beggin’ me to.”

And finally he leaned in, and his mouth was everywhere, like he wanted to memorize the way you sounded, the way your body moved beneath him, how your hands tangled in his hair and pulled him closer.

His tongue dragged slow and deep through your folds, his hands teasing your nipples, as he groaned against you. “That’s it,” he murmured, voice low and rough between licks. “Just like that, baby. You sound so fuckin’ pretty when you moan for me.”

Your hips rolled toward his mouth, needing more, and he let you use him like that, his hands firm on your thighs.

“Could have you like this for hours. Don’t even think I’d stop.”

You whined at that, fingers tangling tight in his hair.

“Look't you,” he said, lifting his head just barely, his mouth slick and lips pink. “All worked up from my tongue. You needed this, didn’t you?”

You nodded, breathless.

Joel ducked back down, his mouth sealing over you again, and without warning you felt one thick finger slip inside you, then another, slow and careful.

You gasped, your whole body jolting. Joel moaned like it turned him on just to feel how tight you were around his fingers.

“Yeah, there you go,” he rasped, his fingers curling just right as his mouth moved with purpose. “So fuckin’ tight, baby. You're takin’ my fingers so well.”

His pace picked up just enough to make you squirm, the push of his fingers matching the soft suck of his mouth. He was everywhere, relentless and still somehow gentle, reading every sound that came out of you like it was a guidebook to your pleasure.

“Let go for me,” he murmured again. “Come on my fingers. Let me feel how bad you needed this.” Your thighs were trembling now, chest rising fast, lips parted as little gasps and moans slipped out without filter.

Joel’s fingers never lost rhythm. Slow, firm curls, each one dragging right against that spot that made your vision blur. His mouth moved with purpose, tongue working you over like he’d studied exactly how to pull you apart.

You felt it building, tight and fast, curling low in your belly and your hand gripped his shoulder like you were holding on for dear life.

“Joel,” you gasped. “Joel, I’m—”

He lifted his head just enough to say it against your skin, voice rough and steady.

“That’s it. Give it to me, baby. Come for me.”

That pushed your orgasm over the edge. Your whole body tensed, a moan breaking from your throat as your orgasm crashed over you. Joel slowed a little bit, coaxing you through it, fingers still moving while his lips kissed your inner thigh, murmuring soft praises into your skin.

“Fuck, that’s my girl,” he breathed. “So goddamn perfect like this. Let me feel it. Just like that.”

Your head collapsed on the pillow, thighs still twitching, chest pressed to his shoulder.

He pulled back slowly, fingers sliding out, slick with your release. "You alright?” he asked softly, voice gentler now.

You nodded, still catching your breath. “Want you up here.”

"You want my cock now, baby? You got me fuckin’ rock hard," he murmured, voice rougher now. His hands tightened on your hips, thumbs rubbing small circles over your skin.

After he got undressed, with one firm hand he lined himself up carefully before sliding in, every inch sending fire through you both.

He began to move, slow at first, making your eyes roll back. "Fuck, Joel." He caught your moan in his mouth, biting your lower lip gently before pulling back just enough to whisper, "Gonna fuck you real nice and slow, baby,"

His hips rolled into yours with more force, every thrust deep, while his hands explored your body like he was memorizing every curve.

“You like that, don’t you? Feel so damn good wrapped around me.” he rasped, voice thick with desire.

You tangled your fingers in his hair, arching your back as he drove deeper, slower, each thrust measured to build you higher.

“Come on, let go for me,” he urged, voice rough and low, “Let me hear you, sweetheart." The coil inside you tightened, heat spreading fast until you shattered around him, trembling and gasping. Joel held you through it, hips still grinding steady, until his own breath hitched and a deep growl rumbled from his chest.

With one last slow, deep thrust, he followed, gripping you tight and burying himself fully as his release rolled through him. He collapsed against you, forehead resting on your shoulder, voice softer.

Joel pulled back just enough to smile at you. “You keep me busy.”

You nudged him lightly. “I don’t hear you complaining.”

He chuckled. “Nope. Lucky me.”

You rested your head on his chest, feeling h heartbeat.

Joel’s hand moved slowly over your back. “Want to rest? I’m here.”

You shook your head. “I’m fine. Just want you to stay a little bit longer.”

He smiled. “I’m not going anywhere.”

ty for reading<3 requests are open!

[princesssmars]

sweet✰honey✰buckin

a rodeo!abby x reader. | p.ii

its a hot spring in the south and rodeo season is here. your hunt for a new fling leads you to an up-and-coming hotshot bull rider with an aversion to groupies. maybe you can change her mind.

wc : 2.509

contains : fxf relationship. barely attempted country slang. fluff. smut. oral and penetrative sex (r!receiving). nicknames (baby, darlin', a single bunny).

a/n : yeah guess who just listened to cowboy carter. idk why i posted about this before writing a single word but i didn't procrastinate this time yall clap it up and enjoy.

if you think about it, this was really all dolly partons' fault.

you could still picture the first time you saw her, the grainy recording on your grandmother's television, the gentle melodies from the blonde bombshell wrapping around you like a warm hug. you'd only been exposed to the south for a few weeks, and you already knew who you wanted your role model to be.

and the buckle bunny stuff also wasn't your fault! you were gorgeous, as people so loved to remind you at every twist and turn. and maybe you used your looks to your advantage sometimes. the first time was when you batted your eyelashes to make a boy do your project a day before it was due in junior year. he was... good-looking, you supposed. smart enough to be on the chess team, so he would do.

so you went to a little party with your friends that night. a spacious house, nice music, and good enough booze. everything was normal until you saw her. she was lean and mysterious, and under the lid of her black ridge top hat you could see her eyes tracking your body as you danced

so yes, her eating you in the back seat of her truck until you cried, holding down your hips when you tried to move changed your brain chemistry just a bit.

now a few years later, you're a little taller, a little smarter, and have collected a handful of studs for your belt. sure you've collected a...not so savory reputation in some of the local bars, but it was nothing a smile and a little flirting couldn't help. and its only going to get better; as the air warms and the trees bloom pussy spirit starts buzzing, and you know rodeo season is upon you again.

it was a hot night at the cow belle and the people even hotter as you scoped the scene from the rim of your glass. you and your friends were perched at the bar, daisy dukes heightened and crop tops tied under your busts.

"i heard red devil rosie'd be here tonight," savannah whispers to your group from beside you, her tall dark legs relaxed with her arm resting on the wood behind you. she always had a bit of a thing for redheads, and she'd had her eyes on rosie ever since it got around that she'd broken up with her fiancee.

"jesus, sav, the poor girl just got heartbroken, now you already wanna jump her bones?" charlize laughs, taking a hard swig of the beer in her hand. standing at a solid five feet and four inches tall the little kentuckian was a handful, always the first in line to ride a mechanical bull or jump in the front of a line dance.

"whats that saying men always use? as soon as you lose one hop on a 'nother?"

"you are deplorable."

as the girls banter back and forth your eyes focus on the rising commotion at the front of the bar. with a slight rise on your toes, making sure not to scuff your boots, and you can't help the growing smile on your face when you spot that blonde hair pushed down by her signature brown stetson.

abigail anderson, the rodeo's angel. she'd only been in the circuit for under two years and sponsors were lining up and begging for her to go pro. it was always easy to spot her, frequently trailed by her already professional friends manny alvarez and owen moore, along with a handful of groupies begging her to look their way.

luckily for you, manny had flirted with you a few weeks back and remained friendly after you turned him down, and he was heading straight towards you while his friends headed to a booth.

"oh god, hide your wives and girlfriends, the buckle brood is here!" he laughs, thanking the bartender for his beer and taking a swig.

"whatever manny, you're just upset our darling here didn't give you a chance." savannah winks.

"i think god was doing me a favor. y'know dixie's been trying to call you for about a week? the poor girls even thought about sending a bouquet. dixie. a bouquet."

"i made it clear before we slept together it would be a one-time thing. 's not my fault she wants more." you sigh.

that just makes the man laugh harder. he chats it up with charlize about how the rankings are looking when he notices how your gaze keeps wandering off, following your eye straight to-

"no."

"hm? i didnt say anything!"

"you said it with your eyes. and im gonna tell you with my mouth that you don't stand a chance. abby hates groupies." he shakes his head.

"abby, huh? i like it." manny grows exasperated as his words go in one ear and out the other. "'n and im technically not a groupie. never seen the woman in my life before now."

"well, look don't touch. or maybe don't look at all, before you put a spell on her or somethin."

you pout, reaching up to wrap your arms around his neck and bring him into a hug. you see abby look your way in the corner of your eye and make sure to stretch your torso just a tiny bit until you're able to feel the bottom of your shirt ride up just that much more. when you see her eyes trail down your waist you hide a smile into the side of your arm.

you let the man go with a sweet goodbye, watching as he grabs two more beers and heads over to the booth and twisting your head before you can catch the blondes gaze.

its only a few minutes later when manny comes back with wide eyes and invites you over to sit with them.

sitting across from her, you can see why people are so attracted to her. she’s big, her muscles bulging out from the sleeves in her plaid shirt. despite her size she doesn’t try to take up more space then needed; confident but not cocky.

she clearly notices your glances, and maybe even the smile on your face when one of her past flings with a girl is brought up in conversation.

“so, you’ve had girlfriends before?” you ask, stirring your cocktail with the little colorful umbrella that came with it.

“no no, don’t answer that, you’ll regret it.” owen butts in, meeting your glare. you’d never talked before, but you were pretty sure you had slept with his fiancée a few years ago. last you’d heard they’d had a baby, maybe you’d offer to babysit sometime.

“why not? are you a groupie?” abby asks.

“can’t be a groupie if i barely know who you are. so why don’t we get to know each other better. preferably in private.”

“whatever you say, darlin.”

you hear the sudden sounds of a few hoots and claps and a familiar song that they always play to get people dancing.

“why don’t you show me some of your moves, big girl?”

she rolls her eyes, letting out a quiet sigh before following you onto the dance floor.

as much as she’s trying to fight it, you can tell abby is enjoying herself, learning quickly as you show her the moves to the dance. you’re a bit surprised she doesn’t know it already until she tells you she’s originally from utah.

“what, they don’t have country bars out in salt lake.”

“no, not like this. at least i never went to any of them.”

“wellll if you ever need a tour guide i’m available. whenever you want me.”

“god, manny told me about you.”

“really? what’s he say? i can probably guess.”

“so you know everybody thinks you’re a playgirl who sleeps with cowgirls for damn near a living and you don’t care?”

you shrug. “‘m just young and having fun. maybe everyone else, including you, is too uptight.”

“oh really? and what, you're supposed to help me loosen up?” she raises a single eyebrow. you don't answer, deciding to just look at her face for a while.

you like how pretty she is. the soft blue of her big eyes, the freckles dotted across her face that trail down her neck and disappear into her shirt. you feel pride in your chest when you see her cheeks redden.

when the song ends you pull away from her, ready to go over and tell your friends goodbye when a large hand grips your wrist, tugging your body back to its previous position. before you can question her you feel the weight of her hat sitting on your head.

"well? you gonna answer my question?"

you can still remember the looks on your friends face's when abby told them she was heading home, still gripping your hand. manny looked like he had just seen pigs fly.

it was hard to ignore the way she didn't let go of you until she was driving or the looks she was giving you when she was looking at the road, or how desperate she was when you finally got her here, dragging you to her room and attaching her strap like she'd die if she didn't get you in bed.

"i don't see what the big fuss is about, this really isn't that hard." you tease her, admiring the way she whines when you refuse to let her wrists go from your hands, using all your strength to keep her from flipping you over

but maybe you should learn when to shut your mouth because she roughly starts bucking her hips, smiling at the euphoric look on your face before you hide your face in her neck, trying and failing to muffle your moans.

"what? i thought you said this was easy?" she laughs when she hears your muffled groan, failing to ignore when you roughly bite her. you can tell she's getting frustrated at being restrained, her hands clenching into fists and repeatedly trying to get them from under your hands. "fuckin - cmon, baby, lemme help you."

god, she was so cute. you'd never say it out loud but you liked all the little nicknames she gave you, the gentle kisses she would place on your skin when she was warming you up for her. if you didn't have a one-time policy you would have chosen to keep her around. just for a little while.

but you could also see the inner turmoil in her eyes, the battle between dominance and submission. when you first met her you thought she'd be a stone top, so you decide to take advantage and reach one of your hands up to her hair and pull, forcing a loud moan from her as her mouth gaped open.

"not so uptight now, are you?" you laugh, awwing at her when she lets out a small whine.

you didnt realize until it was too late that it was a mistake to underestimate her because she was attaching her hands to your hips, planting her feet on the bed, and thrusting up into you like a wild bull, sucking a mark into your chest like she can't see you struggling to breathe.

"yeah, that's it. not so easy now, is it darlin'?"

and oh how you hate how you can't answer her, only able to muster up a weak glare as the pleasure grows, feeling the burning heat gross in your stomach. you're trying to hold off, not ready for this to end just yet, and hating the satisfied look on her face when your shaky arms wrap around her neck.

"you gettin' close, baby?" she maneuvers your legs to spread wider, hitting that spot inside you at just the right angle. god, everything feels so hot and overwhelming and so damn good-

"that's it, show me how pretty you look cummin around me." once she reaches a hand down and roughly rubs your clit it's over, moaning and gasping her name as your orgasm hits you like a freight train. she never stops her movements, in fact, you think she goes harder once she feels your nails dig into her arms.

your head flops onto her shoulder, basking in your post-orgasm bliss as her large hands rub up and down your back. mind hazy, you feel yourself drifting off and giving yourself a mental pat on the back when you're shocked upwards by a fierce thrust from below you, wide eyes darting to abby's.

