#the pacing is insanely good. Tension just grows without it feeling uncomfortable or dropping

[reegahearth]

Its weird to say because Frieza saga is so hyped by the community but I really think the writing quality of that arc is very underappreciated for how well everything is executed.

[meguriv]

•Midnight•

❣ Denji x fem reader❣

18+

Note: This is my first fic ever, also English is not my native language. I apologize for any horrible mistakes, however I did try my best in correcting any errors. (Sorry if this is cringe ejejshwhwh)

Also if anyone reading this has any tips for writing I would really appreciate you sharing them in a comment or message!

Warnings: 18+, oral (male receiving), fingering, unprotected sex, reader is a virgin (so is Denji), blood.

Word count: 2k

It was midnight, the window was open, letting the cool air of the night into your room. You rested your head on your desk, waiting for your boyfriend.

You have been going out with Denji for only two weeks, you both really liked each other, maybe a little too much.

That’s why there was a lingering tension between the two of you, sexual tension perhaps?

He never got to sleep with a girl and you were a virgin as well. That’s why you decided to invite him home this late in the night, both of you with clear intentions in mind.

Suddenly you jumped in your seat, it seems you feel asleep-

“Hey” a familiar voice said. Looking to your left you saw Denji “Sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you, but I saw the window open and I couldn’t resist jumping in” you smiled at that “I left it open for you”.

There was now a very uncomfortable silence, neither of you knew what to say. He took his jacket off and rested it on the window, he was still wearing part of his school uniform. No matter how many times you saw him in those clothes, you couldn’t take your eyes off his body.

You were looking at each other, he seemed to get a step closer at a time, slowly.

There was a lot of tension like usual, but he was more determined this time.

The light in the room was just perfect, a full moon and distant lights in the street made the ideal atmosphere.

You couldn’t handle it anymore, you were getting tired of the shy girl act and put your hands on his shoulders softly.

“Denji…please, touch me”. He seemed hesitant for a moment “hm” that’s all he could say, grabbing your wrists to put them around his neck, then slowly placing his hands on your waist.

You felt his lips on yours, and then his tongue, it was too much. It started to get heated and passionate very quickly.

You broke the kiss for a moment to breathe, your face felt like it might explode. Looking at him you saw his half lidded eyes on you, his lips looking for yours again.

It wasn’t the first time you kissed, in fact your first kiss with him was the way you confessed. After a few months since his first day at school as a new student, you finally had the courage to express your feelings and it appeared he liked you too, or at least he liked the fact that you liked him.

Your bodies were pressed against each other, you could feel his erection through his pants starting to grow, it made you so happy that you couldn’t help to bring your hand down, earning a soft groan from him.

“Can I…?” you said still shy but much more eager this time, “Yes” he didn’t know what you meant exactly, but when you pushed him softly to sit at the edge of your bed and got on your knees, he understood.

His cheeks grew hot, he has never had anyone suck his dick before and he didn’t expect such a thing from you either.

As you slid his pants and underwear down, his erection sprung free, making you nervous finally realizing what you have gotten yourself into. Having never done this before, your were scared to mess up but it was too late to back down now. Your brain was full of impure thoughts and no amount of anxiousness could stop you now.

You started at the tip licking it slowly, you knew you had to use your tongue properly for this, you were really just improvising. You tried to fit his entire length in your mouth little by little, using your own hand to help with the job

“A-ah so good” the way he said that made you rub your thighs together, whining softly into his cock.

He placed his hand on the back of your head, playing with your hair softly trying to bring you forward with each bob of your head. “I-I’m close please stop or I will-”

But you didn’t stop, you have dreamed of tasting him for so long all you could think about was sucking him dry with your mouth. You needed his release deep down your throat. It was a greedy pace until he started to move his hips forward reaching deeper and deeper, tears finally spilling from your eyes.

“ S-sorry I can’t stop- it feels so good, ah- so good-!” his moans were music to your ears, you wanted to let him know that the tears were from happiness rather than discomfort, but how could you? His dick was so deep inside your throat you feared you might loose your voice.

He came hard and it wouldn’t stop, it seemed like minutes past and he was still releasing thick ropes of cum, his voice cracking and cursing loudly. You didn’t let a single drop go to waste swallowing bit by bit, the action made him hard again.

After his breaths slowed down he looked down at you, face still red, he could barely process what had just happened all he knew is how turned on he was.

He then fixed his eyes on your clothed body, “Take that off”

You didn’t expect him to order you, but you didn’t complain. Getting back on your feet you took off your nightgown slowly sliding it off of you until it landed on your feet.

His eyes landed immediately on your breasts, you felt exposed but felt yourself grow wet at his gaze.

“Take that off too” he was referring to your panties. You had carefully picked out a laced pair to wear just for him but he didn’t seem to care (that’s the kind of guy he is, you thought).

You did as you were told, however Denji was getting impatient and decided to grab your waist and pull you on the bed.

“Too slow”. Both his hands rested on your breasts, starting to squeeze them.

Denji was feeling overwhelmed by all of this, he did prepare himself mentally before coming to your house this late at night, but when he had you pinned underneath him completely naked and vulnerable, he started to shake a bit, both from anxiousness and excitement.

