#the monks start coming and they don't stop coming and they don't stop coming and they don't stop coming and they don't stop coming and they

[viric-dreams]

30 & 31 for The Whole Gang?? 👀

30. Who do they most regret meeting?  

Oh boy. Ockham regrets particular circumstances for sure (see: the group of sailors that ambushed and impressed himherthem), but as for individuals... probably the Youthful Naturalist for roping himherthem into this extended scheme involving some of Ockham's all time least favourite activities (zailing, piracy, and drowning)

I'm giving this award to the Benthic professor that Roberts thought was inviting him back to his lab to negotiate a new Searing Enigma supply chain, but was actually trying to capture him so he and his colleagues could test out their new cure for Yearning and Burning. If and when he eventually remembers the encounter.

I don't think Nite has run into anyone he truly regrets meeting yet, but I am going to very tentatively hand this to Grace for inadvertently introducing incredible amounts of complications into his life via "hey aren't you that sequencer?"

Tamara doesn't strongly regret meeting anyone, but she highly regrets her brother ever meeting the Jewel-Turbaned Youth. He ruined both of their lives.

The Rubbery Barber Surgeon regrets meeting and cutting the hair of a particular pilgrim from the Tomb Colonies, because she went back to the Tomb Colonies and told all of her buddies who still have hair about him, and whilst he appreciates the extra business, he is so sick of cutting and styling tonsures. It's been a straight month of this. The monks just keep coming. Please make them stop.

31. Who are they the most glad to have met? 

Going with the Bewildering Procession of Companions, Lovers, Suitors, and Paramours for this one. Ockham doesn't have an incredibly strong relationship to any one of them, nor any sort of constant reliance on them, but they're a source of consistency and stability in a place that is anything but.

The Commodore gave Roberts' life a purpose and without him Roberts wouldn't be anywhere near the man he is today. This might not be a good thing for anyone who isn't Roberts or the Commodore.

Nite is grateful for some of the revolutionaries who stuck up for him and with whom he formed bonds in those early days, particularly Myfanwy, who helped him solve one of the major mysteries about his apparent early life.

At the moment, Tamara's most glad to have met Ockham. At least there's someone else in this strange place who is equally out of place and unimpressed with the city. It's just a shame that heshethey's utterly mirror-mad.

The Tentacular Surgeoness, of course! 💖💖💖

[nellasbookplanet]

Book recs: Queer science fiction, part 1

There is a lot of queer sf out there, and I read a lot of sf. When I started working on this list, I quickly realized it was impossible to include all that I've read and enjoyed in one single rec post. Thus, this is the first of so far three queer sci-fi book rec posts.

A note: queer here does not necessarily mean "guarantee of an f/f or m/m ship with a happy ending", but rather simply a significant presence of queerness. Some of the books feature no romance but has a same gender attracted/trans/a-spectrum lead, or features an m/f relationship with bisexual, trans or aro/ace characters, or simply features a world-building which is heavily queer inclusive in ways that don't always compare to our own ideas of sexuality and gender. I have however disqualified works where the only queer presence is along the lines of "gay best friend" or a blink and you'll miss it confirmation that never comes up again.

Previous book rec posts:

Really cool fantasy worldbuilding, really cool sci-fi worldbuilding, dark sapphic romances, mermaid books, vampire books, many worlds: portal fantasies, many worlds: alternate timelines, robots and artificial intelligences, post- and transhumanism, alien intelligences

For more details on the books, continue under the readmore. Titles marked with * are my personal favorites. And as always, feel free to share your own recs in the notes!

The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley*

Dietz is a soldier in the war between Earth and Mars - to travel to the battle front, she and her fellow soldiers are broken down into light to be able to quickly travel across space. But something keeps going wrong with Dietz's travels; her memories don't match up with the mission briefs, as she experiences time itself turning in on itself. Is she going mad? Or are the things she's learning skipping through time the truth - and the war that's stealing her life the lie? A mindfuck of a book that's scathing in its critique of fascism and war. Features a sapphic lead but no romance.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk and Robot duology) by Becky Chambers

Novella. Long ago, robots, upon gaining sentience, simply laid down their work and walked into the wilderness. Long after, a tea monk looking for purpose follows after them into the wilds, where they come across one of the robots seeking its own sort of answers. While not plotless, this story focuses more on character and vibes over plot. Also has a nonbinary main character and features conversations on gender between human and robot.

Meet Me In Another Life by Catriona Silvey*

Thora and Santi are strangers, brought together by a coincidence and torn apart just as abruptly when tragedy strikes. But this is neither the first nor the last time they meet - again and again they encounter each other, as friends, lovers, enemies, family, every time recognizing in each other a familiarity no one else carries. But with every new life, a mysterious danger grows ever closer, forcing them to find out the truth of their connection. This is a puzzle-box of a story that goes some entirely unexpected places in a very wild ride, featuring a bisexual co-lead.

The Archive Undying (The Downworld Sequence) by Emma Mieko Candon

In a world where AI gods sometimes lose their minds and take entire populations down with them, Sunai was the only survivor when his god went down. In the 17 years since, he has wandered on his own, unable to either die or age, drowning his sorrows in drink and men. But his attempts to flee his past comes to a stop as he is forced back into the struggle between man and machine. Featuring some pretty wild world building and narrative techniques, this book will definitely confuse you, but it is worth the experience.

The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart

January Cole works security at the Paradox Hotel, last stop for tourists heading for the timeport, which allows them to travel to and witness any moment in time. But years of proximity to the timeport has left its damage on January, making her unstuck in time, letting her relive memories of her dead lover even as her sanity slips away bit by bit. As she starts witnessing proof of a horrible crime in the hotel that no one else can see, January must race against her own mind, a killer, and time itself to solve it before it's too late.

A Fractured Infinity by Nathan Tavares

Hayes Figueiredo is a struggling film-maker who wants to finish his documentary, whose life gets turned upside down when handsome physicist Yusuf Hassan enters his life, claiming an alternate version of him is a great inventor who’s sent a mysterious device to their universe. As Hayes gets drawn deeper into the conspiracy - and his feelings for Yusuf intensify - he has to decide just how far he’s prepared to go to win the life and the love he wants. Featuring a very gay and very morally dubious lead, this is a creative and strange read.

Bridge by Lauren Beukes

When she was little, Bridge and her mother Jo used to play a game - one where they traveled to other worlds, inhabiting the bodies of their other selves. Now Jo is dead, and as Bridge is cleaning out her apartment she finds a strange device: a dreamworm, the very thing that supposedly makes inter-dimensional travel possible. Suddenly faced with the possibility that multiverse travel is real, Bridge is struck by a different question: could her mother still be alive? Scifi spiced with a healthy dose of body horror and some absolutely wild twists, Bridge also features a bisexual lead (however this is a blink and you’ll miss it moment) and a nonbinary co-narrator.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers series) by Becky Chambers

Rosemary Harper just got a job on the motley crew of the Wayfarer, a spaceship that works with tunneling new wormholes through space. With a past she wants to leave behind, Rosemary is happy to travel the far reaches of the universe with the chaotic crew, but when they land the job of a life time, things suddenly get a lot more dangerous. A bit of a tumblr classic in its day, this is a cozy space opera with an episodic feel and vividly realized characters and cultures. While pretty light on romance and focusing found family, there is a main f/f relationship.

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon

Life on the lower decks of the generation ship HSS Matilda is hard for Aster, an outcast even among outcasts, trying to survive in a system not dissimilar to the old antebellum South. The ship's leaders have imposed harsh restrictions on their darker skinned people, using them as an oppressed work force as they travel toward their supposed Promised Land. But as Aster finds a link between the death of the ship's sovereign and the suicide of her own mother, she realizes there may be a way off the ship.

Ninefox Gambit (The Machineries of Empire trilogy) by Yoon Ha Lee*

Military space opera where belief and culture shape the laws of reality, causing all kinds of atrocities as empires do everything in their power to force as many people as possible to conform to their way of life to strengthen their technology and weapons. It’s also very queer, with gay, lesbian and trans major characters, albeit little to no romance.

The Left Hand of Darkness (Hainish Cycle) by Ursula K. Le Guin

1969 classic. Genly Ai is an emissary sent to the planet of Winter, meant to help facilitate Winter's inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization. But he's unprepared for Winter's citizens, who spend much of their time genderless or switching between genders, making for a culture wildly different from that Genly is used to.

Too Like the Lightning (Terra Ignota series) by Ada Palmer*

Centuries in the future, humanity has deliberatly engineered society to be as utopian as possible, politically, socially, sexually, religiously. Written in an enlightenment style and featuring questions of human nature and whether it’s possible to change it, and what price we’re prepared to pay for peace, this book is simultaneously very heavy and very funny, and written in a very unique style. While still human, the society presented often feels starkly alien.

The Stars Are Legion by Kameron Hurley

This book fucked me up when I read it. It’s weird, it’s gross, there’s So Much Viscera, there are literally no men, it has living spaceships and biotech but in the most horrific way imaginable. Had I to categorize it I would call it grimdark military sf. It’s an experience but not necessarily a pleasant one.

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling*

Possibly one of the most unsettling books I’ve ever read, and definitely the most claustrophobic. Gyre, a caver on an alien planet, ventures into the dark and dangerous underground, guided only by a woman who has no compunctions on using and manipulating Gyre as she sees fit to obtain her secretive goals down in the caves.

Escaping Exodus (Escaping Exodus series) by Nicky Drayden

While my feelings on Escaping Exodus were mixed, it cannot be denied that the dynamic between the two leads and the way they go from childhood best friends to enemies on different sides of a class and power struggle is very delicious. It also features some really cool worldbuilding of living, alien generation spaceships and the human culture that has developed inside them.

The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky*

The Doors of Eden is something of an experiment in speculative biology, featuring versions of Earth in which various different species were the one to rise to sentience, from dinosaurs to neanderthals. Now, something is threatening the existence of all timelines, dragging multiple different people and species into the struggle, among those a pair of cryptid hunting girlfriends and a transgender scientist.

Ascension by Jacqueline Koyanagi

Ascension follows Alana Quick, an expert Sky Surgeon who stows away on a spaceship in hopes of landing herself a job. But the ship and its crew are in deeper waters than she expected, facing threats emerging from a whole other universe, all of them searching for the same person: Alana’s spiritually enlightened sister. Undeniably a bit of an odd read, Ascension is also very creative and features polyamorous lesbian relationship.

Contagion (Contagion duology) by Erin Bowman*

Young adult. After receiving an SOS, a small crew is sent on a standard search-and-rescue mission. But what they find are not survivors awaiting help, but an abandoned site, full of dead bodies and crawling with something... monstrous. No romance, but features one sapphic co-lead and one who can easily be read as demisexual (however this doesn't show up until book two, which has more romance).

A Memory Called Empire (Texicalaan duology) by Arkady Martine

Mahit Dzmare is an ambassador sent to the center of the multi-system Teixcalaanli Empire, where she discovers that her predecessor has died. Trying to protect her home, an independent mining station, from being taken over by the empire, Mahit struggles to find out the truth of her predecessor's death while carrying the voice of his ghost in her head, guiding her as best he can. Light on the romance but does feature a sapphic relationship.

The Outside (The Outside trilogy) by Ada Hoffman*

AKA the book the put me in an existenial crisis. Souls are real, and they are used to feed AI gods in this lovecraftian inspired scifi where reality is warped and artifical gods stand against real, unfathomable ones. Autistic scientist Yasira is accused of heresy and, to save her eternal soul, is recruited by post-human cybernetic ‘angels’ to help hunt down her own former mentor, who is threatening to tear reality itself apart. Sapphic main character.

Dawn (Xenogenesis trilogy) by Octavia E. Butler*

After a devestating war leaves humanity on the brink of extinction, survivor Lilith finds herself waking up naked and alone in a strange room. She’s been rescued by the Oankali, who have arrived just in time to save the human race. But there’s a price to survival, and it might be humanity itself. Absolutely fucked up I love it I once had to drop the book mid read to stare at the ceiling and exclaim in horror at what was going on. Queer in the sense that the Oankali doesn't follow human ideas of gender and relationships, which is mirrored in their romantic relationships with humans. It is, however, pretty dark, with examinations of agency and consent, so enter with caution.

Remnant by Kate Genet

One day, Cass wakes up and finds everyone else is gone. Not dead, just gone, leaving her in a world which nature starts taking back with a dangerous, unnatural speed. But as she tries to survive this new normal, Cass realizes she may not be alone after all - but who else is out there, and are they a threat?

The Scorpion Rules (Prisoners of Peace duology) by Erin Bow*

Young Adult. Featuring a dystopian future in which an AI forcibly keeps world peace by holding the children of world leaders hostage. If anyone attempts to start a war, their child will be executed. Greta is one of these children, kept in a school with others like her. But things start to change one day when a new, less obedient hostage arrives. A unique, slowburn take on the YA dystopian craze, also featuring a bisexual love triangle.

Iron Widow (Iron Widow series) by Xiran Jay Zhao

Young adult. Zetian is a citizen of Huaxia, where mecha aliens are constantly trying to breach the Great Wall. To keep them at bay, couples of men and women pilot so called Chrysalises, giant transforming robots. But the pilots are not equal - the women almost always die, sucked dry by their co-pilots. When Zetian sets herself up to become a concubine-pilot, she does so with the plan to assassinate the male pilot who caused her sister's death. Features a polyamorous main relationship.

Bonus AKA I haven't read these yet but they seem really cool:

Survival Instincts by May Dawney

Lynn Tanner has been surviving the post-apocalypse alone with only her dog for a long time, trusting no one. But when she's forced to travel the dangerous remains of New York City alongside another woman, her priorities are challenged. Is staying alone really the best way to stay alive?

These Burning Stars by Bethany Jacobs

When con-artist Jun Ironway gets her hands on possible proof of the powerful Nightfoot family, controllers of interplanetary travel, committing genocide, she has in her hands a chance of taking them and their monopoly down. But the family and their allies won't go down easily, and sends two brutal clerics to stop her.

Everfair by Nisi Shawl

A neo-victorian alternate history, in which a part of Congo was kept safe from colonisation, becoming Everfair, a safe haven for both the people of Congo and former slaves returning from America. Here they must struggle to keep this home safe for them all.

[semisolidmind]

In the twice as bad au, what if they never met reader before and only met her in modern days? Maybe mk was talking about his new friends and she came up, they got curious, followed mk without him knowing and then saw her for the very first time, what then?