"what, ya thought we were finished? if you wanna claim me you gotta earn it, bunny."

"oh no, abby i cant-" you try to decline, not sure you can take another before she presses you back into her sheets, manhandling your legs over her shoulders and your arms under your back. she can tell you're about to fight it because she's pushing her strap into you again.

it's embarrassing how close you are already after a few minutes, unable to move as she splits you open in a damn mating press. trying to hide your face in the sheets is futile so you have no choice but to keep eye contact with her, which only brings you closer to the edge because she's looking at you like she wants to fuck you until she physically can't anymore.

she's quieter now but you can hear her mumbling under her breath about how 'you're too damn fine, jesus you're gonna be the death of me,' and the next thing you know you're both cumming, feeling the wet mess grow between your legs.

she sinks into you, boneless on top of you as she gently rubs at your sides as you do the same for her head. after a few minutes she gets up, pressing a gentle kiss to your lips at your soft whine at the strap leaving you before heading off to the bathroom to get a washcloth.

it's gentle as you both clean the other, softly trailing the rag down her arms as she observes you. its almost...domestic. which you haven't done in quite a while. it feels nice.

when she gets up to throw it in the hamper you reach for your clothes on the floor before she questions you.

"excuse me, what do you think you're doin?"

"uhh...leaving?"

"nope, bad manners if i let you go home now," she tosses you a shirt from one of her drawers, finding her own pajamas before flopping on her bed. "i don't know what kinda girls in the circuit you've been seein', but I'm not like that."

you're on the fence, rubbing the fabric of her large shirt before putting it on and settling in next to her. it couldn't hurt just to sleep with her, right? "fine. but you should know i don't normally do...this."

"me neither. but there's a first time for everything, right?" she smiles, rubbing your hip from over the shirt before trailing it under. "besides, maybe we can go again in the morning. still need to prove to you I'm not uptight."

thank god for dolly parton.

sorry if this is shorter than expected i feel like death. can we all do rodeo!abby this summer. pretty please.

taglist : @euphternal @jupiter-502 @vqxen @youcallmeconnor @andersonlore i love you guys im giving you kisses rn

[urhoneycombwitch]

i fumbled and deleted the original request... insert ovulation dry humping anon req here (anon I deeply apologize 😭)

<3 <3 <3

foreword: okay no literally ovulation happens once a month. every month. since I was young. and somehow it’s still a surprise every time??? wtf. relatable tho. you know I’m always down for some slutty over the clothes action w/Eddie+R so here’s more of that love u 5ever thanks for sending <3

cw: pov Eddie, LTR, pet names (babe, sweetheart), soft!dom Eddie, reader is gn, r has breasts + vagina, ovulation, smut, dry humping, scent kink (if you squint), you-know-who cums in his pants king <3 +18 MDNI!!!

wc: 1.4k

____

It’s halfway through Saturday when Eddie realizes the source of your discomfort. 

You’ve been on edge since the morning, grumbly far past the mug of coffee that usually improved your mood.

Unable to settle, you’d been flitting from one task to the next, muttering curses at the underside of the fridge shelves or scoured sinks. When Eddie offered to help, you’d snapped at him- with no real bite to your voice, but sharp enough to send him back a step.

“Sorry.” Your apology came swift as the bark before it, back turned at the sink, shoulders tight and trembling with exertion in the pause. “I’m sorry. I’m not mad at you. I’m just… I didn’t sleep well, or something. Sorry.”

Eddie approached the angry, sparking form of you, uncaring if he got burnt in the process- but his arm seemingly slipped between the defensive shield, taut as a seatbelt across your chest and just as grounding. 

He felt the resistance from the tip of your toes to the top of your spine, wound tight but not enough to keep you from yielding a bit into his hold; Eddie dipped his chin to your shoulder, kissed over the flannel, then one at your bare neck- “S’okay. Want some help?”

Testing the waters of your irritation, Eddie had an inkling this mood might be hormone-related, further proved by the way you were unintentionally pressing back into his body; if he had to guess, you were less a ticking time bomb and more like a hostile cat, touch-starved and willing to be stroked into good behavior. 

“I’m almost done.” In answer, your voice was weary and strung-out, sponge squeezed in your grip like a lifeline. “And then I’ll do the oven, which I don’t particularly want your help with- no offense.”

Eddie wasn’t offended in the slightest, not with you melting like butter in his arms and the incident from last autumn cleaning still scorched in his nasal memory. “None taken. If I burn my eyebrows off again you’ll kick me to the curb, I know the rules.”

That got a half-smile, hard-won, and Eddie kissed it from your lips before making a retreat for the outdoors, with a few last remarks about being the Man of the House and doing some Manscaping (in truth, the outdoor shed is mostly used for dust collection purposes, but you laughed so he’s taking the win). 

Eddie strips down to his black undershirt, spring air fresh and sun mild as he sweeps the front porch and steps. He makes sure to cross in front of the kitchen window’s path a few times, on the off chance you want to ogle at the extra skin and back muscles in secret. 

When he heads indoors to wash up, you’ve beat him to the punch, perched on the couch with a book, in a fresh t-shirt and pair of clean jeans. 

“What a gorgeous sink,” he comments from the kitchen, sloughing the accumulated grime from between his fingers and rings. “Looks too clean and fancy for lil’ old me. Might wanna banish me to the outdoor hose from now on.”

The corner of your mouth lifts to show you’re listening, but the joke isn’t enough to smooth the deep frown lines from your pretty face as you glower at the pages in your lap. 

Eddie flings himself onto the couch beside you, budging up obnoxiously close so he can see the new object of your vexation.

“It’s from the library, due in two days so I’m trying to finish,” you say by way of explanation, eyes fixed on the print as Eddie hooks his chin over your shoulder.

There’s over half the novel left. “Babe, I don’t think humankind was made to read that much Salinger in one weekend. It’ll make you batty.”

“Fair point.” Taking the bid to set the distraction aside, you toss it with a thunk on the coffee table.

Eddie feels your sigh, head lifting at the deep rise and fall. Even if your internal systems are fighting it, there’s a soft longing with which you move, in the tiny ways you open for Eddie, or shift to be closer- it’s a confusing opposition of signals, and Eddie might be hopeless if he hadn’t made it his life’s mission to study you completely. 

“Wanna veg out and watch some crap TV?” 

When you nod, Eddie flicks on a reruns channel, then reaches to drape an arm around you, stopping with a wince partway- “On second thought. The back I inherited directly from my uncle is requiring a horizontal position after all that sweeping. You mind laying down with me, sweetheart?”

He’s laying it on a little thick, and Eddie almost feels bad until he remembers this is for a higher cause; you comply so sweetly and willingly, pulling him down flush between the couch and your back. 

“Should’ve let me do the sweeping.” Your voice is relaxed, barely a mumble as Eddie molds himself to the warmth and shape of you, one arm settling over your waist, the other across your upper chest.

“Shh. You’re incoherent. Rambling nonsense. S’posed to be vegging out.” Eddie gives you a little shake, then a growl that precedes a bite to the softest part of your neck. 

This makes your spine arch, ass pushing back into the cradle of his hips as a bright peal of giggles leaves you breathless. Eddie takes the opportunity to slide his thigh between yours, passing it off as necessary to getting the perfect angle for kissing your neck.

He didn’t bite near hard enough to bruise but kisses over the teeth marks regardless. At your chest, a cool track of his ringed hand trails innocently down- until his whole palm is suddenly over your breast.

On low, crackly volume, there’s an audience laugh track as Eddie tweaks at your nipple, peaked through the layers of shirt and bra. A whiny, high moan from your throat when he pairs this with a solid rocking forward of his thigh against your cunt. 

Eddie’s pretty sure he can feel the beginnings of your dampness seeping through to his own skin; the thought makes him groan, blood rushing in his ears and south quick enough to dizzy.

“Eddie.” This time, your voice is wavering and small, and Eddie’s glad for the automatic mute feature as the TV changes to commercial. “Please don’t tease.”

“Honey, I promise I’m not.” Eddie’s close to hysterics (laughing or crying, unclear at this juncture), settling his nose where your neck and shoulder meet, huffing a laugh. “It’s okay. Just relax. Let me help you feel good.”

The last threads of your resolve are splintering, thighs stuttering and tightening around each thrust of his hips. At the small of your back, Eddie cock throbs. 

“Wanted you-ah-… all day.” Your confession split by a gasp when Eddie finally gets past the restriction of your bra cup, thumbing hard into doughy flesh.

“All you had to do was ask, sweet thing.” The skin under Eddie’s nose is intoxicating- he could swear you smell different on ovulation days: this wild, heady lull of siren song calling out to him. “You’re just how I like you, though. Stubborn. Won’t ask unless I’m giving it. You can take, now.”

Permission grants you new purpose, following the urge of Eddie’s hand at your hip with pleasure-soaked intent. A few more fluid rolls of hips and Eddie feels the telltale signs of your panting pitching upwards, legs and stomach tensing- “That’s it. Good, baby, let go. Yes.”

This last encouragement pushes you over the edge, coming hard with a long, low noise from your dropped jaw, thighs clamping and spasming with the force of it.

Eddie makes sure to wring out the last of your aftershocks on his shaking thigh before he comes, too, cock pulsing into the constrictive fabric of zippered jeans but blessedly rutting against the firm contours of your ass. “Fuck me.”

“I’ll say.” Sounding similarly winded, you clutch at Eddie’s arms, keeping them wrapped around your form as breath returns. “How the hell did you know I needed that?”

By smell is probably a bit too hard to explain (or defend). Eddie shrugs, pulling you ever closer. “Call it lover’s intuition.”

[cherryredstarz]

Spa Day 🥒🐦‍⬛

A/n: in honor of Sylus’s new free 5 star spa day memory Magnum Opus dropping next Wednesday (I think)!!! IM SO EXCITED 👹👹👹 I know I’ve written something similar before in Braids, but who cares I love Sylus

Cw: Sylus x afab reader, fluff, pet names, one suggestive comment

Sylus has finally agreed to let you do a skincare routine on him. Not that the 28 year old doesn’t have extremely nice and well maintained skin (he certainly does), but that’s not the point. Because you just want to touch his face. Poke at his angular jawline and rub his cheeks with your thumbs, all under the guise of ‘beautifying’ your beautiful boyfriend.

It’s 11:34 on a Tuesday. You’d gotten back from a mission assigned by the Hunter’s Association the day before, and intended to rest the next couple of days before having to work again. But then that little plot popped into your head, and you simply couldn’t resist the temptation.

Laying back on the couch, you call Sylus.

The phone rings—once.

Twice.

He answers by the third.

“Kitten?”

“SYLUS!” You perk up once he accepted your call, before hitting the FaceTime button. The picture of his name flashes for a few minutes, before you see his (gorgeously handsome) face, and what appears to be the sky behind him. “Well, don’t you look awfully pretty today.”

“Ah, do I? I seem to have just woken up like this.”

It’s only partly true—you’ve spent enough nights sleeping in his bed to know at the least he’d have to comb his hair, and wash his face (you remember playfully scratching away his eye crusties the last time you slept over).

“Mhm. Can you come over? Right now? If you aren’t busy, pretty please.” You practically beg. You feared you might sound too needy, but at this point you couldn’t care less.

“Of course I can, Sweetie. I’m never too busy for you. Is there any reason, in particular, that my presence has been requested for?” You watch as he raises his eyebrow and has a slight lilt in his voice.

“Will you do a spa day with me?” You ask hopefully.

“Certainly.” He assures.

“Off topic—what are you doing outside?”

“Just running some errands and collecting goods for a certain kitten.”

Just then, you hear the doorbell to your apartment ring. You bounce off the couch and spring to the door, peeking out the peephole—and you see him—your Sylus.

“SY!” You nearly fling the door open—it would have hit the wall if he hadn’t stopped it with practiced hands as you jumped into his arms. He made a soft sound, almost a gasp of surprise, although he should be used to your sweet antics by now. “Hey there.” Sylus places a gentle kiss onto your forehead. “Missed me?” He grins, teasingly.

“Yeah.” You mumble, before looking up and kissing his cheek. “What are those?” You catch a flash of red behind him. “Is that blood?”

Sylus let’s put a hearty, genuine laugh. “No, Kitten. They’re for you.” He pulls out a bouquet of red tulips and holds them out for you. You take them, and pull your gargantuan man into your humble abode while you search for a vase suitable for flowers as pretty as these.

Sylus makes himself at home on your couch. Once filling a large vase with water and placing the tulips in there, you plop down beside him.

“Some little birdie told me we were going to have a spa day?”

“Ah—right!” You hop off the couch and drag Sylus to your bathroom. It was larger than most apartment bathrooms, for sure.

You pull a small basket filled with skincare supplies, and set it in the bathroom floor between Sylus’s legs, before scurrying off to the kitchen to grab cucumber slices. Coming back, you move the basket aside to sit between his legs instead. Most of the furniture was white—white bathtub, white sink, white walls, white tile floor��except for the small standing shower, which was a baby blue for some odd reason. However, the room had fabulous natural lighting.

Seeing that heavenly glow of sunlight on Sylus’s face made a part of your heart twist with happiness.

“Ready?” You ask him. He nods.

