#then we had the caged animals and i knew i was too young to understand what was going on but it still freaked me

[bootyful-seventeen]

its just wild watching the secret of nihm as an adult cuz that film terrified me as a child and had me sleeping with the light on for weeks

[readychilledwine]

Flight Patterns Part 2

Summary - After years of hushed whispers and leads, Azriel has finally found Cassian's lost sister, Aerilyn. What he found with her was unexpected, though.

Warnings - Slight power abuse, mentions of trauma and scars. Scene jumping to ensure I got two of the dragons introduced.

A/N- We are getting a fairly calm Aerilyn in this part since they are doing everything they can to make her feel comfortable and safe, but Caged animals tend to be the most dangerous. This is also going to give us a peek at her and Rhysand and the incoming slow burn between them. The next few parts will flow smoother, but still have some jumps to ensure I get the dragons introduced quickly. Only next time might be Rhys seeing one up close. 🫠

Edited to add - my brain is not getting me the euphoria I like to have when I post, please do not be surprised if I edit this before posting part 3.. maybe I looked at it too long, maybe I'm being critical of myself, but we be here 🙃

Word Count - 4970

Part 1 Part 3

Aerilyn did not know what to think of the small being in front of her. Her first instinct was to laugh, but she held it in picking up on her less than amused body language as the male she knew from somewhere spoke to her. They'd been communicating back and forth in her first tongue for over an hour, but it was clearly something the other female struggled with. A dead language she had called it. 

Now she was testing Aerilyn's ability to speak common. "Rhys said you knew letters but cannot speak to me in this language," her voice drawled out. 

Inaccurate, Aerilyn thought to herself. But we can play this game for a little while. She cocked a brow, blinking in faked confusion. 

The female rolled her eyes. "I told them you'd be a lost cause. Feral beasts are best left to other beasts." She blinked again, knitting her brows together. She stored the insult in her mind for later, ignoring the heat pooling in her blood to bite back. 

She did know this. She had tricked the male in her head well if he thought she had less education than a child. "I assume you don't know your name then?"

"Ari," she whispered. "Name Ari."

The female nodded. "So you can understand me but not speak the language I'm speaking?" She blinked blindly again, grinning internally when silver eyes rolled in annoyance. "I will inform the High Lord." The small fae left with her arms crossed and Aerilyn sighed. She walked out the balcony, staring at the city far below her and admiring the pretty sparkling lights. 

She'd only ever seen a village from dragon back as they moved from place to place in search of food and safety. 

Her childhood with them and their riders had been happy. Filled with laughter and adventure. Until they made the mistake of traveling across the continent. 

Rumors had reached their ears of a city that would welcome riders and their drakes. Aerilyn and her mount had been left behind to guard the mountain they currently held shelter in, and one by one 6 other winged beasts returned to her. Riderless and in mourning. She was still young at that point, barely into her adulthood, and was now tasked with learning to control 6 other mounts on top of her own. 

She whistled softly 4 times, she knew they were near. And the wind shifted rotation before lightning stuck high in the clouds, revealing a large body and ever faithful wings gliding.

-

"I'd just throw her back in the woods," Mor stated. "She had 4 drakes, and we have no clue what they can do. Do you really think having her here is safe?"

Cassian growled, his fist closing tightly under the table. "She's my sister."

Azriel avoided his gaze, jaw slightly clenched as he stated the one fact they all knew. "She's dangerous and a liability. We can't even speak to her to tell her we mean her and them no harm."

Amren rolled her eyes. "I think she's lying about that. I think she can speak common. I think she chooses not to. Just as all riders have throughout the history of time."

Amren shifted as all eyes landed on her. "She knew I was asking her name. Her accent is thick and heavy, but she pronounced everything clearly instead of struggling through it like a truly uneducated and mute fae would."

Cassian shook his head at Amren in disbelief. "She lived in the woods, Am. There's no way-"

"She speaks a completely dead language last used by dragon riders," Amren cut him off, annoyance slipping into her tone as she stared at the general as if he had gone stupid overnight. "She is somehow alive after her wings were cut so deeply that parts of her skin were still attached. Or did you forget the condition you received them at your feet in?" Amren turned her head to the window as a flash of lightning appeared from nowhere. "She may have been alone when you found her, but she wasn't always alone."

Rhysand jumped as a loud crash of thunder shook the mountain. "It wasn't supposed to rain today," Azriel said slowly as he moved towards the window. "We need to warn people to get inside. Look at how dark the clouds are." 

Amren's eyes went to the clouds, a small smirk on her face. "We're about to see one of the beasts in her arsenal. Might want to go calm your little mate, Rhysand"

Rhys shook his head. "Velaris is shielded from magic. My people and court are safe."

Mor spoke softly, a reminder to everyone in the room. "Not all drakes attack with magic, Rhys. Some can use the elements. Summoning the storm was the only magic it used, and the shield doesn't stop weather. Now, it gets to control the severity of it." 

As if confirming Morrigan's warning, lightning struck Ramiel and thunder shook the ground again as rumble fell from the mountain top. The jaws of the three Illyrian males all twitched. 

The sky became a show of lights as heavy rain began to pound down on the court, gathering faster than the ground and Sindra would be able to handle it. "It's going to flood the court," Mor realized slowly. "We are trapped in the valley of a mountain, Rhys. It's going to flood the court until it gets her back."

Rhys went up the stairs, rage fueling every step as Cassian kept pace with him.

Aerilyn jumped from where she stood near the balcony, watching as her true mount showed the Night Court not even a fraction of what he could do and a glimpse of the destruction he could bring. She knew he could level this little city, but had asked him not to through their bond. 

Rhysand gripped her arm, turning her so quickly her head spun and pointed to the sky with his brows raised as if he expected her to answer. She cocked her head to him, blinking twice before pulling her arm from his grasp and moving towards Cassian faking fear. "What is your beast doing?" Rhysand growled at her, his eyes blazing with fury she had never seen or felt before. She didn't answer and he exploded.

"What the fuck is happening to my court?!" The demand in his voice had Aerilyn almost trembling. "What in the fuck is that thing doing?!"

She stared at him doe eyed, moving closer into the protection Cassian offered and keeping up her act. "Rhys, stop, she clearly doesn't understand you."

The High Lord looked enraged. Yanking the bond so hard Aerilyn released a small scream and fell to her knees. Cassian knelt to her immediately, craddling her head and holding her close to him. He had never felt powerless because of Rhysand, but he did now. "Call. It. Off." He growled at her. "Call your damned beast off before I kill it."

She held her chest, eyes wide as she looked between Rhys and Cassian. The High Lord's eyes softened temporarily, realizing his mate had no clue what that string was. Anger came back to him as another round of lightning stuck closer to the House of Wind. 

Aerilyn knew that was a warning. A loud warning that if he hurt her again, if he shouted at her again, if he even detected fear down their sacred connect, the gates to hell would be opened, and death would follow. 

Rhys went to the balcony, opening it and bracing himself as winds whipped and rain pelted him. He began to watch the sky, watching for any sign of the beast hiding in those dark clouds. A flash of light allowed him to have eyes on it, and he turned to his mate, finger pointed to where he now knew the dragon was hovering. He offered one last time, "Call of the drake, or I will blood Mist him."

Aerilyn looked between him and Cassian. Her brother's jaw was tight. "Rhysand, she doesn't understand. It is protecting her."

"And I'm protecting my fae and home," Rhysand growled to his general. "A home you also swore to protect, Cassian. Remember your place."

Cassian stood, his eyes narrowing. "Isn't my place at your side, brother?"

Rhys put his hand down, realizing the error in his sentence. "Cassian-"

"Don't bother." The illyrian male knelt back down to his sister.

"Please," she whispered. "Don't hurt him." Cassian's face fell slightly. "Gentle. Kind." Aerilyn was still playing her cards. Knowing she could not drop the faked persona until she knew one of them was going to protect her, until she knew one of them would return her. "Scared."

Cassian placed a large hand on her cheek. "You or the dragon?"

Her brows knit. "Both," Rhysand said slowly. "They're both afraid." The High Lord caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, realizing now how much he behaved like his father in this incident. 

The rain lightened up at Aerilyn's command. Her mound came closer to the balcony, but still far enough away to prevent any physical attacks. Aerilyn moved to the balcony, and Rhys and Cassian both watched as her face fell into deep sadness. "Enlil," her hand went out and the dragon approached, getting close enough to her palm to allow her to touch his muzzle.

The males both immediately noted two things:

The first was that this dragon was truly a work of art. A large scaled body that appeared grey, but those scales had began to reflect the lights and surroundings, hiding him within plain sight to anyone looking. He had wings that Rhys could only describe as being similar to painted glass as gentle light passed through them. Even his ice blue eyes were beautiful, and shockingly to them both, filled with love and worship towards the female hugging him.

The second thing they noted was where Aerilyn and Enlil were touching was glowing with a faint blue light. It was as if the contact between them was a sign of magic. And to Rhysand's horror, he realized it was. He knew enough about dragon's and their riders to know this was a bond formed between their souls. His mate was this dragon's true mount. 

And that meant had he misted this dragon, he would have killed her too. 

The dragon could live without the rider, the rider could not live without the dragon. That bond was too fragile, too sacred, too powerful.

Rhys approached slowly, holding a hand back to Cassian. He knew drakes could understand the languages of the fae, and made an offer. "There is a cave, in the mountain," he pointed to it. "It used to be a dragon pit back when the Night Court had riders in their armies. It can comfortably fit 14 dragons." 

The drake seemed to understand his offer, those crystalline eyes flicking back to his rider. "You can bring your hoards of treasures and other friends there, you will be safe there as she is here."

Rhysand dropped the scent ward he had on their mating bond, allowing the drake to sniff it out. He flew back slightly, sparing one last look towards Aerilyn and turned the rain to no more than a light Mist before flying away. 

Rhys motioned for his mate to enter the room again and shut the balcony doors. He hid the hurt in his heart as Aerilyn tucked herself into Cassian's side again, using him as her shield. 

A shield from him.

Rhysand's shoulders fell in defeat. "I need to know what I welcomed into my court."

Aerilyn just simply tucked further into Cassian's side, her soaked hair dripping onto the hardwood floor below her as she shivered. 

Rhys nodded, closing his eyes, and walked out of the door. Amren, Azriel, and Mor all waited in the hall. "Amren, I need you to find books of the different types of drakes, preferably with pictures." The ancient being nodded and immediately left to go to work. "Azriel, how many were actually in the cave?" The shadowsinger didn't answer, his jaw set in a clenched hold. "I realize I fucked up, Azriel. I don't need you to tell me how badly. I already know."

"She has 7 total dragons in her possession. They all look different." He reported back calmly what his shadows had discovered. Azriel went to the door, knocking before entering. He greeted Cassian and Ari softly before shutting the door behind him.

Mor looked at Rhys. "You have to fix that." 

The male nodded. "I will. After he calms her down and gets her to sleep."

-

Cassian held Aerilyn tight after he made her change into different warm clothing. She couldn't help but cuddle closer into him. 

It was familiar, and she knew that. She knew his scent, his smile. She knew what he was to her, and she to him. 

He placed a long kiss on her temple, a prayer going to any God that listened one more time as he wrapped a large wing around her. No words passed between the siblings, and no words needed to. 

Her eyelids began to feel heavy quickly as his calloused hands began a long forgotten motion, running through her hair and scratching her scalp in all the right places. 

"You're safe, sis," Cassian mumbled, falling into a light sleep of his own. "No one will ever hurt you again."

-

The inner circle sat at the dinner table, waiting for at least Cassian to appear. 

Azriel was the last to see the siblings. He had said she was fine, just shaken up. Cassian he had not mentioned. 

They heard a set of foot steps approach the room and Cassian entered silently. He took the plate from the place that had been set near Rhys to force proximity and moved it further down the table. He began taking food without permission from the High Lord and ate in silence. 

Azriel began to eat as well, not wishing to push a clearly angry male to speak. Mor looked down then to Rhys, her eyes pleading with him to fix the situation. 

"Cassian," Rhysand started slowly. The general grunted in response. "Is she okay?"

Cassian set his fork down. "Considering you threatened the only thing she's known as family for the past 300 years? Sure, Rhys, she's fine. She trusts us so much already." Cassian went back to eating, effectively ending any conversation before it could begin. 

Rhys just looked down, pushing his own food around on his plate. He could feel she was heavily asleep, that her dreams were pleasant. "It was attacking my court, our home."

Cassian looked up at him slowly. "Because we kidnapped her from them and theirs. Because she doesn't feel safe and somehow that thing knows through the bond they share."

Amren's interest peaked, "She's bonded to one?" Rhys and Cassian both nodded. Amren just settled into her chair, silver eyes now ablaze with excitement. The ancient being sipped the liquid in her glass, a small smirk forming. "Woo her, Rhysand. That dragon will only leave if she dies, and if they were a pack, you could now have 7 damn near indestructible beasts at your whim."

Cassian pushed his plate away, standing and leaving the table.

The undeniable smell of anger was radiating off of his skin and tainting the air. Rhys felt his shoulders fall in defeat. 

Cassian never left the table without finishing his meals.

He did tonight.

-

Aerilyn woke up to the sun shining in her room and the smell of something bitter. She wrinkled her nose as she sat up and caught sight of the short haired male who originally found her.

He was sitting in her room, looking out the balcony, a cup with steam rising from it in hand. He had a thick book resting on his lap and parchment on a table next to him.

Azriel raised his hand to her, motioning for her to come closer with a single finger. 

She stood next to him, following where that finger now pointed. In a deep gentle voice he asked her, "Name?"

A solid black dragon with scales like spilled oil was sitting at the entrance of the cave put Rhys has allowed them access to. They were on shifts, watching her room perfectly from that ledge, and protecting each other. "Achlys." 

Azriel nodded and held the book. "Type?"

Aerilyn went through the pages, doing her best to focus on pictures instead of reading. She finally reached the page regarding drakes of poison and pointed. Azriel pales slightly before adding the gentle giant to his started list. Under Enlil was pages to books and his power type. Now, under Achlys name was pages referring her. 

He had 5 more spots set, but did not push her. He held the mug filled with the bitter black liquid up to her. "Try it."

She took the mug, fingers grazing his scarred hands and sniffed it. She took a tiny sip before looking at Azriel with a look of absolute devastation and betrayal. 

Azriel couldn't help but to let out a loud laugh as he saw her eyes going wide, her bottom lip pouting out, and her nose scrunching. He took the mug from her and pulled out a separate parchment piece. 

It has her name on the top along with little observations he's made regarding her. Under dislikes he added "Black Coffee," with an amused smile. 

"Mean," she glared at him as he continued to laugh. Azriel faked insult and put his hand to his chest. Aerilyn couldn't help the sympathy flowing through her as she took on of his hands in hers. "Fire?" He just nodded, allowing her to study them. 

Aerilyn wanted to drop the act. She wanted to ask who did this to him, where they were now, but she couldn't.  She settled with kissing his palm. 

Azriel moved to her closet when she was done. Picking a soft two piece outfit for her. He spoke slowly to her, trying to ensure she understood. "Change and then food."

Her stomach made a noise of agreement and he laughed again, leaving the room to allow her to change from the t-shirt Cassian had been wearing yesterday. The clothing left little to the imagination. It was a deep plum color, but the fabric was sheer. The top dipped low in the front and ended before her navel, the long sleeves were sheer. The matching pants were also fairly sheer after the modesty paneling that would prevent her from being exposed. 

Azriel entered the room as if knowing she was changed and immediately took her hand, pulling her into the hallway.

Aerilyn's mouth began to water as they went down the stairs, and her stomach made an when louder noise that had the male pausing, sending her a small look of sympathy, before continuing.

The house was stunning. Lavish furniture, golden balcony and lanterns. It was the most expensive place she had ever been, granted most of her days were spent in a cave surrounded by beasts and their individual hoards. 

Azriel pulled her into a dinning room where the inner circle all sat waiting for him. "Brought a friend to breakfast," he said simply as they all stared in shock. He pulled a chair out for her, sitting her down across from Cassian before moving to sit next to her. 

He began to pile food onto a plate, occasionally putting something under her nose to smell and only adding it if she nodded. Eggs, hashbrowns, bacon, and countless fruits now sat on her plate. 

He gave her the option of water and some dark purple color liquid that smelled like berries. 

Cassian offered her a small smile. "No coffee?"

Azriel didn't freely give them the smiles he had been handing her. "Tried that. She looked at me like I just stolen everything warm and wonderful in her world."

A beautiful blonde laughed lightly. "Well you either drink coffee one or two ways, Azriel. Black or loaded with caramel and sugar. Balance is needed, Az!"

The room fell into hushed silence as the male who stood on the other end of the string Aerilyn had been studying entered. 

He stared at her for a brief moment, his lips almost giving into a twitch and his eyes softening. He continued his walk to the head of the table and sat. "Good morning." A chorus of "Mornings" welcomed him as he began to take food. He looked directly at Aerilyn, "Man erin"

"Man Erin," she whispered back. 

"Eat." Rhysand said to everyone. "We have a long day ahead of us."

Rhys and Aerilyn kept glancing at each other as they ate. One looking away when the other would notice them. She felt herself slightly flushing under his gaze, feelings she'd never had beginning to mix with the fear she felt towards him.

He was beautiful. Incredibly beautiful. Dark hair, a chiseled face, tanned skin. His eyes felt like starlight. 

She wanted to map those eyes, log them like the ancient kings, watching them for hours until they were all they knew.

Rhys also felt emotions mixing with what he knew what physical attraction. The twins had done well cleaning her and allowing her features to be seen. Long dark hair fell into waves down to the curve of her ass that Rhysand wanted to sink his teeth into. Her high cheekbones and delicate jawline framed lush blush lips and eyes like melted chocolate. 

She would be easy to physically fall in love with, and if he could woo her, if he could drop his pride long enough to open vulnerability between the two of them, maybe it would be easy for him to emotionally fall for her as well.

-

Cassian and Azriel led Aerilyn out of the House of Wind to an open area filled with sparing dummies. Cassian was radiating, he had been since the two shadow wraiths changed her into the training leathers she saw Illyrian warriors wearing when she'd spy on the camps. He had been since he inspected her perfected braided hair that was tucked and twisted to keep it out of her face and prevent it from being a target. 

He had been since he saw his sister, exactly as she should have been.

Azriel moved away from them, setting something else up and then sat and waited for Rhysand. She knew he was joining them. Cassian pulled her to a table filled with battle maps and empty parchment as if it was his favorite personal space and he began to write.

Can you read? His handwriting was sharp almost as if he moved his hands like he was dicing an enemy with a knife instead of handling a pen.

"Yes," Aerilyn said.

Cassian rose a brow. You know what yes and no means?

"Yes."

He nodded a small smirk forming. Do you know how to fight?

Aerilyn looked at him, her own dark brows raising as Rhys and Azriel made their way over. She took the pen from Cassian, shocking the three of them. I fly dragons. I had to learn to fight.

Rhys sucked in a breath. "You can read and write." She nodded at him. "You just can't speak our language." 

She wrote again, lying through her teeth still for reasons she was forgetting as today's kindness had become an almost comfort, all of them studying her like hawks that found prey. Never made it that far. Letters in your language have too many sounds. And there's weird bull shit rules. Like "to, two, and too." Who uses 3 words that's letters should all sound the same creating the same word 3 times but for some reason they all evidently mean something else? 

Azriel closed his eyes, hiding a laugh with a cough and cleared his throat. "Yup. Definitely Cassian's sister. Makes what you two are doing next possibly easier, though." 

Rhysand picked at his leathers, trying to remain indifferent despite the joy flooding both him and Aerilyn. He went into her mind again, finding one pathway that wasn't a mess of trauma and mistrust. He began following it to see if he could figure out what all Aerilyn knew. Her thoughts were in several languages with an occasional one in common tongue. Ancient Ruskian, the Old tongue, the language of the long lost elves, and several others.

A slow realization hit him and he looked at his brothers immediately expressing it to them in their minds. "You were not alone in those woods, were you?"

Aerilyn kept her eyes locked on the parchment, shaking her head. Can we just get the fighting over with? I don't want to talk about that.

Cassian almost began to bounce, beaming with excitement and joy. "After we warm and run, sunshine," he ruffled her hair as her face dropped completely.

No one said running would be involved. Aerilyn immediately turned towards the door, only to be stopped by Cassian quickly ripping her back and turning her to throw her over his shoulder. "No way, little one. You are not getting out of this, Aerilyn."

Aerilyn looked at Rhys, eyes pleading. "Please?" Her voice reminded him of red aged wine. Sultry, sweet, capable of convincing him to spend all of his money.

He wanted to give into her, to give into those big chocolate brown eyes begging him to stop this from happening, but they needed a baseline or her knowledge in everything to keep her safe, even if that safety one day was no longer with him. 

He sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, darling. It is for your best interest."

Aerilyn collapsed 30 minutes later onto the training mat. They were trying to kill her. Rhysand sat next to her, lightly laughing as he handed her water. 

Aerilyn hated cardio. She had always hated cardio. She did not even understand why cardio was a thing. She took the water, taking a drink before rolling to her stomach and laying in defeat. 

Rhys poked her side, "I think she is done, Cassian." He could feel it through the bond, read it in her body language. He admired the pieces of her hair that had fallen from the braids. He watched her chest rising and falling. She had taken off the longer sleeved training shirt a while ago, exposing her toned arms and back in the tanktop. Despite the tanned skin, a peek of white was showing. A peek of a scar was showing. 

She stiffened as he moved the shirt more and he blanched. 