(....first thing that came to mind—they haven't learned.

in the scenario where they lose their previous reader, they've had hundreds of years to think about what they could've done differently to keep reader with them. perhaps they've also begun to realize that kidnapping and holding her hostage doesn't look favorably on them.

but—if they never had reader in the past, they don't know to be better for the reader in the present.)

perhaps, despite trusting his son to take care of himself, wukong doesn't trust anyone else to not cause him trouble. so, he sends macaque to follow xiaotian to the city.

the six-eared demon follows the boy, witnessing his battle with a young dragon (whom surprisingly quickly befriends xiaotian), and the subsequent trip they take to the noodle shop. he's given the same introduction to the gang as xiaotian is (from the shadows, of course). they all welcome the boy, despite their wariness of his appearance.

there doesn't seem to be any reason to intervene...not yet, anyways. these people don't have anywhere near the same power as the monkey bro's protégé, and what power they do have is untapped and relatively untrained. it's definitely an eclectic cast; two demons, a cat, a dragon, one magically-inclined monk wannabe, and a human woman. she's the only one without any sort of power, macaque notes with curiosity.

it's not love at first sight, but... he does think she's easy on the eyes. it's only as macaque continues to keep an eye on xiaotian and his new friends that he learns more about her. she's pretty nice and relatively easygoing, cares for her friends, and is surprisingly level-headed in stressful situations.

and she's ridiculously fun to tease.

macaque will occasionally antagonize the group in the name of "helping the kid train" (which has the added dramatic benefit of potentially sowing some discord amongst his friends; mac gets the feeling xiaotian isn't being honest with them about his family). while the others put up a good fight, reader seems to try to avoid conflict on the grounds of being a normal, non-magic human. this inability to fight (though that frying pan of hers gives her the confidence to try) makes her the perfect damsel in distress.

the dark-furred demon makes a habit of kidnapping reader after these fights, forcing her friends to scramble to find her. this happens often enough that it gets to where macaque and reader will have genuine conversations during the time that he's hiding her from the gang. they become tentative friends during this time and reader comes to realize that he's likely not going to actually hurt her... probably. and he's pretty funny and easy to talk to, all things considered. reader doesn't hate him. (though she probably should? maybe?)

macaque quickly figures out where her apartment is, and persistently shows up unannounced to pester her. he says that when he's "not on villain duty," he can hang out with her if he wants; not like she can stop him, right? it starts out as the six-eared demon just messing with reader; eating her food, using her television, hogging her couch, and generally being a nuisance. teasing and goading her every chance he gets, he enjoys her reactions (and her attempts to not react).

however, macaque starts getting more and more attached the longer he spends with her. even when he's antagonizing the other members of the group, he'll make sure she's not in harm's way. he'll extricate her from the gang's fights against other villainous demons (usually against her will), shadowing her away to safety.

it doesn't help that once he stops outright pestering her, she warms up to him more, too.

it's working in macaque's favor that wukong already established mandatory visits for xiaotian every so often to make sure he's not slacking, so if mac leaves for the city— eh, he's just checking on the kid, no big deal. he tells wukong almost everything about his visits, but not about his favorite human. wouldn't want him to get too curious; mac knows his brother, and he knows what's gonna happen if wukong finds out about reader.

is it really so wrong that he wants to keep this one fun thing for himself?

———

the monkey king finds it a bit strange that his shadowy brother is spending so much time in the city they ever-so-often destroy. sure, he knows mac likes to cause trouble, but his visits are usually more sporadic.

wukong is beginning to think he's not even visiting xiaotian anymore.

when wukong makes the decision to check on his son himself, he goes to the noodle shop in disguise (it's a bit tough to get anything done when the very sight of you is enough to incite a panic). it's been a while since he's interacted with a mortal that wasn't running from him in terror, so he's a bit awestruck when reader greets him kindly. he's embarrassingly unused to being spoken to like a normal person, but he manages to not make too much of a fool of himself.

he chats her up while he waits on both his son and his order, finding himself charmed. she's sweet, she likes jokes, she's pretty and nice and wukong likes it when she laughs—

he wants to see her again.

so he does. wukong no longer tells macaque to check on xiaotian, instead making the visits himself. seeing as his kid has taken up residence in the noodle shop, is it really so strange that he visits so often?

he also "runs into" reader when she's buying groceries or making a delivery, and offers to help her. he counts the little meetups as "dates" and is working his way up to asking her to be his officially. he won't resort to "ancient demon courting methods" just yet.

he also hasn't told her who he really is. he changes his distinctive facial markings and lightens his hair a shade, shifts the color of his eyes from bloody red to less threatening gold, and wears his hood up. he tells reader he "tries to keep a low profile"; monkey demons get a bad rap in this city, what with that dreaded monkey king always causing havoc.

he'd like for reader to come to care for him like he does her. but, since there's a chance she won't be as open to being with him if she finds out he's the monkey king and not just your average run-of-the-mill monkey demon, perhaps it'd be best to keep his true identity a secret for a while longer.

of course, he eventually runs into macaque (while on his way to reader's place, so he saw macaque leaving from there), and they have a fun lil conversation (that eventually turns into a brawl) about the whole situation. wukong makes fun of his lil brother for falling for a human, macaque hits him back with the fact that it took wukong even less time to fall for her than it took him, it goes back and forth.

when the battle cools off, the brothers talk sincerely about how they feel. neither are willing to give reader up, so...they'll share, like they always have. they both continue to court an adorably but frustratingly oblivious reader, eventually meeting her at the same time and telling her that they're brothers. she's only mildly surprised, to their relief. they're both glad they've fallen for a human who's so comfortable around demons, especially ones as powerful as them. it's not often that a human isn't immediately off put by their aura of strength.

things are calm for a while. xiaotian is being a hero and having fun adventures with his friends, the two monkey warlords are staying out of trouble (mostly), reader is happy... all is well.

however, it eventually starts falling apart.

things quickly begin to change. just visiting reader occasionally isn't enough; wukong wants her to live on his mountain with him. he wants to reveal himself as the monkey king and let reader know the truth. he wants to show her the stone palace, the fruit tree forests, he wants her to meet his people. yet macaque insists they take it slow, that stealing her will just make her afraid of them (and should only be a last resort). he doesn't mind a little fear, but it'll hurt their chances in the long run. so, wukong refrains.

still, he's getting tired of going to the city.

and it's getting increasingly dangerous there, besides. more and more powerful adversaries are coming out of the woodwork, and reader keeps getting caught in the crossfire. nothing serious has happened yet, but perhaps the king will need to arrange a surprise relocation for his darling peach...

———

it happens sooner than he expected.

a powerful foe re-emerges, and xiaotian and his friends aren't strong enough to stop them on their own. the young monkey demon is forced to call on his family for help, both his villainous father and shady uncle arriving just in time to help slow the threat.

the monkey warlords make the fight exponentially easier, their brutality in battle on full display.

wukong can't hide his identity from reader any longer. she knows who he is now, has seen the friendly facade of the peach-colored mask fade into the bright red of his signature warpaint-like markings. she's just a scared and betrayed as he thought she'd be. she knows just what monster she's been dealing with now.

said monster sees an opportunity, and he's done playing around.

while her friends are occupied with finishing off the demon...

...wukong steals reader.

a fitting reward for aiding in saving the world, he thinks.

[beesfairlyland]

We are not asking you to be a Monk!

"But you always say do nothing!!"

Y'all took this sentence to your hearts! By doing nothing we don't mean just sit and do nothing. We are not asking you to bore yourself by sitting alone whole day and not caring about anything. NO, NOT AT ALL.

We mean don't do anything mentally. Mentally detach from world. Don't attach feelings to the thoughts you have. Ofc you can't stop them forever but you can obviously not give them power over you.

Do not the react mentally. Do not go thinking about something that happened and start attaching feelings to them. Ofc it'll be hard in the starting but soon enough you'll realise how liberating it is.

Knowing that Nothing in the world can hurt you.

It means not to regulate your life at all in any way, but to observe it and watch it. To look at it intelligently. To see the emotions that come into your mind. To observe the fears, the arrogance, and not to do anything about them. But to look at them, look through them and become free.

The world will be revealed to you as no thing. As an image on the screen of Consciousness. You will become radiantly happy for no reason whatsoever. You will find the peace that you never dreamed existed.

Soo do nothing and Just Be!!

[fredwkong]

Ballmaster

My roomie and I were bros from the moment we met at freshman orientation. We’d stuck together through thick and thin, from my flunking sophomore calculus to him getting on stage at his first bodybuilding show. All our friends joked that we were basically married, even though we both regularly had chicks over. Just because we never dated long-term didn’t mean we were, like, monks.

When he picked up a new supplement, I didn’t really think much of it. I made fun of him, obviously. What product manager comes up with the product name “BALLMASTER” and goes with it? My roommate never really explained what it was supposed to do, but he mixed the powder with water twice a day, just like the package said.

After a week or so, I started noticing a distinct funk floating around my roomie. It was pungent and sharp, with a bit of an earthy flavour that stuck in the back of my mouth as it intensified over the next few weeks. At first, I would just smell it when he was sitting next to me playing video games, but about a month in, I could smell that he was in our apartment as soon as I opened the door. I don't know how, but I'd learned how to tell when his scent was fresh and when it was stale.

When I asked him about it, he chuckled at me and said, “That’s the BALLMASTER working, bro.”

I didn’t really know what he meant. Maybe part of the product’s effect intensified body odour? But this smell was distinct from his usual man musk. Not that I was, like, sniffing his armpits, but he was a bodybuilder, and he liked to work out in the living room. I’d gotten a whiff or two of his ripe body before. Plus, under the increasingly overpowering musk, I could still smell his deodorant.

It was around this time that he started wearing sweats all the time. Loose, baggy sweats with lots of room in the crotch. His walk totally changed, too, going from the usual bodybuilder’s quad-dodging swagger to a much more exaggerated waddle. When I asked if his, uh, bait and tackle were bugging him, he told me, “Don’t worry about it, it’s all good.”

So I stopped worrying about it.

The final realisation came on me slowly, and the day I just suddenly stopped worrying about my roommates dick and balls was when it really hit me. As the smell my roommate carried with him permeated my life, I found myself unable to say no to him. Ever. When he told me to clean the living room, I started doing it almost without realising it.

One day when we were tidying up he handed me an old algebra textbook and said, jokingly, “Enjoy it.” That night, even though I knew it was a literal textbook full of explanations and practice questions, I found myself riveted as I read every page. The whole time, my roommate’s smell was filling my nostrils, making me sniff hard, taking the scent deep into myself.

This time, I knew I had to really confront him. So I sat down on the couch the next morning and waited for him to wake up. When he came out of his bedroom, he saw me waiting and waddled over to stand next to me. As he did, I felt a wave of humidity wash over me, carrying the thick, rich smell, so intense my eyes started to water.

He looked down at me, with an infuriatingly superior smirk on his face. “Yeah, dude,” he said, “you’re ready.” He dropped his sweats, letting his balls flop out.

He was going commando. He must have been for weeks at that point, because there was no way his balls could have been contained in any underwear. They were fucking enormous, each one almost the size of my fist and hanging low in his drooping sac.

The smell, radiating from what I now knew to be its source, hit me like a physical blow. I slid off the couch onto the floor.

My roommate took my place, easing himself down and gently lifting his balls with his hands so they lay between his spread thighs. His cock, still a normal size, looked tiny resting on top of his distended sac. A bead of sweat formed at the peak of the right ball and rolled into the dark, wrinkled skin below. I was transfixed by its progress.

“You wanna taste, little guy?” my roommate asked, holding his hand out toward my face, still slick with his ballsweat from moving them into position.

Without even thinking, I leaned forward and licked his palm. It tasted like salty, stale sweat, mixed with BO, dried cum, and just a little bit of stale piss. My roommate obviously hadn’t been washing it properly. It tasted like heaven, like the taste of something I’d been waiting for my whole life without knowing it.

Without a thought left in my head, I dove between his legs, burying my face in my roommate’s balls. I huffed the scent that had been slowly infiltrating my mind for months, feeling it break down the last of my resistance with its salty tang. As my roommate started to moan in his deep, sexy voice, I licked his balls, bringing in my hands to manipulate them and really get to know my new masters.

“Yeah,” my roommate groaned, jacking his cock as I slobbered between his enormous balls. “That’s a good ballslut. You’re just what I wanted, bro. I’m your Ballmaster, right?”

I nodded, burying my face deeper in my new favourite place, deep in my roommate’s huge, sweaty balls.

[shoccolatine]

purple.

⚘pairing: rafayel x gn!reader ⚘summary: for the first time, rafayel asks for your help with his latest painting. ⚘tags: sfw, oneshot, 2nd person POV, gender-neutral reader, fluff, mutual understanding, a lot of metaphors, blushy rafayel bc boy can BLUSH ⚘word count: 943 ⚘a/n: hi!! i started playing l&ds two weeks ago and i am HOOKED. rafayel is my favourite, and so i was inspired to try writing his voice! this is my first l&ds writing so thank you for reading and i hope you enjoy~!

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

As usual, the door to Rafayel's home studio is unlocked. You push it open and slip inside, removing your shoes. The heat of your bare feet sticks against the surprisingly cool hardwood floor as you move into the room.

Rafayel is actually where you expect him to be for once, headfirst in a painting you haven't seen before. You sigh and get ready to settle in for a while, knowing how absorbed he gets when inspiration hits. He probably didn't even hear you come in. So it catches you off guard when he actually speaks first.

"Hey. Come over here," he says as he slides a thick, wet stroke of paint onto the canvas, never looking away.

You oblige without fuss, mainly because his tone is so airy and earnest that you feel being mischievous right now would go over his head. You stop next to him.

"What do you think?" He asks, still gazing at his work.

You puff air out your nose. "You're asking for my thoughts? That's a new one."

He finally looks at you then, his expression just as light and floaty as his voice had been. It's not a side of Rafayel that you're used to, but it's one you find most interesting—the one where he's so deep in artistic expression that he himself has become one with his canvas. An abstract impression of its own creator. A secluded forest monk reaching a state of nirvana like sunlight's warmth on his face.

You don't see it often, since he paints in solitude and you get him out of the house more than he bargained for, but it's the rare intrigue of it that makes this Rafayel all the more special.

"Just tell me," he says simply.

You finally take a good look at the artwork perched on the easel.

It's gorgeous and colourful, his trademark thick strokes, playful yet meticulous and reminiscent of sea foam, present a scene that is at once novel and familiar. It's significantly warmer than most of his other paintings, liberally using more reds and purples alongside his usual blues, as if plucked directly from a sunset.

Knowing Rafayel, if he could do just that, he would.

And yet, as lovely as it is, you can't help but feel like something's... off. The canvas is nicely underpainted, but the centre is dreadfully blank. The painting has no focal point.

"It's missing something," you point out. He hums a thoughtful "mhm" in reply, as if those were the exact words he was waiting to hear.

Suddenly, he turns the paintbrush on you. You realize, a bit delayed, that he's holding it out as an offering.

"I want you to add something to it."

"Huh? Me?" He doesn't respond right away, so you continue. "What would you want me to do?"

Rafayel shakes his head, but there's a gentle smile on his lips. "If I told you what to do, then I might as well just do it myself."

His smile remains as silence grows between the two of you, a silent invitation beckoning a leap of faith. You break his gaze to turn back to the canvas, the gaping void in the centre like an eye of the storm, pulling you in and yet blowing you in every direction. What could you possibly add to this piece that Rafayel couldn't?

"I thought you hated people messing with your work. This is a trick, isn't it?"

He shakes his head again, his soft messy purple curls tickling his lashes. "Kinda a lame trick. And annoying. I put a lot of hard work into this already, only for it to go to waste like that..." he says, and the pouty Rafayel you're more accustomed to is back. "Besides, you're not 'people'. You're you."

"And what exactly does that mean?"

"It means you know what this painting needs. You'll treat it well. You know my vision for it more than anyone else because, well... my vision is you." His voice trails down to a whisper.

You look at the painting once more, with new eyes. This painting... is you?

"Rafayel..." you say, unable to say much else.

He takes your hesitation gently, holding it like a hand and guiding it along, taking the reins and allowing you to find your footing again. "It looks different from my other pieces, right? I'm sure you noticed. That's because you make me different. Not like I've changed for you or anything, but more like... I've changed because of you. You know?"

"Um...? Not really," you reply sincerely.

He taps his chin thoughtfully. "You're red where I'm blue. And together, we make purple." He breathes out a laugh. "It sounds so simple when I put it like that. It's not that simple at all. Nothing about you is simple. You're annoying and loud and strong and everything I'm not, and yet somehow we blend together so well that I don't know how I was able to be content with being blue for so long. I want to be blue, and red, and purple. But only your shade of red will do."

He pauses, his ears a dark shade of the exact colour he speaks of. His eyes are pleading, as if saying 'understand me as I understand you', and before he can open his mouth to spout more abstract nonsense, you dip the brush in red—a perfect match to the hue blooming in his face. You are in this colour as much as he is.

"I think I know what to do now," you say, and your red splatters over his blue, mingling purple like summer plums, sweet and sour and bursting.

[bas-writes]

ꕥ in the heat of spring | confessions feat. geto suguru x reader

content warnings: pwp, reader has a vagina, roleplaying, religion kink/priest fetish, reader is aroused by the feeling of shame, humiliation, fingering, piv sex, creampie word count: 4.3k mood prompt: embarrassed and shy kink prompt: priests/nuns requested by: @honey-deku a/n: i think i'll stop giving myself limits because i don't keep faithful to them anyway LMAO ngl, i'm proud of how this text turned out, even if it's way more stretched than intended. i guess catholic guilt the kink is strong!