You twist off the cap of a white facical cleanser, and gently dab it onto his face, being extra careful to not get it in his eyes or his nose. Once you were done, you let it sit briefly before gently wiping it away with a warm, damp washcloth. At first, Sylus’s brows crease slightly at the sudden temperature change, but his face quickly relaxes.

Then you apply a charcoal face mask to his skin, and whip out the cucumbers. “Now close your eyes..” you bite your tongue.

Sylus just lets out a soft grunt, acknowledging what you said before closing those ruby eyes, then, you carefully place two cucumber slices against his eyelids. “They’re meant to reduce eye puffiness, correct?” Sylus asks, carefully not to move his face too much.

“I think so.” You answer. You giggle and take a quick picture of his spa day face, before putting the face mask on yourself. “Don’t you feel relaxed?”

“When I’m with you? Always.”

Not necessarily true—you’ve definitely given Sylus a run for his money, but he still loves you nonetheless.

“What do you wanna do after this?” You ask 15 minutes later, breaking the silence. You tilt your head slightly, as Sylus removes the cucumber slices from his eyes.

“I can think of a few things—”

“Sylus!” You snort, and carefully covered his mouth. “Pervert.”

Sylus grins, making the charcoal mask crack by the corners of his eyes, and his mouth.

“Woah. Aren’t you scary.” You laugh. Sylus reaches for a nearby cabinet and grabs a washcloth before warming it under the sinks hot water. Then he gently begins to rub your face mask away, before handling his own.

“H-hey! I can do this myself, you know. I was meant to be pampering you.” You huff.

“Hush, Sweetie.” Sylus kisses your face mask-less cheek, before begrudgingly letting you wipe away his own face mask.

“So handsome.” You giggle, before kissing his clean face—and you squeak when the man scoops you up and carries you to bed.

“What are you doing?” You squeak.

“Can’t I want to snuggle with my woman?”

[mrskokushibo]

Sweetness

Mitsuri x fem!reader x Obanai

Warnings: Sex, Smut, NSFW, MDNI, 18+, Slight girl on girl action, Threesome

Summary: The atmosphere of a warm and sunny day at the start of spring permeates this short and hot smut. You get interrupted in your chores, but honestly, the distraction is exactly what your deprived body needs.

Masterlist

The otherwise so neat garden beds outside the Butterfly Mansion were in need of some pruning. As you were squatting and pulling out the freshly sprouted weeds, your efforts were accompanied by the gentle buzzing of bees collecting nectar from the delicate, first flowers of spring, and by the chirping of industrious little birds. The air was balmy, but not yet hot enough for you to brake in sweat, thus you were very comfortable and worked through the entire length of the garden bed without much effort.

Suddenly, there was a fluttery sound above you and as you looked up, two forest pigeons landed, one by one on a branch in the tree. The male was performing the courting dance routine, spreading his wide fan-like tail in an attempt to attract the female. You smiled to yourself at the ways of nature and proceeded to put away the gardening tools in the shed. As you washed your hands in the outdoor basin, you remembered to check on the laundry drying on the line on the other side of the courtyard.

You took your time strolling across the lawn to the clotheslines, the washing fluttering in the breeze, creating an opaque filter for the bright sunlight. It was already dry, the smell of freshly washed cotton overpowering the spring scents momentarily. You began the meticulous process of folding each and every sheet neatly and putting it down in the laundry hamper. It took a while, but you did not mind as it gave you time to savor the surrounding for a while longer.

Ready at last, you picked up the basket and began to walk toward the front door. As you looked up to the Sakura tree near the doorway, the two pigeons were now mating, the soft rustle of feathers and quiet guttural sounds accompanying the quick and ferocious ravage. You shook your head and smiled again.

The sweet scent of the spring air lingered on the linen now so neatly folded in the laundry basket that you were carrying. You sniffed the bedsheets, enjoying the fresh smell, and walked into the building closing the door behind you using one leg. The place was so quiet and clean, only a few dust particles were hovering in the ray of sunlight coming in through a side window. Other than that, it was spotless. Every time you had the Butterfly Mansion to yourself, you cleaned up and organized everything the way you wanted it to be. You took great pride in your unnoticed work. It did not bother you that you stayed in the shadows servicing the flamboyant, excentric hashiras, and demon slayers. You knew your effort provided them with a safe and cozy environment to recuperate and heal after their dangerous missions.

As you were walking through the long corridor, on your way to the storage room, you could not help but notice an open door at the very end of it. No one was supposed to be here at this time of day and you were told that the Hashira would all be out on missions this week. You slowed your footsteps and made them light and as silent as possible. But as you began nearing the room, quiet, muffled sounds were reaching your ears. At first, you thought that maybe the window was open and it was bird- and animal sounds that were coming in from the outside. And that maybe the opened window was what caused a draft that made an unlocked door fling undone. The closer you got though, the more you realised what these sounds were. You could now make out whispers and an occasional high-pitched giggle, blended with quiet moans and deep, raspy grunts… The sounds of, yes… sex…

Since you were quite unsatiated lately due to your lonely existence, your body began to react in that familiar and dizzying way. You quietened your steps even further and continued your advance toward the source of the lewd noises. It was now entirely obvious what was going on in that room and you began to make out familiar voices. Putting down the basket quietly on the floor, you decided to sneak up to the door and peek in. *Just a little peek* you told yourself. You did not want to be nosy, but at the same time, the urge to see what was going on was too strong, now that you were beginning to get aroused.

As you reached your destination, you could easily hide behind the half-open door and watch unnoticed, and there, on the bed were Mitsuri and Obanai, going at it like two rabbits. She was on her back, flushed cheeks, eyes closed, and moaning in pleasure, with Obanai between her legs humping away and eliciting deep grunts. He was squeezing her large and plump breasts and you could see how he was licking them and sucking on the erect little nipples adorning the two luscious and perfectly round plump mounds.

‘Oh, yes, baby. Suck them…just like that. This feels so good…’

‘You know how much I love these tits, my love. Just touching them makes me hard.’

He then whispered something inaudible in her ear, causing her to blush even more and giggle.

‘Well, make me come and then maybe I will let you put your cock between them. I wouldn’t mind some cum on my face.’

She giggled again and he grunted speeding up his pace.

Your panties were soaked now from this performance and your hand moved almost instinctively to touch yourself. At first, you were rubbing through the fabric, but soon enough, that was not enough and you moved them aside and began rubbing yourself between your folds, making your way to your now very stimulated clit.

Mitsuri was moaning louder now and within minutes, she climaxed, arching her back, causing her magnificent rack to bounce up a little. Obanai was not ready yet and he straddled her torso and positioned himself just beneath her breasts.

‘You promised’

He kissed her pouting mouth and squeezed her breast with his thighs, placing his cock between them, it was as if it got swallowed by them. He then began pumping and groaning loudly.

‘Fuuuuck…they feel good. I will not last long like this. Lick my tip, baby’

She stretched out her delicious little tongue and like a kitten lapping up milk, she was lapping up the precum on the tip of his cock whenever it was emerging from between the large tits.

‘I’m coming…oooh!’ He grunted and thick ropes of cum shot all over her neck and face.

You too were too aroused to hold back and came with a loud moan. And this was when they noticed their spectator.

‘What the fuck, I thought you said we were alone’ Obanai hissed, talking to Mitsuri, but looking annoyed in your direction.

‘No, dear, don’t be mad at her. We are the ones at fault here.’

She giggled and smiled at you.

‘Did you like what you saw?’

She tilted her head sweetly and you could not help, but think what an adorable person she really was.

‘You know, why don’t you join us? I feel like fucking some more.’

She turned to Obanai: ‘What do you say? Would you like some more? And think, fucking two girls instead of one. What a treat, hey?’

He mumbled something, but clearly, the temptation was taking the better of him, as you could see his cock already getting hard again.

‘All right, whatever you wish for, my sunshine.’ They kissed and Mitsuri stretched out a hand to you.

‘Come over, darling. Do not be shy. This will be fun.’ She smiled at you as you began walking over to her.

It was as if you were an insect lured in by the sweetness of honey, everything about Mitsuri oozed femininity and gentleness, it was as if she emanated a rosy aura that made your senses tingle and sing. Your slow, cautious footsteps at last placed you right next to her, touching her small, but surprisingly strong hand, you found yourself placing a kiss on her moist lips. It was as if you were in contact with a freshly bloomed rose, still moist with morning dew.

She began helping you to remove your clothes and very soon you were just as naked as the other two occupants of the room. Your eyes were fixated on her breast and she noticed.

‘Don’t be shy, sweetie. Touch them’

And without any more encouragement, you placed your hand on her roundness and began stroking and squeezing, causing her to moan a little. You continued to kiss, your tongues slowly finding each other and nudging gently between the softness of feminine lips. You could feel her hand slide down your belly, down to your sex, beginning to rub gently, with soft small movements. You did not want to leave her unattended and began to reciprocate the action.

The sweetness of it all was indescribable. A pleasure only comparable to biting into a plump, freshly made Sakura mochi or taking a cool bath after a hot day. There was heat too, a passion of a different kind, a wish for more, and a will to give. The lack of masculine aggression in the softness of both your actions and the pure and unadulterated lust for her touch was making your body almost limp. Your juices were streaming down your legs and you were both drowning in each other and in your arousal. You were getting very close to crossing over the line leading to the peaks of pleasure when you were interrupted by Obanai clearing his throat. He was obviously watching, engulfed in his own neediness, as you turned around, you could see him seated at the end of the futon, stroking his painfully hard cock.

Mitsuri looked at him with a smile, her hands still on your nipple and between your legs:

‘Oh, sorry Obi, we are neglecting you. How about you lie down and let us both take care of you.’

He did not wait and lay down flat lazily, while Mitsuri gave you another lewd kiss and directed you to where his head was.

‘How about we ride him... I take the cock and you take his face.’

You nodded and both of you took your respective positions facing each other. He groaned deeply as Mitsuri sank herself down on his hardness, her sweet high-pitched moaning making you want to touch her even more. She began riding him at a slow and gentle pace, her breasts bouncing only slightly. You were not fully seated on Obanai’s face yet, but that changed quickly when a pair of rough, strong hands grabbed your hips and pulled you down on his lips and stretched out tongue, that in an experienced manner found its way straight into your sopping wet pussy. You moaned now too as he was licking and swirling his tongue in and out of your opening.

‘Move a bit for me. You will have some more friction like that.’

You could hear him speak through the wet licking noises, his voice muffled by your cunt pressing on his mouth.

You began grinding your hips back and forth on his mouth, and sure enough, you started to feel so much more. As you worked out a good rhythm your attention went back to Mitsuri, who leaned into you, pressing her breasts against yours, the impossibly luscious softness against your own multiplied the pleasurable sensations and you began to caress her breasts and play with her nipples.

She reciprocated and soon you added the softest of kisses to the already so lustful actions. You felt on the edge of consciousness. Your core began to clench achingly and a few more bucks of your hips and you were squirting all over Obanai’s face while squealing noisily. As you kept riding out your high by continued grinding your hips on his mouth, you intensified your nipple action on Mitsuri’s breast. She could barely hold back and a moment later climaxed with a loud moan. The two of you were panting heavily, chests heaving and flushed cheeks covered with sweat. In the meantime, Obanai kept pumping into Mitsuri and as she kept kissing you, he threw a strong sloppy thrust into her and came with a quiet growl.

The three of you were now lying down, spent from your activities.

‘Well, that was quaint.’ Mitsuri giggled.

‘We should so do this more often, don’t you think?’

You could not help but agree. You nodded and closed your eyes, listening to the sweet sounds of spring coming through the window.

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[btsbabe7]

Rain Does Not Fall on One Roof Alone

Word Count: 4k

Pairing: Ominis Gaunt x reader, Sebastian Sallow x reader

Warnings!: 18+, unprotected sex, death of a friend

Synopsis: After the death of a mutual friend, you and Ominis try to find a way to navigate life together in the aftermath.

Miniature droplets fall from their rightful place in the sky, meeting each other on the glass pane that separates you from the outside world. When they’ve gathered enough, they form together as one and trail long, squiggly lines down the length of your bedroom window. The piano downstairs hums a sad tune, perfect for accompanying the gloomy overcast of spring and the tears gathering in your eye ducts. On days like this, you can’t help but think about it all—your final battle with Ranrok, the loss of your dearest teacher, Professor Fig, and in his own stubbornness, your best friend, Sebastian Sallow.

In the months following the battle with Ranrok, Ominis remained by your side. He had been there before the battle, and now, he remained glued to you. He knew you’d fall apart on your own. Your muggle mother didn’t know Sebastian and your father had departed from your life at the age of eight.

You have no one else.

Your mother doesn’t know Ominis either, nor does she know that he apparates into your bedroom most days and nights. He simply lies beside you, cuddles against your trembling body, and wipes away tears that spawn from your nightmares of watching Sebastian being taken from your life in the worst way possible by Ranrok.

In your dreams, you warn Sebastian not to come, that even your ancient magic and practice may be no match for Ranrok’s power. You were never sure you could save him and the school. And each time, he doesn’t listen. He still stumbles into the final repository against your advice, thinking he can help. Each time his life is taken before you can react. Each time you let out an excruciating wail, flinging defensive spell after defensive spell in hopes of reaching his body in time. You want to reach him with just enough time to tell him how idiotic he is for trying to save you, to tell him that his stubbornness will bring you everlasting, excruciating pain, and lastly, to tell him that you’ve loved him from the start.

