#the caps are perfectly chosen

[vminizzle]

Sweet lips

pairing : playboy?jungkook x nerd!f.reader

genre : SMUT

warnings : CRINGE ASF, soft dom!jk, sub!reader, shy!reader, tattooed!jk, mention of being cheated on, mention of multiple partners, mention of corruption kink, a lot of teasing, swearing, making out, exhibitionism, public sex, !!consensual!!, marking, fingering, finger sucking, hair pulling, slight dry humping, orgasm denial, oral (f.receiving), oral (m.receiving), cum swallow, overstimulation, multiple orgasm, (jk is a pleaser), pet names, praising, possessiveness, dacryphilia, penetration, unprotected sex, missionary, jerking off, aftercare :)

words count : 7.9k

you can read part 2 HERE

A/N : Well, hi back my dear friends! I’m so happy to be back, it’s been so long since I wrote something. I took a hiatus to concentrate on myself, and other personal stuff. Unfortunately for me, I extended my break since I needed time to recover from my exams results. You got it right, I didn’t pass my year. I decided to re-do it one last time and do my best. I hope I will pass this year. Well, enough of me. NOW, I’m finally posting again! Here’s my “comeback” fic lmao. I tried my best - it’s kinda difficult to write after a long break but I wanted to write something good for you guys. But please don’t expect something awesome. REMINDER : POOR ENGLISH. And so many words had been repeated sorry. Anyways, thank you so much for waiting for me, thank you for you support and love. I love you guys a lot - sunny [ fic heavily unedited ]

FEEDBACKS ARE WELCOMED 💤

M RATED

“hi there my favorite nerd.” you heard Jungkook announce his presence behind you, making you curse internally.

“Be quiet, you’re in a library.” you shushed him, reminding him where he was as he stood next to your chair.

“noticed that. boring.” he pursed his lips before taking your reading glasses off, putting them on top of his cap instead.

“Jungkook.” you whined annoyed when he pushed your book away, a smirk plastered on his face.

“what do you want this time?” you furrowed your eyebrows making him act like he was thinking for a few seconds.

“I want a taste of your lips.” he poked your nose lightly making you roll your eyes, before you stood up to walk toward the bookshelves.

Jungkook put his bag on the chair you were sat on, leaving his cap and your glasses on the desk, before following you to the shelves  at the back of the library.

“so?” he watched as you scanned the row of book before you, searching for a specific one.

“hmm, you’re ignoring me now?” he approached you slowly, hand grabbing your wrist stopping you from taking a book.

“C’mon Jungkook, let go. What do you want?��

“I told you.” he backed you slowly to the wall, looking straight into your eyes as he spoke.

“I want a taste of your pretty lips.” he tilted his head to the side.

“I want to know, to guess, what’s your lip balm’s flavor today.” he grinned.

“Yesterday was watermelon. Wednesday it was strawberry and Tues-“

“enough.” you slapped his shoulder making him chuckled.

“Don’t you have anyone else to annoy?”

“No. I want to annoy you.” he pinched your cheek making you sighed heavily.

“I was studying.”

“I was searching for you everywhere on the campus.” he crossed his arms over his chest.

“I want you.” he said, looking straight into your eyes.

You stayed quiet for a few seconds, heart beating faster at his words.

“So, can I kiss you pretty girl?” he wiggled his eyebrows.

You stared at him, his hair perfectly styled, his strong cologne made you feel lightheaded, he smelled way too good - and the way his tongue played with his lip piercing…

“yes.” you agreed, looking down timidly.

He grinned satisfied before lifting your face.

He bent down a little to capture your lips into a slow kiss, your arms going up to wrap around his neck as he pressed his body onto yours.

Jungkook sucked on your bottom lip earning a soft moan from you.

“Shh. Be quiet, you’re in a library.” he teased making you roll your eyes at the chosen words.

“you’re so pretty today.” he complimented genuinely, his hands caressing your sides, a soft smile adorning his lips.

“Thanks.” you murmured shyly, feeling the -infamous butterflies- in the pit of your stomach at the compliment, making Jungkook smiled widely.

You felt his hand cascading down the side of your thigh making you gasp, looking at him surprised at the sudden move.

“what are you doing?” you whisper-yelled panicked, his fingers caressing the smooth skin of your thigh under your plaid skirt.

“nothing.” he answered, hand sliding between your legs.

You chewed on your bottom lip, feeling his hand getting too close to your panties as you closed your legs making him let a breathy laugh.

“Jungkook, we’re in public.”

“no shit Sherlock.” he said amused.

“there is no one here.” he shrugged.

“what if someone.. see us?” you asked uncertain.

“let them watch then.” he teased, a stupid smirk plastered on his face.

“Jungk-“

“don’t worry hm?” he started.

“you trust me?” 

You stayed silent for a while before nodding.

“good.” he pecked your forehead.

Jungkook pushed your legs apart as he kissed on your neck softly. You felt his hand between your thighs again as he caressed your lightly covered core gently with his fingertips making you whimper.

“so sensitive.” he hummed, biting on your neck.

Jungkook suddenly got on his knees surprising you.

“what.. what are you doing?” 

His hands went under your skirt again, slightly pulling on the hem of your panties making your body warm up even more.

“are you insane?” you panicked looking around.

“Be quiet angel.” he warned slapping your thigh lightly.

“Trust me.” he repeated making you gulp.

“Listen, we can stop at any moment hm.” he laid a delicate kiss above your knee making you feel weak.

“we still good?” he looked up at you making sure you’re not too uncomfortable so he would stop and not force you.

You took a deep breath before giving him the green light.

“good.”

Jungkook started kissing on the inside of your thigh, leaving light marks after his trail up to your core as he sucked on the warm skin.

You watched as his head disappeared under your skirt, one hand resting on your hip, the other one gripping on your thigh.

You gasped when you felt his lips against your clothed clit, a gentle kiss being pressed on the part you needed him the most at the moment. He could felt the wetness soaking through the fabric making him smirk.

You felt his hands caressed their ways up under your skirt to the waistband of your panties pulling on it lightly.

He glanced up at you checking if you were still fine.

Jungkook dipped his fingers into the panties’ waistband, dragging the soft material down your legs making you looked around anxiously.

“don’t worry angel.” he muttered, putting the damp panties in his Calvin Klein denim jacket’s pocket.

“I told you, there is no one here.” he caressed your calve reassuring you.

His fingers travelled up your leg before two of his fingers slid between your wet lips making you breathe heavily.

“fuck you’re dripping.” the man kneeling before you cursed.

You shivered when you felt his fingertips poke at your entrance.

“still with me, princess?”

You nodded making him hummed.

He inserted two fingers slowly inside you earning a chocked moan from you.

He moved in and out, feeling your warm velvety walls swallowing his fingers.

Jungkook lifted one of your leg, resting your thigh on his shoulder as his head disappeared under your plaid skirt again, your heart beating faster excitement running through your veins.

His mouth started working on your clit, sucking on bud of nerves erupting another moan from you, a louder one.

He slapped your thigh glaring up at you.

“Be quiet angel. Don’t wanna get caught, do you?”

You shook your head, tears forming in your eyes as he added another finger, twisting his wrist as he picked up the pace.

“You know, I don’t mind. But you.. tsk. Do you want everyone to see you like that? Me eating you out in the corner of the library? Do you want that darling?”

He tilted his head to the side innocently making you shook your head again pleadingly.

“so be quiet.”

Jungkook went back to suck on your clit, the tip of his tongue sliding over the sensitive bud of nerves.

You put your hand over your mouth to keep quiet as he ate you out. Pulling his fingers out, he replaced them with his tongue. His thumb pressed on your clit, rubbing on it gently as his tongue went in and out your core.

“fuck!” you whined, your fingers flying down to his long black hair tugging on the soft locks harshly as his thumb drew faster circles on your clit, applying more pressure on it.

Jungkook knew you were close, by the way your thighs were slightly shaking around his head, your fingers pulling harder on his hair, the little whimpers escaping your mouth, he knew your body well.

Pulling away, he inserted his fingers back inside you, repeatedly curling them so he could hit on that one spot that could make you scream his name shamelessly, his other hand holding on your waist firmly as he felt your knees buckling.

“Jungkook, I’m gonna- fuck I can’t.” you sobbed, biting on your knuckles to stay quiet.

“Cum.” he pulled his head back from under your skirt to watch your face as you come undone on his fingers.

“Cum for me doll.”

Your head hit the wall behind you lightly as you threw it back, arching your back, closing your eyes shut feeling your climax washed over you.

You moaned his name, a tear sliding down your cheek.

“you’re so pretty.” he groaned before going down to lick your juice making you flinched at the contact on your sensitive part again.

Jungkook collected the wetness between your legs on two fingers before standing up.

Looking straight into your eyes, he put the long digits in his mouth, sucking them clean making you open your eyes widely.

“so sweet.” he smirked making you looked away embarrassed.

He turned your face to him again, wiping the tear away before pressing his lips against yours. His body was flat against you, enough to make you felt his boner.

“guys, it’s somewhere there!”

You detached from the - what was about to become a heated - kiss when you heard a group of friends walking closer.

“wait, I’m not sure. What’s the subject again?” a boy snorted.

“C’mon bro.” one of them huffed.

“Whatever, let’s just go back at our table, I’m done.” another boy talked sighing loudly.

Jungkook chuckled making you look at him curiously.

“are you this scared people see us together?” he pursed his lips, putting one hand on the wall next to your head.

“no no it’s not that.” you waved your hands in front of you feeling flustered at the way he was caging you.

“what is it then?” he teased caressing your cheek with his knuckles.

“I just.. not like that. I mean, we were.. you know..” you tried to explain.

“Oh hm, my panties. Can I have them back please?” you played with your fingers nervously.

“no.” 

“no?”

“you heard me.” he smirked, walking away scanning the opposed bookshelf.

“I can’t walk around like that.” you rushed to him grabbing on his arm.

“don’t worry about that, you’re coming with me anyways.” he shrugged.

“huh?”

“you’re coming home with me.”

“oh.. I thought I was tutoring you only on Wednesdays afternoons?” you asked dumbfounded.

“I need you to take care of something for me.”

“what?” you tilted your head to the side waiting for him to continue.

“that.” he grabbed your hand, pressing it lightly on his bulge.

“Oh I-“

“Or are you busy?”

“yes. I mean no? If you need- no I mean well.. I’m studying.. I mean not studying later! I’m not busy. I’m free!” you cleared your voice retracting your hand embarrassed.

“nice then.” Jungkook tried his best not to laugh at your shynesss. 

“But only if-“

“Only if what?” he interrupted you.

“Only if you give me my panties back. Please, i can’t walk around like this.” you looked down as he approached you more.

“Of course, angel. Don’t wanna make you feel uncomfortable.” he kneeled down, pulling your panties out of his pocket before helping you put it back.

Jungkook stood up bending down to your ear before whispering.

“Keep in my mind, that the moment you step a foot in my bedroom, they will end up on the floor.” he pressed a kiss behind your ear, walking away leaving you speechless.

You put your hand over your heart, trying to collect yourself before following him.

When you arrived to your table, Jungkook already packed your things waiting for you.

“Thank you.” you went to grab your bag but he sling a strap of the backpack over his shoulder.

“do you have a tissue please?”

“yea. It’s in the front pocket of my bag, let me get one for you.”

You handed him the tissue, as he wiped his fingers with it before putting it the bin near the desk.

“Thanks.”

“Now let’s go.” he put his cap back on, putting your glasses on.

“Do I look sexier with glasses?” he smirked making you laugh.

“Oh yea you do.” you walked out the library with him to his car.

On your way to the parking lot, you could heard people talk about you. You knew it were not flattering comments. It was weird receiving so many looks, you almost felt like suffocating.

You weren’t the type to like getting attention. Well, attention from a lot of people. You just loved receiving attention from one person, it was enough.

“are you ok?” you heard Jungkook ask.

“huh?”

“your grip on my arm kept on tightening?”

“oh yea yea sorry.” you apologized letting go of his arm abruptly.

You didn’t even realized you were holding on his arm. You weren’t that touchy with Jungkook in public.

You barely interacted with him at college.

Actually, you sometimes avoided him. Not that you didn’t appreciate his company, even tho he spent his time annoying and distracting you - but because of people talking shit about you and bullying you.

Maybe some jealous girls that Jungkook had rejected?

You never talked about it with him. You refused to complain and act like a victim with him.

Let’s clear things for the confused ones, Jungkook wasn’t your boyfriend. You were his tutor. Well, you were supposed to be just his tutor but he decided to frequent you more often. 

You were a nice and smart girl. But, naive.

He knew how to have you wrapped around his finger. Have you at his mercy.

A simple and quiet student always by herself or either spending time with her best friend. You intrigued him a lot.

After being paired with you for a homework once, he decided to turn the situation to his side. Getting to know you more, he found out you were “innocent” and he just wanted to corrupt you.

He succeed, easily.

He started as a “student” of yours, flirting with you at each opportunities he could get to finally ruin your innocence slowly until he took your v-card. And he took pleasure from doing it.

He wasn’t the type to keep up with one partner. One day he’s flirting with a girl, the day after he’s making out with another one. He wasn’t into relationships. Had been cheated on once was enough for him.

He decided to just fuck around.

At first, he had a few intercourses with you, but that didn’t stop him from having sex with others at the same time.

Did you defined it as a friend with benefits relationship? He never said anything about it. You both never talked about what you were doing.

He just came at any moment and start something by flirting with you “accompanied“ of a few kisses. And you always fell for it.

At first, it was just very weird for you. You were new to all of this.

Your bestfriend warned you about Jungkook, but you just ignored him. You told him that you were conscious of what you were doing.

After a few weeks, you got used to it, used to him. You liked the playfulness, his teasing. You also liked the way he was always confused and lost when you explain the homework to him.

You got jealous once or twice for no reasons when he interacted with other girls but you brush it off, remembering yourself that there was nothing between you two and that Jungkook was this type of guy; with a flirty personality, surrounded by a lot of pretty girls, a party monster and more than that.

You knew very well but you never pushed him away.

Jungkook on his side, didn’t even realized the change in his habits. He had stopped having sex with other partners with time. He sticked to you.

Was it because you were always nice with him?

Was it because he loved the way you were submissive for him?

He loved the way you were so responsive, always reacting to every of his touches. You were just different.

He also started appreciating you as a friend.

You were supportive and always encouraging him. He loved the attention. 

He really liked when you came to watch his games, he liked the way you sometimes shared your lunch with him without complaining, he liked the way you would reprimand him when he would do some stupid stuff in class, he liked the way you laughed at his silly jokes, he liked the way you would cry out his name when he’s making you feel good, the way you begged when he’s acting hard to get.

He loved to play with you. But not in a really bad way. It was weird to explain.

But he didn’t really think more about all that. It became a routine, a part of his life.

Jungkook opened the car’s door for you as you thanked him.

The ride to his house was quiet, a pleasant silence though.

You couldn’t help but glanced at him time to time, ogling at him driving with one hand as his tattoed hand was resting on your upper thigh the whole time.

He was just so hot, you wanted to throw yourself out of the car.

Jungkook unlocked the front door of his house, letting you go in first before locking it behind him.

“don’t be shy, you know where’s my room hm?” he teased making you roll your eyes as you took your shoes off.

“let’s go.” he walked to the stairs as you followed him.

Your heart started beating faster, hands getting sweaty.

Why were you feeling that way all the time? Every times felt like the first time. It’s scary yet exciting. 

He pushed the bedroom’s door open, revealing the neat room. Just a few papers laying on the floor near his desk, but it was clean compared to the last time you came here.

Jungkook took his cap off, putting your school bag on his gaming chair before closing the door.

You were standing nervously in the middle of the room as he approached you.

“Remember what I told you earlier doll?”

You thought for a few seconds before shaking your head making him scoff.

“I told you, to keep in my mind that, the moment you step a foot in my bedroom, your panties will end up on the floor. Remember now?”

“Ah that.” you cleared your voice looking down.

“yea, that.” he chuckled before walking away.

Jungkook sat on the edge of his bed, staring at you, standing there not knowing what to do. 

You felt like suffocating, his eyes were glued on you, you couldn’t move, your muscles refused to do so, you were like paralyzed. He was literally undressing you with his eyes.

He had such an effect on you, it was ridiculous.

After a few seconds, you heard him speak again.

“I changed my mind though.”

“Come here.”

You watched as Jungkook spread his legs, tapping his thigh, a silent way to gesture you to sit on his lap.

You took a deep breath, before walking to him.

The way he was manspreading, his eyes not leaving you as you approached him… you wanted to faint.

You stood between his parted legs waiting for him to make a move before his hands went to your hips pulling you down to straddle his strong thighs.

“kiss me.” he demanded gently as he took the glasses off, leaving it on his bedside table.

You didn’t say anything as you bent down to  envelope his lips in a slow kiss making him hummed in satisfaction.

His hands snaked behind your lower back, pulling you closer to his body as you started moving your hips unconsciously.

You moaned as you felt his boner rubbing against your lightly covered clit. The rough material of his jeans making you lose your mind already as he raised his hips up making you fall on his chest.

You closed your eyes focusing on his hands sliding down your sides to help you grind on him.

You felt his lips against your neck, a wet sensation coming in contact with the skin as he sucked on it.

His fingers went to unbutton your shirt, revealing your body more and more to him.

He got rid of the shirt throwing it away, his hands coming back to your body, fingers sliding over the warm skin, goosebumps raising after the soft touches.

“Jungkook, I want to c-“

“oh no no, not yet pretty.” he shook his head, standing up making you wrapped your legs around his thin waist, a quiet whine escaping from your mouth.

Jungkook put you down and looked at you with a little smirk decorating his pretty lips.

“get on your knees, kitten.”

You felt like exploding when the words came out of his mouth.

You felt this exciting feeling running through your veins as you dropped down on your knees, his pants tightening at the view of you being so obedient for him.

“you’re such a good girl for me, fuck.” Jungkook muttered lowly as he cupped your cheek gently, his thumb sliding over your bottom lip.

“you know what to do, hm?” he asked making you nod.

Your hands flied to his belt, unbuckling it quickly.

Pushing his pants down, you were met with his -huge- confined erection. You gulped as you stare at his boner.

“what is it, angel? don’t act like you’ve never seen it.” he smirked teasingly.

“no no no, that’s not it.” you cleared your voice embarrassed.

“you’re so cute.” he smiled, caressing your cheek softly.

His eyes darkened as his thumb made its way down your lips, pushing it lightly between them.

You opened your mouth, allowing him to put his digit in. You sucked on it, tongue sliding over the finger making him bite on his bottom lip.

He removed his finger before grabbing your hand to press it on his covered hard-on.

“C’mon pretty, do something.” he asked eagerly yet calmly.

You tugged his calvin klein boxer down his legs, freeing his cock slapping against his lower stomach, the clothes pooling at his ankles.

You took a deep breath before wrapping your hand around his sensitive fully-hard cock, earning a hiss from Jungkook.

You started moving your hand, giving him a few sharp tugs as you twist your wrist making him close his eyes.

Your thumb swiped over the tip of his cock, sliding over the slit earning a deep moan from him.

“fuck! c’mon baby, do it please, you know what I want.”

You nodded, bringing your face closer to him as you kiss the tip that’s already oozing precum, his hand going down to your hair.

You licked the glistening head, tasting the salty pre-cum, making the man sigh in a pleasant way before feeling him push your head more to his cock as his other hand reached down to guide it into your mouth.

“C’mon baby, open up.”

You took him in your mouth, lips enveloping around him.

“god, what a sight.”

You flattened your tongue on the side of his cock, feeling the light vein as you started bobbing your head earning a breathy moan from the man.

Jungkook leaned his head back, as he started moving his hips forward slowly.

You sucked him off, humming surprised as he tugged on your hair slightly, holding you still.

“fuck! baby, you doing so good.” he moaned closing his eyes.

He moved his hips forward, carefully not to hurt you as he savored the warmth that's wrapped around him.

You pulled back a bit, only to suck on the head of his cock making him bute on his lip, eyebrows furrowed as he concentrated on your mouth.

You tried your best to pleasure him as you let the tip hit the back of throat, earning a low moan from him, enough to make your core throb.

“ah fuck! yea, just like that!” He looked down at you with half closed eyes.

“look at me princess.” he demanded, as your eyes met his.

“I’m so close.” he groaned.

Jungkook held on your hair as he started moving faster, your hands flat on his muscular thighs, nails digging in the flesh as he felt his orgasm getting closer.

Your eyes got teary as he kept on hitting the back of your throat, until you heard a surprisingly high pitched moan from the man.

He cursed as he came.

Pulling away, his hand cup your cheek as he looked at you breathlessly.

“swallow it.” he demanded with lust dripping from his tongue.

“Only, if you want to. I’m not forcing you kitten.” he tilted his head to the side, his stare strong yet soft.

You gulped the salty substance reluctantly making him let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“god, you’re so fucking hot.” he watched as you sticked your tongue out, showing him the evidence.

His hand came to the nape of your neck, pulling you up to your feet making you gasp.

His thumb wiped the sticky release down your chin, putting it in your mouth as you sucked on the digit.

“C’mere.” he grabbed your face, enveloping your lips in a heated kiss.

Jungkook kicked the clothes pooling at his ankles away, as he walked you to the bed, his lips not leaving yours.

When the back of your knees touched the edge of his bed, he let your body fall back on the mattress, the delicate sheet welcoming your half-naked body.

You watched as he got rid of the rest of his clothes, throwing his denim jacket to his chair, revealing his well toned body.

He stood there, before you, bare proudly as he smirked at you.

He approached your body, hands on your skirt, pulling at it a bit making you raise your hips to help him take it off.

“you’re such a pretty doll.” you heard him muttered as he admired your body. The black bra and panties complimenting your skin so well.

“wanna drink some water before we start?” he asked.