Anticipation has your body tense like a string. Your mouth feels dry, too dry to speak, so you take your time lingering by the door, hand clenched on the handle. If you opened it now, you surely would just shriek instead of greeting him with a sultry, playful voice, as you planned. Well, in this state you surely would trip over your stiff legs too. Speak about breaking the character even before the play starts...

You take a deep, shaky breath, trying to grab the reins of your frantic nerves. Excitement isn't your ally now, nor isn't the dampness you already feel in your underwear. Embarrassment and uneasiness are welcomed in this particular scene, but you would rather have them as extras to it, not as the main characters. It was your idea and the fruit of months-long pleading, negotiations, and preparations, after all.

You wouldn't hear the end of it, if he picked up how much it costs you to keep calm and stick to the role.

Exhaling is easier, the flow of air doesn't falter, and your shoulders finally let go of the unnaturally stiff frame. Now or never. If you prolong this meditation, if you don't step over the threshold right here and now, you will ruin all the hard work that brought you here. He will get concerned and suspicious, he will open the door on his own and see you in a complete disarray.

Something at the back of your head prompts you to cross yourself for good luck—and you oblige, taking it as a perfect way to get into character.

You knock, three shy, barely audible taps.

He gives you no time to collect yourself again, his answer is faster than the faint echo disappearing into the hall behind your back, "Please, come in."

You take a step in—and almost slam the door closed again.

You thought you were prepared for that. He might be a false monk but it's a role that's become his second skin. The attire he chose for now is different, and the religion and its symbols might be alien to him—but does a catholic priest fall that far from other priests? He was doomed to be good in this role, maybe too good for your own demise. You considered that and prepared yourself for the consequences.

Yet, Geto looks so authentic that you didn't recognize him at first. He's...too natural, uncanny almost. Black cassock, even if visibly too tight for a man of such huge posture, suits him even better than the layers of robes he wears anywhere outside the privacy of the house. He's nailing that mysterious, casual elegance with ease, humble and insular yet beaming with the charisma of a leader. He's sitting in his chair straight but not stiff, holding the Bible open as if it weighed nothing in his big hands, one of his long fingers serving him as a temporary bookmark. His hair is tied into a tight knot at the back of his head, giving an excellent illusion of keeping it short. Glasses are an unusual yet suiting accessory; lowered almost to the tip of his nose, they add depth and domination to his gaze as he's scanning your figure curiously.

"Yes, my child?" He asks, voice soft yet menacing, like the rustle of prowling cat's feet.

Your saliva is thick like tar and you almost choke trying to swallow it.

"Please, help me, Father," you're barely keeping your voice in check. Sultry be damned, you're fighting to sound at least natural. "I need your advice."

Geto slowly closes the book, sets it aside as he's adjusting his position, leaning more towards you, cutting the mental distance between the two of you. Good, caring shepherd, worried for his little lost lamb, "Come in. Tell me, what's troubling your mind?"

Embarrassment is expected from your role in this moment, so following comes to you much easier than the opening sequence. You close the door and approach closer while still keeping the timid distance. He's silent and patient, just his gaze weights on you, threatening your legs to go limp and wobbly. The fluffy rug you like so much in your shared bedroom is like a trap now, ready at any moment to trip you and throw you to your knees right in front of him.

"I must...have been possessed, Father." You confess, averting your eyes, and clasp your hands at your abdomen, like a good, little, shy student.

Geto's eyebrows cock up in a perfectly played surprise. He rubs his chin in thought as he studies your expression intently, "And why is that? What brought you to this conclusion?"

Heat spreading all over your face in a not-so-feigned abashment, you reel the story off: everything you've come up together for this night. There are dreams, of lust and dark desires you dread to name. They come to you every night and turn your thoughts away from your prayers. The more religiously you try to praise the Lord, the stronger and trickier they get once you lie down. There's no escape for a poor, little lamb like you; soothing darkness brings temptation, avoiding rest has your mind more prone to succumbing to them.

Geto listens, still hidden under the cover of an exemplary priest. Resting chin in his palm, he asks and investigates, presses you whenever you stutter, and gives you the little needle when you try to stray around the topic to sound less sinful. He would be such an excellent preacher if he wasn't a wolf, prowling patiently at your tracks and waiting for your neck to arch nicely for his fangs. And he does so with sugar-coated words and a voice so sweet that you sip from his lips like parched, unaware of the trap he leads you into—while knowing well where and how this conversation will lead.

His power is terrifying, you know it better than anyone, and you squeeze your thighs tighter as you hunch under his gaze, trying to hide what's obvious and avoid what's unrelenting.

"When did those dreams start?" The question finally appears and Geto's eyes narrow at your not-so-played-anymore flinch. "Do you know what could have caused them?"

You avert your eyes, the wave of shame and arousal washing over you and pearling sweat at your temples.

"There's nothing to be shy about, my child." He leans to the back of the chair, his posture open and welcoming, so safe. "I only want to help."

This part of play calls for silence—but you wouldn't find any words in you even if you were scripted to speak. You bite on lips and shift your weight from one leg to another, uncomfortable when stripped so bluffly. You're losing control—you doubt if you even had it in the first place—and the less confident you feel around him, the softer and wobblier your knees are. You're tempted to fall to them, just to relieve yourself of this unbearable tension, to hide the arousal that runs dead even with embarrassment.

Shame is such a delicious drug.

"I won't be able to help you, if you hide something from me." Geto's soft, caring smile sends cold shivers down your spine. He beckons you closer, arms wide open to welcome you in his proximity. "Come here, child, and speak into my ear, if you fear to confess aloud."

You fear more to trip as soon as you move—but you, obedient like a sacrificial lamb, approach closer, and let him lay his hands at your waist. They're soft and warm—but leave you no way to run as they pull you close, right into his lap. You're stiff and hesitant, craving to nuzzle close to his broad chest, to let those strong arms engulf you and shield you from everything unholy—but you know there's nothing more unholy than what you're doing right now.

"Speak, my child." He commands and grabs your chin oh so gently when you try to turn away. "Don't be afraid. Our lord is full of grace and mercy."

"It started—" You stutter and clean your throat, painfully dry with anticipation. "—started after I was... Touching myself."

One of his hands strays from your middle to your hip, then to your thigh, "How did you touch yourself? Where exactly?"

Your heartbeat is thudding in your ears, swallowing every sound but its racing rhythm. It has your head spinning, your vision blurry—yet you're unable to escape his piercing gaze, unable to avert your eyes again. Your breath is shallow, and you don't dare to take a deeper one in; his smell is different, heavier, rich of incense and anointing oil, as if he left Lord's altar right before he agreed to listen to your shameful confessions. If you caved in and inhaled it, it would drug you, would strip you of the remains of self-control and dignity. It's tempting to turn into a trusting, stupid lamb entirely, but in the midst of the need twisting your brain you decide it's not something you want to give him...yet.

As you ponder over the next line—or rather: desperately fight for the reins to remain in your hands—his hand smoothly wanders towards the inner side of your thigh. You clench your legs together, but it still finds a way to sneak in between, right at the core of your embarrassment.

Can he already feel how wet you are for him? His fingers press tighter and rub at your sex through the pants—and you yelp through clenched teeth. It's not a loud sound, you almost managed to drown it out, but in such a silent room—silent like a confessional—it has the power of a scream.

"It was here, wasn't it?" Geto whispers into your ear, keeping you tight and close with the other arm still around your waist. His fingers start to move, flowingly, along the line of your slit, and the more you clench your legs and squirm, the more prominent the pressure becomes. "You invited the lustful spirit to the most sacred part of your body."

You want to admit, lie, and plead for mercy at the same time, so you only squeal and put all might you still possess into closing your legs. They open pathetically a second later, as soon as the tip of his hot tongue teases your ear.

"Do you want me to get rid of it?" He presses soft, barely palpable, kisses to your jaw and neck. "With the power of The Almighty I may clean your soul and bring peace to your mind."

You clench your thighs again, this time trying to trap his slowly withdrawing hand and steal some friction. Geto pulls it out with ease and faint yet mean smirk on his face. He has you in his trap whole now and he has no itch for satisfying your whims until you do as he pleases—and you know he's not going to make it easy for you. Tormenting his prey is his favorite part of the hunt. His eyes darken just at the thought; they promise tonight the shearing blade won't stop at the wool.

"I need your voice, child." He cups your chin into his palm and guides you to look straight at him. "Speak."

"Please." You barely recognize the sound squeezing through your throat now as your voice. "Help me, Father Geto."

"I shall, then."

You're gently pushed off his lap and guided to sit at the edge of bed instead. For the first time since what feels like forever now you take a deeper breath, not until the dull ache in your lungs eased you realize how badly you needed it. You could use some relaxation for your muscles too, but you can't bring yourself to move, even your eyes are set exactly in the same place: looking straight at Geto as he's taking his cassock off. It's a ritual on its own, each little button is given its fair share of special attention from fingers that just a moment ago caressed your sex. Underneath there's another barrier of black clothes: plain shirt and jeans, both hugging his well-sculpted body so tight that they seem to be one move away from tearing. Even so, he moves around with grace, each move calculated to keep you right on the edge but not bored or frustrated.

Finally, the cassock is folded and put away, the Bible is closed, the light limited to the small lamp on the bed stand. Geto returns to his chair, hand prompted on palm as he stares at you intently, like a bird of prey.

"Strip, my child." He whispers more than just says and yet, you jerk in place as if he shouted at you.

Your hands get into each other's way even if you're not in a hurry. You know you're going to get scolded, softly, if you're going to be sloppy, it doesn't make you any less clumsy, though. You wish you could say it's a part of your role, but you really can't control your moves as much as you would like to. There's something in his eyes that makes you behave in a reprimanding-worth way. He always gets what he wants—and if he wants to punish you, sooner or later you will succumb into misbehavior.

Good lambs always listen to their shepherd.

He doesn't pay much attention to clumsiness and disarray, though. Instead, his eyes take in the view of your body, from your fluttering lips, down your chest and your nipples, perky with anticipation, to your legs you're struggling to free from the pants. When you finally kick them off and return to the proper and tense sitting position, he furrows his brow, showing a negative reaction for the first time tonight.

"I thought I told you to strip?"

You flick your gaze down, to underwear still covering what it should, and you hook thumbs under the elastic band, ready to pull everything down...but you linger, true to words you're saying next, "It's embarrassing."

Geto clicks his tongue, displeased, and gets up, in two steps closing the distance and looking down at you, now. Hand cupping your face is rougher this time as he tilts your head back. Mewl dies in your throat when your eyes meet—and you find no mercy nor warmth in his.

"Was it embarrassing too when you shamelessly spread your legs for the demon to penetrate your body? If you wish to wash your disgusting sins away, I repeat: strip."

Not daring to look away, you clumsily roll your underwear down to your ankles.

"Now, that's a good little lamb."

His hold eases and he caresses your cheek now, smiling down at you in a way that has cold shivers running down your spine.

Next, he wants you to climb to the head of the bed and you follow, feeling no safer on the familiar softness. You lie down against the pillows as instructed and bend legs in knees. You hesitate when asked to spread them as wide as you can, genuine embarrassment winning over you anew.

"Don't linger, my child," Geto narrows his eyes, a warning he might snap again, if you don't listen. "Show me the place you besmeared."

Figuring closing eyes may help you, you do so and follow his wish to the final step. Air feels extra cold against your exposed cunt—intoxicating contrast to your hot juices dripping down your labia and ass. For the longest time nothing happens, no word is said, until eventually the bed creaks and you feel Geto scooting closer to you. Your body is tense like a string, shaking from anticipation, but you don't dare to sneak a peek at him and whatever he's doing. You fear you may fall apart if you see his expression as he's appraising your sex and the influence your sin had on it.

"What were you thinking about when you were touching yourself?" He says after a painfully stretched moment. He's closer than you estimated from the way the mattress dipped by your side, probably sitting or kneeling right between your legs.

"I—" You lick your lips, desperately trying to squeeze any moisture, but nerves parched everything to crisp. If he's going to make you scream tonight, you can say goodbye to your voice for the next day if not longer. "Can't remember details. But—"

"But?"

There's impatience in his voice and as much as you're tempted to see what is Geto going to do if you test his limits, this is not on the menu for this scene—so you push the bashfulness away as much as you can and follow the scenario, "I was thinking about you, Father Geto."

He must have been expecting you to resist for longer—the silence on his side is too long to be just played. But there's no further trace of surprise, when he speaks, his voice is as calm as it can be, given the circumstances of the play. "You're pulling me into this sin with you, child."

The bed creaks, he's scooting closer, his body bears down on your knees now. His hand finds its way to your sex again, this time touching it without any barrier in between you two. It takes everything from you to not meet him half-way; you're frozen in place like a terrified, filled with shame lamb should when he's slowly caressing your slit, then tracing at the rim of your hole. You're so wet he could slide anything he wanted in just like that, no preparations needed, but he's treating you as carefully as if you were a virgin offered to him on a holy altar. 

This tenderness, the quiescence he enforced with his demeanor, drives you crazy.

"You claim you can't remember details..." Geto muses, his breath ghosting over your cunt as he starts to slide a single finger in. "But those must have been many, many thoughts. Your body is begging for my blessings."

The process repeats: he teases you with one digit only until you're on the verge of giving in. He knows well you need much more than this silly play but he's not going to give it to you even if you beg, not until he is satisfied with the mess you're becoming. Second, then third finger in, he keeps heating you up but straying away from anything that could pull you closer to the sweet release. You're not a lamb anymore, just a plaything, putty in his hands, too ashamed to beg for it, too scared to ask for more at the face of rejection and even longer torture. Here and there he changes the angle to brush at your walls exactly how you like it—but as soon as you mewl or buck your hips, mercy is denied and he clicks his tongue, scolding you for being an impatient child.

But even Geto can find some mercy in him. Right as you think you're going to lose your mind if he keeps stretching you for nothing, he pulls his fingers out and kisses your clit. This short, almost affectionate touch has you thrashing on the sheets; you crave that release so bad it hurts, hurts for real, you can accumulate only as much pent-up desire, and you're about to burst, not in a way you need it.

He lets you calm your breathing and even your senses before he orders you to open your eyes—for you to see him licking his fingers clean of your juices.

"You taste so sweet, my child." Immense pleasure ruins his collected expression just for a second, when he sucks the last drops of you from his fingertips. "Almost as if there was no sin in you..."

A click of a belt, a rustle of zipper and clothes slipped out of the way, and Geto is close to you again, one hand keeping one of your legs nice and open, the other guiding his dick to brush against the wet mess he's turned your pussy into. You both groan when his sensitive tip meets your clit, you: nudged towards the edge again, him: at the limit of his self-control. He lets go of your leg to throw his glasses and clergy collar away, then loosens his shirt; dark hair on his chest pours out of the gap and you have to fight the urge to run your fingers through it. The flick of your eyes is caught and met with a nod of approval, but you're so desperate to have him finally fuck you that you don't want to risk another delay, for any reason.

"I'm going to cleanse your soul," Geto moans more than says, almost ruining the character on his side, but you couldn't care less now, when finally feeling the pressure at your hole. He slides the tip in, slowly, but not in the same, teasing way. It's a deliberate act of immense self-control; if not for the fog in your eyes and your mewls still calling him a "Father", he would be already fucking you stupid, your ankles hooked on his shoulders. He puts it in only as much to let you feel it, to have your cunt finally spasm around what you craved the most. And instead of thrusting into you, he touches your clit again, gently at first, then with precise, circular moves that have your eyes roll back in no time.