And each time, there’s never enough time.

There wasn’t enough time.

Some days you wish you’d turned him in for his uncle’s death because surely it’d be easier to see him behind the grim bars of Azkaban than to never see him again at all. You should’ve hugged him after it all. He was so scared, so shocked at what he’d done and of Anne’s reaction to it that he couldn’t process the repercussions. Ominis had known the moment you two both apparated back into the concealment of The Undercroft. He hadn’t given you much time to process it all, to help Sebastian get through it all. Ultimately, you decided that you couldn’t imagine a life where you’d have to travel to that dreadful prison to visit your best friend. He was far too young to be there, too young to have it eat him alive all alone, too young to have his life ripped away. Ominis simply agreed, though you know he only agreed because it was you making the final decision.

Ominis shuffles under the blankets beside you, bringing your attention back to present. His thick brows scrunch and fall flat, his eyelids twitch and his natural pink lips pull into a sheepish, childlike smile.

“Sebastian?” He chuckles innocently, softly in the safety of his dreams and your childhood bedroom.

Your lips quiver, nose scrunching against the burning sensation that overtakes it. It crinkles against the crocodile tears in your eyes and the loud sob that jolts Ominis from the peace of his dream.

“Y/n?” Ominis calls, his voice deep with sleepiness.

“I’m sorry for waking you. I… I—“

“Come here,” he whispers and pulls you down into his arms.

In the safeness of his arms, he pulls the blanket over your body and nestles you against his chest. You can feel the tears collecting against the softness of his t-shirt under your cheek, the feeling of his hand stroking soft passes over your curls, his voice telling you it’s okay to feel this way and that he’ll never leave your side until you tell him to.

“I can’t stop thinking about how it happened. How he was so stubborn until the end. How I had to witness it. How it still haunts me in my dreams, my nightmares…”

Ominis doesn’t say anything, but his pearlescent eyes stare straight ahead at your ceiling. You can feel his heartbeat begin to slow underneath you.

Shallow and deep.

Heartbroken.

A tear slips from the corner of his eye and disappears into the strands of his of his blonde hair.

“Try to remember him as he was during his best times. Perhaps in The Undercroft or in class. Battling together in Crossed Wands. Or when I’d met him and Anne when we were just children. Things would be so different had we not met you at all.”

You feel queasy. You’d never stopped blaming yourself for his death, but you didn’t know Ominis thought that way too.

“But had we not met you, Anne wouldn’t be cured,” he continues. “Sebastian would’ve driven himself looney searching for a cure. He wouldn’t want you to be sad. He’d want you to find happiness and be surrounded by friends and people who care for you.”

You hate that you’d rather have a cursed Anne over a dead Sebastian and for your own selfish reasons nonetheless. You hate that you’d rather search the entire Earth to find a cure with Sebastian going insane than to face the immense suffering of losing him forever.

“You’re my only friend, Ominis. The others don’t understand, they weren’t there. And what could they say besides, ‘sorry?’”

“We both lost him. Anne lost him too. And we’ve been sulking for a year now. Perhaps we should pay a visit?”

Your heart stops, stuck and frozen in time.

You both hadn’t been to the burial site since it all happened. Professor Weasley had commended Professor Fig and Sebastian on their ‘unmatched bravery and commitment’ to the school, and to you. You blamed yourself for it all, always. For the ancient magic you possess, for not saying no to Professor Fig when he accompanied you to your final battle, for not telling Sebastian how you felt earlier, and for not admitting that you wanted nothing more than to be wrapped in his arms at the end of it all.

A soft gasp slips from your lips and you hold Ominis tightly, letting out the lingering sobs the very moment you catch your breath again.

About an hour later, you find yourself walking down endless rows of gravestones. The warmth of Ominis’ soft hand in yours keeps you centered as a red light flashes at the tip of his wand—a beacon of sorts, which he used to navigate the corridors of Hogwarts, and now, the distantly familiar cemetery. Luckily, his wand remembers the way because in your own grief you’d both be lost for hours.

Ominis had asked you to help him into something nice, even asked you to tie his emerald tie to keep your mind off other things. Despite the set destination, he looked charming. His blonde hair combed back neatly and a teasing smile on his face as you sighed in frustration over the tie instead of in sorrow.

“This damned tie,” you’d muttered. “Don’t they have a spell to tie these things?”

“I’m sure you could find one in your rather extensive book collection.”

You’d scoffed at the sudden knowledge of him snooping through your room when you do finally fall asleep.

“Surely you’ll help me find one on it then?” you sighed, thinking back to the time you’d first passed Ominis and Sebastian at the start of your fifth year.

Natsai had been giving you a tour when you’d spotted the duo at the base of the Defense Against the Dark Arts Tower. Sebastian had been chomping on the crispiest, crimson apple you’d ever laid eyes upon and Ominis toyed with an upside down book in his hands. You hadn’t known he was blind at the time, but it was an ongoing joke between the pair that you’d later be let in on.

“I will give it my best,” Ominis had laughed, putting an emphasis on eye-will like Sebastian would have.

You’d laughed for the first time in a year.

“Should be about here,” Ominis mutters, once again drawing your attention back to your current reality.

You stop short, your feet and heart weighing heavily on the wet grass beneath you. The soil underneath feels bouncy like walking on a trampoline. Something you were able to enjoy before you knew you possessed the power of magic, before you’d been sent away to learn how to control it. You hate to see him like this, something you can’t control—Sebastian tucked away neatly in the best coffin you and Ominis could afford, six feet under the Earth you both still tread on daily. You’d give anything to hear his laugh again, another sarcastic quip, to smell the embers of a lingering Confringo on his emerald, embroidered school robe when you’d follow him out of The Undercroft in the early mornings.

Tears flood your eyes again and deep grey clouds swim above your head, daring to squeeze out more heavy droplets. Daring to overtake you completely. But Ominis finds his way back to your side, immediately taking your hand in his again and slowly inching you closer.

He’d only stepped away for seconds.

“It’s alright, Y/n,” he whispers the moment the grave comes into view.

You have a clear view, the clearest ever. Just feet away, the headstone reads, Sebastian Sallow with a cursive epitaph engraved underneath that’s already begun to wither away from the constant rain, the general erosion of rock.

You want to cry.

You want to scream.

You want to curse Ranrok for taking the one person you loved the most away from you. Away from Ominis, and even Anne, who you know would have forgiven him with time had she not been denied the chance.

You all had been denied the chance.

And though you want to cry, nothing comes out. As if all your tears have run dry over a year of endlessly sorrow.

Ominis was right. Sebastian wouldn’t want you to be sad. He’d be happy that Ominis took you in, that you two still had each other in a world where people can become distant. He’d hate the idea of Ominis sleeping in your bed at night. Had he still been here and that was the case, he’d go on a jealous rant about how it should be him instead. You’d both laugh about it, then you’d invite both him and Ominis over for cuddles.

It should be him, but it’s not. And perhaps that means something too.

You lean onto Ominis’ right shoulder and he holds you tightly, resting his cheek against the crown of your head with a breathy sigh. You recognize it as an attempt to hold back the tears he only lets out at night, long after he thinks you’re asleep. Sometimes you pretend to be, knowing he’d say it’s nothing had he known you were actually awake. In those times, you scoot in closer and hug him a bit tighter.

You do the same now as an attempt to calm Ominis and to look away from the grave. You can’t bear the sight. You never could.

“Ominis,” you breathe, now looking over his shoulder at a plethora of unnamed graves.

There’s a chill here, but also a newfound sense of peace. These people are no longer in pain, no longer fighting the struggles of love and loss and life.

They are truly resting.

Sebastian is resting.

Sebastian is finally resting in peace.

You can feel it in the air. In the way a warm breeze sweeps over you, pulling you closer to Ominis. It whispers to you that it’s finally okay to move on, to accept that though Sebastian had been your first love, a love you only got to experience shortly, there’s much more love to be discovered.

You rub your palm over Ominis’ right shoulder, breathing in softly the moment you both gaze at each other. He looks perfect—tie still tied skillfully, his blonde hair remaining neat, and his tears have dried as if in the same moment you both had the same realization.

“Y/n…” he starts wearily, hesitantly.

You hum in response and caress the side of his face.

“I—“

“I know, Ominis,” you finally breathe, nuzzling into him.

His brows fall in relief and in realization. A gentle smile pulls at the corners of his lips, one you haven’t seen except in glimpses throughout the year. In all the time Sebastian had been gone, Ominis had been there, even before. He’s never left your side and he never would. And you find nothing but comfort in his presence, something you’ve long craved, even before Sebastian.

“I crave you,” he says and takes a deep breath before pulling you in. “But I know I’m not him.”

You caress his other cheek, wiping his falling tears away with your thumbs before leaning in closer. His lips are right there—damp, pink and glistening even in the overcast.

“I don’t need you to be him. Just keep being Ominis.”

He chuckles nervously, “ I don’t think I could be anyone else.”

You nod softly, tears in both your eyes as he caresses the sides of your face and leans in the rest of the way.

It takes your brain seconds to realize you’re actually kissing Ominis because it simply feels like a dream, a distant one you’ve had before. Like déjà vu. But once you both deepen the kiss, you know it’s real, and it feels so right.

“We should go,” you whisper against him.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Ominis presses back into you and you both drop your hands into each others. Within an instant, you’ve been apparated into your room, but you don’t need to pull away from Ominis’ lips to know. It’s the smell of blueberry pie slipping under the crack of your locked door and the familiarity of the mattress underneath your bodies.

You untie his tie effortlessly, then tug at the small buttons of his shirt until they come undone. You slip back from his lips, running a hand down his bare chest between you two as he sits up to kiss into your jawline. He untucks the hem of your shirt and plants his hands firmly against the bare flesh of your waist. You drop your hips completely with the overwhelming urgency to feel friction clouding your thoughts. Ominis mews softly underneath you, allowing his hands to travel further down until they’re planted firmly on your ass to guide your rocking hips back and forth. He’s never touched you this way, but it feels as if he has so many times. As if he should be more often.

He lies back as you reach for his belt and grins towards the ceiling sheepishly. You can’t get the view of him spawn out like this out of your mind, and like fuel to a fire, you both undress each other impatiently. Then, Ominis’ hands pine into your doughy flesh, caressing and rubbing all the right places as you grind against him. Part of you can’t believe the feeling of him hard against you. The other part that believes is starved for him, yearning to feel his length inside of you.

A perfect storm.

As Ominis works his briefs downward, your head begins to spin at the thought of having sex and you find yourself blurting the words before your mind can fully wrap around the thought.

“I’ve never had sex before.”

Ominis stops short, his reddened cock springing from the thin fabric simultaneously.

“Neither have I.”

You aren’t sure why you sigh in relief, but that’s how it feels when Ominis pulls you closer and takes your lips against his. He caresses the side of your neck with one hand, and with the other, he slowly glides the tip of his erection up and down your length until you both feel your petals unfold for him. A moan spills into his mouth as you take in the pleasure and mentally prepare for the pain you know is to come. But Ominis goes slowly, working the tip back and forth until you’re moaning and wet enough for his liking.

“Are you alright?” He hums against your parted lips.

“Mhm. I think I’m ready.”

He pulls you closer once more, until your bare breasts are pressed firmly against the flatness of his chest. And as he begins to press through your tightness, you bury your mouth into the crook of his neck. You feel the pressure first when he slips the head inside, his length following little by little. He lets out a soft breath at the feeling. In and back out, then in a bit further. It feels foreign, both painful and pleasantly pleasurable. And once you’re sure it’s in, he grips your hips and guides them flush to his groin.

You let out a helpless yelp. Clearly he wasn’t completely inside, but he is now.

“Still alright?”

“Mhm.” That’s all you can manage with your walls clenching around the girth stuffed inside you.

You sit up slowly, just enough to keep him stuffed inside as you do. With both legs on either side of him, you bring your palms to either side of the pillow beneath his head and begin rolling your hips back and forth. A deep groan escapes his parted lips and he keeps his hands on your hips as you ride him the only way you know how. His eyes are squeezed shut and his bottom lip is tucked between his teeth. And as much as he seems to be in heaven, he also looks as if he’s trying to concentrate on something. You don’t bother asking what, instead you come up a bit, close your eyes too and toss your head back towards the ceiling. You let all the pleasure and pulsating and your empty mind overtake you entirely.

After a minute or so, your body flushes hot and you perk up quickly. Ominis’ heavy breathing has turned into frantic pants. His grip on your hips had loosened to explore your body—your taut breasts, the hardness of your protruding nipples, the softness of your belly, the goosebumps that prickled against your arms and thighs at the bursts of sheer pleasure, but now they were tight on your hips again, almost cutting skin.

“Y-Y/n,” Ominis sputters shakily. “Think I’m going t—“

“Omi,” you interrupt in a sharp, sudden pant. You feel the very heat that’d started in your chest creep into the depths of your core. You tried to hold it back, tried to keep it at bay, but much like a tidal wave, it reappears and dares to wash over you. “Ominis!”

You mewl deeply.

You aren’t sure if he sensed it first, the tightening of your walls around him, but his nose and lips twitch violently at the feeling. He pulls you down suddenly and crashes his lips against yours wildly. His tongue presses into your mouth and you let out a loud moan against it. Trembling, you grip his bicep with your left hand and falter down to your right elbow. Your thighs shake as the violent wave overtakes you and leaves your tightening and shaking against his faltering thrusts.

