#this is my first time really diving into red light like this

[caught-a-dragonfly]

Red Alert

[upsidedownwithsteve]

A soulmate AU: Steve Harrington x fem!reader [4.3K] 18+

THE TIMELINE

“All I want is nothing more, to hear you knocking at my door. ‘Cause if I could see your face once more, I could die as a happy man I'm sure. When you said your last goodbye, I died a little bit inside. I lay in tears in bed all night, alone without you by my side. But if you loved me, why did you leave me?”

- All I Want by Kodaline

III. LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK: 1922

Opening the side door to the manor was easy when everyone else was occupied in the foyer.

The whole house was still alive despite the early morning hour, the air still smelling of the fireworks that lingered, gunpowder and spilled champagne. There was broken glass in the kitchen, from cocktail saucers or the smashed chandelier in the hallway, Steve wasn’t sure. But it crunched under his leather shoes as he snuck into the dark scullery, empty of the help and the silver platters of food they’d spent the day making.

He could see the silhouette through the frosted glass, impatiently waiting as he fumbled with the brass lock, the vibrations of the trombones and sax from the floor above making the handle buzz in his fist.

Steve barely got a chance to look at you before you had flung yourself at him, arms around his neck and chests colliding. He laughed, a small catch in his throat leaving him breathless for a second, your enthusiasm contagious. You still smelled like work, like cigar smoke and other peoples perfume, expensive cologne and top shelf sherry. It clung to your beaded dress, to your skin and Steve liked these nights, he liked the challenge of making you his again, even when you really weren’t supposed to be.

“They’re still going?” You asked, your words muffled against his chest. You’d get lipstick on his white shirt but neither of you cared. Steve had learnt long ago how to hide it from the maids.

He hummed in confirmation, any words he wanted to say stolen by your lips, your hands climbing up past his neck and into his hair. You tugged at it, ruining the style, hating when he slicked it back for the sake of the parties you were never allowed to attend.

It was a ferocious kiss, the kind that smudged your lipstick onto his mouth, the kind that told him you wanted to claim what you could of him in the short time you were able. Steve groaned, responding in kind, his arms winding around your waist to haul you even closer to him, his lips parting for your tongue.

It never grew old, it never waned - this feeling. Every kiss like the first, every time like nothing he’d ever felt before, never like anyone else. Your touch sent something through his bones, a deep kind of love that felt older and stronger and more powerful than the earth itself. He saw you one day in the city, under the bright lights that lit up Times Square and something told him that you were made for him.

Not a voice, just a feeling, one that his friends scoffed at because you weren’t from any kind of money that his family would accept and your dress didn’t come from Macy’s. But you’d turned and caught his eye, lips painted the prettiest red, eyes all bright like you felt the same when you looked at him. Days had turned to weeks and first dates had turned into nights in his locked bedroom and he still remembered the first time you pressed your ruby lips to the side of his throat and told him you were sure the gods themselves created him for you.

You kissed him now like you were remembering those words, your small hands diving into the already open collar of his white shirt, his black tie slipping from his neckline and you kissed that same spot, two moles that you claimed were somehow yours. They seemed to burn when you touched them, every pass of your lips and tongue making him feel weaker and weaker. And when you bit down a little, teeth grazing, Steve didn’t even notice the rain that had started to fall outside.

He felt feverish with you, greedy and desperate and never able to get enough. The brass band that his mother had hired for the evening started up another song, the China plates in the pantry cabinets rattling from the dancing feet above. He was on borrowed time, he knew that. So he let his tongue lick over your own once, twice, three times more before he pulled away, just enough to get his words out. You were as breathless as he was, too pretty in the dim light with your perfectly done make up, the pearls around your neck that no one knew came from him. Your dress made you glitter and from the faded lipstick around your mouth, Steve knew the majority was stamped on his own lips, his neck, his jaw.

The idea of it made him hold you tighter.

Thunder rumbled, a storm moving in over the lake outside the manor, the small yacht that was docked by the boathouse dipping with the current.

“Let’s go,” he murmured, kissing at the corner of your mouth between words. “Before they need to come for more champagne.”

So you let him pull you out of the kitchen, despite how well you knew the house you were never supposed to be invited into. Steve took your hand and led you like a secret, peering around corners before running past open doors, each room bigger than the last. The manor was all cherry oak floorboards and velvet drapes. There were chaise lounges in every bay window, baby grand pianos under crystal chandeliers and Steve’s father made sure the golden bar carts were always stocked and kept in every room.

The party was still thrumming in the largest lounge, where the hired band stood on the curved stairs and people danced on the tables. The glass doors were opened to the pool, a bright blue rectangle in the otherwise dark night and flecks of gold confetti lay atop the water, never sinking, looking like real life magic.

People spilled from everywhere, women shoeless and men missing their dinner jackets, hand in hand with girls that weren’t their wives and some of the richest of them showed their greed with a scantily clad dancer on each arm.

A door opened to the right, a server who was working well past his paid hours, still in his suit and carrying a large tray of champagne saucers, his expression bored. Steve grabbed you before the man could spot you both, tugging you behind a marble bust of a Grecian goddess, a piece of art that should’ve been in a museum.

The vacant eyes and kind smile of Aphrodite stared back at you both, seemingly amused at your lover's embrace, the one you had to hide.

“We’re not going to make it upstairs,” you whispered. It was too easy for Steve to let your touch linger on his waist, fingers tracing his belt, greedy and searching beneath his crumpled shirt for the feel of his warm skin. He needed you yesterday. He needed you always. “They’ll see us before we reach your room.”

Steve winced, knowing you were right. He could hear his mother from the lounge, singing too loudly, calling for another glass, her laughter making his jaw tense. “Library,” he said, nodding towards the door across the hall. “C’mon.”

You both made a run for it when the hallway seemed clear, the party goers too drunk to make out your faces, to recognise the girl that wasn’t supposed to be here, who certainly wasn’t supposed to be hand in hand with the man that wasn’t meant to be hers.

Steve closed the door with a soft click, turning the brass key in the lock just to make sure. The music was duller from behind the thick oak, the shelves and forest green curtains that draped along the walls. The library smelled like rich wood and old cigar smoke, older books and leather. It was stuffed with wingback armchairs, low lights from behind emerald glass lamp shades and dark, dark wood. A large fireplace took centre stage in the middle of the room, family photos and golden candlesticks along the mantle, the clock huge gilded mirror above it showing you and Steve standing together.

Outside the stained glass window, lightning flashed in the distance, the lake turning white, just for a second.

You didn’t have time to worry about the storm, nor think too hard about its sudden appearance. They’d always scared you, the too loud sounds, the crashes that seemed to vibrate in your bones, the lightning that always appeared way too close. Steve moved to stand behind you, his hand coming to smooth the collar of your dress away from your neck so he could dip his head down to kiss your skin.

His lips were a warm trail over your throat, his nose pressed underneath your jaw and you felt his smile when you tipped your head for him, granting him access. His hands, always so big and wide, spanned the sides of your waist, the beads and crystals that hung from your dress singing a soft song at his touch.

“Missed you,” he breathed, running the tip of his nose underneath your ear. He sucked at your throat, biting softly and you could only watch in awe as you stood in front of the mirror. “I missed you so much, honey.”

You knew why you hadn’t gotten to see him in so long. Eight whole days of being apart, seeing him in the city when he took his car to work, always flanked by business partners or his father. Worse still, you saw him one Saturday morning with his mother, another woman on his arm, a stiff smile on his lips as they entered a tea house. You knew the woman’s name, you just didn’t like to say it. His future wife, although Steve liked to remind you that they weren’t yet even engaged. But his mother was sure of it, the agreement made like a business deal because her father was head of the bank and Steve’s mother liked money.

A loveless marriage, set up for wealth, for survival, for good genes and even better business opportunities. But you saw the way the other woman looked at Steve, blown out curls and peach coloured lips always smiling up at him, ready to give him children and more.

A housewife. Ready made and picture perfect. The very thing that you were not.

“I missed you too,” you whispered back, unable to help it the way your voice cracked because long gone was the idea that you could pretend this wasn’t anything more than a fling.

You ached without the man. The longer you were apart the harder it became, a pain growing between your chest like an open wound that was pulled too tight. And now, as his hands trailed your hips and his lips found your jaw, you could feel it knitting itself closed, a pretty, red string tying the cut closed.

You’d seen the other woman, you knew what was meant to happen. You knew you’d lose him, eventually. That he’d no longer be yours. He’d have a ring on his finger and children with someone else and live in a house even bigger than this one and you’d never, ever be snuck in through a back door again.

It didn’t seem fair. It didn’t seem right. There was nothing in the world that you’d ever felt that was yours. No real money, different jobs for different months, an apartment above a bookstore in Brooklyn that you had to share with three other girls and even the dress you wore was borrowed.

But Steve? Steve Harrington?

It felt like someone created him just for you. Carved from marble, drawn on a canvas and brought to life, a man beyond perfect. Because he had his flaws - just like so many others that you’d dated - but you accepted his with more love than you’d ever felt before. The world seemed to still when you were with him, the entire planet slowing on its axis just so you could savour his touch a little longer.

You lay in his bed, in his arms, wrapped in his expensive cologne and cotton sheets and you knew.

You knew.

You knew that there was no way there was anyone else in this world that you were supposed to be with. His hand fit in yours too well, his lips slotting between your own like they were made from the same thing.

From a time before, when someone or something decided to create the Earth and built you both from the same bone.

Steve spoke into the crook of your neck, his finger spanning wide as his hands travelled over the front of you, feeling every curve, the softness of your stomach, the beads of your pretty dress, the dip of your waist. “You know, sometimes I think it would hurt less to drown in the lake than go without you,” he whispered, eyes closed as if at confession, murmuring his sins and secrets into your skin.

He kissed your throat again, revelling in the way your head fell back to top against his shoulder. Your eyes shut, your lips parted, your body trusting him to hold you up. “That’s awfully melodramatic,” you said airily.

Steve hummed, the ghost of his smile on your jaw. “Isn’t it? But it’s true. I’ve missed you more than I can understand.” He nudged you forward then, took the zipper at your shoulder blades between his fingers and tugged. “I needed you in my bed, in my sheets. They don’t smell like you anymore.”

You bit your lip, refusing to give into the questions that were bitter tasting and stuck in your throat: “has she been in them? Do they smell of her? Does she know about me?”