After being played with for so long, from the strict confession to his fingers spreading you open, you don't need much, and soon you're creaming over his cock, over and over, as if all this pent-up tension needed a few orgasms before it would be gone. It could be indeed a few of them or just one big and mercilessly prolonged as Geto is still rubbing your clit, deaf to your cries and blind to your hands clawing at his shoulders.

The touch ceases as sharply as it started but you're not even fully back from your high when it returns, together with his dick slamming full into you all at once. You swallow and squeeze him tight, your exhausted, oversensitive body arching and squirming. He uses his whole weight to pin it down into submission, fucking you through the last spasms of your orgasm and more, more than you can handle—and what you take regardless, your throat almost worn of cries of his name.

You beg him to cum, you beg him to stop right to beg him to fuck you harder shortly after, you beg to be destroyed—never mind your "sin", you want to burn whole and take him with you.

You beg—but all that breaks out of your lips are moans.

Even Geto has his limits and eventually his hips start to stutter before he buries himself whole in you, his pubes tickling your tortured clit, as he releases his load. He thrusts a few more times, fucking it deeper, and finally ceases, satisfied, his heavy, hot body pressing you flat into the bed.

It's stifling, uncomfortable even with his clothes grazing your naked body, but he soon lifts himself on straight arms, then sits on heels while pulling your hips closer; he's still in you but now you can breathe as deep as you want and slowly regain control over your senses and body. You keep silent, partially too lazy to find words, partially unsure how you should act now. You haven't discussed that part in detail, and the bliss has pushed you out of your character: just a little but enough to block any attempt of improvisation. Geto's content expression is not much of help either; after a short consideration you abandon the attempt of deciphering him, instead taking as much as you can from this calm moment, in case he's keen to torturing you more soon.

Geto just rocks his hips one more time before pulling out of you and setting your limp legs wide apart. Pleased with himself, he looks at your messy cunt and gently traces your slit, so gently you, despite your nerves fried to your limits, barely can feel it. With a hum of agreement on your side, he continues and slides two fingers into you, squeezing some of his cum until it flows down to his knuckles.

"Praise the Lord for how well-bred his sheep are." He says with a smug smile, and it finally earns him a reaction. With an embarrassed—or rather: disconcerted—groan you grab the nearest pillow and smack him over the head.

He lets you, even chuckles a little when you take an aim for a second one.

"What's up with those corny jokes, out of sudden?" You huff when the pillow is taken away from you and thrown out of your reach.

Geto tucks his dick back into his pants, then takes the shirt off and lets his hair down. He lies by your side, head prompted on palm, free hand reaching to wipe sweat off your forehead, "Would a corny love confession from priest to his lamb be better?"

You roll to your side with a spent sigh, strong arm soon pulling you close, face into his chest, "Only if you aimed to dissolve me with embarrassment."

His expression is, as it often is with Geto, hard to read, but he settles on a genuine smile and a soft kiss pressed to the crown of your head, "Is my love such a struggle to you, my lamb?"

"Maybe a little." His natural, familiar, scent is breaking through the cologne he used for tonight, so you bask in it, pressing your nose to him as close as you can without suffocating yourself. "But, as you saw, I really like when you make me struggle."

thank you so much for reading ❤ i'll be really happy, if you reblog it and/or leave some feedback! you can read more of my jjk fics here.

tag list: @lale-txt @mirkaaaluv @ohnococo @clumsyraccoon

[yet-another-haven-of-dollya]

i was catching up on your blog, and honestly your, or well, your PCs' opinion abt Sydney is so fascinating to me. when i first played the game for real (after trying to previous times and ending up in the forest being raped by wolves and kidnapped by Eden without knowing wtf was going on, and then my second try ending up in a rape cycle that ended in the asylum) i started pursuing Sydney for the first time, thinking that she'd be like every other goody-two-shoes uninteresting character that is usually a part of dating games, the stereotype that fails to interest me no matter what. then i found out i could corrupt her, and i decided to make her "fall from grace" together with my PC, and the more i interacted w her the more and more i fell in love w her character, to the point that my PC became as obsessed w her as she is with him

Sydney might honestly be my favorite LI, so to find someone who doesn't like them v much is quite the interesting experience lol. i think the part that most called my attention is the privilege part of their character that you brought up, and i think that stuck w me mostly bc i never truly saw Sydney's "privilege" like that. Sydney never gave me the impression that they were completely oblivious to everything and anything wrong that happens in the world just bc it doesn't affect them - quite the opposite, actually

Sydney isnt immune to the world they live in, not a single character in this game is (which is why i love it sm tbh). they might be extremely sheltered and protected as much as Sirris and the temple are able to make them, but when you pray w them in the temple and someone comes by to harass you she knows exactly what is happening and how to stop it. she's probably been harassed by monks and nuns as well, and unable to fight back without losing her grace. that's without even going into the Leighton punishment event, and how they react to it, which i think gives a v good view into how they cope w the world they live in depending on whether they are pure or corrupted and how that affects their interactions w PC...

ok im just rambling now, my point is, Sydney is a very interesting and complex character to me and seeing your interpretation of them was really interesting/insightful, and gave me some answers to things in your PCs' story that i used to question but always forgot to send an ask abt (such as their distaste for Sydney). thanks for reading my ramble, i love the things you're doing w your PCs and how you interpret their world <3

-smthishunting

Just in case you still don't understand the nature of the situation, the "privileged" part can be translated into "ENVY"

Sydney has had good things growing up. PC has nothing of those, which I have mentioned. "Why can they be optimistic? Why can they believe in the good in people? Why their parent doesn't demand they rent every week? Why do they have parents but I and Robin don't? Why can't I and Robin have those things that they have?..."

It's bitter, but I firmly believe, just like a redeemed bully can never achieve true peace, a sheltered child growing up with a silver spoon inside their mouth can never understand poverty and desperation either. Something bad happens to them, but they have family and financial support to overcome it, that's why they can stay pure and stay good. Robin stays ignorant too, they essentially avoid the outside world completely and if PC doesn't step up to protect them, they're ruined. That's what happens with pureness and goodness if they bloom in mud, unprotected. That's what happens on a daily basis with the children of the orphanage.

That's why my PCs are Robin's protectors. I make them taste the bitterness when realizing some things even try as they might, they can never achieve, while Sydney has those things handed to them, lovingly and matter-of-factly, as easily as falling to sleep in a soft fluffy bed. To me, that's what makes them even more protective of their waifu/malewife and more determined to shelter Robin as much as possible. They strive to give Robin what Sydney's having, their childhood together sucks so yeah let's try hard for a better future :D

As for Sydney... Well, unless future updates give them some trauma, throw them into some real fuck up situation like what PC faced daily, or reveal that they had some beef with Harper in the past and had lifelong psychological trauma, I don't think I can give them more credit.

[thelaundrybitch]

Chopsticks - part 1

Well, Turtledoves, it's been a hot minute.

Here is the first half of a fic I wrote for @leosgirl82 💕

The second half will be coming soon, I promise.

This was supposed to be strictly Leo, but it somehow turned into Blurple.

I'm not mad about it.

TW: Mentions of abduction, physical, mental, and emotional abuse, PTSD, anxiety - literal mentions, it doesn't go into detail.

This part is not NSFW, but the second part will lead to it. This part is mostly pining and a bit angsty.

And as always, my ninja turts are aged up to 30+ years. Don't be weird.

Please don't steal my work. Reblogging for others to enjoy is highly encouraged, though🤩

Chopsticks - Part 1

Having been close friends with the turtles for years, their vigilante ways had finally caught up with them. You were taken hostage by one of their many adversaries and tortured for more than a month before they could get to you.

Broken and beaten, they refused to let you out of their sight and emptied your apartment into the lair. 

And rightfully so.

The terror and torment hadn't been targeted. It was meant to be pervasive - physically, mentally, emotionally.

You weren't you when the turtles finally got you back.

Body, mind, and spirit had been shattered and scarred just as their adversaries had intended. 

Initially, they set up a spare room outside the lab, where you could come and go as you pleased and where Don could keep an eye on you. 

Since you and Don were closest, that had been the most logical place for you to be.

It was small, but it was somewhere you could find some solitude and time to reorganize your thoughts. The turtles were hopeful that their loving support while allowing you to be primarily independent would help you regain your sense of self.

But it hadn’t worked out that way.

The malevolent cruelty you had endured had been too much for too long, causing what felt like irreparable devastation to your character and core being.

You weren’t just having nightmares. You had maladaptive daydreams. Ones that were sometimes worse than the night terrors. Ones that Don had only ever been able to stop by heavily medicating you into passing out.

Which was not optimal for the long run. You needed to learn proper techniques to calm you down when medication was no longer an option.

And so that meant there was only one place for you to stay that made sense. With the only being that had more patience and serene energy than a monk.

Leonardo.

Your bedroom was currently the guest room that was attached to Leo’s room since he was the only one who knew how to stop all the night terrors that had been a direct result of said abduction.

He was there whenever your lungs squeezed so tight you were sure you'd suffocate from the anxiety attack.

He was there when your tears threatened to drown you as they refused to stop.

He was there to hold you together when the world seemed too much, threatening to shake you apart at the seams.

He was there.

Never questioning.

Never judging.

Always there.

Loving you back into existence when you felt you were losing yourself to the darkness.

Finally, you were starting to feel like yourself again. 

Spending more time out of your room than in.

Eating regularly and with everyone at mealtimes.

Smiles and laughter finally finding their way back to your heart.

And you knew it was all because of him.

Admittedly, you had started falling for the leader some time ago. Hoping, and sometimes even wondering if he didn't feel the same, with all the affection he showered you with daily.

But you squashed those feelings down. 

Deep inside, you knew that spending all that time down there had brought you closer to each of them. Moreso with the Leader- seeing that you literally had to go through his room to get in and out of yours.

So you really shouldn't be reading into it too much. 

It was the natural progression of a deeper friendship.

Right?

The comfort had reached the point that most of the time, the door between the two rooms was left open, the pair of you going back and forth as you pleased. 

Sharing books. 

Venting frustrations. 

Offering advice.

You ate meals together and even helped one another with the chores the other didn't care for.

You did his laundry, he made your bed.

He was most definitely your best friend.

And you two were extremely close.

Maybe a touch too close.

Or maybe you were just overthinking the whole thing.

Letting your heart wander too close to the edge where it could so easily fall and shatter.

However…

Mike had made a sarcastic remark one day about “just knocking the wall down and making it one big room,” and Raph agreed as the words were leaving his younger brother's lips.

Your eyes darted to Leo, but only for a split second before Don decided to join the conversation. Commenting on how that might make things somewhat strange and maybe a little strained. The pair of you were besties and did everything together as it was. Surely, being in the same space at all times would cause some unavoidable friction.

Leo had gone perplexingly silent, his eyes trained on you.

Waiting

Watching

Assessing your response

After an uneasy giggle and a blush that made you feel like lava had been dumped over your head, Don found some unapologetic bravado and told you if that wasn’t a concern for you and you weren't afraid of a little unavoidable friction, then his bed was always open too… while giving your entirety a prolonged look of appreciation ending in a wink. 

And if Mike's statement hadn't turned you completely beet red, Don's statement most certainly finished the job.

And that was mostly out of shock - that the tallest of the brothers had suddenly thrown a pickup line at you.

That suggestive.

And in front of his brothers, no less!

Admittedly, the pair of you had teasingly gone back and forth with stupid pick-up lines and a bit of silly, trivial flirting whenever you hung out, but it was all in good fun. It was very much platonic.

At least that's what you had thought at the time, anyway.

But now, here he was, making a clear and direct advance at you!

Not exactly sure what to make of it or how to feel, you saw the sobering expression fall over Leo's face as his eyes moved away from watching you and, instead, glared at the floor.

Your heart clenched as Leo ducked out of the room rather quickly after that. You tried to go after him but Don stopped you, reminding you it was time for your daily meditation with Splinter.

A defeated sigh left your lungs as you walked with Don to the dojo, having to unwillingly leave the blue-clad terrapin to his own devices.

Heartachingly, Leo seemingly tried to avoid you for the next week.

That was what it had felt like, anyway…

Well. At least your hopeful romantic heart could finally put that question to rest. His actions had rang loud and clear, and there was no need to wonder where his feelings lay…

Luckily, his evasion hadn't lasted for long. 

Realistically, it couldn't. 

I mean, you guys basically shared a room!

After some extra meditation time spent with his father behind closed doors in the dojo, he was soon back to his old Prince Charming self. 

Back to sharing his blanket during movie night.

Back to pulling you into his lap when there weren't enough seats. And sometimes when there were.

Back to climbing into bed with you and holding you tight after you'd had a nightmare, churring and pressing soft kisses along your hairline all night long…

But alas, you knew in your heart of hearts that you'd been friend-zoned.

Recently, you’d found yourself wishing it was finally safe enough to move back into an apartment.

Between Leo being Prince Charming and Don now courting you like The Dark Prince, you needed a break!

You needed to get away.

To separate yourself and put some space between all of you.

Specifically Leo.

Because you were entirely and undeniably in love with him.

And you weren't sure how much more and how much longer you could endure his platonic affection before you broke and did or said something that ruined the friendship…

Unfortunately, you were stuck there with them because, according to both Leo and Don, the group that had taken you was still actively hunting you…

So there you would stay. 

For an undetermined amount of time.

Trapped in the sewers with your feelings.

Along with the man who held your heart in a vice grip.

And his brother, who was also trying to steal your heart…

Enjoying my work? Find my Master list HERE

*If you aren’t on this list, please let me know if you want me to tag you in my other work or if you prefer me to not tag you 😘

~Tags~

@leosgirl82 @leoandraphssoulmate @scholastic-dragon @trufflemacandcheese @eveandtheturtles @raphsmuneca @meowph-132 @wynndigogh @symmetricalkazekage @miss-andromeda @drowninghell @xanadu-702 @iheartchv @justalotoffanfiction @zombiesnips-blog @fyreball66 @yorshie @fluffytriceratops @pheradream-15 @happymoonangel @8pmblackcoffee @jurikyu-blog @lazygirlfanfic0-0 @soryuwifeyxx

[newkatzkafe2023]

Can you please have the Monkey Kings reacting to their monkey S/O (gender unimportant) who's super motherly/fatherly/parental towards any kids they cross paths with? Like SWK's knew his S/O to be a fierce sharp-tongued warrior, now he's seeing them playing with human kid and monkey cubs like they were their own...

Baby fever incoming!!!!!🤯🤯🤯🤭🤭🤭

(Lmk Wukong) He couldn't believe his eyes. You With the ability to put the fear Of god into your many enemies. You are over here caring for the baby monkeys like you are their mom. I've been doing that for many years being together with him , but sometimes it still baffles him. One time you were caught away. What are the long keys that wouldn't stop crying? And the second he was in your arms. He was at peace again. It was like you were meant to do this while being a powerful warrior. He tends to daydream about. What would it be like when you guys have your very own cub. God never fails to put a blush on his face. He is really wondering if you are trying to tell him something???

(NR Wukong) He has been noticing does something's going on with you. You who can beat the crap out of demons Enemy is left and right You've been getting side tracked by the children of the city. You would watch all of them like a hawk and made sure they don't get into it any trouble. One time a little human girl almost ran into the street and you with your inhumane reflexes got her by her arm before a Motorcycle can hit her. You even treated Li like He was your son making sure he ate healthy got plenty of sleep even go As far as washes clothes or bandage up his bruises. He's starting to wonder if you yourself wants to be a mother. But he's nervous to ask cause last time you broke his mask While he was wearing it. But between you and me you will love to be mother

(HIB Wukong) He noticed how You are much more attentive to Liuer then he is. Not just with him but with all the village children. He has seen you viciously rip the head Of a demon that was messing with the tool of you. But the next moment you're helping a young mother calmed down her new born baby. Like you were the mother of that child as well. It probably doesn't help out a lot of the Village children dubbed you as mama (Y/N). As you were always protecting them along with protecting Liuer If this doesn't get it through Wukong's Thicks Skull that you want a child then I don't What to tell you.