Ominis’ name almost rolls off your tongue again, but with a violent hiss, he slips out of you immediately. You feel warm, sticky spurts against your thighs and lie down against his damp body. His heart is practically leaping out of his chest, the erratic beat thumping pummels against your right ear and his breathy pants fill your left.

You trace your fingertip over his left nipple and he shutters slightly, letting out a choked chuckle.

“I didn’t think I’d be able to stop,” he mutters once his heaving chest falters a bit. “You feel amazing inside.”

“Om…” you groan nervously, heat rising to your cheeks at the thought.

“I’m sorry,” he mutters softly and begins stroking your curls.

Silence falls over the room, aside from the pitter-pattering of the rain picking up on your windowpane again. You swear you hear thunder in the distance, but maybe it’s just the sound of your own heart.

“Sebastian should have been your first,” Ominis whispers out of nowhere. Your head shoots up and you give him a warning glance, and though you know he can’t see it, he must sense it. “I mean to say, he was in love with you. He’d told me once… one night after we’d snuck out of The Undercroft back to our dorms. ‘I think I’m in love with her,’ were his exact words. I can’t hold onto them anymore.”

You fight back the tears you feel forming in the ducts of your eyes and the heaviness of your weak legs.

Why would he tell you this now?

You pull your emotions together and lie against him again.

You think of Ominis.

You think of Sebastian.

You think of yourself.

“I believe you were meant to be my first,” you hum softly and trace the length of his collarbone. “With Sebastian, it would’ve been rushed, rough even. I’m happy that my first time was soft, gentle, and with someone who cares about me. Someone I love.”

Ominis’ heart skips a beat and his cheeks grow warm against your scalp.

“Perhaps it’s also time I admit that I’m in love with you.” He states it so softly that you’re sure you misheard. So, you prop yourself up to be sure.

“You’re in love with me?”

He takes in a deep breath to steady his heartbeat that’s begun to pummel in his chest again.

“I have for a long time, Y/n. From the start, though for Sebastian’s sake, I had to conceal it. I had no choice, he was my best friend.”

“We all have a choice,” you reply. “I wish I’d known sooner.”

“No,” he sighs. “It’s happened this way for a reason and it was meant to be this way. Not a second sooner.”

You take in what he says and analyze it. Had Sebastian been here, he’d fight Ominis to the death for your heart, that’s just the kind of person he was. Ultimately, it’d probably cost them their friendship or cost them yours. As for yourself, you know you wouldn’t have been able to choose between your very first love, one who’d kept you on your toes, and the boy who’d been there for you since the start, the one whose shoulder you knew you could cry on no matter how bad things got.

Ominis is right.

He’s always been right.

You cant bring yourself to say anything more and you’re sure Ominis is racking his own brain, thinking he’s chosen the wrong time to admit his love for you.

You kiss his cheek and pull your quilt up after draping your leg over him. You listen to his audible sigh of relief as you stroke your thumb against his jawline. You place a kiss there too until he gets the hint to bring his lips closer. Once he does, you caress the side of his face and press into him eagerly. And when he pulls away, you let out in a soft breath, “I love you so much, Omi.”

He straightens his head, resting it on the open palm of his right hand. His eyes are closed to the ceiling and his nose twitches softly. Your eyes follow the silent tear that slips down his face.

He smirks softly, then whispers, “I love you more than you’ll ever know. And thank you for being here through my worst times.”

With a soft smile, you both cuddle into each other. And for once, in over a year, you both fall into a deep sleep, full of nothing but happiness, with not a single tear in sight.

Please be sure to check out my other latest fics:

⚡︎ Perfect Storm (m.) - Ominis Gaunt x reader

⚡︎ Untitled (m.) - Sebastian Sallow x Ominis Gaunt x reader

⚡︎ Coffee (Love You a Latte) - Sebastian Sallow x reader

⚡︎ Golden - Sebastian Sallow x reader

⚡︎ For You Always (m.) - Severus Snape x reader

⚡︎ HP: November Prompt Challenge (days 1-30)

~ Navi: masterlist (all fandoms)

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction, but please don’t copy! Written purely for fun :) Please only repost to other socials w/my permission and credit! Reblogging w/credit is fine. Thank you! ♡

May 2024

[awakeningthevioletswithin]

What Cuties, Spring Fling, You're Making Me Blush (Private Collection)

Watercolor on Black Paper

2023, 9"x 12"

Daffodils

Tip Toe Past The Tulips With Me

Watercolor On Black Cotton Paper

2023, 10"x 14

White and Pink Daffodils

[diana-bluewolf]

It’s the fanfic I wrote about in the previous post

—------------------------------

Word count: ~4500

Warnings: passive suicidal ideation (don’t ask me how I ended up here with a funny comic as a base); m/m; not proofread.

English is not my first language - sorry for the mistakes!  

Additional tags: Ominis/M!MC, hurt-comfort, demisexual MC, SFW

Summary: Chris had read that “I’d die for you” thing in some books. It didn’t make any sense to him because it didn’t sound like a big deal. He’d die for himself. But when he thought about Ominis’s words echoing around the Undercroft, he realised that for the moon-eyed boy he was ready to make a much more labour-consuming sacrifice. 

He’d live for him.

—------------------------------

When I feel so alone out here And freedom means I am lost When every day seems a slow-motion suicide You reignite my lust for life Lust for Life Song by Poets of the Fall

"Guess who's back!" 

Sebastian raised his head from the book he was reading on his bed to find Chris at the doorway to their dorm. 

"Oh, you were away?" teased Sebastian, grinning and arching his eyebrow. Ominis, who was resting on a small couch next to the fireplace, rolled his eyes and tilted his head towards Chris, smiling.

It was Friday evening. The lessons had recently ended, and the only thing keeping the students indoors was the spring rain outside. Besides, the N.E.W.T.s were approaching, so there was no time to relax.

“Aww, it’s so nice to be missed,” said Chris theatrically as he threw his shabby case on the floor next to his bed and shot Sebastian a smirk. The green-eyed boy was soaking wet after walking in the rain and took out his wand to dry himself, but instead came over to Sebastian and shook his head like a dog, spraying his friend with water.

Sebastian laughed and tried to kick Chris away, but he dodged, smirking.

“Well, I have to admit,” Sebastian said, watching Chris casting the drying spell on himself, ”it was a bit problematic to maintain the same level of chaos in the castle for the last two weeks. But I did my be –”

“Two weeks and four days,” objected Ominis hastily.  

Chris blinked in surprise and then beamed at the blond, who now was pursing his lips as if he said something wrong. Apart from that, Ominis looked just as collected and neat as usual, but something was off. Apparently, Chris got lost in his thoughts while watching Ominis because he didn't hear Sebastian asking him a question.

"Sorry, what did you say?" Chris returned to reality, realising that Sebastian was staring at him with a strange expression.

Sebastian suddenly clicked his tongue and exclaimed, "Blimey, look at the time! I've got to dash." He shut his book and jumped off the bed, heading towards the door.

"Wha – Why?" Chris furrowed, puzzled by his friend's sudden haste. 

"No time to explain – an urgent matter!" exclaimed Sebastian. As he ran past Chris, he tripped over and crashed into the other boy, shoving him towards the couch where Ominis was sitting. "My bad, guys! See you later!" And with that, he disappeared in the doorway.

Chris lost balance and landed atop shocked Ominis. He only managed to fling out his hand and prop it against the wall behind the couch to prevent himself from smashing into the blind boy at full speed. 

Ominis twitched and breathed out madly, “What the hell are you –“ trying to feel the intruder with his hands to understand what had happened. 

“It’s my knee,” commented Chris quietly when Ominis’s hand grasped the mentioned part of his body. 

“Sorry, I have no idea what gave Sebastian the impression I needed some flying practice,” uttered Chris. He attempted to stand up but froze halfway, looking at Ominis under him, their faces barely an inch apart.

Ominis, who could feel Chris’s breath on his lips, forced himself to speak through clenched teeth, "Oh, I will organise some flying practice for him later."

From the Astronomy tower.

An urgent matter. Of course, Sebastian did it on purpose. He was the only one who knew. 

_________

It had happened the night before.

A thud had pulled Sebastian out of his dream, and he had found Ominis on the floor on all fours, tangled in his blanket and groping around with trembling hands for his wand.

“Hey,” Sebastian kneeled beside his best friend, “I’m here, buddy. What has happened?” He found Ominis’s wand on the floor and pressed it into the blind boy’s palm. “Looking for this?” 

Ominis grasped the wand and sat on the floor, leaning heavily on his bed. 

“What has happened?” repeated the question Sebastian. “Was it a nightmare?”

Ominis, throwing his head backwards, only nodded slightly, his lips pursed.

“I thought they were gone,” said Sebastian, sitting on the floor next to Omins and realising it had been a long time since something like this had happened. 

“I thought so, too,” Ominis finally uttered, “but…it’s just…I guess it’s a…”

Sebastian waited for his usually composed and eloquent friend to find the right words in the silence of their dorm. 

“Him,” Ominis finally managed to say as if his throat was squeezed. 

_________

If someone at the start of his fifth year had told Ominis how much his opinion about Chris Mongrel would change, he would have offered them to visit St Mungo, just in case, to check their mental state. The new student had been just a class clown with a finger in every pie, not to mention that he had seemed to keep pulling Sebastian into dangerous activities.  

The Neophyte. It was what Ominis used to call that new show-off because the Heir of Slytherin was irritated by the new boy’s real name, pronounced by Sebatian too often. The new fifth year was manipulative, could lie with the most sincere expression and was the last person Ominis could think good of.

Nevertheless, of all people, it was Chris who eventually turned into the only source of warmth that could at least slightly dispel the cold of Dark Magic that Ominis found himself surrounded by - the cold of Sebastian’s despair. It was Chris who made great efforts to save Ominis’s friendship with Sebastian despite all the pressure he had on his shoulders due to the goblin rebellion. It was Chris who was there for him when Ominis needed it most, and if not for him, Ominis probably would have done another thing he would regret forever - turning Sebastian in. 

But then…Then Professor Fig died.

Chris became withdrawn and indifferent to anything around him, barely communicating with anyone. Even when he did, he was rude and obnoxious. By the start of their sixth year, Chris pushed away everyone. They didn’t talk for months. The only thing he paid attention to was lessons and schoolwork. Chris became an even more brilliant student than before. The teachers loved him. The students kept away. 

Some tried to bully him, but it looked like Chris just waited for this. His revenge was cruel enough to get him expelled. But the Hero of Hogwarts could make an innocent face when needed, and since he was the teachers’ favourite, he got away with everything.

Meanwhile, Ominis struggled with nightmares more than usual after the events of the fifth year. The scream of the muggle that he tortures with Crucio… this time followed by Avada Kedavra spell cast by him. Anne cries after burying Solomon, but this time, she blames Ominis for helping Sebastian find the relic. Sebastian killed his uncle, but this time, Ominis meets his best friend in Azkaban after turning him in. Chris disappears from the hospital wing in the turmoil after the fight for Hogwarts, but this time is found dead later. 

Ominis often couldn't fall asleep, and since being trapped with his thoughts in the night silence of their dorm was unbearable, he came to the common room after lights out. Chris seemed to deal with the same, so they often encountered each other there.  

The brunet usually would leave to sneak out of the castle without saying a word. As Ominis found out later, at best, Chris would sleep, curling up beside his "little" pet, Misha the Wolf, in the Forbidden Forest, because it was giving him the illusion of not being alone. At worst, he would indulge in that habit. The one that made Ominis feel cold inside. The habit of chasing for the opportunity to die. 

No, Chris didn't actually try to kill himself on purpose. But he never endeavoured to keep his life safe either. The boy simply didn't care. Whenever there was an opportunity to risk his life – Merlin knew how Chris managed to find them, whether it be killing a poorly trained troll or wandering into a cave full of Acromantulas just to find a thing of sentimental value for one of the nearby villagers – he would go for it eagerly. 

It lasted until the middle of their sixth year, when one night, Ominis found Chris bleeding in the Undercroft. The brunet didn’t want to go to the hospital; he had no Wiggenweld potions left and was generally too weak to care for himself. Ominis knew some basic healing spells – he had to learn them because of his idiot of a friend (for both of them, actually). 

Ominic treated the other boy’s wounds, clenching his teeth in silence. When he finished and was about to leave without saying a word, he heard that indifferent voice with a hint of mockery. The first words Chris had told him in the last half year.

"Thank you, Dr Gaunt. I'm looking forward to the next appointment."

Here, the author doubts whether it would be offensive to present Ominis’s answer as it was to the noble ears of the reader. So here is the censored version:

"Your life belongs to you, and I can't make you treat your belongings as I want, so I just ask you – No, I beg you – Keep. It. Safe. You lost someone you hold dear. I understand that. But you know what? You are not the only one here who came through this. And now you're endangering the life of another person I care about - and you don't even give me a chance to help him! You did so much to save my friendship with Sebastian. Why don't you even try to save ours?!" 

As mentioned above, it didn't sound like that exactly. It was pronounced in a mad voice and with a couple or two eloquent curses that were odd to hear from Ominis. Chris also didn't yet know that it was possible to beg someone for something by grabbing that someone by the collar and slamming them into a wall. 

Ominis had no idea how or why, but it seemed to have an effect. The next night, when they came across in the common room, Chris suddenly said “Hi” before leaving. Despite them being alone, Ominis wasn’t even sure it was addressed to him. The other night, they exchanged a couple of awkward words. The next night, they had a little meaningless conversation about a book Ominis was reading to distract himself. The night after, Chris suddenly offered to read aloud to Ominis. 