Because Steve pulled fully at your zipper and you shrugged your shoulders, letting the dress fall to the wooden floorboards, you turned in his arms and saw his eyes. Full of love, sadness, complete adoration and something else that you’d never seen in another man’s before. You were almost naked before him, blush pink undergarments made of silk and lace taught across your skin, silken thigh highs held up by suspenders, all costing an entire paycheck.

Steve wasn’t even looking at them, not yet. His hands went to your face, fingers cupping your jaw so gently that you even thought to yourself, that you might just break. It felt like it. His thumbs smoothed away the worry etched on your skin, frown lines disappearing under his touch and when he breathed out, you breathed in.

Sometimes you wondered if you shared the same heart.

“I love you,” he told you, his forehead pressed to yours.

You nodded, a tear slipping down one cheek and Steve kissed it away. “I love you, too.”

“Desperately,” Steve reminded you, bringing his mouth to yours. His kiss was feverish, pulling away too quickly before descending on you again, lips parted, tongue swiping across your own. “Insanely,” he groaned.

Your back hit a bookshelf as you tugged his shirt out of his trousers, the linen crumpling in your hands, a button hitting the floor when you became too impatient. Your fingertips traced the red lipstick marks on his neck, the ones that had smudged onto his clavicle and it was everything you needed to see and more.

A brand, hardly permanent, but yours nonetheless. If not just for tonight.

“I need you,” you told him, your skin on fire as his hand found your thigh. He pushed you into the spines of the books, cold leather on your skin as he hitched your leg to his hip and rolled his own against you. “Steve.”

“I know,” he murmured and his voice was hoarse, weak sounding. “I know, honey,” Steve assured you.

His belt rattled as it fell apart in your hands, the buckle cool to the touch and before you could push your hand into his underwear, Steve spun you both. You found yourself against one of the armchairs, tweed and plush, Steve kissing you from shoulder to shoulder as he stood behind you and coaxed your hands onto the back of it.

“Hold on,” he told you and you nodded, eyes half opened from the anticipation. You heard his zip, the slick sound of him stroking himself and you keened, impatient. Steve tutted and just as your eyes slipped shut, his fingers were under your chin, his bare chest curving along your back. “Eyes open, sweetheart. Look up. Watch yourself.”

Staring straight ahead, you saw how he’d positioned you both. In front of the fireplace, where the huge mirror hung above. You could see yourself, a scandalous sight, half naked and dripping in expensive lace, one strap of your brassiere falling from a shoulder. Smudged lipstick, darkened eyes and the most handsome man in Long Island draped over your frame.

Steve was pressed against your ass, his cock waiting hot and hard against your lower back as he moulded himself to your body. He was kissing your shoulder, mouth open and his jaw and neck decorated in your lipstick. His hair was already a mess, his white shirt hanging open and his hands wandering up your bare stomach to cup your breasts, finding your nipples through the silk almost too easily.

His eyes, half lidded and heavy with lust, found yours in the reflection of the mirror.

It was sinful.

“Watch what I do to you,” he said.

So you did.

You let the man push a knee between yours, spreading your legs for him so he could work his fingers into your underwear. You shivered as he talked you through it, telling you how wet you were, how good he knew you tasted. How he could spend days and nights and entire weeks between your thighs, how we wished he could have you on his tongue. Two fingers, achingly and annoyingly gentle, rubbed circles to your clit as he spoke, his eyes on your own the entire time and you felt too hot under his stare, his smile that grew when you gasped and whined.

He reared back when he pushed a finger into you, his other hand braced against the small of your back and he urged you to please him in a voice that sounded like sex itself. Steve was choked, his words tight in his throat and they came out in a rasp, pleading as he fucked two thick fingers in and out of your cunt.

“Let me see you,” he begged, his eyes taking down your frame and he groaned, almost too loud, when you dragged the cups of your bra down. Your tits were pushed against the back of the chair, moving with each motion his fingers made inside of you, the slow rock that had begun as Steve rolled his cock against your ass.

“Beautiful,” he told you, and he sounded like he was kneeling at an altar, talking to a god. “You’re so beautiful. You’re mine—”

“Inside me,” you interrupted. You were close to tears, your eyes glassy, everything too much. You felt as if you’d die if you didn’t have him closer. “Steve, I need you— I need you inside me.”

Outside, rain slammed against the large window, the lake nothing but a grey-blue blue behind the streaked glass. The wind howled and if you’d cared to listen, you would’ve heard the faint shrieks and laughs of the party-goers as they fought against the wind, trying to close the patio doors. Thunder cracked above the house, as if disagreeing, as if fighting back.

You didn’t hear any of it over the sound of Steve moaning in your ear as he slipped his cock against your folds, the head nudging once, twice at your clit before he pushed his hips back and slid into you. He fell forward, feeling like a man who’d been broken down and fixed again, his head on your shoulder as he wound his arms around your waist. You were held, truly held against him, feeling full and loved and adored as he whispered every sweet word he knew into your skin.

The two of you stayed like that for minutes, maybe a few longer than you realised, before it became too much. You whined, a needy sound that made Steve’s cock twitch inside of you and then you were being hauled up with him. The two of you standing behind the chair, your back to his chest and as the thunder grew louder and the windows rattled, you both gave in.

Your hands found home in Steve’s hair, reaching up and back to ground him to you, one of his hands moving your knee up to rest on the chair, opening you for him. Your pretty pink underwear was stretched out, allowing room for his cock to slip into you further. It was a dirty grind, you barely pushing your hips back as Steve snapped his into your own, his hand on your neck as he kept you facing forward, your eyes locked on each other.

His kisses became more lips than teeth, biting at your jaw, your earlobe, his fingers only leaving your throat to play with your bouncing tits, pinching at your nipples until you clenched around him. It was raw, dirty, watching each other in the mirror like that, seeing how wet you were with your legs spread open, Steve’s cock shining from you in the low light as it disappeared inside of you over and over and over again.

“Could stay like this,” Steve gasped, fucking you faster now. The sight of your body slack against his had him reeling, your perfume on his skin, your lipstick on his throat. “Could stay like this forever, could hold you forever, want you forever—”

His words were cut short as you came suddenly, clenching around him with a cry, your eyes shut tight in bliss and your head thrown back on his shoulder. You tugged at his hair, pulling him down, silently begging for a kiss that he gave you, a slow, deep push of his mouth to your own and he came with a wrecked noise when you breathed his name against his parted lips.

Steve had barely softened inside of you when he spoke. “Run away with me.”

You weren’t sure you heard him above the harsh breaths leaving both your lips, chest heaving and body’s lax against each other. His lips traced the line of your jaw, his mouth finding the corner of your own, he kissed you, once, twice, three times, his arms pulling you into his embrace and you could smell his cologne, the remnants of cigar smoke, sex and you.

“Run away with me,” he whispered again. “Let’s just go, we can— we can leave. Tonight.”

“Steve—” your voice was already pained and you slipped from his arms, fixing the lace until your skin was covered, watching as Steve tucked himself back into his dress pants. He left his shirt open as you searched the floor for your dress, his lips twisted with the rejection he knew that would come. “You know we can’t—”

“I want to spend forever with you,” he said and you knew he meant it.

Maybe the sky did too, because the rain fell heavier and lightning flashed across the lake, turning the world ultraviolet, just for a second.

“We can’t,” you said sadly, your voice a whisper. The words cracked in your mouth. “You’re not mine to keep.”

Steve watched you drag your dress up your legs, the unshed tears glittering in the corners of your eyes. His breath left him in a heavy gasp, like someone had punched him in the chest.

“But I am,” he told you, his chest heaving, burning. He blinked, eyes stinging, his vision blurring. The sky above the house cracked. “I am yours.”

It hurt to say it but you shook your head and spoke anyway, your eyes fixed on the way your lips had left tattoos on Steve’s skin. You were all over him still, even separated by five feet. And still— “you’re Nancy’s.” You swallowed the lump in your throat. “You’re Nancy Wheeler’s and she is yours and that’s— that’s how it’s meant to be.”

Steve shook his head, moving forward with his shirt still hanging open, his hair curling across his forehead and his hands caught your own. “No. No, no, no—” he look pained, fingers reaching up to brush across your damp cheek and you should’ve pulled away. But you couldn’t. “No. That’s not— it’s not like that. You know this.”

Steve bent, lips finding the corner of your mouth as you moved out of guilt, his touch chasing you. He made a noise of protest, ducking his head closer until he could steal a kiss and you bent to his will, lips yielding under his own he tasted like you, like sex and like home, like something you felt you’d know your entire life and maybe the one before too.

“Run away with me,” he murmured into the kiss, forehead touching yours. You didn’t have to open your eyes to know that he was crying, his voice wet, cracking like the clouds outside and when lightning struck the dock on the bay, he pulled you closer. “We’ll find somewhere else for us. Another town, another country. Another home, another life.”

You kissed him then, stole the words from his lips and swallowed them, kept them locked somewhere close to your heart and you knew you had to hold onto them. For as long as you could. Forever, if you had to.

“Maybe,” you started, voice hitching, “—maybe we weren’t supposed to have this life.”

Steve groaned, a soft sound of agony, of protest. The storm was passing, the party louder than before. He hated how this felt like a goodbye.

“Maybe, we just need to promise that we’ll find each other in the next one.”

[angstics]

Highlights from the AJ Pen webcast on the My Chemical Romance Foundations Tour set and lighting design book:

“[Gerard Way] was the most- he was the one that I was interfacing with most to come up with this design. Although the rest of the band did have their own say in one way or another. And he in his other life is a comic book author who wrote the Umbrella Academy. So I did a deep dive into comic books to sort of, understand his world a bit more. And I thought I'd throw a little nod to the comic book world with this sort of cartoonish call-out box [in the design book].”

“This picture from a Nine Inch Nails show is something that Gerard sent me. And he was, when he was asking me to make the color palette look washed out and not necessarily all bold colors, he wanted it to sort of have a sense of being weathered.”

“We took an approach where each song had its own kind of color and it wasn't just one color across all of the lights. We'd take groups of lights, randomize the selection set over the whole rig, and then sort of stretch that make the colors in a neighborhood.”

“That drape is actually black. That's lit with just four or five Mac ultras to give it this lovely red color.”

“Thank you to Gerard Way for working so directly with me on the creative for this project. And then the rest of the band, Ray, Mikey, and Frank, they all had their own say and their own take on this project. And it was a very collaborative effort with me and the band.”

“One cool thing about this band is they play, they're analog. They just play. The drummer listens to a metronome that's just coming off his iPad. So there's no time code. There's no reference. All I know is that more or less they're going to be playing at the same tempos. Although sometimes he would shut off mid song because he would push and pull the tempo bottom style.”