No care had been taken when her wings were removed. Deep thick scarred skin sat where her wing should have been. Cassian froze when he saw them as well, the night that her small wings where thrown to his feet immediately coming to the forefront of his mind. 

Aerilyn moved away, standing with her back to the three of them, her posture began caving in on itself as her mind screamed insecurities at her. 

She knew of beauty standards. She knew scars were not considered beautiful, and despite not being raised in normal society, she wanted to be beautiful. She wanted to be seen as beautiful. 

She backed away as tears began to fall. "It's okay," Rhys moved to her, speaking softly. "It's okay, Ari."

She shook her head before breaking into a run into the house. Shadows followed her as Cassian stopped Rhys from following. "Give her a second," the general kept repeating.

But how was he supposed to give her a second? How was Rhys supposed to let his mate lock herself in her room and be alone? 

How was he supposed to leave her alone when she didn't believe she was beautiful?

A loud roar broke them all from their trance and their heads snapped to the opening near the mountain. Azriel began to back away, panic and fear setting into him as a large red and gold bodied drake flew towards Aerilyn's balcony. 

They didn't need her to tell them what kind of beast that was nor the destruction it could bring. 

They all already knew, and this confirmed a deep set fear they had. 

Aerilyn had access to a fire Drake. 

Rhysand put himself between Azriel and where the dragon flew. 

"No one speaks a word of this. Knowledge that there is a fire Drake does not leave our boarders. I do not want to deal with Beron anytime soon. It's bad enough we already have to hide the Storm Drake from Tamlin."

Cassian released a shaking breath. "What happens if this all comes out, Rhysand?"

The High Lord shook his head, his mind reeling. "You will lose your sister, I will lose my mate, and those poor beasts that simply want to live and protect her will be hunted or used until their deaths. We keep it quiet to keep them safe."

The three brothers nodded as the flame dragon began to fly back to the cave, something sparkling in its claws.

Azriel, despite his fear, let out a small laugh. "It took a lantern." 

The statement broke the tension that had been building between the three males since her arrival. Cassian's loud booming laughter lead to Rhysand's own deep chuckles, and then Azriel's own rang out joining them. 

Aerilyn appeared seconds later, a guilty look on her teary face. Her hands clasped in front of her, and she rocked back and forth. Her small motions made their laughter increase and soon her own bell-like giggles started. 

She realized slowly, watching the three of them laugh and feeling Rhysand's unadulterated love for the two other males, and the sheer happiness he felt, that she could get used to this. She walked to Azriel, the book on drakes and his sheet in hand to the table and wrote a few simple words. "Hestia. Fire Drake. Likes gems and gold." 

Translation - Man Erin - "Good morning"

Tag list: @kemillyfreitas @jesssicapaniagua @elijahssuit @biancabldss @hellwantfuckme @justdreamstars @ladybirdbeetle7 @amygdtjhddzvb

**Tumblr was being odd and would not allow me to actually tag a few people. I'm looking into it! If you'd like to be added to the taglist, please let me know 💜

[vntildavvn]

The Quarry | Interview Ending

Abigail

"It was so dark and I couldn't see anything." Abi began, "It wasn't a normal animal but it wasn't human and I couldn't do anything, I tried so hard to help him but it wasn't good enough, I wasn't fast enough." The officer frowns at her in utter confusion, "Abigail..." They trail off and the girl looks up, red clinging to her like a second skin. "You said that it was your friend, Nicholas -" She shakes her head, "Nick, it wasn't him, he wasn't himself, it wasn't his fault." With an unsure sigh, the officer stares, "What wasn't his fault?" It's silent for a moment and Abi finally speaks, "When he was turning into one of those things, he didn't mean it..." She utters out quietly, "He didn't mean it." This time the words sounded more unsure, taunted by her actual thoughts.

Dylan

"What happened to your hand, Dylan?" The question held a hint of concern, unsure if the young man should instead be in the hospital rather than in a dirty interview room for disease to hurt him even more, but Dylan only shrugs and smiles, more of a grimace as he replies. "It's nothing, it's a precaution or was..." He trails off, dazed but alert all at the same time and the officer clears his throat, "What do you mean by a precaution?" The Lenivy boy looks up as if the man had asked something stupid but he replies to him in a calm voice, the most calm he had been all night. "It was the only option, okay? So I wouldn't turn into a werewolf." The officer raises a brow at the words, "Werewolf?" Now he was sure the boy needed to get that wound seen to, it was as if the unsure tone was dismissed by Dylan as he's quick to look around sharply, "What about Ryan? Was he okay after everything? And the others, did everyone else make it?"

Emma

Emma Mountebank was practically rocking in her seat, a look of disbelief as she eyes the officers with judgement. "I am telling you, it was on the island!" Her voice raises in a sharp annoyance, "It chased me and attacked me and I almost didn't get away!" She confirms, "I told you about the photo, the one on my phone, the proof is right there on my camera!" The officer stares with a look that Emma knew meant he didn't believe her, "Miss -" She cuts into his words quickly, "You're not listening to me." Before the officer could say another word, Emma scoffs and leans back into the metal of the chair, "If you aren't gonna even listen to a word I've said then let me go, I wanna see my friends, I wanna see Abi." At least her friends knew what happened was true, at least they believed her when they lived through the exact same threat.

Jacob

"So you sabotaged the van on purpose?" Jacob's eyes are watery, tears wobbling and threatening to slip, he didn't want to be a weak link to them. "I didn't know what would happen, I just wanted another night with her." The officer writes something down sharply, "Who was it?" Jacob did not understand why he asked but he answered "Emma, I wanted to spend more time with her. We had a moment at the lake but it all went to shit..." It fell quiet before the officer spoke, "What do you mean by that?" Jacob sighs at the officer with an irritated glare, "Oh, I don't know, maybe finding a fucking dead body or being caged next to a monster who used to be my friend, you decide!" The officer stares with some curiosity, "Was the body male or female?" Jacob is quick to look up, "I don't fucking know, I was too busy in trying to get the rotor arm, all I know is that it was gross as shit!" The officer speaks into one of the recorders placed on the table, "Please make a note to investigate further..." Jacob lets out an unsettled sigh as the room falls quiet once more.

Kaitlyn

Kaitlyn Ka was nervous but she didn't show it. Her face is blank as she stares ahead, keeping her breathing steadily calm but it doesn't stop the thundering heart that makes her throat close up with anxious waves engulfing her and making her ears ring that she barely hears the officer who asks another question. "The gun used on Caleb Hackett, it has your fingerprints on it. Would you mind explaining why that is?" The brunette looks up with furrowed brows, a sense of outrage that barely manages to be held down against her words, "He was a fucking werewolf! He tried to kill me and Dylan and if Abi hadn't given me the silver shells then I wouldn't be here in this room right now!" It's the officers uninterested stare that makes Kaitlyn shake her head and scoff, "So you intended to shoot him?" The officer twists at her words, trying to tell a story that was anything but true. "No, that is not what I said, you aren't listening to me!" Shuffling in her seat, she sits forward in anger, "I am trying to tell you that I didn't have a choice, I shot him in self defense not knowing it was him and even if I did, I would do it again because he was trying to kill us and he would have if I didn't do what I did!" She stares at the officer with no doubts, remaining silent.

Laura

"What happened Laura?" The blonde was silent for a few moments, lips in a thin line and face blank as she tried to tell a story that needed to be heard. She felt familiar with the questions, the interrogation tactics, observing Travis Hackett over the months and learning a thing or two and knowing what the officer in front of her wanted to know. "I did this to end the curse, I did this to cure Max and for this whole nightmare to end." She says calmly, "A family was found dead, Miss Kearney." The officer replied, "The Hackett family, Constance Hackett was found shot dead, Jedidiah Hackett was strangled until his neck broke, and Kaylee Hackett was found dead in a pool and a few camp counselors have said you were the one who killed her!" It was clear the officer was unhappy with her response but Laura didn't care anymore, "Everything I did was to stop more death from happening, every single thing that has happened tonight was to stop them from causing more bloodshed and tragedy." The officer glared ahead, "And so you stopped it by causing more bloodshed yourself?" Laura glared back, not letting his comments get to her, she didn't care anymore.

Max

"Is Laura okay?" Was his first question unanswered by the officer in front of him and Max couldn't stop his thoughts taking over, about Laura and all that blood, the screams that blurred between fear, waiting hours on that island, isolated and alone. He was no longer alone, stuck in a police station as an officer spoke quietly to him. "What were you doing on the island?" He frowned but answered honestly, "It was to stop me hurting anyone else, to stop me from killing anybody." The officer let her confusion be known, "What do you mean, Max?" He lets a sigh leave him, "When I turned into that thing, into a giant monster, I wasn't in control and so Laura left me there so she could end the curse once and for all." He admits with a weak smile, "I guess it worked..." He trailed off, a look of relief crossing his features that he wouldn't have to ever live in fear of losing control, losing himself to a monster.

Nick

"It was some kind of animal." Nick said quietly, voice low and tired. Covered in red like Carrie White on prom night. "I remember Abi... She tried to - she tried to help me. She never stopped looking out for me even after those things I did and said to her." He admits, guilt all over his face, it's what makes the officer intrigued as she speaks up, "What did you do, Nick?" The Furcillo boy fell silent, he felt sick to his stomach, disgusted by the words he said that were simply not true, words he tried to fight against while this monster clawed its way out and turned him into an evil, a thing that he feared of becoming. "I remember her face, I remember how scared she looked, how upset, how much terror was in her eyes when I -" He stops, "I didn't want to do that, I'd never do that to her, I didn't mean to hurt her." He admits, "But I did, I hurt her. I know I did."

Ryan

Ryan was quiet and still in his seat apart from his left leg bouncing up and down with fear and his eyes wandering the room with paranoia. "We've identified the body of your camp leader, Chris Hackett." The woman's voice was steady as she spoke, "Is there something you'd like to tell us, Ryan?" His frown deepened, "Chris was - he was a good man, he always looked out for me." He let his words go quiet, "He told us to stay inside, I should've listened, I should've convinced the others to stay inside, I should've done more and maybe this wouldn't have happened..." The officer wants to know more and so she pushes at him, "What wouldn't have happened, Ryan?" It fell quiet for a moment before he spoke once more, "The werewolf attacking Nick and Abi, Dylan's hand being cut off, Kaylee..." He trails off before continuing, "Chris never let me down before, he was always looking out for me, it isn't fair, he didn't deserve this. If I just knew the truth, if I'd believed in something I thought was just a story then maybe I could have changed things." The officer in front of him clicks her pen and asks one final question, "What story would that be, Ryan?" He meets her gaze and lets a quiet answer follow, "The Hag of Hackett's Quarry..."

[koolkat9]

GerFra Week 2023: Day 7

@gerfraweek

Prompt: Office AU/working together || Hurt/comfort || Free day

Paring: GerFra

Word Count: 793

Read on AO3

Author's Note: For the sake of this fic, Germany is HRE

Memory

Francis’s eyes were never cold. Not even in their worst moment, when their lands were under siege and they felt like they were dying. Vacant, tired, but no piercing glare that chilled Ludwig’s very soul.

But here they were, appearing much younger, sword pointing directly at Ludwig, eyes stabbing into him like icicles.

Ludwig himself felt much smaller, staring up at the Frenchman. He didn’t know where they were. Considering the bodies and the weapon pointed at him, it appeared to be a battlefield, but it didn’t look anything like the trenches of the World Wars. Before he could ask anything he felt a sharp pain shoot through his torso, and he screamed.

He bolted upright in bed, finding himself in darkness, in bed, far from whatever battlefield he had just dreamed up. His skin pricked with cold sweat and his eyes burned. He shut them tightly, wrapping his arms around himself and trying to get his breathing under control. It was just a dream. It was just a dream.

“Mon amour?” Came Francis’s tired voice. He reached out to drape his arm over Ludwig, but Ludwig scrambled away, falling out of bed. “Ludwig?”

Ludwig looked up at him, eyes wild like a caged animal.

“Okay…Okay…I’ll stay up here,” Francis assured him. “You’re safe Ludwig. The year is 2023…We’re in your farmhouse. The one just outside of Berlin.”

Ludwig took a few deep breaths, the information seeping into his brain, calming him.

Something nudged his hands, causing him to tense again, but it was just Aster. She climbed into his lap and nuzzled his cheek. A small smile spread across Ludwig’s cheeks as he gave her a scratch on the head.

After a few minutes, he patted Aster to get off of him, and he rose to his feet. His legs still felt shaky, but he managed to climb back into bed.

“Can I touch you?” Francis asked.

Dread sunk in Ludwig’s stomach for a moment, but he nodded.

Francis reached out, hand coming to rest on Ludwig’s cheek. Ludwig flinched, and Francis went to pull away. “Wait!” Ludwig blurted out, grabbing Francis’s hand, “I-I’m okay.” He rested his cheek against Francis’s hand.

“You sure?”

“Mhm.”

Francis scrutinized Ludwig’s face, searching for any hesitancy. Finding none, they caressed Ludwig’s cheek. “Okay…Now, what’s this about?”

Ludwig bit his lip. How could he tell his lover that he dreamed of them killing him? Francis had always been understanding, especially when it came to Ludwig’s night terrors, but he was still fearful of how Francis would react being the source of what had shaken him.

But those warm, tender eyes always had a way of peeling back Ludwig’s defenses. He swallowed hard. “I-I…We were on a battlefield…You were so young…I must have been young too…a-and…You stabbed me.”

Francis’s kind gaze fell into one of horror. In the moonlight, his eyes gleamed as if he was on the verge of tears. He pulled away from Ludwig, taking a few deep breaths.

Next thing Ludwig knew he was smothered by Francis’s chest. They were shaking and gasping, almost like they were crying. “Francis?”

“You…You really are him…” he whispered into Ludwig’s hair.

“What?”

“I was a growing empire back then, and it was such a power high. Nothing could hurt me, and I’d destroy whoever got in my way.” Francis cringed at the memory. “It was a battle like any other, but the Holy Roman Empire had been extremely weakened. It was never stable, to begin with, but…We were in the final stretch a-and…I was face to face with Holy Rome, so I drew my sword and stabbed my enemy right through.”

Just like Ludwig’s dream. His stomach churned and his mind spun. He was Holy Rome? Francis, his lover…the one he went to to feel safe had killed him once, in some kind of past life? It shouldn’t have hurt this much to hear that–nations hurt each other all the time and still somehow ended up together later down the line.

“You had always looked so much like him,” Francis went on, trying to smile despite his sobs, “But I-I just thought that was because you shared similar land. I’m sorry…I’m so sorry.” He pulled Ludwig closer to him.

Ludwig returned the embrace just as tightly. He could feel a headache coming on as all his thoughts banged around, trying to make sense of it all. But he knew one thing, Francis was still his lover, and he hated seeing them upset.

They gripped onto each other like it was the end until Francis’s breathing finally became even again. “Let’s…” Francis blubbered, “Let’s get some tea…or alcohol. We need it…”

Ludwig nodded, a ghost of a smile on his face, and pressed a kiss to Francis’s brow.

And that's the end of GerFra Week for me. Thank you to those who put it on!

[golden-pickaxe]

Panzermensch (Part 7)

Reader Gender: Male

Fandom: Divergent

Pairing: Eric x Reader

Warnings: fear landscape, angst and violence, talk about the difficult childhood of the reader that might be uncomfortable for some readers, oh yea and smut ;)

Word Count: 4.024

[All Parts here]

A/N:  A new part? In 2022? More likely than you think! Some of you might have noticed that I have rewritten all previous parts, adding a few thousand words of content in sum. So if you have read the first 6 parts at one point in the past, you might want to revisit them ;) anyways, here have part 7! insane to think that i started this story 6 years ago, but here we are.

The first thing you did after you had left the room with the machine behind, after your first successful run through the fear landscape, was to look for Ven. You could not wait to tell her about your experience, how you had managed to overcome your fears, how you had made it thanks to her. Without your friend, this would not have been possible, you knew that well enough.

 It was a very new feeling for you.. having friends. Having people around you that helped you when you needed them, that you could rely on and that supported you. People with whom you could actually talk about personal stuff, and what was going on inside of you. You had closed yourself off to everyone back in Erudite, only the therapist that your parents made you talk to had known some of the things that were going on inside your mind. But she.. well, in your opinion she had never really truly understood your feelings, how you felt trapped and angry, like a caged animal. How you felt detached from everyone around you.

Now, on the other hand, here in Dauntless, you didn’t feel like the outsider anymore. You felt understood, even if Ven, Orion, Calder and even Eric did not share the same experiences as you. Still, it was like you were the same, you had gone through similar enough things to understand each other.

You found Ven and Liz in the pit, sitting on one of the boulders in the centre, playing a game of cards. You let yourself drop down next to them, and Ven immediately turned her attention towards you, a curious, yet worried expression on her face.

 “So? How did it go?” she asked.

 You could not supress a grin, that immediately appeared on your lips.

“I did it! I got through it.” You brought out. “I took.. it took a hell of a time, and I definitely won’t be the fastest at the test in the end, but at least I got through it.”

 Before you could react, Ven threw her arms around you, hugging you tightly.

“I knew you could do it! I am super proud of you, Y/N!”

 You could not even begin to describe how it felt to hear these words coming from her mouth. She was proud of you. You could not remember when someone had ever said that to you before. Certainly not your parents.

 “Couldn’t have done it without you, Ven. Thank you.”  You hugged her back, your voice betraying your feelings, as it broke away slightly at the end. The kind words, the physical affection.. it made you tear up, but you didn’t even feel embarrassed about it.

 Ven let go of you, a toothy grin on her face.

“Oh, Y/N. Can’t leave you hanging, can I? You, Orion and I, we only work together when it is the three of us. Like a family.” She giggled.

 “Definitely a better family, than the one I came from..” you wiped your moist eyes with the back of your hand, starting to chuckle. “Ah, fuck.. don’t make me cry, Ven.”

 The young woman giggled even more, patting your shoulder.

 “An also, don’t forget Liz and Calder, they are part of out team now too. A big, happy family.” You threw a smile at the red head, who returned it broadly.  

 “Happy to be accepted already.” The girl looked at her hand of cards for a moment, wiggling her head. She was a bit odd, but you liked her.

 “And I’m happy you two found each other.” You said honestly, getting up from the boulder again before all these feelings and sentimentality really managed to make you cry. “I’m going to grab something to eat now. I guess I see you later, good luck for the afternoon!”

 With that you left the two of them to continue their game of cards, which probably was their own kind of distraction for the fear landscape later in the day. Your stomach was rumbling audibly, as it was lunch time already, and next to the two cups of coffee this morning, you had not really managed to bring anything down. The rest of your afternoon you spent working out again, though not as hard as usually as you didn’t want to spend all your energy before.. well, before tonight.

 You hit the showers before dinner, and tried to make yourself look decent, despite the still healing scars on your face, but only received a mean remark from Ross, who had gotten quite cocky again, as the memory of your last fight seemed to fade.

 “Going out tonight, Y/N? No one’s going to be impressed by ‘that’.” He snarled, nodding his head at you, as if to imply that with ‘that’, he meant your appearance. You closed your eyes for a moment and sighed, trying your best to keep your emotions under control. No one would profit from you beating his face in, unfortunately.

 You hated Ross so fucking much. You had never had that much contact back in Erudite, thank fuck, but already there he liked to pick on the ‘different’ ones, and he knew well aware how different you were. He knew about how your parents kept you away, almost treating you like a wild, untamed animal. How you had to see someone from a very young age, and how you had picked fights with other kids, whenever they teased you too much.

 Thanks to him, a lot of the other initiates, Erudite transfers or not, also knew about these little details from your past, as the other boy could not keep his mouth shut, gossiping every chance he got. Gladly, not everyone really cared, most of the transfers knowing what it was like to live in a faction that you knew you didn’t belong in.

 “How about we discuss that on the mat again, eh? Feeling lucky, mate?” you turned around to him, sending a glare his way. Apparently, Ross had not forgotten your last encounter after all, as he paled visibly, and left the dorms without another word. The few days he had to spend in the infirmary were probably not too nice to remember.

 Dinner was gladly uneventful, but your nerves were already running wild, leaving you unable to focus on what your friends around you were talking about.

 “Is everything alright?” Calder asked in a low voice, pulling you out of your thoughts. “Heard your fear landscape went well.”

 You nodded a bit absently.

“Yea, yea it went well. Your breathing exercises helped a lot. Thinking about how to improve, though, I’m taking way too long.” You lied, but gladly it seemed as if the other one believed you.

 “Relax, you are done for today. You can think about that stuff tomorrow.” He said with a smirk.

 You felt bad lying to your friend. You really liked Calder.

Of course, at first you had noticed that he had been slightly apprehensive of you, when you had first talked to each other when playing capture the flag. He had always been a rather shy guy in Erudite, keeping out of the limelight and in the background, and you would never have guessed for him to choose Dauntless. He had, probably just as Ross, only known you as that weird, aggressive kid, but in contrast to Ross, he had actually made the effort to get to know you, instead of just believing all the gossip and going with it.

 “Some things need time. Better to master your fears, than to rush it, and not master them at all.” Calder added, but left it at that.

 ---------

 It was a few minutes to nine, when you made your way to Eric’s apartment. Your friends did not even question you leaving, being used to you wandering off at night to head to the training halls for some late-night work out.

 You had to admit, you felt a bit nervous about all of it. Eric wanted to celebrate, but you had no idea what that would include. Would you just fuck again? Or was this something different? You kind of had the feeling that this was more, not just a physical thing, but you still could not be sure. Eric was difficult to read, especially if other people were around, and you had not really the guts to just ask him openly. Maybe you should though, just for your own mind.