You shook your head slightly before replying.

“no, thank you.” you smiled a bit making him nod.

“did I hurt you? earlier when we..” he pointed to your throat.

“oh no no don’t worry I’m fine.” you waved your hands in front of you to reassure him.

“good then.”

Jungkook hovered above your body, his arms at each sides of your head making you gulp, his demeanor making you feel small again.

“Can I take these off?” he asked fingers ghosting over the soft material covering your chest.

You nodded timidly, his hand going behind your back, unclasping the bra skillfully.

Throwing it away, his eyes immediately went to your breasts, perky nipples making him feel excited again as he lick his lips.

Bending down, he started leaving small kisses on your collarbones, his soft lips making their way down your chest.

Jungkook attached his lips around one of your nipple making you whimper softly as you felt the wet muscle rubbing on the hard bud.

You watched as his hand went to fondle with your breast, eyes following his thumb stroking lightly over the sensitive bud making you breathe heavily.

“C’mon kitten, I find you way too quiet right now.”

He twisted your nipple between his thumb and forefinger, as he nibbled on the other erected bud with his teeth, earning a moan from you.

“you know I don’t like that, hm.” he mumbled.

He detached his lips from your breast, kissing lighting down your stomach, leaving little marks after his trail.

You felt his fingers on your panties waistband, your eyes meeting him as he was already staring at you waiting for your consent as you nod lightly.

He didn’t waste a second as he dragged the underwear down your legs, throwing it away on the pile of clothes on the floor.

Jungkook spread your legs for him to lay in-between them surprising you when he grabbed on your thigh positioning it over his shoulder.

“Mind if I have another taste?” you heard him say.

You didn’t have the time to respond when you felt his lips on your glistening one’s making you let a moan escape from your mouth.

His hands pinned your waist firmly to the mattress as you kept on squirming at the feeling of his tongue sliding over your clit. He ate you out, eyes closed as he focused on pleasuring you. 

He switched to your swollen clit to nibble on it making you arch your back, hands grabbing desperately at the soft sheet. He sucked on it harshly, the not so soft feeling making you want to close your legs around his head.

You breathed heavily feeling your orgasm getting closer. Your legs started shaking slighting around his head letting him know that you were close.

“Jungkook, gosh I’m so cl-“

You groaned annoyed when he suddenly pull his head away, your orgasm vanishing.

“why?” you pulled on his wrist.

“because I wanted to.” he shrugged, fingers sliding over your stomach teasingly.

“what did you expect? If you don’t ask me what you want, how am I supposed to know. I told you I wanted to taste you another time but you, you didn’t say what you wanted.” he pursed his lips playfully.

You turned your head to the side avoiding his eyes.

“tell me.” he demanded.

“look at me baby.” he said firmly making you look at him again.

“tell me what you want.”

You gulped feeling small again as he stared down at you. He looked so big on top of you. It was really intimidating.

“Say it, or I will just stop and d-“

“I want you to.. you know.”

“No I don’t. Spill it right now before I change my mind.”

Jungkook knew how to make you talk. He wouldn’t stop like that. Not without pleasuring you nor having what he want. He knew how to make you do what he wants you to do.

“So?”

“I want you to make me-“

“Make you what?” he interrupted you getting impatient.

“I want you to make me cum.” you muttered loud enough for him to hear.

“see, I didn’t bite you… yet.” he chuckled making you sigh.

Jungkook was quick to bend down again, mouth getting closer to your heat, looking up at you one last time before connecting his lips with your core.

“fuck.” you whimpered at the contact, still a bit sensitive from the denying.

He sucked on your lips, tongue teasing your entrance. You watched him devour you, his tongue penetrating you stealing a soft moan from you.

“Jungkook, please I want to cum.”

The man hummed against you, the vibration stimulating you more.

“already.” he laughed quite surprised.

“Please let me cum.” you whined, your hand coming down to his head, pushing him more between your legs.

You almost felt like crying when he nibbled on your clit, sucking on it harshly.

“Jungkook please.” you pleaded.

“Cum pretty girl, cum on my tongue.” he finally replied making your heart skipped a beat, everything going too fast for you as you pulled on his soft tresses. 

A wave of pleasure washed over you as you came for the second time today.

“oh my god!”

You tried to back away as he didn’t stop, mouth still latched on your core.

“Jungkook, I can’t.” you bit on your bottom lip at the overstimulation. 

“you can do it baby, i know you can take another one.”

You shook your head whining as you felt his thumb rub on your clit slowly, your breath getting unsteady.

“fuck, I-“

You couldn’t finish your sentence, as you threw your head back, your orgasm hitting you hard.

You felt like passing out. It was too much.

Jungkook caressed your thighs gently soothing you a bit as you let your body rest.

“you did well darling, so well.” he smirked feeling satisfied by your fucked up state before leaving a kiss on your abused clit earning a hiss from you. 

“you good?” he asked after a few minutes.

You just hummed eyes still closed.

“wanna drink something?”

“please.”

“stay awake, I’ll come back.”

Jungkook came back with a glass of cold water handing it to you as you sat up gulping the fresh liquid.

“thanks.” you gave it back to him, this one placing it on the bedside table.

“Are you too tired or can you take a last one, for me?”

“I need you so bad right now.” he whispered deeply, his tattooed hand sliding over your bare arm, goosebumps raising after the light touches.

You gulped, your last orgasm was so recent, were you ready to face another one? You felt wasted and ready to slumber.

You looked at him, his dark eyes not leaving yours. You thought for a moment, your stare lowering to his lips, the piercing decorating it at the corner scintillating.

“I need you too.” you whispered making him smile.

Laying down on your back, you pulled him on top of you.

“Listen to me carefully now angel.” he started, caressing your hair back.

“I’m gonna make you cry out in pleasure. I don’t care if you pass out in my bed, I’m gonna fuck you dumb. I’ll pleasure you so good that you won’t be able to speak properly after it. Trust me, you will only remember my name. Heard me, princess?” he whispered, his lips ghosting over yours.

His words warming your whole body, you wanted to run away but you were frozen.  

You were so tempted, he had that strong effect on you. You couldn’t speak nor think properly at this point, at what he announced shamelessly.

Your body was on fire.

Your innocent eyes diverted from his.

Jungkook captured your lips in a slow kiss, his tongue grazing over your bottom lip.

Your hand travelled to his nape, deepening the now-heated-kiss making him moan.

His lips lowered to your jaw leaving little kisses there, while his hand grabbed on your left thigh spreading your legs a bit more to make room for him to lay comfortably between them.

He grabbed on his hard cock, rubbing the tip between your wet lips, a soft moan leaving your mouth.

Slapping the head of his election on your core, you whined the teasing getting unbearable.

“Jungkook, please.”

“what?” he tilted his head to the side playfully.

“stop teasing please.”

“what do you want?“

“are you serious right now?” you covered your flustered face with your hands.

“Yes I am. Say it. I wanna know.”

“I want you.” you said quietly making him hummed in a disapproving way.

“I don’t get it.”

“Do something.”

“what?“

“fuck me.”

“beg for it.”

You took a deep breath, your heart beating faster in excitation.

“Jungkook please, I need you so bad please. fuck me.. hard. I want you to make me feel good.” you pleaded throwing your last bit of dignity away.

“You’re such a good girl for me, aren’t you?” he caressed your cheek.

“so fucking pretty.”

You felt the tip of his cock rubbing on your core, pushing in slowly.

“tell me if it hurts, and I’ll stop right away.”

A sob escaped from your throat when he penetrate you. Biting on your bottom lip hard, eyebrows frowned as you threw your head back at the painful yet so delicious stretch.

You whimpered as he started rolling his hips.

“Jungkook!“

You moaned loudly as he suddenly snap his hips hard into yours.

“fuck yes! right there ah fuck!”

Your fingers laced into his soft black curls pulling on them tightly. He groaned the little burn turning him on more.

You whimpered in his ear, your nails digging into his muscular back forming little crescents as he kept on abusing your g-spot, hips moving faster, the bedhead hitting the wall over and over.

“you’re so warm and so fucking tight! Shit! Am I not fucking you enough, huh doll?” he rested his sweaty forehead on yours.

“Jungkook, please go harder.” you cried out, eyes getting teary.

He didn’t think twice as his hand gripped on the bedhead for support, pounding into you with no mercy.

You clenched around him making him moan, your warmth engulfing him drive him crazy.

“Jungkook, you feel so good! Please keep going, don’t stop!”

Tears slid down your cheeks catching his attention as he twitched inside you. The feeling of it making you break into a sobbing mess as you clenched around him.

You knitted your eyebrows, mouth ajar as you felt this oh-so-familiar knot in the pit of your stomach ready to explode at any moment.

He held you firmly, his nails digging into the flesh of your hips as he felt his own release coming.

“are you close?” 

You couldn’t reply not fully ready to face your third orgasm of the day.

Pulling him down, you kissed him deeply, his hands coming to grab your yours, pinning them next your head.

“Jungkook, I’m gon-“

“Look at me.” he breathed out.

“I want you to look at me when you cum.” he bit on his bottom lip concentrating on moving his hips.

You tried to keep eye contact with him but his strong intimidating stare made it difficult.

“Am I making you feel good darling?” Jungkook asked between breath.

“answer.” you bite on your earlobe slightly making you grab on his bicep.

“yes, so so good!” you said between sobs.

“Who the fuck is making you feel good?” he asked moaning.

“You! You, Jungkook!”

“You’re so hot, so good for me. So good only for me. You’re my good girl, aren’t you?”

Your hand slid to his chest, nails dragging on his soft skin, the burning sensation quite pleasant, made him furrowed his eyebrows.

“Say that you’re mine.”

You were too lost in the pleasure to think straight as you nod, tears streaming down your cheeks.

“I’m yours.”

“Say it again!” he asked loudly, his eyes not leaving your face.

“I’m yours Jungkook! I’m yours! Only yours!”  your voice cracked at the end of the sentence.

“That’s fucking right! You’re mine, only mine.” he said as he sucked on your sweet spot.

You threw your head back deep into the pillow as you felt your high coming.

“Jungkook! fuck, I’m coming!” you cried out, walls convulsing around his cock, legs shaking, you couldn’t felt your body anymore.

Your vision became white, the repeated snaps of his hips into yours sending you to oblivion.

Your warm release enough to make Jungkook lose his mind, throwing him over the edge as he abruptly pulled out.

“Open your pretty legs for me princess.” you barely comprehended his words, head spinning as he spread your legs.

Pumping his cock a few times, he finally cummed on your lower stomach, some of his release landing on your upper thigh. 

You felt the warm sticky substance coming in contact with your skin but didn’t react much.

Jungkook stared at your body in awe still panting from his efforts.

The little purple and red marks he painted with his lips decorating your pretty delicate skin so well, the now-dried-tears on your cheeks boosting his ego knowing how good you felt while he was fucking you and his cum laying on your thighs was the cherry on top.

He watched as the thick liquid flows down the inside of your thigh.

You looked like a mess. A hot mess.

“you’re such a masterpiece princess.” he whispered, more to himself.

He hovered above your body, leaving a soft peck on your lips making you open your eyes, only to look at the man on top of you.

He looked so attractive, beads of sweat covering his forehead, some locks of his hair sticked on it. His lips were reddish from all the biting. The scratches you left on his muscular chest made him look hotter.

You were still out of breath, trying your best not to fall asleep.

“are you ok?” he caressed your arm.

You hummed, pushing his hair back from his eyes making him smile softly.

“Rest for a moment, hm.” he said before leaving to his bedroom connected bathroom.

After a few minutes, he came back, a boxer on. He placed a pile of things on the edge of this bed before coming to your side.

“you dead?” he touched your shoulder slightly not wanting to disturbing if you actually fell asleep.

“no, I was just closing my eyes.” you laughed.

“I was that good huh.” he wiggled his eyebrows making you cleared your voice, pulling the cover closer to your body.

“don’t be shy now. I’ve seen everything under that.” he teased pulling on the blanket playfully.

Pulling it down your legs, he grabbed the warm wet towel he let on the edge of the bed before cleaning you up. He wiped your lower stomach clean and the inside of your thighs gently making you sigh.

“C’mere, I’ll help you.” he helped you sit up, grabbing one of his boxer, sliding it up your legs.

“I guess you rather wear something clean, right?” he said as he continued, before hooking your bra.

He grabbed the sweatpants and black oversized Calvin Klein shirt.

“more confortable.” he spoke dressing you up.

You watched in utter shock the scenery before you.

Why all of this? It wasn’t often that he gave you his clothes. You were so confused. He was being more and more different. He changed a lot since you met him.

It was just simple things and gestures, yet it made your heart melt. You were so lost. 

“well, you will give them back to me when we see each others next week.” he pinched your cheek making you roll you eyes.

“yea yea I’m not gonna steal them.”

“I’d have let it slide If you were my g-“

Suddenly, Jungkook’s phone rang interrupting his blabbing making him huff. He picked up the phone, pursing his lips at the name displayed on the screen.

“hey!”

“Yes I do, I remember.” he hummed listening to the other person talking making you tilted your head to the side when he looked toward you.

“ah..tonight?” he furrowed his eyebrows.

“well, I’m not sure… I know but.. ok ok fine I will come.”

You got out the bed, picking your clothes from the floor. You folded them putting them in your bag, grabbing your phone to check your notifications.

“you’re leaving?” you heard Jungkook asked behind you.

“yes, I will get going before it’s getting too dark outside.”

“I was about to suggest you to stay over tonight but I have to g-“

“Stay over?”

“yea.. I thought that you were probably too tired.”

“no no, I’m good.” you laughed.

“I have things to do tonight too.“

“hm, here take my jacket.” he put it on you before you could even refused.

Jungkook accompanied you at the front door, watching as you started walking away.

“wait, I’ll drop you off at your house. My bike is there, let me just get the helmets-“

“no no don’t bother. I will walk, it’s not too far.”

“i don’t mind.“

You let a breathy laugh pass by your lips as you shook your head.

“It’s ok, I wanna walk a bit.”

“You’re alone and it’s getting dark. And look at you, you can’t even walk straight.” he grinned making you roll your eyes.

“I’m fine, and there are still people outside at this time doing late jogging.”

“You’re so stubborn.” he clicked his tongue.

“See you.” you waved leaving his house.

“Hey!” Jungkook called out making you turn around curiously.

“Cherry.”

You furrowed your eyebrows confused.

“What?”

“It’s Cherry. The flavor of your lip balm.” he smirked.

You looked away shyly, staying silent.

“Am I right?” He raised an eyebrow teasingly.

“Well, I gotta go now, bye Jungkook.” 

He watched as you disappeared rapidly, almost tripping over the sidewalk, a soft smile decorating his lips.

You threw your bag on the carpeted floor of your bedroom before jumping on your bed.

“gosh.” you sighed putting your hands over your flustered face.

“Why is he like that?” you turned around on your stomach burying your face on your pillow.

“I hate him.” you screamed into the soft cushion.

Your thoughts were interrupted when you heard a notification on your phone.

You went to your bag grabbing the device from it as you sat on the floor.

As expected, it was a message from your dear best friend.

dramaboy : you’re home?

y/n : yup.

dramaboy : picking you up in a hour, get ready

y/n : ???

dramaboy : we going out tonight. did you forget? Friday night, movie night.

y/n : ahh yea the romantic movie you chose

dramaboy : we chose* c’mon I don’t wanna be late

y/n : yea yea, see you

dramaboy : see ya

You sighed, walking to your bathroom.

After your quick shower, you decided to pick some confortable clothes to go out. You looked at yourself in your big miroir, admiring yourself.

You looked good. Was this because you were on a good mood?

Why were you feeling like that?

People say that you find yourself more attractive when you’re feeling confident, when you are happy. You kinda liked it.

Looking at your phone, you noticed a message from your best friend letting you know that he was already here, waiting for you outside.

“heyy!”

“hey!” you smiled as you sat on the passenger seat.

“how you doing?”

“good and you?”

“good too.” you buckled your belt.

“you ready?” he asked.

“Let’s go.”

You were waiting for your snacks at the counter when you heard your best friend groaned.

“what is it?” you asked noticing his annoyed face.

“mister muscle is here.” he rolled his eyes looking behind you.

You looked behind you only to see Jungkook, with a drink in his hand, his other arm placed over a girl’s shoulder. Your heart stopped for a second.

He was laughing with his friends. He finally noticed you as you made eye contact.

“fuck!” you turned around panicked.

“do you think he saw me?”

“nice, now he’s coming here.” you heard your best friend huff.

“hi y/n.” you heard Jungkook behind you.

“hi Jungkook.” you forced a smile facing him.

“Hi Park.” he greeted your best friend

Jimin just nodded acknowledging him.

You pursed your lips as Jimin walked away leaving you alone with Jungkook.

”going to the restroom quickly.” he said before disappearing.

”you’re ignoring me?”

“No no not at all, I was just.. hmm.. talking with him.” you cleared your voice.

“He doesn’t appreciate me, right?” Jungkook chuckled making you sigh.

“no it’s not that.”

“So, you came to watch..” he said waiting for you to continue the sentence.

“Jimin chose that romantic movie with one of his favorite actor.” you explained playing with your fingers nervously, the gesture didn’t go unnoticed by him.

“And you?” you asked back.

“horror movie with my friends.” he pointed to the group chatting behind him.

“that’s cool...” you said, staring at the girl that was already staring at you.

“y/n!” you heard Jimin called out.

“Oh the movie is about to start, I guess. I’ll go join him.” You grabbed the snacks that were on the counter next to you.

“Enjoy your movie.” you smiled walking away.

“Hey!” you turned around to him.

“nice jacket.” he grinned, pointing toward his Calvin Klein denim jacket you were wearing.

“Oh… thanks. I mean no, I.. thank you for letting me borrow it. I just, well, Jimin is waiting for me! Bye.”

Jungkook laughed shaking his head as you sprinted away.

—

A/N : i want this Jungkook so bad, like for real. It hurts, I would get him pregnant if I could- wait wait no no forget it pls I wasn’t thinking straight helpsjd. thank you so much for reading luvs <3,, I hope it wasn’t too bad. I’ve repeated so many words. I must have more vocabularies. Details weren’t as good as I wished but I kinda like the fic. Have a nice day :)

[utterlyotterlyx]

The Fox and The Fawn

High Lord Eris x Rhys!Sister!Reader x Azriel

Part Eight

Summary - Eris and your court grapple with the realisation that you left in order to protect them, whilst in Velaris, it becomes clear that you aren't as clueless as you seem.

Warnings - angst, depression, slight fluff, mentions of wing clipping, manipulation, slightly possessive Eris, unhinged Rhys, soft Az and Cass.

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six Part Seven

The morning light drifting through the pulled back curtains was the catalyst of Eris' groan, he threw an arm over his face to shield himself from the pale yellow light fluttering through the room, a room that felt off somehow.

Frowning, Eris removed his arm from his face, squinting through his sleep-ridden eyes to peer at the person who was supposed to be curled into his side, head resting on his chest, and palms idly drifting over his skin. No one was there.

Had the night before been a dream?

Had he not basically confessed his love for you whilst you confessed that despite the distance that separated you, that you had knowingly chosen to soothe him Under The Mountain despite your own pain?

Eris tugged on that golden thread in his chest, wincing as it withered back to him, shivering in pain within his soul. Rubbing the spot over his heart, Eris realised that the bond hadn't snapped for you like it should have, like he thought it had.

Throwing the sheets from his frame, Eris' gaze darted about his former chambers, searching for any sign of you. He inhaled deeply, expecting your scent to flood him, but found his heart in his hands when only the faintest of trances of you lingered in the air.

Before Eris could truly lose his mind, he glanced toward the vanity, to where a singed square of parchment lay propped up against a bottle of perfume with his name delicately inscribed on the face.

He didn't need to read it to know what it said, but he had to, he had to see it for himself.

I can't let him hurt you. I'm sorry.

The page had wrinkled and darkened in places, and droplets of your tears stained the parchment in his fingers. The words on the page told him the answer to his previous thought, that the bond hadn't fallen into place for you, which in a way was better, it meant that everything you had felt and admitted was because you wanted it, not because you felt like you had to accept something.

Shuffling sounded from below, a smash of glass and a screech for Nesta, he moved to the noise, quickly fixing his briefs from the night before around his waist, his bare feet padding against the wood as he headed toward the commotion.

He heard Elain's words, he heard her mutter something about her vision, about snow-capped mountains and the dress that had vanished from its place draped over the mirror in your room. Red shrouded his vision like thick mist, his entire soul was threatening to rip itself apart, hating itself for not only letting you get away, but for also for not being able to feel you.

Every single fibre of his essence was searching for you, holding onto any speck of your scent that lingered in the air. He didn't even see Lucien through his haze, he only focused on the one person who knew for certain where you had gone.

Eris knew, but he needed to hear someone else say it.

The fox prowled ahead, fists clenched and eyes low, his molten bronze pools swimming with tamed fury as his soul remembered the touch of your lips against his, how you tasted of midnight skies and honey, it was peaceful. It was perfectly you. Dark but beautiful.

Nesta had frozen in place, the eldest Archeron surprisingly void of any words. Apparently you hadn't told a soul, that much was clear from the shock and hurt on their faces.

“Where is my mate?”

Eris’ palms lay flat against the countertop, the same one where he had held you only hours before, kissing you and telling you how badly he wanted to be worthy of you. It dawned on him that throughout that entire conversation, from your joint confessions to the kiss that confirmed everything he already knew, to sleeping in the same bed, you had already known that you were leaving.

Pain and sadness radiated on Elain’s features, her bottom lids pooled with unshed tears, and she fell back into Lucien who had crossed the room after Eris had brushed past him, “Wait, your mate?” Nesta took a step forward, her eyes growing wider as her mind span with the news.