The next time, Chris suddenly stopped reading and put away the book to apologise for being a jerk all that time. That brought a string of heated discussions when slipping to blaming or resentment alternated with climbing the steep mountain of understanding each other.

Not every night was smooth. Too much had happened. Too much they both closed their hearts. But none of them stopped coming to the common room after lights out. 

Eventually, they rebuilt the wall they set up between each other into a cosy little house, in which both of them felt comfortable and knew where to put their shoes so that they wouldn't irritate the other one or which plaid to choose to cover the housemate when he was cold. It was the house they didn't want to leave, the house they could call home. In fact, it was the only place both of them could call home.

Chris became softer with others, too, and even though he still remained true to himself with most of them, being detached and manipulative, there was another side of him that only Ominis knew. The Chris, who was selfless, caring and reliable. Some might say he was too caring, as annoyingly overprotective as one can be. 

But for Ominis, it was an oasis he could immerse himself in and dissolve his unsettling thoughts. Floating in the void of his blindness and being raised in a family where the threat could come from any direction, Ominis perceived the world as precarious, to say the least. The price for this was his nightmares. 

Ominis used to hate nights, but now he couldn’t wait for when he and Chris would meet alone, following their unspoken tradition. He loved their conversations or just the silence they shared when they were too tired to talk, and he especially found pleasure in hearing the other’s voice, which was reading to him, quite deep and low for the owner’s age – the voice that soothed Ominis and filled him with warmth, the voice that made him feel safe.

First, Ominis began to fall asleep easier. Then, his nightmares started to fade until they dissolved almost completely. And then, in their seventh year, he found himself having new dreams. These were… good. Too good, but also causing concerns – dreams that were inappropriate towards a friend. 

Ominis wasn’t ashamed of them and cherished this new feeling that had bloomed in the soil, soaked with guilt, grief and fear. However, the boy was not going to reveal his secret and risk what he obtained, especially since Chris had never shown interest in a romantic relationship with anyone. 

Little did Ominis know how Chris’s absence would impact him. The longer the other was away, the more often Ominis woke up terrified because the old nightmares were returning. Last night seemed to be the last straw, so when Sebastian asked him what was happening to him, Ominis couldn’t stand it anymore. He needed to get all the emotions boiling in him off his chest. All the time, he wanted to tell Chris the truth, but was afraid. The way he missed the voice he loved so badly. 

He had told Sebastian the truth. 

He had fallen in love with their friend. 

The friend whose presence had made his nightmares disappear.   

_________

Ominis had made Sebastian swear he wouldn't tell Chris anything. But Sebastian wouldn't be Sebastian if he hadn't found a loophole in his promise. Why would he wait for his friends to take the first step towards each other if he could just throw one into another? It was a much more efficient way to shorten distances than steps, wasn't it?

If Ominis' thoughts weren't occupied by his current predicament and the panic growing in him because of Chris's proximity, he would be mad at Sebastian. Or should he thank him? How else could Ominis get a chance to become closer to the one who, although attentive in general, was absolutely oblivious when it came to romantic feelings? And thinking about it – really, how? Like this, by accident? That wasn't right.  

But Chris was so close. His warmth. His weight, pressing Ominis into the couch. His smell – the mixture of ink, pine and …was it Wiggenweld potion? 

Just like before. 

Did Chris need it again recently? Ominis hoped it had stayed in the past. 

Perhaps this concerning thought was the only thing keeping him from pulling Chris closer and reducing the little distance between them to nothing. In fact, Ominis knew that he had to push Chris away but hoped that Chris would be the one to get off the couch (and, well, him) first. For some reason, the brunet didn't hurry to do it.

Meanwhile, Chris used the opportunity to look at Ominis closer. The blond's face was crimson now, but it wasn't that that bothered Chris – just a normal human reaction to a violation of personal space. Chris had difficulties understanding what personal space is. Of course, it's better to keep away from people as much as possible – it's simply easier this way. But if you already interact with them – what's wrong if you stand too close to someone? 

But it mattered to others, and Ominis, Chris did know, valued his personal space even more than people usually did. Chris would have stepped away immediately if not for a detail that caught his attention – the dark circles under Ominis’s eyes. 

Just like before. 

When Chris had left half a month ago, he had thought Omnis would finally have an opportunity to rest from him. Deep down, he was always afraid – what if Ominis was spending so much time with him out of sheer politeness or, worse, pity? 

In his fifth year, Chris had been sure that if people were “kind” to him, it was just because they needed something from him. Why had Sebastian been so friendly with him when he had arrived at Hogwarts? Obviously, because of ancient magic, which could potentially be a key to healing Anne. All this nonsense about “friendship” was just a convention, a game played as long as it was beneficial, a fairytale to fantasise about. 

But then there was Ominis, who didn’t conform to the idea that friendship was a mere cooperation. For some reason, he cared for Sebastian no matter what, despite all the disadvantages. And then Chris began to doubt. What if friendship really existed as it was described in books? At least in rare cases? Inside, he always wanted to believe in it, but his rational side made fun of his naivety. But what if he did find a proof? 

It became important for Chris to save the friendship between the two Slytherins at all costs because if it fell, so would all his childish hopes that he, too, could be someone���s friend one day. 

Who was he to Ominis? Chris didn't lie to himself – of course, he was just a convenient tool to handle Sebastian. Anyway, he idolised Ominis like a magizoologist would worship a unique fantastic beast they had just discovered. 

And then Fig died. 

Sitting there, somewhere under Hogwarts, alone, absolutely alone as usual, next to the body of the only person closest to the notion of family Chris had ever had, the boy got mad at himself. 

Why is he so obsessed with others? Why does he still hope so desperately to obtain the illusion of family? To find a magical creature named ‘friend’ from fairytales? Why does he keep hurting himself with shards of shattered hope when he can just be alone and not care about anyone?

Sink or swim. It was always his motto in the orphanage. He was alone, and he always would be. Why did he suddenly start to hope for something else in Hogwarts? Stupid, he was so stupid. It was time to accept it and grow up. 

He had never valued his life. But after Fig had died, Chris started to hate that he was alive and often sneaked out of the castle in the hope that a particular goblin, troll or poacher would become the last.

Too bad he was good at surviving. 

Until that time in the Undercroft. Chris was finally so close to ending this meaningless turmoil. And then Ominis intervened. Of course, The Saint and Noble one had to heal The Loser to be even more perfect. 

But when Ominis was pressing him against the wall and kept yelling at him, Chris realised that the blond wasn't mad because of Chris's disdainful and arrogant attitude. The words that Ominis was spitting into his face weren't the words Chris had expected to hear. 

Ominis was desperate. For some reason, he was really afraid for Chris and valued his life more than Chris himself ever did – not for something, but in spite of everything, as if Chris were someone like Sebastian to him.

After Ominis had left, his words echoed in Chris's ears for a long time as he slid down the wall onto the dirty floor of the Undercroft. The person Ominis cared about? Their friendship? Could it be that Chris had been Ominis's friend all that time? The thought was totally new and shocking for him.

It was hard to believe in it. 

Impossible. 

But doesn’t rage often work like Veritaserum? And Ominis had been mad. He had been so mad that Chris feared that if he had said a word, Ominis would have killed him on the spot and become even madder.

When Hope, the dying creature with broken wings inside of Chris, tried to draw attention to itself, the boy became irritated that he wanted to listen to it again instead of kicking it away. But this new theory was worth investigating. What was he losing? 

Starting to speak with Ominis again was one of the hardest things he had ever done (and he had defeated Ranrok). What if he understood it all wrong and would just impose himself on the blind boy? What if their last interaction had at last destroyed whatever they had had? What if Ominis would just push him away, laughing? But the experiment should be continued. 

The results exceeded Chris’s wildest expectations. Ominis not only accepted him as if nothing had happened and gave him enough time to gather himself together to apologise. For some miraculous reason, Chris felt that Ominis needed his mere presence – not something from him – even when they just sat together next to the fireplace, listening to the quiet song of fire. 

Following the sink-or-swim motto, Chris wasn't used to caring for someone. But now he was ready to give anything at all, only to see Ominis smiling, to make him happy. And every time Chris succeeded, he couldn't be happier himself. He almost forgot that itching desire to find an excuse to risk his life. 

But when he was away, the old doubts began to haunt him. Why would someone so perfect as Ominis want to be around someone like Chris, whose life was just a mess? The guy without a past, broken present, and a future, whose arrival he was endangering. 

The more time he spent away from Ominis, the louder the voice in his head pushed him to do something stupid until it finally got the better of him. 

The incident with ashwinders only cost him one Wiggenweld potion. 

But it was enough to bring back memories of Ominis beating some sense into him in the Undercroft.

No matter what, Ominis wanted him safe. 

Chris had read that “I’d die for you” thing in some books. It didn’t make any sense to him because it didn’t sound like a big deal. He’d die for himself. But when he thought about Ominis’s words echoing around the Undercroft, he realised that for the moon-eyed boy he was ready to make a much more labour-consuming sacrifice. 

He’d live for him.

So Chris had made sure the last incident had been really the last one. 

Anyway, he had missed Ominis deeply, so seeing him today was a relief. But Merlin - the blond looked so tired. 

“You didn’t sleep well recently”, Chris said quietly, slowly running his right thumb under Ominis’s left eye.

That voice, the voice Ominis loved and missed so much, sounded so gentle, so concerned, and so…close. The touch felt like an electric jolt. Ominis’s head was spinning, the heart pounding in his ears and racing so fast, forcing his breathing to quicken, but it was a trap because he inhaled more of Chris’s smell now, and that was the end of Ominis’s composure. 

He reached out his hand and lowered it on Chris’s back of the head. Someone stop him! He ran his fingers through the short strands. That wasn't right! Clinging to the last echoes of reason, Ominis whispered, pulling Chris closer, “Aren’t you going to stand up? Someone might see us and jump to conclus –” 

The door flung open, revealing one of their housemates, a boy with jet-black hair and chocolate eyes, holding a book.

“Hey Ominis, you – ” he broke off. The short pause was followed by a flow of frantic “Sorry!” and the sound of rapidly fading footsteps.

Chris jumped off the couch and glanced at the retreating intruder. That was an impressive running speed, he had to admit. Perhaps they scared the boy even more than he did them. “Like this?” he asked, amused.

“Precisely like this,” Ominis sounded bitter. The warmth, the smell, the weight – everything disappeared, leaving him with his heart beating wildly. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and interlocking his fingers tightly. 

Chris tilted his head, watching the blond. Was Ominis so upset because that boy misinterpreted what he saw? The brunet wouldn’t care about it, but Ominis looked frustrated, which was something to care about. Chris had to fix it. 

”I…I will go and try to find him. Explain that it was a mistake,” he said, trying not to imagine what it would look like. 

Hi buddy! It wasn’t what you think it was. I fell on him. What? No, I normally don’t fall on people like this, so yeah, you’re safe. Chris shook his head. Maybe he would need to come up with a lie that would sound more plausible than the truth. But it was the problem of the future Chris.

“Right,” Ominis simply brought out. Chris was about to leave but suddenly stopped.

“Imissdyu,” he blurted, turning to the couch but averting his minty eyes from the boy on it, even though Ominis couldn't see him.

”I beg your pardon?�� Ominis was baffled. If he didn’t know any better, he just heard, “I missed you.” But, of course, he knew better. Phineas Black would sooner smile at students heartily than Chris Mongrel would speak about feelings. 

"I…" It was Chris's turn to grow red even more intensively than Ominis a couple of minutes before. He knew the words were correct – he had read in books about people saying them to each other in similar circumstances, but Chris couldn't bring himself to repeat them. 

"Please, don't make me say it again. You heard it right."

After a short pause, he added, suddenly interested in the stone pattern on the floor, "Can I read to you tonight? I mean, as usual." Then, he would ask why Ominis didn't sleep well.

"I hoped you'd ask this," the blind boy finally smiled. Then, he would ask what made Chris drink the Wiggenweld potion.

“See you later then,” beamed Chris, relieved. He finally looked at the moon-eyed boy and was about to head out when Ominis’s voice stopped him.

“Chris?”

“Mhm?” 

“I missed you, too.” Only Ominis could smile like that – like the warm light of the lamppost sparkling on the snow. “Hear you later.”

“I…khm…yeah…Gotta go.” Chris made a few steps backwards toward the way out, still watching Omins, then turned around and crashed into a doorpost. “They… have to make the doors wider,” he said, leaving.

Ominis chuckled softly, listening to Chris’s fading footsteps. Then, a wave of panic washed over him again as he realised that mere minutes ago he could have ruined everything, succumbing to temptation. He rubbed his face with his palms, exhaling audibly. What was he thinking about? 

But now, everything was right. And tonight he will sleep better. Thank Merlin, the point of no return had not been reached. Or should he say thanks to the student that had broken into their dorm? 

Perhaps that guy will have another visitor today. 

------------------

The song from the epigraph. I wrote Chris's part while listening to it.

[wandasaura]

I CANT PROMISE PICKET FENCES

summary — maria’s always been married to her job, but lately she’s been married to the idea of a future with you

prompt — sharing long term dreams, goals and aspirations with one another x talking late into the night

song — black and white by niall horan

🌞⊹ ˚ . 18+, men/minors dni ⁺ 𓈒 ꒰🧺꒱ 🌷 ･ mommy maximoff ✧

Spring with Maria always felt fresh. There was just something about the way the flowers enhanced the blue in her eyes and the way her muscles got softer with the weather. She was still your hard headed girl, a woman that would not be swayed easily no matter who she was up against, but a delicacy came to light within her when the weather warmed up and the cherry blossoms bloomed. 