“I will say that for this band the drummer that plays with them didn't chart on most of the records... And he likes to try to really recreate what each drummer that tracked the records was doing.”

"We didn't have any video content to play. Other than there were a few things that our video director, Robbie came up with to mix in with the IMAG. So we did carry IMAG screens and he did mix in a little bit of content, but for the most part, it was basically IMAG and a set on stage.”

“The reason that this set worked without like, a bunch of video screens on stage really well for this band was they never played the same set list twice. And I don't mean that they just had a set list that they had a couple of songs they'd swap out. I had to plead with them to keep the first song to be the same so that we could drop the Kabuki in the same place every day.”

“So once that first song was out of the way, they literally crumpled up the set list from the night before, threw it out... And that's why this sort of set design approach worked. The band would tell their own story because they know their music. I never had a set list feel like it was dragging or wasn't telling the story in some way of what's within their music. They know how to rearrange things and we just programmed each song so that it would stand on its own and work no matter where it ended up in the set list.”

Watch the webcast here! Take a look at the book here!

[omgrachwrites]

Date Night - Carmy Berzatto

Pairing: Carmy Berzatto x Reader

Summary: You and Carmy go on your first date.

Warnings: fluff, fluff and more fluff

A/N: Hope you guys enjoy this, please let me know what you think! I love you all! xxx

part two

Natalie glanced at you as you walked into the living room to show off your outfit, for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Her facial expression was the same as you twirled in front of her, showing her the outfit from all angles.

“What do you think?” you asked as you smoothed your hands down your dress.

Nat laughed, “sweetie, you look beautiful.”

You pouted at her, “you’ve said that about every single outfit I’ve chosen,” you look down at the dress.

She rolled her eyes with a smile, “because it’s true, you’re beautiful. You could wear a bin bag and Carmy would still be crazy about you.”

You smiled as you sat next to her, your date with her brother wasn’t until later on tonight but you were nervous. You really wanted this to go well and you didn’t want to do anything that would screw this up.

“I’m nervous, Nat,” you admitted and she smiled at you, placing a hand on your shoulder.

“You don’t have to be nervous, Carmy really likes you, Y/N,” she sighed as her phone buzzed and she checked it, “damn, I gotta go, they need me at the restaurant. Good luck tonight, you’ll do great,” she smiled and pulled you into a hug.

All day you lounged around, doing nothing, last night you’d had the shower where you scrubbed and shaved everything and everywhere. You weren’t expecting anything to happen, not on the first date – Carmy would be too shy to make a move – but you just wanted to be prepared. Finally, it was time for you to get ready, you curled your hair and applied your makeup light and pretty, with the help of a large glass of wine.

When Carmy knocked on your door, you slipped your heels on and grabbed your bag before pulling open the door. Your throat went dry as you looked up at him. He looked so gorgeous, he was wearing a tight white button down shirt that accentuated his muscles and over the top he was wearing a black suit jacket. He was holding a bouquet of your favourite flowers. His cheeks were flushed as his eyes drank in the sight of you.

He smiled as he ran a hand through his curls, “you look amazing.”

“Thanks Carm, so do you.”

The redness on his cheeks only deepened as he held out the flowers, “these are for you.”

You smiled as you took the flowers, “they’re beautiful, come in and I’ll put them in some water,” you let him in as you arranged the flowers in a vase, “you want a drink?” you glanced over your shoulder.

He shook his head as he stuffed his hands in his pockets, “nah, don’t want to miss the reservation.”

You smiled as you finished arranging the flowers and took his hand, “then let’s go,” you flushed as he linked your fingers together.

The restaurant was just an uber ride away and Carmy held your hand as he helped you out of the car. The restaurant looked beautiful – and fancy – you felt a little out of place. Carmy must have noticed because he squeezed your hand and you looked over at him.

“You okay?”

You smiled as you leaned over and kissed his cheek, “yeah, as long as I can take you to my favourite dive bar afterwards.”

“Sounds like a plan,” he grinned.

At first, you thought it was going to be awkward but as you were sat at the best seat in the house the both of you launched into conversation just as easily as you always did.

“How’s the restaurant?” you asked as you took a swallow of wine.

Carmy rolled his eyes with a quick laugh, “everyone’s at each other’s throats but they seem to be working together well enough. How’s the pasta?” he grinned with a twinkle in his gorgeous eyes.

“It’s good,” you nod as you eat a forkful, “but your pasta is my favourite.”

He grinned as he nudged his leg against yours, “you’re my favourite.”

For dessert the both of you shared a dish of lemon sorbet with a couple of vodka shots poured into the bottom. By the time you reluctantly let Carmy pay the bill – he wouldn’t let you split it – the both of you were pretty buzzed as you stumbled to the bar. The bar was a typical dive, the floor was sticky and it stank of beer but you felt comfortable, and you could tell that Carmy was too.

He thanked you as you handed him a pint of beer and he nodded over at the pool table, “you wanna play?”

“I’m rubbish at pool, I can barely hold a pool cue,” you laughed.

“C’mon, I’ll show you,” those big blue eyes talked you into it and you relented as he led you over to the pool table.

He set up the table and you couldn’t stop watching as his tattooed fingers rearranged the balls and he gave you a lazy, lopsided grin, “you wanna break? I’ll show you how.”

You smiled, “sure.”

Butterflies shot through your stomach as he took your hands in his, he stood behind you and showed you how to properly hold the pool cue. He leaned over you, just like they did in the movies and with Carmy’s help you managed to break.

“There you go,” he whispered in your ear and tingles shot up your spine as he kissed your cheek.

It was hard to keep up the pretence and you slipped up when you pocketed a ball. Carmy stood there staring at you with his mouth open.

“You lied! You’re hustling me!”

You laughed at his accusation, “fine, I’m not as bad as pool as I made out to be. And hustling is when you do it for money.”

He rolled his eyes with a grin, “you owe me.”

You ended up winning the game of pool and Carmy looked at you with a look of mock disappointment on his face as he shook his head, “I am so disappointed, that you won by cheating.”

You giggled, “you’re so dramatic. How’s this, I’ll let you pick your consolation prize?”

Carmy grinned as he pulled you closer by your waist and kissed you deeply, you were in shock and you hesitated for a split second before you kissed him back. You placed your hands on his firm chest as you pulled away just a little, “wow that’s funny, that’s exactly what I was gonna pick for my winning prize.”

He smirked as he cupped your cheek, “what an amazing coincidence,” he chuckled as he wrapped a hand in your hair and kissed you again, this time he snuck his tongue into your mouth. That’s how you spent the rest of the night, playing pool and making out.

He walked you up to your apartment, his fingers laced through yours, “I had a really good time tonight, Carm.”

“Me too, even if you did cheat at pool.”

You laughed, “I did not cheat!” you got your keys out of your bag and you looked at Carmy, “you want to come in?”

Carmy smiled but shook his head, “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Y/N, I’d end up doing something we’re not ready for,” he chuckled as he stuffed his hands in his pockets, “but I’ll see you soon?”

“I’ll see you soon,” you nod and he leaned in to give you another breath taking kiss that made you feel like you were a teenager all over again.

[steddieasitgoes]

Do I have more important projects with actual deadlines I should be working on? Yes. Did I write a silly failed shower sex ficlet instead? Also yes. Enjoy!

Also, they don’t actually do anything but there is some suggestive language/jokes so minors be gone!

When it came to showering, Eddie and Steve had very different ideas about the ideal water temperature.

Eddie’s used to fast, lukewarm showers that border more on the cold side. Years and years of conserving the hot water for Wayne and his aching bones have taught him how to be quick and adjust to the cold water hitting his body. If he’s honest with himself, he prefers the cold water now. It energizes him in a way a cup of bitter coffee never has.

Steve, on the other hand, is used to warm showers with water so hot it’s a degree away from scalding temperatures. The type of showers that leave the mirror fogged up and his body flushed red when he steps out fifteen or twenty minutes later.

Naturally, the first time Steve and Eddie decided to shower together was an utter disaster.

It was meant to be intimate and sexy. Steve had mentioned that he’d never fucked anyone in his shower before and Eddie, always eager to take a first away from Steve, had sprung up from the plush mattress and dragged him into the en suite.

They stripped the clothes off each other in a quiet sort of fervor. Eager, but also wanting to savor the moment. It wasn’t often they got to see each other like this. Standing bare in the warm lighting of Steve’s bedroom. Usually, they spent their time, naked on their backs in beds. This was different.

Marveling at Steve’s adonis-level body for too long always made Eddie a bit twitch, so after a moment or two he tugged him into the shower to officially get things started. At least, that was the plan but the minute the warm water landed on Eddie’s skin he let out an ear-piercing yelp and leaped so high, he nearly hit his head on the ceiling above.

“Jesus H. Christ,” he swore.

“What the hell, Eds?” Steve shouts back, slicking his wet hair back as the warm water hits his back.

“What do you mean ‘what the hell’ you’re the one who's trying to burn my dick off!”

Steve snorted, stepping further into the stream of hot water. “Don’t be dramatic. S’just a little warm.”

“Just a little warm,” Eddie mocked as he stepped further away from the shower head, backing himself into a corner. “Stevie, you’re turning redder and redder by the second. It’s too hot!”

“No such thing as too hot.”

“My dick begs to differ!”

Without waiting for Steve to retort, Eddie reached a hand into the scalding water and turned the faucet 45 degrees in the opposite direction. In a matter of seconds, the water started cooling off. Eddie had never been more grateful for Steve’s fancy ass house and working water heater system than that moment.

This time it was Steve who yelped as the cold water assaulted his body. Thankfully, he didn’t leap like Eddie had and instead sidestepped out from under the faucet leaving enough room for Eddie to dive right under the cool stream.

“Now this is an appropriate water temperature.”

“Are you kidding me?” Steve scoffed. “My dick is shriveling up in this! Look!”

Eddie’s gaze immediately dropped and yeah, okay, that was going to be a problem.

“Damn, you really are a grower.”

“Oh my god,” Steve groaned before yanking Eddie away from the shower head.

Just as Steve was about to turn the faucet in the other direction, Eddie’s hand was on his, holding it steady.

“Eddie! I’m going to freeze if I don’t make it warmer.”

“And I’m going to melt! It’s not that bad, you’ll get used to it.”

“I don’t want to get used to it. You get used to my temperature.”