Eris hummed softly, his eyes still cold and stoic, “I thought it had snapped for her last night, after we spoke, after the kiss,” his gaze softened slightly, “She’s gone back, hasn’t she?”

Nodding, Elain answered, “Yes. In the night,” after Eris had fallen asleep with you wrapped up in his arms, leaving him to wake up alone with a spot beside him void of life.

"Hold up. Your mate? Since when?"

Eris rolled his eyes at Nesta, running his hand over his face, "I think I've always known, but it was Under The Mountain when I accepted it. When she was walking the halls singing to herself," when in actuality you had been singing to him.

None of them could be angry or upset with you, you had done it to protect them, to make sure that they stayed alive and safe, away from any form of war or conflict.

“I can invoke the Blood Duel.”

It wasn’t an act that was taken lightly. The Blood Duel was a rarity, but it was also made for situations just like the one they found themselves in. Rhys thought that you were unmated, it was his main argument of focus, but he had no idea that your mate was itching to tear him apart. Eris could invoke it, and maybe, just maybe, Rhys would have no choice but to honour the bond and set you free before it was too late.

Lucien inhaled sharply, “She wouldn’t want that.”

“I can’t leave her there, Lucien.”

“We won’t,” Nesta moved to stand before the arched window, peering out at the pond which was shimmering in the sunlight, glittering even, “If I know her well, which I do, she wouldn’t have gone back without some kind of plan in place. That woman is the best tactician that Prythian has ever seen.”

“Why wouldn’t she tell us?”

Nesta turned to Elain who was equally as confused, they had left Velaris to follow you blindly, they were devoted to you, “She didn’t want us to get caught up in it,” a guess, but probably true. Nesta turned to Eris, “Don’t invoke the Blood Duel yet. I know it’s not ideal but maybe she knows what she’s doing.”

They could only hope that Rhys’ greed would glamour his senses, “And if she doesn’t?”

Eris couldn’t imagine it, what they’d do to you in that prison of a city. That other part of you had retreated each day, the darkness bowing to the warmth and light of him.

Nesta felt Ataraxia call to her and she flexed her digits in return as if she was holding it, “Then we go to war.”

“It’s for your own good, y/n.”

Rhys was waiting with open arms the moment you had stepped up to where Autumn met Winter, Azriel must have told him of your movements.

Your heart ached in your chest, everything was screaming at you to turn back and find another way, but you had to protect them from the monster stood before you.

The winter chill caused you to shiver, the skirt of your dress tugging you backward, willing you to move away, to go back to where you were safe and loved, “Promise me that you won’t hurt them.”

Smiling, Rhys extended a hand toward you, “If you cross that line, they will be spared.”

“Promise me. Promise me that you won’t hurt them, and if you do, the price will be your life.”

Rhys wasn’t stupid, he knew what you were doing, “I promise,” a familiar burning coiled up your right forearm and you glanced down to see a fresh tattoo inked on your skin, “Now, come.”

A shuddering breath moved through you, you stepped over the threshold into Winter and his hands were on you immediately. They were cold and calloused, there was no softness or love in his touch, just pride to have won.

“I apologise,” you frowned slightly, “I had to take some precautions.” Before you could ask about what he had done, you felt cold rings lock around your wrists and neck, you felt the power evaporate from your body, and you fell to your knees.

Clawing at the collar moulding with your flesh, you whimpered, “What is this?”

“A gift from a friend,” Rhys crouched down to your level, taking your chin on his fingers, “I told you that your power was unnatural, now you can’t use it at all.”

The voices in your mind had wailed, they screamed in protest as the power of the collar consumed them, the air fell still and you felt weak, almost mundane as Rhys’ power pulsed around you, relishing in being the strongest thing to now walk the earth.

“It’s a blessing,” he cooed to you, ignoring the cries coming from your lips, you tried to hook your fingers under it, to rip it off of you, but you had no strength, and the collar was already embedded into your flesh, “We can be happy,” his eyes shimmered and yours dimmed, “No more fighting.”

Drowning. You were drowning and no amount of air that you were gulping down was saving you. You were lifted from the ground and cradled to a cold chest, and all you could do was glance backward at the border, at where Autumn called to you before the world before your eyes vanished in a swirl of colour and you found yourself looking upward at a sky full of stars.

Nothing felt real.

Every step he took filled you with dread, you recognised the incline of the path, you’d know it with your eyes screwed shut. Shuffling entered your ear shot as well as the sound of gasps, you were sure you must have looked tiny in his arms, your face was stained with tears, your skin had gone pale, your eyes had darkened and stared blankly downward to your hands bundled in your lap.

Black veins snaked from the stone cuffs melted into your wrists, angry and poisonous, devouring you with each passing moment.

“Az. Take her will you?”

The room stiffened, but the Shadowsinger moved to you, he slid you from Rhys’ grip and held you delicately. The change of your scent was undeniable, and Azriel was sure that Rhys commanded that he take you so that he didn’t have to smell Eris for one moment longer than he had to.

Velaris could do nothing to soothe you, the looming mountains could only watch sadly as Azriel carried you to your room at the River House, the stars blinkered away entirely at the solemn atmosphere that coated the city in your silent fury. The princess had returned, but she was powerless, a lone bunny stalked by wolves.

Cedar used to be your favourite smell, but all it did was make your stomach churn and twist in agony, everything inside of you wanted that scent to be one of pine and cinnamon, they wanted it to belong to the person who had never been afraid of you even when you had given him every reason to be.

The knots in your shoulders writhed, your scars screamed as your power depleted, but you couldn’t bare to soothe it, it was the only thing you could feel aside from nothing.

“It’s alright, y/n. Everything is going to be okay,” Azriel kicked your door open as softly as he could, and his heart shattered into a million pieces when a single look inside sent you struggling against his embrace.

Nothing had changed, it looked the exact same as it had the night you had left, like it was waiting to you.

“Please, don’t do this. Take me back to him. Please.”

You knew that he couldn’t defy Rhys so openly, so foolishly. Azriel set you down on the comforter and knelt before you, his fingers drifted along the edge of the black stone collar, where the stone met the newly marred flesh beneath it, “I didn’t know that he was going to do this, I swear.”

So that explained the gasps. It wasn’t due to just seeing you in the flesh again, it was because of the collar and cuffs burnt into your skin. None of them knew of what Rhys had planned to do, that being to drain the life from you bit by bit, starting with your power, until you bent to his will and became his submissive monster.

Hazel connected with your own, and Azriel saw nothing but a wilting rose inside of you, broken with no chance of springing back to full bloom. Sat before him was a shell of the woman he used to know, and he had dealt a hand in your state, contributed to it, and it disgusted him.

“Get away from me,” your words struck him like Truthteller had become lodged in his heart, you had never asked Azriel to go away, you had always welcomed him with open arms and soothing words.

But the captured animal in front of him wasn’t y/n anymore, it was the frightened creature that Rhys had plucked from the forest and condemned to a life of solitude.

“Please, y/n-“

“Don’t say my name,” your eyes welled, “You don’t ever get to say my name. You’re not him, you don’t get to call me that.”

Hold on.

A shudder flew up your spine, the first bit of comfort you had experienced in what felt like a millennia, “Get out.”

Sighing, Azriel rose to his feet, he knew that there was no consoling you, no words that he could muster to make the situation better. As soon as Azriel left the room, closing the door with a soundless click, you found yourself staring out of the window at the stars that used to lull you to sleep but were now glowering in warning.

The valley sang with golden light, it drifted along the streets where childish laughter blossomed, it should have been comforting, but nothing about the moment was good. Nothing about Velaris felt safe. Gone were the days where you would stroll along the Sidra with Azriel by your side, gone were the days of harmony.

Hugging your knees to your chest, your mind floated elsewhere, wondering how Nesta, Elain, and Lucien would react once they realised that you had left. How hurt they would be by your abandonment. And Eris, you were sure that he would be feeling the worst out of them all, wondering why his words and admissions weren't able to convince you to stay.

All that mattered was that they were safe, protected by the bargain inked upon your flesh.

The reflection in the window wasn't of anyone that you recognised, she was pale, her eyes a shade of almost onyx bar the circle of wildfire in the irises, black veins protruded from the collar embedded into the flesh of her neck, her hair was loosely strewn over her shoulder. The life had been sucked from her soul and she had been left empty.

"Don't think about it," a shaky whisper racked through your body and you hugged yourself tighter. You couldn't allow yourself to crumble at the pain and grief, "You can do this. They're safe. You can do this, for them."

For Eris and the Autumn Court, for your friends, for the continent, you could confine yourself to Velaris if it meant sparing them all.

Time passed, time where the world beyond the window darkened and the golden hue of the valley evaporated into the night air, and it was during that time when another soul deemed itself worthy enough to find you.

You didn't feel him at first, for you were too dumb to feel anything, all of your fae senses had depleted, you couldn't feel anything. It was as though Rhys had locked you in a prison of darkness, where no feeling resided, where there was no knowing of who was coming to see you or what was coming next. A prison of solitude that even the fire couldn't touch.

Cassian sucked in a harsh beath as he stepped into the room, the entire space was freezing, soft whisps of air flew from your lips, and you shivered on the bed as you held yourself tightly in your arms. The Lord of Bloodshed crossed the room, perching on the edge of the bed, wincing when you angled your body away from him.

In that moment, Cassian knew that Rhys had lost his gods damned mind.

"I'm sorry," he wasn't looking to you, no, he was peering out of the window, wondering at what point life had gotten so fucked up. Anger bubbled inside of him as the stone collar around your neck sang with the power it had trapped inside of it. A monumental act that proved exactly how far Rhys would go to contain you.

"Is this how it's going to go? Rhys sends you in one by one to apologise, do you think that's going to wash away everything that's happened?"

Heavy eyelids greeted him just as the scent of you mixed with another had the moment he had stepped foot into the room. "Rhys doesn't know that I'm here."

Interest piqued, you glanced to him, noting the slouch in his shoulders, the messily thrown together low bun on his head, how his wings drooped lower than they had before, you noted the paled hue to his skin and how he sat with his elbows resting on his knees and staring at the floor, "Nesta misses you. She says she doesn't but I know that she does."

"Is she alright?"

"She's safe. I made sure of that."

Unlike you, you seemed to say, and your eyes confirmed the message.

"If it helps, none of us knew that Rhys was going to do this. Feyre is horrified."

"It doesn't help me at all actually, but thank you for wasting your breath."

It was astounding how a voice could be so vacant, like the last of the autumn breeze before the winter pierced through it. Cassian wanted to know more, he wanted you to tell him about Nesta, about everything you had found, but he knew that you wouldn't tell him, because you no longer trusted him or saw him as anything but one of your captors.

"Did you know that he threatened to kill her? All of them?"

A low growl emitted from him, "He told me of the others," and left out the threat on his own mates life, "That's why you came back. To protect them from him."

"When are you going to realise that the real monster is the one that lurks under your own roof and not the one who ran away to be free of it?"

The silence was enough, Cassian wasn't blind to the information, his hard gaze softened and he tentatively placed a hand on yours, his rough fingers coiling around trembling bone. You wouldn't survive whatever Rhys had planned for you, you were going to die in Velaris and Cassian would have to stand there as Rhys explained to the world how the darkness had consumed you.

It would be Cassian who would have to stand across from his mate and the people you had come to recognise as your true family whilst Rhys told them of your demise. He could see their faces in the forefront of his mind.

"I think I already am," no one could deny how the ways of the Night Court had shifted since you had chosen to leave. Rhys had become a feral beast prowling in the night on his hind legs, obsessing over the thing that had run away from him. "I'll find a way to get you out of this."

Cassian rose from his perch without another word, his calloused fingers slid from your own, and he left. Silence fell on you, but you looked back to the reflection in the window, to the woman that was undeniably you, and smirked.

Playing too many games might get you in trouble, Fawn.

Rising from the comforter, you drifted over to the glass, lifting the latch and opening it a few inches, allowing the songs of crickets and rippling waters to flow to you.

The rich tone of the voice made you shudder, and you could have sobbed at the sound, at how close it felt to the shell of your ear, so close that the ghost of his breath fanned over your shoulder.

I wondered how long it was going to take you to figure it out.

You could hear his smirk through his words, Nesta. A pause. Are you alright?

Swallowing hard, you replied, I'm holding on.

You're not going to tell me what he's done, are you?

No.

The stone of the collar shone in the moonlight, the shrillness of the night air brushed along it and cowered at the ward placed on its surface.

Has he hurt you?

Finding your reflection, you exhaled shakily, struggling to find the mask you had become so accustomed to wearing, Yes.

The place that you had folded Eris into began to unwind, Y/N.

I can do this, Eris. I can survive one last performance.

Eris was no doubt pacing the length of his bedroom, hair wild and eyes simmering with leashed violence. It was a blessing that Rhys was clueless to the carranam bond between you and Eris, a bond that not even his collars could touch or absorb, it was other-worldly and transcendent, something moulded to your very soul, not your power.

Pushing the rumbling pain back inside of you, channelling it to be something much more monstrous, you felt the talons of your other mind rise from the well inside of you, water sloshing over the edges and flowing through your veins like a disease.

It was the only way to do what you needed to do, what had been so masterfully done before. The mask settled onto your features and you rolled your shoulders, welcoming the monster back to the forefront of your essence, grinning at the demon that had come to say hello once again.

The kindred spirit. The one who pitied you enough to instead harmonise with you rather than take over entirely. The one who gave her power to you to wield, who was now shaking angrily inside of you by the mere act of having such power stripped away.

You have set the stage so well, my pure thing. The talons scraped against your mind, breaking through the cracks and seeping into the emptiness inside of you. Let me take it from here, let me tuck you away into the brightest part of us where no one can hurt you.

Did they really believe that you had no idea what Amarantha had done to you all those years ago Under The Mountain?

It had been your greatest kept secret.

Smiling, you let the Queen take control, you let her guide you to the warmest place of you, where the people you loved most rested and you watched on as a bystander as she got to work.

The monster wasn't just you and never had been. You shared your body and consciousness with a queen of sorts, a demon contained in a small onyx stone that had been sewn into you whilst your body had tried to heal itself from the clipping of your wings. And instead of taking over completely like it should have, instead of devouring you, the demon sought to mould with you, it sought to become one with you, and you had let it.

And all you could do was hope that there would be enough of you left to bring back once you were both done.

Authors Note

Also realised that I really need to update my master list oops xo

Enjoy! Love you all 🫶🏻

Taglist

@mybestfriendmademe @jesskidding3 @rosewood-cafe @fandomarchiveilyd @brujitafantomatico @crazylokonugget @mai-adaptive-dreams@magicstrengthandcourage @acourtofmoonlightandstars @ysmttty @lilah-asteria @circe143 @xyzmeh @paleidiot @namelesssav @amberlynn98 @acourtofbatboydreams @azrielsmate3 @ivy-34 @mp-littlebit @honeysuckle-daydreams13 @ifonlyiwerefiction @pirana10 @donttellthecats @padbaeamidla @oucereeng @andreperez11 @demonicbusiness @megscabinetofcurios @superspideyparker @usernamesarelies

[ahockeywrites]

quick - nico hischier

pairing: fem!reader x nico hischier word count: 1.4k warnings: unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it), no foreplay apologies, this is a quickie. thanks to the anon who requested this

You rounded the corner, the skirt of your sundress riding dangerously high on your thigh. Your arms were covered with a black blazer and around your neck hung your credentials. Social Media Manager for the New Jersey Devils. 

You had started the job following your graduation from Rutgers and loved every minute of it. From taking photos of the players during warm ups, to subjecting them to silly TikTok videos. It was something you could never take for granted.

It was game day and you were running around making sure that all the right information was with the right people. You had become friends with some of the broadcasters and knew who to give little bits of random information to, so they could drop things in during the show. 

You continued walking down the corridor to your office, heels clicking against the floor making your presence known. Everyone who worked for the Devils was incredibly nice and you were so thankful because when you did a Summer Placement, it was anything but.

The door to your office opened with a groan, reminding you that you needed to grease up the hinges soon because it would drive you insane if you didn’t. You sat down in your chair, logging into your computer so you could quickly tweet out some pre game graphics and interact with the fans.

A knock on the door of your office took your attention away from the tweet you were composing, one about the NJ Devil running around Prudential Center with a drum, terrorising different members of the team.

“Come in,” you called out and Nico Hischier entered your office. You didn’t usually do the walk in videos so seeing him in a suit was a completely different side of him that you hadn’t seen before. His hair was well styled and his suit fit around his muscles perfectly, accentuating them in the best way.

“How can I help,” you asked, undoing the button of your jacket and taking it off. Nico’s gaze remained on your face, no matter how much he wanted to look down. The captain had a crush on you from the first time you walked in the door. At first he thought it was just a harmless crush, one that would go away after a few nights between the sheets with someone. 

It didn’t. It made him want to spend more time with you. So every time you needed someone to take part in a TikTok challenge, or an interview for the YouTube channel, he’d volunteer. It didn’t stop the other players on the team teasing him. They all knew that he had a crush on you and it was something they wanted to try and facilitate. 

Then there was the night out. The one time you had gone out with the team after a game, rather than with your friends as usual. He watched as you took shots with Jack and downed a beer faster than he had ever seen. The way you looked into his eyes as you drank your pornstar Martini, licking your lips after each sip. Nico’s cock hardened just thinking about it.

“Just wondering if you’d be sitting on the bench during warm ups,” he asked innocently, batting his eyelashes. You refrained from rolling your eyes because he already knew the answer.

“Yes cap,” you saluted him in response. “I will be there, as I always am.” You pushed your chair behind yourself,  stood up and walked around to the front of your desk to stand face to face with the Swiss man. Even in your heels, Nico was still taller than you. 

“Anything else?” You asked as you cocked your head to the side. There must be another reason for him stopping by. He wouldn’t just stop by your office for no reason. Would he?

“You look really good today,” he complimented as he looked you up and down, taking in the flowery dress you had chosen to wear for the matinee game. “You always look good.”

“Thank you,” you replied not really knowing what else to say. 

“Ever since you walked into the press room the first time, I’ve thought you were beautiful. This dress really brings out your eyes,” Nico continued. “And your lips.”

He inched closer to you, not wanting to encroach on your space too quickly, giving you the opportunity to turn him down. 

“And then that night at the bar, your cheetah print skirt,” he wrapped his hand around the back of your neck as he spoke. “You looked so happy.”

You craned your neck up to look Nico in the eyes. “I was happy,” you told him. “Because you were there.”

“Fuck,” he cursed. “You don’t know how you make me feel princess.”

“I think I can see,” your gaze dropped to his pants and the bulge that you could see.

“We have 20 minutes until I need to be downstairs getting ready,” he told you as the hand that was around your neck made its way down your back to rest on the curve of your ass.

“I need to be down in 10,” you replied, leaning in so your lips were millimetres apart. All it would take is one move, from either of you, and you would be kissing.

Nico took the initiative and pressed his lips to yours, starting with a few gentle kisses that turned passionate quickly. His hands didn’t know where to go, all he wanted to do was touch you, feel you.

“Wait,” you pulled away. Nico pouted, lips red from your lipstick. “Let me lock the door.” 

Ah, Nico thought, that made sense. Neither of you would want someone walking in on what was about to happen. 

As soon as you locked the door and turned back around, his lips were back on yours, tongue poking past your lips and into your mouth. Your hands found his hair, tugging, wanting more.

Nico pushed you against the wall, starting a trail of kisses down your neck to the tops of your breasts. “Been thinking about these for months,” he admitted.

“Fuck, we have to make this quick,” Nico groaned as he yanked down his slacks and boxers in one go, the red tip of his cock leaking pre-cum. Your lips attacked his neck with kisses, you couldn’t leave a mark on him, someone would notice.

“I got tested last week, all negative, have the coil,” you got out between kisses.

“Mine was two days ago, all negative too,” he replied. “You want this?” You nodded faster than you ever had in your life.

“Jump princess,” he whispered into your ear and you obeyed. Your legs wrapped around him and with a little shuffling, he sunk himself inside you fully. Your lips found his once more. 

His hands settled on your hips and he slowly started to thrust up into you, keeping you pinned in place. You kicked off your shoes which allowed you to dig your heels into Nico’s firm ass. 

One of his large hands found their way under the skirt of your dress, in search of your clit. He found it faster than anyone else other than yourself had and Nico almost came when he heard your sweet moans of please as he rubbed the bud. 

“C’mon baby,” he continued the strategic rubbing of your clit with the pounding of your pussy and your mind started to become fuzzy as you felt yourself getting closer and closer to your release.

“Fuck, I’m gonna,” you gasped as Nico started sinking his teeth into your neck, not even thinking about the marks he was making. 

“Come for me princess,” he groaned, holding back his release that was imminent.

You listened and your head threw itself back whilst your eyes rolled back. Stars filled your vision as you reached your climax, hands pulling at Nico’s hair which was certain to be a mess.

You could feel your heart beating hard but it was nothing compared to the force of Nico’s final few thrusts and the feeling of his release coating your walls. Sweat graced both of your foreheads but that didn’t stop you leaning in and pressing some more kisses to his lips.

“Fuck princess,” he moaned, voice low and deep. “Let me clean you up.” He pulled himself out of you, still holding you up against the wall with his arms, and you whined at the loss of him.

He carried you over and placed you on your desk before grabbing some tissues that were in a box on the wooden surface. Nico quickly wiped between your legs before pressing a kiss to your lips.

“Sweets, you need to head downstairs,” he informed you. All you could do is shake your head.

“I can barely walk, I’ll be Bambi in my shoes,” you groaned.

“Should have thought about that before you let me fuck you silly.”

[katyusha454]

I think I've found the most tragic ship in BG3 and I need to rant about it

I've seen a decent number of people discuss and write about Dark Justiciar Shadowheart, but they always focus on what she's like post-game when she's fully committed to Shar. Which is a fine thing to focus on! Especially when you're writing smut where she's a mean domme. Post-game DJ Shadowheart is a fascinating character. But I feel like people neglect to consider what she's like during the transition phase of Act 3, where she's become Shar's Chosen but hasn't yet Done The Thing that caps off her personal questline. And there is SO MUCH potential for angst and drama during that time frame.