(Mk Reborn Wukong) He seen you like that with fruity. You lay watse to demon armies for a living yet You find yourself attending to a tiny baby fruit fairy??? You clearly don't seem Mind but it's confusing to him a little. He would always tease you about it and you would always cave his face in. Even with the monk in the village , the children would rather talk to you than to him. Your answers to things are funnier , but it makes more sense to where they even they'll understand. Then they will come and ask more questions what's your patient enough to answer. He could not believe his eyes. Usually when people are annoying, you would already rip their heads off their shoulders. But then again, these are just children that are talk into you. They're no real threat or annoyance they're just being themselve. When this whole journey thing is over , he'll wanna pull you to the side and ask if you want to start a family. You know wanna you won't kill him.

(Netflix Wukong) He is already aware of how popular you are with the village children. One moment you're caving in the face of a invader Is demon who dared to attack Your home. The next moment you're on your helping a small child who scraped their knee. You even kissed it better to be sure does there no longer in pain. You also get protective Of my inner things falling objects treacherous walk ways Do we even take the time to explain to the children That there are some tools they are far too young to use yet Such as kitchen knives. You don't even like them running around with sticks they found on the ground You watch every single one of them like a hawk just like a mother would. A lot at a time he will be on the side blushing of already imagining the family you would probably have In the late future.

FEEL FREE TO REBLOG

[kitkatscabinet]

Temper temper

Osferth x reader

Summary: tempers flare and hurtful words are thrown

Word count: 1k

Requested by anon. It took me a while to think of what they could be fighting about, I almost made it about all the other women thirsting over him tbh

From the moment you met Osferth your relationship had been nothing short of perfect. You had been one of Uhtred's before the baby monk joined the crew and had been the first to truly accept him with no judgement.

After all, you weren't exactly the type of person many expected to be associated with Lord Uhtred yourself. While you had certainly relished in teasing the shy and inexperienced boy you always knew when to stop.

You had been the one to comfort him after his first battle, then his first kill. You were there every step of the way throughout the years, never one without the other. In short, inseparable, knowing each other's minds better than your own.

Sure you had had slight disagreements here and there but you never fought. That was why when he yells at you for the first time it is completely unexpected.

He had recently broken his arm and as such, you hadn't wanted him to join the battle that was to occur at Tettenhall. Naturally, you had thought this was a reasonable ask but he hadn't agreed.

"Please my love, don't go, I don't want you to get hurt" you pleaded, holding his good hand within your own. Instantly he pulled away from your touch, a frown crossing his face. "Osferth what-" you start only to rear back as he harshly replies

"Why, do you think me weak?" you were incredibly taken aback by his tone, you had noticed the smell of ale on his clothes and his face hadn't lit up in a smile like it usually did when he saw you. Still, that was no reason for the sheer venom he had used to address you.

"What? No!" you were quick to deny but apparently, your response had only served to fuel the fire of his temper.

"Why'd you sound so uncertain then? You still think me that weak pathetic little boy you first met? you think I need you to protect me, to tell me what to do?" With each question, he had gotten louder and further into your personal space and for the first time in your life Osferth is making you nervous.

"Where is this coming from Os, you know I've never thought you weak. I'm just worried about you" you tried to keep your voice steady to placate him but once more you have the opposite effect.

"I don't need your worry! I'm so sick of you nagging me all the time!" You can feel the heat of his breath on your face, causing you to flinch back minutely before you can stop yourself.

A cold indifference suddenly washed over you, and even as you see Osferth's eyes widening in regret and his hand reaching out to grab you, you scoff and dodge aside.

"Fine, I won't waste my time on you anymore then" your words are like ice and before Osferth can realise what had happened you have already left. Once he realises what has just happened, what he has just done he is quick to try and follow but you are long gone.

You had retreated to the safety of your lord's side, taking up residence in his small house with red-rimmed eyes. Uhtred thankfully hadn't commented apart from a casual offer to kill someone and had simply let you curl up under his furs without complaint. Since you'd met Osferth he hadn't been the one you'd gone to for comfort for quite some time and a large part of him was happy that you were still content to do so.

Once he had been assured you were ok your lord had taken residence outside his hut, keeping vigil as he waited for Osferth to slink his way.

"Baby monk" he greeted coolly, watching as the boy shrunk in on himself slightly.

"Lord" he nodded, hands ringing together nervously, "are they here? Please, I really need to apologise." Uhtred continued to stare for a little while longer hand resting threateningly on the hilt of his dagger. To his credit, Osferth did not back down and as such Uhtred eventually relented and let him pass.

"Baby monk" he called over his shoulder, "I will not be so lenient next time" he promised.

"There will not be a next time Lord, I swear it." With those final words, Osferth stepped into the room you had sequestered yourself in. Upon seeing your form curled up into a ball under the covers he allows his lips to quirk up slightly at the adorable sight before it drops when he remembers he's the cause.

"Love-" he gently calls only to be cut off by your muffled voice.

"Go away Osferth" the usage of his full name was a testament to how truly upset you were, you only ever called him by pet names these days.

"I can't do that love. Not until you can find it in yourself to forgive me" he gently said, perching himself on the edge of the bed before leaning down to entrap the lump that was you within his good arm. Thankfully you didn't squirm too much in an attempt to get away, laying silently as he whispered feverish apologies on repeat. Eventually, you broke the silence mumbling

"I'm still really angry at you."

"I know love, I'm angry at me too"

"If you ever say anything like that to me again I'll kill you" you murmured angrily before turning aggressively under the covers, burying your face into his chest despite the layer of blankets and furs.

"I'll hand you the blade myself" he solemnly promises, smiling slightly in triumph as he hears you huff a laugh. The two of you stayed wrapped up in each other for what felt like hours. Neither speaking or moving, as tempers cooled. In your comfort you were on the verge of falling asleep when you heard Uhtred's yell

"You better not be humping in my bed!"

Taglist: @eudximoniakr

[sihtricfedaraaahvicius]

You can make one of Sihtric in the appearance of s5 pls (he is a God omg) reader is young and a little naive and works in a tavern, Sihtric ends up getting to know her while passing through somewhere and instantly falls in love and goes crazy. But because he’s more mature old, he get a little shy and jealous as other men look at the reader. With a happy ending and with Sihtric taking her to cockham with him and making her his wife! Thank you.

Warnings: slight angst (mention of death) but mainly fluff :)

Pairing: Sihtric x you (f)

Summary: see request!

Word count: 3,7k

Note: thank you for this request! For some reason I really struggled with this one, and I don't know why. I really loved the idea but this is all I could get down, I fear it's not what you expected but alas. I've been going back and forth about this for a few days, and I might revisit this idea again in the future! But for now, I hope you will enjoy it :)

taglist: @clairacassidy@finanmoghra@uunotheangel@hb8301@bathedinheat@neonhairspray@anaeve@bubblyabs@travelingmypassion@sylas-the-grim@heimtathurs@bubbles-for-all-of-us@andakth

'I wish for you to walk me to my room.'

'Will you be a darling and serve those men for me?' Elswin asked you. Elswin was, like you, a barmaid in the local tavern.

She gave the men a sour look from across the room.

'Why?' you glanced over your shoulder towards the table, 'what's wrong with them?'

'Not them,' Elswin sighed, 'he,' she cocked her head to one of them. A dark haired man with a thick, well kept beard who was oblivious to her sneer. 'That's Finan,' she said bitterly, 'he humped me once and ran off before dawn. Never heard from him again. And when he just looked at me, he acted like he didn't even know me.'

'Oh,' you grimaced, 'I'm sorry. He sounds like an arse.'

'An Irish arse.'

'I'll take this one for you,' you said and grabbed four jugs of ale, 'but then you have to take over when Billiam comes in again.'

'God,' Elswin sighed, 'but he smells like a pig's fart.'

'Exactly,' you smiled and walked towards the table Elswin did not want to go near.

As you approached you saw Finan, the Irish arse, seated next to a young monk, both were facing you and Finan's face lit up when he saw the ale coming his way. Your eyes scanned the backs of the two other men who sat across from them. They both had broad shoulders and muscular arms. The man on the right had long hair, half tied in a bun with shaved sides, whereas the man on the left had dark hair, which was half braided, and his unbraided curls hid the back of his neck. You smiled at the monk as you stopped next to the dark haired man with the braids, setting the jugs of ale on their table.

'Good day,' you smiled politely and handed the blushing monk his ale.

'Already blushing, Osferth?' Finan joked, making the young monk's face colour more while you heard the other men sigh. 

'He's still a virgin,' the Irish man winked at you, as if that was the reason for Osferth's flustered face. You decided to ignore the loudmouth.

'Good day, lady,' the long haired man said friendly, 'will you let the owner know what Uhtred is here?'

'Uhtred?' you smiled, 'Lord Uhtred?'

'The one and only,' the monk smiled with rosy cheeks, sipping his ale.

'Pleasure to meet you. And I will send the message, lord,' you bowed your head slightly and handed Uhtred his ale, who thanked you with a smile.

'Close ya mouth, Sihtric, before ya start drooling,' the Irish arse grinned, nudging Osferth, making him look up at the man who hadn't said a word yet.

You frowned and turned your head to the man they all looked at. And then your eyes met with the silent warrior, called Sihtric, who was seated next to Uhtred. Sihtric was handsome and appeared to be a Dane, a little older than you but younger than Uhtred, yet the Dane was not less impressive nor less scarred than his lord. His lips were slightly parted as he looked up at you with big eyes, two different coloured eyes nonetheless, and it seemed as if he wanted to speak but couldn't find the right words. You felt your cheeks colour, just like poor Osferth had felt just yet, and you quickly looked down at the two jugs of ale which, both equally filled to the brim, you hadn't served yet.

'Nice to meet you,' you said softly and smiled at Sihtric, handing him a jug and hoping he wouldn't see your blushing face. His rough, tattooed fingers briefly brushed against your own soft, trembling fingers as he took the ale from you. He kept quiet but smiled at you, seemingly a little flustered as well as your eyes stayed locked for a moment.

'Not a chance,' Finan snorted, understanding the look on Sihtric's face as he stared at you, causing Sihtric to look down at his ale, brooding when his smile had faded.

You snapped your head up at Finan, grabbing the last jug of ale and you smashed it down onto the table in front of him, causing half of the ale to spill over the cup with a splash. 

'Oi!' Finan shouted.

'Elswin sends her love,' you spat and turned on your heels, back to the bar.

You glanced over your shoulder as you walked away, seeing Finan using Osferth's sleeve in an attempt to soak up the spilled ale, but Osferth fought back and pulled his arm away. You smiled at the monk's reaction and then your eyes trailed back to Sihtric, who subtly turned his head and met your eyes with a shy smile.

***************** 

The next afternoon you were pleasantly surprised to see Sihtric in the alehouse when you had just opened up. Your shift ended last night before the men had left, so through Elswin you found out that the four of them had booked a few rooms upstairs. But usually those who slept at the tavern weren't up before early evening.

'Looks like you have an admirer,' Elswin nudged you as she walked past you with empty jugs.

'What?'

'The Dane,' she winked, pouring ale in the empty jugs, 'I've never seen him here without Finan,' she stopped to whisper in your ear before she walked over to the men she was serving, 'and he can't keep his eyes off you, so you better serve him.'

********************

'Hi,' you smiled, a little nervous when you greeted Sihtric.

'Hi,' Sihtric returned the shy smile as he stared into your eyes.

'Eh,' you blushed after a silence, 'can- can I get you something?'

'Oh,' Sihtric chuckled, equally as flustered, 'breakfast.'

'Breakfast? Will that be all?'

'Yes.'

'Okay,' you smiled shyly again and walked off.

'What did he say?' Elswin grinned when you returned to the bar.

'He wants breakfast.'

'That's it? Oh,' she grimaced, 'and what did he order?'

'Breakfast,' you buried your face in your hands, 'Elswin, he ordered breakfast, but he didn't say what exactly he wanted.'

'And you didn't ask?'

You gave Elswin a painful smile. 'I can't go back, please, will you take over? Just tell him I don't feel well.'

'Fine,' Elswin rolled her eyes with a smile.

You took off your apron as you ran to hide in the back. You were so embarrassed that you didn't even register Sihtric's nerves, who also hadn't even realised he never elaborated when you asked for his order.

******************

Two weeks later

*******************

'Your Dane is back again,' Elswin smiled as she saw Sihtric sit at a table. The men had abruptly left the day after your disastrous encounter with Sihtric and his breakfast. You and Elswin didn't know where they went or if they would return, which had left you a little heartbroken over the Danish man.

'So is that Irish arse of yours,' you taunted, nodding over at Finan, who had his arm around Sihtric's neck and seemed to be slurring some story which Sihtric couldn't follow.

'Where's that monk?' you asked Elswin, to which she shrugged. 

And then Sihtric's eyes met yours. You saw his posture change and his eyes lit up. He sat up straighter and held his chin up a little as he gave you a weak smile. You smiled back when suddenly a huge Saxon man stepped in front of you, blocking your view of the handsome Dane. You gave him a nasty look but then remembered you're at work, and the man just wanted to order a drink.

It was a very busy night, but after a few hours you finally managed to serve Sihtric, as Finan wanted another jug of ale and Elswin refused to bring it over, but you gladly did. Elswin had talked some courage into you as well before you placed the jugs in front of the men. Finan cheered, barely able to keep his eyes open and you frowned at the sight of him.

'I am not responsible for the state of your friend,' you said to Sihtric, shoving Finan another ale.

'I will bring him upstairs, lady,' Sihtric smiled, letting you know they stayed in the town again for at least a few days.

'Good,' you gave him a firm nod, 'because I am also not responsible for bringing drunk men up to their room.'

'And when they're not drunk?' Sihtric was sharp to reply.

'Well… then they are fit to walk on their own, are they not?' you shrugged, oblivious to Sihtric's flirting. You smiled and walked away, leaving Sihtric a little confused. He chuckled and shook his head. 

His eyes followed you around for the rest of the night, and you'd often catch his stare. He left shortly before closing time, as he had to drag Finan upstairs, who couldn't stand on his legs anymore. After he had dragged Finan to his bed, he came back down to the bar to finish his own drink. He was not pleased to see that in the time he had been upstairs, a different man had started to show his interest in you. Sihtric sat back at his table and watched how the man placed his hand on your knee as you sat on a stool, waiting for the last drunks to leave, which included that very man.

You didn't know Sihtric had returned, as your back was turned towards the stairs that led up to the rooms. And the man who had just placed his hand on your knee blocked Sihtric's table from your view. You brushed the man's hand off your knee and made a face to Elswin, who grinned, glad she was not the one who was being eyed up this time. When the man placed his hand on your knee a third time, after you had slapped him the second time, Sihtric got up and walked over to the bar, where he slammed his jug down and sat down at the empty stool next to you.

You pushed the man's hand away again and your heart skipped a beat when you turned to see who sat down on your right.

'Sihtric,' you smiled, 'I didn't know you were still here.'

'I only just returned, lady,' he said calmly, 'I had to bring a drunk upstairs.'

You both smiled at his words when you felt a hand suddenly run up your thigh, and it wasn't Sihtric's. He saw it before you could even react and he jumped up, tipping over his stool, and with a swift move Sihtric pulled the drunk on your other side up by the neck of his tunic, and dragged him away from you. 

At the entrance, Sihtric gave the man a harsh shove out and cursed something in Danish. 

You looked at Elswin, who was smiling when she saw your confused face. You were so clueless to Sihtric's love language. Or any love language for that matter.

'Thank you,' you said a little startled when Sihtric was close enough to hear you.

'Lady,' he grunted quietly. He grabbed the jug and downed the last of his ale quickly before he slammed the cup back on the bar. Then he turned to face you. 

'I wish for you to walk me to my room,' Sihtric blurted out.

'Wh- what?' you stammered, 'I- I'm not a whore, I don't bed the men who stay here,' you said quietly and were quick to turn around, storming to the back again to hide your red cheeks. 