They stayed like that, hands clutched around the faucet, bickering back and forth for several more moments before coming to an impasse. In the end, neither one won The Great Water Temperature Debate and instead, they sprinted back into Steve’s room to satisfy themselves the old-fashioned way: sprawled out on Steve’s mattress, taking turns tearing each other apart.

It wasn’t until years later when they stayed at a hotel with dual shower heads, that they finally got to cross “shower sex” off their not-safe for Dustin’s eyes bucket list.

[lost-girl-2021]

Adopted Spider Headcanons (Metkayina Edition)

I've been reading fics where Spider's adopted by Ronal and Tonowari the past couple days and now I'm obsessed. The problem is that I mostly write angst and I really wanna read hurt/comfort, lol.

I feel like the typical/common way that I see Spider get taken in is basically him doing his little beach bum shit after everything and slowly getting adopted into their family. And I eat it up. Every. Single. Time.

Spider: *Building a campfire, roasting his own food* Ronal/Tonowari/Tsireya or Anoung: *Why is the Sully's adoptive son alone on the beach?* *Oh well, mine now*

I feel like Ronal would definitely be way at first, she's made it no secret that she strongly dislikes Sky People. But, I'd imagine that eventually, she comes to see him not just as a human, but as a child. And a child who is alone and in need of help.

Aounung would probably be the same. I have this idea of him giving Spider a hard time (after all the carnage/damage/dead people have been handled). Like, trying to mess with him as much as possible, just being an asshole. And then, maybe Spider goes under for a long time while Aounung is on the beach weaving or something. And, even though Spider has a mask and can breath underwater as well as he does above it, Aounung somehow forgot that and freaks, thinking the human has drowned.

Aounung tossed his half-repaired net aside, diving into the water. He whipped around, eyes catching on the mess of dirty blond. Pushing further, he grabbed the boy by the armpits, shooting to the surface and pulling the human onto land. He flipped him over, meeting confused eyes as he placed a hand on his chest. He was breathing fine, not even panting from being under for so—

Spider's mask glinted in the sun. Aounung was an idiot.

"Are you . . . okay?" The smaller boy asked hesitantly, making no move to sit up.

"You were under for a long time." He mumbled, pulling away.

Spider's face split into a grin. "Did you— did you think I was— "

"Quiet." He hissed, standing up. "We will never speak of this again."

Spider's laughter followed him as he stormed away.

I feel like with Tsireya, she would've immediately been all over him. Like, this is Spider, Lo'ak's supposed best friend. The human boy who acted just like he was Na'vi. It probably started mostly as curiosity, but I think that after seeing how the Sully's interacted with Spider, she'd be confused about his place, his family. If Spider didn't sleep in the Sully's marui, didn't eat with them— then where did he do those things?

Tsireya glided along the water, Lo'ak a few feet from her. "Why doesn't Spider stay in your marui?"

Lo'ak raised a brow. "Uh . . . I don't know. He lives with the humans, I guess. Always has."

"But . . . the humans left after helping Kiri. They have not returned."

"They . . . they haven't?" He cleared his throat. "I'm sure Dad has it handled. There's probably a new shack or something for him."

Consider Spider's mask running low and there isn't a spare anywhere. As a kid, he never was gone from the shack long enough for his battery to run low and during his time with the recoms, there were always spares in someone's pack when he needed it. Idk how long the masks last, but for my own sake, I'm going to say Spider got a new one the day of the battle and it lasted him about a week. Or maybe, he managed to pillage one as the ship went down so he's on his second and it's like two weeks or so.

I think that when he saw the little red light flashing, a small beep-beep sounding, that he'd probably be like a kid who forgot there was a test. He'd just panic. But, I imagine he'd also be scared to bother the Sully's by telling them, so he'd spend the next hour searching the village (discreetly) to see if there were any pilfered batteries or masks left behind when the humans visited. Let's say he has two hours from when the mask starts flashing to change it out. And where, oh where, does he wind up when he's got a half-hour left?

Spider was not panicking. Because, when a human panicked, they breathed faster and wasted more air. Norm told him that, so it had to be true. But, he'd checked everywhere he could think of and . . . nothing. There was no shack, no Norm or Max to run to before his timer ran out. No humans. Only him. And in a matter of . . . fuck, twenty minutes, he was going to die just like a human.

He sat slumped on the beach, looking out into the water and trying his best not to openly sob. He didn't want to die crying like a little baby. It was not working out well for him. At least, he'd have a good view when he died.

"Child? What is wrong?"

Spider flinched, looking up with wide eyes at the clan leader. He'd only talked to Tonowari once, when Jake had introduced him. Of course, given his spectacular luck, the man would find him when he was on death's doorstep.

With a sniffle, he held up his beeping pack. "It's almost out. Twenty minutes."

The man frowned down, grasping the device carefully. "And that is why you're so upset? Because, you don't wish to go into the village for a new one? Did something happen? Someone make you feel unwelcome?"

"There is no new mask." There was also no home to go back to. "That was my only one."

With a cut-off gasp, he pulled Spider to his feet. He marched the boy through the village and into what he recognized as the healer's marui. The Tsahik was mixing something, but she stood as soon as they entered.

"Tonowari?" She asked, stepping closer. "What happened? Is he hurt?"

"His mask, where's the spare?"

Wordlessly, the woman pulled a mask from one of the many baskets, easily connecting the tubing and turning it on. Like, she'd done it before. Spider had no time to ask why she had such a thing before she was right in front of him.

"Take a deep breath." She ordered, unlatching the straps of his mask before pulling it off. Just as quickly, the new one was secured. Spider hadn't even moved.

I think that even before deciding to adopt Spider, Tonowari and Ronal would probably make sure he had spare masks and check what food he could/couldn't eat. Like, as soon as they realize the Sully's aren't caring for him, they'd probably subconsciously take responsibility for him. Because, he was just a kid, really. And kids were clumsy and careless and needed help, needed parents. Anoung and Tsireya, despite being independent and skilled, still needed their parents sometimes. Let their mother do their hair and insisted on their father de-gutting their catches. And Spider— Spider is fragile. He's skilled and smart and quick on his feet, but he's a human surrounded by Na'vi. Not to mention, one wrong move and he's left with a cracked mask. And what if he eats the wrong food, mistakes one fruit for another and ends up poisoned?

This ended up way longer that I thought it would be, lol. But, I really love these types of fics and if anyone has any recs or wants to hear more, my comment section is open. XD

[spinningwebsandtales]

Vita Nova

Orm Marius X FemReader

Rating: T

Warnings: Spoilers, mentions of death, crying, hurt/comfort, reader has some trauma, suggestive themes, angst, and fluff

Word Count: 4.2k

Fic Swap with @the-marshals-wife

(A/N:) Happy (belated) New Year everyone! And my first fic of 2024 and it turned out to be a whopper! My lovely best friend and I just adore the Aquaman movies and in light of the new movie that dropped around Christmas we decided to do a ficswap together! This bad boy is my contribution and you lucky readers get to read it! I hope I can make the other Orm fangirls happy with this as I honestly had way too much fun writing it as you can see! Over 4,000 words of just Orm goodness! I look forward of sharing more writings in this new year and I'm glad I could open up with this! Until next time happy reading! ~Countess

Reader's POV is in italics.

SPOILERS FOR AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM BELOW

DO NOT CONTINUE AHEAD IF YOU HAVE YET TO SEE THE MOVIE!

Orm stood upon the beach, his toes buried in the warm sand as the setting sun painted his features in orange and pink hues. His heart longed for Atlantis once more as homesickness always reared it's ugly head when he was feeling alone. While tension still remained between him and his older brother, deep down he was grateful for Arthur, giving him a new chance at life. With Atlantis finally revealing themselves to the people of the land, he no longer had to be so secretive about himself, except when it came to Atlanteans. He had burned too many bridges that most likely would never have the chance to be rebuilt. He sighed deeply as the warm salty foam washed over his feet.

Orm turned, leaving his regrets and longing to drown in the crashing waves. While he could see why his brother loved the land dwelling humans, Orm normally avoided them as much as he could. Especially when it came to his time on the beach, he rather not be bothered. And despite the world knowing, he still swam in deserted parts of the beaches he visited. His favorite places were around the docks where the shade kept him cool and various sea creatures stuck around. The fish and small crabs made him feel a little less lonely and made everything feel more like home.

Orm's bare feet padded against the planks of the dock as he tugged his shirt over his head. The breeze rippled his blond locks and whispered promises of a good evening swim. His vision staying straight ahead, Orm was preparing to run and dive into the bright blue water when a yelp caused him to stumble and he fell to the dock. He almost slid off when a slender hand caught his wrist and kept him from rolling off and slamming into a boat.

"Are you okay?!"

A feminine voice had him blinking against the pain in his skull before he finally got his eyes to focus. Orm sat up quickly, backing away from the woman looking at him with genuine concern. It was an emotion Orm was unacquainted with.

"I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention," the woman blushed getting to her feet and brushing the front of her shirt and shorts off. A quick flash of annoyance had him glaring before Orm sucked in a deep breath and calmed the raging tide threatening to overtake him. She offered him a hand up and old him would have swatted it away with a snarl, but new him remembered his older brother and took her offered hand. She shuffled her feet before him awkwardly, refusing to look up in embarrassment. Though Orm was worried he was intimidating her, though he wasn't trying at the moment.

"Sorry again," she apologized once more only to break the silent tension between them.

"I wasn't paying attention," it was the most polite thing he could say. "Though I can't help but ask. Why were you laying across the dock?"

Her cheeks flushed bright crimson, a pretty red color, and now she really refused to look up at him, more interested in her bare feet. This in turn made Orm feel more awkward, like he had pushed across some threshold that he should have never even touched.

"You'll laugh," she mumbled. Her gaze quickly darting up towards him before once again looking away. When she noticed that he wasn't going to say anything else her shoulders sagged in defeat.

"I like watching the fish. They feel like they're my friends and they're so peaceful living their lives without a care in the world," she whispered. "I've also always dreamed about Atlantis and going there and now that it is truly real I can't help but long for it even more. Silly huh?"

Orm shook his head and smiled remembering his home fondly, "No it's not. I think it's a wonderful dream."

Though home always brought a smile to his face, in this moment of his life it brought a pang of sadness with it. One mistake had taken his chance of ever seeing that beautiful city ever again. And here he just met a mere human upon an empty dock longing for the same as him. Maybe he had more in common with the humans of this side of the world than he had first realized. She smiled and nodded, happy to have someone not laugh at her for a change. She walked away moments later leaving him to ponder upon the dock as the waves whispered softly against the sand. Then Orm dived in.