IMO the most important aspect of this stage of her development is that she is not evil yet. She simply made a single bad decision and now she feels like she's in too deep to do anything but double down on it. She's spent her whole life trying to "fake it 'till you make it" and she's only just now starting to transition out of that and into sincere belief. All the misgivings and insecurities she's shared with you are still there, just buried deeper. That desire to love others and do good hasn't yet been completely stamped out. In my Dark Justiciar Origin run, I try to do good things whenever possible as long as I can find a way to rationalize it as benefiting Shar. (but I still ended up saying enough evil-sounding things to make Minthara incredibly horny for me)

So where does Karlach fit in?

Well, turns out when you play as Origin Shadowheart, Shar doesn't make you break up with your partner. In fact, Shar says absolutely nothing to you about your romantic situation. This is really weird if you're romancing anyone other than Karlach, but I think it makes perfect sense for Shar to tolerate a relationship with Karlach for the time being. It's the ideal opportunity for Shar to prove a point. Karlach is dying, and no matter what Shadowheart does, this relationship is going to end in painful loss. Shar wants Shadowheart to fall in love with Karlach only to have that love abruptly ripped away from her. It perfectly demonstrates everything Shar believes about love: that it's fleeting and will always hurt you in the long run. Better to just avoid it entirely so you don't get hurt.

And Shadowheart knows all this. She's studied Sharran scripture extensively, after all. She knows that Shar is trying to teach her a lesson, she knows that the longer the relationship lasts and the more emotionally intimate it gets, the more the end is going to hurt. So why doesn't she break it off? Partly it's because she loves Karlach and doesn't want to end things; she's probably in denial at least a little bit. But I think it's also partly because she's a bit of a masochist. She thinks she deserves to suffer because she knows, at least subconsciously, that she's still not a very good Sharran. She can see the loss coming and she hopes the experience will bring her closer to Shar.

You'd think Karlach would be unwilling to put up with DJ Shadowheart's fanatical bullshit, but personally I think Karlach would stick it out for a whole mess of reasons. Number one, she can still see the good in Shadowheart and she refuses to give up on her partner. She's clinging tightly to the hope that Shadowheart can still be redeemed, even though she probably understands that it's a long shot at best.

Number two, she blames herself. When you play as Tav/Durge or another Origin, Shadowheart will have a conversation with you before deciding what to do in the Shadowfell. But if you play as Shadowheart, none of your companions says a word to you. In the context of this ship, I choose to interpret that as Karlach being too trusting. She's seen the good in Shadowheart, after all. She's so certain Shadowheart will do the right thing that she doesn't think she needs to speak up. It's not until too late that she realizes what Shadowheart needed was for someone to say "hey, are you sure about this?" So now she feels she needs to make up for that failure somehow by continuing to try and nudge Shadowheart in the right direction even though it seems impossible.

And number three, Karlach's just plain lonely. As fucked-up as this relationship is, she's still getting companionship and intimacy, and she doesn't think she has time to cultivate a new relationship if she breaks up with Shadowheart. She wants someone to be with her and hold her hand at the end, even if that someone is a brainwashed cultist.

In sum, both of them know that their relationship is extremely unhealthy; that it's hurting them now and will hurt them more in the future. But they both refuse to end it for their own reasons. And good gods, the ANGST. ARE YOU FEELING IT NOW, MISTER KRABS?

[mr-mandalorian]

pr relationship, fake dating, fluff & angst.

it all started with that stupid ad. girlfriend wanted. a two year gig with insane pay, how could a broke student say no to that? not that she expected it to be real, let alone to get chosen for the job.

yet here she was, negotiating her contract for a few extra perks. not exactly where she expected to use her law degree, but it was coming in handy.

the whole thing was so secretive, she presumed she’d have to put a smile on for some old b lister, pretend to adore a wrinkly wandering hand. she surely did not anticipate the most gorgeous and charismatic man to show up for their first date.

lando made it so easy. while before she stressed if she could even fabricate an ounce of affection for someone she didn’t know, the real challenge now was not to catch feelings. she could see why his playboy image needed cleaning up, given the chance and under different circumstances, she would not hesitate going home with him.

she tried her best to keep it professional. and there was a lot of work to do, from soft launching on instagram to perfecting her smile for the paparazzi. really, she was nothing more than an employee. it was difficult though, when the line between real and fake kept blurring.

race weekends were becoming more than she could handle. lando was constantly in her space, always touching her in some way. and the issue was that she didn’t mind at all, she got so used to it that she didn’t even notice how it followed them behind closed doors. they fell into a sort of domestic routine, moving between countries and hotel rooms. lando’s head in her lap as she listened back to a lecture in bed, showering together when lando could barely stand straight after training.

“sign this.” she pulled out a mclaren cap one day, making lando dramatically gasp.

“you’ve been a fan this whole time? did they fail to background check you?”

“it’s for my dad. don’t let it go to your head, if it was up to him, i’d be fake dating lewis instead of you.” of course her family weren’t aware of their arrangement, and y/n was more than happy to keep it that way.

“wow okay, and you’re on first name basis with lewis already?” lando laughed as y/n looked away in embarrassment. he did as told though, finding her flustered state the cutest thing in the world.

it wasn’t on their calendar, but lando begged her to come golfing. he couldn’t handle being away from her for too long anymore. so she shook hands with carlos, a face she was familiar with, and the girl he brought along for what was turning out to be a double date.

y/n didn’t care for sports much, but seeing lando in his element was always entertaining. she sat in the little cart watching him beat carlos when his date came to join her. before y/n could open her mouth, the sweet smile she had was quickly turning into a sour face.

“ah, the darling wag.” carlos’ partner said, looming over y/n. “you guys are doing such a good job at pretending, it’s almost like there’s no pretending at all. you do know he’ll drop you the moment your contract is up?”

all y/n could do was sit there red in the face. surely she could’ve phrased it nicer, but it was a good reminder nevertheless. she watched as the woman came up to the golf players, a cheshire grin on her face as she asked lando to teach her. the mclaren driver didn’t waste a second wrapping his arms around her, hands guiding hands. y/n wanted to throw up.

as expected, photos of carlos’ date practically grinding herself on lando reached social media in minutes, y/n left to clean up the mess. that’s what she was here for after all, to keep up appearances and dismiss her feelings.

lando didn’t notice something wrong until y/n proposed going out. she hasn’t been out since undergrad, but all she wanted now was to drown her sorrows. what a fool she was to have her heart open. she dragged lando through a crowded club, hating how perfectly her hand fit in his.

taking shots like water, lando could only escalate the situation through sheer amazement. he’s never seen this side of her, only the cool and collected y/n he’s grown incredibly fond of. her touch felt different too, kissing him like they were the only two people in the room.

he had to carry her back into the hotel room, y/n still humming the lyrics of sweet escape by gwen stefani into his neck. and when lando placed her down into bed, she refused to let go.

eyes half lidded and pupils blown out, her gaze jumped between his eyes and lips. when the f1 driver first caught word of a pr relationship being orchestrated for him, he could only laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. and yet here he was, being pulled into bed by the most divine woman he’s ever laid eyes on.

but this was not how he wanted it.

“we can’t, y/n.”

“silly me, there’s no cameras around.”

“is that what this is about? i want to. so bad that it hurts, you know? no cameras, just you and me.”

“just you and me.” she sighed in content, her sweet voice repeating him. he nearly caved in then, but he needed sober words. he needed it to be real.

it was a distant memory in morning, y/n retching the contents of her stomach with lando holding back her hair. she could barely recall their last conversation, the shame of her throwing herself at him was the only thing she could focus on. she wished for the earth to open and swallow her whole.

the golf incident got replaced with photos of lando manhandling her after the club, so at least that was taken care of. but there was a switch after that, y/n a better actress than she gave herself credit. while she smiled wide for the cameras, she kept her distance when no one was around. she was done bending the line of real and fake.

after the season, she had to come stay with lando in monaco. it only made sense, their one year mark just around the corner. and while lando tried his best, bringing her flowers every other day and inviting her for sleepovers in his room, y/n stayed locked up in the guest room with dead flowers in the bin.

there was much to prepare for their anniversary. write and rewrite captions, scope out a location that was private yet visible for photographs. she was operating like working a nine to five, her mind completely void and just going through the motions. so when she got back to lando’s after an early nail appointment, she truly didn’t know how to react seeing a girl just about to leave.

“oh my god, y/n!” the girl seemed just as surprised, eyes wide like a deer caught in the headlights. “i thought- i’m sorry! i thought you guys had broken up…”

“um- yeah, yeah… we’re on a break, i’m just here to grab a few things.” through gritted teeth, she squeezed out a smile and an excuse that would cover for her so called boyfriend.

she could hear the shower running as she waved the hookup out the door. she didn’t know if she wanted to cry or go absolutely hysteric on lando.

“what the actual fuck were you thinking?” she asked once he came out of the bathroom, curls wet and a very satisfied look on his face.

“what? it’s not like we’re actually dating. you’ve made that very clear, love.”

“we may not be dating, but the public thinks we are!”

“so? she won’t tell.”

“you actually believe that? i just had to make up some bullshit excuse about how we’re on break so you wouldn’t look like a bloody cheater!”

“well you’re a lawyer, make her sign an nda or something.” lando did not yet grasp the severity of the situation, finding it amusing while y/n could only see red.

“you’re unbelievable. i’m fucking done, i can’t do this anymore.” she pushed past him, beginning to pack her things. contractual obligation or not, she was done vouching for him.

“come on, y/n, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“just you and me, huh? you’re such a piece of shit, lando.”

that grounded him quickly, but nothing he said could make her change her mind. if she left now, she would be violating their agreement. not only would she not get compensated fully, she’d be thrown under the bus. she couldn’t care less about it now though, using the last of her savings to get home. she was back in england with no money and a broken heart.

it’s only been a few days, but rumors of y/n being unfaithful and leaving the mclaren golden boy hurting were all over twitter. she should’ve known better, she was naive to believe that a manufactured relationship could run smoothly.

she was holding up just fine until today. one whole year of y/n signing that stupid contract. she was in mourning, rotting in bed of her childhood bedroom. she gave up her apartment shortly after getting with lando.

she could hear hushed voices in the living room, her dad softly knocking on her door. she eyed him suspiciously, blood pressure rising as she noticed the man adorning an autographed mercedes cap on his head. realizing what it meant, she wanted to scream at her father for selling out so easily.

she didn’t say a word as lando came in view. humiliating enough, she was wearing his hoodie. she told herself she packed it with her on accident, but she knew in her heart of hearts she wanted to keep a piece of him.

“i’m sorry.”

“that’s it?” lando wanted to cry looking at her stone cold face. he’d give anything to go back to a time where she’d throw her arms around him after a race. it didn’t matter if he did good or bad, y/n would be there to suffocate him with a rib crushing hug. he could still remember the taste of her cherry chapstick, the warmth of her skin. now they stood at a distance, like strangers who have never shared a word between them.

“no, just- why did you not tell me you remembered? i was being honest that night. i- i want you. i remember our first date, how you laughed at one of my stupid jokes. i knew i was fucked then, that i’d be forever chasing that feeling of making you smile. and yeah, at first i thought you just couldn’t remember because you were completely shitfaced. but then you got cold and i could only assume the worst, that you remembered and didn’t feel the same. so i went and slept with someone, just to forget about not being able have you. and i know- i know, it’s a bullshit excuse. but it’s the honest truth.”

“you made me breach contract, i don’t- i don’t know-“

“for fuck’s sake, i just told you i’m in love with you and you still think i’m here just because of some stupid contract?”

she looked away. she was too scared, too hurt to try again. lando took a step closer, hoping she wouldn’t take one back. when she didn’t, he reached out to hold her. nuzzling her face into his chest, she could hear just how fast his heart was beating. he was terrified of losing her again.

“just you and me. for real this time.”

[munsonluhvr]

☆ painting their nails - steddie x reader ☆

"Steve, I told you not to move." You whine, as the soft pink nail polish brushes the skin beside Steve's thumbnail. Steve wiggles underneath your touch, his impatience getting the best of him. You sigh, attempting to wipe away the excess nail polish on his skin with your own fingernail.

"I'm trying," Steve says, glancing at his freshly painted nails. He pouts, knowing that the little action tugs at your most sensitive heart strings. "It's just hard to stay still for so long."

Beside Steve, Eddie blows lightly on his dark nails - he had chosen black as his color of choice. "Y/n is almost done, Steve. There's one nail left to do, just be still." Eddie says. He had been perfectly patient for you, intrigued by the process of nail painting. With the feeling of becoming similar to Ozzy Osbourne and other rockstars that paint their nails growing inside him, Eddie didn't mind being still for however long it took.

With one last brush, you plunge the nail polish wand back into the jar and twist the cap. "There," you say, pleased with your work. Maybe you should do this for a career you think. "Now don't touch anything, Steve. I mean it."

Steve nods and holds his hands out away from him, admiring his new pink nails. Eddie mimics Steve, holding his own hands out. You lean back, amused by the boys admiring your handy work. "Do you like it?" you ask, clasping your hands in front of you.

Both Steve and Eddie nod quickly, look at each other's nails and then their own. "I feel like a real rockstar now," Eddie says, glancing at you. He swipes at his air guitar, his fingers twiddling quickly against imaginary strings.

"I think pink is my color, honestly." Steve says, a little smile on his face. He puts his hand out to you, flicking his fingers in your direction. "Don't you think?"

[legendary-pink-dot]

Airport Pickup

Pairing: Francisco "Catfish" Morales x female reader

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Unprotected PiV, fingering, semi-public sex, established relationship, light dirty talk because I like to think Frankie is a Sex Talker, Tom has a cousin and he's an asshole too

Word Count: 2.4K

Summary: Frankie hates airports when he isn't there to fly or work. The crowds, the noise, endless passengers complaining to airport employees who were just trying to do their jobs and get through the day. But he’s sitting there waiting today for you.

Notes: No use of "Y/N". No mention of Frankie's child. Frankie starts off grumpy but gets a happy ending. Thank you @goodwithcheese for the prompt and prodding, and to my magic slut coven for cheerleading @arcanefox207 @magpiepills 💜

Fuck. Frankie hates airports when he isn't there to fly or work. The crowds, the noise, endless passengers complaining to airport employees who were just trying to do their jobs and get through the day. But he’s sitting there waiting today for you, through a lengthy delay of your flight arrival and then another one.

Six weeks was a long time to be apart. Way too long. It didn't help that you'd been halfway across the globe -- the time zones and your respective work schedules had made it almost impossible to stay in touch other than a couple quick calls and some texts. He missed your conversations, the shared dinners after work, the drawn-out nights of sex. Right now, especially the sex.

Frankie frowns as your text comes in: Just landed. Delayed b/c crew was late. Pilot is Cpt Davis 🙄

Captain Davis -- fuck. Tom's idiot cousin Chad. Frankie hated him. Not only was Chad an asshole, but a shitty pilot too. Frankie had had the misfortune of flying commercial on one of Chad's flights and knew within two minutes that the minor pitch, yaw and roll corrections -- or lack thereof, in this case -- during the particularly turbulent takeoff were an indication that this pilot didn't give a shit about his passengers. Sure, a captain's primary job is to get people safely to their destination, but what happened to having pride in your work? Fucking jerk.

Frankie shakes his head in disgust as he heads to the coffee shop for your favorite order, stopping at a convenience kiosk on the way to pick up an extra pack of Dramamine for you. Just in case.

~~ * ~~

You stare dumbly at ten identical black suitcases endlessly rounding the baggage carousel as people push past you. Why is baggage claim always a shitshow? You were exhausted from 18 hours of travelling and jetlag, and the turbulence during the flight had stirred up your motion sickness so badly that you’d run out of Dramamine. Bed sounded good right now. Just your cozy bed, 10 hours of sleep, and Frankie waking you up with kisses and hot licks of his tongue. Is that too much to ask for?

Frankie had texted to say he was in the waiting area, and you were so eager to see him. Six weeks was way too long to be apart, and everything ached to be reunited -- your heart, your fingers, your cunt. Anticipation had gotten too much on the last leg of your flight and you'd even tried getting yourself off in the tiny airplane bathroom, but no luck. It just wasn't happening and you'd given up in frustration, ending with no orgasm and also a nice bruise from banging your elbow against the sink.

Finally, your neon blue bag (chosen specifically to be unique and bright so you didn't have to think at times like these) comes into sight. You haul it off the carousel and head straight for the exit.

Frustration melts away as you spot Frankie waving, making his way through the waiting crowd. He's wearing a green sweater, the one he only puts on for special occasions as his version of "dressing up". It would be an awful color on most people but it perfectly brought out the golden tone of his skin, the richness of his brown eyes, the chocolate of his curls peeking out under his navy blue cap. It makes your heart skip a beat that he still makes an effort to look good for you.

"Come here." He envelops you in a bear hug and you bury your face into his neck, inhaling the smell of fresh coffee, his leather jacket, his freshly washed hair curling out under his cap. The scent of Frankie. You drink your fill of it, of him, cinching your arms around his broad back and letting your body sigh and melt into his. "I missed you so much."

~~ * ~~

Dim lighting in the parking garage makes it feel even colder despite the long welcoming hug, the hot coffee you’d downed in the elevator, the extra Dramamine, even the pre-warmed comfort of Frankie's leather jacket. You hadn't missed how his eyes had travelled up your bare legs as you put the jacket on, taking in and appreciating the sight of you. He did love when you wore sundresses. Which is why you had changed into one before getting off the plane.

Tucked into a dark corner space is his truck, looking lonely with few other vehicles around. Frankie tosses your suitcase into the bed of the truck and immediately pushes you up against the passenger door to kiss you hungrily, his hands firm on the back of your neck and around your waist to press you closer to him, giving you a proper welcome home. His mouth is warm and inviting, and you slip your tongue inside it to generate and seek out more heat.

"Tired?" he checks in after a couple minutes, breaking the kiss to rest his forehead against yours. "How's your motion sickness?"

"The Dramamine's kicking in now." You shiver involuntarily in your thin dress. "I'm cold though."

"A sundress, in this temperature? Didn't you check the weather here before your flight took off?"

"But I wore it just for you, Francisco," you whisper, nipping at his mouth. "I know it turns you on."

Frankie groans as he slides his hand along your bare thigh, a featherlight touch against the chill-textured flesh. "You're too good to me. Let me warm you up, cariño. Get in the back seat."

Last time you'd been in the back of his truck, you had been splayed across the bench seat, hands tied by and gripping the seatbelts on both sides as he ate you out, coaxing two strong and heady orgasms out of your body as the sun rose over the beach you had parked at. A good memory, one you had recalled several times during the long lonely nights in your hotel room on this trip.

He opens the door, and you eagerly climb in.

Frankie slides onto the seat, closing the door with a firm but quiet click. You climb into his lap and straddle his thighs, letting him pull you close again, his hands roving under the jacket and rubbing your back while yours snake underneath his sweater to borrow heat from his chest. The curve of his neck and shoulder is warm and you gratefully nuzzle your face into it, inhaling his scent again to imprint it in your memory, so happy to be back.

"Mmmm. Really missed you," you breathe into his skin, the cold tip of your nose rubbing circles over his throat and poking under the neck of his sweater to tease his collarbone. "Missed this."

"Me too. So much," he croons, sliding a hand through your long hair. He adjusts the angle of your head just perfectly to kiss you again, gentle at first and with increasing hunger until your tongue traces his plush lower lip, dipping in to slide in and out of its cleft, and he moans into your mouth.

"Fuck. Do that again."

You continue teasing his mouth with the tip of your tongue as his hands descend to grip your ass and grind his hardening cock against your core, rough denim snagging on thin cotton and lace. You're toasty warm now and you shed his leather jacket, also taking his hat off so you can weave your fingers through the curls in his hair, pulling gently as you rock against him, feeling his heat transfer to your center, the tip of his length in his jeans making contact with just the right spot to make you moan as you rut against him.

Frankie takes advantage of your open mouth and slides a finger in. "Suck. Get it wet for me." You comply and swirl your tongue around his finger, licking and sucking and slurping as if it were his cock, savoring the anticipation of knowing it would soon be inside you.

"Good girl." His finger drips with your saliva and he slides it through your folds, his other hand pulling the crotch of your lace panties aside and holding it there. Letting the cold air kiss your heated flesh. "Hmmm. So wet for me already though, aren't you? So hot," he rasps against your throat, feeling the vibration from the sound that travels up and out of it as he slides a second thick finger into your pussy. You clench around their sweet pressure, his fingers always able to reach places inside you that your own can't.

Within seconds you're shamelessly fucking his fingers, rocking back and forth and building more and more heat in your core, his thumb doing a better job against your clit than your own had in the airplane bathroom, when a bright light flashes through the windshield. Frankie grabs you and pulls you down to lie on the seat, covering your body with his as if shielding you from gunfire. Years retired from Delta Force but his combat instincts never fade, apparently.

"What's happening?"

"Security guard on patrol. I know most of them here and don't need 'em catching me fucking in my truck like a teenager," he whispers into your ear as the flashlight glare fades away. "I'd never hear the end of it."

You stare into his eyes, his face hovering just an inch from yours, those brown eyes you love so much looking darker than ever in the dim fluorescent filtering through the truck. You kiss him with hunger and want. "I need you inside me. Please. Can't wait until we get home."

"I got you, cariño. I'm gonna fuck you good. Get up and turn around."