It was your opinion that Maria looked especially ethereal dressed in uniform. The navy blue material brought out the softest wisps of gray in her blue eyes, and the slickback hairstyle she incorporated into her daily appearance was particularly eye-catching, exposing the harsh cut of her jaw and the sharp contour of her naturally slim nose. It wasn’t as soft as her wardrobe at home; loose fitting sweatpants that did wonders for her waistline and some old t-shirt that she claimed had too much sentimental value to toss in the donation pile, but still, to you she looked absolutely diaphanous. You supposed you had to appreciate the uniform, she wore it more often then she did her own clothes, and even now, it was clad to her body like a winter glove as she spun around in her desk chair, two black pens twirling between the slender fingers that were skilled in delicate acts of intimacy. Those same fingers that twirled ballpoint pens between bruised knuckles were fingers that had traced every inch of your skin, and simultaneously pulled a trigger to end the life of someone who had started this life out as an innocent. Maria Hill didn’t have a violent bone in her body, but she owned a heart that fought for justice. 

The bed that Maria had picked out for your bedroom was big. It was big enough for two people to roll around in with an abundance of space between warm bodies and the abrupt edge, but most nights you occupied it alone, and the expense of soft memory foam around either side of your body felt suffocating. Most nights, you occupied Maria’s chosen side of the bed, curled up tight with the blankets pulled taught around your shoulders. Her pillows smelt of the shampoo she favored each time you went grocery shopping, but the sheets lingered with the notes and elements of her perfume that she sprayed all of her clothes with routinely. She was the only woman you knew that kept a bottle of perfume on her bedside table, but you were grateful each night you fell into bed alone and became enveloped in her delicate scent. 

The bottle of perfume on her nightstand had become your temporary tripod as you propper your phone up against it, cocooning yourself beneath heavy blankets and soft pillows as she laid on your side to really look at her, and although the room you occupied was dark and dressed only in slivers of moonlight that slipped into the bedroom, she could see every blemish on your face perfectly. The fluorescent lighting of the helicarrier gave her a radiant glow, and the brightness of her settling bled into yours like she wasn’t really so far away. That thought was merely for your own comfort, realistically you knew that she was somewhere far right now, probably hovering over the rubble of Sokovia or perhaps even farther. She wouldn’t be home for another three nights, but for a moment, if you let yourself drown in the symphony of her laughter that was as sweet and fresh as the songs of a hummingbird, it felt like she was with you. 

“How’s Clint doing?” You questioned softly, cheek pressed firmly against the pillowcase beneath your head and muffling your words slightly. Maria’s lips twitched upward into a fond grin, and her blue eyes traced every shadow across your face as she memorized the sight of you. 

“He’s hanging in there. Misses the kids, misses Laura. He and Nat have been really overdoing the Budapest jokes.” Maria rolled her eyes fondly, her agitation merely pretend as she thought about the birdbrain man and the silent dancer that found themselves beneath her wing. You’re glad that she has some semblance of familiarity, that she’s not entirely alone to act as the Deputy Director, but you miss her either way. 

“Laura’s been sending me pictures of the kids.” You smiled, propping your head up on the pillow with your fist, eyes dancing across Maria’s face as you scan her for injuries she’s conveniently forgotten to mention. Your lips curl further upward when you come up empty handed, but you can’t relax completely knowing there are still hours in the day and multiple nights before she’s home safe and awake from warfare. “Lila and Cooper got into the chicken coop yesterday. Had a water balloon fight with the eggs.” 

Maria’s nose crinkled at the thought of two young children she was entirely fond of pelting each other with eggs, but there was something different in her eyes at the mention of the Barton children. Conversation always flowed between the pair of you naturally, and the lifestyle of Laura Barton was something you’d discussed in length, both of you friends with the woman who had suspended her life in duty to raise three children. You’d never seen Maria so conflicted over a story of her latest adventure, but recently she’d been falling into her head a lot more, surrendering to whatever daydreams she liked to construct when the present became too boring. “Penny for your thoughts?” You offered quietly, eyes kind and questioning. 

Maria’s silence stretches, her expression becoming increasingly conflicted, but eventually her voice fills the bedroom again and it’s like she’s not really gone at all. “Do you ever think about what Clint has?” She asks softly, soft enough for you to pick up on the fact that she’s not asking in the generic sense; she’s wondering if you want what he has. Maria’s always been open about the fact that she’s content in her career, she’s not overly fond of the travel, but she’s content with devoting her life to two things; you and shield. The question that hangs in the area is uncharted territory, but you’re ready to dive into the adventure with her. You’re ready to talk about a future outside of Shield and how you see your life in five, ten, fifteen years. You’re ready to love her eternally, because you know that you have since the moment she asked you to be her girlfriend. 

“I do. I especially like to think about you in a pair of overalls collecting eggs.” Your giggles pulled a smile over Maria’s features, completely ridding the looming tension that pulled at her eyebrows and replacing it with that lightness that only spring could create. “I do, Mia. I think about it all the time. I was just waiting for you to be ready. Are you? Ready, I mean.” 

Maria was always a concentrated speaker. She thinks fully and deeply about the conversations she holds and the responses she gives, especially to those she cares about personally. She’s extremely rash in her decisions that involve adventure, she’ll wake you up at four in the morning talking about racing the sunrise and finding the coast to watch it fully, but her words are always heedful. Nobody can believe that after so many years together you’ve never fought, but if they took the time to know Maria the way that you do, that wouldn’t be so hard to understand. She didn’t hesitate to nod her head at your question, though. She took no time to consider how she felt about your future. Even if she didn’t say it, she didn’t half to. Just by knowing Maria you know that this is something she’s been shifting over for months. The thought of her cementing your future in her mind before she dared to bring it up to you brought  a light smile over your lips. 

“Two kids. I know you said you wanted three when we first started talking, but I think we’d be perfect for two. Two little boys, not twins, but close enough in age that everybody who sees us stops to ask. We’d use the same donor for both of them, so they know that no matter what anybody tells them about having two moms, they know that they’re connected and they’re brothers.” Maria trails off, a soft smile on her face that you want to kiss away until she falls into a fit of giggles. Instead, you clutch one of your pillows to your chest, hugging it tightly and wishing it was her. 

“Two boys, huh?” You quirked a teasing eyebrow. “You want to be a boy mom, Maria Hill? Think you can handle all the wrestling matches and dirt?” 

“They’ll know better. We’ll teach them to take their shoes off before they come in from outside. I’ll wrestle with them. Clint was talking about these play couches Laura got the kids. We’ll get them for the boys, set them up on the floor so nobody gets hurt. But we’ll sit on the couch behind them and watch. We’ll kiss imaginary boo-boos and we’ll play dress up. We’ll teach them that it’s okay to cry, and it’s okay to need a hug. It won’t be like the way I was raised. They won’t hide their mistakes in fear of our reaction, and when they’re teenagers they’ll think we’re badass. I wasn’t ready to think about all of this before. I wasn’t ready to find out if I’d be just like my parents, but I’m ready now. I’m ready to start talking about everything, and buying a house. We can’t live in that apartment forever, I won’t let you live in that apartment forever. I can’t promise a picket fence life. I can’t say that I’m ready to leave my position entirely, but I am ready to start prioritizing our future the way that I prioritize the now.” 

You held onto every word that fell off of Maria’s lips and filled the silence of your bedroom so cautiously. Your eyes glimmered with tears that pool in your waterline, disrupting the image of her sat at her desk in front of a stack of papers and mission reports, and although unconventional to be having this conversation for the first time continents away from one another, it’s entirely perfect. She’s perfect. “Five year plan. We’ll find a house, we’ll start the process. I don’t need a picket fence life, Maria. I just need you.” 

A yawn pulled at your lips, nose scrunching as you snuggled deeper into her side of the bed. The time on your phone didn’t feel like an accurate depiction of the hours that had passed since you called her, but as the early hours dawned closer and closer to sunrise, you knew that eventually you would fall asleep, and when you woke up it would be a new day but the bed would still be lonely. You weren’t ready to say goodbye to her yet, you wanted to talk about the future until you were blue in the face and she was home by your side, but Maria never let you compromise your schedule. “Sleep, sweetheart. I’ll call you tomorrow.” 

“Stay with me.” You whispered softly, eyes fluttering shut as you surrendered to the pressure of exhaustion behind your eyes. It had been a long three weeks of missing her, but the time apart only grew smaller each time you fell asleep. Even so, you didn’t want to fall asleep alone in a home that you share with her. Even if she couldn’t hold you, you wanted to fall asleep knowing that she was watching you like she did every night when she was here. “I just want to know that you’re here, at least partially.” 

You couldn't see Maria, but you knew that she was smiling at you, probably with the cap of her ridiculous Stark Industries pen between her teeth. “I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right here.” 

You smiled, nodding your head. “I love you, Mia.”  “I love you too, cariña.” You didn’t open your eyes to see her smile, but you could hear it in her voice, and only seconds later, you fell asleep knowing that the future you had always wanted was one step closer to fully being yours.

[talonabraxas]

The May Queen Talon Abraxas Before being devoted to the labour movement, May Day was an old Celtic celebration of spring and fertility, Beltane; throughout the centuries it evolved, with the maypole dancing by girls and the election of the May Queen, but it kept its hidden symbolism of youthful love. Crowley’s poem gives it back its ancient pagan meaning. The May Queen (OLD STYLE) by Aleister Crowley IT is summer and sun on the sea, The twilight is drawn to the world: We linger and laugh on the lea, The light of my spirit with me, Sharp limbs in close agony curled. The noise of the music of sleep, The breath of the wings of the night, The song of the magical deep, The sighs of the spirits that weep, Make murmur to tune our delight. Slow feet are our measures that move; Swift songs are more soft than the breeze; Our mouths are made mute for our love; Our eyes are made soft as the dove; We mingle and move as the seas. The light of the passionate dawn That kissed us, and would not awaken, Grew golden and bold on the lawn; The rays of the sun are withdrawn At last, and the blossoms are shaken. Oh, fragrant the breeze is that stirs The grasses around us that lean! Oh, sweet is the whisper that purrs From those wonderful lips that are hers, From the passionate lips of a queen. A queen is my lover, I say, With a crown of the lilies of light— For a maiden they crowned her in May, For the Queen of the Daughters of Day That are flowers of the forest of Night. They crowned her with lilies and blue, They crowned her with yellow and roses; They gave her a sceptre of rue, And a girdle of laurel and yew, And a basket of pansies in posies. They led her with songs by the stream; They brought her with tears to the river; They danced as the maze of a dream; They kissed her to roses and cream, And they cried, “Let the queen live for ever!” They took her, with all of the flowers They had girded her with for God’s daughter; They cast her from amorous bowers To the river, the horrible powers Of the Beast that lurks down by the Water! My was was more swift than a bow That flings out its barb to the night: My sword struck the infinite blow That smote him, and blackened the flow Of the amorous river of light. I plunged in the stream, and I drew My queen from the clasp of the water; I crowned her with roses and blue, With yellow and lilies anew; I called her my love and God’s daughter! I gave her a sceptre of may; I gave her a girdle of green; I drew her to music and day; I led her the beautiful way To the land where the Winds lie between. So still lingers sun upon sea; Still twilight draws down to the world; The light of my spirit is she; The soul of her love is in me; Lithe kisses with music are curled. Like light on the meadows we dwell; Like twilight clings heart unto heart; Like midnight the depth of the spell Our love weaves, and stronger than hell The guards of our palace of art. We are one as the dew that is drawn By the sun from the sea: we are curled In curves of delight an of dawn, On the lone, the immaculate lawn, Beyond the wild way of the world. Source: The Temple of the Holy Ghost, I, The Court of the Profane, in The Collected Works of Aleister Crowley, Volume I (1905).

[carolrain]

Flower Friday

Thank you for tagging me, @a-noble-dragon and @jamilas-pen!

We took a little walk on Mother's Day. (I think this is a juvenile pine siskin who is doing fine, just resting before working on its flying again. We left it alone.)

Flowers around the neighborhood:

Intermission to admire neighborhood animals:

More neighborhood flowers:

And finally, my own wildish roses are almost blooming:

Saying hi to and no pressure tagging: @mostlyinthemorning @ramonaflow @tyfinn @dytzyone @stereopticons

@leofdaeg-sand @mammameesh @stargazer56 @saraminia @flowertrigger and anyone who wants to jump in.

Also, any flower and/or Schitt's Creek lovers who stumble across this somehow should all go read my story and everyone else's in the Spring Fling Collection if you have not already.

[cozzzynook]

I know you did something similar with Bumblebee. What if Optimus is Hot Rods sire. How would Optimus react to Hot Rods potential partners?

Hot rod keeps most of his partners a secret because majority are on and off or one time frag flings.

He’s a mech with needs that he doesn’t want his sire or any bot really, to know. He actually is private believe it or not.

But there are a few times it was a frag fling that could’ve been more that he just couldn’t hide well enough.

His once mysterious on and off with Soundwave was almost discovered but thankfully them springing into action and fighting at just the right time kept their secret from being discovered. They decided to end it there but remained good friends oddly enough. His conjunx find out on accident that he used to see the master spy.