Usually Orm moved around a lot. If he liked a place more than others he'd normally stay for a few days. But for reasons he didn't want to know he had stayed in this particular spot for weeks. And it wasn't because the food was anything extraordinary nor was the beach one of the most beautiful he's seen. If he dug down deep inside he knew it was because of that one moment, where he had seen a glimpse of that beautiful humanity that Arthur was always talking about to him. So Orm did what every normal man would do, he kept his distance and watched her from afar. She visited the dock he had found her at nightly, just to talk to the fish and to watch the sun set behind the horizon of the ocean. She would hum tunes, almost stroking the water with her gentle hands. She would hide sometimes as people would come to the beach calling out a name he had never heard. What would shatter his heart more than anything was when she would come some nights crying. His heart would clench as her salty tears dropped into the ocean. He shook his head fighting the urge to go towards her. But she was different, she wanted to know his world, that she had no idea he was from. That he had once been a prince, let alone a king of that world but it didn't matter, not anymore. He was dead to that world and he had to find his place in this one.

It didn't take many times of him watching the lone girl sob on the dock before Orm concocted a plan. Atlantean technology to help humans make the trip undersea had yet to be brought to them. Except for the scuba gear the humans already had invented, but Orm wanted his plan to be perfect. So he would do something that would make his older brother proud and possibly bring an end to his life. To get what he needed he would have to venture back to the Sunken Citadel and hope that the pirates that still lived didn't kill him at first glance.

You didn't know what kept bringing you back to this particular beach, though you had a inkling that it was in false hope of finding that same blond haired man that you had tripped. He was a complete stranger and yet you found yourself hoping to see him once more. So every night you came, no matter how bad things got at home you escaped bringing yourself to this little place of serenity, hoping, waiting, that you would see him again. But every night became a disappointment, though you enjoyed seeing the fish. The sun quickly set seeping the warmth from the Earth but the ocean water still held those waning rays of warmth. The lights of the dock quickly blinked on illuminating the surrounding water so you could still watch the fish swim peacefully by. You hummed a quiet tune as the waves lapped against the barnacle crusted wooden posts. A shadow darted by causing you to suck in a quick breath. Sharks would sometimes come up or a curious dolphin but this creature was too fast to be one of them. Your heartbeat quickened but against your better judgement you stuck your hand back down along with your head, trying to find this mystery that had suddenly come upon you.

Orm had a difficult time in the Sunken Citadel and he had gotten into a few brawls, but he did get what he searched for. It had cost him, but if his well thought out plan worked as well as he hoped, it would all be worth it. He made his way back to the normal spot and he had timed his return just right. As his mystery woman he had begun to adore made her way out onto the normal dock. She was light on her feet and she greeted some of the boatmen, who were leaving, politely before going to her same spot Orm could always find her. She stuck a hand in the water tracing the patterns of the fish below as they swam close to the surface. She had a small content grin on her face as she enjoyed the creatures below the surface. Orm moved his arms slower, trying to keep from interrupting this moment as he was more than happy to watch her for a little while. She hummed a tune while tucking strands of untamable hair behind her ear, only for a breeze to send them back to fluttering. He sucked in a breath letting the peace of her presence wash over him. And then he went under the surface and swam close by and quickly. He heard her gasp and he grinned to himself. He could have a moments fun at her expense, especially with the gift he was bringing her. Despite not knowing what he was she braved the unknown and he had to admire that about her. She was proving his theory of humans being a cowardly race wrong every moment he watched her.

You searched timidly for any sign of the shadow you had seen. Your eyes darting across the eerily still waters. You were about to pull yourself back up onto the dock when an arm breached the water and grabbed onto your wrist. You screamed yanking yourself backwards and the person attached to the hand around you came up with your panicked movements.

Orm laughed loudly at your terrified face while he treaded the water. He had never been one to play tricks as he had been trained as a prince of Atlantis, but he found it quite fun. The woman he had yet to put a name to a face laid on her back panting, trying to regain some form of control.

"Why did you do that," she screeched once she finally found her breath.

"Think of it as payback for making me fall on my face the first time we met," Orm smirked as he lifted himself from the water easily.

She took in the fact quickly that his upper torso was bare and the form fitting pants only seemed tighter by the fact that they were dripping water everywhere. She looked away, pink coming to her cheeks.

"You come out here every night," Orm said after a few moments of awkward silence.

Her head whipped around and her eyes widened in surprise.

"How did you know that? I never see you around!" Those moments of wishing to see him again, hoping he'd be around, and he had been hidden from her the entire time.

"I was," Orm paused. He knew he couldn't just tell her that he had been watching her from afar. But he didn't want to lie. "I was swimming."

"Swimming?" Now she was suspicious of him. As she rightly should, though they had already met once he was still a stranger.

"I'm a decent swimmer." Understatement of the century Orm thought to himself.

"I can see that," she gestured towards him before darting her gaze away once more.

Orm chuckled. He liked that little of color that would pop up in her skin. He found it endearing and despite himself his heart began to pick up speed. He offered out a hand and she glanced at it warily.

"I'm Orm," he offered in greeting. "Orm Marius. I should have introduced myself that first day we met."

She laughed, taking his offered hand. "(Y/N). And I should have thought of it too. But I did almost make you faceplant into the water. Though it seems like it wouldn't have bothered you so bad if you had."

Orm shook her hand, reveling in how smaller it was compared to his. "Do you mean to tell me that you wish you had let me fallen into the water now? Instead of rescuing me?"

"Well after you just basically scared the daylights out of me, yes."

Orm pouted playfully, "And here I brought you a gift."

"A gift?!" Once again those beautiful colored eyes glowed in delight. It sent his heart a flutter and he could have sworn it skipped a beat. Is this what his mother had possibly felt when she looked upon the man that fathered Arthur?

"I think I am rather partial to it now," he teased. "Maybe I will just keep it for myself."

"You can't just say that you brought me a gift and then keep it for yourself. That's mean," she whined.

Orm couldn't keep stringing her along though he was finding it fun just to get a rise out of her. He brought the gift from behind his back and he wasn't expecting her to jump up and down. Her confusion was to be expected and he found himself grinning once more. She was so expressive, he found it endearing.

"Your dream of seeing Atlantis stuck out to me and their technology is above what your people have. I wanted to show you a part of that life even if it is just a small glimpse."

He was revealing himself. His heart was almost leaping out of his chest. He had kept his identity a secret, revealing nothing to the humans he had contact with. She would be the first and he didn't know what to do if she didn't accept. She placed her hands on the oxygen helmet, a question on her lips. But without a word he once more grabbed onto her wrist and lead her to the end of the dock. She wordlessly tugged the pirated good on her head and with no hesitation followed Orm into the water.

Orm dived down, keeping a good grasp on her hand, their fingers interlaced as he didn't want to hurt her by tugging on her joints by the speed he could swim at. The oxygen mask was working like a dream and despite the time of the evening the moon was doing a good job of lighting the sea life below the ocean. She gasped in awe at the sea creatures and plant life below. But mostly she gaped at him.

"You are," she hesitated saying the word.

Orm nodded. "I am."

You absolutely couldn't believe your eyes. A true Atlantean. It was everything that you could have ever dreamed of and as he kept you from floating away this moment was more than you could have ever dreamed of.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before," Orm didn't want anything left unsaid. This was his chance. His chance to be himself and to stop being so alone in this world that he was learning more about every day. His time in Atlantis was done and now he was going to have to start anew. Maybe you were that new chance that he had been needing for a long time.

"It's okay," she answered. Her voice muffled in the helmet. Fish swam by coming near to Orm, pecking at his arm. He shooed them away gently causing her to laugh. "You don't have to explain yourself. We had just met that day and even at this moment we are still basically strangers. But I'm glad I met you Orm and your secret is safe with me."

"Thank you," he choked. Gratitude had been lost on him long ago but as he looked at this young woman, so genuine and beautiful in his eyes, that feeling was no longer a stranger. "Would you like to see more of my world?"

"Absolutely!" No hesitation and no fear. Orm kept her close, keeping her safe as he swam them further out into the sea.

Back on dry land you couldn't believe what your eyes had beheld. The world under was far beyond anything you could have ever imagined as Orm helped steady you. Spending that much time in the water had left your legs a little wobbly and you glared at Orm walking perfectly though he did have to take a moment to cough up water. You held out the helmet towards him but he shook his head pushing it back into your chest.

"Keep it," Orm insisted. "I want to take you out more now that you have it. There's so much more I wish to show and tell you. I hope that you don't mind."

She shook her head, stepping towards him. "I would like that so much."

Without a second thought she embraced him, squeezing Orm tightly before backing away, that familiar blush coming back to her cheeks. Reaching out Orm brushed a stray droplet of sea water off her cheek.

"Until tomorrow," he whispered and she nodded quickly.

Days had followed that moment before it had turned into weeks. Orm met with her daily, the helmet in tow every time as they explored together. She the underwater world he had grew up in and him emotions never before explored. Orm knew he couldn't take her far below the surface as he wished. He was trying his best to get a suit that would keep her from being crushed by the water pressure or freezing from the depths, but it would take some time. The helmet was easy to obtain, well easier than the suit. But she didn't complain nor did she beg him for more. Always content with their outings he began to realize that he looked forward to every second they spent together every day. It didn't take Orm long to figure out the emotions he was feeling and everything seemed to fall into place. She was beginning to swim closer to him as every day passed. Gentle touches and encounters that would leave her in awe and him trying to not overstep his bounds.

She swam closer keeping to his side as the day began to wan and like everything good in life their time together was ending that day. Orm always took his time bringing them both back to shore whenever it was time to head back in. She never seemed to be in a hurry herself and it had Orm wondering on things that he couldn't ask her when they first me. He wondered why she came by herself every day and those moments she had hid on the dock as several people had come searching, yelling her name. He wondered at the days that she had came crying as if she could no longer smile. And now that he had gotten to know her more it was something he could no longer keep himself from asking about.

Back on shore she removed the helmet and rung the sea water from her hair. Orm stayed near as he gathered up the courage to ask her. He was about to ask her about something she had yet to give up willingly and he didn't want to cause her to shut him out. He honestly didn't know if he could take losing her. He breathed in deeply gathering up all his courage, he stepped closer and grasped onto her shoulder to gain her attention and steady himself. She grinned up at him before it fell at the seriousness in his blue eyes.

"What is it," she asked covering his hand with hers that still laid upon her shoulder.

"Why do you come to the docks every day? And why do you hide from the people that call out to you and cry on some days?"