He hauls you back up and turns you to face the front of the truck this time, straddling his thighs again, and you plant your feet on the floor as he pushes you forward, unzipping his jeans and pulling them down just enough to free his cock, hard and leaking precum, eager to sink home into you. His hands roam up the front of your dress and gently squeeze your tits. You feel the prickle of his mustache caressing the back of your neck as he presses kisses there, and you shiver from pleasure this time, not the cold.

"Patrol will be back soon. You're gonna be the lookout while I take care of you, okay?"

You hook your fingers around your panties and slide them all the way off.

"Fuck yes, Frankie. Show me how much you missed me."

Frankie groans and grabs your hips, lifting up the hem of your sundress, and you grab the back of the front seats for leverage and control as he slowly guides the thick tip of his cock through your folds and into the first few inches of your entrance, setting on fire every nerve ending along the way. It's a stretch, always a stretch with Frankie, but especially in this position, your thighs spread wide across his lap and toes just barely brushing the floor. Your back arches against his chest as he slides the rest of the way in, all the way to the hilt, your moan mixing with his grunted sigh to echo through the small enclosed space of the truck.

"You like that?" He gives an experimental thrust and you cry out, for another, for more. "Did you miss my cock?"

"Yes," you whimper, your voice shaking but not hesitant. "So much. Give it to me."

The leather of the seats in front of you is smooth on your fingers as you bend further forward, changing the angle, inviting him to fuck you in earnest and he does, his practiced hand finding your clit without you needing to ask. Frankie always wants to give you the world if he could.

You forget the security guards, the time on the clock until they come back, not caring and soon no longer cognizant of whether time is passing normally or whether you've been suspended in it. The only thing in your orbit is the feeling of Frankie's cock travelling deep into your heat and discovering every sensitive spot inside as if it was the first time he's explored it. Fire and tension build in your core as his fingers dig into your hip to hold you in place, his thumb working your clit in tandem with his thrusts, the rough texture adding an extra sensation that you've never managed to replicate alone.

"Fuck." Half a whimper and half a plea, and Frankie answers it with a loud groan. Your fingers grip the seats so tight that you create marks in the leather. "More, Frankie, please, don't stop. "

"So fucking tight for me, cariño." Frankie sounds utterly wrecked behind you, voice rich and full, his free hand snaking up to clutch the back of your neck, holding you at the perfect angle for him to drive in and out relentlessly, deep and hard the way he knows you crave. "So sweet. Always so good to me when you come home."

Sounds reverberate off the windows: heavy breaths, flesh against flesh, your moans, Frankie's grunts and whimpers as his rhythm inside you starts to falter, both of you close.

A final few strokes of his fingers across your clit and the tight coil inside you snaps, his other hand slapping over your mouth just in time to contain your sounds as you cry out, feeling his cock twitch and pulse as he comes hard, spurting hot inside you. He buries his face in your hair to muffle his own loud groan and it vibrates loud across your scalp and down your spine as you grind your ass into his lap a few more times to draw out the pleasure for both of you, your walls fluttering around his softening cock, until the sensitivity becomes too much.

Collapsing back against his chest is all you can manage and his arms encircle you, holding you close and breathing heavy into your hair. You feel his heartbeat as it winds down, slowing its thumping against your back through the thin cotton of your sundress. Your surroundings take shape as you come down from your high: Frankie has got you. You're home again.

A sudden flash of light through the windshield blinds you both. "Morales? Hey man, I thought that was you! Have fun with your girl, see ya at the bar Friday night!"

You both groan. It wasn't even a security guard -- it was Chad Davis and his frat-boy smirk.

"Fuck me," Frankie sighs in disgust. "I hate airports."

[averizz]

⧗⍟ 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 analysis

"but it would've been fun, if you could've been the one" - the 1, taylor swift

one thing that will always keep me up at night is these two. the potential they had, their chemistry, and what could have unfolded if the writers had chosen to pair them up. they've been almost inseparable since they met and were always there for one another when they needed it. grounding each other, how they're always glancing in the other's direction for support or approval, allowing themselves to be vulnerable around each other, heck just the way they look at each other speaks volume. speaking of which, here are a few excerpts from scott lang's book:

"Cap couldn't stop talking about her jaw-dropping exploits on missions"

"And for every war story Cap had about fighting alongside Nat, he had another of her just being, well... alongside at critical and painful moments ... being a comfort during the emotional funeral of Peggy Carter"

they are opposites in ways but perfectly balance each other out. she learned from him the significance of trust and camaraderie and he from her the art of espionage, evading enemies without causing a scene, amongst other things. their dynamic is one of the most popular in the mcu canon and though they weren't meant to be in this universe, i'm glad they became an item in some alternate timelines, like in the next avengers movie starring their son james rogers, and in the ultimate avengers animated movie. don't get me wrong, i loved seeing their friendship develop on screen, but that's not to say that something more couldn't have transpired if their situation had allowed it to.

[exhausted-archivist]

Tastes of Thedas Lore Blurbs

Here are all the recipe lore blurbs for Dragon Age: Official Cookbook: Tastes of Thedas. Putting them below the cut due to length, there are 72 recipe blurbs in total.

Starters and Refreshments

Eggs à la Val Foret

Ah, yes. Tons of cream! Exactly what I've come to expect from Orlesian cuisine. Do I have any tips for creating the perfect poached egg? Well, ever since I heard that Solas's bald head was once likened to an egg, I simply try to make my eggs just as round and shiny! So far, it's worked wonderfully and never ceases to put a smile on my face.

Nevarran Blood Orange Salad

Although I knew that Divine Victoria left behind a life of wealth and privilege to join the Seekers of Truth, it wasn't until I was in Nevarra, seeing exactly what she'd given up, that I truly gained an appreciation for the path she'd chosen. The best way to describe my first glimpse of the gardens of Nevarra is that it was like seeing a painting come to life. For a long moment, I could only stand there, so dazzled by the richness and vibrancy of it all that I was half-convinced I was actually still napping in the carriage. Surely, there was no way such beauty could be found outside of a dream. And yet the beauty before me was very much real.

So, too, was the picturesque tableau that arrived later that day on a plate: perfectly cut slices of blood orange artfully arranged on a lush pillow of bitter greens. Was this a meal or a still life, I wondered. In truth, the answer was both. For Nevarrans, food is as much a feast for the eyes as for the mouth. But even if your arrangement isn't quite worthy of being displayed in a museum, this salad will sing a symphony on your tastebuds.

Fried Young Giant Spiders

Just as people on the surface raise cows and goats, the dwarves underground raise spiders. Yes, to eat. The legs are fried and served with a sauce, which, true to dwarven fashion, is made with some type of alcohol. The precise kind depends on the establishment where you're eating your spider legs. Unfortunately, I couldn't get an exact recipe from any of the chefs I spoke to. These sauces are apparently closely guarded secrets and have spurred many a nefarious plot to acquire them - the competition to be crowned Orzammar's Best Sauce is fierce. But I've been assured that lichen ale is generally not used.

I've therefore come up with my own recipe, based on the many varieties I sampled while in Orzammar. Given that sourcing the requisite spider legs above ground is not nearly so easy, and the demand for such exports is minimal, I've substituted them with crab legs. It's not a perfect match, but it's close enough to satisfy me.

Stuffed Deep Mushrooms

Though the mushrooms growing underground in caves and in many parts of the Deep Roads are all called "deep mushrooms," there is no singular variety. In fact, there are several! Some mushrooms are squat, with broad, flat caps, while others are long and spindly, reaching toward the sky like an old man's gnarled fingers. They also have a multitude of applications, used in the creation of everything from restorative potions to deadly poisons. But in Orzammar, mushrooms are farmed for eating!

I was able to sample some of these dwarven delicacies, prized for their unique flavor and intoxicating scent. After only a few bites, I was struck with inspiration. How delicious would one of these mushrooms be when stuffed with cheese and spinach? The answer is: very. Rest assured that I selected this particular variety of deep mushroom not only for its shape, which is ideal for holding the maximum amount of cheese (and spinach), but also for the fact that it does not carry the darkspawn taint. While certain dwarves will insist that a deep mushroom's proximity to lyrium and darkspawn can only improve its flavor, I am quite content to leave that particular question a mystery, especially where lyrium is concerned. Although I'm hardly an expert on the stuff, I can't help but think about Fenris and how much suffering he endured as a result of his lyrium-infused markings. It seems to me that, barring any natural resistance, lyrium and the body are two things that probably shouldn't mix.

Rivaini Couscous Salad

When I first encountered couscous, I mistakenly believed it to be a grain, like rice or the more familiar Fereldan barley. I was swiftly corrected. In fact, couscous is a sort of pasta, made with semolina flour and water, although it's far smaller than your typical Antivan pasta. Couscous has a very mild flavor on its own--maybe slightly nutty. But where it excels is in its ability to soak up surrounding flavors, making it a perfect base for any salad. I'd love to experiment further, but so far, this particular combination of red bell pepper and mint has proven to be incredibly pleasing.

Crab Cakes from Kirkwall

I love it when recipes add a dash of whimsy into the mix. Food should be fun. I, therefore, took it upon myself to put this into practice with a classic Kirkwall dish. After all, who hasn't looked at their crab cakes and wished they looked a little more like crabs? Okay, maybe I'm the only one who's thought this. But now that I've brought this possibility to your attention, I'm certain you're interested as well! Best of all, these extra-crabby crab cakes stay true to the original recipe's flavors, so nothing is lost--only gained!

Fluffy Mackerel Pudding

Can it really be Feast Day without fluffy mackerel pudding? No! In fact, there's no dish I associate more strongly with the holiday than this unique combination of mackerel, onion, celery, and eggs. Granted, I've heard stories that, several decades ago, someone once attempted a diet consisting entirely of fluffy mackerel pudding. Now, that I certainly wouldn't recommend. It stops being Feast Day Fish if you eat it every day, no?

Snail and Watercress Salad

When the Avvar can't get their hands on a gurgut or a wyvern, they turn their attention to smaller prey. Much smaller prey. Snails are found on many a hillside boulder, making them an abundant source of food for the Avvar. Now, while some would wrinkle their noses or cry out in disgust at the prospect of eating a snail, I am pleased to report that, when prepared correctly, the texture, and flavor are actually good! I could happily eat a plate full of snails dressed in butter and oil, but those still on the fence about a snail's place in Lowlander cuisine might prefer to sample them in conjunction with other ingredients. Might I suggest a snail and watercress salad? It’s not exactly traditional Avvar cuisine, but my hosts certainly seemed to enjoy it.

Cave Beetles

You think that, after snails, I'd balk at beetles? Never! In fact, I greatly enjoyed this dwarven dish, which involves roasting cave beetles in their shells. However, I recognize that many may not have a palate that's nearly so adventurous. If that's the case, the cave beetles can be replaced with whole prawns while keeping the rest of the recipe the same. That being said, if you do enjoy the variation with prawns, I really recommend giving the cave beetles a try. They're quite similar in both texture and flavor. If you were to blindfold yourself, I doubt you could tell the difference!

For the Road

Spiced Jerky

Preserved foods play an important role in many different cultures across Thedas. Not only do they help certain communities weather times of scarcity brought on by the changing of the seasons, but they also ensure that long journeys away from home are possible. Imagine how difficult it would be for Dalish hunters to bring back meat the clan is depending on if they have to be back for supper night - or, worse, hunt on an empty stomach! This spiced jerky ensures that all Dalish hunters are well provisioned whenever they set out on a hunt so that no one, either the hunter or the clan at home, must go hungry. I do wonder, given how well this food keeps, whether it’s used in offerings made by certain Dalish elves to Fen’Harel. Although his shrines are usually located well outside of Dalish camps, I can’t imagine that leaving behind food that’ll readily spoil is good practice, especially if the prevailing opinion about these shrines is to avoid them. Besides, he is the Dread Wolf. If any god would enjoy a good piece of jerky, it should be him!

Grey Warden Pastry Pockets

Unlike many of us, Grey Wardens often don’t have the luxury of sitting down for their meals. Instead, they’re off on patrol, usually in less-than-pleasant climates, which makes their work all the more exhausting. In their shoes, I imagine I’d be downright ravenous, well beyond what a handful of nuts could hope to sate. But a pastry stuffed to the brim with meat, potatoes, and onion? Now, that would keep me going, and the Grey Wardens certainly seem to agree! While the original recipe produces a much tougher pastry - mostly to keep the whole thing from falling apart in one’s pack - another variation, championed by newer recruits from Orlais, incorporates the far more delicate Orlesian puff pastry. Whether eaten hot or cold, the results are certainly delicious, but I wouldn’t recommend storing these pastries anywhere they might be jostled. Otherwise, you might open your pack to find a mess in place of a meal!

Pickled Eggs

Got a fever? A cold? An aching shoulder, perhaps? Ask any Fereldan for advice, and they’ll be quick to prescribe you a pickled egg, the Fereldan cure for…well, pretty much anything! Actually, no, I take it back. You don’t even have to ask. Looking a bit under the weather is prompt enough for most Fereldans to unleash a deluge of eggs, which is exactly what Commander Cullen found waiting for him in his office during the worst of his lyrium withdrawals. Whether the eggs really work is a completely different story, but I’d be the last person to complain if one was offered to me. I am Fereldan, after all. Still, next time you feel a bit of illness coming on, try one of these salty-sour eggs. You never know; it might actually work. And at the very least, you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy one of Ferelden’s finest snacks!

Unidentified Meat

Have you ever heard a tale so exciting that you decided then and there that you absolutely have to see the truth of it for yourself? That was me when I learned about the mysterious, impossible-to-identify meat that’s often served in taverns across Tevinter - usually with a heaping portion of Nevarran flat bread. Of course, sometimes, the truth is far less exciting. Because what did I find on my plate when I ordered a portion of this strange meat? Was it quillback? Dracolisk? Giant? No. It was chicken - chicken legs, to be precise. Ah, well. They were still delicious.

Seheron Fish Pockets

Alas, for all my desire to see every last bit of Thedas, there are still certain places where I simply cannot go. Take far-off Seheron, for example, a land that, according to the Hero of Ferelden’s companion, Sten, smells like tea, incense, and the sea. Sounds lovely, no? What a shame then, that all my knowledge comes secondhand - and this recipe is no exception. I learned of this recipe from a member of the famous mercenary band Bull’s Chargers. A group favorite, the fish is packed with flavor. On its own, this combination of spices might prove a bit too much for the more delicate Orlesian palates, but I find that the soft wrap and crisp vegetables temper the resultant heat a fair bit. Do note, however, that this dish has a tendency to fall apart if eaten haphazardly. I suppose that’s why the mercenary who shared this recipe with me emphasized the importance of sitting down properly. He seemed to think I might stand in my chair to eat it instead. Who does that?

Fereldan Hearty Scones

Traveling is tiring work, especially when circumstances beyond your control necessitate going by foot instead of carriage. Thankfully, I had these hearty scones from home to keep me going! Unlike their sweeter, more delicate counterparts, Fereldan scones are packed with cheese and bacon, making them certain to keep you full until your next meal. Unfortunately, this also makes the scones a prime target for any nearby mabari, who love cheese and bacon as much as any other Fereldan. Don't make my mistake! Take a moment to survey your surroundings before enjoying your first bite; otherwise, a four-legged someone might do the honors for you.

Crow Feed

You don’t see much rice outside of Antiva and its neighbor, Rivain. In fact, it’s an especially rare sight in Ferelden, where any grain is seemingly always either barley or wheat. Evidently, very little of the rice Antiva produces ends up being exported, making it relatively cheap compared to other grains. It’s no wonder, then, that rice is a key component in dishes favored by poorer Antivans. However, that doesn’t make them any less delicious! Take crow feed, for example - a simple dish of rice, butter, and onions named after the (in)famous Antivan Crows. Although it’s most certainly cheap, the taste is fit for a king!

Black Lichen Bread

No doubt your face is already creasing in trepidation. “But wait,” you think, “isn’t black lichen toxic?” And yes. Yes, it is. But high temperatures seem to largely neutralize the lichen’s toxicity, making it safe to consume. If you’re still concerned, you can easily substitute any surface varieties for the lichen used in this recipe. Just make sure to thoroughly dry it, as you would any lichen from underground. You can also use bark in place of lichen, but I think that defeats the point. This is supposed to be lichen bread, after all, not bark bread!

Hearth Cakes

Some lovely comfort food, courtesy of the Dalish. These cakes are traditionally made over the hearth on an iron griddle or skillet (hence the name). While the original recipe calls for halla butter, I’ve found that other types of butter work just as well. The resulting dough stays moist on the inside, but crisp and flaky on the outside. In other words: perfect. Although hearth cakes can be made plain, I recommend adding some dried fruit into the mix. Cranberries, raisins, and currants all work. I believe the Dalish simply use whatever is on hand. Of course, if you’re feeling a bit mischievous, you could mix in some hot peppers instead: Just be prepared to be cursed as loudly and vehemently as Fen’Harel, the Lord of Tricksters himself!

Peasant Bread

While traveling through Orlais, I spied this rustic and hearty bread being eaten by both Dalish and city elves alike. The recipe is very straightforward, calling for wheat, salt, and grease in nearly equal parts, and it produces a biscuit that feels like it would be right at home in any Fereldan dish. It does a wonderful job mopping up any last bits of stew left inside your bowl, but it also pairs well with a bit of butter and jam.

Soups and Stews

Merrill’s Blood Soup

In the same vein as Llomerryn red, this is not actually blood - it’s just red. The color comes from the beetroot, which gives the soup a rich, earthy flavor that goes well with the roasted chickpeas sprinkled on top. Some might find the vibrant crimson hue off-putting, in the same way many shun the practice of blood magic. However, as mages like Merrill have shown, I think it’s best to not judge by appearances or by what you think you know. Take the time to experience things for yourself, and you might find yourself pleasantly surprised!

Fereldan Potato and Leek Soup

Most people immediately think of Orlais when it comes to creamy soups, and I can’t blame them. However, as often as cream might appear in their cuisine, the Orlesians certainly don’t have a monopoly on it, whether in soup or otherwise. This dish is 100% Fereldan through and through, and the recipe I’ve noted here is actually Mum’s. Of course, I couldn’t help but put my own little twist on it. Instead of using a side of toasted bread to give the meal a necessary bit of crunch, I turned my attention abroad, settling on chickpeas from Rivain, toasted to crouton-like crispiness. In a way, this recipe is very much a reflection of me, now that my journey is coming to an end. While my origins are unmistakably Fereldan, my travels across Thedas have touched me in a lasting way, and I’m all the richer for it.

The Hanged Man’s Mystery Meat Stew

A famous dish from the Hanged Man tavern in Kirkwall - or infamous, I suppose, depending on your perspective. Personally, after having heard so much about it, I couldn’t wait to taste it, even if the establishment, as Fenris once so succinctly put it, smelled of sour ale, vomit, and desperation. Oh, yes. I can hear what you’re thinking. A Fereldan excited about yet another stew. How predictable. But this is the tavern’s feature dish! Why shouldn’t I be excited? It’s made from a different meat every morning. I suspect mine was pork, although after overhearing the waitress tell another patron that they hang people who ask stupid questions from the rafters, I declined to confirm.

Fish Chowder

As Antivan as it gets! A bowl of this thick, creamy soup will have you feeling like you’re in Antiva City. No need for any pickpockets, corrupt politicians, or Antivan leather to further enhance the experience - the word “enhance” being entirely debatable, of course. I can’t imagine that the smell of rotting flesh would do much for anyone’s appetite, though Zevran Arainai might disagree with me on that. Evidently, becoming an accomplished assassin can have a pronounced effect on one’s tastes. But if you ask me, this desire for rather unusual accompaniments is likely born of something much more universally understood: homesickness.

Sweet and Sour Cabbage Soup

This Fereldan staple is often more solid than liquid, filled to the brim with cabbage, tomatoes, and other vegetables. Paired with a thick slice of dark bread, it makes for a filling and satisfying meal, one guaranteed to leave you full of warmth for hours afterwards on even the coldest of days. A perfect fit for us Fereldans, you might think, but we aren’t the only ones who enjoy this soup on the regular. Apparently, there’s a troupe of actors in Orlais whose sole focus is a popular comedy set in the fictional Fereldan village of Wilkshire Downs. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see it for myself, as the performance was sold out almost instantly. But in order to play their roles most convincingly, the actors went so far as to change their diets to match those of their characters. For example, there’s a mayor who specifically eats cabbage soup. Personally, I don’t think I’d enjoy subsisting only on cabbage soup for an extended period of time, but you can’t help but applaud them for their dedication to their craft!

Lentil Soup

Lentils and Onions - open any pantry across Thedas, and I’m certain you’ll find these two ingredients sitting on the shelves. They’re both relatively inexpensive and keep well for an extended period of time. Best of all, they go with pretty much anything! Still, I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like if these two Thedosian staples played a starring role instead of a supporting one. So I combined a recipe that’s popular in elven alienages with some classic Tevinter flavors to supply an answer to this question. And what a delicious answer it is!

Nettle Soup

I first encountered nettles as a child, when I tripped and fell face-first in a whole patch of them. Many tears were shed, along with a lecture from Mum to play elsewhere from now on. In short, it was far from a pleasant experience. So I was understandably dubious when confronted with the idea of using nettles as an ingredient in my cooking. How could something so painful to the touch be in any way edible, let alone pleasant on the tongue. Funnily enough, I didn’t even have to taste it to understand. Though I doubt she’d appreciate it, I immediately thought of Lady Morrigan. She is, in a word, prickly, much like a nettle. And yet, despite her oftentimes cruel manner, no one can deny that she’s done much for Thedas’s benefit, helping not just the Hero of Ferelden, but also the Inquisitor. She’s a perfect example of how first impressions are not always the most correct. So, yes, nettles are both incredibly nutritious and delicious, contrary to my expectations.