You were embarrassed and offended. The handsome Dane thought he could just order you to hump him because he rid you of an unwanted drunk? You weren't that easy.

*****************

'What happened yesterday?' Elswin asked when you walked into the alehouse to start your shift.

'What do you mean?'

'Sihtric?'

'What about him?' you murmured, still offended.

'He clearly likes you,' Elswin said, 'why did you not go up with him?'

'I'm not a whore to be humped!'

'What?' Elswin shook her head, 'wait, you think he just wanted to hump you?'

'Why else would he ask me to his room, Elswin? I am naive, but not that naive!'

'You clearly are,' she sighed, 'he knew we were closing up the bar last night, so he knew he had to leave and go upstairs. He just wanted some privacy with you, which is impossible down here and he surely wasn't going to pressure you into asking him to come back to your home. You are such a fool!'

'But-'

'No, listen,' Elswin sighed, 'he likes you and not only to just hump. If he wanted that, he would have gone to the whorehouse. He knows how it works.'

'Did Finan ask you to walk him up to his room that one time?'

'No, Finan just said he wanted to hump me.'

'Oh.'

'And, look,' Elswin said quietly, 'word has spread that the young monk,' she swallowed hard, 'he… he died shortly after they had left here.'

Elswin let out a sad sigh and she went to open up the doors. Life goes on and your shift has begun.

****************

It was a slow evening, nice for a change, and Sihtric had been in the alehouse for about an hour, accompanied by his two friends, and you noticed he hadn't glanced at you once. You were upset and embarrassed. The whole evening you kept looking at him, but he paid you no attention. Except once. Your eyes met and he had clenched his jaw, looking at you with hurt in his eyes for a second before he directed his focus back on his jug of ale. 

You had been gathering your courage all night, until finally Uhtred left for his room, and shortly after he had left, Finan had found a whore. He slapped Sihtric on his back with a drunken grin and left for his room too, leaving Sihtric alone for a moment as he finished his ale. You quickly filled a new cup with fresh, cold ale and made your way over to the lonesome Dane.

'On the house,' you said as you placed the cup next to his empty jug.

You quickly turned and attempted to walk away when you felt his warm, rough hand gently capturing your wrist, making you stop and turn back to face him.

'Stay?' Sihtric asked quietly, his big, mismatched eyes looking almost pleading.

'Oh,' you mumbled, fidgeting with your apron as you looked down at your feet.

'Are you closing soon?'

'N-no, in an hour or so,' you said.

Sihtric looked pained and bit down on his lip before he spoke again.

'My friends just left,' he spoke softly and gently took your hand in his, 'but I can't sleep. I- I'd just like some company, lady, I-,' he paused for a moment, considering his words, 'I wish to not be alone with my thoughts.'

You slowly squeezed his hand and smiled softly. 'I- I can't stay right now, I am still working. But, if you like,' you paused, feeling your cheeks heat up, 'I- I can walk you to your room in an hour?'

'I'd like that,' Sihtric said, barely louder than a whisper and stroked his thumb softly over your hand, 'I'll wait here.'

You smiled shyly, 'if- if you need anything then let me know.'

You went back to work for the remainder of the hour and, as if he had never left, Sihtric's eyes kept following you around again. Watching how men, much older than you, tried to grab your arm, or pull you in for a hug. It angered him, and he wanted nothing more than to stab each and every man there who even dared to look at you. But he knew he shouldn't do that. So he just watched, waiting for a man who wouldn't understand your hint when you pulled away, trying it again. But luckily the men behaved rather decently tonight.

You walked towards Sihtric as you served another table and you gave him a smile. When you had passed him, you glanced over your shoulder and found his eyes had stuck on your ass, you chuckled when Sihtric suddenly noticed your eyes on him and he looked away quickly, pretending he had never checked you out.

'Enjoyed the view?' you asked as you walked back to the bar, to which he smiled and quickly sipped his ale. 

Sihtric kept his eyes on you when another man tried his luck. The stranger pulled you in his lap to which you got up and slapped his face. Sihtric was ready to jump up, hand on the hilt of his knife, as he watched the man stand up and tower over you. But you were quick to tell the man off and pointed him to the door, to which he left. Sihtric smiled satisfied, he loves to protect a lady, but he also loves it when she can handle her own at times.

Sihtric had watched you with a smile when you walked past him again to collect a few cups from the now empty table you had served. And when you walked back, Sihtric took your hand and pulled you into his lap, half expecting a slap in the face, but it didn't happen. Instead he heard you giggle as you set the empty cups down.

'You didn't see what happened to the last man who pulled me in his lap?' you smiled.

'I did,' Sihtric chuckled lightly, biting down on his lip.

You smiled shyly as you felt his hands sneak around your waist.

'If you were mine, I would never want you to work in a place like this,' he said.

'If I was yours?' you frowned, 'and why is that?'

'You are too beautiful,' Sihtric smiled, before he realised he had said that out loud.

'Oh,' you blushed, 't-thank you. You, I mean, I- I think you are very handsome yourself.'

'Hey!' Elswin suddenly called over to you with a grin, 'your shift is over!'

It wasn't actually, you still had 20 minutes to go, but the place was getting quiet and your friend couldn't stand seeing you waste another second, so she let you go early.

'So,' Sihtric cleared his throat, 'will you bring me to my room?'

'I will,' you smiled softly. 

You got up and took his hand, guiding him up the stairs where, once out of sight for everyone else, he stopped walking and gently pulled you back towards him. His hands settled on your waist as he leaned in close, the tips of your noses touching lightly.

'We weren't supposed to come back here,' Sihtric whispered, 'but ever since we left, you've been on my mind. I had to come back and see you again. And,' he paused, closing his eyes, 'I- I lost my friend,' he swallowed hard, 'and shortly before he- he,' Sihtric choked on his words.

'Take your time,' you whispered, moving your hands up to his cheeks and you nuzzled his nose lightly. Sihtric sighed, keeping his eyes closed and focusing on your touch.

'Osferth,' he continued, 'he told me I should go back and marry you.'

'Marry me?' you chuckled.

'Hm,' Sihtric hummed. You closed your eyes to the sound and felt his lips brush lightly over yours, 'he was the only one who saw how you looked at me,' he smiled softly against your lips.

'How did I look at you?' you asked shyly, feeling his lips part as they touched yours.

'Just like how I look at you,' he said softly and moved one hand up to the back of your neck.

'And how do you look at me?' you giggled softly as you felt how Sihtric brought you even closer to him.

'As if you are a deity amongst unworthy mortals,' Sihtric whispered, and he closed the last space there was left between your lips.

Your heart stopped when he kissed you. His lips felt soft, warm, slightly chapped but still smooth enough to make the kiss tender, while a faint bitter taste of alcohol lingered. He made your lips part along with his, after which his tongue, cooler than his lips due to the cold ale he just had, slid in your mouth slowly, allowing you to savour the taste of strawberries and blueberries, letting you enjoy the flavour you had poured in his cup less than an hour ago. He kept his lips on yours as he slowly guided you to his room. 

Luckily, you knew these doors all too well, as cleaning the rooms was sometimes part of your job, so you didn't have to take your eyes off him when you opened the door to his room. He kept you close as you stepped backwards through the door, and once in the room, he lifted you up by your knees and you wrapped your legs around him. He kicked the door shut behind him as he kept his beautiful eyes, now looking up at you, locked with yours. You cupped his cheek and brought your lips back to his, you couldn't get enough of his taste, and your other hand snuck up to the back of his neck, tangling your fingers in his dark curls.

And just before dawn, Sihtric had tried to keep his promise, as he truly only wanted your company and not just to hump. But you couldn't hide your own feelings for him anymore, so it was you who eventually lured him under the furs with you. Which he didn't regret for a second.

And when morning arrived, you woke up in the warrior's arms. Feeling satisfied, safe and loved. You turned to face Sihtric and found him asleep, to which you smiled and softly traced the scars on his handsome face without waking him up. And when he eventually woke up, much later, he said it was the longest and best sleep he had since his last journey.

'You are a healer,' Sihtric smiled with sleepy eyes as he had turned on his side to face you.

'No, I am a barmaid,' you laughed and played with his curls.

'No,' Sihtric whispered with a chuckle, 'not anymore.'

'No?' you raised your eyebrow, 'what am I then?'

'You,' Sihtric whispered and kissed your lips softly, 'are to be my wife.'

'Oh, am I?' you giggled and kissed him back.

'Mhm,' he hummed, 'and I will take care of you. I will take you home with me.'

'Will you?' you chuckled.

'Mhm,' Sihtric hummed again as he laughed, 'I am taking you home with me, where I will marry you, and where no man, other than me, will ever touch you again.' Sihtric leaned in to capture your lips again, but you nudged your lips against his and backed away slightly.

'Is that a promise?'

'You have my word,' Sihtric smiled and was quick to kiss your lips once more, 'I swear it, my love.'

[plump-lips-imagine]

Wisteria And Monkey Fur (Journey to the West Au)

(Yes, it's demon slayer inspired. Don't look at me. Just read.This was plaguing my mind for a while.)

You walk along the lone path, your journey to nowhere starting again as the residents from the village you are leaving from,waving goodbye, sending you are on your way. Some had sad looks on their faces, some wore a look of gratefulness, some with worry, and a few even prayed as you left, hoping luck will always be with you. 

You smile back at the villagers and waved back as you continue on your journey, gifts of food and clothing nicely set in your bag. You couldn’t stay long, as your work never allowed it. 

Why, you may ask? 

Well, Dear. It’s because you are a Demon Slayer.

You happened upon this Village when it was being terrorized by a Bear Demon. The smell of blood and distress still lingered on your nose when you first arrived. You came just in time before the Demon could eat any more innocent lives. Fighting it made you break a leg in the process but the villagers let you rest and recover for saving their lives and were then happy to aid you in the way they could. But after you were healed, they had to watch you go as you had more lives to protect on your journey.

You had already swore an oath to save and protect humans from demons, but there was a special mission you were currently on. 

During the time that you were in recovery, you had a peculiar dream that felt too real to distinguish from reality.

The dream was peaceful. You felt calm and serene as you were supposedly sitting above the never ending pool of clear water as being on a Beautiful Lotus Plant sat across from you, beaming with light and radiance. It made the feeling of  confusion or anxiety leave your body as you realized who it was. It was Guanyin, Bodhisattva of Mercy and Compassion.

As you bowed your head in respect, She smiled gently and told you she had a task for you to do. She requested that you aid her by helping a monk and his disciples to go West to retrieve sacred scrolls. She saw something in you that made you perfect for the job, and she promised a reward for helping her aid in such a voyage. A reward that you made you jump in the opportunity  to become part of the Journey.

So here you were. Traveling to find the Pilgrims and aid in their Journey. 

The Problem  however was that you didn’t know exactly where to find them. Let alone catch up with them. Guanyin didn’t really give you clear instructions. She just smile and said:

‘Worry not, young one. The Path to them will not be hard.You will find them. Trust the Path you walk along.’

You heeded her words but still can’t fight the doubt in your mind. It’s not like you don’t trust her or anything, but-

“Where do I even start?” You ask yourself quietly. A few minutes quickly turn into a few hours and a few hours turn into a few days. The Search continues forth.

‘Am I doing this right? I probably should have asked for a hint before walking so aimlessly.’ Sweat trickled down your head as your mind began to race. ‘Now that I think about it. I don’t even know what to look for! I forgot to ask?! I can’t expect them to just appear out of nowhere and tell me everything I need to know?! Do they even know I’m coming!?’

Your body stopped as an aura of Gloom surrounds your body, eyes staring at the ground with a look of exasperation and comical dread. “I think I’m lost…Am I a moron?”

Nothing but the silence of the wind answers your question. A weak chuckle was all you could do.  

Your thoughts were interrupted by a familiar scent. The air around you became repulsive , smelling of rotten meat and decay. It could only mean one thing. A demon was nearby. 

You straighten yourself up and ready your blade. You run quickly and follow the scent, pulling your mask down to your face as you run into an unpredictable battle.

***

A certain Buddhist monk laid in a cave, tied up and bound as his eyes held distress for his current situation. He had been kidnapped while his disciples were distracted and the demons were eager to devour him to obtain the power of immortality. Cackles were heard in a different part of the dark cave as Tripitaka pondered if he would be saved in time.

He silently prays for his rescue, becoming more unaware of his surroundings. He didn’t even hear the footsteps of a swordsman coming to his rescue.

A shadow loomed over him,  the light sudden change causing the monk to open his eyes. It was no demon, nor was it any of his colleagues to his rescue. 

It was a human. Or at least he thinks they’re human. It was hard to tell because their face was covered up. He was staring at a mask that resembled that of a fox. It held a small painting of a blue lotus on its forehead, while the rest of the mask had a long scar-like shape run across it. The beaded eyes of the mask caused Tripitaka to flinch in place. This was not what he expected.

“H-”

The swordsman quickly held a hand up their mask, silently shushing him. They looked around and came closer to the monk. It made the monk both curious and afraid, not knowing this new person’s motive.

“Be still, and don’t say anything. I’m here to help. We must go before they come back.” They began to untie the knots that held tightly on the monk.The cool yet comforting voice of the stranger made Tripitaka ease up. As naive as it may be, he felt like he could trust this person.

Before the restraints could be undone, a spear suddenly came honing towards them. The Swordsman quickly picked the monk up in there arms and swiftly got the way as a crater was formed from the attack. The attack came from none other than the two giant demons that took shelter in the cave to eat the poor monk.

“What Lowly creature dares to take what is rightfully ours?” One Demon snarled. The Swordsman just stared at them while the monk stared wide-eyed at the large demons.

“I’m simply returning him to where he belongs. You will not be dining on anything tonight. Let us leave or I’ll have no choice but to kill you.” They State calmly to the Demons, as they began to howl with laughter at the claims of such a small human.

“As if a weak human girl could even lay a hand on us. Maybe you will make a nice pet. Or perhaps an even better appetizer.”

‘Girl?’ Tripitaka looks up at the masked woman in shock. More shock at the fact that not only had she carried him with such ease, but she also stood with confidence at the demons. Like a certain disciple of his.

“...Very Well. You Leave me no choice.” She placed the Monk down behind her and unsheathed her sword that was enveloped in black.

“Wait, MIss! This is absolutely dangerous. Are you absolutely sure you know what you’re doing?”

She didn’t look back at him, her eyes only focused on the demons that prepared their own spears at her. “Don’t worry. It’ll be Okay. Get to a safe distance and guard yourself.”

He did as he was told, but still stared at her with worry. But this worry soon turned into disbelief as one of demon attempted to Spear through her body, but the sharp weapon only met the ground as a blur was only seen as the the sickening sound of a swift slice through bone was heard, the hand of the demon that held the weapon now laid on the ground, separate from its host, blood splattered going everywhere. The demon screamed in pain, holding where it used to be its hand in pain, Anger flashed in his eyes as he  raised a fist to the girl. 

“You BITCH!!” He punched at the ground where she stood, But she was faster. She went up the arm of the giant demon and raised her sword. She took a Deep Breath.

“Water Breathing:First Form…”  Water began to form from the sword. The black blade now engulfed in the waves, ready to hit its target. “Water Surface Slash!” 

The Blade hits its target's neck, swiftly decapitating the demon in one slash, ending its life. His body goes down with a sickening thud, the ground jumping up at the impact.

The monk watched in pure disbelief from a distance. No thoughts were able to form at the scene before him.

A low growl broke his trance as the other demon loomed over her. Violence feeling their eyes as their boy began to morph. Two more arms formed from the body, as more weapons appeared in the demon's hands.

“I should’ve known that a demon slayer appeared before us. You insolent human!! I will avenge my brother and tear the skin from your body!!” Flurries of Spears of swords came down your way, the demon making more weapons appear as you swiftly leaped out of harm's way, imitating that of a dance, moving as swift as the waves of shore. But the weapons did not stop coming even as you danced away from the attacks.  Sweat began to form as on your brown as the attacks didn’t let up. A spear grazed your arm, blood began to seep out of the Haori uniform. Tripitaka's body filled with panic at the injury while the demon held a wicked grin on its face

“This is your end. I’ll mount that fox mask as a trophy!”