There he asked and he felt faint as she looked down at the waves lapping at their bare feet.

"You saw those moments too?" She whispered.

"I did," Orm confessed. " I've come to care for you these past few weeks and I can't help my curiosity getting the best of me. Knowing that you hurt or have any reason to hide is too much for me to bear."

She paused for a moment, gathering her strength. "I was in a bad relationship. I got out of it but the pain is still there and some days are worse than others. I find peace out here and that's why I always come and then I met you. And despite me telling you why that day, you didn't laugh at me like he and several other people did. I was really glad. You made me happy. Part of me was hoping that I'd get to see you again and yet I was afraid of getting hurt again too."

"That was brave," Orm cooed bringing her into his arms. He was warm despite the lack of shirt and all the time spent in the water. She shook from the cold and from telling things that had been hard on her. "You're the bravest and kindest person I have ever met."

"I'm not really," she answered.

"You really are," Orm breathed. "I'm the coward. I didn't like this part of the world at all. I tried to destroy it because of my older brother. I blamed him for a lot of things and I hated him. I still don't love him as a little brother should but my hatred cost me. I was prince of Atlantis once and I was even it's king for a short spell. But that was taken from me and now I am thought of as dead. I cannot go back there because I have officially been killed in action." Orm sucked in a deep breath as he feared what you would do now that you knew about his darkness, though he kept going. "This is both my punishment and my new life. This is both my brother's way of blessing me and cursing me. But I don't see it as a curse anymore, not that I know you now."

"Orm," she sniffled.

He tugged her in, her trembling body pressed to his as he tried to will any form of comfort into her smaller body. He felt lighter and more at peace than he had ever felt and while she held onto him tightly, Orm lost the battle on his emotional restraints. Holding her out he took in the sight of her, clearly seeing everything about her for the first time. And for the first time in his life, he felt truly loved. Not for being royalty of Atlantis or because they had to. Genuine love that asked for nothing in return. He leaned down towards her his stature always towering over her and it wasn't until his lips met her warmer ones did the fireworks start shooting off in his head. She didn't shove him away and she didn't protest so Orm pulled her closer. Deepening the kiss as he could taste the salty water still on her mouth and the scent of the ocean breeze on her skin. In that moment she was everything to him and he could want for nothing else as long as she stayed. She cupped his cheek, stroking his skin before Orm finally pulled away. His chest heaved and he couldn't bring himself to give her up just yet. He continued to hold her against his chest, not ever wanting this moment to end.

"Is it okay that we start a new life together," her voice quivered in uncertainty. She felt like she was going too fast or overstepping her bounds.

"I think I would like that more than you know," he agreed. This was when his life started. That new beginning he wanted for so long, that he dreamed about in that prison cell. This was the moment he longed for and had no idea. That moment he met her had been fate and had lead him to this moment. Their days together didn't have to end when their feet touched the shore, it was only the start of something on the shore. While he was her guide in the water, here on the land and in the midst of people it was her turn to guide him. She took his hand, taking the responsibility for teaching and leading in stride. They would learn together what this life meant and what it meant to know each other and keep together through thick and thin. Orm had baggage and come to find out she did too. But Orm didn't see that, he saw a woman who could light his way. She saw a man that had found redemption and was looking for a way to claim it. The sun had set behind them on the beach but the dawn was rising before them as they left hand in hand towards the life they would find together. Like two ships destined for each other, a new life was just beginning.

[millersdjarin]

My Hands are Shaking (From Holding Back From You)

Pairing: Joel Miller x F!Reader (AFAB)

Rating: E (EXPLICIT CONTENT! 18+ ONLY)

Word Count: 6k

Warnings/Tags: SMUT, i am a slut !!!!, light d/s, joel in charge, communication, praise kink, pu**y slaps, just filth!!, aftercare, pet names, rough sex, unprotected p in v, dirty talk, established relationship

Fic Masterlist

notes: my god, sweet lord, just look at him. [title from "dress" by taylor swift]

Joel’s bedroom door is hard against your back, feels solid like a wall, but it rattles on its hinges with the force of him pinning you against it. 

His hips press flush to yours, one of his thighs lifting slightly and just about brushing your centre, but not quite. He doesn’t kiss you, not at first. Just hovers his face inches from yours, his breath hot and fast and enticing. It’s like he wants you to beg. He probably does. 

He takes a hold of your hands and threads your fingers together. It’s a moment of tenderness, the first one since he grabbed you and brought you in here and shoved you against the door as soon as it was shut. 

But then he lifts your joined hands, instead joining your own together on the door above your head. He holds them there with one of his palms, smoothes the other down your shoulder, your clothed chest, your waist. He’s so close, his wet mouth right there for you to kiss—but he told you not to. Told you to follow his lead.

And if there’s one thing you love just as much as Joel’s kiss, it’s hearing him tell you how good you are for him.

So instead you bite your lip, staring down at his hungrily, waiting for him to tell you where he wants you.

He breathes out, hot against your mouth. 

“Joel…” you whimper, throbbing getting intense between your thighs as his leg teases just below your cunt. “Joel, please…” 

Somehow he pushes closer without ever touching his lips to yours. He’s so close that you can feel the hairs of his beard brushing against the space between your nose and lips. His breath is right there, so familiar, you can taste it on your tongue. It’s not enough. “Please what, darlin’?” 

“Please, kiss me…” 

He smiles. You feel it. Finally, he hitches his leg up further between your legs, and presses there just enough to coax a moan from your throat, thin and breathy. “Such good manners,” he praises, then does exactly as you ask, like he can’t ever say no to you even though he’s supposed to be calling the shots. His lips are just as beautiful as always, diving in to your mouth with wild abandon. With every kiss since the first, it’s like it gets more perfect. Like he’s always taking the time to memorise the noises you make, the way you respond beneath his mouth and his hands and his tongue, remembering what drives you crazy and just how you like it.

Your hands twitch underneath his, still pinned against the wooden door. You want to reach out and touch him, run your hands over his face, through his beard. But you can’t, and the restriction sends a throb of need to your pussy where he’s still applying just a tiny bit of pressure. 

“Mm,” Joel murmurs, the vibration strong against your mouth before he’s pulling away again, not far but far enough to observe you. “Goddamn, darlin’. You want me to just kiss you all night instead? Make you wait ’til the mornin’?” 

“Joel…” you plead as your hands instinctively try to move again, but he feels it and presses them firmer into the door, harder. “I need you. Please.” You’d beg all night, if he told you to. You need more. His kiss is perfect and all you could ever really need, but the promise of his leg between your thighs and his warm hand caressing your hip is too much to stop just here. 

He smiles again, teasing glinting in his eyes. You gaze up at him with your teeth sinking into your bottom lip, until he reaches up and pulls at it, freeing it and smoothing over the red marks where you’d bitten. “Easy, tiger,” he says lowly, “don’t hurt yourself.” 

He keeps stroking your lip with the pad of his thumb. You can’t help it; your tongue darts out to lick him, pulling him into your mouth. 

“I keep your hands out the way and you still manage to find a way to touch me, huh?” He says with a lopsided grin, moving his hand down to grasp at your jaw, his wet thumb on one side and his fingers on the other. He grips you hard, anchoring your gaze to him. “Be good,” he tells you, “can you do that?” 

Just short of frantic, you nod. 

“Use your words.” 

“Yes, Joel. Yeah, I’m gonna be so good for you.” 

“Good girl,” he praises softly, loosening his near-painful grip on your jaw but keeping his hand there, stroking at your skin. “Now you tell me if you want me to stop, alright?” 

You nod again, barely able to form a sentence, but at the expectant quirk of his eyebrow when you don’t give a verbal answer, you say, “I will. And you, too.” 

His face softens for a second, appreciative. He nods, then leans in, presses a soft, close-mouthed kiss to your lips. “I love you,” he breathes. 

“I love you, too.” 

Satisfied with that, he pulls back. His hand is slow as it pulls away from your jaw, like he’s trying to make the most of the touch. Keeping his eyes on yours, he slowly releases your hands. They’d started to go a little numb with the lack of blood flow. You couldn’t care less.

“Now, if you want me naked, you’re gonna have to do it yourself,” he steps slowly back towards the bed, and you follow him like you’re tied to him, like anywhere he goes you can’t help but go with him. 

Already nodding, you reach out your hands and start unbuttoning his green flannel shirt. He’s wearing a grey T-shirt underneath and you’re tugging it from the waistband of his jeans before you’ve even removed the flannel, too keen to get to his bare skin. When his navel is on show, you can’t resist; you bend down and open your mouth, going in to kiss his scarred stomach, but then his hands are rough on the back of your head as he pulls you back up to his level—

“I said undress me,” he says, raising a disapproving eyebrow. “Nothing else.” He’s pulling your hair, grabbing it in his fist. 

Your eyes flutter shut at the sensation, but open again in an instant, sensing his impatience. “Sorry,” you offer a sheepish smile, chin tilted up to look at him, “I couldn’t help it.” 

His thumb strokes at your cheek. “Be patient, darlin’. You said you’d be good.” 

“I will. I promise.” Your hands are shaking from holding back as you slowly remove the flannel from his shoulders, your palms brushing over the shoulders of his T-shirt, eyes falling over the bare skin where the neckline dips. Your tongue darts out to wet your lips without you even realising it. 

The T-shirt is off soon, messing up his hair as you pull it over his head. He didn’t say you could play with his hair, but you really, really want to, so you use the excuse of neatening it again to at least get a little feel. He smiles knowingly, probably seeing right through the ruse. 

“Messed you up a bit,” you explain, glancing at his eyes for a second before you pull your hands away. It takes every bit of your strength; you could run your hands through Joel’s brown and grey locks for the rest of your life and never get bored. 

He puts his hands on your waist and squeezes. It’s partially fond, partially a warning. Like he’s saying I know what you’re trying to do; get back to it.

So, you do. 

You unbuckle his belt, throwing it across the room once it’s free of its loops. Then your fingers fiddle with the button on his jeans, the fly, and you’re tugging them down towards his ankles. God, bending down in front of him like this, seeing his bulge through his boxers and the thickness of those fucking thighs…

His boxers follow the denim, springing his cock free. It’s vulgar. It’s stunning. You can’t get enough.

“Don’t get distracted,” he tells you as he steps out of his jeans and underwear and lazily kicks them towards where his belt landed. 