King Alistair’s Lamb and Pea Stew

Hearty, humble, and straightforward to make - the three key aspects of any good Fereldan stew. This is a dish so ubiquitous that it’s become almost synonymous with Fereldan cuisine in general. I’m certain you’ve heard many a clever quip about our stews, perhaps even from Fereldan! But let me be the first to assure you that, no, contrary to what King Alistair may have said, we don’t cook our ingredients until they’re all “a uniform grey color.” Throwing them into the largest pot we can find, on the other hand… …that much is true. If you’re going to make a stew, you might as well make a lot of it! Although Mum’s stews will always rule my heart, I’d be lying if I said this recipe - its namesake’s view on Fereldan stews aside - didn’t come close to stealing the crown. (Sorry, Mum!)

Main Courses

Stuffed Cabbage

Gathering is just as important as hunting for the Avvar. It’s like Mum said: You can’t live off only meat, and any meal without vegetables is a meal half-finished. Of course, I didn’t understand her reasoning as a child, especially one who was single-handedly waging a war against the green menace on my plate. But now that I’m older, I have a new appreciation for her words. Plus, with a bit of proper seasoning, and some meat, even the most unappealing of vegetables can be delicious.

Antivan Gnocchi

Phew! Antivan meals sure are something to behold - and, to think, for Antivan nobles like Lady Josephine, these decadent spreads are just another dinner! Every time I thought we’d reach the last course, another was swiftly brought out. After ten dishes full of ingredients like olives, truffles, pasta, and cream, it’s a wonder I didn’t have to be rolled away from the table! In retrospect, I probably overindulged in the gnocchi, which were dressed with leeks and a rich cheese sauce. While they’re delicious, these small lumps of wheat, flour, egg, salt, and potato are incredibly filling. Still, I cannot say I won’t repeat this mistake next time I find myself at an Antivan table - nor will I regret it if I do!

Antivan Paella

Bordered by the Rialto Bay to the east, Antiva is populated mostly on the coast. It’s no wonder, then, that seafood plays a  starring role in Antivan cuisine. There’s no dish that exemplifies this more than the classic Antivan paella. Rice, saffron, and a variety of seafood (from whole shrimp to cuttlefish to mussels) come together to create an aromatic smorgasbord of everything the ocean has to offer. Best of all, it’s all made in a single pot - truly a dish after my own stew-loving Fereldan heart, if King Alistair’s thoughts on Fereldan cuisine are to believed! Although paella is traditionally cooked in a shallow, wide pan called a paellera (or, more confusingly, a paella in certain regions of Antiva), it can be prepared in virtually any deep skillet. Be sure to pair your paella with a glass of wine - ideally, an Antivan vintage, according to Lady Josephine, whose opinion on such matters can certainly be trusted - for the full experience.

Grilled Poussin

The Chasind sure love their poussin. And who can blame them? I love it, too! It’s a great alternative to the roasted turkey one might normally trot out for guests - although, I admit, the length of the guest list will likely be the deciding factor here. A poussin is a significantly smaller bird, after all, and as much as we might love the kitchen, sometimes we must be economical in our choices. Still, for a more intimate dinner party, you can’t go wrong with this dish! Although the Chasind typically cook poussin in a large pot over an open fire for an extended period of time, a similar effect can be achieved with any other cookware of suitable size and an oven. Marinating and basting the meat to keep it moist. That’s the secret to a meat so tender that it practically falls off the bone!

Gurgut Roast with Lowlander Spices and Mushroom Sauce

It was spring when I trudged through the Frostbacks on my way toward one of the many Avvar settlements that populate the area. As this is the time of year when the Avvar begin preparing for the following winter by smoking meat, pickling vegetables, and drying fruit, I thought it an ideal time to visit and observe. Unfortunately, springtime is also the gurgut’s mating season. As a result, I nearly discovered firsthand why travelers are advised to keep their distance from these brightly colored beasts. Luckily, a nearby group of Avvar hunters quickly came to my aid, and I was spared the indignity of beating at the beast with a ladle. In an expression of my thanks, I shared with them several jars of spices from home, which they happily accepted. These Lowlander spices are prized among the Avvar and often reserved for feasts are rare delicacies. What unparalleled good fortune, then, that I later had the opportunity to dine on the slain gurgut, now roasted and seasoned with the spices I had gifted, at the hunters’ hold.

Nug Pancakes

Although some see nugs only as pets, they are edible. In fact, nugs constitute a key part of dwarven cuisine, so much so that Varen, the first dwarf to attempt eating a nug - albeit out of desperation - became a paragon for his culinary discovery! I'd liken the flavor to a cross between pork and rabbit. Very tender, especially when roasted. But of all the nug-based dishes I've sampled, my favorite is still the nug pancakes (with nug-gets coming in a close second). I've noted down the recipe here and recommend you give it a try! Of course, if you cannot bring yourself to eat nug, other meats can be substituted in its place.

Fish in Salt Crust

The Avvar are generally rather utilitarian in their cooking methods - lots of stews, which I can hardly find fault with. But holds by lakes and rivers have a unique way of cooking fish. Instead of using a pan, they’ll wrap the fish in pungent leaves and salt, then leave it baking all day over banked coals. Like a stew, this method of preparation does not require constant attention. In addition, the salt helps keep moisture inside the fish, which turns the flesh creamy and tender. Plus, there’s a great deal of fun to be had when cracking the salt open! It adds a level of drama that I’m sure even the Orlesians would appreciate.

Roasted Wyvern

Having made their home in the inhospitable Frostbacks, the Avvar live on whatever they can glean from the land, hunting all manner of beasts, from harts and rams to large creatures like lurkers and gurguts - sometimes even wyverns! But take care! Although wyvern can be delicious, if they’re not prepared correctly, they’re devastatingly poisonous, a consequence of their venomous nature. I’ve made sure to include detailed instructions. I’m no Antivan Crow like Zevran Arainai, after all; the last thing I want is for anyone to be poisoned via dinner!

Nug Bacon and Egg Pie

Ever since I heard about Sister Leliana keeping a nug as a companion, I’ve desperately longed for a Schmooples of my own. Of course, as adorable as nugs are, allowing them anywhere near a fully stocked kitchen is a recipe for disaster. You’d think that after seeing Mum nearly lose her mind trying to keep the Hero of Ferelden’s mabari out of her larder, I’d be a touch more aware of the security of my own roasts. And yet…that cute face… Suffice it to say, I discovered firsthand just how voracious these little omnivores can be. These days, the closest thing to a nug in my house is this traditional Fereldan farmer’s pie.

Starkhaven Fish and Egg Pie

In some ways, this famous pie mirrors its namesake. Not only is it almost oval in shape, but it’s also stuffed to the brim with fish from the Minanter River, lending the impression that it, like the city of Starkhaven, sits perched upon the river’s bounty. But where the city is crowned with solid rings of tall, gray stone, this pie has a light, flaky crust that, I imagine, is far kinder on one’s teeth –not to mention, far tastier! As beautiful as Starkhaven is, with its lavish estates and fountains, I’d much rather take a bite of one of its pies instead. Of course, if Starkhaven’s prince were on offer as well… just kidding! I’d still take the pie. Given Sebastain Vael’s popularity, though, I might be alone in this decision.

Cacio e Pepe

A classic Antivan dish that graces the tables of both rich and poor alike. Composed of three pain ingredients – pasta, cheese, and pepper – cacio e pepe is delightfully simple. And yet, it is also very easy to get wrong, as I quickly discovered. The sauce must be smooth, not clumpy, a surprisingly tall ask when your tools are dry cheese and water. But do not despair! This skill, like all others, can be learned, and with a bit of practice, you too will be able to make a sauce that even the most scrutinizing of Antivan grandmothers can’t help but approve of. And let me tell you, that nod of approval is worth every ounce of struggle. So let me be the first to offer it to you, as Mum did for me when I was a child helping her in the kitchen: I’m so proud of you for persevering!

Turnip and Mutton Pie

I already know what you’re thinking. A Fereldan about to extol the virtues of turnips? Of course! They’re a wonderful little root vegetable, capable of being prepared any number of ways–whether boiled, stir-fried, roasted, steamed, or mashed–and even eaten raw! Although they certainly make a great addition to any stew, for now, I’d like to introduce you to the wonders of turnips in pies.

This particular pie is a classic Fereldan dish served at taverns across the kingdom. Tender chunks of lamb and turnip are enveloped in a buttery crust that, together, never fail to put a smile on my face. It doesn’t matter how cold or miserable the day is. None of that is any match for a belly full of warm, rich, turnipy goodness. Even just the smell alone is a comfort that no other food could ever hope to match. And although you could certainly evoke it by throwing a bushel of turnips into the fire, as Cole once did, I think putting them in a pie is a much tastier idea.

Smoked Ham from the Anderfels

Contrary to what the rumors (or perhaps just the importers) would have you believe, this ham does not taste of despair - whatever flavor that might be. Although the Anderfels are largely ill-suited for farming, pigs do surprisingly well there, in spite of the notoriously inhospitable climate. As a result, ham from the Anderfels is generous in size and, when glazed, makes for a delicious meal. In terms of glazes, my personal favorite is made from a combination of apples and apricots. However, I’ve heard that one glaze, in particular, made from wildflowers, can turn a smoked ham as hard as jade! Not at all suitable for eating, but I imagine it would pack quite the punch, especially in the hands of a warrior like Divine Victoria!

Roasted Turkey with Sides

If you're attending the Prince of Starkhaven's birthday celebration or any dinner party in the Free Marches, chances are, you'll find this feast waiting for you. The roasted turkey, cooked to golden-brown perfection, sits surrounded by a host of different sides, creating a picturesque scene that's certain to impress everyone lucky enough to secure an invite. Unsurprisingly, this culinary tableau is far from a quick-and-easy meal. The chef who prepared the rendition I enjoyed in Kirkwall informed me - after much persuasion - that the turkey alone took hours to prepare. Add a few sides, and there goes most of the day, especially if you don't have a full kitchen staff to assist you! Unfortunately, I discovered this the hard way when I later attempted to put this recipe into practice. By the time everything was properly cooked and ready, it was late into the evening - well past dinnertime, even in Antiva, where dinner is usually a late-night affair. So take my advice, and budget more time than you think you need. Also be sure to invite some friends! This is definitely a meal that's meant to be shared, which, in my opinion, makes it the best kind!

Sides

Sera’s Yummy Corn

This recipe is simple, yet strict. No wraps. No non-yellow corn. Peel halfway, then wash and cook; peel again, and eat. Personally I think other varieties of corn would work just fine - I agree with checking for rot, of course - but the suggestion was met with such disgust from Sera that, well, I couldn’t bring myself to try it. Also, while the original recipe advises acquiring the ingredients through less-than-honorable means, let me assure you that merchant-bought corn is absolutely fine. Friends of Red Jenny can, of course, pilfer a few ears from an undeserving noble, as usual.

Stuffed Vine Leaves

The first thing I did upon arriving in the Tevinter Imperium was head for the nearest tavern and order this classic Tevinter appetizer. These tender leaves are stuffed with rice, herbs, and sometimes minced meat. When topped with a bit of lemon juice and a dollop of tzatziki sauce, they’re sure to leave you in a state of bliss with just a single bite. In my case, I was so enchanted by the delicious flavors that I didn’t even notice the commotion outside! Apparently, there was a disagreement between a magister and another magister’s son - about what, I couldn’t say. After all, I was too busy eating!

Honey Carrots

In much the same way as the Inquisition is to the Inquisitor, a meal is more than just a main course. Sides form an equal part of the equation and deserve just as much care and attention as the dish they’re served alongside. It’s a lesson Mum taught me long ago and one I haven’t forgotten since. So of course, I noticed when this Orlesian staple made an appearance. It graced my table not once, not twice, but every single time I dined in Orlais. And while I enjoyed the traditional Orlesian rendition of this dish - which is on the sweeter side, thanks to a liberal application of honey - those who prefer a level of sweetness more in line with a carrot’s natural flavor should employ a lighter touch.

Nevarran Flat Bread and Yogurt Dip

There’s something supremely satisfying about a tall stack of Nevarran flat bread - and I don’t just mean in an aesthetic sense. Of course, being pleasing to the eye is certainly a consideration. This is a Nevarran dish, after all. But the process of being able to go from dough to ready-to-eat bread in minutes reaches a whole level of satisfaction on its own, especially if you’re used to waiting hours for a loaf to finish baking! Best off all, this bread can be eaten in a variety of different ways, whether on its own, brushed with oil, or as a vehicle for an assortment of dips. Personally, I’d love to try it with a good stew from home one day.

Sweet Delights

Blancmange

When translated literally from Orlesian, blancmange means “white eating,” which, I suppose, is pretty accurate. This dish is a white pudding made with either milk or heavy cream that’s been thickened. On its own, it possesses a relatively mild sweetness–particularly by Orlesian standards. But that’s because it’s generally served with various toppings, such as a red grape compote, to amplify the dish’s sweet flavors. The toppings are also a great way to decorate an otherwise plain-looking dessert. I’ve seen everything from designs composed of toasted almonds to ribbons of fresh mango. There’s really no limit to what you can do!

If you’re looking for a particularly elegant option, you need only turn to Lady Vivienne for guidance. After all, she’s the veritable queen of style, no matter the medium. When it comes to blancmange, her preferred arrangement remains true to the dish’s name, offering a pristine white-on-white tableau of white chocolate curls and whole jasmine flowers. The result is gorgeous on its own, but when served on a dark plate, it looks all the more stunning!

As stunning as that is, I prefer to add a cherry sauce to top the dish.

Poison Stings

Traveling is exhausting, as I’ve recently discovered. Even if you’re just sitting in a carriage, it can often feel like you’re walking every step of the way. Thankfully, I’m not the first to take long journeys across Thedas. Dorian Pavus traveled all the way from Tevinter to Ferelden in order to join the Inquisition - and rather quickly, at that! His secret? Chocolate-coated orange peels, colloquially known as poison stings. They’re sweet and sour, crunchy and chewy, and are certain to perk you right up whenever you’re starting to feel a bit worn down.

Dalish Forest Fruit Cobbler

Mum always knew there’s no greater comfort than a warm slice of cobbler - and the Dalish know it too! The first time I had a bite of this dessert, it was like sitting in Mum’s kitchen all over again, letting the simple pleasure of her baking wash away the day’s troubles. Hard to feel the sting of a skinned knee or a lost game when your belly is full of warm, gooey goodness, no? Although Mum usually made her cobblers with strawberries and rhubarb - only the stems, of course, as the leaves are poisonous - you can follow the Dalish’s lead and use whatever forest fruit is currently in season.

Dwarven Plum Jam

One of the great joys of this journey has been the sheer variety of foods I’ve encountered. However, there are certain places that, by nature of their climate or simply location, offer little in the way of choice when it comes to locally produced foods. The dwarven city of Orzammar is one such place.

Though it is underground, the city is by no means isolated, and trade with the surface has ensured that foods from above ground have soared to great heights of popularity below. Jam, particularly that made from plums, seems to be in especially high demand. The price, however, was enough to make my eyes water! It’s no surprise that only the wealthiest and most influential residents of Orzammar can afford it.

That’s not to say the rest of the city’s population is doomed to live in a jamless existence! While in Orzammar, I spoke to a local jam maker who, rather than purchase the jams directly from merchants, has opted to import only the individual components. They hope that, by making the actual preserves themselves, they can sell their product for a much more reasonable price. And the results, I dare say, were very sweet.

Sour Cherries in Cream

Imagine that you, like me, are at a dinner party in Orlais. You’ve just finished polishing off the second-to-last course, the latest in a long slew of extravagance, and you’re starting to realize that perhaps you overindulged earlier in the evening. But how could you not? The food was just so good. Now there’s only dessert left, and your stomach feels like it’s about to burst. At this point, you cannot imagine how you’ll manage to choke down whatever tower of sugar and cream awaits you in the kitchens. All you know is you have to. You cannot be rude to your host, after all. What a relief, then, when dessert finally arrives, and you’re presented with a small bowl filled with black cherries dressed in sweet cherry sauce and whipped cream. Evidently, even the Orlesians are sometimes in need of lighter fare. And so the night ends, with stomachs still intact and no offense caused. A happy ending for all!

Treviso Energy Balls

As a Fereldan, I’m no stranger to hardship. The Fifth Blight took much from us, but the darkspawn are hardly the sole cause of suffering in Thedas. Take Treviso, a port city in northern Antiva, for example: Treviso was captured and liberated several times during both the Qunari Wars and the New Exalted Marches. As you can imagine, during times of occupation, food was scarce, and those living in the city had to make do with the limited ingredients they still had. Of course, people can be remarkably creative, particularly in difficult times. You need only look to the work Anders did in his clinic in Darktown to know that much. And so the Treviso energy ball was born, combining peanut butter, oats, and dried fruit into a bite-sized treat that’s just bursting with energy! Perfect for when you’re out sabotaging weapon caches - or just taking a hike.

Rice Pudding

I assumed a mercenary would be paid in gold. But according to the second-in-command of the Bull’s Chargers, this is not always the case! One time, he, the Iron Bull, and five other Chargers defended a village from fifty bandits, an awe-inspiring feat by anyone’s measure. I certainly listened in slack-jawed amazement as Krem recounted the tale. How incredible they must have been! If only I could’ve seen it for myself. Ahem. In any case, once the bandits were defeated and it came time for the Chargers to collect on the payment they were owed, instead of receiving a sack of gold, they got several bags of rice. When I asked what they did with all this rice, Krem only shrugged and said, “When life gives you rice, make rice pudding.” I don’t believe truer words were ever spoken!

Goat Custard

You’ll find custards all across Thedas in a dizzying number of variations. I sourced this particular recipe from Rivain, where it has gained great popularity as a dessert. The custard is made from goat’s milk and studded with roasted figs to add a touch of sweetness to the dish’s overall richness. If you’d like to further enhance the dish’s sweet flavors, milk from the Ayesleigh gulabi goat can be used, as it boasts a natural sweetness that makes it prized by custard connoisseurs everywhere.

Baked Goods

Antivan Apple Grenade

It’s no secret that I delight in creative presentation when it comes to food. Whether it’s a crab cake designed to look like a crab or a dish featuring a fish peeking its head out of a pie, the extra touches are all certain to leave me clapping my hands with glee. Thankfully, this Antivan dessert nails it on both counts! Its name comes from the fact it resembles the fire grenades reportedly used by the Antivan Crows assassins - not just in shape, but also in heat! I discovered that part for myself the hard way, when I bit into the piping-hot apple at the center of these sweet pastry bundles with a touch too much enthusiasm.

Found Cake

The Hero of Ferelden’s mabari is very good at finding items. One time he even brought back a cake! As I understand it, the cake in question was a chocolate cream variety, topped with white frosting and fresh strawberries. Of course, I had to try my hand at reproducing it, and I think the results are sure to delight. I did, however, make the decision to omit the few flecks of drool that apparently clung to the original. As much as we love our mabari in Ferelden, I don’t think their spittle makes for a very appetizing ingredient. Not even Teyrn Loghain, who, I would argue, is far more tolerant of mabari drool than I, is liable to enjoy a cake that’s become intimately acquainted with the inside of a mabari’s mouth.

Varric’s Favorite Cinnamon Rolls

When you hear the tales of Thedas's heroes, what you don't always hear are the silly names Varric Tethras called them. Some of them more fitting - Blondie, Curly, Ruffles, Broody - and others a little more...ironic. Tiny? Chuckles? I can easily imagine his amusement at the exasperation of those around him, but that's Varric for you. He can disarm you with his humor and charm (or quite literally, through his spy network). I'll tell you a secret, though-I think he has a soft spot for the soft heroes. "Daisy" for Merrill, "Sunshine" for Bethany, "Kid" for Cole. I've even heard rumors that there was a kind, appeasing hero he called "Waffles". And "Waffles" is just on short step away from him calling someone a "Cinnamon Roll," which I've heard is one of his favorite sweets. (Some of those heroes would decidedly deserve that nickname, too.) I whipped up a batch of cinnamon rolls while thinking on it, and I believe they're the perfect treat to have while listening to him spin you a tale. Warm, sweet, comforting- the kind of treat not for listening to Hard in Hightown, but for hours spent reminiscing.

Croissants

The Orlesians certainly know how to make a good pastry! It’s no wonder Lady Vivienne starts off her day with one of these, the most well-known of all Orlesian pastries and, in my humble opinion, the most delicious. But, by Andraste, these little crescents are a lot of work to make! In order to achieve that wonderfully flaky texture croissants are known for, the dough is layered with butter and then rolled and folded several times over before being rolled into a thin sheet. It’s times like these when I wish I had a strong companion like the Iron Bull or Commander Cullen to take over the duties with the rolling pin. Anything to spare my arms the indignity of being reduced to limp noodles!

Cherry Cupcake

These delightful little cakes are decadence in bite-sized form, as pleasing to the eye as they are the tongue. Although they were served alongside other sweets, carried from one private box to the next by a servant on stilts at the Tevinter theater, I was so enchanted by the pink color that I barely noticed what else was on offer. It was only after I’d had a cupcake (or four) that I heard these tiny cakes were once used as a vehicle for deadly poisons! Thankfully, my cupcakes were poison free, and so is the recipe I now pass on to you.

Chocolate Cake

I didn’t have to travel very far to get my hands on this recipe. In fact, I didn’t need to travel at all! This cake is actually one of Mum’s recipes. She baked it for the first time on my tenth name-day, and it made for a sweet celebration that not another name-day passed without me begging for an encore. Thankfully, Mum was kind enough to indulge me, even though, more times than not, she already had her hands full with the Couslands’ meals. And so whenever I think about her love for me, this cake inevitably sits front and center in my mind. It therefore seems only fitting to include here.

Varric’s Favorite Pastries

Leave a plate of pastries, fresh from the oven, to cool on a windowsill, and you might soon find a certain member of House Tethras lurking nearby. It’s unsurprising, given that the man’s first thought when it came to renaming the Bone Pit was apparently “the pie fields.” I can’t blame him, of course. I, too, love a good pastry, whether it be biscuit, roll, or bun. And after an extensive consultation with the famed arbalist himself, I’ve put together this sample, which is sure to delight! But whether you choose to leave them within dwarf’s reach well, that is entirely up to you.