 You knocked on his door, and a few seconds later he opened it, dressed in just a casual t-shirt and a pair of combat trousers. A slight smile was on his lips, as he stepped aside to let you in. You fidgeted a bit with your hands, turning to him after he had closed the door. Eric immediately noticed your nervousness and stopped in his movements, as he was about to approach you.

 “Is something wrong?” he asked, his voice concerned and soft.

 “I..” you started, licking your lips and not really knowing how to word it. “I just.. I’ve been thinking.” You turned away, taking a few steps further into the room. Your eyes wandered towards the windows, where you could make out some lights in the darkness. “I need to know what.. what this is.. between us. Is this just a.. physical thing? Is this more? I need to know, and I need to hear it from you, before this goes any.. further.” You stumbled over your words, but they were finally out.

 You heard Eric sigh behind you, before you felt his hands on your shoulders, turning you around. You did not resist, facing the other man again.

“I thought my actions were clear enough, to show you that this is more. You are not just some random initiate, that I decided to fuck.”

 Goosebumps appeared on your arms, just hearing him talk like that. You were not quite sure what you had expected him to say.

 “I think about you, a lot. At first I thought it was just because of that.. of that stupid fucking way you decided to jump off that building. I was really impressed.. but..” Eric swallowed, looking past you and out of the window. “I don’t know what it is. You just constantly draw my attention to you, and I want you to make it through all this. You make me feel things, and that is not something that happens that often to me.”

 You had to smile at his words, and as his eyes found yours again, you could not but put a hand on his cheek. Eric closed his eyes for a moment, leaning into the touch.

 “Thanks for spelling it out for me.” You had to chuckle.

 “And I thought an Erudite transfer would be smart.” Eric laughed, before his face got a bit more serious again. “Nevertheless.. This can’t be public.”

 Your hand froze on his cheek, your brows furrowing. Of course, you kind of had expected that, no? But a secret relationship? Were you ready for that? Did you even want that? Secret affairs that were only about sex were something different, but this?

Eric noticed you tense up, because he quickly continued to speak.

 “Not for now, at least. It’s not good for an instructor and an initiate to have any kind of relationship that is not purely professional. I don’t want this to affect your initiation in any way, if people doubt my objectivity. So, at least until you are a full Dauntless member, this can’t be public.”

 You let out a breath, you didn’t even know you were holding.

“Ok.. I can do that.” You said. Then after a beat. “And then?”

 “Then we..” Eric closed up to you a bit more, his strong arms wrapping themselves around your shoulders. “Then we can do whatever we want. Make it public. Or not.”

 You thought about it for a moment, when another pressing question came into your mind, that was kind of important to clear up.

“Are you.. out?” you asked. It sounded weird.

 It was kind of an odd situation, with the factions being so distant to each other most of the time, that they were all like their own, distinct cultures. They all had their different social norms, and different things that they did or did not accept. Ven had once told you how about it was in Candor, where it was not a big deal and that coming out was not even a thing. Monika had mentioned roughly the same thing when it came to Amity, where they were happy for who you loved, regardless of gender.

 Erudite had been very different, where it was more of a.. personal thing, not everyone knew. You knew a few same sex couples who lived together, but never spelled out in front of anyone what relation they actually had to each other. Your emotions were not important, so feelings and love and sexuality were nothing openly spoken about, if it was not in a scientific sense.

You had never come out in Erudite, but you also had no one to really come out to, as you never really had any friends, and your parents were out of the question anyways. The few encounters you had during your time there, it obviously had not been necessary, and neither of you had ever acknowledged it publicly anyways, especially considering your reputation.

What the stiffs thought, and how they handled this topic, you had absolutely no clue about.

 Here in Dauntless, no one had batted an eye at Liz and Ven, when they were holding hands or kissing in public, so you assumed that it was also not that big of a deal here. Still, you were not 100% sure, as you had to admit, you had not really paid that much attention to it.

 “No.” that was the simple answer from Eric to your question, causing your heart to drop a bit. “But no one here cares about that sort of thing anyways.” He then added.

 “Aftermath of Erudite?” you asked, and Eric nodded.

 “Aftermath of Erudite.” He repeated in confirmation, with a smirk. “So, with that out of the way, do you care for a drink?”

 You nodded, and Eric pressed a short kiss onto your lips, before letting go of you, wandering over to the living room part of his loft, where he pulled two bottles out of a small fridge next to the wall. He handed you one of them, as you sat down, sighing as you sank into the far too comfortable sofa.

 “I can’t wait to have one of those for myself.” You grinned, clinking your bottle together with Eric’s, before taking a sip.

 “Yea, the cots are horrible.” Eric agreed with a smirk.

 “At least they have blankets.” You murmured, not really thinking, faintly wondering what kind of apartment you would have, when initiation was over. You only noticed the weight of your words when Eric kept silent, and your eyes wandered over to him.

 He frowned at you, concern on his features.

“You didn’t have a blanket?” he finally asked, realising that you were not about to elaborate.

 You closed your eyes for a moment, sighing once more, not quite knowing if you should just tell the other one to forget about it. On the other hand.. you trusted him. And maybe it was not too bad to talk about it, to help you get over your fears.

 “I was always kind of.. well. Let’s say I was a rowdy kid, pushing over the other kids when they tried to tease me. I got angry really quickly, and when angry.. I often lost control. My parents could not handle me, and just started to lock me into my room whenever I got out of hand, going as far as pulling me away from other kids as soon as they sensed that I might not be in the best mood. Did nothing for my reputation, of course, and I think you noticed the things Ross says.” You started, and Eric listened to you patiently. One of his arms rested on the back of the sofa, his fingers starting to lightly scratch the back of your head.

 “Being locked into a small room, while burning up with rage is of course.. well.. I started to smash things, letting out my anger, so they removed more and more things. Everything that I could break, everything that I could use to hurt someone, or myself. I mean, you saw what was left, right?” you raised an eyebrow at him, and he nodded. “From there.. well. They started to lock me in as a punishment too, even though I got my anger more and more under control. I hated being home, so I was out constantly, sneaking out at night, climbing around the compound or outside the faction buildings.. meeting other boys who wanted to experiment.. when I got caught, I was locked in again, and my parents avoided talking about me the best that they could, thinking they were doing me a favour.”

 It was difficult to talk about it, difficult to admit it. You always gave yourself the blame for how they treated you, that it was your anger that made them act this way.

 “I’m sorry.” Eric’s voice was soft.

 “It’s alright. Now I’m here. Now I am learning how to deal with my anger more.. productively.” You frowned at your drink. “Working out helps a lot, and here I have more chances for it than in my prison cell.”

 “You experimented?” Eric then suddenly grinned, raising an eyebrow. You gaped at him for a moment, but then chuckled, trying to hide your embarrassment by taking a sip of your bottle.

 “Yea, well.. I mean..” you shrugged. “Didn’t you?”

 “Oh, I did, of course. I just thought I would get some details out of you.” He winked, shifting a bit so he was closer to you.

 “A gentleman never kisses and tells, you should know that.” You put your bottle down on the small coffee table in front of you, where Eric’s bottle was already standing.

 “A gentleman? Didn’t take you for one.” His words were not offensive, and you had to laugh, subconsciously moving towards his form.

 “Even though I’ve been so nice?” you asked, your lips only an inch apart.

 “You are cocky, not nice.” Eric grinned. “But I like that better anyways.” His lips finally met yours, and you melted into your kiss, your worries and thoughts pushed into the back of your head, as Eric’s hand wrapped around you, pulling you on top of him.

 His arms were around your waist, pulling your body flush against his, as he deepened the kiss. You grabbed the back of his head, trying to move against him, but in this position, the layers of your combat trousers made it very difficult.

 “Oh, fuck that.” Eric murmured, and before you could react, he had simply gotten up, still holding you. You stretched out your legs to find ground again, but Eric started to move, walking backwards away from the sofa and towards his bed, pulling you along. Your body reacted immediately, and you felt yourself harden in your trousers. It was insane what kind of effect this man had on you.  

 Eric’s fingers moved underneath your shirt, lifting it and pulling it off you in a swift motion, casually dropping it onto the floor. You had to grin, as you rid him of his own shirt, before the two of you almost simultaneously started to open each other’s trousers.

 It took some effort to struggle out of your boots, but when you were finally naked, Eric let himself fall back onto his bed, making himself comfortable as he pulled you on top of him. You crawled over his magnificent body, littering his skin with kisses on the way. His hand found your hair, stroking over your scalp, as you kissed his chest, and bit his shoulders, leaving red marks on his skin, careful to choose spots that were not too obvious to see. Eric’s other hand wrapped itself around your hard cock, starting to stroke it and causing you to moan against him.

 “Can you grab something for me? Nightstand.” Eric murmured, and you looked up to see a bottle of lube standing there, just waiting to be used.

 You chuckled.

“Optimistic, aren’t we?” you said, as you stretched over to grab it, feeling Eric’s hand moving over your torso, feeling every muscle, every curve and every edge of your body.

 “Let’s call it hopeful, and stricken.” He winked, and you kissed him as you handed him the lube. You started to move off him, but he held you in place, his blue eyes finding yours. “No, I want to see you this time.. if that is ok.”

 The last time had been.. hot and fast, but a tad unpersonal with him behind you, and the darkness around you. Not that that was a bad thing, it had been amazing, but it was something completely different than sitting on tip of him, illuminated by the soft, orange light of the standing lamp in the living area, where he would see every single reaction, every emotion on your face.

 “Ok..” you said breathlessly.

 Eric kissed you again, before letting go of you and distributing the lube on his fingers. Your heart pounded in your chest, and for some reason you grew a bit nervous.

 You supported yourself against his strong chest, as you felt his fingers at your entrance, automatically closing your eyes when he pushed in, a wave of arousal washing through your body. Your breath escaped you shakingly, as he started to prepare you carefully, your fingers digging into his skin.

 You had not even realised that you had started to moan softly, and suddenly there were Eric’s lips again, kissing you deeply, but slowly, not rushing anything. He sat up, removing his fingers, before he lined himself up with you. He broke the kiss and you opened your eyes, looking at him, and the ineffable expression on his face. You understood, and slowly let yourself sink onto him, your head dropping onto his shoulder with a groan.

 Eric did not immediately move when you bottomed out, letting you adjust to his size, before he started to litter your neck with kisses. His strong arm wrapped itself around your waist, shifting you a bit, before he started to move his hips.

 You moaned loudly, turning your head to find his lips, to pull him into a deep kiss. In contrast to the other night, his movements were slower, but still strong. You moved with him, rising and falling, to meet him in the middle, completely lost in the sensation.

 There was nothing but pleasure, skin on skin, your moans and breaths becoming one in the heat of the moment. You never wanted this to end, wanted to stay like this forever, but with Eric’s strong movements, and your erection rubbing against his stomach, your felt yourself edging closer and closer to the end.

 “Eric..” you moaned, unable to word your need, but the other man seemed to understand well enough.

 Without letting go of you, he turned the two of you around, so you were now underneath him, your legs automatically wrapping themselves around his hips, as he picked up the pace, slamming into you hard and quick, while his hand grabbed your cock.

 You threw your head back, moaning and cursing the other man’s name, until it finally became too much and you came, closely followed by Eric, who again collapsed on top of you.

 With a slight groan he heaved himself up, pressing one more kiss onto your swollen lips before he pulled out of you, letting himself fall onto the bed next to you again.

 You looked over to him, a tired grin on your face, as the last waves of your orgasm subsided, leaving behind nothing but bliss.

 “If that is what I get for getting through the fear landscape successfully..” you started breathlessly. “I am really looking forwards to the initiation celebration.”

[imagine-this-fandom]

The Rescue: BNHA x Fem! Reader- Black rat snake

the rescue intro: here

Leading you back into the main section of the shop, she released your hand and put Izuku into a nearby cage.  Turning back to face you, she pulled out her phone.

“I just need to double-check something with the owner of the shop real quick. He likes to hear about any adoptions I supervise from a particular group of animals we have. You go ahead and look around while I confirm the one I have in mind “

You offered her a smile and a nod before turning to look around. Wandering the aisles of the store, you couldn't help but relax. There was some music playing in the background, too low for you to recognize the lyrics. You noted with amusement that your bird friend, Hizashi, was perched by the radio, bobbing along to it enthusiastically. You started to make your way towards him when a flicker of movement caught your attention from the corner of your eye. Turning to face the shelves of glass tanks, you searched them for the smooth movement that had captured your gaze. Perusing the tanks nearby, you were excited to find the one in the corner occupied. Inside was a large black snake. He was beautiful. Shiny black scales decorated the majority of his body save for his stark white underbelly and chin. It was hard to tell how long he was because he was wrapped up on a branch, coiled tightly as he watched you unblinking.

Tilting your head, your eyes scanned over the little sticker on the corner of the tank telling you his name and breed.

"Dabi, huh? Whoever named you was absolutely trying to be edgy," you crouched so your face was level with the tank and you could see him better. "Dabi is the name of a super dangerous villain, you know?"

Dabi watched you silently, serpentine tongue flicking in annoyance. He was used to the stares and the gawking from other store patrons, but that didn't mean he enjoyed it. You at least weren't tapping on the glass and whining when he didn't do anything interesting. Still, to him, you were a temporary distraction in the long borning sameness his days had turned into. He cursed the day he got involved with the league of villains and the quirk experiments that Shigaraki's "master" put into effect.

When Inko came to find you, she rounded the corner to see you sitting in front of the snake, mirroring his movements and sticking your tongue out in time with his. To be honest, she was a bit nervous about this arrangement, but Nezu had insisted you take the villainous young man home with you. Something about personalities and the change he needed or something like that. Still, if you were somehow the key to breaking the effects of the quirk like Nezu expected then it was worth the worry.

"I see you've found him all on your own!"

You whipped your head around to look at her in shock.

"Wait, a snake? Aren't they super hard to care for?"

"Not really, especially his breed," She answered calmly, offering you her hand to help you off the floor. "snakes are good pets, even if they look intimidating."

Taking her hand, you allowed her to pull you from your kneeling position. Looking back at the snake, you couldn't deny that he was interesting. You always thought snakes were really cool, and with some research, they could be really good pets. Besides, he was the one Inko wanted you to take home, and she knew so much more about him. You could trust her on this, and you honestly wanted to.

"If you help me, I will happily take him home. But you have to give me lots of info about him so I can do research. Okay?"

"It's a deal."

Inko helped you gather supplies for your new pet, making idle conversation and giving you tips on how to properly care for Dabi.

"Be very careful when you handle him, dear. He's got a mean temper and he's nipped me a couple of times. He comes from a not-so-friendly background so he's mistrusting. "

You nodded slowly, expression falling at her words. You would have to be very careful, but you were going to earn his trust no matter what. Inko noted your determined expression as she put supplies into a cart for you, a small smile tugging at her lips. Maybe Nezu was right, you could handle this. Perhaps there was hope for Dabi yet.

Once you had successfully gathered all the possible tools you would need, Inko fetched a pair of heavy-duty gloves and a snake hook. Carefully, she transferred the irritated snake into a bucket to transport him in before quickly latching the top.

"You'll want to make sure his container is firmly latched once you get him home. He's a bit of an escape artist. "

You were a bit concerned due to all the warnings given, but you were more determined than ever to take good care of the snake now within your care. He was going to feel loved, like it or not. Giving her a nod, you carefully took the container from her, cradling it close to your chest to give him any extra warmth you could grant him for the cold journey home.

Inko shooed you out, eager for you to get home before it got any darker or colder. You hugged her tightly before stepping out into the cold with your new pet.

Luckily, the trek home didn't take very long and you found yourself at your apartment door before you knew it.  Stepping inside, you quickly set to heat up the space. You weren't taking any chances in keeping your snake healthy.

"I'll get you settled as soon as I can, buddy. Just hold on for me."

Setting the container aside, you quickly got to work setting up his tank. While you were focused on the task at hand, you missed the lid of the container lifting as Dabi pushed out of his temporary cage. Slithering out, he relished his momentary freedom. While he was well aware that he couldn't escape in this form, that doesn't mean he wasn't going to cause as much mischief as he possibly could in the process.

While you were distracted, he explored the apartment. He had to admit, the change in perspective from when he was human was disorienting. As a human, he stood at five foot nine, but as a snake, he was mere inches off the ground. Because he was a python, he found that climbing wasn't too difficult, so he quickly made his way up a nearby chair to settle on the counter and get a better vantage point. Surveying his surroundings, he noticed with gathering annoyance that his new home belonged to a hero fan. You had various merch such as an allmight mug and a red hawks wing patterned blanket. Still, at least he hadn't seen anything flame patterned. You at least didn't have the worst taste in that regard.

As he looked around, you finished setting up his tank. Looking back towards where you left him, you stiffened, panic filling your veins. The container was clear, and you could clearly see it was missing a snake. Slowly, you rose to your feet, trying to quell the panic invading your mind.

"Dabi? Where'd you go?" trapping your lip between your teeth,  you started scanning the floor.

Dabi watched with amusement as you searched frantically for him. He could tell it was going to be fun to tease you. Had he been in human form, he would have called you out for your pointless panic.

'I'm right here, stupid girl,' he hissed, knowing you wouldn't be able to understand him, but wanting to express the sentiment regardless. Slithering to the edge of the counter, he perched there ` and hissed softly to get your attention.

Hearing the strange noise, you were shocked to see the reptile on your counter. The tank he had been in didn't do him justice. He was easily five feet long now that you could see him stretched out. While this situation was someone's worst nightmare, you couldn't help but catch your breath. You had never considered snakes to be all that pretty, but Dabi managed to be. The black of his scales was onyx against your counter The white scales of his underbelly just barely showed on his sides, a striking contrast. The most obvious separation of color was at his jaw, the underside bright white as if someone had pieced two colors together there.

You broke out of your thoughts to find the snake coiled around a pillar by your counter, now exactly eye level with you.

"Sorry, you got bored waiting for me. But your new tank is finished. Now you have a nice comfy place to sleep."

He gave you an unimpressed look. He would have rolled his eyes if he could. He was expecting more of a freak out instead of the weird half-smile you gave him while standing completely still for like 15 seconds. Weirdo. He pulled his focus back to the present as he felt your hand close gently around his middle. Jerking back, he bit you. The yelp that sounded made him cringe internally, but he steamrolled over the small part of him that felt remorse. He was determined to get rid of any trace of that if he wanted to move forward as a villain. Still, he didn't take pride in the blood that was welling up on your hand, that was more toga's thing.

You clutched your hand to your chest, looking back at him with wide eyes.  Backing up until you were out of his reach should he decide to go for a longer bite, you looked down at the red beading up from the tiny pinpricks on your hand. It didn't hurt that much and had mostly just surprised you. However, you were understandably a bit freaked out. You checked over your injury before pouting at Dabi, regaining some of your confidence now that the adrenaline was fading.

"Well, that wasn't very nice, Mr. grumpy scales. I just wanted to get you to your tank." skirting around him, you made your way into the small kitchen area. Keeping your gaze trained on Dabi, you went about washing your hands to try and disinfect the bite. It wasn't deep, but you weren't about to risk getting sick. Before long, you had the small wound clean and bandaged. However, this left you with the task at hand that had gotten you bit in the first place, getting Dabi to his tank.

"Now how are we gonna do this, my little spit-fire? I can't exactly leave you to roam the house, but I don't want a matching snake bite piercing for my other hand."

'whatever woman, it's your problem, not mine' Dabi watched you, tongue flicking lazily as he waited for you to decide your next move. He had to admit, you were more fun to mess with than the Midoriya lady. He always got chewed out by the various occupants of the store whenever he tried to cause trouble for her. Here, it was just you and him and he could be as much of a jerk as he wanted. It's not like he expected you to interact with him much anyway, so why waste time playing the well-behaved pet?

While he amused himself with his thoughts, you remembered the stick Inko had used to transfer him back at the store and recreated it with your broom handle. Dabi was not expecting the sudden change of perspective when you scooped him up, so he didn't think about resisting. Gently placing him in the bottom of the tank, you slid the handle out and carefully latched the tank lid.