You said nothing as your breath became still. The thread became  clear as everything felt still. Water formed around you, your blade raised up. 

“Water breathing.Third Form: Flowing Dance.” A flurry of water began to form as the water around the demon became ribbon liked. The flow of water dances beautifully, that demon distracted by graceful flow. The  Demon couldn’t react fast as you not only chopped off the 4 arms it bared, but also the head on its body. Its eyes widened at how sudden it was defeated, its body disintegrating alongside its brother. With its vision blurry, it saw how the demon slayer came to its body slowly before it stopped at its head. With its last strength in its body, it could only glare at her, thinking that the girl came to gloat and stand in triumph over it.

The Demon slayer only lifted the mask of its face and the demon could see what they truly looked like. There was a deep scar that ran across the girl’s face .The slayer's eyes held that of gloom for the demon as compassion was shone in their eyes.  The demon slayer then brought their hand to the temple of its head and closed their eyes, kneeling in front of it. As the head was the last to disintegrate, it heard the words of the demon slayer, in such a soft spoken way.

“Whoever hears me, Please let them be reborn as humans in their next life.” A silent prayer for the demon is heard. Before the head disintegrated into nothing, its eyes let out a few tears before disappearing.

The Monk that stared at the Slayer could only stare as he was mixed with bewilderment and relief. He was saved, and it was thanks to the compassion and bravery of the swordsman.

When She made her way to him, she swiftly cut the ropes of his body, freeing him finally, his silk and fancy monk robe became more visible to her as he shone brightly.

***

“Thank You Miss! I'm forever grateful. You have saved my life.”  The Monk before you smiled warmly at you, making you fidget in place. The mask you wore wasn’t on your face and you honestly felt a little embarrassed by this praise. It did swell your heart with joy, but when your face was exposed, it  made you feel a bit…vulnerable.

“It-it’s no problem,really. I’m just doing my job.” You cleared your voice to save face. “Now, Are you alright, Sir? Any Scars that were cast upon you? Do you know where your home is? I’ll make Sure to bring you there.”

“No, Miss. I am fine, really. You saved me just in time.” The monk answered you frantically, surprised by the sudden questions heading towards him. “If I am to be honest with you, I am more worried about you.That Demon seems to have gotten you on your arm? Are you going to be okay?” He says looking worried at you, the large gash on your arm still oozing blood.  But you thought nothing of it.

“Trust me, I’ll be fine. I’ll be better once we get you out of here.” You said matter of factly. You then promptly carried Tripitaka in your arms again, surprising him.

“Wait, Miss. I can walk. There’s no need to-”

“I know but I’m not taking any chances. There’s no telling if there’s another demon ahead. Besides, It’ll be quicker this way. Trust me.”

The Monk could only look at you confused. 

“How will it be faster for you,Miss?” If anything, it would most likely be sower this way, especially at such high altitudes in the mountains.

You pull down your mask and walk towards the entrance of the cave. 

“You’ll see, don’t worry. Just tell me the direction I need to go and I'll take you there.” Your voice went back to being cool as you stared forward at the open space of land.

Although doubt was still in him, Tripitaka compiled. “Well, I’m actually traveling towards the West, me and my disciples on journeying there. They are probably looking for me.”

“Got it.” There were mixtures of scents on the monk that were not his. But the one that stood out was that of a horse. If you were to get close enough, then you would find them. 

“You may want to hold on tight. Trust me on this.” The monk did as he was told as you began to run. The speed that you were going already made the monk hold on tighter to your body. And you seemed to be getting even faster.

“Total Concentration…” You whispered to yourself. The legs go into inhuman speed. Water can be heard from behind as The monk could only hold on for dear life,The slayer leaving waves in her path.

***

We now follow three pilgrims as they travel to find their kidnapped master. A Monkey sage  wears a look of frustration, A pig demon wears one of exhaustion, while a river demon wears one of worry.

As much as they have now gotten ‘used’ to their master being kidnapped, it still didn’t make it any less tedious. Especially for The Demon Monkey that always had to go rescue him.

“Unbelievable! Way to go,pig. You are the worst.Bodyguard.Ever!!” Wukong shouts at Zhu Bajie, while the Pig demon snorts at him with a gruff voice.

“Me!? Well maybe if you weren’t taking your sweet time gathering up food, I wouldn’t have fallen asleep! Some Great Sage!”

“I swear, once we find Baldy, I’m gonna-”

“Brothers, be calm!None of this will help us find Master anytime soon.”

The three continue until Monkey spotted something peculiar in his vision. He saw a figure traveling at full speed, if it was anyone else, they probably would have seen a blur, but his eye could see that it was a person, or perhaps thing: that was carrying their master in their arms a the Monk look petrified. The figure had a weird aura as their fox mask covered their face, and the clothes on their back was covered in blood.

It was hard to tell if it was a demon or not, but the Monkey knew only one thing. His Master was in trouble. This gave him enough reason to pull his staff out of his ear.

***

You could smell the fear of the monk that you were currently holding. But you couldn’t really blame him as you were going at max speed. 

‘Maybe I should try to slow down a bit. Regular people aren't used to these movements. Plus,the scent is getting Heavier. That must mean I’m near. Hopefully they’ll be able to spot-’

You abruptly stop your train of thought, stopped in your tracks while holding the monk tightly as you jump back. A heavy thud is heard as staff meets ground, leaving behind a giant grater as the ground shakes at the impact. Only rubble hit you as you stared at the monk that began to cough at the debris.

“Are you alright,Sir?”

“I’m fine, but-”

“Unhand my Master, Stranger!” 

You look up at the sky and you see what appears to be a Monkey. Well, more of a humanoid version of one as it wore a silk robe and a tiger kilt. His red and golden eyes pierced at you, coming closer to you as you gave the monk you were holding a look.

“Is this one of your disciples?” 

“Yes, he is.” He gave an  apologetic look before he yelled up at the Monkey. “ What, Wukong! This is just a misunderstanding. They actually-”

You set the Monk back down as you jump again to get away as The Sage saw an opportunity to strike you. 

“Stand Still, demon!”

You only moved away as a flurry of attacks came your way. You couldn’t attack him like you would usually as this was a disciple of the monk. You had to think of a creative way to pacify him. 

Tripitaka looks at the one sided battle between you and Wukong. He would have to do something. He quietly began to chant quietly as the circlet that was around Sun Wukong's head began to tighten, but it was only enough force to make him stop to grab his head in pain.

You saw the opening and took off your mask. You jumped up at him, Sun wukong saw your face and raised his eyebrow confused. 

‘A Human Girl?’

“Calm.DOWN!!” 

Without Warning, you take your head and bash it against the Demon Monkey. The Impact is loud as the thud is heard between the collision that happened. A Small Crack was Heard but there was no telling who’s skull it came from as both of you jumped back.

…

Both of you only stared at each other, making it a pseudo showdown. The rest of the pilgrims stare in disbelief at the display, expecting you to fall, but it looks like a close one. Blood began to seep out of both of your heads, the look of discomfort present in both your bodies. However, your eyes roll in the back of your head as you fall down, getting knocked unconscious.

The Monkey King wanted to grin in triumph, but as his vision blurred, he too also went down not long after, getting knocked unconscious as well.

The Group could only see the two. Nothing was said  at the display that was just shown on them, while they laid unconscious on the ground.

***

“Ah! So you’re the legendary monk on the Journey To The West! Tripitaka, was it?” You asked with looks of wonder in your eyes.

It was nightfall and they had set up camp. Sun Wukong and the girl were bandaged up as the group settled down. The former had a peeved look on his face, glaring at the girl that caused the bump to form on his head, while the former held a look of amazement at the group, not caring about her current condition.

“That’s right, Miss. We’re on a journey to pick up some sacred scrolls and bring them back to the East. It…Hasn’t been an easy journey as you can see.” He sighed, taken aback at how so much has happened in one day.

You nod your head at his words. “Doesn’t look like it. Such an Important task seems like such a great feat. Doesn't it help that you seem to attract demons…also traveling with them?” You tilt your head in confusion.

Tripitaka smiled  sheepishly. Yes, to normal bystanders, it would be questionable to have such strange company around him. It was always a chore to explain to people. 

“Do not worry ,Miss. They will not harm any human in their path. They are also monks on this journey too.”

You stare for a moment before smiling at him too. “Well, if they're with you, then I suppose you're right!” 

It felt right to trust the monk. Now that you think about it, It was easy to talk with him. Something about him and his crew made the gears in your head turn as you felt you were forgetting something.

Something…important..

You get up from your sitting position.

“You're the ones Guanyin Wanted me to find!” You pointed at the group that shared the same face of bewilderment as you pointed at the group. Wukong squinted his eyes at you, itching to grab his stuff if you pulled any funny business.

“Guanyin?” 

“You know, Calming presence, Lotus Flower, Bodhisattva of Mercy and compassion-”

“Yes, I know her. But, She has also talked to you as well?”

“Well, it’s more like she appeared in my dreams. She asked me to aid you in your journey and help you get to your goal! No wonder he didn’t tell me where you would be, you were already on my path this entire time!”

‘I can’t believe I almost forgot such important information.’ You silently scream at how useless your brain could be some time but still save face.

You cough in your sleeve and  straighten up to bow at the Group.

“Let me formally introduce myself. I am (Y/N) (L/N). I am happy to help you on your journey.”

The group gave each other looks that were hard to read. This was much more interesting than they thought.

(I typed this out for a two days. lol. I decided to enter this monkey hell in my own creative way. I thought it would be interesting if the reader knew how to fight. And I love demon slayer so...yeah.)

[resowrites]

Every Breath You Take - oneshot.

Summary: Henry insists on helping his wife prepare for giving birth…

Pairings: AU!Henry Cavill x Wife!OC

Warnings: fluff, banter/British humour, language, dialogue heavy, nondescript OC body type/appearance, hastily written/lightly proofread.

WC: 1480

A/N: I know I’ve been posting like crazy lately but I reached a follower milestone yesterday and thought I’d post this little number from my drafts - enjoy!

My work must not be copied, reposted, or translated elsewhere. Likes, follows, reblogs and comments are thoroughly welcome and appreciated! Gifs/pics not my own. I hope you all enjoy and thanks for visiting!

Every Breath You Take - oneshot.

"What are you doing in here?" She opened her eyes and paused the app on her phone. 

"I thought you might like some company--"

"No, out."

"What? Why?!"

"Cos the den is a Henry-free zone for the next hour. Now, go."

"But why? I only wanna come in here and read my book!"

"You can do that in the living room, go." Henry cast a curious eye over her cross-legged form on the floor.

"... What are you getting up to in here? I didn't disrupt anything important did I?" She sighed and got to her feet. It didn't matter what she had planned, it would be impossible with him in the same room. 

"Darling, I want an hour's peace, please." Henry shot her a devious smirk.

"Fine - but first tell me why."

"No, now get out." He crossed his arms, determined to stay put. She pursed her lips but decided to give in and leave. When Henry was in those sorts of moods there was nothing else for it. "Hey, wait, don't go!" He only just caught her by the sleeve. "I promise not to be annoying, okay? Even though the den is my space and therefore you're technically the one who should be leaving." Her nostrils flared and Henry made a calming motion with both hands. "Take it easy! I'm just gunna sit on my chair and read, okay?" He waved the book in front of her face.

"Fine, but the minute you start playing up, I'm leaving - got it?" Again Henry nodded with a smirk and though she was hardly convinced, took a seat back on the floor. As agreed, he sauntered over to his Lazy Boy and opened his book. She took a deep breath and opened the app on her phone once more. Ten minutes into practising the techniques, she noticed Henry had stopped flicking the pages. If she had to hazard a guess, she'd say he was looking right at her. "Henry, find something else to do please."

"What? I was just looking at you for a few seconds! It's actually quite calming, like watching a fish tank." She gritted her teeth but immediately tried to relax. This was the whole point of her exercises. "... So what are you trying to do, levitate?" Her eyes snapped open and she jumped to her feet. She was in absolutely no mood to indulge Henry's silliness that day. "Wait, I'm sorry! I'll shut up, promise! I was just curious, that's all." 

"Fine, but that's your last warning. Any more smart-arse remarks and I'll be locking myself in the bedroom for the rest of the day - understood?" He tried to suppress a grin and she rolled her eyes. But then it occurred to her that Henry's presence might actually be useful for once. If she could learn to tune him out, she could cope with pretty much anything. She had to take it in small steps though. After all, ignoring Henry was like trying to ignore a fire alarm. Luckily, she'd bought her Airpods and quickly turned them on. Moments later a gentle white noise filled her head. In the end, she didn't know how many minutes had passed, all she knew was that he was being unusually well behaved and she sneakily opened one eye. Henry was sitting right in front of her, grinning like a madman. "Right, that's the last straw. Have a nice day Henry, I'll see you at dinner - which you'll now be making." He shrugged.

"That's fine, I'll order takeout. And stop acting like such a baby, honestly, you can never take a joke! What did you expect me to do with you sitting there like a monk?!" She felt anger rising in her chest. But instead, she stopped herself and sat back down. If Henry wanted to be annoying, he could jolly well carry on. She was determined to outlast him and what better distraction to overcome than Henry himself? That's not to say he didn't rise to the challenge. "Hey, can I join in? What are you doing, breathing exercises? Ah, so you inhale to the point where the ball fills the circle. Got it. Mind if I keep my eyes open though? I'm not as advanced as you yet..." She ignored Henry's sarcasm and began counting the length of her breaths. No mean feat considering the noise he was making just breathing in. She tried to focus. Henry was not going to get the better of her that time. "Christ, this is hard. I need a pair of bellows up my arse..."

"WILL YOU PLEASE SHUT THE FUCK UP?!"

"Well, that's not very zen-like! Here, watch the circle--" but she snatched the phone away and hurried to her feet. Again, he came between her and the door. 

"Whoa, hang on, I'm sorry. I didn't realise we were meant to stay silent. Let's see if there's an exercise we can do together where it's fine to make noise... ooh I've got one." She kicked Henry in the shin. "Ow! That bloody hurt!"

"Then focus on your breathing, arsehole." He snickered.

"Mmmm, I love it when Mama gets feisty..." 

"Take one more step towards me dickhead, and you really will need to breathe deep!" 

"Fine! Honestly, there I was just trying to suggest a way for us to spend quality time together--"

"You bending me over the couch hardly qualifies as quality time--"

"Well, what about up against the wall?" But instead of blowing her top, she smiled serenely.

"That's just fine. You can stay in here with just your hand for company, cos I'm going back to the house. Have a pleasant afternoon." But Henry stepped in line with her change of direction. 

"Okay, what if I promise to use earphones and sit here ignoring you for the rest of the day?"

"Could you do that for the rest of our lives?" He smiled.

"Now, now. Though you might want to try a different breathing exercise, the current one doesn't seem to be working..."

"No? Well, how about I kick your arse to the curb and you find a b&b for the night?" Henry swallowed, realising she was serious.