“It’s okay Denji, you can do whatever you want…please make me feel good” you said sighing at the soft touch of his hands on your breasts, he realised how sensitive you were there.

After you said that, all of his worries faded away. The only thing on his mind right know was fucking you good. He quickly took his shirt off, almost ripping it open, you laughed a little at how eager he was.

He started to kiss you again this time pushing his tongue inside your mouth with no mercy, his hand travelled south, feeling how wet you were already, he inserted a finger making you gasp.

The felling of one of his fingers alone was already too much for you. Your soft moans making him go crazy, he decided to insert a second finger.

His moves were rather clumsy but at the same time it was driving you insane. Just like you earlier, he was just improvising.

“Deeenjii aah I’m going to cum don’t stop aah~” you almost cried,

“Yea? cum for me then, that’s it” his hand moved faster finally hitting that sweet spot inside of you.

He felt you coming as you were tightening around his fingers, making a mess of his hand. While you were recovering from your high he pulled out and started to separate his fingers, looking at your arousal splitting in strings. His tongue went out to lick at them, humming at the taste,

“hmm~ It’s good, here have some too” he brought his hand to your mouth, you grabbed his wrist an started to slowly lick at his fingers until they were clean.

He caught your mouth into his again, you two shared another messy kiss. It felt a little dirty but so good at the same time.

He couldn’t get enough of you, so he started to grind his hard cock against your inner thigh.

He started to lick your neck making you moan again, another sensitive spot he found. Suddenly he bit hard on your skin, enough to draw blood-

“AH! Denji! It hurts!! What are you-?” He was drinking the blood that spilled from your neck, you wanted to stop him as you started to get scared but the pain faded away replacing it by pleasure.

“I needed this, your blood I need it…” you didn’t understand what he meant but to be honest you didn’t care anymore, after all, you did say he could do whatever he wanted with you.

Licking the trail of blood from your neck, he stopped at your breasts, admiring them once again, this time sucking harshly at your nipples, more whines filled the room.

He switched his attention from one breast to the other, taking his sweet time there while he guided his cock with his free hand to your cunt, rubbing at the entrance.

He was teasing but both of you were enjoying it, no need to rush things, after all this is your first time.

Denji was now looking at you as he kept moving his erection up and down your wet folds. The stare was intense, you saw him smile softly with half closed eyes, you returned the smile

“I’ll put it in now okay?” he said closer to your ear this time, “please don’t hold back” you said as you felt like your heart was going to burst.

He indeed didn’t hold back, seeing how wet you were he pushed himself inside of you in one go, holding one of your legs up for easier access. You both moaned at the new feelings, minds getting clouded with pure lust.

Without warning he started to move, none of you holding back any sounds, if someone walked outside the house they would definitely hear everything.

It felt so good, Denji is a natural you thought, sure you didn’t have anyone to compare him to, but the way he moved fast and hard inside of you made your vision blurry.

“So good, you feel so good inside of me, aah~ right there!” you finished the sentence with a sob, it was so good you could cry.

All Denji managed to do was moan, he was trying to say something but he seemed to struggle, you were so tight around him it made him go stupid “Aaah~ hm S-say my, my name, say it” is all you could understand.

“Denji” you complied

“Again” he said

“Deenji~”

“Again” he hit your g-spot this time

“Denji!!” you screamed,

“Say it again!”

“Denji! Ahh! I’m going to cum! yesyesyes right there don’t stop!” He brought his forehead to yours, sweat dripping from both of you. He started cursing you could tell he was close too.

Your hand grabbed at his blond locks pulling his head back a little, and then you came, your walls clenching around him which made him spill his seed deep inside you.

Both of you were riding out your orgasm as much as possible, hips still moving slowly.

He didn’t pull out, your legs were still wrapped around his waist.

He was looking into your eyes yet again, the tiredness becoming clear. He dropped himself onto you, head rested on your chest, where he liked to be the most.

A noticeable silence filled the room. Both of you about to fall asleep to the soft sound of your breathing.

Who would have thought that you would end up with him like this, after falling in love with him practically the same day you met him.

I really am in love with him, you thought to yourself, and with that you drifted into a deep sleep only hoping that he felt the same way.

If only you knew that you made his dream come true…

[lake-arrius-caverns]

Nerevarine Rising

Chapter 12: Two’s Company

summary As the party grows from two to three, Fahjoth tries his best to smooth over tensions. 

content warnings strong warning for nausea/emetophobia about halfway down

read under the cut or on AO3, cheers 👍

:: First :: || << Previous << || >> Next >> || :: Masterpost ::

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The shock reverberated up Fahjoth’s shins as his feet found solid ground with a jolt. Gasping, he staggered back, desperately trying to regain his balance. Once his brain caught up with the messages his eyes were receiving, he realised that the three of them were back in Ald’ruhn; a nearby guard stared at them from behind his impassive helm, but otherwise he didn’t seem to care too much for three Dunmer suddenly materialising out of thin air. 

While Fahjoth remained on his feet, Ribyna was not so lucky, and she groaned from her landing position face-down on the dusty ground. “Ugh… what the fuck was that?!” she spat, rubbing smudges of dirt from her face as she dragged herself upright again. 