"There we go Dabi. Sleep well. Tomorrow should be less stressful and you can take some time to settle in." You offered him a smile, a brief light in the dark living room before you retreated to your room. Dabi watched you go in disgruntled annoyance before settling down, knowing it was pointless to stay up and agonize about the strange day. Curling around himself until he was arranged in a neat little coil, he drifted to sleep.

~~~~~ "Dabi!!!! How did you get up there?" You stared wide-eyed, mouth agape at your snake. You had been living with him for just over two weeks now, but he still managed to surprise you. Right now, he was lazily draped over the top of a bookshelf in your living room. If he could emote, you would have easily seen a cheeky grin adorning his smug face.

"How, I... You're impossible!" You threw up your hands, not having the mental stamina to deal with his shenanigans for the day.  "Fine, if you want to be tall, far be it from me to stop you."

You gave him a triumphant look before turning your back to him.

Unbeknownst to you, he was waiting for an opportunity and you had just given him the perfect one. He carefully stretched out over the edge of the bookshelf and let himself fall around your shoulders, his tail wrapping around your bicep to steady him. Obviously, you screamed and tried to dislodge him in a panic. The shrill sound hurt his ears, but the surprise he saw was worth it. If you could have seen your face, your eyes had been wide and crazy and he hissed out a laugh as you finally settled down.

Your heart was still beating in your throat but you quickly realized that it was just Dabi coiled around you. His cold scales against the bare skin of your neck and the foreign weight had been terrifying in the moment. You moved slowly, considering his sharp teeth that he had no qualms about using. He was a strange animal. He hated being handled but would take every opportunity to antagonize you. Still... he had grown on you. However, that was horrifying, and had he not been more secure, you would have flung him away.

You instead glared at the reptile, breath still heaving as you recovered.

"That was rude Dabi!" A pout formed on your lips, "You know, you could have been hurt. That was reckless. Also, you nearly gave me a heart attack."

You watched him warily. You didn't think he would bite you again, but he was unpredictable so you moved carefully.  You slowly reached out with the arm opposite the one he was wrapped around and carefully ran a finger over the scales on his back, enjoying the smooth and cool feeling of his scales under your fingers.

The feeling was alien to Dabi, but not uncomfortable. While he didn't like people touching him, your touch was featherlight and gentle. There was no promise of pain behind it, no expectation, just softness, and curiosity. He froze at the contact, unsure how to respond to the touch. In the past, he was faced with extremes. Always too hot, too rough, too painful, too much, and too expectant.

But your touch was gentle. You were soft, warm rather than scalding, gentle and careful, and...caring. Despite his behavior and lashing out, you stayed patient with him. You confused and irritated him to no end. Still, he supposed he could endure your touch for a little while longer. 'it's just because I'm a snake now. I'm drawn to her warmth' he muttered to himself, a soft hiss all that you heard.

Without knowing his true thoughts, you took his response as displeasure and pulled away quickly.

"Sorry spitfire, I didn't mean to bother you. I'll keep my hands to myself then," You started towards his cage, "let's get you put away, and then I'll leave you be."

Without even thinking about it, he tightened his hold on your arm slightly. You shot him a surprised look before deciding it was your imagination and carefully untangling him from your arm and placing him in his tank. You latched it and gave him a small smile and wave before walking away, going to the couch to give him space.

Meanwhile, Dabi was having a mental battle with himself. He knew that it had felt nice to be near you, but he was confused as to the why. He decided that he froze because he was used to people being too scared of him to caress him so casually. Still, a part of him, a part he tried to bury was convinced that he was avoiding the real reason. Looking back at you, he felt warm and confused. The warmth wasn't painful like the blue of his quirk, but rather, soothing. It calmed him yet made him feel funny all the same. Perhaps this is what true annoyance felt like, anger at being unable to faze you. He narrowed his gaze as much as this form would allow and glared back at you. He fell back on one of the few emotions he allowed himself and stewed in a fit of quiet anger.

Your skin prickled lightly as you felt his unblinking gaze on you. Turning your head from the book in your hands, you offered him a small smile, eyes soft. It was a direct opposite to his hard eyes and he was a bit taken aback but didn't let it show. The moment lasted only a few moments before a twinkle of mischievousness lit your eyes. Leaning forward slightly, you brought your fingers to your lips and blew the grumpy animal a kiss, bursting into giggles when he jerked back, affronted by your action.

You rolled back on the couch, heaving with laughter at the simple but funny reaction. Your eyes scrunched with mirth as an ungraceful snort left your mouth before you were able to recover, shoulders still shaking as you righted yourself. Looking back at the tank, your expression was bright with humor, cheeks red from the laughter.

"Oh come on, it was a kiss Dabi, it wouldn't have hurt you. " You made your way in front of him and crouched to his level. "Alright, I'm sorry for scaring you, but hey, payback's a *****. "

A broad smirk formed as you watched him flick his tongue in annoyance. "If that startled you so much, maybe I'll just have to spend more time with you so you're used to my antics."

He watched incredulously as you dragged a chair to the table his tank rested on and settled on it, watching him with elbows on your knees and chin resting in your palms.

"There. Now we can get to know each other. I'm afraid we got off on the wrong foot. " You gave a little bow from the chair before straightening. "I, am (y/n). I moved here from America, and my quirk is the ability to resist other quirks."

He slid to the front of the tank, interested in any information he could glean from this strange encounter. You were the only one he could interact with, so he might as well know a bit about you to use against you later if he ever turned human again.  

'Now what, huh? You can't understand what I'm saying so you look pretty stupid right now. ' he spoke, but only hisses reached your ears. You pretended to listen intently regardless.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Dabi. What's that? You're from here in Japan? Well, I must say, my accent is atrocious compared to you." You laughed, winking conspiratorily. "And what's your quirk? Spitfire? Do tell what that's like."

'You are by far the strangest person I have ever met and if we met when I was human, I'd squish you like a bug. And what's with the nickname being my quirk? animals don't have quirks, idiot.'

Not for the first time, Dabi wished he had arms again. He had to settle for flicking his tail with annoyance rather than punching the glass as he would have preferred. Still, you kept talking, oblivious to his annoyance.

'Spitfire huh? What name fits you then? I could just call you bug. You're annoying like one. Firefly then. You're obnoxiously sunny and useless.'

He smirked to himself, proud of his choice, and let you ramble on. The conversation was all about you and your job and favorite heroes. Everything and more than he wanted to know was shared with him. Still, it was better entertainment than staring at the tank in silence so he was grateful for it in a small measure. He didn't realize how intently he had been listening until you stopped. He straightened as he heard your voice waver for the first time in the half-hour you had been talking to him. Turning his reptilian eyes to you, you had changed demeanor completely. You had gotten to the family section of your story. Inhaling and pushing forward, you forced a fake smile that made his heart twist in something he told himself was disgust rather than sympathy.

"I have family, I suppose. I mean, they're still alive that is. But... Since I decided to move, they don't want anything to do with me," you cleared your throat, having not really taken time to talk aloud about it and process it fully and getting more choked up than you thought you would. "They think I'm an idiot for leaving. Considering my quirk, they thought I might as well not have one. They didn't think it was safe for me here and that it was a betrayal to leave them for my own dreams rather than their expectations."

You weren't looking at the tank anymore, instead focusing on the pale carpet at your feet, trying to distract from the feeling of hurt that had filled you so suddenly.

"They uh, they wanted me to be a hero. " A humorless smile flitted across your face briefly. "Their quirks were quirk paralysis and forcefield. They thought I would get some ability that could be used to save people. But no... I can only save myself. And that's only if they attack me with a quirk. I can still get hurt from falls, weapons, all that fun stuff. I disappointed them. Because I was born wrong, I took away their dreams of being a good child." You swallowed thickly, blinking hard to suppress the stinging in your eyes as angry and hurt tears filled them.

Dabi watched, transfixed by this girl who was so similar yet so different. Yet with all you had gone through, you hadn't turned bitter You still liked heroes despite your inability to join them. You were not what he expected and he suddenly didn't want you to stop talking. He needed to know more. Unfortunately for him, you were emotionally drained and had gone quiet.

Standing, you wiped your eyes with the heels of your palms before offering him a watery smile, trying to mask any hint of the sadness that had just consumed you.

"Kind of went off the deep end there! sorry about that. it's getting late, so I'll let you sleep. "

Before he could make any move or sound to protest, you had vanished into your room, the light switched off and plunging the room into darkness.

~~~~~~~~~

Ever since that day when you talked to Dabi, he had been friendlier to you. It was subtle at first, and you had to pay close attention to notice any difference. Dabi was less hesitant to spend time with you and as time went on, he became comfortable with you handling him. Now, months after taking him into your care, he was always with you around the house. He was still a jerk and nipped you on occasion, but he never broke skin anymore.

He had taken to riding around on your shoulders, wrapped loosely there with his head resting on your collar bone. You would continue about your day with him resting there, occasionally you would reach up and stroke him. You talked with him often, having one-sided conversations as you cooked, whispering to him conspiratorily as you commented on the various actors on tv. Once you even took him to the store with you without realizing it. It wasn't until the cashier nearly screamed that you realized you had forgotten to put him back in his tank. You could have sworn he was laughing at you on the way home, hiss coming out in disjointed little huffs.

Dabi was, of course, amused by your mistake. He wrapped himself around your neck, applying light pressure as if to remind you that he was in fact still there as you hurried home. 'I was wondering how long it would take for you to realize. I didn't think you would actually make it to the store, firefly. How unobservant can you be, I'm a five-foot snake.' He tickled the base of your throat with his tongue, grinning to himself as you shuddered.

"Hey! Stop that, you wouldn't want me to drop you. I promise the pavement is not as forgiving as the carpet in my apartment." You gently pushed his head away, tucking him into the hood on your jacket.

Your shoe caught on a rock as you passed an alleyway, briefly causing you to stumble. You nearly sent Dabi flying from his place on your shoulder.

"Hah! See? Careful." laughing, you settled him back in place, patting him goodnaturedly

'real graceful there, firefly. Trying to seduce the pavement?  Because you almost kissed it. I could do better and I don't even have legs.' As much as he teased, he couldn't help but be endeared to your clumsiness.

"careful there, girlie. That could have been a bad fall. Wouldn't want to get that pretty face marked up."

You whipped your head around and looked owlishly at the man who had spoken. He was in the alleyway beside you, leaning against the brick with a cigarette. He watched you lazily, eyes trailing over you with something akin to appraisal.

Stepping back, you gave a tight nod and a forced chuckle.

"Yeah, really lucky there. um," Shifting uncomfortably, your eyes darted towards home before hurriedly returning to the mystery man, not sure you wanted to let him out of your sight, "I'll just be going now, can't keep my boyfriend waiting." You ducked your head and swiftly kept walking, the feeling of his eyes following you leaving a gross slimy feeling crawling up your spine.

Once you were out of range and you couldn't feel his gaze again, you took off for home. Your hands went to your throat, holding Dabi steady as you sprinted. When you arrived at the apartment, your breathing was heavy and punctuated by the occasional gasp. Dabi could feel your pulse fluttering against his side frantically. Once you were inside, you dropped your bags and whipped the door shut. Fumbling with the locks, you didn't relax until all of them were secured tightly. You rested your forehead against the wood, heaving quietly as you tried to relax and give the adrenaline a chance to wear off.  You wouldn't have reacted like this normally, but something about that man had activated your fight or flight response.

Dabi watched you carefully, not admitting that he was concerned by that display. Stretching out to get a better look at you, he was relieved when your eyes found his form and focused on him rather than the blank distance you had been occupied with before.

"Sorry about that Spitfire, I bet that was a wild ride." Standing, you slid off your jacket and carefully unwound him from your neck, "And hopefully, you will never have to experience that ever again."

Dabi curled around your arm, his weight a comfort that helped ground you as you calmed. Setting him down on the counter, you turned your attention to the bags you had abandoned by the door.

"What do you think that was about?" You wrinkled your nose in distaste, as you remembered the man. You didn't like how he looked at you, " I think I lost him, so we should be alright."

You focused on putting the groceries away and started rambling about the movie you were looking forward to that was in production.

"Oh you would love it, it has my favorite actress in it and I always liked the story. I can't wait to see what direction they take with it."

You looked back at the snake as if to ask his opinion before nodding sagely.

"Ah yes, I agree, they might absolutely ruin the storyline by adding an unnecessary romantic subplot."

Dabi mentally rolled his eyes at your antics. he may act like it didn't affect him, but he quite enjoyed it when you talked to him. You treated him like a trusted friend. He adored when you smiled at him. Throughout his life, he had never had anyone smile at him as you did. You looked at him like he was the most important thing in your life and if he were human, he probably wouldn't be able to conceal the awed expression that would follow just one of your smiles.

He listened intently as you worked, mind wandering as he thought of what would change if he were human. He'd get to see your cute annoyed pout more often, that'd be for sure. He would tease you mercilessly, but he knew you would respond in kind, probably teasing him back and poking fun right back.

Still, it was better this way, at least in his mind. This way, he could actually be around you without scaring you off. His burns would likely intimidate you if his reputation as a villain didn't. No, he was better off as a snake. Maybe it was selfish to pine after you this way, but he wouldn't have to face your true reaction to him this way. The possibility of actually being able to be with you as a human and you rejecting him was not something he would be willing to face. He supposed being a snake had that small advantage. You would never know what an awful person he was and leave him, to never grace him with that annoyed look or that silly nickname. Besides, he couldn't care about you, not really. He told himself that he didn't have emotions anymore. Those feelings died the same night Touya did.

He was pulled from his thoughts when you picked him off the counter, carefully coiling him around your arm. You placed a quick kiss on the top of his head before you lowered him into his tank. Laughing, you tried to slide him off your arm, amused by his reluctance to let go.

"Dabi, let me go! I gotta go to bed!"

You succeeded in removing him from your hand before bidding him goodnight, not bothering to close the tank as he always managed to escape anyway. He watched you go, only averting his eyes when you passed from his view. Settling down to rest, he briefly let himself think of what happened next. Maybe Dabi died too. When he became a snake, he couldn't return to being human, he couldn't return to being Dabi. Maybe this version of him, this one could be allowed to love. From afar of course. He sighed and focused on your door, letting himself drift as he surrendered to sleep.

~~~~~~~~

Work had been difficult today. You were relieved to put up your apron as your shift ended. the day actually reminded you of the day you had stumbled across the pet store. That day, while awful in the beginning, became one of the best days of your life. If it hadn't been for the difficulties of the day and the need to stay late, you wouldn't have had to brave the store and find that amazing pet store. You smiled to yourself as you reminisced on that day and finding Dabi. The thought of getting back to your apartment lifted your spirits and you were quick to clock out and leave work. There was a spring in your step as you followed the familiar route home, mind full with a plan forming of how you were going to spend your evening with your best friend and pet.

Unfortunately, your happy mood was exactly what got you in trouble. You hadn't been paying as much attention as you should have been, mind focused too much on what came next than on your surroundings. Before you knew it, a hand reached out from the alley you had rightly fled the day before. The man from before tugged you harshly into his chest, hand clasped tightly to your mouth while the other held a knife to your throat.

"We meet again, girlie. Now just be real quiet for me and you'll be alright. "

Your blood ran cold as you listened to his commands, following him into the shadows as he led you further away from the safe and welcoming light of the street. It disappeared along with your hope as he pulled you harshly along. He led you through a maze of alleyways and shortcuts for what felt like forever. A dilapidated warehouse rose in front of you and he harshly tugged you inside the dingy building. You wanted to fight, but he wasn't using a quirk. You could survive a knife to the throat if it was a quirk controlling it, but a plain mugging? You were still vulnerable. You felt your heart sink when he removed his hand. He didn't trust you, so that meant he was confident any sound you made would not reach any ears that mattered.

"What do you want from me? I'm no one special, I'm not useful to you, why would you take me?" You searched his face frantically, looking for some explanation.

He laughed and pushed you into a chair, attaching your wrists behind it with a rope. The practiced movement made you grit your teeth as you realized that the ease of it meant you weren't the first he'd done this to. Biting down fear, you glared at him.

"Let me go! What are you planning with me?" You spit your words, the fear fading to anger at the horrible man. You pulled against the rope as he stepped away but it held tight.

"You, my dear, are going to be a beautiful addition to my collection," you craned your neck as he circled you, that same wrongness from that first day insisting that you keep him in your vision.

"you see, my quirk allows me to identify the quirks of others. The more powerful it is, the more vague the details I get, but yours is fascinating."

Leaning forward, he grabbed your chin and forced you to look at him, eyes dancing with amusement at the anger and uncertainty that shone in your expression.

" I can't see your quirk. But... You're not quirkless. Tell me," he squeezed your cheeks, amused expression turning dark, "What are you hiding from me, girlie? I have quite a few buyers who would be interested in a pretty young thing like you, but I need to see if you're worth my time."

Narrowing his eyes, he let your chin go and stepped back.

"Tell me your quirk or I'll have to mark up that pretty frame. I don't like to resort to torture, but I assure you, I am well-practiced in it. "

You clenched your jaw and lifted your chin, eyes sparking in defiance.

"You'll be caught. The heroes will find us. I'm sure of it. You will be found." Your gaze faltered slightly as he erupted into laughter at your expense.

"Silly girlie, the heroes won't find you here. And if they do, I'll be long gone by then. No one knows to look for you, you're all alone, and if you don't cooperate, you'll scream and no one but me will get to hear the pretty sound." After checking your bindings one last time, he smirked at you and unceremoniously tied a gag in your mouth. "How about I let you think about what happens next, see if some time alone will make you more responsive." And just like that, he walked away, leaving you in the center of the cold warehouse, tied to a chair.

Once he was out of sight, you frantically fought to free yourself, crying out as you rubbed your wrists raw in an effort to slip them free of the rope. Unfortunately, they held true and tight.  You bowed your head after what felt like hours of struggling and let yourself rest, building up strength for what could be a fruitless fight.

~~~~~~~~

Dabi waited less than patiently for you to come home from work. You were late and he was not pleased in the slightest. He slid around the bottom of his tank, glancing back at the door every few seconds. He worked his jaw irritably, frustration growing with each moment that passed. You were supposed to be here and he didn't like the breach in routine.

The room grew dark as the sun traveled across the sky, vanishing behind the horizon along with Dabi's anger. The frustration that had been building in the pit of his stomach had soured. Now worry was his prevalent feeling. You had never stayed out this late before. He slipped out of his cage You never latched it anymore because he was always escaping anyway. slipping onto the floor, he made his way through the house, wondering if he had somehow missed you coming home in the first place. Alas, there was no sign of you and as he tasted the air, he could find no trace of you.

Worry ate at him as the hour grew later and later. Thoughts of possible outcomes flooded his mind with unpleasantness. His frantic thoughts slowed when the sun peeked into the living room. Any doubt that something was wrong was gone. he growled and threw his small body at the door, furious that he could do nothing. 'She's in trouble and I'm useless! I can't just sit around and do nothing! The woman I love is in danger somewhere and I'm a ******* snake!'

The anger in him boiled in his veins and he felt odd. With a loud pop, his gaze was now level with the doorknob rather than the bottom of the door. He blinked slowly as he took stock of what just happened. He was human again. He grimly took stock of himself, making sure all features were accounted for before realizing the implications of being human again. He had been thinking about you when he transformed, how much he needed to be human again to help you. He waved away the thought with irritation. He wasn't ready to believe you had broken the quirk's effect on him like some ******** fairy tale curse. Still, thinking on this brought him back to the matter at hand.

He searched your apartment for clothes before bolting out the door. He searched all the places you talked about, looking for clues to your whereabouts.

His search had lasted all morning and he was getting desperate as the evening approached with no real solution. He ducked into an alleyway before pausing. He recognized this place... This is where you had tripped just the day before last. He had been focused on you then, but he remembered that a man had talked to you here. Dabi thought of how terrified you had been and hoped you weren't scared now, where ever you were. About to give up on this section of the city, he nearly tripped outside the alleyway. He kicked the object in anger and it ricocheted off the brick and pelted him in the leg. He felt his mouth grow dry in horror when he noticed exactly what the object was. It was your nametag from work.

Picking it up, his fears were confirmed as he looked it over. You had been taken by the man from the alleyway. A deep growl of anger escaped him and he had to tuck the nametag into his pocket for fear of incinerating it in his anger. He turned quickly and strode back into the street. Hopefully, Giran was available because he had a favor to cash in. He would locate the man who took his little firefly, and if they had harmed you... well, only ash would remain when he was done.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You glared at your captor through tired eyes, eyes stinging from the punch you had received after insulting him.

"Now really, all I want is a measly bit of information. Your quirk, what is it."

You closed your eyes and relaxed your expression before giving him a weary look. Bowing your head, you mumbled under your breath.

Taishi, as he had introduced himself, stepped forward to hear better. "What was that? Speak up."

You repeated your words, quiet still. It was spoken as if you lacked the strength to speak louder. Growling in annoyance, he leaned closer to hear.

Inhaling deeply, you waited until he was close, " I said... **** YOU!" You screamed at him, kicking him between the legs with all the force you could muster. As he fell to the ground, your chair tipped over from the force of the kick and your vision swam as your head bounced on the floor.

Taishi rose, venom in his gaze as he kicked you sharply in the stomach, glowering in rage as you yelped.  

"You could have done this the easy way, but no! You just had to be a *****!" He readied a blade as he stood over your prone body.

You slammed your eyes shut in preparation for the pain, but it never came. There was the sound of fire coming to life, and an uncomfortable stream of hot air brushed over you accompanied by a horrid stench and the screams of your captor.

Daring to open your eyes, you were met with a strange sight. A man you had never seen before stood above your captor, his hands aglow with a blue flame. Covered in burns and staples, there was no question in your mind who it must be, the villain Dabi.

Once he was certain Taishi was not going to get up again, he turned to you. His turquoise eyes locked onto yours and you could see fury burning in them. But as he looked you over, they softened a bit, and concern mixed with the anger. As he approached, you tried to scoot backward away from him, a whimper escaping unbidden.

Dabi froze at your obvious fear. He regarded you for a moment as he tried to figure out what to do. He was furious, but he knew you needed him calm instead if you were to trust him. Closing his eyes, he extinguished his hands and held them up in a placating gesture.

"Shh... It's okay firefly, I'm not going to hurt you." He hated that you looked at him with such fear. You had blood running down your face, lip obviously split from a punch, and various bruises and cuts on your arms added to your pitiful state. Still, you were strong, and he knew that if he didn't diffuse the situation, you would try to fight.

"Are you alright, firefly? Anything broken?" He scanned you for pressing injuries relieved to find nothing too major. He knelt on the floor beside you as you strained to look back at him, still freaked out and confused.

"What are you doing? Why are you here? What do you want from me?" your questions were rushed as you tried to make sense of what was happening. You hissed in pain and closed your eyes tightly as he freed your wrists, fresh blood welling from the raw skin as the rope agitated it one last time. You were weaker than you wanted to admit, but it didn't seem like the villain was going to do anything.