"There's no need for that! I promise that my lady shall not be vexed again until at least early this evening. Okay?" He then grabbed her Airpods, turned around, and plonked himself back on the recliner. She wanted to put his head through the nearest window but she had to be patient. Once he saw he couldn't get a rise out of her, eventually he'd get bored and vanish. She decided to rest on her knees and start the next method. If anything, it would certainly drown Henry out. But she closed her eyes again just in case. "... You know you don't need to practise, we've already got a balloon machine somewhere about." She ignored him and pushed out another breath. "Are you alright? You sound like you've got a slow puncture." She carried on and let her hand push her belly out as she exhaled. "Fine, ignore me then. I'll just listen to music." Henry scrolled through his Spotify and started singing loudly. "THAT'S GREAT IT STARTS WITH AN EARTHQUAKE! BIRDS AND SNAKES AND AEROPLANES! AND LENNY BRUCE IS NOT AFRAID!" In two three, out two three. Slowly it became easier for her to visualise a candle flame flickering on every breath out. At the next imagined contraction, she began with a sigh, relaxed, and breathed through the very real pain being caused by him, before ending with a sigh. Next, she started blowing gently, just enough to make the candle flame flicker in her head. "What are you doing now?! Practising for your next birthday?" Incredibly Henry's voice sounded further away that time. The technique was working. She could have jumped for joy. "Earth to Ollie? Oh no, has she achieved nirvana? Well, we can't be having that!" Suddenly she could hear him get up and start snapping his fingers. But she opened her eyes and sighed contentedly. "Oh God, it's worse than I thought, she's actually smiling!" She happily hopped to her feet and stretched followed by a yawn. "Ollie? Are you alright? Did I break your brain?" She smiled in Henry's direction but said nothing, and leisurely walked toward the door. "Oh no you don't! I want to know what the hell that was all about! Ollie? Ollie?!" She giggled to herself as she trotted back into the house. There were many things he could do to help her prepare for her pregnancy, but she was determined to keep her new mindfulness techniques to herself. Labour would be hard enough and besides, it would do Henry no good to learn that after all their years together, she finally had a better means of blocking out his nonsense. It wasn't perfect, but she'd take all the help she could get. 

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@elizabetharegina @fanfictionaddiction99 @luclittlepond @caffeinatedfestivalsheep @summersong69 @ushijimbo @geralts-yenn @livesinfantasyland

[sapphic-agent]

"Stop using Yangchen for your shitty argument."

So, I was browsing the anti Aang tag around a week ago I think and I came upon a post that displayed frustration for people who condemn Aang not wanting to kill Ozai. I'm not 100% sure that this was targeted at my post specifically, but as I did use Yangchen, I do want to clarify how I interpret her words as well as the other past lives' advice and Aang's reaction.

(Here's my first post if you haven't read it: https://www.tumblr.com/sapphic-agent/745211292168732672/lets-talk-about-how-book-3-ruined-aang?source=share)

This person's main argument centered around how the previous Avatars never actually told Aang to kill Ozai. That their words were for him to interpret. And I actually agree. One of my central arguments was that this was a choice Aang had to make.

The thing is though, Aang himself absolutely interpreted their messages as him having to kill Ozai. That's why he gets so frustrated ("I knew I shouldn't have asked Kyoshi") and keeps cycling through them until he gets the answer he wants. Let's go through exactly what they all said to him.

Roku: If I had been more decisive and acted sooner, I could have stopped Sozin and stopped the war before it started. I offer you this wisdom, Aang, you must be decisive.

Roku tells Aang to be decisive. Which means he's urging Aang to make a decision. And this is perfectly in-line with what I said previously. He has to be able to make a choice between his morals/beliefs and his responsibility as the Avatar, as Roku failed to choose between his attachment to Sozin and his responsibility as the Avatar. That's what Roku's saying and that's exactly how Aang understands it.

Kyoshi: Personally, I don't really see the difference, but I assure you, I would have done whatever it took to stop Chin. I offer you this wisdom, Aang, only justice will bring peace.

Kyoshi's advice actually makes it less about Aang and more about Ozai. He needs to face justice so that the world can know peace. She, like Roku, does not say kill Ozai, she says bring him to justice. Aang's later actions are actually very much in-line with that. He does bring Ozai to justice through his own means. But again, that's not how Aang interpreted her advice. He takes it to mean do what she did, which is why he's salty about it after she disappears.

Kuruk: If I had been more attentive and more active, I could've saved her. Aang, you must actively shape your own destiny and the destiny of the world.

Again, Kuruk's words imply murder even less than Kyoshi's. He tells Aang to be active, to embrace his responsibility to the world and its fate as the Avatar. This is something Aang has struggled with since the beginning of the show so it makes sense that Kuruk would say this. But again, Aang takes it as something he doesn't want to hear. He either thinks that Kuruk is implying that he has to kill Ozai or that he thinks Kuruk is saying to be more active as the Avatar (if it's the latter, that makes Aang look worse because it's advice he's still unhappy with).

(I'd also like to add that Aang isn't looking for alternatives from his past lives. Or at least, he isn't just looking for alternatives. He's looking for one of them to validate him not wanting to kill Ozai and offer advice based on that. Which is why he says, "Maybe an Air Nomad Avatar will understand where I'm coming from." So them not giving him alternatives is not why he's upset)

Yangchen: Many great and wise Air Nomads have detached themselves and achieved spiritual enlightenment, but the Avatar can never do it. Because your sole duty is to the world. Here is my wisdom for you. Selfless duty calls you to sacrifice your own spiritual needs, and do whatever it takes to protect the world.

Out of everyone, Yangchen is probably the closest one to telling Aang he has to kill Ozai. She directly tells him that he has to sacrifice his spiritual needs, which heavily implies that she means go against what the monks taught him and end Ozai for the sake of the world. And that's absolutely how Aang understands it. He even says out loud, "I guess I don't have a choice, Momo. I have to kill the Fire Lord."

So yes, I 100% agree that their advice was up to Aang's interpretation. But what this person- and Aang stans in general- seemed to miss is that Aang himself interpreted their advice as him having to kill Ozai.

Now, does he have to follow their advice? Absolutely not. In Yangchen's words from the Kyoshi novels, "You could spend a thousand years talking to us and you still wouldn't know how best to guide the world." Their advice is just that, advice. Their words aren't law and shouldn't be regarded as such (especially not Roku's, he's consistently given terrible advice/direction).

Hell, in my original post I said I didn't think he had to kill Ozai. Just that he should have had to make the choice between his beliefs and responsibility and face the consequences of that choice. The only reason I brought up the past Avatars at all is because I was pointing out that he refused to accept answers (not just from them, but also from the Gaang) he didn't want to hear. And when he finally did accept it, he was immediately spared from having to make the choice by the Lion Turtle

[queenquinzel715]

1. Werebear Toric pt 1

Wrd count 2,313

Warnings: Angst in the beginning, implied smutt, fluff, women power lol

(Y/n) P.O.V

Finding your mate is supposed to be an unworldly thing, and is cherished by many people. Being the daughter of the moon goddess that made me extremely excited to find mine, because I knew my mother would find me the perfect one. When I actually found my mate I thought he was this sexy, powerful man. He was the son of an Alpha, and he had so much confidence. I felt we would make a great couple, and when he brought me back to his pack I thought he was happy.

I was extremely wrong. Once he brought me back I met his parents, and his girlfriend. I understand he wasn't a monk, so I just assumed he would break up with her. He wouldn't let me stay in his room, because he said he wanted to get to know me better before completing the mate bond. He would just spend time with me during the afternoon after training.

"(Y/n) honey why aren't you outside?" His mother, Agetha asks confused. "I thought training was about to start soon."

"I don't go to training. Minson told me to stay inside until he came to get me." I tell her truthfully.

She looks at me confused, and it seems like something hits her. She takes my hand firmly but softly, and leans me upstairs. She walks us toward Minson's room, and I hear the most awful high pitched moan squeal sound. I stop in my tracks as Agetha gives a Luna growl. I can't believe I am given this type of mate. When Agetha marched inside the room I ran outside, and shifted. I howl in agony as I come to a stop in the middle of the woods.

I stay there until the sun starts to set. I slowly walk back to the house, and grab a blanket that is kept behind the trees. When I walk inside it's deathly quiet. I just go to my room to put clothes on. I have so many questions in my head, but they stop when Agetha knocks on the door.

"(Y/n) I honestly can't tell you how sorry I am." She hugs me in a tight embrace. "Are you okay? I mean hurting?" She's the sweetest woman.

"I feel okay, just confused." I sit on the edge of my bed. "Why even bring me here, why not just reject me?" I talk out loud.

She sighs as she hugs me from the side, but before she says anything Stewart, Minson's father walks in. He puts his hands on his hips while shaking his head.

"I even tried using the alpha command to get him to break the bond, but his heartless ass won't do it." He growls in frustration.

"Then I will." I stand up. "I will break it, and I will go home." I give them a soft smile.

They follow after me as I walk toward Minson's room. As I go to knock it opens, and Priscilla steps out.

"What are you doing here? I thought you'd leave by now." She giggles. "You might want to leave soon, you wouldn't want to see your mate celebrate his baby shower with another woman would you?" She laughs like she said something hilarious.

"You are pregnant?" Agetha asks, shocked. "That stupid boy."

"Of course I am. We haven't left each other since he's been back." She taunts.

"ALRIGHT!" I shout pushing her back. "Malet guol imotrell qet ne bentul!" I chant the old magic of chaos.

She falls onto the couch with a shocked expression. I go to finish my punishment chant to remove her bond to any future mate, and then Minson walks in with a deep growl. I lock eyes with him, and I feel something completely snap. My body begins to glow white.

"(Y/n) stop!" I hear my mother's voice.

She appears like she's walking in from the balcony, and has a look of pure concern. I can feel my body fighting with itself, but when my mother puts her arms around me I collapse. My mother lays me on the couch as she stands tall. My mother steps toward the scared couple.

"You stupid boy. You have caused so much imbalance, and caused a future goddess to break into chaos." She turns to his parents. "I will give you a choice as his parents, and as a thank you for treating my daughter as your own. Either he loses his wolf, or you chain him until I deem him free. As for that pack whore, she's to be outed to the rogues until she gives birth, because she has her own problems ahead." Mother uses her Goddess voice, making everything she says an unbreakable punishment.

"Moon mother, I would like to chain him, so the pack will know he will never be Alpha." Stewart timidly tells my mother, but still has a strong voice.

"What?! Father I haven't done.." Minson tries to argue, but my goddess roar stops him.

"Her chaos has been let go, because of what YOU did. I knew I shouldn't have given her a mate, but her father wanted her to have a normal love life." She scoffs as she rants. "You have no idea how much pain it takes for a Goddess to lose for her chaos to take over!" She starts losing her composer the more she speaks to him.

That night he is forcefully carried, in front of the whole pack, to the underground dungeon. The pack watches on as they yell at him. Priscilla is shamefully walking behind him, sobbing like it would help her. Once everyone learned what I actually am they sent gifts of apology for their leader.

The next morning, my mother and I went back to my father's kingdom, which is now mine since I am of age with no mate. Father apparently wanted me to be normal, but I guess he didn't think of me getting my heart broken. Once home I immediately went to work on the kingdom.

1 Year later

It's been almost a year since I got back home. My kingdom is widely known for trading, and its unbreakable military. This whole year I've never stopped working, or studying more strategies. Honestly it kept my mind in order, so I could lock up my chaos.

With everything going so well I decided to throw a ball in honor of not only my success, but the kingdom's. I invited everyone from the townspeople, to Minsons parents. Throughout the year Agetha and I would send letters to each other to make sure everything is going alright. I even allowed Stewart to trade in the market, and my ports.

Once I got back to my kingdom I heard of this Orc woman, Kiva, who does amazing work. Sadly I only went to the kingdom for a short visit, so I didn't get to get any dresses. However I sent my dresser to Silentdew to see if this Kiva could make me a dress, and she delivered. She made me a dress fit for a goddess. When I first got it I couldn't stop looking at it. My jeweler gifted me with a lovely crown of stones he calls moonstones.

I could hear the violins playing as I came down the stairs. The ballroom was already filled with so many different people. As I walked in everyone stopped, and bowed. I waved for the music to start, and as the piano picked back up everyone got back to dancing. I couldn't stop my smile as I danced around the couples to get to my throne. While I start to sit Minson's parents come walking to me with wide smiles.

"Oh (y/n). Everything just looks amazing." Agetha rants as she hugs me.

"Thank you so much for coming." I tell them both.

"We are so greatly appreciative of you allowing us to come." Stewart bows to me.

"Oh please you tw…" I'm stopped by a whiff of pine and rain, making my head snap up.

"(Y/n)?" Agetha asks, concerned.

"Um… excuse me for a moment." I walk to the edge of the room, following where that smell is coming from.

When I tell you time itself stopped when the loudest, deepest growl came from toward my throne. Everyone stops, facing toward my throne, and standing where I once stood is a man. I almost whine when I see him, I can't even describe him properly. He is the tallest, strongest looking man I've ever seen. His honey-colored eyes move around the room until they catch mine. He holds his hand out to me as I take timid steps. People part for me as I let my wolf do what she needed. She makes me rush to his side, and just hide in his chest. Everyone starts to cheer when his hand rests on my head.

The ball picks back up as he holds me to his side. I was moved there when he walked us to the side where the curtain would cover us. I'm almost too scared to actually look at him, because what if he is just as vile as my first mate.

"Babybee, can you look at me?" His voice is so deep, but soothing.

I take a deep breath before I look up at his honey brown eyes, and my body all down to my soul relaxes. He moves his large hand to hold the side of my face as he smiles at me. I can feel myself getting bashful from him just looking at me.

"My name is Toric. Could you tell me your name?" He leans onto the wall, making me lean against his chest.

"(Y/n)." I timidly tell him.

"I'm glad to have found you (y/n)." His voice is so soothing. "To believe I almost didn't come when my brother invited me." He doesn't take his eyes off my face.

"I finally have a mate. I can actually feel it this time." I take a deep breath of his scent.

"This time?" He steps back confused.

I sigh. "Come with me."

I take his hand to walk him to my office. His big form takes up the whole couch as he sits down. I can't feel my body get nervous to the point I'm shaking while I shut the door, my back leaning against it.

"Toric I don't know how to begin to explain." I sit on the edge of my desk, locking my hands together. "You…I… okay. I'm not just any wolf. My mother is the moon mother." I test him with that, but he doesn't even move an eyebrow. "I have had a mate before, but he wasn't the best mate. My mother and his parents had him locked up for punishment. That was a year ago." I look down at my hands. "I didn't think she'd give me another mate."

I snap my head up to him standing. I honestly thought he was leaving, but he walks toward me with a blank expression.

"What did he do to you?" He simply asks.

"He brought me to his pack only to get his girlfriend pregnant." I look into his eyes with honesty. "I even told him to reject, his father even tried to use his Alpha command, but he just kept on." I sigh wanting to reach for him.

"Tell me." He rests his hands next to my hips after a couple of moments. "What feels different now than before?" He asks, leaning down to my height, practically squatting down like I am a child.

"I feel safe, I want to constantly touch you. With him I worried if I said the wrong thing he'd be angry." I slowly move my hands to his warm arms. "I didn't mind being away from him, but with you just the thought of you leaving this room makes me want to grab hold of you." I look into his honey brown eyes as I give him my thoughts.

"I will give you anything you wish Honeybee just actually say my name." He leans his forehead against mine. "You said it so quickly.

"Toric." I giggle at him. "Does that mean everything is okay?" I anxiously ask him.

"Honeybee, I am your mate. He doesn't matter." My legs open when he pulls me closer to him. "Besides…" He stands to his normal height. "My name sounds better coming out of your mouth than his."

"You don't even know his name." I slid off my desk to stand in front of him.

"Doesn't matter." He waves his hand while he walks to the door. "Let's get this party over with, so I can have my mate to myself." He keeps his growl low as I walk toward him.

I rest my hand on his chest giving his honey eyes one last look before stepping out of the room. However I didn't get far. I'm pushed against the wall with Toric lifting me to his height. I grip into his hair as his lips connect with mine. His arms tighten around me with a final push of his lips.

"Sorry Honey Bee, I couldn't stop." I giggle at his bashful face.

"It's okay Toric." I smile at him as he slowly lowers me back to the floor.

We rejoined the ball, getting many questions as to where we were, but Toric would turn the conversation. I couldn't leave the warmth from under his arm. Minson's parents introduced themselves. I told him how we stay in touch, and how sweet they were to me while I was with their pack. He thanked them for their kindness. As the night ended Toric gave word to his brother, who is a full werewolf and a Duke for King Jule of Silentdew, to send his belongings here.

Pt2 is up!