“Almsivi Intervention,” Julan answered, discomfort clear on his face. “It teleports you to the nearest Tribunal temple.” There was a pause before he continued, “I’m sorry, I— I don’t know what happened back there… You must think I’m such a coward. I swear I’m not. I swear I am a warrior, and I’ve never run from a fight, nor do I fear death.”

“Look, don’t be daft,” Fahjoth replied, raising his voice to speak over Ribyna’s loud scoffing as he tried to reassure Julan. “We don’t think you’re a coward—”

“Speak for yourself...” Ribyna muttered, but Fahjoth ignored her to reassure Julan. 

“I wasn’t exactly having a good time up there either,” he continued, trying to inject a bit of humour into the situation. Judging by Julan’s expression, it hadn’t worked.

“I’m not afraid of Red Mountain, or any of its monsters,” Julan said. “It’s... something else. It’s to do with these… weird dreams I’ve been having.” 

Fahjoth’s curiosity was piqued as he thought back to his own night terrors. He hadn’t experienced them for a while, and for that he was thankful, but recollections of fiery landscapes and dark figures with blazing red eyes still lingered in the back of his mind. “Oh yeah?”

Julan took a deep breath. “I dream that I’m climbing Red Mountain. It’s just like what we saw — it’s dark, the air is filled with ash that gets into my eyes and mouth, but the further I go up, the harder it is to keep going. And then there’s all these voices, whispering things to me.”

“What sort of things?”

“That’s the thing, I don’t even know. I can’t understand what they’re saying, it’s too hard to make out. But it sounds, uh… well, not good, y’know?” Julan looked between Fahjoth and Ribyna apprehensively. “You’ve heard of Dagoth Ur, right? I mean, I’m guessing you have, but...”

Their silence said more than enough; Ribyna’s face looked as blank as Fahjoth’s brain felt, and Julan was visibly stunned. 

“Oh come on, even outlanders must know about him! Dagoth Ur? The devil who lives beneath Red Mountain?”

“Sorry, mate.” Fahjoth shrugged. “I don’t—” Then he stopped, as a thought occurred to him. “Wait, does he have anything to do with the Sixth House Cult?” 

“Yeah…” Julan frowned, and Fahjoth began to feel as if he’d done something wrong. “What do you know about the Sixth House Cult?”

“Honestly, not much.” At least that was truthful. There was no point bringing up Cosades and his work, as Fahjoth knew very little about it himself. “I just heard there’s been attacks from sleeper agents. I saw one of them myself.” He couldn’t suppress a shudder at the memory, remembering the vacant expression on the Dunmer’s face and his iron grip as hot as ashes on his wrist. “He said something like… Dagoth Ur is risen, something something Sixth House glory… I don’t know.” 

Even Ribyna looked surprised by Fahjoth’s anecdote, while Julan’s tone became one of understanding instead. “Ah, I see. Yeah. Dagoth Ur is a powerful figure in our history and legends. Supposedly, he causes people to go insane by sending them dreams.”

Ribyna raised a brow at that. “What, so you reckon you’re going insane?”

“What— no!” Julan replied defensively. “I am not insane and I’m not planning to be, either! Lots of people dream about him. It’s nothing.”

For a moment, Fahjoth wondered if it was worth bringing up his own dreams. But if what Julan said was right, then perhaps it was more common than he had thought. He didn’t feel like he was going insane, and as long as it stayed that way, then he surely ought to be alright. 

On realising that he had tuned out of the conversation, Fahjoth jolted and made an effort to concentrate again. 

“Then why are you so bothered by them that you can’t even climb a mountain?” Ribyna was saying. 

“I’m not! I mean—” Julan blew out, his frustration evident. “Look, I know it doesn’t make any sense, okay? I just need time. Anyway…” He looked between the twins, vying for a change of subject. “Never mind that. How about getting on with some training? I could do with taking my mind off things.”

“Yeah, alright. Good idea,” Fahjoth agreed. He gestured between himself and Ribyna. “Me and Beebs are both used to working with short blades and light armour.” Then he gave a dry laugh. “I don’t think either of us will be able to help with your magic, though. We can’t cast spells for shit.”

“Hah! That’s alright.” Julan grinned. “I don’t need any help with archery, either, I’ve been practising since I was small. I prefer fighting with blades anyway, so I’m up for that.” 

“Right!” 

Fahjoth turned to face Ribyna, alarmed by the sight of her drawing her dagger. 

“Sparring match, then? Let’s see how we do,” she suggested. Fahjoth was nervous; Ribyna’s attitude so far hadn’t sat well with him at all, and neither was the look on her face as she eyed Julan. Such a sudden turnaround, going from being openly hostile to Julan to wanting to spar with him, didn’t exactly bode well. 

Whether Julan himself shared Fahjoth’s apprehension wasn’t apparent. On the contrary, he drew his own shortsword and nodded. 

“Alright. Let’s go.” 

“Are you sure?” Fahjoth asked. “With real weapons? Isn’t that a bit dangerous?”

“It’ll be fine, Fahji,” Ribyna said dismissively. 

“Don’t worry, we won’t go too hard,” Julan added. Fahjoth wasn’t at all optimistic about that, but he held his tongue and decided to lean against a nearby wall to observe. 