You drag your eyes away from his dick and nod obediently, standing back up again. Your mouth is watering, torn between wanting to kiss him or suck him off. His body is so familiar, you’ve got a map of his scars in your brain; you don’t need to look to find them. You know how his skin feels beneath your hands, know exactly where he likes to be touched. The memories of last time are still fresh in your mind, but that doesn’t dull the ache between your thighs, the burning desire in your stomach to just touch him. Let him know how fucking perfect he is. “You’re perfect,” you tell him quietly, reaching out tentative hands to press against his ribs, unsure if he’ll allow it.

He softens just a little. Reaches up one of his hands and brushes the backs of his fingers down your cheek. You just watch him, eyes locked onto him, wondering what he wants you to do next. He leans in, then, and brushes a barely-there kiss to your mouth. “Your turn,” he whispers. Before you know it, he’s tugging your shirt from your head, leaning down to unbuckle your jeans and push them to the floor. Holding onto his shoulders for balance, you step out of them, absently noting the pile of clothes that has quickly developed beside you.

Before you know it, only your underwear is left. It’s a lacy pair that you saved just for tonight. Normally you have no time for something this sexy, but you were expecting this, and you wanted something special. 

“Christ,” Joel curses under his breath. He’s standing a foot away from you, softly shaking his head as his eyes look you all over from head to toe and back again. “New underwear?” He asks, eyes twinkling when they meet yours again. 

Biting your bottom lip, you nod. You know that he’s only admiring you, that not one part of him is thinking you don’t look good. But standing here under his gaze in the middle of the bedroom, far enough from his body that you can’t feel his warmth anymore, you start to feel a little self-conscious. Maybe he doesn’t like the lace. Maybe you look different today. Maybe your new cuts and bruises have turned him off. 

You cover your body with your arms, crossing them in front of you. 

Noticing, he steps closer. Reaches out and gently pulls your arms apart, gazing down into your eyes with a heart-clenching mix of desire and adoration. “Don’t hide that beautiful body,” he says, soft, not a demand but a gentle request. “Please.” 

You nod, forcing yourself to relax your shoulders, to stop closing in on yourself. 

His hands in yours, he gently leads you towards the bed, walking backwards so he can keep his eyes on yours. “Lie down for me, baby,” he says softly, sliding his hand around to the small of your back and gently pushing you towards the bed. 

You do as he asks, and feel his eyes on you as you crawl up the bed. You can feel your wetness already, leaking through the thin lace of your panties. It makes you feel self-conscious to know that he’s watching you, your ass in the air. 

“On your back,” Joel instructs. 

With a nod, you turn, and lay your head back against the pillows. Your eyes find him, standing there at the end of the bed, looking down at you in the dim light of the room. He just stares. You know it’s because he can’t get enough. But that self-doubt starts to creep in, the awareness that you’re almost entirely naked before him and at his mercy suddenly all you can think about.

Your body instinctively starts to close in on itself again, but before it can, he climbs onto the bed and crawls up so he’s lying on top of you. “You,” he says, holding your gaze, “are so beautiful.” 

You swallow a lump of something, maybe emotion, maybe anxiety. Your hand finds its way to his chest, pressing against one of his oldest scars, right above his left pec. “Joel,” you whisper. “Please. Do what you want with me. I just—I need you.” 

Like that’s just what he wanted to hear, he smiles, taking a second to brush some stray strands of hair from your face before he moves that hand down, ghosting his fingertips over the curve of your breast. “Can’t decide if I want this bra on or off,” he mutters, gazing down at it. “Makes your tits look so good, but I love seeing ’em bounce for me, too.” 

The wanton moan escapes your throat before you can think to stop it, and your hips try to grind down onto something, thighs trying their hardest to squeeze together even though Joel’s knee is between both of yours, stopping them from getting closer. 

“Oh, you like it when I talk about your tits?” 

Grasping at the back of his neck, you nod, staring at his lips with a new level of hunger. “Yeah, Joel. I do.” 

“Mm. Well, they’re fuckin’ gorgeous. How about we keep it on for a bit, then I’ll take it off and watch them bounce while I fuck you?” 

Want pulses through your core, your pussy throbbing so hard that it almost hurts. “Joel,” you whimper, “please, touch me.” 

He grins. The hand ghosting over your bare stomach moves downwards, torturously slowly, and he watches with immense pleasure as your expression gets more and more desperate, your thighs trying their hardest to press together, knees pushing against his. “So needy,” he says quietly, voice gruff and husky. Just how you like it. 

Then, his hand finds the place you want it to be. Over your panties, he presses against the hood of your clit, hard enough that you really feel it. You gasp, unable to help it.

“Joel, please, more,” you beg breathlessly. 

Cruelly, he removes his hand. You’re about to protest before he gives you a firm look, raising an eyebrow like he’s challenging you to tell him what to do and see what happens. So you close your mouth, desperate above all else to have him praise you for doing exactly what he wants. 

He takes your hands, one in each of his. At first, you expect him to pin them above your head again, but then he stretches out your arms so you’re making a T shape. He turns your hands over so your palms are against the sheets. “Keep those there,” he instructs, holding your eyes so intensely it’s like he’s looking right into your soul, “and stay still. You can grab the sheets, but that’s it. Alright?” 

Biting down on your bottom lip to the point where you can taste blood, you nod. God, you’ve gone beyond throbbing now. You’re aching. Desperate. Leaking for him, probably already making a mess on the sheets even though you’re not entirely naked. 

Joel waits for a second in case you protest or tell him to stop. Then, after a quick kiss to your lips, he ducks his head down and presses them between your breasts. Your instinct is to grasp the back of his head, pull at his hair. Your hand is moving before you give it permission, but before it can reach where it’s not supposed to go, Joel’s hand shoots out to catch it like he’d been expecting you to break the rule.

He looks up at you. “What did I say?” He asks. 

“Stay still,” you repeat, “just grab the sheets.” 

“That’s right. This was your warning. I need you to focus on doing what I tell you, okay?” 

Gasping for air, you nod. After returning your hand to its spot, he places a little kiss on your sternum, then trails his lips all the way down, stopping when they reach the lace of your panties. 

Too slowly he pulls them down, unhooking them from your ankles after what seems like hours, throwing them onto the pile. When he looks back to you, your pussy now naked and flush and glistening before him, he smiles. “Now, I liked that lace, but this is a better view, huh?” He asks rhetorically before dipping his head again, and you feel his hot breath against your wetness before anything else. 

It’s perfect, he’s just leaning in, just about to press his lips to your clit when your hand moves without permission again, out of habit reaching up to grab hold of his hair. 

He pulls away in an instant and the lack of his warmth against you is almost painful. “You’re normally so good,” he sighs, giving you a disappointed look. “Come on, on all fours. Clearly your hands need to be somewhere, so you might as well hold yourself up.” 

Throbbing, leaking onto his knee where it’s in between your legs, you nod, and manage to pull yourself up on shaky arms and turn yourself over. You start to lean down on your forearms, pressing your head into them, but Joel wraps an arm around your chest and lifts you up. 

“On all fours,” he says again, just a gentle reminder this time instead of a warning. Because you had genuinely missed the part when he said that. 

It’s only just possible to hold yourself up when you’re shaking so much, so full of desire and want and need. If you could, you’d have your hands all over him, have his cock in your mouth, his nipples beneath your fingers, his hair in your hands. 

Instead, he spreads himself out over your back, hot and heavy. He keeps the one arm around your chest, the hairs of his forearm brushing against the lace of your bra. The other hand snakes around your hip, over the curve of it, across your navel. It’s quiet in the room, just the sound of his breathing heavy in your ear.

Then, slap.

He slaps your clit, just gently, but enough to make the throbbing even worse. “You said you’d be good for me,” he mutters in your ear, “so you’re gonna take this, and then you’re gonna take my dick, and you’re only going to touch me when I say you can.” 

Squeezing your eyes shut as tears of sheer desire sting at them, you nod. You want to reach backwards, put a hand on the back of his neck. Hold him to you.

But you do as he says. 

“I’ll be good,” you promise him, resisting the urge to lean down and kiss his forearm. “Tell me how good I am while you do it, please?” 

He kisses the shell of your ear. “Always, darlin’. Always.” Then he slaps your clit again, harder this time, the sound echoing through the room. He reaches down to pull back the hood with his spare hand, then slaps again, this time even harder and more intense now that it’s making direct contact with the bundle of nerves. It stings but sends jolts of pleasure and need right to your core as more wetness gathers at your entrance. 

“Joel…” you breathe out and are cut off when he slaps again, this time three times in a row.

“That’s my girl,” he purrs against your neck, pressing his nose there and leaving open-mouthed kisses on your skin, “Taking it so good, huh? Just letting me hit that gorgeous pussy as many times as I want. God, baby, you’re so perfect. So good for me. Make me feel so good…” He’s grinding against the curve of your hipbone, cock hard and hot against your skin. You gasp at the feeling, entrance pulsing with need for him to be inside you.

He keeps slapping, emphasising each one with a kiss to the pulse point behind your ear, whispering praises into the soft skin there, letting them sink right into your bones. “So good for me. Such a good girl, baby, I love you so much. Gonna give you everything you need, that's right, I got you. Think you can come just from this? From me slapping that clit?” 

Your mouth opens and closes a few times as you try to form the words.

He slaps hard. “Answer me,” he growls. 

You moan in surprise and pleasured pain. “God, Joel, I…no, I think I need…” 

“Hm? Tell me what you need, baby. Tell me, or I’ll keep slappin’ till you can’t feel anything anymore…” 

“I need you—I need you inside me, Joel, and…oh, God, that’s good,” he starts rubbing circles against your swollen clit, so hard it’s almost too much as the nerves light you up from he inside. “Just like that. Just touching me.” 

“Think you’ve learned your lesson to keep still,” Joel decides, giving the gentlest of taps to your clit before easing on the pressure a little. You sigh, unsure if it’s out of relief or disappointment. Either way, Joel soothes it with a kiss to your neck and a gentle press of his fingers returning to the swollen nub. Then he slides them down, gathering wetness from your entrance. He slowly pushes a finger inside, and it’s like heaven. The digit is warm, though too small, not enough. He’s breathing against the back of your neck, one arm still wrapped around your chest and pressing you totally flush against him. 

Then, withdrawing his wet finger, he lifts up away from you for a minute. You sigh sadly, but then realise he’s working on the clasp of your bra. It parts with a gentle click, and falls down your arms, landing on the bed in front of you. He taps at your hip. “Turn over,” he instructs, “wanna see those tits bounce will I fuck you.” 