Dabi tossed the chair away and gently pulled you onto your back, cradling your upper body in his lap as blue eyes scanned over your face. His shoulders sagged in relief and he pulled you close.

" Don't you ever scare me like that again, idiot!" He scooped you up and walked out of the warehouse with purpose before shouting for someone named Kurogiri.

You clutched him in panic as a dark void opened in front of you and you both vanished inside you screaming as you tucked your face into his shoulder.

Dabi rolled his eyes as he stepped out of the matching portal in your apartment.

"Stop screaming, you'll get a noise complaint." He carried you into your room and laid you on the bed before disappearing to get a first aid kit while you glanced around in shocked bewilderment.

"But, how? Home, and the dark, and you're a villain. " This day had sucked, and you were fairly certain you were having a mental breakdown. "What is going on?" You wailed, dropping your head into your hands as your head pounded.

"I brought you home, firefly. Also, I'm you're pet snake. Surprise. Now sit still so I can patch you up." He plopped down on the bed beside you and immediately began tending to your wounds while all you could do was stare in disbelief.

"You're insane. Or I'm dead. I suppose those are both viable options." Still, something about his words rang true.

"If you're actually Dabi, my snake, what's something only he would know?"

Dabi rolled his eyes and fixed you with a scowl but stayed quiet in thought as he contemplated an answer. You searched his gaze, almost challenging him to say something to prove he wasn't crazy.

You jumped when he grabbed your hand. His thumb traced a familiar pattern on the inside of your palm that he identified without even looking at it.

"Right there, Is where I, your 'Spitfire' as you called me... bit you during the first week I was here." He watched your eyes widen and continued when you stayed silent. "You also told me your whole life story, but I figure you've been through enough today without me recounting all the parental disappointment you've told me about. Now, are you going to let me fix you up or not?" He quirked an eyebrow in a movement that you recognized from his time as your pet. He had tilted his head a little bit, his tell when he was annoyed. Or at least, it was what you had told yourself when you still thought he was just an animal.

You swallowed and reached out, hand cupping his cheek gently, mindful of the staples. You watched his eyes cycle through various stages of panic, as well as affection and fear as he kept a calm and cocky facade to all who didn't know him as well as you did.

"You're really him. You're my spitfire?" He nodded, watching you uncomfortably as you searched his face. He waited for your verdict, where you rejected him outright and drew away. Instead, you leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips before pulling back shyly.

"You saved my life. Thank you, Dabi. I know you're a villain, but.... You were my hero today."

He debated keeping up his facade before saying to heck with it. He pulled you into a fierce kiss, all his worry and relief and love pouring over you as he held you tight. You relaxed into the embrace, kissing back as you let him tell you how he really felt. Pulling away when you needed air, a breathy giggle escaped when you bumped noses.

His smile was one of the most beautiful sights you had ever seen and you were looking forward to learning what had happened to put such a mysterious and amazing man in your life.

He shushed you as you moved to ask, shaking his head tiredly. "After, my firefly. Let's get your injuries tended to first, then I'll tell you everything."

Taglist:

@witch-o-memes

@nightlygiggless

@ravensfeatheruniverse

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Painted Windows 18/End

Masterlist

Warnings: violence, trauma, allusions to abuse, noncon, isolation, torture, suicide attempts and thoughts, further tags to be added.

This is dark!Bucky and a side of Steve and explicit. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: Standing still isn’t being trapped.

Note: So I finished this series. I’m sad to say goodbye to our Dora and all that I’ve put her through, but I hope you guys enjoyed the ride.

<3 Thank you. Love you guys!

Please leave some feedback, like and reblog <3 Let me know your thoughts.

Goosebumps spread over your body as the blanket shifted. The large hand slipped beneath the duvet and tickled along your spine. You giggled as the thick fingers squeezed your hip and turned you on to your side. Hot breath brushed around your neck, encasing you as Bucky did the same.

He lifted your leg and pushed it back over his. Gentle, softly, he felt around blindly and grumbled into your hair. He entered you easily. You were always ready for him, always open to him. He inhaled as he impaled you completely and basked in the sensations that had him breathless. His arm swept up your front and his metal hand cupped your chest.

“Morning, Sugar,” his voice gristled as he began to rock, your body moved easily with his.

“Morning,” you rasped as your breath hitched. You arched your back and leaned into his motion. Your body moved with his long, even thrusts.

“Love you, sugar,” he purred and nibbled the back of your ear. “You love me.”

You bit your lip and blinked. You stared at the wall as you grasped the corner of the pillow. His other hand slipped beneath you and he began to play with your clit. The cloying coil began to wind. You nodded desperately as you watched the tinted window.

“Yes,” you quivered as you watched a dove land just outside on the slant of the roof. “I love you, Bucky.”

“Mmm, sugar,” he purred as he kept on, using you without protest.

You felt the steady incline of your climax. You floated higher and higher as air filled your chest and made your dizzy. Tendrils stretched along your thighs and your skin buzzed. The tears wobbled at the corners of your eyes and you exclaimed as you came. You closed your eyes to hold back the deluge.

The door opened again and the flickering bulb lit up. The bars made that horrible clatter as they were pushed inward. You crossed your arms and bit the heel of your hand. You knew what was coming. It was the same every time. 

Steve’s hand would grab your shoulder and he’d force you onto your back. You’d given up trying to keep your legs closed, instead splaying for his wants. The sooner he began, the sooner it was over.

But it wasn’t the warm grip of your fallen saviour, it was the cold metal touch of your warden. You clenched your jaw and wove your fingers together as if to pray. Your body shook in fear. He hadn’t entered the cell at all since your arrival; he just watched and gave his orders. Taunted you and reproached you for your wrongs.

You let him push you flat but kept your eyes averted. You looked at the stone ceiling, that same dip in the mortar you knew so well. His fingers went to your chin and he bent so that his nose wasn’t far from your own.

“Look at me, sugar,” he growled. You whimpered and obeyed. His blue eyes were frightening as they glowed even his shadow. “Do you know how long you’ve been down here?”

You frowned. You didn’t understand his question. How long? What did it matter? It didn’t make a difference to you. You shook your head as much as you could and his hand fell to your throat. He traced the line of it. You clung to the edge of the cot as you tried to brace for what came next.

“Do you want to go?” He asked. 

Your eyes rounded and welled. This was some sick game to him. You shook your head again. 

“I belong down here,” you croaked and grabbed his wrist. You stretched your hands across his and pushed it firm against your throat. “Please…”

He stared at your hand on his. At the subtle plea for the end. He tilted his head and drew away. His hands went to his hips and he paced the tight space. The scar on your thigh grazed the other and you felt the stark outline of the five points. He spun back to you.

“Move over,” he neared again and pointed to the end of the cot. 

You sat up, stiffly. Your muscles were cramped from inactivity and your repeated use. You huddled in the corner as Bucky sat at the foot of the mattress. You smelled of sweat and the filth of your neglect. You were just an animal in a cage.

Bucky tilted into you over and over. His groans crowded in your ears and you turned your face to the pillow. Your walls clenched around him as he continued to play with your bud. You were soon whining and writhing again, pushing against him as your thighs spasmed. You panted and puffed wildly.

His arm lowered to your waist and he turned on to to his back, taking you with him. He stayed inside of you and dug his heels into the mattress as he kept his rhythm. He pressed his hand to your cunt, spreading his fingers around his dick as he fucked you. The heel of his hand rested on your clit and you moaned helplessly.

His heavy breaths dampened your scalp as he inhaled your scent and you felt him getting close. He brought himself to his base and relented only to do it again. Several long strokes as his voice stormed and stuttered. His arm tensed around you and then, at once, you felt every muscle in his body slacken.

He stilled you a top him. You laid limp and languid as you stared at the ceiling. His heart hammered against your back. Your own raced but the adrenaline did little but dull your nerves further. You came down quickly and waited. You didn’t dare move away from him, even as he went soft inside of you and fell out.

“So, sugar, what are we doing today?” He asked.

“You remember the room?” He said carefully. You nodded and trembled. “You remember… you were happy there?” He looked at you and his jaw twitched.

You lowered your eyes. Happy? You smiled but it wasn’t a real smile. It was bitter and sad. You did remember. You had started to remember. 

The woman in the front seat, the young girl in the field of flowers. Your mother, your sister… You’d been walking home to see them when you were taken. Your phone bounced on the pavement as you fought with the man but the trunk shut out the world and then the cell, then the pain, and the years of darkness.

Then Bucky.

You swallowed your tears and raised your eyes to meet his. Your mother was out there, free, and your sister too. Maybe without you but you imagined they were safe. That made you happy. They wouldn’t want you to give in, they’d want you to survive, even if it meant suffering.

“Very,” you lied and leaned against the wall. “Were you… happy?”

“Yeah, I… we can be happy again, sugar,” he said softly as he reached out to touch your ankle. “You know we can.”

“I know.” You whispered. “I want to be…”

Silence. You sat and pressed your palms to your cheeks. They burned even as the rest of your body was frigid and fragile. He was waiting. He had been waiting; days, weeks, months, who knew?

“I’m…” your voice drifted off and you cleared the lump from your throat. You pushed away from the wall and moved closer to him, cautious as he watched you. His brows twitched as you did. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” He repeated.

“I, uh,” you rubbed your hands together. Your entire body was a pit collapsing in on itself. “I don’t love Steve. I didn’t, ever. I didn’t know what I felt…” you reached to him, past his metal hand and took his real one, “I didn’t know what to feel even though you told me. I didn’t want to listen because I was scared.”

He gave a pained expression and watched your hand. He squeezed it then brushed you away. He slumped back against the wall and sighed. “How can I believe you, sugar?”

You watched him. He looked dully at the other wall and your lips parted then closed. You had to show him. You had to make him realise you couldn’t stay down here. If you did, you’d be lost; to him, to yourself.

You stood and stepped between his legs. You bent and kissed him, a hand on his shoulder. He was still at first but slowly, he responded. He let your tongue past as your hand crept down his stomach and you clutched his belt. He rumbled and grabbed your wrist. You pulled back to look him in the face.

“Sugar?” He said.

“I love you,” your voice was detached, distant. “Please, let me show you…”

“I love you, too,” he grabbed the back of your neck and crushed his lips against yours. 

“What do you mean?” You asked Bucky as his hands ran up and down your body, chest, stomach, thigh; back and forth but you felt nothing.

“You’ve been so good.” He hummed. “Should we go for a walk? Or watch a movie?”

You blinked and put your hands on his, twining your fingers in his to still his touch.

“A walk?” The word was brittle, barely spoken.

“I think you’re ready, sugar,” he rolled you down onto the mattress. “Do you think you’re ready?”

You sat up and squirmed as his cum leaked from you. It was uncomfortable but familiar. You had learned well to bear it.

“I…” You took a breath. 

“It’ll be winter again soon.” He said. “Once it snows, we won’t be able to go out.”

You lowered your lashes. You thought of how you’d run from Steve, with Steve. Both times you ended up back there in that room. That was over. You weren’t that girl. You weren’t lost anymore.

“I think I am.” You smiled; that same sore smile. Fake. Fraught. Forced.

“Good,” he turned his back to you and stood. His strength was corded through every inch of his figure; a contrast to your lack of. “There is one thing.”

He went to his jacket, hung over the back of a chair. He dug around in the pocket. As he turned back, you noticed he wasn’t as soft as before. He had an odd looking cuff; it matched the dark metal of his arm, the same gold ripples along the edges.

“Give me your hand,” he said as he planted a knee on the mattress.

You crawled to him and held your arm out dully. Just another bar on your invisible cell. He clasped the cuff around your wrist; it was snug, so much so it didn’t move; perfectly fit. You would not be able to slip it off over your fingers, even if you cut them off.

“In case you get lost,” he said. “Better safe…” he paused and cradled your face, “than sorry.”

You nodded and looked at it as if it was a shining diamond. “It’s pretty.” You said.

“Like you, sugar.” He squared his shoulders and turned away. “Let’s get cleaned up,” his voice was strained as he neared the bathroom. He peeked back over his shoulder. “You coming?”

“Y-yes,” you stood and nearly tripped. “I’m good. I’ll be good.” You flitted over to him. “Am I good?”

“Am I good?” You puffed as you worked against Bucky, pushing his shoulders to the wall. “Am I good?”

You repeated the question over and over as your breath hurried in time with your breath. You were frantic. You needed out. You needed him to believe you. You needed him to say…

“Yes, you’re good. So good,” he held your hips and guided you. “You’re good, sugar. So sweet…”

He threw his head back and gritted his teeth. You bent and kissed him as you kept your pelvis moving. You gripped his head between your hands and molded his body to yours. Make him believe. Make him believe you were god. You were his sugar. You were Dora.

He would never know the truth. Ever. He’d never know your name. That was yours. Your name… you remembered it. You remembered! You remembered who you were! And you would never be his.

Make him believe. The words echoed in your head as you watched the water trickle down his chest. He leaned his head back into the stream and the errant drops bounced off your skin. You reached and dragged your hands down his torso. You stepped closer as he looked at you and drew you to him.

“Can we go to the river?” You asked. 

“Wherever you want, sugar,” he held you to him. “Remember what I said.”

“I remember,” you swayed with him, “Stay close…”

“Mmhmm,” he felt along your back, “If you follow the rules, we’ll go again tomorrow.”

You smiled. This time not for him, but for you. You thought of the sunshine and the smell of grass and dirt. You thought of the last days of autumn and the falling leaves. You thought of the highway and the cars passing by. You retraced the road Steve had taken into the city.

Be good and one day, he’d believe you were. 

One day...

...

END

[teamxdark]

They say the pen is mightier than the sword...

My Dearest Arthur,

Today, as I was heading back to the castle, Galahad stopped me. He pointed out a bird, small and blue like the sky, drinking from a puddle on the ground. We both stopped, watching it as it drank its fill, stretched its wings, and flew away.

It made me think of you.

My love, you try so hard to be the best leader for us all. You do it without complaint, struggling with the problems of a populace, making the decisions that a lesser being wouldn't dare consider. I know how much this burden crushes you, but all the same, I cannot for the life of me think of anyone more worthy than you to hold such power.

I have heard the complaints of those who disagree with your choices. They throw about opinions without care for consequences. They know nothing of the thought you put into every decision you make, and every time I hear some scoundrel run their mouth about how they would do better than you, I feel the urge to silence them, with my words or my blade, I care not which.

The things you do to me, my love...

Yes, you are the most worthy king, of that, I am certain, but you are also the most deserving of the freedom you crave. I see it, Arthur. I see the way you stare out the window, into the sky, beyond the clouds, with such profound longing that I know and understand all too well. It is enough to make a man weep.

...I have wept, I must admit. For you, and over you. If I could grant you your freedom, I would do so in a heartbeat, even if it meant that you would be gone, leaving like that bird, flying away without a backwards glance and never looking back. My grief at your absence would only be assuaged by the knowledge that you are finally unburdened. That you are happy.

Sometimes, I like to imagine that you take me with you. I imagine your hand in mine, and your smile reaching your eyes, the portrait of joy that should never have left your face, and I follow you, just as I have vowed, to the ends of the earth and into the world beyond this life.

I know it is selfish. I know it is impossible. You, Arthur, are the most selfless man I know. I have seen you grow over many years, becoming more and more responsible with time and experience. It is I who has become selfish. It is I who indulges these fantasies of taking you away to bask in your brilliance that I can never get enough of. But you could never betray your people. You could never say yes to a premature freedom. You will not be king forever, and this we both know, and you are willing to wait for the end of your reign while I still imagine ripping you from this life without a care for those that remain behind.

My desires are inconsiderate, not just to you, but to everything you've worked for. To everyone who needs you. To those who need me, too.

I shall never be worthy of you, Arthur, but my heart shall never beat for anyone else in the way it does for you.

Forever yours,

Lancelot

...

Darling Arthur,

Do you remember when we were young? Do you remember when we were but boys, training until we were collapsed on the ground, day after day?

Do you remember the first time you called me 'Lance'?

I hated it back then. I warned you to never call me anything but 'Lancelot' again, for it was my name. It was the name my mother had given me, my mother who saved me and chose me before I even knew how to walk. My name was my link to her, an important part of my identity and my proof of being wanted.

I was, truly, a stupid child.

Now, I treasure the name you gave to me. I do not allow anyone else to use it. 'Lance' is the name you bestowed upon me, a name to signify our own link, our bond... one so close that it makes me dizzy with happiness when I remember just how much we mean to each other. I now hold that name close to my heart, next to my mother's 'Lancelot' and my son's 'Father'.

It pains me that I do not have such a name to give you, my love, save for the endearments in these letters that I shall never send. Yet I never miss how blissful you look when I call you by your given name. You appear unhappy by 'Your Majesty'. You appear troubled by 'my liege'. You appear vexed by 'Sire'.

And so, when I am able, I call you by your name. I call you my friend, so that you know that I love you and that you mean the world to me. You always have, even before my feelings shifted into what they are now.

I see you smile and it is as if I have been struck by lightning. I hear you laugh and I fear I might swoon. If I do even one thing to make you happy, I feel as though I am walking on air, and I wish to do it again, and again, and again, over and over, endless until you never know pain again.

Arthur, the way I feel for you consumes me, like a fire that will never go out. My feelings scorch me, leaving burns and scars that will never fully go away, hidden on the inside where you will never see them. You will never truly know just how deeply this arrow from Cupid's bow has pierced me... I dare say he's emptied his quiver on me, for the mere thought of life without you, without your smile, your warmth, your brilliance, your bravery, your understanding, without you and everything that you are...

I don't dare tell you about these newer feelings of mine. I know you, and I know you will not treat me any different if my particular type of love for you does not match that of yours for me, but my head is clouded by fear. I cannot stop imagining that you shall become uncomfortable in my presence, that you will hold me away at arm's length, that you will look for someone else to court in an attempt to help me move on... All the possibilities are so painful, Arthur. I would rather nothing changed, even though I know my fear is irrational. I should believe in our bond, trust in our friendship, rely on the knowledge that you would never push me away...

I am a coward, my love. To be called the Ultimate Knight feels like a joke, for I am so afraid that I cannot listen to the logic in my own head. My strength of body means nothing if my strength of mind is as fragile as glass.

Yet, even as I long for something different in my relationship with you, I cannot say that I am unhappy with what I do have with you. Perhaps this, too, is why I will not speak these words nor send these letters, for what I already have with you, such a close, personal friendship, is more than I can ask for.

You have always been enough for me, Arthur.

Eternally yours,

Lancelot

...

Glorious Arthur,

I must apologize. I must, for I fear my mind is spinning out of my own control.

Every day I think of you. Every morning when I wake up, every night as I go to sleep, in every spare moment of my life, you are in my waking thoughts.

You haunt my dreams, too. At all moments, it seems, my mind conspires against me. All I want is to be happy with what I have with you, but it appears my desires are only growing, not fading, with time, and they eat me alive with every passing day.

I imagine your forehead against mine, with your hands on my waist. You lift your head, kissing me once on each eyelid, and I feel weaker than I ever have in my life.

I imagine your hands, removing my armor so that they may rest upon me, touching my back, my shoulders, my chest, all areas that I keep guarded under steel and promises. You disarm me, and I allow it. My foolish heart wishes to be vulnerable before you, for I know I will always be able to trust you with myself.

I imagine the lightest touches on my arms, spreading like trails of fire as your fingers slide along my person, and I let myself be consumed.

I imagine your lips pressing to mine, and I lose the ability to breathe.

I imagine your eyes, looking into mine, glowing with care and love and happiness, and I drown without a second thought.

Sometimes I dream of things I dare not write down here, my sweet, for it makes my face burn and my heart race and all I want to do is apologize for thinking of you in such a way. It feels terrible, as though I am taking advantage of you in my thoughts, and I fear that one day you will discover the fantasies of my mind and feel discomfort or disgusted by me.

If I ever lost you, Arthur, I know my world would shatter, and I would never become whole again.

Apologetically yours,

Lancelot

...

Arthur,

I can't stand it. Today, I cannot stand it at all.

I feel desperate, like a caged animal. I feel my soul clawing at my body from within, needing to come out and indulge. My composure is in shambles, my mind is in disarray, and though you are not at fault, it is all because of you.

Arthur, I burn for you. My heart screams and cries out and it's painful. Every inch of me aches for the smallest touch, I long for the basest of acknowledgement from you, a look, a word, a smile, Chaos, anything! Just the thought of you giving me your attention sends me into a fit, and I know that even the brush of your arm against mine as you pass me in the corridor would be enough to bring me to ecstasy!

My head is pounding, my ears playing and replaying the sound of my name coming from your lips, and I crave it. I crave you, my love, and it has never been so powerful or so consuming before. I don't know what is wrong with me. I don't know why today is the day that I might go mad. I am afraid, Arthur. I am afraid that my need for you is pushing me to the brink of madness and that I will not be able to stop myself from jumping down into it.

Arthur, the love of my life, how can I even begin to fully describe this? I've written so much and yet it is only a crumb of what is flaring inside me. I think of you and I burn up. You are not an inferno, for that is a small candle compared to the one that burns inside me. You are nothing less than the sun in the sky, approaching me to incinerate me in an instant, but even that feels like a pale comparison today.

Arthur, I am deeply sorry, but I fear writing this is only making things worse. I must stop before I

...

My love,

My upcoming mission to Acorn Kingdom is fast approaching. Soon it will be time for me to depart. I hope that, when that day comes, you are not too busy to see me off.

I will miss you terribly while I am gone, but I take peace in knowing that I am doing this for Avalon, and for you. To make this world a better place, and for you to have one less thing to worry about.