Ribyna brandished her dagger and stalked a circle around Julan, who stood ready with his chitin sword. Without warning she lunged, hard and fast. Julan brought his sword up to deflect the blow, the blades screeching on impact. A retaliation from Julan, deliberately slow and cautious, forced Ribyna back and kept her at arm’s length for the time being. Overall, it seemed to be going well, and Fahjoth began to relax. 

That was until one particularly close call from the tip of Julan’s blade threw Ribyna off her rhythm. Although the strike hit the tough leather of her armour, the force and angle still caused the dagger to get flung from her grip. With a grin, Julan pointed his sword up to her chest, puffing from the brief yet intense exercise. 

“Got you! Maybe don’t drop your weapon next time.”

Ribyna only scowled in response. Then with a flash of steel, she pivoted herself against Julan’s chest, a second dagger poised against his throat. 

“Maybe make sure your opponent is actually unarmed next time.” 

There was a moment of stiff silence; Ribyna glared at Julan, her face less than an inch from his own, while Julan stared back defiantly. Then the tension broke, and she backed up and resumed pacing, looking for the next opportunity to strike. 

The remainder of the sparring session continued much in the same manner, with Ribyna and Julan flitting around each other in a vicious dance, both trying to get the upper hand over the other. A short while and a few close calls later and they agreed to call it a day, having been reasonably evenly matched. It seemed that training together would be as beneficial for Fahjoth and Ribyna as it would be for Julan himself. 

“How about a drink?” Fahjoth suggested to his somewhat bruised companions. “I think we could all do with chilling out for a bit.” 

“Fine by me,” Ribyna said, while Julan looked awkward.

“Oh, I… don’t think I have enough to—” Julan started, but he stopped as Fahjoth waved a hand genially. 

“Don’t worry about it,” he chirped, offering Julan a friendly smile. “I’ll get them. I owe Ribyna a round, anyway.”

Julan’s unease melted away and was replaced with a grin, which Fahjoth found quite contagious. He purposefully ignored Ribyna’s dull glare in his periphery, focusing instead on Julan. 

“Well, I wouldn’t say no to a mazte, if you’re offering.”

“Sorted!” Fahjoth declared, ambling further into Ald’ruhn while Ribyna and Julan limped along with him. He was subjected to the uncomfortable feeling of someone staring at him, and he didn’t need to look around to know that it was coming from Ribyna. 

Once they reached the cool shade of the Ald Skar Inn, Fahjoth suggested that Julan find them a table while he went to retrieve the drinks, to which he happily obliged. However, Fahjoth was not all surprised when Ribyna offered to help him carry them over, despite knowing full well that he could handle them himself, and prepared himself for the ear bashing he knew was imminent.

“He’s taking the piss,” Ribyna hissed, once they were at the bar and out of earshot of Julan. “You know what’s gonna happen, don’t you?”

Fahjoth heaved a sigh as he leaned against the bar, deciding to just let her rant. “Go on then, enlighten me.” 

“He’s gonna mooch off you every chance he gets! He’s always gonna be all, ‘oh no, I don’t have any money’, and then you’ll have to pay for every-bloody-thing.” 

“I don’t mind. It’s not like I don’t have the gold for a few drinks here and there. I’d do the same for any friend!”

Ribyna’s mouth fell open. “Friend?” she spat, outraged. “You barely even know the bastard! Honestly Fahjoth, you see a pretty boy and I swear your whole fucking brain just shuts down!”

Trying to ignore the heat rising in his cheeks, Fahjoth was quick to see a lifeline and he clung to it like a drowning man. “Oh, so you think he’s pretty, do you?”

This time, it was Ribyna whose cheeks flushed a dull red. “I— no, I never— don’t put words in my mouth!” she retorted, fuming. “You know exactly what I’m saying, and you know I’m right!”

“Well, just do me a favour and keep it to yourself if you can,” Fahjoth requested flatly. “I don’t want Julan to feel uncomfortable. More than he already is...” 

Ribyna looked as though she was going to continue to argue, but a moment of respite came when the drinks arrived. Fahjoth hastily took them over to the table before Ribyna could say another word, leaving her to traipse after him clutching her own. Once he placed the drinks down on the table, Julan gratefully took his, shuffling his stool along to make plenty of room for the twins to join him. 

“So, whereabouts do you two live?” he asked. “It’s not here in Ald’ruhn, is it?” 

“Nah, we’re staying in Balmora.”

“Probably a good thing. It’s like the dusty armpit of Vvardenfell here. And so Redoran, it’s illegal to even joke about it!” Julan swigged his mazte, looking to Fahjoth curiously. “What’s Balmora like?”

“Bit bigger than Ald’ruhn. And less dusty. You’ll see it for yourself soon!” Fahjoth paused. “Well, that’s if you still want to come with us. I’ve got to go check in with my boss soon.” 

“Course I do. As long as we can still continue to train, then I don’t mind where we go.” 

Fahjoth grinned. “Don’t worry about that. If I’m not around, you’ll be able to spar with Ribyna again!” 

“Oh yeah, ‘cause it’s not like I’ve got a life outside you or anything,” Ribyna grumbled, staring at Julan with heavy mistrust — and even dislike. Julan seemed to notice as well, for his smile slipped somewhat and an awkward silence fell over the table. 