Sugar Cake

There’s often joy in simplicity, as illustrated by this humble cake, which is topped with a sweet mixture of butter, sugar, and almonds. I purchased one off a surface dwarf merchant who assured me that it would be well received by any companion. According to him, even the Hero of Ferelden purchased a few for this very purpose. Of course, for me, traveling alone, this cake isn’t as much a gift as it is a perfect pick-me-up after a long day of travel. But perhaps one day, I’ll have a beloved companion to bake this cake for.

Lamprey Cake

The lamprey is one of Thedas’s more unique-looking creatures, with its long, slender body and toothed, suction-cup mouth. It’s also one that’s seldom found in the kitchen. Unless, of course, the kitchen belongs to Lord Norbert de la Haine, whose fondness for pickled lampreys was just as unfortunate as his desire to conquer the Free Marches.

Given that Lord de la Haine’s tastes were rather singular, it’s better, I think, to bring the lamprey to the dinner table in spirit only. Rest assured, you’ll find none of its noxious flavors in this cake. I’ve limited myself to merely borrowing its shape.

Tevinter Pumpkin Bread

Granted, I didn’t need much tempting to visit Tevinter. After all, how else was I going to sample Dorian Pavus’s favorites? But if I did require some convincing, these wonderful treats would certainly do the trick! Best of all, because the ingredients are so limited, I can share this recipe with more people than ever - provided, of course, I don’t eat the whole pan myself.

Drinks

Lichen Ale

Deep underground, food is easily defined. So long as it’s edible and capable of being scavenged, it’ll eventually find its way into someone’s stomach. That being said, the surface dweller’s understanding of the word edible may not exactly align with that of an Orzammar dwarf. The best illustration of this is lichen ale, the drink of choice among the dwarves in Dust Town. Put simply, it is toxic, and I do mean that in the literal sense. In sufficient quantities, it can even overpower the heartiest of dwarven constitutions. As a result, the rest of us must approach this drink with caution. Although most can tolerate a few sips without issues, I think we’d all much rather enjoy a full glass of any beverage–particularly when we’ve made it ourselves. I, therefore, took it upon myself to devise my own rendition of lichen ale, using the dwarven recipe as a base. Now we can all enjoy the look and (most) of the flavors of the original without fear of poisoning ourselves in the process!

The Hissing Drake

During my visit to the Gilded Horn, I chanced upon a group of young men engaged in a contest of sorts. The goal? To drink as many Hissing Drakes as possible in quick succession, with the person who drank the most being crowned victor. Evidently, they’d already had a few drinks before the idea occurred to them, as no sober individual would dare down more than a single glass of the stuff at a time due to its fiery effects on the stomach. In fact, when it comes to ill-advised drinking contests, I’d say this one is a close second to the game Admiral Isabela once played, with participants drinking based on the number of enemies they had. Suffice it to say, that one killed a man. Thankfully, in this case, no one died. But I think the young men managed only two or three servings before they were forced to rush for the nearest balcony, where they were promptly divested of all their pride and bluster. I have no doubt that next time the urge to compete takes hold, they’ll follow my advice and choose a soothing Fereldan ale instead.

Hot Chocolate

Varric isn’t the only one who loves sweets. And, no, I’m not talking about myself; I’m talking about the Iron Bull! Hot chocolate is a particular favorite of his, to the point that it’s practically a necessity. Although the cocoa powder he swears by is sometimes difficult to find, it’s well worth the effort. Add hot milk and some Orlesian guimauves like the Iron Bull does, and you’ll have a drink that’s certain to please. Personally, I’m partial to topping it all off with a bit of whipped cream dusted with cinnamon, but there are many ways to dress up a cup of hot chocolate.

Antivan Sip-Sip

I was warned that this particular drink packs a bit of a bunch. More than “a bit,” I’ll say. Anyone capable of downing an entire glass of this is made of sterner stuff than I! I could scarcely manage more than a small sip each time I brought this to my lips - and that was with the added help of a tall glass of water! Perhaps that’s why it’s called a sip-sip - because each sip of it must be chased by a sip of something else.

Dragon Piss

I really hope the name is figurative. It probably is - or, at least, that’s what I’ll tell myself now that I’ve sampled this less-than-enticingly-named drink. Perhaps the name Dragon Breath would suit it better? After all, it certainly burns like a dragon’s breath - both in the glass and on the way down!

Rivaini Tea Blend

A cup of tea is often the perfect accompaniment for any sweet treat, although it can certainly be enjoyed on its own. Personally, I’d still prefer the added biscuit on the side. Not just because I like desserts–I do, of course–but because it’s great fun deciding which to pair with all the various blends.

When it comes to tea blends, the most famous is probably the classic Rivaini tea blend, a mixture of peppermint, lemon verbena, oregano, and licorice root. It’s a wonderfully soothing combination that’s said to have healing properties. In fact, I believe Empress Celene Valmont I of Orlais takes it throughout the day to alleviate headaches. Given how messy Orlesian politics are wont to be, with chevalier cousins vying for the throne and elven handmaids turned both spymaster and lover, I imagine there must be a pot of the stuff boiling at all times.

The Golden Nug

From the name, I expected this drink to be gold, but it’s actually pink! Evidently, inspiration was drawn from the living creature rather than the golden statue I passed in Haven (of which I’ve heard there is more than one). A base of white Seleney wine sweetened with a splash of West Hill Brandy dilutes the color of the pomegranate juice and mulled raspberries into a softer, pinkish hue. The goal is to imitate the color of a typical nug, after all, not a severely sunburnt one!

The Emerald Valley

The sisters of the Chantry truly make some marvelous creations - namely, the spirit used in this drink. Distilled from over seventy different herbs and flowers, it has a complex, varied flavor positively bursting with all the freshness of an emerald-green valley.

Chasind Sack Mead

After having sampled some Chasind Wildwine, I wasn’t surprised to learn that their mead is equally strong. Some might even call it brutal. For me, the flavors are almost poetic. First, there’s a nearly overwhelming rush of honey, tinged with the sour-sweetness of apple blossoms, that fills the mouth with all the bright warmth of a summer’s day. But as the initial sweetness fades, there comes an unexpected bitterness, reminiscent of the slow decay into fall, then winter. In essence, the turning of the seasons, all in a single cup - well, sack (although you can certainly fancy it up with a stunning decanter, as I’ve done here).

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

When Donald Trump was indicted last year for pilfering classified documents from the White House, court filings included photos of state secrets stashed throughout his country-club-turned-residence in, among other unsecured spaces, a ballroom, a bathroom, and Trump’s bedroom.

On Monday night, following Trump’s latest disingenuous contention—that the FBI agents who seized and reviewed the contents of boxes upon boxes of sensitive materials stored at Mar-a-Lago “failed to maintain” the exact order of the documents within, which Trump now claims could somehow exonerate him—government lawyers filed a scathing response letting the air out of Trump’s contentions.

Far from a neatly ordered system under which Trump, a notorious pack rat, maintained a precise inventory of important documents, Special Prosecutor Jack Smith, along with prosecutors Jay Bratt and David Harbach, noted the “cluttered collection of keepsakes,” which “traveled from one readily accessible location to another” around the Palm Beach, Florida club.

“[T]his is not a case where reams of identically-sized documents were stacked neatly in file folders or redwelds, arrayed perfectly within a box,” the filing states. “To anyone other than Trump, the boxes had no apparent organization whatsoever.”

Trump kept highly guarded secrets in boxes with “personally chosen keepsakes of various sizes and shapes from his presidency—newspapers, thank you notes, Christmas ornaments, magazines, clothing, and photographs of himself and others,” the government’s filing goes on.

“After they landed in stacks in the storage room, several boxes fell and splayed their contents on the floor; and boxes were moved to Trump’s residence on more than one occasion so he could review and pick through them,” the filing continues. “Against this backdrop of the haphazard manner in which Trump chose to maintain his boxes, he now claims that the precise order of the items within the boxes when they left the White House was critical to his defense, and, what’s more, that FBI agents executing the search warrant in August 2022 should have known that.”

Smith, Bratt, and Harbach included a slew of exhibits to back up their position, with numerous previously unseen pictures of Trump’s decidedly chaotic storage methods. One shows assorted wadded-up golf shirts side-by-side with a folder marked “CONFIDENTIAL.” Another shows extremely sensitive defense-related documents carelessly stacked up on the floor beside cases of Diet Coke, a Hermes tie box, and a “Save America” cap, several toppled boxes with papers, binders, and folders spilling out, and a box containing a Christmas pillow and a random length of bubble wrap, beneath which, as national security analyst and writer Marcy Wheeler pointed out, at least one document prosecutors say was related to America’s nuclear weapons program.

In one exhibit, Smith & Co. provide a new photo of a storage closet at Mar-a-Lago where the contents of at least five upturned bankers boxes can be seen spilling out onto the floor. Several suit jackets in plastic dry cleaning bags hang from a rack above them, a Gibson guitar case leans against the wall, and what appears to be a piece of rococo plaster molding teeters atop a cardboard box nearby. According to the indictment, one of the boxes seen here contained a 2019 document marked “SECRET//REL TO USA, FVEY,” which denotes the Five Eyes intelligence alliance that includes Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.

In another, a picture taken by FBI agents on the Mar-a-Lago search team shows a blue leather-bound box, filled to overflowing, sitting on the carpeted floor of Trump’s home office next to a supply of Trump’s favorite soft drink. Nearby, a small portrait of Trump, making his trademark “resolute” face, is visible against a wall. Inside this box, according to prosecutors, were three documents classified at the Top Secret level.

A third exhibit shows a series of three boxes in a Mar-a-Lago storage room, one containing a pile of dirty clothes, another with a document marked “SECRET,” and one with a small red-and-white-trimmed pillow and a sheet of pink plastic bubble wrap on top. This box held 10 documents for which Trump was charged, including one classified as “Formerly Restricted under the Atomic Energy Act, meaning it pertains to US nuclear weapons,” according to Wheeler. Prosecutors said in Monday night’s filing that the FBI in fact found 32 documents with classification markings, 11 of them “CONFIDENTIAL,” in one binder—though none of them were charged in the indictment.

And in yet another, one of Trump’s boxes can be seen containing a cover sheet marked “SECRET,” a binder from a 2018 Cabinet meeting, and, curiously, a copy of a 2019 article in The New York Times about a whistleblower who exposed Trump’s shady dealings with Deutsche Bank and was later found dead.

On Tuesday afternoon, Smith & Co. were back in court, asking U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon to bar Trump from continuing his public attacks on the FBI. Prosecutors say the former president’s penchant for inciting anger and potential violence against agents in the case is a tragedy waiting to happen.

Trump’s attorneys say any restriction on what he can and cannot say is a violation of his constitutional rights.

[triangularitydubs]

The Wheel Of Aus?

This time it has chosen Jax

And what a coincidence I mention time, cuz

That's one of the aus.

The Amazing Digital Time Capsule belongs to @the-amazing-digital-time-capsule

Second au is the Arcade Party Au by @acstation206

I wish I was smart enough to do the pixel bit that's on Time Cap Jax. But it's okay, these two AUS merge perfectly

An old retro pac man ghost that likes to Boogie!

Help his SLEEVES AAAAAA

[ereardon]

My Girl [Chapter 12][Jake "Hangman" Seresin x OC]

Summary: Jake Seresin could be the answer to all of your dating woes. He’s the full package: steady job, mature, dependable, attractive to a fault. The polar opposite of every guy your age and he’s everything you’ve ever wanted in a partner. But there’s one roadblock: he’s a single father to four-year-old Ellie. Jake is looking for a level of commitment you’re not quite sure you’re ready to give, and he’s not willing to bring someone into his daughter’s life who isn’t there for the long haul. And even if you are stepmom material, is Jake ready to let someone back in his life while still mourning the recent loss of his late wife? 

Pairing: Jake “Hangman” Seresin x OC [Lawyer Natalie West]

WC: 3K

Warning: Age gap, cursing, arguing, angst

Series masterlist here

Please fill out this form here to join my tag list

You took a deep breath and knocked on the door, praying that Margot wasn’t the one to open it. 

The door swung open. It was Jake. Surprise creased his beautiful face, followed quickly by relief. 

“Nat,” he breathed and you almost had to steady yourself because your name on his lips was, and always will be, mesmerizing. You hated how much Jake Seresin made you feel, igniting every single nerve ending in your body without even raising a finger. “I’m so glad you’re here.” 

You shook your head to silently explain you weren’t there to see him. “I’m here for Ellie. We had a date planned, remember?” 

Jake pondered that for a moment before realization dawned on him and he nodded. “Right, donuts and hot chocolate at the beach.” 

“We made those plans before I knew her grandparents were in town, so if we have to reschedule that’s fine, can you just let Ellie know? I don’t want her to think I ditched her.” 

“Margot and Ron left this morning.” 

What Jake didn’t tell you was that he practically threw them out. That he had taken them in the backyard after your date and told them that they could either get on board with your relationship, or get out. 

They had chosen the latter. 

“I see,” you said, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to another. You were wearing leggings and a sweatshirt, a puffy jacket pulled on top and a baseball cap, no makeup. Jake had never seen you look more beautiful. “Is Ellie awake?” 

Jake gave you a tight smile. “She’s in her room, organizing her toys. I’ll grab her in a second.” 

“OK.” 

You were still upset about the other night. The way you had left things with Jake left a lot to be desired. It made you sad to think that he still didn’t believe that you loved him. As if you didn’t sit awake the nights that you were apart, aching for his arms around you. As if his voice on the other end of the phone didn’t smooth away all of the anxiety and annoyance that you balled up and stored away during the work day. As if his touch wasn’t like modern medicine, curing your maladies instantaneously. 

It scared you to your core how much you wanted him. Needed him. Desired him. All of him. Not just his looks or his velvety voice or the chivalrous mannerisms. You loved the way he gently helped Ellie pack her backpack in the morning, and the way he poured your coffee the moment you walked into the kitchen at breakfast and how he always made sure to buy an extra cookie from the bakery for you to have in the car ride home because he knew how hangry you would get. You loved how he let you go on and on about your cases and clients, and the feeling of his knuckles curved perfectly into the arches of your foot as you sipped wine on the couch and watched comedy reruns and the simple way he always brushed the hair from your face and kissed your temple before you fell asleep. 

Jake Seresin was your dream. But sometimes you were worried he was still trapped in his own nightmare. And worse, that he felt like he needed to do it alone. That he was too afraid to ask for help to pull himself out of the dream.

“Natalie?” His voice shook you from your thoughts. Jake stepped forward, pulling the door shut behind him so it was just the two of you on the wraparound porch. Jake placed his hands on your arms. “I’m an ass.” 

You snorted out a laugh despite yourself and Jake’s face lit up in a golden grin. “Jake, you know I love you. I know you do. When are you going to start trusting me enough to believe it?” 

Jake slid one arm around your waist, his fingers brushing softly over the small of your back. “God, you’re too smart for me, do you know that?” 

You laughed again. “Honey, all women are too smart for all men. It’s why the world keeps turning. We’re the ones in charge, we just let you think you are.” 

“I never for one second thought I was running this show,” he murmured softly. 

“Do you believe me?” you asked. 

Jake nodded. “I do.” 

“Can you promise me you’re not going to lose it on me again?” 

“Honey, I’ve never felt worse than I did watching your face the moment those words left my lips.” Jake’s fingers traced along your jaw. “I hate to see you upset.” 

“Then stop being the reason I’m upset.” 

That broke him. “You’re right,” Jake said and his face was twisted in pain. “I’m sorry. I keep fucking up and blaming you and it’s my fault. I’m still figuring things out, Nat. All I know is that you’re the person I want beside me as I do.” 

“I’m right here,” you murmured, reaching your arms around his neck, pulling his lips down to hover near yours. “I am right here beside you.” 

And then you leaned forward, your lips against his, feeling Jake’s warm body as he pressed you against the cool wooden post, his hands grazing over your hips as he deepened the kiss. And as badly as you wanted to wrap your legs around his waist, have him take you inside and crawl on top of you, fuck you into the mattress until you had tears streaming out of your eyes, you pulled back, breathless. 

“Ellie,” you muttered. “I promised her we’d go. Trust me, I want nothing more than to do this, but if I don’t stop now I’m never going to stop kissing you.” 

Jake chuckled against your lips, pressing one last kiss to your mouth before pulling away, his hand on your back steering you into the house. “I’ll go get her.” 

“Do you want to come with us?” you asked. 

He shook his head. “It’s your thing with her. I don’t want to interrupt.” Jake started for the stairs, climbing one before turning back around, one hand on the banister. “Nat?”

“Yeah?” 

“Thank you. For everything. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to tell you how much it means to me that Ellie has you in her life. That you’ve been so willing to take us both in.” He choked on the last few words and you had to hold yourself back from attempting to gather him in your arms, pepper kisses across his face. Jake let his vulnerability show like a badge of honor, unlike so many men you had met in the past. 

“You’re welcome,” you said finally, and Jake gave you a lingering smile before heading upstairs to get Ellie. 

You leaned against the banister, waiting for them. Not for the first time, it started to sink in. How ingrained you were becoming in their lives. 

So when Ellie appeared at the top of the stairs, with a bright smile and bundled in a puffy winter jacket, you grinned and opened your arms and she flew into them. And the thought crossed your mind of how much it would hurt to ever lose her. 

How much of a hole it would leave in your heart to let her go. 

***

“Ms. West?” 

You turned in your seat. One of the paralegals whose name you had already forgotten stood anxiously near your desk. “Yes?” 

The brunette gave you a tight frown. “Patrick Donnovan would like to see you in his office.” 

You groaned. It had been months since your run in with Patrick, the day you brought Ellie to work. But that was the thing about Patrick. Even if he wasn’t in your face, he was always in the back of your mind, lingering. Like he had rented a studio apartment in your head and he shared a wall with your anxiety so you were never able to shake him. 

You thought about knocking, but instead just pushed the door open. Patrick looked up from where he sat at his desk, crooked nose perched high in the air. “Natalie,” he said, sweeping out a suit-clad arm. “Take a seat.” 

The chair was warm as you sunk into it, and that only made you worry about the poor person who had inhabited it before you. A sigh bubbled in your throat and you had to clamp it down. 

“How are you?” 

Patrick wasn’t one for small talk so the question came out of left field. “I’m fine, thanks.” 

His eyebrows knitted together. “I know the last time we spoke you were upset with me.” 

You frowned. “Upset is an interesting word choice, but OK.” 

“Natalie.” Patrick sighed. “I’m going to be frank with you. It’s come to my attention that you could have misconstrued what I said.” No shit, you wanted to say. But instead you remained silent, digging your red nails into the fleshy palms of your hands where they sat in your lap. “For that, I apologize. I brought you in today to tell you about a new account we’re putting you on. It’s part of our capital markets practice.” 

You nodded. 

“I want you to lead point on it.” 

That took you by surprise even more than Patrick asking how you were doing. You would have fallen out of the chair if not for the beefy leather sides. “I’m sorry, can you repeat that?” 

“Our cap markets practice is expanding and we want you to lead due diligence on it,” he explained. “The work will be split between our San Diego and New York offices.” 

Your mouth was threatening to drop open. Leading a major arm like cap markets was unheard of for an associate. It could be the thing that, if done successfully, tipped you onto the fast track for partner. 

And then Patrick’s words sunk in. 

“Did you say New York?” 

He nodded. “The cap markets team is primarily in New York, just down the street from the exchange. We’ll need you out there at least once a month for the foreseeable future, until the infrastructure has been implemented and we’ve seen a minimum of one fiscal quarter with positive profitability.” 

“That could be months, even years,” you said softly, mostly to yourself. The thoughts were already rolling around in your head. How would you explain to Jake that you were going to be gone one or two weeks out of the month, every month? How would you break it to Ellie? 

Patrick leaned over, elbows hitting the hard wood of his desk. “Is that a problem?” 

That’s when you saw it in his eyes. It was a test. Of course it had been a test, all along. 

And fuck if you were going to let him win. 

“Not at all,” you said, standing up and smoothing your skirt. Patrick’s eyes grazed over your bare legs and you had to stop yourself from physically shaking and gagging at the thought of even his eyes roaming your body. “When can I expect a full brief?” 

“Tomorrow,” Patrick said, standing as well. “I’ll have Cerza write it up and send it over. We’ll need you in New York next month for kickoff.” 

You didn’t bother acknowledging his last statement or saying goodbye. You simply walked out of his office, straight down the hall, head tall, ignoring the curious glances as you made your way to the bathroom, locking yourself in the first stall and crumpling into a seated position on the floor, tears streaming down your face. 

You didn’t know if there was a world with both. It was either Jake and Ellie, or your job. Everything you had worked for. Everything that your parents had fought to set you up for.

It was a test. Accept the position and be on track for partner.

Or decline, and watch your future at the firm crumble and fade.

Patrick knew it. And you knew it, too. 

***

“Don’t take offense at this, but for a four-year-old she looks weirdly at home in a bar.” 

Jake laughed, taking a sip of his beer before setting it down gently on the wood counter. He looked over to his right, where Ellie sat propped in Bradley’s arms while he showed her how he was using the pool cue. Next to them, Bob and Phoenix were leaning against the pool table, their eyes locked on Ellie. “Mav’s girlfriend owns the bar, so we’re here plenty. She’s got her own daughter, Amelia, who babysits Ellie on occasion.” He shrugged. “We spend a lot of time here. Or at least, we used to.” 

There was a noticeable pause on his end and you let the silence take hold. You had started to notice when Jake had memories of Lizzie, and instead of trying to insert yourself into the conversation, you simply stayed quiet and let him live out the thought. 