There was a time Hot rod was secretly meeting up with Ultra Magnus before he became Rodimus and a period when he was Rodimus. Optimus had his suspicions the two liked each other and neither were ever going to tell Optimus or let it be known it went a lot further than just liking each other. Hot rod was so happy he was small enough to pass as a pillow in Magnus berth under his sheets when his sire came to deliver paperwork to Magnus that one night.

A bot that he never dated but his sire wanted him to date was Thunderclash. He outright refused, in front of the war hero at that, and his sire still wanted him to give the mech a chance. Hot rod finally agreed after almost a year of his sire bothering him about it. When the two were alone Hot rod apologized but said he really wasn’t interested and apologized for getting Thunderclash’s hopes up like that. He did meet the mech at his hab so he wouldn’t waste anymore of the mechs time than he already had but he still felt guilty.

Hot rod outright made a large rejection to dating someone on his team when his sire suggested it. That would always end badly and his sire did agree and came from a good place asking its just Hot rod didn’t want him finding out he’d slept with Blurr and Springer on multiple occasions. It was always with no strings attached, they were friends blowing off steam, but he knew his sire would not take it well so he kept that hidden too.

He’s had a string of decepticon frags he never intends to tell his sire about and the time he both individually and collectively fragged Megatron and Starscream because they were all charged and drunk off high grade on a neutral planet was something none of them were ever going to tell a single spark so long as they were online.

After that Hot rod chilled out considerably and by the time he was on the lost light he may or may not have fragged Megatron again, but this time he was a new Megatron and not a warlord now so he’ll say it doesn’t count. Nor does his threesome with the former warlord and his old fling Magnus now Minimus count either…or the multiple times they fragged or had private marathon sessions.

He didn’t have to worry about his sire finding out so he felt a lot more relaxed but he wasn’t interested in sleeping with his crew. He knew he was a horrible captain but not that horrible.

There was that one time he’d gotten really drunk at Swerves when they landed on a certain planet and he had a quick frag with Dreadwing and Skyquake. He wasn’t worried about his sire finding out but he sure was annoyed with all the teasing Megs gave him when he had to come get him because he was too fragged out to walk or transform…he gave the twin seekers his personal comm after that meeting.

What can he say he’s a spike slut he knows it.

He just didn’t want Drift or Ratchet to know.

He should’ve definitely remembered not to get up with ease after taking the pounding of a life time and giving them the ride and transfluid suck, in all aspects, of a processor crasher, at least in their opinion. Yeah it definitely one of the best frags he’s ever had and the fact he actually liked, was in love, with the two made it even better….its just he’s had rougher, longer, bigger and crazier frags than this one.

He didn’t dare say that though, he just blamed it on not being able to sit still which they didn’t buy at all.

Thankfully Ratchet accidentally exposing their relationship of sorts to Optimus via face plate cam where the two were catching up and Drift was in the back wearing a towel all wet and Rodimus had brought Ratchet a mug of hot energon kissing his helm fin wearing one of their blankets, the cyber kitty was out of the bag.

His sire was extremely happy and jumped to conclusions right away as Rodimus tried to back away from the camera thinking he could avoid being seen. His sire took that and his immediate denial for shyness about finally finding someone to date and conjunx. Rodimus literally told Optimus “they are conjunx to each other I am not seeing them,” only for it to be ignored.

To Rodimus, Optimus saying he was glad his bitlet finally stopped being too difficult to handle and date was a good thing. That he shouldn’t scare bots off with his impulsive and childish behavior and that it was good he finally had his life together and seeing two bots that were good for him and would help keep him on track was perfect. Rodimus didn’t bat an optic when Optimus said its a good thing he picked right on his first actual try and was being a gentlemech instead of bouncing from relationship to relationship like he feared whenever Rodimus eventually did start dating.

Rodimus was rolling his optics when Optimus said he was glad his own bitlet didn’t turn out to be shareware like some bots were rumoring him to be and thats when Rodimus immediately faked a smile, said love you creator bye and hung up the call.

He let out a deep vent and opened his optics to see Drift and Ratchet giving him a funny look and he played off a laugh shrugging his shoulders before walking away with, “my sire is so embarrassing.”

Yeah he’s aware of how Optimus actually views him. Sure he loves him but he doesn’t think very highly of him and he gets it. His sire is right to think that way but his sire doesn’t actually know he has a right to feel that way. Sure he knows his major frag ups but not just how wild he actually was.

He fears the day his sire learns what a complete failure of a prime, bitlet and autobot he truly is.

He figures theres no reason to really put thought into drift and ratchet seeing his convo with his sire. He just tells the two as he’s leaving that he’ll tell Optimus it was a mistake and make sure he doesn’t bug them about this. He’s not giving them a single chance to say a word back because he’s out the door and speeding off to his hab to personally call optimus and tell him they are not dating and to leave his non existent love life alone.

Of course after he finally gets his sire to drop it here comes Drift and Ratchet telling him they are interested in dating him and they thought they made that clear. That and he wasn’t getting off the hook for the conversation between himself and his sire or how he could just be so unfazed by long and brutal fragging.

He..tries to leave this conversation because he very much does not almost pass out nor did he burst out crying when they made things vulnerable.

He absolutely does none of those things.

He completely denies all of this and when his sire asked while looking smug when they return to cybertron for their wedding, “i thought you three weren’t dating?”

Rodimus almost ignites his tribal gown. If it weren’t for the two he literally just married he would have.

Its not till after the wedding and all the spark felt speeches did Drift and Ratchet corner him because they figured out some of the mechs he fragged and wow it explains why he’s so casually confident and can easily do all type of things in the berth.

“Really kid?! Dreadwing and Skyquake at the same time?! Starscream and Megatron when they were our enemies?! Literally magnus before that spark forsaken adventure! Who else was there?!”

“You would not believe me and I don’t think i should tell.”

He does tell.

Drift has a really mean jealous streak and so does Ratchet.

Rodimus tries to defend himself by saying ratchet used to be the party ambulance but Ratchet says that was in med school and he didn’t commit treason.

Rodimus shrugs it off or tries to.

They find a way to leave Rodimus in tears that night on their wedding by giving him the one thing none of his partners ever have.

They make love to him. Slow passionate spark bonding love…that leaves him both a sobbing wreck for two days and sparked by the time they get back.

Rodimus is not at all happy or amused at being made completely vulnerable and having to rely on them to take care of him for their entire wedding night or honeymoon and the fact that they sparked him. He’d rather it was them sparked, not himself.

They had other plans though.

Idk if this is what you were looking for but this was the best i could do.

To me they roddy and optimus love each other but they have so much undiscussed angst between each other its obvious. At least to Drift and Ratchet. Rodimus knows and he’s sure his sire knows too. Its just Optimus thinks he’s good at hiding how disappointed he is at how Rodimus turned out.

Rodimus will be the first to agree his sire is right when Drift and Ratchet bring up their relationship and they hate it. But Rodimus has honestly learned to expect disappointment and to always be a failure both in reality and in his sires optics and they both hate how serious and casual he is about it.

I’m sorry i just had to make it angsty.

[mika-no-sekai-blog]

Word count: 1400+

Warnings: mentions of blood, depression, description of wound

In books there's no mention of Tamlin being able to winnow, but for the sake of story, let's pretend he can, okay?😉

Part II

You lived in a small cottage deep in the woods of Spring Court, far away from other fae. It wasn't like you hated them, they hated you. Most of the creatures living in this area avoided you, believing you had quite great powers and vicious nature, cursing anybody who crossed your way.

The rumours couldn't be further from the truth, but it didn't bother you what they said about you. You loved silence, enjoying every second of your lonely life in the heart of the nature.

You had several friends that used to stop by from time to time and brought you news, so you heard about everything that happened to your High Lord. You heard rumours about him going crazy, spending his days devastating his land in a form of horrific monster. You heard that fae ran away from this doomed Court. Last of your friends came to bid you farewell just few days ago trying to convince you to run away too. But why should you?

You lived alone, not caring about the outside world. You didn't care about what's happening out there, you didn't care about your High Lord nor the upcoming war. It had no meaning in your life. Feelings like hate, fear or love were just words with no particular meaning. And so the time passed slowly.

Fresh morning air brought smell of rain through the open window. Last night rained and the sound of raindrops on the roof of cottage lulled you to sleep. With bright smile you got up, changed and cleaned your room. Today it should be a nice sunny day. The intoxicating scent of flowers beckoned you out. Quickly you ran through your herb stocks and made a list of missing ones. You took small basket and went out to collect what you needed. Birds sang above your head as you bent down to tear off some chamomile flowers.

A roar thundered through the forest, making all birds fling away. You looked around with caution. Another roar shook the trees. And another. Now you knew where it was coming from. Quickly, but quietly you ran in that direction. It's in your nature to help to those who needed it. And this with no doubt sounded like somebody needed your help.

You ran up a hill ending in a cliff. And there down in a narrow valley on the other bank of small stream was lying the biggest beast you'd ever seen. Body of bear, head of wolf with antlers, his eyes were clenched in pain. On his side you could see deep wound, blood flowed in thin rivulets into the water. You didn't waste a second, climbed down and ran to its side. As you got closer, the beast opened its eyes and looked at you with a growl, showing off rows of sharp fangs. You halted and held up your hands.

"It's okay. You see? I'm not going to hurt you. I want to help you. Will you let me take a look?" you spoke to the beast in a soothing voice as you slowly step by step got closer. The beast growled again, but it put its head back on the ground. Green eyes never left yours, watching you with caution. Slowly you bent down. "Can I?" you gestured to the wound. It took few heartbeats, but the beast nodded slightly.

You knelt down between enormous paws, trying to ignore the dagger-like claws that could turn you into shreds of flesh in less than minute and examined the wound. It was so deep you could see its bones and even though it'd already begun to heal, it had to be treated. You bit down your lower lip. You needed to get the beast to your cottage, but it's too big and couldn't walk on its own in this state.

"It's quite deep. I need bandages and salve, but I don't have it all with me now. I'd need to go home. You are too big and heavy, so I can't take you with me.." you started to explain.

"Where?" a male's voice rasped.

"What?" you questioned, not sure if you really heard it.

The beast blinked. "Where?"the voice repeated with great effort. You lips parted in surprise.

"Well.. My cottage is about a kilometer to the north east from here."

"'Know the place," it breathed out. "Hold on to me."

You weren't so stupid to think, it's a real speaking beast. If nothing else, its eyes gave you enough hint. Of course, it's a high fae, a shape-shifter. And it seemed he could even winnow, so you did as he told you and took his paw with both of your hands. In a blink of an eye you were back in your cottage. Your head spun after the winnow, but you ignored it. Quickly you brought everything you could need and started to work on him. After few minutes the wound was bandaged and bleeding had stopped as well.

"I'm done," you announced. "It will take some time to completely heal. You can stay here until you will be able to move again." You wiped your hands clean while the beast just was laying, eyes narrowed, lost in his thoughts. He didn't seem to be in pain anymore. "Would you like something to drink?" you asked him gently, peeking on him.

His eyes concentrated on you once again, roaming around your face and then down your body. There was so much sadness in them. He just shook his head. "So I will let you take some rest," you nodded. "If you change your mind or it hurts you, tell me." The beast snorted and his eyes once again stared into the distance, returning to whatever he was thinking about before.

Several days passed since you found the wounded beast and brought him to your cottage. He didn't want to eat nor drink and that made you worry. He didn't speak, answering you only with small nods, his gaze was unfocused. He just lay on the floor where he winnowed to, like a lifeless object, stuffed animal. Even his wound was closing slower than it should.

You believed that everything had its time. If he wanted to talk about what bothered him, he would already say something. It wasn't your place to stick your nose into other's troubles. But still you were worried about him. You even heard him cry in his sleep last night.

Every day you checked on his wound, applied the salve and wrapped it into clean bandages and today wasn't different. Before, you let him be after tending the wound, but not today. He needed help and you were more than ready to offer your help even though he didn't ask for it.

You made him tea and set the bowl in front of him. It would be easier if he turned back into his normal form, but it couldn't be helped. Maybe he was too weak to do so. You sat down next to him and in silence ran your fingers through the fur on his shoulder. He sighed and closed eyes. You didn't talk, just continued to stroke his shoulder. After few minutes he dipped his tongue in the bowl and drank a bit. His sad green eyes turned to you, watching you carefully.

"You don't have to do this," he rasped.

"I know," you answered gently. He huffed. His eyes roamed around the room as if it was the first time he noticed.

"For vicious witch, you live quite peacefully. Silently I'd say." Now it's time for you to huff.

"You shouldn't believe everything you hear."

"Everyone runs from this doomed Court. Why don't you do so too? Aren't you scared of High Lord?" His voice sounded so empty, without any feelings.

"I don't care about what's happening out there," you answered evasively.

"Hmm," he hummed. "Did you hear about his fiancée and the best friend? They ran away from him too. He certainly must be a monster." He watched you out of the corner of his eye.

"Maybe," you shrugged. "I've never met him. I would prefer to make my own opinion on him."

"I see," he drank some more of the tea and then stayed silent. His eyes were again sad and unfocused and you didn't press him more. However you continued to caress his fur without thinking. Soon enough his eyes closed and he fell asleep.

He slept for the rest of the day. You checked on him before going to the bed, but he was still fast asleep curled up into a ball. That night he seemed to rest peacefully without any haunting dreams.

In the morning when you came down, he was gone.