“Anyway…” Julan attempted a wary change of subject. “What is it that you do for a living? Apart from rescuing people from clannfears, of course.” 

“To be honest, mate…” Fahjoth shrugged. “I don’t really know. I know that sounds daft, but mostly I just run errands. Gather information. Sometimes nearly get myself killed in Dwemer ruins or haunted tombs. That sort of thing.”

“Sounds… interesting.” 

Both he and Julan both then turned to Ribyna, but she remained silent, glowering back at them while she sipped her drink. Fahjoth’s stomach sank. With Ribyna’s stubborn refusal to socialise, the relatively upbeat mood had been well and truly quashed. 

A heavy weight began to settle in Fahjoth's chest. Though he was looking forward to working with Julan, the excitement was spoiled by Ribyna's behaviour and incessant hostility towards him. He knew Ribyna was prickly at the best of times, but he hadn't anticipated this much resistance to gaining a new companion. If Julan was going to stay with them for the foreseeable, Fahjoth dreaded the idea of trying to persuade her to play nice. How much more grief were they going to get from her?

But more importantly, how far did Julan's tolerance extend? How long would he put up with her animosity and foul mood before deciding that he'd had enough?

                    ——————————————

“I’ve been meaning to ask. What’s up with your hair?”

Blinking, Fahjoth slowly turned to face Julan, trying to concentrate over the rough jerking of the silt strider’s teetering steps and the shrill grinding of its chitinous joints ringing in his ears. He wasn’t normally prone to motion sickness, but being so high above ground level coupled with the vigorous swaying of his seat was not a good combination, and Fahjoth had spent much of the journey from Ald’ruhn to Balmora trying to hold down the urge to vomit. After spending another day in and around Ald’ruhn for training and shopping, Fahjoth could no longer put off returning to Balmora and the silt strider was the fastest way to get there. Even if it did make him want to throw up. 

His first time riding one, and he dearly wished for it to be his last. 

Julan perhaps mistook his silence for offence, for he held up a hand apologetically. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to say it like that.”

“Eh? No, it’s fine. Sorry for being quiet, I’m just not feeling great,” Fahjoth explained, squinting as the low sun on the horizon shone into his eyes. At least the weather had been good for their trip. “Well, it used to be totally black. But a few years ago, it started to go white in the front here.” He held up a strand by means of demonstration. “I dunno why.”

“That really is weird.”

“I still reckon it was stress,” Ribyna added, looking over her shoulder with a smirk. With her arm hanging loosely over the silt strider’s side, she seemed to be having no issues with the bumpy ride. “Obviously not everyone is cut out for life in prison.” 

Julan did a double-take, looking from Ribyna to Fahjoth with shock. “You’ve been arrested?” 

Fahjoth turned to Ribyna, scowling. Ribyna simply smiled back at him with false pleasantry and turned away to gaze at their surroundings as the silt strider tottered along. With a sigh, he turned back to Julan, feeling somehow even more queasy at the thought of telling the truth and wondering how Julan would take it. 

Damn Ribyna and her big mouth!

“Yeah. Me and Ribyna both came here on a prison ship,” Fahjoth admitted. Instantly, Julan looked leery. 

“You’re both convicts? You’re not on the run, are you?”

“No! No, nothing like that. We were released.”

“Released? On Vvardenfell?” Julan scoffed. “That’s just typical of the Empire. As if they haven’t done us enough damage, now they’re offloading their unwanted criminals onto us!”

Admittedly, that comment stung. But before Fahjoth could answer, Ribyna had whipped around in her seat again, looking none too pleased with Julan’s remark herself. 

“Yeah, that’s no good, is it? It’s not like those unwanted criminals saved your sorry arse from getting eaten alive by clannfears or anything!”

Julan blanched, biting his lip as he realised what he had said. “Oh— gods, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it personally. Look, I didn’t mean— well…” As he took a deep breath, Fahjoth noted his hesitation to continue. “You do seem like a good person… people. Good people. Um... were you... y’know... guilty? Of... whatever it was you did to get arrested.”

Fahjoth, for a moment, was silent. He risked a glance over at Ribyna, feeling his stomach clench when he saw that she had turned her back to them again. She said nothing, but Fahjoth could see the tension in her shoulders, and he knew his twin well enough to know that if he spoke the truth, it would hurt her. So he looked back to Julan, thinking about his words carefully. 

“It’s... a bit of a long story, mate,” he said. “It was...” — he paused, waving his hands vaguely — “an accident.”

Julan stared at him with a mild frown, and Fahjoth felt himself break into a nervous sweat, not knowing what he was thinking. After a silence that was far too long for his liking, Julan spoke up at last. 

“I believe you,” he said simply. “I’m not sure why, but I do. Like I said, you seem like a good person, and either way, I’m willing to judge you on your actions here and now, rather than in the past. Whatever they were.” 

A wave of relief crashed over Fahjoth, but before he could respond, a particularly vigorous judder in the silt strider’s pace hit him like a punch to the gut. His stomach, already churning from nausea and anxiety, convulsed violently and a thick, wet sourness hit the back of his throat. Spinning around, he bolted up from his seat, leaning over the side and letting his head hang as he fought to swallow the sickness down again. 