He smiled after a moment. “Glad you could make it. You’ve been so busy lately, I’ve barely seen  you.” 

You gave him a tight smile and then pressed your wine glass to your lips. It had been almost two weeks since Patrick told you about the capital markets expansion, and you had yet to tell Jake. The firm was already laying the groundwork for your trip to New York to jumpstart the integration. You had set up introductory meetings and pulled the relevant briefs and had your secretary make arrangements for a hotel in the city, and flights. 

Everything was set. The one thing you hadn’t done was tell Jake. 

There had never been a right time. Or, more accurately, there had been a million openings and you had chickened out every single time. When he turned his beautiful green eyes on you, his iridescent smile, or Ellie wrapped her tiny fingers around your leg, the words turned to dust on your lips. You couldn’t leave them. Not when things were going so well. Not when he was finally beginning to trust the fact that you had promised to stick around. Now that Jake was finally accepting the fact that you wanted this. That you wanted him, and everything he brought with him. 

How could he ever believe that you wanted a life together when you had accepted the position that would keep you away a week every month for the foreseeable future? 

“Nat?” Jake asked softly, his hand brushing on your thigh. “You OK?” 

You nodded. “Yeah, of course. I’m going to get some air if that’s OK with you?” 

He gave you a small smile and his hand trailed along your back as you scooted off the bar stool, heading for the side door that opens out onto the beach. 

Outside, you sucked in a gulp of crisp March air. The waves were crashing against the shore, and you could still hear the laughter inside the bar. It was slightly chilly, and you wrapped your arms around yourself, cursing the fact that you hadn’t brought a jacket on top of your sweater, when the sound of the door slapping back onto the frame startled you. 

Bradley gave you a grin, stepping out onto the sand and coming to stand by your side. 

“How’s it going?” he asked. 

“Good,” you replied. “How are you, Bradley?” 

He chuckled. “Can’t complain, sweetheart. But if you have any pretty single friends, I wouldn’t argue with that.”

You laughed. “I’ll have a think and get back to you.” 

“It’s a plan.” 

For a moment, the two of you stood side-by-side facing the waves in silence. It was still early afternoon and the sun had yet to dip its head below the horizon. Bradley was tall, taller than Jake, and while his presence should have felt looming, it was comforting in a way. He was a marshmallow on the inside. It was clear from the way he spoke about Jake and Ellie that he adored them. 

“Listen, Natalie, I know we don’t know each other that well, but I feel kind of responsible for Jake in a way. His dad is a bit of a shit and isn’t really around, and he doesn’t have any brothers. And no matter how many times he’s tried to get himself killed off by doing stupid maneuvers, he’s never succeeded, so that just leaves him with us.” He gave you a wry smile. “He’s a good guy. He’s a better guy than I could ever hope to be. And that little girl means the world to every single one of us.” 

Bradley sucked in a breath and you looked at his side profile. The way his mustache ruffled when he spoke, and the way he looked longingly over the water. There was something a little broken about him. You guessed that he had walls up around his own heart. That’s why he was so adamant you didn’t break Jake’s heart. He knew first hand what it was like to lose someone. 

“I can’t stand around and watch them get hurt.”

You turned to him. “I love him.” It was the truth. 

“I know you do.” 

How was it that Bradley had read your mind? As if he sensed you pulling away, however minutely. “I don’t want to hurt him. Or Ellie. I care about them so much.” 

Bradley met your gaze. “Just do me one favor?”

“Of course.” Your tongue was dry in your mouth. You could feel the heat of his eyes on you and it made sweat prick at your pores, despite the chill. It was like Bradley could see into your brain and knew there was a secret hiding in the gyri folds. 

“Be honest with him. About where you are and where you want to go. Because for all of his great qualities, and he has a lot, he can be really slow to read people and situations. So it’s up to you to guide him. Because when he falls, he falls hard.” Bradley paused, his jaw tense. “And he deserves to be happy. They both do, after everything they’ve gone through. So if there’s even a single ounce of doubt in your mind, that you’re not ready for this, not ready for them, for all of it, let him go, Natalie.”

Tag list: @double-j @seresinhangmanjake @topguncultleader @hangmandruigandmav @momc95 @minamisulemisa @shawnsblue @blue-aconite @brehonodea @crthurston @angelbabyange @jason-toddsthighs @secretsicanthideanymore @taytaylala12 @mandylove1000 @mizzzpink @showmethewayhomehoney @tvjunkie08 @mygyn @wkndwlff @sadpetalsstuff @shanimallina87 @averyhotchner @oneelleandaneye @starrynightskyz @daddymack01 @buxkybarnez @pookie-cleary @clairedelarosa-blog  @princessofglitterland  @tiredqueen73 @lovingjakeseresin @lilyevanswhore @kurtkunkle17 @amortentiadrops @hotch-meeeeeuppppp @abaker74 @xoxabs88xox @novagreen04 @townmoondaltwistle @rosiahills22 @indynerdgirl @entertainmentgal8 @misshoneypaper @starkleila @ebonyhogan24 @rosewritesitout @sammysimpin @khaylin27 @localhockeygirl @eyesthatroll @wildxwidow @wildlyobserving @bellaireland1981 @wittywhispers-blog @xomrsalliej4787xo @rosiahills22 @oiseul @showmethewayhomehoney @callsign-joyride @teacupsandtopgun @jordanturpen @sexytholland @daddymack01 @pookie-cleary @eternalsams @djs8891 @blairfox04 @morgannchase @absolute-fcking-chaos @darkestbeforethedawn16 

[talshiargirlfriend]

Don’t mention it.

Here is an estrangement vignette that literally no one asked for.

Follows an Unnamed Disaster. Could be set between Home and Kir’Shara (or elsewhere per your imagination) Read it on ao3

Commander Tucker steps onto the bridge, the emergency lighting a glaring reminder of how much work remains to get the ship functional again. Travis Mayweather has a knitted cap pulled over his ears and a grim expression on his face as he sits in the center seat. He makes to stand, “Sir-”

Trip waves him off. “Just passing through, Travis. You hold onto the hot seat. So to speak,” he adds wryly.

Travis gives him a look. Damage across multiple systems has made maintaining any sort of climate control outside of Sickbay impossible for the time being. Engineering is hotter than the Forge while the bridge feels like Andorian spring.

“She in there?” Trip jerks his head toward the command centre.

“The Fortress of Solitude,” Travis nods with a show of his usual good humor, and Trip chuckles in appreciation.

T’Pol looks up from the array of damage and casualty reports, star charts, repair projections, and god only knows what else she’s poring over when he enters the room. Two mostly empty mugs lie neglected on one side of the table.

“Commander,” she greets him. The coral velour collar of her catsuit peeks out over the neck of her Starfleet jumpsuit. She also has a silver crew jacket layered over the top. Unlike most of the bridge crew she has chosen to forgo wearing a hat, leaving her flushed ear tips visible. The effect should be comical, but somehow she still looks compelling.

“Hey.”

“How is the captain?”

“Better,” Trip answers slowly. “Awake. And grumpy. I think Phlox might release him to quarters this afternoon just to get a bit of peace.”

They share an amused glance.

“How about you? When’s the last time you actually took a break?” He raises his eyebrows.

Her eyes dart away from his. “Ensign Sato brought me tea,” she deflects softly.

After a pause, T’Pol changes the subject, “It is warmer on this deck this morning.”

“Huh. Maybe a little.”

She looks at him sharply. “I wasn't aware Climate Control was back online.”

Trip laughs darkly, “Oh, it’s not… but I needed to vent some heat from the plasma relays on B Deck and gave it a little redirect. No sense in you freezing your ass- asses off up here. Win-win.”

T‘Pol stiffens, “I am perfectly capable of enduring–”

“I know that! I know. But it really was useful, and…” he sighs and runs a hand over his face. “Whatever we are - or aren't, I’m still gonna care about you. Maybe you shouldn't always have to endure things just because you can.”

She looks at him with those big sad eyes, and suddenly Trip is grateful for the space between them and the solid obstacle of the table to prevent him from doing something they might both regret. Or, possibly worse, might not regret.

He swallows and tries for a light tone, “Maybe it’s a human thing, but sometimes the best way to work out how to solve a problem is to think about something else for a while.”

T’Pol glances at the stacks of PADDS in front of her, then closes her eyes and nods, “I believe I understand.”

“Speaking of solving problems,” he says as he steps behind her to activate the wall screen. “I believe I've worked out how to get propulsion and sensors both back online ASAP.”

Trip talks her through his plan, having already anticipated most of her questions and objections. Arguing through all the details is second nature to them, the rhythm safe and familiar.

When she flicks back to a previous schematic, their fingers brush together.

Oxygen makes itself scarce.

Neither of them moves for a few heartbeats.

T’Pol recovers first and withdraws her hand to grasp its mate behind her back.

“Commander, this is incredibly impressive work.”

“‘Incredibly impressive’ eh? Careful, T’Pol, or people will start to think you like me,” Trip overshoots his teasing mark wildly, and it tastes like boot leather.

T’Pol wrings her hands - a gesture she has picked up from her human crewmates.

“Commander - Trip, everyone in this room already knows how I feel about you.” Her voice is as low as a whisper, weighed down by all she can’t say.

He clears his throat, but his voice still sounds hoarse, “Yeah.”

“I, uh - I should go get things moving.”

“Agreed.”

T’Pol removes her jacket and places it carefully on the back of her chair. “Trip … thank you.”

“Don't mention it.”

They don’t.

[dandenbo]

15, 25, and 32 for gaymer questions =)

15. Hardest game you’ve ever played?

I really struggled with Returnal, that game and I are still on break. To be fair, difficulty is the point, resurrection and restarting are part of the story's progression and the generation of the map, but I am just not cut out for roguelikes, they stress me out!!

25. Favorite environment in a game?

oooh it's gotta be Death Stranding. A beautifully rendered map based on the most alien and isolating environments on earth, black volcanic rocks and bogs and deserts, perfectly chosen to invoke the theme of long decay. Plus it's one of the rare games where you see a breathtaking snow-capped mountain or a big crater in the distance and you can actually go there.

32. Have you ever rage quit a game? If so, what game and what caused the rage quit?

Cyberpunk 2077, I started it and quit before the culmination of the first act like five times. It took me sooo long to hit a stride with this game, I found all the combat systems to be so opaque and the tutorials were full of in-universe jargon that only made me more overwhelmed. While I did end up liking the game in the end, I still think it's in desperate need of some moderation, there's just too much of everything. On top of that, someone's always calling V on his damn cellphone. Leave me the fuck alone!!

gaymer asks

[darthstitch]

fic snippet: as you wish

Now here was a true, proper rogue.

Leather, yes, a black doublet with faded bits of gold, straining a bit against broad shoulders, pants that clung sinfully to a pair of handsome legs. He was, of course, armed to the teeth - a sword, a pair of daggers, possibly more hidden about his person.

White teeth gleamed in a charming grin. The rogue bows with a graceful flourish. "Give you good morrow, my sweet lord."

Dream of the Endless knows perfectly well how to respond to such impudence. Such audacity. It is very easy to slip on his most imperious airs, to remind everyone present that he is a prince, sovereign of his own kingdom. "Sweet? I know who you are, foul villain."

A gloved hand is pressed artfully to his chest. "I? How could I ever offend one so fair as you?"

"Tangina. Here we fuckin' go again."

"I blame you for this entirely, Rose Walker."

"Me? I didn't do anything!"

"One of them's your uncle, right?"

"Unfortunately, yes. And I have their braincell at the moment."

"Caw!"

"You got your phone out?"

"Hell yeah, I ain't missing a single blessed thing!"

Dream ignores the peanut gallery composed of his niece, his nephew, his Raven and the history and literature students he and his husband taught. He fully commits himself to the spirit of the role. "You are the Dread Pirate Roberts and you have murdered my true love. I demand satisfaction, sir."

The Dread Pirate Roberts shakes his head. "A dreadful misunderstanding I'm sure. I have killed ever so many 'true loves' I tend to lose track of the buggers." He sighs, even as his hand closes carefully around the hilt of his sword. "Pity. Their sweethearts tended to be faithless creatures, not worth a single tear."

"You dare."

The Dread Pirate Roberts, scourge of the seven seas, master swordsman, barely got his sword up in time against the fair Prince of Stories, wrathful and vengeance driven. Swords clashed and gleamed in the sunlight. Daggers were drawn. They were locked in a deadly, intricate dance, giving no quarter...

The Pirate and the Prince do not kill each other at this time.

"Since when did your Uncle Dream kick so much ass in a freakin' swordfight? I thought he just did the sand thing!"

"Of course Uncle Dream knows how to do more than just the sand thing! He's the Sandman!"

"We know, Jeddie - we just didn't know he was a Jedi, too!"

Everyone's favorite history and literature professors were, incidentally, having too much fun to pay attention to the peanut gallery, coming up with the most ridiculous overblown dramatic lines, barely keeping straight faces. But they did manage, such was their commitment to their chosen roles.

Nobody wanted to admit they sniffled at "Prince Buttercup's" anguished, heartfelt description of his lost love, the simple farmboy Hob.

"Do not mock my grief! I died that day. And now, I shall take you with me!"

Which of course led to this revelation:

"As...you...wish."

Obviously, this sword fight ended with the unmasking of the Dread Pirate Roberts as the Prince's long-lost love. And of course, the performance was capped off with a kiss that didn't really require any acting whatsoever.

It was said that there were five kisses that had been rated the most passionate and the most pure. This one in particular was filled with laughter and love and sunshine.

It was kiss number nine. The tenth one would be along in a very short while and there were endless ones behind it.

Incidentally, the ensuing video capturing all the romantic ridiculousness triggered yet another kilig apocalypse. All in a day's work for everyone's favorite cryptid pair.

-end-

** runs **

Here's the inspiration for the Dread Pirate Hob:

[jokeringcutio]

Arthur Harrow x Assassin Reader Drabble

Prompt Fill: You are an assassin hired to end Arthur Harrow's life. But his lentil soup changes things. (Dark but decent version) Fandom: Moon Knight TV Pairing: Arthur Harrow x (AFAB) reader Rating: Teen Warnings: Assassin AU, poison, reference to non-con drug use. For @nicktremblaywayfu

Drabble: Assassin and Arthur Harrow

The bottle up your sleeve felt hot and cold at the same time. A mixture of feelings, as if it were burning through your clothes. As if everyone could see that you had it hidden there, cap ready to be popped.

But not yet. You waited patiently for your target to arrive. Around you, others said at the table, making pleasant conversation. You were blending in perfectly, dressed in plain clothes. An ordinary disguise for a not so ordinary assassin.

You could have chosen many way to terminate the life if this particular man. Swifter ways, perhaps even less painful ways. A gun to the head or a knife to the heart. Instead, you had chosen to stay under the radar and use a poison that would be hard to trace. All you needed to do was slip it into his drink. Or his soup, you mused.

You knew the leader of this particular cult usually sat to eat with his peers as a sort of bonding process. He was usually quite reserved and would sit in his private chambers for hours, hardly letting anyone near except a chosen few whom he trusted. Poisoning him seemed to be the least hard of all the options you had at hand, and the least messy as well.

Nervously, you waited for his arrival. The girl to your right kept chatting to you about all the things she wanted to see changed in this world. And wasn’t that ironic? You smiled politely at her, did your best to appear at your most charming. You knew no one noticed the tenseness of your muscles or the way you expertly schooled your expressions. You’d never been caught before and today wouldn’t be any different.

Finally, the man you had been tasked to assassinate appeared. He was followed by a handful of men and women, all eager to brush their hands past his shoulders and chest like he was some kind of messiah. You looked at them with contempt and bit your cheek. Why were you feeling all hot and bothered inside at seeing how others touched him? It must be because you could tell he took delight in it, right? That he was used to being revered as some sort of God. You wondered if he thought of himself as so, or if he truly believed he was just the messenger, tasked to speak for his Goddess?

It didn’t matter. After tonight, he would be gone.

Arthur Harrow did not have his own spot at a table. Rather, he liked to sit somewhere different each night, following a pattern around the room. And if you had not been mistaken, he would be seated at your table tonight. He did not disappoint, for he came over to where you were, footsteps slowly crunching.

You had prepared a plan to distract him. And you would use the girls by your side to enact it – they were unknowing of how you would lure them into doing the thing you needed them to do, of course. It would make tracing you down as the culprit that much harder – if the cult ever decided to treat Arthur’s demise as suspicious instead of natural.

You had to suppress a smirk at the thought of how you were going to get away with it. But it was in that exact moment that Arthur’s eyes met yours, and you felt as if he could look into your soul. Your smirk had gone, like snow in the burning hot sun. Was he onto you?

“I think, I’ll sit next to you,” was all he said, then waited for the girl next to you to scoot aside. It was clear which spot he indicated. It was on the same bench you were seated on, exactly next to you.

Shit, this ruined your plans. You had not expected for him to sit next to you. Somehow, that scenario had been off the table, because why would he pick a seat next to you when they had already been taken? You had to recalculate. The upside of it all was that it would be easier to slip the potion into his food like this. He was seated at the right side, at the right sleeve. And the potion would not take effect till at least a few hours later. You could get away with it. By the time suspicions were roused, you’d be long gone, back on the plane home.

The girl next to you scooted aside to make room for her leader. She looked up at him with lovey-dovey eyes, like most of the younger women here, you thought. And even some of the men.

Arthur had his charm, certainly. Yet you were determined not to let him work his magic on you. You flexed your fingers and waited with baited breath for the man to take his seat by your side. You instantly felt the warmth radiating from his body, and picked up his earthy scent of herbs and spices that enveloped you along with his presence. Everything about him was enchanting. You would almost believe that a Goddess truly existed and had claimed the man as her own. He was like magic himself.

“So,” he said, and turned at you smiling. “Have you tasted the soup?”

He gestured with his hand at the plate in front of you. The watery substance didn’t look very alluring, but it was highly recommended to you by the chefs. Of course, you had taken it, not to break character. You forced a smile and looked up at him until the two of you locked eyes.

He knew.

You didn’t know how you could tell, but there was a certain glint to his eyes that told you he was aware of what you came here to do. That you had come here solely with the purpose to annihilate him. And that you would do it by poisoning his food. Soup was the perfect medium for it. A liquid that he would devour enough from. He always finished his plate.

“I,” you hesitated, not able to conceal you had not taken a single taste of it. Then you shook your head.

“Pity,” he murmured, voice low while he bend his head closer to yours. “I’ll tell you a little secret,” and then he whispered, for the others not to hear, “I made it myself.”

You felt the stir around you, noticed how the other young men and women at the table grew restless at seeing their leader confide in you in hushed tones. There was a certain jealousy radiating off them. Especially the girl to Arthur’s right, the one who had to scoot aside and had been happy to be seated next to him, at first. She seemed angry now that his attention was on you fully. So his charm worked, you thought amused. He has them all in his palm, but could lose them just as easily by making the wrong move.

“Try it,” he urged you. And unable to break your disguise, to give away anything that might prove his suspicions to be true, you slowly picked up your spoon and sipped from the soup.

It tasted… nice.

Good even. Heavenly. You had not thought that such a plain looking soup could contain so much flavor. And you eagerly started to lap it all up.

“What kind of soup is it?” you asked after a few more hasty sips. Your eyes found his again and you could not but notice the small smile that played on his lips as he slowly started to eat from his.

“Lentil soup,” he answered, truthfully. “I am a vegan, but that doesn’t mean I have no taste.”

And indeed, the soup was heavenly. You sat there, hip against hip, while the two of you sipped from your soup in silence. Arthur radiated a warmth that made his presence undeniable. Suddenly, a weight plummeted in your stomach. It was the realization that you had been paid to come here and to murder this man. This hidden five-starred homemade chef.

“They say that the way to a woman's heart is through her stomach,” you murmured, catching Arthur’s attention fully. He tilted his head and looked at you from the corners of his eyes.

“Is that so?” he murmured.

You smiled. “It appears that you will have no trouble in finding yourself a bedmate, Mister Harrow.” Something in his eyes glinted, as if you had unearthed some kind of hidden secret there.

Your retort had given you away though. The expressions of the others at the table should have been a clue as they looked at you in shock. No one called Arthur by his surname except for his enemies. And what you had just done, was betray your identity without you even knowing it. Perhaps you could blame the soup. It was making you drowsy.

“It seems you’re tired,” Arthur whispered near your ear, then turned to the men and women by his side. “Bring her up to my room. I think she could use a laydown.”

Then he was above you again as he made you lie against his chest, vision spinning, head dozy. "Lay her upon my bed," you wondered if you truly heard him say that. Everything had started to spin and sounds became dull. It all was happening so fast. You could just make out his eyes, burning as they looked down upon you, and feel how his fingers slipped inside of your sleeve, taking the vial out between the tips of his fingers. For a moment you feared it had gone, that he had somehow used your own potion on you. But you knew it shouldn’t have worked that fast.

It was a relief to see all the contents were still inside, and to see how Arthur tucked it inside of his own pocket with a slight hum. Then his hair fell around his face again, the imitation of a halo of an angel.

“I had not heard that expression before,” he murmured only for you to hear, his hands gently on the sides of your face. “The way to a woman’s heart seems to be through her stomach indeed. And I promise you, I will cook my homemade soup for you every day after this, if you promise to stay with me.”

Your vision blurred, and with that promise, your consciousness was gone.

AN: Sorry, it became dark again. Ugh. I can’t help it… I have been feeling under the weather even more lately. Can’t wait for tomorrow, new hospital visit, hopefully they’ll find something.

Anyhow. I suppose Arthur became aware of the reader’s intentions and drugged her before she had the chance to poison him. I imagine she wakes up on his bed afterwards and gets a good thorough fucking to be put in her place. I’ll probably try my hand at a fill for this prompt again as it is too good and has so many possibilities <3