It's pathetic, is it not? As a knight, I should be focusing on the best for my kingdom, as I vowed to when you first let Caliburn descend upon my shoulders and gave to me my title, and yet I know the truth.

It's for you, Arthur. It's always been for you.

...

In his study, the king shoves away the stack of letters, his face burning as a chorus of emotion swells within him, unable to take the guilt at having read so many of Lancelot's secret letters. His hands tremble as he searches around his desk for something to write with.

...

Dear Lancelot,

My wonderful Lancelot,

To Lance,

My dearest

Lance,

Please come see me when you have a moment to yourself. Do not be afraid.

Yours,

Arthur

[rachiesratirementhome]

Meet the new baby, Froggy! 🐸🥺🐀

Froggy is a bit different, she carries a spontaneous mutation which has terminated her spine right at the base of the tail: in other words, she's a Manx!

She was born in Queensland and came to the rescue with full documentation of her lines, so while Manx doesn't exist in the Australian fancy rat community currently, there are no concerns that she or her relatives come from outside the country.

She's a genetic 'pop-up', and she wasn't the first in her (now terminated) line, which means that her mutation is heritable, she could be bred to make more Manx.

Unfortunately, Manx animals come with a slew of health concerns. As usual, there isn't financial incentive for strong studies into the welfare of Manx mice and rats as pets, but googling "Manx cat" quickly turns up a list that matches what we've seen in mice: spina bifida, hind leg paralysis, bowel issues, spinal deformities, twisted pelvis... If the termination is too low, Manx mice are typically culled for their undesirable "piggy tails" while if they're too high, the babies die in utero and are reabsorbed, or die at birth.

I've been speaking with a lot of Manx mouse breeders over the past year after many Manx mice came into our care whilst supporting the RSPCA with a case. Many of them confirmed our worries about the health issues associated with the gene - a few said their Manx are "fine" but no-one had ever taken a Manx mouse to the vet for assessment.

To learn more, with the assistance of a former Manx mouse breeder who has since stopped breeding them because of what was found, we have cleaned the skeletons of several Manx mice from different sources, and the findings were horrific. Even many of those who looked structurally fine had spinal deformities, some mild and some extreme, you just can't see it from the outside.

Who knew a gene that messes with the spine could be a bad idea? 🙄

Do we want all of this added to the list of common causes for vet trips in our Australian rats? Hell no.

That cute little hamster bum might be sweet enough to make a breeder rich, but it's not worth the decrease in health and quality of life for the animals. No amount of profit or aesthetic is worth making an animal suffer, in our opinion. We'll never understand those who aim away from (or ignore) health and temperament - seeing how the #Pidgelets have suffered for those motives is enough for me.

Manx has popped up in Australian rats before, and it will again, that's just the nature of genetics.

Breeders in the past have found that breeding Manx together causes horrible deformities, and decided they shouldn't be bred or distributed, a decision I enormously respect. But eventually something will get into the hands of someone whose priorities stray far from health and temperament, and it will be the entropion patchworks all over again.

When that day comes we want to be as well informed and experienced as possible so we aren't playing catch-up on community education, so Froggy here is going to be an advocate for "just because we can, doesn't mean we should", and we'll work with our vet to get some imaging done and get a clearer picture of how her particular mutation has expressed AND how it affects her. Hopefully she's won the Manx roulette and is one of the good ones!

What is really exciting is that Froggy's previous owner decided to prioritise her health and happiness by ensuring that she wasn't made available to anyone who would see to breed her, for financial gain. Thats the "voting for animal welfare with your feet/dollars" that we advocate so hard for. Froggy could have been sold to someone whose priorities are to make money or brag. She could have been set up for a life of back to back litters in potential poor conditions with no opportunity for appropriate vet care or enrichment.

And I don't know about you...but I don't want the extra vet bills when the Manx hits the pet market. Respiratory conditions and tumours are expensive enough do deal with.

Instead Froggy was entrusted to our care, to live, eat, nap and enjoy her Ratirement as a community educator and valued resident. She is going to thrive in a life worth living!

On the topic of Froggy herself, she is an absolute darling and we are so in love with her. Because her balance isn't great, she doesn't want me to "fall out of the cage" and drags my hands into the cage like she's carrying a kitten, making sure I'm safely away from the edge when I say hello. She does it to the other rats too, but #Snack is quickly training her out of it.

She didn't know about pats or treats at first and didn't want to interact, but a couple of weeks in and she's running out to greet us and licking! She even slept on Chris for over an hour yesterday while the two napped on the couch together.

She's young, inquisitive, and gets along with the others, especially #Pibbles and #Delilah, who is living with my crew during her rehabilitation after that enormous tumour removal. This morning she tried chimken, she had no idea what it was, but after a tentative lick her whole face lit up like "oh hell yeah!"

We are so in love with her.

We wanted to give you all some context for why she is the way she is, and why she's nothing to be sought after, but also not something we should hide, because with education we can be one step ahead when this pops up again.

Look forward to more little Froggy bum! - Rachie

[passivenovember]

Try as We Might.

Harringrove April, Day Eighteen : Heatwave.

--

Billy’s grandpa taught him how to fight after the first time Neil hit hard enough to bruise.

It felt like a betrayal. 

He was still too young, then, to know that he’d be able to land a few punches of his own someday. When he grew tired of shouldering the brunt of things he couldn’t possibly carry. 

Grandpa Milton said it wasn’t Billy’s fault. Men grow restless in the heat. Bad men take detours toward violence when all the ice has gone from the bucket.

Pistol at the ready.

Billy had to decide if he wanted to be holding the gun or looking down a steel barrel.

Those were the words of a man born in a little town just west of the Missouri River. Spit between wads of tobacco, that smelled always of mint Julep, into the muggy air between them.

Bad men grow restless in the heat.

That was the truth. 

Written into history on stones carried down the mountain by every woman in his family tree. Grandpa Milton wasn’t a bad man. 

Rough around the edges. Hard in the middle, with things Billy could never wrestle free, and Billy wasn’t a bad man. 

He wasn’t like his father. 

Wasn’t restless. Wasn’t cruel.

But with that first push, his fists held in front of him, dodging the swing of a red punching bag as his knuckles kissed leather in a way that didn’t sting.

it was impossible to recognize the difference.

--

Joey is clutching a pair of Max’s leather gloves to his face when his head rounds the corner onto Holbrook street 

All Billy can see is red.

Sheets of it, covering bronzed, delicate skin where it hasn’t soaked through his tee-shirt.

Joey’s left hand slips on the worn, tattered handle of his bike. 

“Oh my god.” Steve drops the garden sheers, rushing to meet their nephew at the end of the driveway before Billy can register the movement. His hands are everywhere, prodding gently at Joey’s forehead, gingerly removing the wad of leather from his nose until.

Blood starts pouring down his chin.

Somewhere on the front steps Dawn is crying big, wet crocodile tears that could make flowers grow if she knew the way. 

Billy tells her to go inside. 

She doesn’t listen.

She takes his hand, instead, leading Billy down the scorching pavement toward something that feels cosmic. Life changing, in the crackling set of Joey’s shoulders when Steve says, “I don’t think it’s broken.”

His eyes are bright. 

Open flame against something uncontrolled. Burning where only Billy can see. He notices Joey’s knuckles. Cracked and bruised and hurting like hell by now, if memory serves.

He clicks his teeth. “What happened, kid?”

“Nothing.”

Steve wipes the blood on his pants, clearly in emergency mode. “It’s not nothing, you need ice and a fresh towel for that thing before the swelling gets too bad.”

“I’ll go get the first aid kit.” Dawn says. Sounding so.

Old.

Mature.

That Billy does a double take when she and Steve disappear into the house together, moving like the summer sun has really set everything ablaze. 

Like they’re running out of time.

Joey hasn’t stopped moving. Pacing up and down the mouth of the driveway, vans scraping over red-hot cement like a poker in fresh coals. A caged animal biding its time. 

Billy gestures to the front porch. “Want some lemonade?”

Joey doesn’t respond. 

“You know. If you wanna land a good punch, you gotta square your wrist.” Billy says, lighting a cigarette just to bide his own time, until. 

The kid cracks open. Spills the beans.

Joey turns on him, confused. “What?”

“Your wrist. Good hit’s all in those three bones. Leave it flopping around and you’ll hurt yourself pretty badly.”

“How do you know I--”

Billy looks at Joey’s hands, skin already turning dark blue from the fight. Ice cubes in a river. 

He raises his eyebrows. “Know a thing or two about taking hits.”

Joey snorts. “You own a ceramics shop.”

“So?”

“So, potters don’t fight, the fucking.” Joey moves the air in front of him, exasperated. “Preach abstinence. Healthy coping and talking things through. Y’know, violence doesn’t solve anything.”

It’s Billy’s turn to snort. “Yeah, fuck that.” He takes a pull from his cigarette, wiping the sweat from his brow. “I’m a bit of a goody-two-shoes now that I got a husband and a kid. A house and shit that I. Care about, but. Wasn’t always that way.”

He turns, meandering to the front porch.

Billy doesn’t have to look to know Joey is scrambling after him. 

“Mom said you used to be an asshole.”

“I was.”

“She said you didn’t used to be someone people wanted to know. Or mess with.” Joey sits on the front step, watching Billy out of the corner of his eye. “How come?”

Billy likes to imagine things as they are now, likes to pretend all the shit that happened before. Monsters and black rot and worlds inside this one--likes to pretend none of that existed. 

It was a bad dream. 

A side effect. Punishment, for who Billy was. Who he had to be if he wanted to survive. 

He thinks Joey is a little bit like that. Trying to get past his own skin, so.

“Did what I had to do.” 

Joey frowns. “What’s that mean?”

Billy shrugs. “To protect myself. From others, or protect them from me.” He takes another pull from his cigarette. “I used to be weak, y’know. Easy pickings because I was different than other kids my age.”

“Because you were gay?”

And. 

“Yeah.” Billy says softly. “Except I didn’t know it at the time, so when people said those things and called me shit and punched my fucking retainer down my throat for having a crush on Frankie Daimio, my only choice was to fight back.”

Joey nods. “I understand. The kids at school, they.”

Billy turns to look at him, nodding. 

It’s okay. 

Joey takes a deep breath. Clears his throat. “They think I’m weird.”

“How come?”

“Lots of things.” Joey picks at the frayed hem of his shorts, voice trembling. “Who my mom and dad are. The way my hair looks. The kinds of music I listen to and the clothes I wear and the fact that my best friend is a girl two years younger than me who puts dead animals on people’s cars when they call me a fa--”

“They’re jealous.” Billy says. Plain and simple. “And even if you are. That word. You’re cooler than I was when I was your age.”

Joey looks at him, eyes sparkling. “Will you teach me how to fight?”

Billy gears up to say a million things.

No, it’s not responsible. No, Uncle Steve will throw a fit. No, your mom will cut my balls off and toss me into the river. No, I don’t run like that anymore--

But as Joey watches him, tears burning hot in the apple of his eyes, Billy doesn’t really have a choice.

“Alright, Kid.” He says, defeated. “I taught Dawn to look after herself, I can teach you.”

[robininthelabyrinth]

Play date with the Lans and Nies! Except it's Nie Mingjue training with little Lan Zhan and Lan Xichen painting with Nie Huaisang! Baby brothers getting crushes!!!! Adorable all around!!!!!

Lan Xichen had been told several times not to expect that things would be the same as they’d been the last time he’d visited Qinghe and the Unclean Realm.

It was unusual that he’d visited before at all, in fact; usually, the heirs to the Great Sects were raised very firmly in their own traditions before allowed to venture out to meet any others – often only in their teenage years, when they were wise enough to learn from others without losing the core of their ancestor’s teaching. But his uncle had been friends with old sect leader Nie, personal friends in addition to being allies, and so he’d had the chance to visit once before, a few years back.

He’d enjoyed that visit. 

He’d been very young, younger than Lan Wangji was now – sometimes he felt he was still younger than Lan Wangji, who was not quite nine years old but very solemn about it – but Nie Mingjue was very nice to him, showing him around and playing games with him very earnestly as if he hadn’t had any friends at all.

It didn’t feel at all like the older boy had been humoring him. They’d even gotten in trouble with their parents together, having tried to switch their baby brothers around so that old Nie would stop complaining about his child’s low vitality and Lan Xichen’s Uncle could have some peace and quiet from Lan Wangji’s very effective lungs at last.

Things would be different now, of course.

Lan Xichen was nearly thirteen years old, on the verge of adulthood (in the technical sense, anyway), but Nie Mingjue…

Nie Mingjue was already Sect Leader.

(It puzzled Lan Xichen a little, how someone he remembered as being only a few years older than him could have so quickly shot into the ranks of real adulthood – were there really six years between them? It didn’t seem possible, but then again, he had spent his childhood visit looking up at Nie Mingjue from a great distance...)

It was Nie Mingjue, not old Nie, who greeted them at the door, and who sat with Uncle in the study to drink tea and talk politics. And when he was done with that, he had to go and deal with sect business, first a table full of papers that Lan Xichen would never be allowed to look at and then a hall full of people asking questions and after that he had to lead saber training for the Nie sect disciples.

It wasn’t until right before bedtime in Gusu that Lan Xichen was able to find time to talk to his friend.

“You look tired,” he said, and Nie Mingjue smiled a little, nodding in agreement. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

Nie Mingjue rubbed his eyes. “Can you spend some time with Huaisang tomorrow? I haven’t had as much time for him as I’d like, these past few days, and he’s only just barely started being able to handle being away from me for a few hours without going into a panic.”

“Certainly,” Lan Xichen said, and a beautiful idea appeared in his brain. “And I’ll send Wangji to you, of course.”

Nie Mingjue blinked at him.

“We did always say they’d make a good trade,” Lan Xichen said, and smiled when Nie Mingjue laughed.

-

The next morning, Lan Xichen told Lan Wangji that his duty for the day was to go and help Sect Leader Nie with whatever he needed, which Lan Wangji accepted with a deep, solemn nod that suggested he was preparing to go to war.

“It won’t be that bad,” Lan Xichen coaxed. “It’s only Mingjue-xiong. Don’t you remember when he came to visit Gusu a few years back? You sparred with him a few times, and later –”

Lan Wangji’s ears abruptly turned bright red and he shook his head furiously to forestall any further commentary. Lan Xichen pressed his lips together to keep from laughing; Lan Wangji had had the most adorable crush on Nie Mingjue in those days.

“You know,” Lan Xichen said innocently, “given that it’s morning, I think you’ll probably find Mingjue-xiong at the training grounds…”

Lan Wangji was gone faster than the wind.

Still chuckling, Lan Xichen went to go find his own charge. Nie Huaisang had been sick with allergies during part of their visit to Gusu, staying inside so he wouldn’t make them worse, so Lan Xichen hadn’t had much of an impression of him – he remembered a little dumpling, a round face with a vivacious smile and an awful lot of giggling, a sunny contrast to Lan Wangji’s natural seriousness.

The shy, skinny child that flinched away from him and hid his face away behind a fan wasn’t anything like the child he’d remembered.

Nie Mingjue had said something about Nie Huaisang having developed a tendency to have brief attacks of heightened panic, Lan Xichen remembered, which were worsened if he couldn’t lay eyes on his elder brother for any extended period of time. He must be afraid of losing his brother the way he’d lost his father, which Lan Xichen could understand – the painful memory of being told his mother wasn’t there anymore still stung bitterly anytime he let himself think too much about it, and it’d been years, not months.

(Nie Mingjue’s visit had been the only thing that had managed to lift Lan Wangji’s gloom after the death of their mother, and Lan Xichen would be forever indebted to him for that. Even if he’d never tell him the exact reason – Lan Wangji would immediately expire out of sheer embarrassment if he ever did.)

“I’m going to be spending time with you today,” Lan Xichen announced, and Nie Huaisang looked more resigned than anything else, turning his head gloomily to look at where his saber was sitting in its proper place. “How do you feel about painting?”

Nie Huaisang paused and very slowly turned his head back to look at Lan Xichen suspiciously. “…real painting?”

“With ink and colors and everything,” Lan Xichen promised. He knew that Qinghe Nie tended to believe that physical exercise was a good antidote to grief, but he’d personally found that art worked better for him as an escape – maybe the same would be true for Nie Huaisang. “We can go paint some landscapes. Or maybe we can see if we can find any birds?”

There were a lot of birds in Qinghe, and all different types, too. It was as if every time Lan Xichen turned his head, there was a new explosion of feathers in some new configuration.

“I like birds,” Nie Huaisang murmured, his voice very soft.

“We’ll keep an eye out for any we see, then,” Lan Xichen said enthusiastically. “If we can catch one, I’ll convinced your brother to let you keep it.”

Nie Huaisang’s face brightened, and Lan Xichen was sure it wouldn’t be hard to convince Nie Mingjue to let his brother keep a few animals, not if he could see that smile. “Really? I can keep one at home?”

“Really.”

“It’s safe now?” Nie Huaisang asked, hopping off the bed to go put his hand in Lan Xichen’s.

Lan Xichen thought that was an odd question, but nodded again. “We’ll buy a nice bronze cage in the market,” he said, thinking that Nie Huaisang might be worried about cats or something – another notable feature of Qinghe. Stray cats everywhere. “That’ll keep it safe.”

“Steel is better,” Nie Huaisang said as Lan Xichen led him out. “Bronze will bend if a fist hits it hard enough; it won’t protect whatever’s inside.”

“Steel it is, then,” Lan Xichen said. He’d only thought that bronze would match the décor of Nie Huaisang’s bedroom; steel would clash and ruin the feng shui. “Maybe plated in bronze?”

“That works!”

-

“I’m a Sect Leader now,” Nie Mingjue told Lan Wangji, who was standing at attention better than some of the adult Nie sect disciples. “What I need right now are good lieutenants. Are you capable?”

Lan Wangji nodded firmly.

“It won’t be that interesting,” Nie Mingjue warned him. “If you think you’ll get bored and want to wander off –”

“I won’t,” Lan Wangji said, and there was a note of determination and pride in his voice that made Nie Mingjue want to pick him up with one arm and give him a hug the way he’d done in the past.

He didn’t, of course. For one thing, it’d be beneath his dignity as a Sect Leader to so causally embrace a child from another sect – or anyone, for that matter; for another, Lan Wangji had always had a great deal of pride for a child, and Nie Mingjue had long ago figured out that the best way to deal with pride was to offer respect where it was due.

“Very well then,” Nie Mingjue said. “I will count on you.”

Lan Wangji lifted his head and clenched his fists, his eyes shining, and his expression only became more and more happy (in that barely-noticeable way he had) when he realized Nie Mingjue was giving him tasks that actually needed doing, rather than merely filling the time to entertain him.

Nie Mingjue wouldn’t have done the latter regardless – he’d always disdained the idea of condescending to a child like that – but as a matter of fact he did need the help: someone to write things down as he made decisions, to survey things and report back to him what he saw, to arrange that he would have fresh ink before he noticed he was out, to put signatures on things that needed to be signed once Nie Mingjue had approved the idea, to inconspicuously serve tea during important political discussions while keeping enough of an ear out to be able to remind Nie Mingjue of everything that had been discussed later…

His advisers were right; he really did need a deputy. Possibly several of them, if he couldn’t find one competent enough to serve alone.

“Wangji,” he said towards the end of the day, and Lan Wangji looked up at him from where he was faithfully copying out one of the letters that needed to go out before the end of the day. He was barely tall enough to sit properly at the table, but his calligraphy was perfect. “You helped me a great deal today. Well done.”

Lan Wangji nodded and looked back down to finish off the letter, only the redness of his ears revealing his embarrassment.

They went down to the entrance to meet Lan Xichen and Nie Huaisang, who were returning from their outing for the day – Nie Huaisang was clutching a giant bird cage covered in a cloth, with a smile that almost looked like the one from last year, from before, and Lan Xichen had paint splattered on his face and white clothing.

“Do I want to know?” he asked Lan Xichen dryly as he gestured for the two children to greet each other, but Lan Xichen only laughed.

“I promised him he could keep whatever we found,” he said with a smile. “Also, Huaisang has some paintings he wants to show you. If you like them, you might consider hanging one up in your office.”

He will hang them all up no matter how ugly they are, Nie Mingjue decides immediately. He doesn’t say that out loud, merely nods and says, “We’ll see, then.”

“How was Wangji?” Lan Xichen asked. “He didn’t bother you, did he?”

“Don’t be absurd, Wangji’s a good boy,” Nie Mingjue said. “And an excellent deputy. If he wasn’t your brother, I’d try to steal him away from you.”

“He might like that,” Lan Xichen said, looking at Lan Wangji fondly. “Maybe when he’s a little older, I can send him here for a season, to improve his cultivation –”

Lan Wangji didn’t do anything as crass as nod furiously, but his expression showed distinct signs of interest; he wasn’t paying the slightest bit of attention to Nie Huaisang, who was rambling into his ear.

“And perhaps I’ll send Huaisang to the Cloud Recesses for your uncle’s teaching,” Nie Mingjue replied, mildly hopeful – it was out of the question right now, with Nie Huaisang only sleeping through the night half the days in the week and never when he was on his own, but it would be nice, in the future. He thought that his younger brother would enjoy the serenity of Gusu.

“– and then we caught a bird, look!” Nie Huaisang concluded, pulling the cover off the birdcage.

Nie Mingjue glanced over, then did a double-take and stared.

“Xichen,” he said, with admirable restraint. “Did you actually promise that my brother would be allowed to keep a vicious flesh-eating hawk?”