Through watering eyes Fahjoth watched as the ground went rushing by with the strider’s uneven pace, stopping and starting with every bumpy step, the leaves on the trees and bushes below blurring into one as his eyes struggled to focus. How far up was he, anyway? Twenty-five feet? Thirty?

His knuckles whitened as he clenched his trembling hands, his skin becoming hot and clammy and damp with sweat while his heart fluttered an uncomfortable half-rhythm in his chest. After seconds which lasted a lifetime, during which the contents of his stomach barely managed to settle, Fahjoth hauled himself back into the relative safety of his seat. It was still as choppy as ever, but at least he didn’t have to look at the ground this way. When he was able to focus again, he found Julan’s perturbed face fixed rapt upon his own. 

“Fahjoth, are you alright?” 

“Yeah Fahji, you look pale as fuck,” Ribyna added, finally turning her gaze back around, brows furrowed with concern. “Here you are, have some of this.” 

She rummaged in her backpack and fished out a bottle of mazte, reaching back to offer it to Fahjoth. Fahjoth, however, shook his head with his mouth clamped tightly shut. If he opened it, there would likely be more than just words coming out. 

Julan reached over and patted Fahjoth’s shoulder, albeit seeming reluctant to get too close. “It’s okay, I think we’re nearly there. Just... hold onto your lunch a bit longer, alright?”

The silt strider finally drawing to a halt could not have been a bigger relief. Except now that they had reached Balmora, Fahjoth faced the prospect of having to disembark from the silt strider and onto that precarious platform awaiting them. It had been bad enough ascending the narrow ramp to board the strider, how on Nirn was he going to get back down again? 

Fortunately, Ribyna was on hand to lend him hers. Once she had clambered up out of the strider's hollowed-out carapace, she offered her hand to Fahjoth as he hesitantly followed suit. The simple boon of having something firm to grip onto while he stumbled out of the silt strider made all the difference, and without a word, Ribyna let Fahjoth continue holding her hand as they made their way down the slope, Fahjoth's pace hindered significantly by his shaking legs.

It took all his effort not to collapse to his knees the moment he stepped on solid ground at last. He doubled over, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths as he tried to encourage his stomach to settle, paying no heed to anything else going on around him. Once his nausea had subsided enough, he straightened back up again, preparing to face the mocking and jeering he predicted from his travelling companions. 

However, there was nothing of the sort. Both Ribyna and Julan were watching him, their faces showing nothing but concern and sympathy. 

“Not good with heights?” Julan asked, his tone one of pity. 

“I— I dunno,” Fahjoth admitted. “I never realised... but I suppose, yeah. Obviously…”

“Either that or the turbulence,” Julan suggested. He fell silent, turning his gaze away to survey Balmora instead. "So, this is Balmora? It’s so grand." There was clear hesitation in his voice as he continued, “Um... tell me honestly, do I look like a complete savage?”

Fahjoth blinked. “What?”

Julan chewed his lip, his eyes darting from left to right apprehensively, as if searching for anyone who would look at him with disdain. “I know how people view Ashlanders. They think we’re violent, uncivilised barbarians who live in filth and poverty. They don’t even try to understand us, or our culture, or why we choose to live as we do. But we’re proud of our culture. We don’t need these tacky displays of wealth to be happy — we have more valuable things of our own.”

Before Fahjoth could even open his mouth, Ribyna cut across him. “Oh, don’t worry. Me and Fahjoth grew up stinking savages ourselves.”

Unsurprisingly Julan bristled, glaring at Ribyna and quietly seething. Sensing an altercation brewing, Fahjoth hastily spoke up, cringing over Ribyna’s lack of sensitivity. “What she means is that... well, we grew up on the streets,” he explained. “People saw us as nothing more than dirty, uncivilised thieves, as well.”

Thankfully, Julan seemed to calm down. “Well. Then maybe you’ll understand. My people are viewed with suspicion here in the cities. Don’t get me wrong, I’m proud of my heritage, but I feel like I might be too conspicuous. I don’t want to go drawing any attention. What d’you think?”

Fahjoth shrugged. “I mean... you look fine to me, Julan. But if you like, we can look into getting you some new clothes.” 

“At least get him something that smells less of guar,” Ribyna interjected, and once again, Fahjoth wanted to throttle her. Fortunately, Julan didn’t take offence. 

“Maybe that would be a good idea, actually. But!” He jabbed Fahjoth in the chest with a finger. “If you make me look ridiculous, I swear I’ll never forgive you!”

Fahjoth held his hands up innocently, a grin curling at the corners of his lips. “I would never! I’ve got a good eye for fashion, me. Can’t you tell? Anyway…” He looked between Julan and Ribyna with an apologetic gaze. “Do you two wanna go get us a table in the South Wall Cornerclub? I need to go speak to Cosades, but I’ll join you straight after. He gets grumpy if I call on him too late in the day.”

Both Ribyna and Julan looked as apprehensive as Fahjoth felt to be sending off by themselves, but for the moment, it was unavoidable. 

“Alright, well... don’t be long!” Ribyna said with a frown. 

“I won’t!” Fahjoth called back as he began heading off, jogging away between the long shadows cast by the setting sun. 

                    ——————————————

Given the lateness of the hour, Fahjoth had assumed that Cosades would be home, perhaps settling down for the night with a few bottles of booze as he was wont to do. To his surprise, that was not the case. He lingered around for five minutes, just on the off-chance that Cosades would turn up, but he was reluctant to leave Julan and Ribyna alone for much longer. So he hurried on to the South Wall Cornerclub, hoping that the two had not bitten chunks out of each other in his absence.

However, he needn't have worried. When Fahjoth arrived and descended the steps into the bar, he spotted Ribyna and Julan sitting in complete stony silence at their usual corner table. Quite frankly, he had seen funerals looking more lively. 

His arrival seemed to come as a relief, as Julan glanced up and waved Fahjoth over. Fahjoth obliged, joining them at the table with haste as he accepted the bottle that Ribyna pushed towards him. He was both unsurprised and disappointed to see that Julan had nothing. 

“Sorry about this,” he murmured, casually pushing his own mazte over to Julan instead. 

“It's fine,” Julan replied. “Not like either of you are obligated to buy me a drink.” 

“Yeah, but it's polite, isn't it?” he said, directing this particular comment over to Ribyna, who curled her lip but said nothing on the matter. 

“So did you see Cosades?” she asked instead. “What's he got lined up for you this time?”

“He wasn't in,” Fahjoth answered. “I'll see him tomorrow, I'm sure.” He paused, before sliding a handful of coins over the table towards Ribyna. “Could you go get me a mazte? I still feel a bit dodgy.”

“I already got you a mazte.”

“Ribyna, come on,” Fahjoth groaned, desperate for one night of peace. “Please.”

A moment of irate silence later and Ribyna got to her feet, striding off towards the bar with a distinctly sour demeanour.

Fahjoth sighed, burying his face behind his hands with dismay. “I'm so sorry about her,” he apologised, lowering his hands and resting his chin on his fist. 

Julan shrugged. Fahjoth had to admire his fortitude. “Don't worry about it. It's hardly your fault. And I've dealt with much worse, believe me.” He peered over his shoulder, jerking his head in Ribyna's direction before turning back to Fahjoth. “I don't suppose you know what her problem is?”

“I wouldn't take it personally, mate,” Fahjoth said. “She's just... like that. To everyone, pretty much.” He ran his fingers through his hair, his mouth continuing to move as his frustrations began to seep out. “Has been for years, now. I knew she was... difficult, but I swear she's gotten so much worse since we got here. Like, I know you need gold to survive, that's obvious, but there's gotta be better ways of going about that than joining the Thieves Guild or the Morag bloody Tong—”

“Hold on,” Julan interrupted, cutting Fahjoth off mid-rant. “She's in the Morag Tong?!”

Fahjoth froze, realising his slip-up. 

“Uh…” he began, but he was spared the need to respond by Ribyna's return. 

“There's your bloody mazte,” she said grumpily, putting the drink down in front of Fahjoth with enough force that, for a moment, he thought the bottle might shatter. Before he could say anything, Julan was on the attack. 

“So you're in the Morag Tong.” He glared at Ribyna, his grip on his own bottle hard. “The Morag Tong! You'd better have a damn good reason for this!”

Ribyna paused, slowly turning her gaze to Fahjoth as she sat down again. Fahjoth could merely offer her an apologetic grimace, and with a loud huff, she rolled her eyes and turned back to Julan. 

“Come on then, I want to hear this!” Julan went on. “How can you possibly justify joining a murder cult?!”

“It's a job,” Ribyna said bluntly. “I get paid to do it. That's all. And keep your bloody voice down, will you?”

After glancing around to ensure that they hadn't drawn any undue attention already, Julan continued in a low hiss. “So that's all this is to you? Money? There's lots of ways to make gold that don't involve killing people you don't even know!”

“Listen, save the lectures. If someone's got to die, they're gonna get killed either way. At least this way, I can get paid for it!”

Julan sighed, eyeing Ribyna with distrust. “Yeah, well, that doesn't mean I have to like it. You're still walking up to a stranger and putting a dagger in their back. I don't know if I could live like that. And if you can, well…”

“Yeah? Well if you don't like it, you know where the door is,” Ribyna spat. “In fact, why don't you do us both a favour and piss off back to the Ashlands alread—”

“Alright, that's enough!” Fahjoth snapped, holding his hands up towards the bickering pair. “Both of you, pack it in! You're doing my head in. Let's all just calm down, okay? Thank you…”

Fahjoth hung his head after his outburst, going back to nursing his mazte in silence and deliberately avoiding both Ribyna and Julan's eyes. Already he felt guilty about losing his temper, but he was still feeling rough from the silt strider ride and the vicious squabble wasn’t helping. He was beginning to wonder if they would ever get along; the prospect of having to put up with their constant quarrelling was a grim one. Was this going to be his existence for the foreseeable future? Playing referee between his twin and his new friend? 

He despaired at the thought. But he could always live in hope, no matter how exhausting it was.

————————————————————————

tag list @boulderfall-cave , @padomaicocean (lmk if you’d like to be added!)