“There’s no way a hawk is that small,” Lan Xichen said. After a second of observing Nie Mingjue’s face, he added, a little weakly, “…right?”

[ibijau]

How to woo a Lan pt2 / On AO3

Jin Ling takes a walk with his dog, reminisces on the past, and gets a brilliant idea

It took Jin Ling the better part of two weeks to remember the idea he had nearly had that night, after he’d accidentally insulted Lan Sizhui. He’d just been so busy that entire time, with more problems arising from that haunting they’d dealt with (Jin Ling had to write to Wei Wuxian, who in turn sent word to the person who had initially reached out to them). Then there had been councils, and bills for a change, and some trouble with a disciple who’d tried to take advantage of his position to harass some girls in town, and just about a billion more things that had kept Jin Ling impossibly busy.

Even that particular afternoon when the idea returned to him, Jin Ling was supposed to be working. He was trying to see if there was any way to reorganise the way Lanling Jin was run so certain people who had profited a little too much from Jin Guangyao’s less savoury decisions would be pushed aside, and that meant gathering a lot of proof of their suspected corruption (bills, mostly. It always came back to bills. Jin Ling was in hell). Jin Ling was trying his best, and he’d been very serious all morning, but by lunch time he had a raging headache and decided he deserved at least a little bit of fun.

The most fun Jin Ling could think of having on a bad day was to spend time with Fairy, so he went to get her. The poor old girl barked happily at him when he came near her pen, and ran around him for a few minutes when he freed her. The man in charge of Lanling Jin’s spiritual dogs wanted to order her to stop and behave, but dared not to so when Jin Ling himself was delighted by his dog’s happiness. So what if Fairy wasn’t always as serious as expected? She was a good girl who had more than proven she knew how to behave when it was really important. Other people might say she was spoiled, but they said the same about Jin Ling anyway, so at least they were well matched.

When Fairy had calmed down, Jin Ling went out into the gardens with her, figuring they could both use the chance to stretch their legs. While walking, he gave her orders in and there, just so he could say he was training her, should anyone bother him. But in all honesty, he just wanted to relax a little and have fun with the one friend he had who didn’t care that he always said the wrong thing.

Although their walk didn’t have any particular aim, Jin Ling soon realised that they seemed to be heading toward the aviary. He hesitated for a moment, fearful Fairy might scare the birds, before deciding it would be excellent training. A good spiritual dog had to know how to ignore distractions… and Jin Ling liked the birds well enough, if only because he’d heard his father used to keep some, back in the days. Jin Zixuan, he’d heard some people whisper when they thought he couldn't hear, had been the sort of person more at ease with animals than people. Nobody would actually say it directly, but Jin Ling strongly suspected that he’d inherited his people’s skill from his father... though at least Jin Zixuan had been universally liked in spite of it, or so he'd been told. Jin Ling wasn't so lucky.

It was nice, in the aviary. A little noisy, sure, and the smell took some getting used to, but it was very quiet and there was rarely anyone there these days. Jin Guangyao hadn’t been very keen on animals, so he had kept only enough birds to show status, and the person in charge of those birds had other tasks to keep them busy, so the aviary was often empty of any humans. It had made it a good hiding place, when Jin Ling had been younger and slightly more temperamental than he currently was.

When Fairy started whining and growling at the birds, Jin Ling ordered her to stay put and continued walking alone among the cages.

He used to hide in that place a lot, back in the days. There were a few good spots, like between those two high cages… Jin Ling remembered getting in that little dark space when he wanted to avoid all adults, and sitting among the birds for a shichen or two until everybody was too worried over his disappearance to think of scolding him anymore. And he wasn’t the only one who had noticed what a good hiding place the aviary was, because one time…

Jin Ling gasped as the memory returned to him.

He’d been… ten, maybe eleven at most. Jin Ling couldn’t remember what trouble he’d caused that time, but Jin Guangyao had been particularly cross because they’d had guests, and Jin Ling had been his usual temperamental self, but in front of a whole bunch of sect leaders. Except Jin Ling hadn’t meant to cause a scene (he rarely did, even then) so he’d been upset at being scolded so harshly when he didn’t understand what the big deal had been… and he’d run away after shouting something awful about hating his uncle.

The aviary had been a good place to hide, as it so often was. Jin Ling had gotten into his nice little dark spot unseen, and prepared himself to wait however long it would take for everyone to calm down about what happened.

After a little while, two people had entered the aviary. Jin Ling hadn’t seen their faces right away, but cold sweat had run down his back when he’d recognised their voices.

“I really don’t think Jin Ling will have run here,” he’d heard Lan Xichen say in a very odd tone, quite different from the usual way he spoke.

“Really?” Nie Huaisang had replied, half laughing. “But I think it’s worth checking anyway, gege.”

Lan Xichen had laughed too. A real laugh, not just something polite.

It had been so odd to hear those two laugh, Jin Ling recalled. Back then, Lan Xichen had barely seemed like a real person to his childish mind. He was the mighty Zewu-Jun, practically an immortal already, aloof and always calm, and he didn’t just laugh like that. As for Nie Huaisang, he was always sad and pitiful, nothing at all like this laughing and teasing young man Jin Ling could hear but not quite see at that point.

Jin Ling had hesitated to leave his hiding spot to check if it really was them, or demons having taken their form… but if it was them he would have been punished, and if it was demons they’d have eaten him, so staying hidden had seemed more prudent.

He’d heard movement then, the rustling of fabric, and Lan Xichen gasping.

“Huaisang, not here,” Lan Xichen had said, trying and failing to sound scolding. “If someone were to come…”

“No one ever does,” Nie Huaisang had retorted. “I know, I used to come hide here when da-ge dragged me to conferences. It’s just us, gege, and I haven’t seen you in so long…”

“We’re meant to look for Jin Ling, A-Sang,” Lan Xichen had complained, sounding almost whiny.

Nie Huaisang had laughed again, and now he was coming into view for Jin Ling.

It might have been better to not see that, Jin Ling had thought at the time.

Because what he’d seen, then, was Nie Huaisang smiling widely, walking backward, pulling Lan Xichen by the collar. And Lan Xichen, who surely could have resisted if he hadn’t liked this, was following willingly, eagerly even, his eyes burning until he suddenly grabbed Nie Huaisang by the waist and he…

And they…

Jin Ling remembered crying out in surprise.

He hadn’t been used to adults kissing, or anyone at all really. His uncles had both taught him to be careful about showing affection, because of his status as sect heir, and they’d both made it clear to him that only married people should kiss.

Lan Xichen and Nie Huaisang weren’t married, Jin Ling had known that. He hadn’t always paid enough attention to the lives of grown-ups around him, but Lan Xichen had been in Jinlin Tai all the time, and Jin Ling had heard both Jin Guangyao and Qin Su offer to help their friend find himself a suitable bride. They’d also offered the same to Nie Huaisang, and talked sometimes between them of how it might help lift the permanent gloominess of character that had taken over him since his brother’s death.

“Oh, shit,” he’d heard Nie Huaisang say, and somehow that had been the last drop for Jin Ling who had broken into tears.

It had taken Lan Xichen and Nie Huaisang great effort to get him to calm down, and more still to convince him to get out of his hiding spot. But by that point they’d been back to their normal selves, Nie Huaisang a pitiful, panicky mess, Lan Xichen radiating calm to the point it became contagious.

“Jin Ling, will you do me a favour?” Lan Xichen had asked when the little boy had been standing in front of him. “What you saw just now… can you keep it a secret?”

Jin Ling had hesitated, still sniffling a little.

“It’s forbidden to do that,” Jin Ling had said, remembering his weird bastard uncle, the one they’d kicked out some years before. “Only married people can, and two boys won’t marry. Are you going to be punished if I tell on you?”

“Cut-sleeves aren’t allowed in Jinlin Tai?” Nie Huaisang had gasped, going from pitiful to angry until Lan Xichen motioned for him to calm down.

“There was an incident a while ago, that Mo Xuanyu boy,” Lan Xichen had explained to his friend, before looking back at Jin Ling. “But Mo Xuanyu wasn’t punished because he liked boys, it was for being forceful about it. You understand the difference, A-Ling, don’t you?” Jin Ling had nodded, more to please that kind man than out of real understanding. “You are a good boy. To answer your question… no, we wouldn’t be punished, not really. But it would make some people unhappy, and we need more time to prepare for that. You understand, right?”

“Like when I break something and I don’t want to admit it right away, but if I calm down then I can tell jiujiu or shushu?”

Lan Xichen had nodded, smiling so gently that Jin Ling had been a little flustered.

Come to think of it, he’d always been a little weak to that kind smile the reallygood Lan had. So weak that he had promised to keep Lan Xichen’s secret, and had done so for years now, never thinking much about it again, never catching any sign of these two being more than friends. Maybe it had just been a fling between them, and that was why they hadn’t wanted to go public about it.

Considering everything that had happened, Jin Ling hoped for them that it had never been serious.

Still, as he walked among birds and reminisced about that incident, Jin Ling finally remembered that idea he’d very nearly had two weeks before: if he wanted to seduce a Lan, he needed the help of someone who had done it before. This meant either Wei Wuxian, who was awful and unbearable and hadn’t realised Lan Wangji liked him until Jin Guangyao told him while holding him captive, or…

Or Nie Huaisang, who hadn’t seemed to be having any trouble figuring out on his own how to get a Lan to like him, judging by what had happened some years before.

With the beginning of a plan forming at last, Jin Ling returned to Fairy's side to give her all the petting she deserved. If his hunch was the right one, then he'd be even busier than before in the weeks to come, so better give his dog a lot of affection while he could.

[animeyanderelover]

Hi could I request a prompt with Gon aged up of course with a relentless violent s/o who sometimes gives him a run for his money literally ! I think it be paired best with this yandere prompt 9 “Do you want me to break your legs or lock you in a cage to prevent you from running away?”

That’s a rather dark prompt which doesn’t seem to fit a sunshine like him. But on the other hand every Yandere has a dark side. Gon is aged up in here.

Warnings: Yandere themes, unhealthy mindset, unhealthy relationship, delusions, mentioning of violence, mentioning of abuse, violence, biting, scratching, aggressive behavior, threatening

Prompt 9: “Do you want me to break your legs or lock you in a cage to prevent you from running away?”

There were two kind of people in this world. The ones that were able to get everything that they wanted to and the ones that had to fight to survive. You were the latter, born in a poor family who had barely enough money to take care of the minimum of everything. You had been taught that if you wanted to reach something in this world, you needed to fight. Fight for food, for money, for your life. That was what your parents had taught you from a very young age on. They had hit and kicked it into you, wanting you to be able to stand strong against whatever the future would hold against you. And so you had grown with a somewhat distorted view on this world. You believed solely that only the strong ones would survive and the ones at the bottom had to scratch and claw and bite their way through this life to survive. But what happens if someone from the top of the food chain starts chasing you down? What tells the law of the weaker you in this case? It’s either giving up and letting yourself get stripped from your freedom or it’s to keep fighting. And you had been born as a fighter, you had always been one, were one and would always be one. No matter how much you had to struggle. You would survive. You would take your freedom back.

You remembered that someone had called you once after you had beaten the living shit out of them that you were some sort of savage animal. Many would have taken that as an insult. But not you. Because he was right in some way. There were similarities between you and a savage animal. You both fought to survive, you both were loners and you both were hard to tame. And if someone would try to take you and lock you away you would fight back, you would hiss and bite and scratch and whatever was necessary to save your life. But there were certain situations where this wasn’t enough. Not when you were the prey and he was the predator. You couldn’t escape him, no matter how much and how hard you tried. He always found you in the matter of only a few weeks, no matter how careful you were. You were talking about someone who was on the top of the food chain, the strongest of the strongest. Gon, your so called “lover”. Never in your life you had met someone like him. You had often been faced with people who were stronger than you, resulting in you running away and getting really aggressive if you were cornered. Like an animal. But you had never seen someone like him. Never had you witnessed such brute strength, never had you seen such a dark look in so bright eyes. Never had you ever felt so much fear in your life. And the more you feared, the more violent you got. You were scared, scared of this devil in disguise.

“You’ve gotten better since the last time. Killua and me had a much more harder time to track you down than the last time. We needed to spent a lot more money as well. I’m always impressed by how fast of a learner you are. You’re adapting always so fast in new situations which is why I don’t quite understand why you won’t adapt to this one.” He sounded as cheerful as ever, completely ignoring that you were hanging all tied up over his shoulder, swinging with every step he took lightly back and forth. You felt beyond enraged, being taken from your ability to move even the slightest bit. The ropes were tight and you felt like your blood circulation would be caught off if this would continue. This didn’t mean that you didn’t try, trying to get violently out of his grip which seemed quite impossible given how incredibly tight his grip was, only getting stronger and stronger the more you moved that at one point you were sure it would leave a bruise. You angrily screamed, being muffled by the gag, staring with a glare filled with hatred at him. “Wow! Easy there (y/n). If you continue to behave like this I might hurt you on accident.” When saying this his grip tightened so incredibly that you needed to whine a bit, a painful throbbing signaling that your hip couldn’t take much more.

“Don’t worry though. We’re almost home again! Then I can free you from these ropes and the gag. I’m sure they must be very tight. Sorry for that, but Killua and me just wanted to make sure you wouldn’t try anything stupid during the flight back here.” That was right. You were trapped like a caterpillar in a cocoon for nearly twelve hours now, being all tied up the moment Gon had found and catched you again. The only times you had been freed a bit was when Gon had tried to feed you and give you something to drink. The bite mark was still visible on his arm, dried blood sticking around it. That wasn’t the only one though. If someone looked closely they would be able to see much more than just this on his arms. His whole biceps was littered with bite and scratch marks, permanent scars and reminders of how vicious you really were. You had escaped quite often before, always finding ways to sneak out and follow the call of freedom. But Gon and that damn snow-haired friend of his always found you, but, to your huge satisfaction, they always needed with each new attempt of yours longer to find you. You slowly started to outsmart them, a good thing. But this time something was different, you could sense it very well around him.

It was the air around him. It felt much more heavier, sending warning chills up your spin and making all the alarms in your body ring. Gon also acted differently, it was subtle, but you were a natural sharp observer. His normally sweet tone seemed more strained than usual and his eyes somewhat looking clouded with a dark emotion. And you were smart. You had to be in order to always find a way out of dangerous situations. Had you perhaps finally crossed his limits? You would have lied if you would have said that you hadn’t had a much more easier time to escape due to his purehearted behavior. But you knew that everyone had a snapping point, even the calmest of persons would eventually snap. And the sweetest and calmest ones had most of the times the scariest reaction when finally losing it. And the whole atmosphere around Gon screamed dangerous, making you struggle frantically in order to crawl away from him. You had the feeling that you couldn’t breathe when near him. You needed to get away from him! But there was no way to do so unless you broke your hip which wasn’t an option for you. You would be an even easier prey so vulnerable like this.

But sadly it was already too late. You realized that the moment the house he had kept you those past few months came into your view again. You hated it, being locked up against your free will there just so Gon could prove his love to you. Ridiculous! Pathetic! What was he even hoping for?! You were someone who had learned that being alone was the best option. You could only fight for yourself when you hadn’t been born with anything else. That was the harsh reality from this world, but this guy had never seen how hard childhood could be. How it was to be a burden for your own parents and being kicked out of the house every day and being told to only come back if you had either money or food. But this guy was caught up in his own stupid delusions, believing he could help you with your life. But your life had been just fine before he had entered it! You felt dread and frustration swirling up in your stomach when you heard him unlocking the door and stepping in. In the place you despised more than anything else. Because it was the place that always stood for that he would never let you escape him. The place was almost mocking for you, reminding you always that he was stronger than you. But you were catching up. Hopefully.

“Here we are! Safe and soundly home again!” You hissed angrily through the gag at him, wanting to just claw at his face to wipe that stupid grin out of his face. It annoyed you, but it also looked very scary when put together with the look in his eyes. You were carried upstairs, Gon placing you carefully down the bed before locking the door to the floor up before opening one of the drawers and pulling something out. Handcuffs. You growled warningly. “I apologize for this, but I want to make sure that you don’t attack me as soon as I free you again.” He glanced shortly at all the scars and the bite mark on his arms. You hated it that you weren’t able to defend yourself right now, your ankle being cuffed to the bed before Gon carefully began untying you, ripping away the ropes and finally the gag. The moment he had done that he quickly grabbed both of your arms, slamming them against the headboard of the bed with ease and cuffing them to the bed as well. “Bastard!! Free me from those things so I can take your goddamn eyes out!!” You angrily pulled at all the handcuffs, shaking and hissing angrily to be free again. That was until you felt it. The extreme intensity of the air suddenly lifting itself, giving you the feeling that you could be crushed at any moment. For a short moment you stopped moving, instead staring with a terrified look at Gon who was standing right next to you and was staring at you.

“You know (y/n)”, he started and bent down to be closer to you,”I really try to be patient with you and to help you. But I feel like you just don’t want to accept my help.” You felt terrified, looking directly into his eyes that showed you something that could only be described as darkness. The fact that he was still keeping his smile was even more terrifying. “You always run away from me and use me for my kindness. And that hurt me. I tried to give you a new chance whenever I catched you and brought you back. But you never seemed to learn anything. You’re just too stuck in your own rules and past to let me help you. That’s why I came to the conclusion that I should probably be a bit more strict on you in order for you to learn. But I’ll still take good care of you, don’t worry. One day you have to start loving me as well.” By now you pulled so tightly against the handcuffs that you had the feeling that you could cut your limbs in half if you just added enough pressure on it. YOU HAD TO GET OUT OF HERE!! “I really didn’t want to have to do this.”, you heard him mumbling before moving his face closer and closer to you until his nose touched yours and you stared into his orbs. You remembered that there had always been light in them, but now they seemed empty. “Do you want me to break your legs or lock you in a cage to prevent you from running again?”

And all of a sudden you stopped struggling, instead staring with big and horrified eyes at him. What...What was he exactly?! You felt the sweat trickling down your forehead. Did he expect you to answer this? “If you can’t choose I’ll choose one of you.” So that was how it felt like. That’s how a small and weak animal felt moments before they were being eaten by it’s predator. “It seems like you aren’t able to make a decision now. Then I’ll choose for you. I go with...”

[starshipsofstarlord]

Goodbye My Lover | Part Three

Summary; after you run, Kate and Seth are left with the aftermath that you caused. But that however is not on your mind, there is one thing that you want, and you intend to get it.

Warnings; swearing, violence, death, mentions to sex,

Kate was quick to run to Richie’s aid, discovering that he was out cold. But considering what had just happened, she thought that may have been for the best under the circumstances.

The girl looked up when Seth leaned through the hole that Richie’s flying body had put through the wall, a frown clear on his face. He leant a hand upon the border of it, sending a last glare to the open door.

His breathing was faster than usual, indicating that he had tried to run after you, the lack of you sufficed enough to say that he had not caught up. “Bitch is gone.” He complained, earning a frown from the young woman that had once housed Amaru in her body.

“She was our friend, you don’t have to call her that.” She pried at him, understanding that these actions and the words that you spat like venom at the brothers were from the animal that had delved into and through your mind.

Seth rubbed his face, subtly rolling his eyes at Kate. From the very first time that they had the fortune of meeting her, she had always tried to keep them in their place, reminding them that some of their violence amounted to nothing.

Of course, their actions rubbed off on her in return, considering that the innocent little Christian that they had first bumped into at the Titty Twitster now joined them on heists.

The elder of the two brothers shook his ebony locked head, reaching through the broken partition, and reaching out to his brother. “They were in love, and she did this to him.” Was his counter argument; he was no longer sure what to have faith in, nor what to believe.

One of the only things that was remotely good in Richie’s life, had quite literally, threw him through a wall. And now, the new culebra was out there, presumably prowling on her prey, and not casting a second thought back to them.

“We have to find her.” Kate stated, a light furrow worrying her young face. “She’s a victim here, just as Scott was. Do you have any idea where she may have went?”

The cage held two fighters, one more predominant than the other. It was obvious who was to win, whilst the larger of the two had larger muscles, the smaller, yet skilful component had scars, indicating that he had experience with circumstances such as these.

But you weren’t here for either of them, no. Your eyes, whilst viewing the brawl out of the corner of your eye, were trained on the woman above all others. She was once strong and proud, but now she was free from all that power.

This vigil life was the one that she had reached out towards to regain whence she had left after Amaru, and it so happened that you were less impressed than you had expected to be. Her brown eyes skewered down, flickering across the shouting crowd, and then, they landed directly upon you, whom was in plain sight.

She froze for a second, in her idealistic throne. It humoured you, she was no longer the queen, yet people followed her as she was still so. You made movements forward, walking in the direction of the gate, but a man guarding it held his arm out.

The sweet smile you portrayed was soon to be replaced by a dark smirk as you grabbed a hold of his arm, ripping it directly out of the socket, launching yourself at his injured body, pinning it against the wire, whilst your hand found placement upon his neck.

You dug your nails in, ripping out his throat, careless to the blood that now decorated your face. Silence had enveloped the room, Santanico frowning and scared of the sight, as she should have been. “Fighting to the death. How noble.”

Sarcasm dripped from your mouth, the two fighters pausing their vendetta to survive against the other as they growled at you. “I have to do everything myself, don’t I?” As they proceeded towards you, you ducked, dodging their attempts on taking you down.

You tripped the larger one of the two, snapping his neck with your knee as you applied supple pressure. The other, however, grabbed you by the throat, raising you off the ground, giving you the perfect opportunity to wrap your legs around his shoulders and change the roles.