[angelicfluffs]

𝚃𝚘𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝙸𝚝 : 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚊

↳ 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 : 925 ( without lyrics)

↳ 𝘴𝘺𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘴𝘪𝘴 : you and nick are here and there and you confront him about his friend zone skills

↳ 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦 : not my best work but hey ! :) enjoy!

↳ 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘦 : nasa

How do I make the phone ring?

Why do I even care?

How are you all around me when you're not really there?

When you're not really there?

How do I feel you on me when you're not on my skin?

Why do you say you want me, then tell me "I'm not coming in"?

Baby, just come on in

I was currently at the party at the boys house. They’re parties were usually filled with their friends and people who they were cool with. Me and Nick had been feeling weird tension between each other. I did like him but I was unsure of his feelings. I was wearing a white corset top paired with a small black prada bag and along with whitewashed baggy denim trousers.

The party had flashy lights and loud music that he house moved when the bass dropped. The large property rarely had noise complaints and usually fuelled their love for parties more than occasionally. They enjoyed throwing parties because one, they all enjoyed the same type of music, two, they had killer dance battles and three, they could connect with people to make friends or find a possible date at some point.

I had just entered the doors of the party and immediately greeted from zions loud “heyyyyy” with a large smile. I smile and giggle as Edwin adds “hey y/n” and stops the comment to check out the outfit and starts “ayyy, the fit tho” and does a stance where his arms are crossed. Brandon smiles and starts “hey y/n” as nick does the same as I say to both “hey guys, how are ya?”.

'Cause every time I'm with you, I go into a zone

And I remember all the places you wanna go

Take me all the way

Ain't nobody gonna touch it, touch it, touch it

'Cause every time I see you, I don't wanna behave

I'm tired of being patient, so let's pick up the pace

Take me all the way

Ain't nobody gonna touch it, touch it, touch it

The party had entered the late hours of the night as more people had attended and the boys all changed their dynamic from before. Zion was now dancing on the kitchen island, Edwin was instagram story-ing several people and commenting on their outfits, Brandon was in a corner with Maggie and some friends and Nick was with his friends as Austin was here with ansley and some close friends days before announcing their newborn, Hudson.

I knew at this moment I had to get ahold of nick just to clear the smoke between our friendship or relationship, whatever you wanna call it. The boys were comfortable with their places as I notice that nick was currently mixing a drink for himself alone in the kitchen, no crowds and no wingman by his side. I walk up to the kitchen thinking of what I’m going to say to say I’m meant to be there and the real reason why I’m there.

The sound of my heels made some turn heads as I reach the destination of the kitchen. I see the bottles of soda to I grab it and reach up at the cabinet to retrieve a glass to hopefully place ice in there if there was any left. Nick turns to me and says “hey y/n, how you feelin tonight?”. I smile at him while multitasking my attention thirds him and my beverage. “Yeah, Good, what about yourself?”. He nods and answers “yeah, I’m pretty good”. I then think fast and say “can I talk to you somewhere where it isn’t as busy?”. He looks a little puzzled and nods with a paired “sure” in high tone, agreeing to my request.

How do you know I'm breathing, when I'm holding my breath?

Why don't we face the danger just for the night and forget?

Baby, let's just forget

Remind me why we're taking a break

It's obviously insane

'Cause we both know what we want

So why don't we fall in love?

Baby, let's fall in love

We now find ourselves in a bedroom upstairs in the boys house, which was nicely furnished and neatly organised. Nick finds a comfortable place for us to talk as we both sit down on a bed type seat. When seated, we are now comfortable as nick looks at me innocently and intrigued to hear what I have to say. I take a deep breath in as what I was about to say was going to be vunrable.

I start “so, I know we’re friends and we’re close it from what I’ve taken, there’s things that hint to maybe liking each other. I don’t wanna make you uncomfortable or be weird after but I like you but whenever it’s like the next move it’s like you need a refresher or scared to go forward”. He looks down as he takes in what I just said as I can tell he is working up a response.

Nick continues the conversation “I know how you feel y/n. I will admit, I do like you but I just feel like if I even try to be normal, all the fans go crazy go stupid-“ as we both silently laugh. “You know, but I don’t mean to hurt you, I really don’t. Just other stuff comes into it but I’m starting to think I should do what I wanna do” as he gives a half smile.

Oh, ain't nobody gonna touch it, touch it, touch it

Baby, ain't nobody gonna touch it, touch it, touch it

I didn’t wanna come off too foward as I say “so, does this mean we’re gonna try something?” As I accompany this with a smile. He grows a gentle smile as he responds “yeah, let’s do this” as slowly and gently intertwines his fingers and hand with mine and I felt my heart almost skip a beat and butterflies entering my stomach.

While looking at each other, nick then says “people are probably gonna think I’m kidnapped or sumn” as I silently giggle. We stand up and walk towards the main area of the party as some people look to see who it was but when they seen me and nicks face, they just looked away. I was thankful for this as no assumptions were being made.

I smile and make myself known to the environment again as I seperate myself from nick and find some people I know. From time to time, me and nick would casually look at each other and when our pupils caught the others attention, we’d smile as if no one was there. The automatic connection that we felt was new yet comforting, and I couldn’t wait to get used to it from now on.