When you had a grip over him, you sunk your fingers into his hair, bashing his head repeatedly into the concrete until there was no more life behind his eyes. The audience began to cheer, as you cocked your head, and glanced up at their ruler. 

“Santanico.” How she hated that name, as you knew. “The Queen of the Culebras; funny enough, I thought you had dropped that schtick.” The woman in mention stood from her royal seat, staring down at you.

“How are you here? You died.” She stated simply, the men surrounding her on guard. 

“So did Kate apparently, and then yet Amaru possessing her gave her another chance at life. But I am under no control of another, this is me, and I’ve came for one thing, and I’ll let you live if you hand it over.”

“What do you want y/n?” She bargained with you, not wishing your visit to come to extremities. If you were here, she presumed that the Geckos weren’t far behind on your tail, that was, if they knew that you were alive.

“The crown that weighs your head down so heavily, Kisa.”

Richie awoke in a bed, the sheet was wrapped around his waist. He reached for the side table, finding his glasses and pursued putting them on his face.

As he glanced around the room, he noticed that clothes were strewn upon the floor. Some belonged to him, and others were those of a woman.

“Morning Rich.” He frowned. That voice, it was far too familiar to be a one night stand, and as he glanced up to see the spectre in the doorway, there was only you, wearing one of his shirts.

“Morning.” Sighing, he leant back in the bed, resting his head against the pillow that was behind him. Admittedly, he was entranced, watching you leave the proximity of the bathroom, walking towards him barefoot.

Rather than clambering into your side of the messy bed, you straddled him, the duvet separating you from being skin on skin. “How’d you sleep?” Your smile was intoxicating, and he found himself mirroring your expression.

“You sure do know how to knock a guy out.” Richie laughed, bringing his hand to the back of your neck, pulling your lips down to meet his.

You hummed into the motion, pulling briefly away. “It wasn’t personal babe.” He cocked a brow at you. “Okay, it was. You know that when you’re all victorious from a successful heist, it gets me going.”

“Yeah?” The man asked with his recognisable smirk. “Tell me what else about me gets you going.”

“You’re such a dork, don’t be greedy.” You leant down to kiss him again, slipping your tongue into his mouth. He was fast to answer back in action, trailing his hand down to rest on your ass.

But again you pulled back, and began repeating his name. It almost made him delirious. “Richie.”

“Richie!” Seth lightly slapped his face, he had tried everything, even pouring water over his stone cold expression.

But finally, Richie spluttered to life, his eyes wide as he gulped in air. “Was that a dream?” He asked worriedly, wanting nothing for the reality that he saw whilst he was out to be true.

Seth of course didn’t realise which part he was speaking of. “No, she kicked your ass. And she went, just like that.” He snapped his fingers, and Richie leant up on his elbows.

“Fuck.” It was just a dream after all.

[the-fiction-witch]

Mariée Au Mal

REAL LIFE X DEVIL / WITCHES COUPLE: TBS X READER RATING: FLIRTY

I walked the stone streets hearing my boots against the stone. Hearing the movement of my dress almost touching the stone. I felt the chill of the wind around me. The darkness crept across the village as the sun set beyond the hill. Every step I took I could hear and see, children being ushered inside, doors being bolted, windows being shut and locked. The whispers of the name they had given me. 'mariée au mal' I knew what it meant. I knew their assumptions about me. I tried not to think of it.

I looked at my shadow walking down the path with the light from the sunset, I looked to my left to a shop the blind already down, but a few shutters where someone peaked out, those instantly dropped as I looked and the door bolted I saw my reflection my long purple dress, black petticoats, black corset, my black hooded cloak, my tall riding boots, my twisted y/h/c hair and blood red lips. I continued on my way moving my wicker basket up my arm a little more, checking on the lavender and honey I had gathered across the forest this afternoon. I walked quickly trying not to draw attention to myself before reaching the graveyard and the little river that ran beside it, perched on the graveyard gate sat a raven it cawed at me so I smiled and offered my hand letting it perch on my ring as I walked over the little stone bridge over the river pushing open the little gate to my house. The twisted metal whining as I did I walked the sweet path through my garden until I arrived at my little thatched cottage with leaded glass windows and the conversatory. I smiled and headed inside my little house though the glass conservatory door putting my basket down emptying out my herbs and honey into my apothecary as the raven flew off into the house and perched on the sofa on his usual pillow

"Hello my little princess" he smirked 

"Will you just. One damn minute" I told him

"What? What have I done?" He whines getting up and coming over fixing his clothes a little but I did my best not to look at him 

"I'm working" I said 

"Umm working? I think your just being mean to me" he smirked into my ear untying my cloak and pulling it off me "come in you can work anytime, I don't get to visit to much anymore, not half as often as I'd like my sweet little princess" he cooed cuddling me from behind "and I have missed you, so badly" he smirked almost growing in my ear as he pushed himself against my dress

"Thomas. Five minutes alright, you've been gone six months five more minutes isn't going to kill you" I laughed 

"It might"

"Nothing kills you"

"Why? Are you trying to get rid of me?" 

"No."

"Good." He says kissing my shoulder "I'm sorry I was gone so long."

"Umm" I said ignoring him

"Aww? Is that why your so grumpy with me?" He laughs before turning me around to face him as he stood in my conservatory his golden hair reflecting the sunsets light, his red textured button down shirt undone half way down his chest, his tight black almost leather pants against him, black braces or suspenders on his shoulders to keep them up even if I don't think he needed them, stubble gracing his chin and the corners of his upper lip but nowhere near as bad as I had seen before when he's been away for longer his hands around me softly his foot between my own "I told you it was work, you know I wouldn't leave my little princess unless I had to" he cooes caressing my cheek "it's a busy job you know, I keep telling you I'll... Take you with me if you want?"

"No thank you" I said turning back to my work "I wish you wouldn't wait there"

"Where? On the gate?"

"Umm. Why not in the garden?"

"You might not see me, besides I like them knowing I'm here"

"You might I don't. It makes them nervous and when people get nervous they get scared and when people get scared they do stupid things." I explained

"Well... Maybe they need a little fear in them"

"I don't want to be feared, Thomas..."

"Don't you?" He laughs sitting in my work bench so I had no choice but to see him "you get off on it"

"What?"

"Oh come on" he laughs "riding boots with the six inch heels? The long purple dress? The black corset? Blood red lipstick? Long black hooded cloak? And you're telling me you don't want to be feared? You love it"

"It's fun sometimes" I admit

"I know it is princess, maybe you and me should go walking in the town sometime really frighten them" he smirked 

"No Thomas. We're in enough trouble as it is" I told him 

"mariée au mal" he smirked to himself 

"Shut up" I sighed 

"It's a good name for you"

"I said shut up Thomas"

"Bride of evil"

"Married to evil"

"Depends on your translation." He shrugs 

"Why did I marry you?" I asked leaning on my desk to slightly glare at him 

"I don't know, you asked me remember" he smirked, kissing my cheek and jumping off the desk going into the cottage "you coming to bed? Or do I have to drag my pretty bride down to hell with me to fuck her?" He smirked,

I smiled as I laid in my bed listening to the wind in the tree's, the sounds of animals in the woods, the babble of the river under the bridge, the quiet of this peaceful little town. I could hear Thomas Gently breathing, his arm around my waist spooning me as he often did wanting to keep me safe in his arms so if I even moved much less left his arms he would know and it would wake him. I couldn't help my mind flooding with the memories of the first night I ever spend on his arms.

I was young, but old enough to know better. I would go and play by the tall willow tree in the forest. I would go and spend hours and hours reading books and gathering flowers. Often times I would speak to the tree and many times it would speak back to me. I had always been a woman on the darker side of the world. I liked the grim and the spooky, I had a fondness for the darkness and what often times lurked within it. I had always been wary of straying too far, never leaving a door open, never offering things without consistency, never going too far if you won't commit to it. Rules I followed like laws, until one night. It was a blood moon, it hung over the willow and that night I decided I wanted to see just how far I could go.

I made an altar at the willows roots, with candles, herbs, a salt circle, flowers, and tools. I called out things but nothing answered. Each time I called out going deeper and deeper until someone answered me. 

"Hello, aren't you beautiful" he smirked as he saw me "not often I get such a beautiful woman calling out to me" 

"I uhh i-" stuttered in shock 

"Shh, it's alright. I guess you don't get answers very often. No need to worry, sweet girl. I won't hurt you" 

"I seek what is to be" I said

"Do you?" He smirked "clever girl as well as beautiful. Are you sure that's what you want?" He asks 

"Yes"

"Then a smart girl like you understands the price it takes" 

I nodded and took the cage from my basket of the small bird I had found he laughed at me 

"You have been misinformed" he says taking the cage and letting the bird loose 

"Then what is the price?"

"The price is different for everyone."

"Then for me?"

"For you?" He smirked "I can give you what you seek. But for you beautiful lady, the price is simple. Your utter love and devotion, swear your life and love for me, be mine and you shall have all that you seek" 

"How do I do this?"

"... Be with me. And swear your devotion to me" he smirked taking my hands 

"Yes master" I nodded

"Whoa... Just Thomas little princess, I'm not your master, and I won't be. You'll be my bride, still happy?" He asked and I nodded "good. Now... We're all done with the formalities, shall we? my pretty little princess? My sweet little wifey?" 

I nodded and he smirked looking at me, licking his tongue slightly across his bottom lip. He moved forward holding my Waist before leaning in and kissing me softly, he was warm, and soft, he tasted and smelt like ash, mahogany, petricorn and mint. He was gentle with me as he kissed me his thumb stroking my waist as we kissed in the moonlight, surrounded by the tree and it's leaves, the gentle breeze as the kisses got faster, deeper until he pushed me to gently laying me down on the grass in the circle of salt with him laid over me…

I woke up peacefully to the sweet symphony of bird song in the tree's. The gentle breeze whistling through the branches and leaves. The hushed sounds of the world before people rise. I was warm between the layers of my dress, one protecting me from the ground the other protecting my body, his arm around my waist his head nuzzled in my shoulder and arm fast asleep barely making a sound but his breaths. I looked seeing his sweet mop of hair nuzzled so close to me, looking up seeing the sunlight cascading through the tree as it rose, the sunlight peeking in through the leaves and branches. 

"Uumm good morning" he yawns 

"Hi" I blushed 

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing"

"No, come on tell me"

"So… that's that"

"Aww what? Was I disappointing little princess?" He whines 

"No, no. It's just that's it you know"

"Well, We’re married now”

“What?”

“We’re married. And mated.”

“So… I’m a real witch now” “You were a real witch before. But Now my bride”

“So? What are we going to uhh… going to do?”

“Well, I have to get to work soon. I’ll be down there for a couple of days but I’ll come back and snuggle up with my little wifey, I might not be home some nights. But it’s work. I'll always come back to my little princess, Like any husband and wife when a husband works away” He explained “So? Shall we head home?” 

I stood in my conservatory, the sunlight flickering through the glass, Through the leaves of the forest, the stems and petals of the flowers that grew in here or in the garden, The flicker of rain bows where light flickered through the glass or though sculpted bottles of potions and viles, as well as though light catchers. 

“Hey” Thomas smiled Leaning on my door to stare at me

“What?” I laughed 

“Nothing, I just like looking at you” He shrugs

“Go Look at your pit of sluts” 

“It’s not a pit. It’s a…. Box” 

“Go look at that then”

“Why would I go look at them? When I have my wife?”

“Go hang out with one of your other wives then” 

“What over wives?” he laughs 

“I can’t be the only witch who summoned you and… let you, you know” 

“Of course not. You’re my only wife princess.” He says 

“What about all those other-”

“Shhh, You’re my only wife princess, and if I get summoned by any other little witches in the forest I send the demons. I only come when my wife summons me” He smirked giving my cheek a kiss cuddling me tightly and stroking my stomach “Besides. I’m going to be staying from now on, as much as I can now you have the baby coming” He cooed, kissing my neck and down my shoulder as he stroked my stomach “My beautiful princess, My Beautiful bride. I get to spend all day with you now, My pretty wifey and our baby” 

“Sure thomas” I laughed “Maybe soon I’ll get to go down there?”

“You will, when the baby is born. My sweet little princess,” He cooed kissing my cheek 

[fanficshiddles]

Recovering, Part 1/2

Summary: Two parter. Loki comes across a failed Hydra experiment. A young woman has the mind of a wild animal, but is still a human. Loki rescues her and then has to try and gain her trust and teach her to be a human again. 

Just a little something I can’t get out of my mind so I had to write it out. 

-

Loki had been part of the Avengers for over a year. He had proved to be trustworthy enough of a team member, his past mistakes forgiven.

But he still got up to mischief, which often caused the other Avengers to get annoyed with him. But they were getting used to it. Sometimes they found his pranks funny, if they weren’t directed at them, that was.

Fury sent him on a mission with Bruce and Steve to clear out a Hydra base. To pick up any essential information that might be of use, and take out any Hydra soldiers.

Bruce had Hulked out and was fighting outside with Steve. Loki went inside the old warehouse base, to see what he could find. It seemed to be mostly empty, apart from a few soldiers loitering around that were swiftly dealt with.

But after picking up some documents that looked important, he heard a strange growling sound come from the back corner. There was a large sheet covering it.

Too curious to just leave it, he wandered over and hauled the sheet off. His eyes widened in confusion when he saw a woman in a large cage, wearing nothing but a night gown by the looks of it. Her hair was a mess, matted and pretty long. She was crouched over in the corner, looking terrified.

He could hear some more soldiers coming his way, but he wasn’t about to leave the woman there. She would die otherwise. So he opened the cage with his Seidr, the lock no match for him. When he opened it, she didn’t move.

‘It’s ok, I won’t hurt you. I’ll get you to safety. I work with The Aveng’ He was cut off when she suddenly darted out from the cage on her hands and feet, moving like an animal would do, barrelling past him.

Loki watched in confusion as she ran around the place, looking panicked. Making weird grunting noises. But then two soldiers came bursting into the room, Loki was about to teleport to her to get her to safety, but she launched for the nearest soldier and attacked him like a tiger would. Ripped into his neck with her teeth, killing him quickly.

Then she launched for the other solider.

Loki noticed a file attached to her cage door. He picked it up and realised his mistake.

It said she was a failed experiment, highly dangerous and should never be let out. She had turned half feral, had the mind of a wild animal and half the strength of one, too. But looked just like a human, aside from her brain wasn’t working like it should.

‘Oh dear.’ Loki was now in a bit of a dilemma. But he still didn’t want to just leave her, she was a victim. Part of Hydra’s horrible experimenting.

Steve came across comms. ‘Loki, have you got the information? We are almost finished out here!’

‘Yeah, nearly finished. I’ll meet you back at base.’ He said to Steve.

The girl continued running around the room in a panic, trying to get out. Scrambling at the doors and windows, but Loki had locked them with his Seidr. Not wanting her to escape and get hurt by Hulk or Steve thinking she was part of Hydra.

‘Hey, it’s alright.’ Loki managed to get her into a corner and he put his hands out to try and show he wasn’t a threat.

‘I’m not going to hurt you… I just want to get you to safety.’ He said softly.

She looked at him, wide eyed, panting and snarling. Her teeth looked sharper than the average humans, but not overly so. He couldn’t tell what colour her hair truly was, as she was very dirty. He dreaded to think how long she had been locked up in that cage for, there was no date on the information.

Using his illusions, he made a distraction across the room. Her head whipped round in the direction of the noise, so that’s when Loki striked. He used his cape and covered her with it. She struggled and tried to fight back, snarling like mad.

But Loki was able to pin her down underneath his cape. He waited a moment, glad when she calmed down. She was like a feral cat, but much stronger and obviously bigger. Though Loki was able to scoop her up easily into his arms, still snugly wrapped in the cape.

He didn’t want Steve to freak out, so instead of going back with them in the quinjet, he teleported himself and the girl back to base, straight into his room.

When he put her down, she started struggling again and managed to get out from under the cape. She launched for him, but he was able to fight her off and she realised his strength wasn’t ordinary, so she went running across his room.

In her confusion and panic to get out, she jumped up on his desk and knocked everything flying off. Breaking his lamp in the process.

‘No, no, calm down. Get down from there.’ Loki said as he ran over and tried to get hold of her. But she leaped onto the bed and made a mess of his covers, knocked his pillows flying as she scrambled to get away from him.

‘Not the pillows!’ He groaned.

Then she bolted to the window and tried climbing up the curtains, but instead just pulled them down. The railing too, making a huge racket.

Loki by this point was now just hiding his face behind his hand.

‘What have I done?’ He muttered to himself.

After a bit of a fight, he managed to get her into his bathroom and he closed the door and put a spell over it, to make sure she couldn’t open it and that no one else could go in but him. He leaned back against the door and sighed as he slid down to the floor. Who knew trying to wrestle a human female with the mind of a tiger into a bathroom would be so exhausting?

He looked around his room and his heart sank. It was an absolute mess. But luckily, with a wave of his hand, he managed to get it back in order. The scratches from her scarily sharp nails on his arm healed up quick enough. He was just glad he had managed to avoid her teeth.

The team were a little confused when Loki got a lot of food from the kitchen and went back to his room with it. But they learned not to question Loki and his sometimes odd ways, so left him to it.

Loki knew he was going to have to try and earn her trust. But he knew that wasn’t going to be easy.

Whenever he went into the bathroom, she would either lunge for him or cower in the corner. But he was able to slide food in for her and quickly leave her in peace to eat. Each time he checked in, she had devoured the food.

She was a skinny little thing, he wondered how she still had the strength to remain upright. Never mind attack.

Over the following few weeks, he was able to get into the bathroom with her and not have her attack him. So he would take food and sit with her while she ate.

He also had some snacks with him, mini cookies. She seemed to like them as when he threw her one, she would gobble it up. So he was going to use those as treats.

‘I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to help. I know that you’ve been treated badly, I can’t imagine what you’ve been through.’ He spoke softly with her, which seemed to help.

She tilted her head at him often, like she was trying to understand what he was saying. Trying to process it.

He had tried giving her clothes once, but she didn’t know what to do with them and ripped them up. As the simple gown she had on wasn’t much use. But at least she liked the multitude of blankets and pillows he gave her, she snuggled up against them in a pile under the sink.

While she was in there, he had to use the communal bathroom to shower and use the toilet. The team noticed he was using it over time and asked questions, but he just shrugged them off and never gave them a proper answer.

‘I need to think of a name for you, at least until I can learn your real name.’ Loki said one day to the girl while he was sitting with her.

She was lying curled up on her pile of pillows, just watching him carefully.

‘I think you look like an Alice.’ He smiled and threw a cookie to her.

She reached out and she snatched it from the floor, eating it quickly.

‘Alice.’ He said again louder, when she was looking at him. Then he threw her another cookie.

Over the next couple of days, he continued to say her name and gave her a cookie when she seemed to respond to him. By the third day, he would say her name and she would sit up, looking alert and waiting for a cookie.

‘Good girl.’ He praised and threw her a cookie.

Then he decided to try and train her a bit more. So he put a cookie down closer to him. She was wary, keeping a close eye as she moved over on her hands and feet, crouched right down. When she got within reach of the cookie, she grabbed it and moved back to her safety distance to eat.

Loki kept doing it, having the cookie closer and closer to him. Until, eventually, she would sit on her knees and eat it quite close to him, within reach.

But then he made a mistake and reached out towards her when she wasn’t paying attention. So when he touched the side of her head, she freaked. In a bad way. She attacked him, ripping his jacket and scratching his face before she managed to rush back to her pile of blankets.

Loki didn’t want to end it on a bad note, so even though he was slightly startled at her attack, he said her name and got her attention, threw her a cookie then swiftly left the bathroom. A little frazzled.

As he exited the bathroom, Thor and the rest of the team were in his room, glaring at him with their arms folded over their chests.

‘Alright, Loki. Spill the beans. What are you hiding in there?’ Steve asked firmly.

‘Judging by the state of you it must be some wild animal.’ Natasha said, noting the way the stuffing was poking out of his shoulder and his sleeve on his other arm was torn.

The scratches on his face were starting to fade already as he healed. Luckily his favourite green waistcoat and tie was unscathed.

‘We know there’s something, all the food you’ve been sneaking away and using the other bathroom. What are you hiding? I knew there was something, you’ve been far too quiet!’ Tony said.

Loki chuckled and put his arms out to his side. ‘Come on. What did you expect? Of course there’s something in there.’

‘I’ve had enough of this.’ Clint said and went to push past Loki, but Loki quickly moved on front of him to stop him.

‘You don’t want to do that, trust me.’

‘What have you got in there?’ Bruce asked.

‘Ok… So, remember that mission where we raided the Hydra warehouse?’ Loki looked to Steve and Bruce, who both nodded. ‘Well, there was a failed experiment in there. She has been battered and bruised by Hydra agents, the experiment has completely messed her up… She’s a human, but with the mind of a tiger. Or some other, wild animal.’

The team looked between one another, not believing him.

‘You’re lying.’ Thor chuckled. ‘A wild human?’

Loki’s jaw clenched. ‘I am not lying, not this time.’

‘Prove it.’ Said Natasha.

Loki sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. ‘Alright, you did ask.’ He reached behind him and opened the door.

Alice was confused when she saw the door open, but Loki didn’t appear. She had heard voices, but was wary about going to take a look. But curiosity quickly got the better of her and she carefully wandered over to the door, into view of the others.

She snarled when she saw a bunch of people behind Loki and she quickly backed away again, running to her bed.

Loki swiftly shut the door to give her privacy. Then he turned to the others, who all looked completely stunned.

‘I did tell you.’ He shrugged with a smirk.