You moan and do exactly what he says. The bra gets tangled in your arms, but he frees you from it, chucking the final piece of clothing into the pile on the floor. 

Once you’ve rolled over, Joel holds himself up over you, and you see sweat on his forehead, his jaw clenching from restraint. He looks down at your pussy, smiles at what he sees. It feels swollen, sore. It feels good.

“You good to keep going?” He checks in, softening his voice for a second as he reaches out to brush some sweaty hair from your forehead. 

You’re throbbing, aching, and the answer is yes. “Yes, Joel. I need you. Please fuck me.” 

He smiles in affirmation. Then he lines his dick up, gently sliding it between your folds, gathering wetness. The tip of it brushes against your entrance and your hips instinctively buck down against the feeling, inviting him inside. 

“Do I have to stay still?” You ask him, breathless.

He gives you an appreciative look. “As much as you can.” 

“Can I touch you?” Your hands hover in the space between you. “I don’t think I can not touch you right now.”

He sees the sincerity in your face, hears it in your voice. Nodding, he leans down to kiss one of your fingertips. “Go right ahead, baby. Do what you need to do.” 

Grateful, your hands fly to the back of his neck, tangling in his hair and holding him there, never wanting him to move. He closes his eyes briefly. His cock is still brushing through your folds and you hear it, so wet and slick and filthy.

“Please fuck me,” you whisper, one of your hands sliding down to hold his cheek. His perfect, perfect cheek. He opens an eye to look at you. “Please, Joel. I’ve been good, haven’t I?” 

He tilts his head to kiss your palm. “The best, as always,” he says. Then, in one fluid motion, he pushes inside you, buries himself right to the hilt.

A cry leaves your mouth. Your head tips back, eyes going to the ceiling. 

But his hand slaps under your chin, then grabs it, pulling you back to look at him. “That, I won’t have,” he tells you. “You look right at me. Focus, right here. Got it?” 

It’s never been a chore to look at him. You nod desperately, grasping onto him because it’s all you can do.

He uses one hand to spread your legs as wide as they’ll go, bending them at the knee then laying them down against the bed, leaving you in a frog-like pose. You’re completely exposed before him, entirely naked and at his mercy. You couldn’t close your legs if you wanted to. 

Then he’s back inside again. This time, the thrust is harder. It hits right against your cervix and he lingers there, revelling in the way you have to try your hardest to not let your eyes roll to the back of your head. 

“I’m gonna fuck you real hard,” he tells you. “Is that okay?” 

Frantic, more frantic than you think you’ve ever been in your life, you nod. “Yes, Joel. God, please, that’s what I need—”

He doesn’t wait for any further confirmation.

He pulls out, shoves back into you with as much force as he can. The first few thrusts are every few seconds, giving you a chance to adjust. But as the whines get more desperate in your throat, as your nails start to dig in to the top of his back, he gets faster. You can feel your tits bouncing just like he wanted, so much that it stimulates your nipples with each thrust and feels so good. You want to play with them, want to squeeze your breasts in your hands, but Joel didn’t say you could touch yourself, so you don’t. 

Instead, you keep your eyes locked onto his face where he closes his eyes, his mouth hanging open just a little. You could take the opportunity to look away while he’s not paying attention, but you want him to open his eyes again and see that you’ve done exactly as he told you to. 

“Fuck,” he moans as his thrusts get faster, harder. He grabs you by the hips, pulling you down onto him. His dick is hitting the highest point it can get to, and it hurts in the best way, the kind of pain that turns instantly into pleasure, shooting out to every nerve ending in your body. 

“Fuck, Joel, that’s so good—yes, fuck me, fuck me hard—”

“You’re so perfect,” he opens his eyes again and looks proud when he sees that you’re still looking at him. “So good for me. Such a good girl. God, look at you, those tits bouncing with my cock…God, I bet you wanna touch ’em, don’t you, darlin’? You wanna touch yourself?” 

Your clit literally needs it, and you know that Joel knows that, knows that that’s what it takes to get you over the edge. But he’s leaving you without it for now, and it doesn’t worry you. He’ll get to that. He always does. 

For now, you just enjoy the feeling of him fucking you into the mattress, your spread legs straining with the force of trying to keep them still. They start to raise up a little, knees lifting from the bed. He slaps a hand down on each one, pushing them down. 

“Oh, God, Joel,” you curse as your nails scratch down his back, trying to find purchase.

“You wanna press those thighs together, don’t you?” He asks gruffly. “You wanna lift those legs and grind against my dick, touch your clit til you come, that right?” 

“Yeah,” you pant. “Yeah, Joel.” 

“I’ll do it for you,” he promises, and lifts a hand from your knee to press it against your clit. The sensation is white-hot, overwhelming, sending sparks of pleasure all through your centre and as far as it can go. “Yeah, darlin’, that’s it. That feel good? You gonna come?” 

“Mm!” Is all you can manage. The knee that he isn’t holding in place is trying to twitch up, trying to bend more comfortably. But you don’t let it. You won’t. He told you to stay still as best you can, and you can do this. 

“I know you wanna move,” he leans down so he can rest your forehead against his. “I know, baby. But you’re doing so good. Look at you, baby, doin’ what I ask. God, I’m so proud of you. Taking me so well. Come for me, please, baby.” 

You cry out as he starts rubbing harder circles against your clit, in time with his hard thrusts that somehow are getting more intense, harder—

“I said,” he stops suddenly, just pushing in once against you, burying himself to the hilt. “Come. Come on my cock now, baby. Be good for me. I know you can do it,” he starts to thrust again as pleasure coils tighter in your stomach. “That’s it, atta girl…keep your eyes on me now, don’t look away, let me see that face…”

You’re clenching around him, practically gushing. Pleasure sparks behind your eyes and you fight with all your might to keep them locked on Joel’s face at all times. It’s hard, but as your orgasm rises, the little itch of self-consciousness is gone and all you can do is chase your pleasure, unbothered by how you might look beneath him, fucked-out and trying your hardest to stay still. Your orgasm washes over you slowly and all at once, hitting you with force and keeping you up high for as long as it can.

His hand is rough on your hip, fingers digging in. “Shit, baby, felt so good…I’m gonna…” 

“Come inside me,” you say to him, holding the back of his neck. His eyes find yours again, asking a silent question. “Please, Joel. Please.” 

He does. 

His face relaxes, and it looks like he’s forcing himself to keep his eyes on you, too, like he’s returning the favour. You cradle his face through his climax, feeling every muscle tense and then relax all at once. He spills inside you, and as his thrusts get more erratic, it starts to squeeze out from your core with each push and pull of his cock. 

He stills. All you can hear is both of your panting breaths, feeling the sweaty skin of his back, his muscles flexing over his shoulder blades. His chest rises and falls. His face hovers above yours, panting into your mouth. 

"Oh, fuck," you whisper. "Fuck."

“You okay?” He asks, breathy. 

You hold the back of his neck. “Yes,” you answer. “Are you?” 

“Never better,” he smirks, then presses a kiss to both of your cheeks, your nose, your chin. He’s still inside you. You’re already dreading him pulling out. 

Self-consciousness creeps in again. There’s sweaty hair sticking to your face. He just fucked you into oblivion, you can’t even remember the noises you might have made. His hands have been all over you. You didn’t move your eyes away once. 

Until now. You cover your eyes with the crook of your elbow, shielding yourself from view as best you can. 

Joel presses tender kisses to your forearm. Then he lifts a hand and slowly coaxes your arm away. “Please don’t hide from me,” he whispers. “Darlin’, you’re perfect. I already told you.” 

“You weren’t just saying that cause you wanted to get lucky?” You tease, peeking out from behind the remaining cover. 

He chuckles. “You’re always perfect,” he says, like it’s a promise. “You don’t have to hide. I love you, you know that.” 

You let your arm fall back onto the bed, but close your eyes. “I just…I just need a minute,” you whisper to him, letting the darkness behind your eyelids soothe you, enjoying the moment of a little privacy. 

He strokes your cheek. “You did so good,” he whispers. “So, so good, darlin’. Kept your eyes on me the whole damn time. You take as much time as you need; I ain’t going anywhere.” 

You nod, and let the promise sink in. 

One of your hands lifts to stroke at his side, all the way from his hip to his ribs. You can feel the rise and fall of his chest as his breaths start to even out. He’s still propped up above you, still inside you.

“I’m going to pull out now,” he says quietly. “So I can clean us up a bit. Is that okay? Do you need more time?”

You think about it for a second, then shake your head. “I’m okay. Just—go slow. I’m already a little sore.”

He waits just in case you change your mind. Then, slowly, carefully, he pulls out his cock. It leaves your hole with a wet pop, and it hurts just a little, your insides and your clit sore from the action. 

A whimper escapes your lips.

“Sorry,” he whispers, leaning up to kiss your face. “You alright? That hurt?” 

“I’m alright. It did, but it’s okay.” 

“It got pretty intense there for a bit. I didn’t take it too far?” 

With your eyes still closed, you shake your head, and give a blissed-out smile. Pleasure is still buzzing beneath your skin, warm and comforting. “No.” 

He presses a soft kiss to your forehead, lingers there for a second. “I’m gonna draw us a bath, how’s that sound?” 

“Perfect,” you sigh. Then, taking in the throbbing still in your core, the swelling of your clit, “I’m still feeling really sensitive.” 

“Mm,” he hums sympathetically, stroking at your face. “Just relax, honey. I gotcha. You need painkillers? Ice?”

You don’t need to look at him to find his beard, running your hands through it comfortingly. Warmth settles in your chest, peace as you recover. “No. Just you. And a bath sounds good.”

“I’ll go turn on the water.” 

As he starts to get up, you pull him back on instinct. Your eyes open, finding him looking down at you with a soft frown. “Joel…” you feel vulnerable, so open here below him, so raw and aching. 

“I know, I know,” he soothes, “it’s alright. The damn bath takes near twenty minutes to run, so I’ll switch it on, and then I’ll be back. Okay?”

You hold his hand for a moment longer, then nod.

He’s back before you know it, a warm, wet washcloth in one hand. “You feeling up to me cleaning you off?” 

You wrinkle your nose, thinking about it. “Be gentle,” you say, “try it.” 

He nods. Kneeling down between your legs, he starts to gently wipe at your lingering wetness, taking extra care around your over-sensitive clit. Everything feels heightened and numb at the same time, but Joel’s hands are so soft and familiar that it feels comforting, makes you feel cared for.

Once he’s done, he reaches over to the bedside table and hands you a glass of water. “Have a drink, honey,” he says, gently coaxing you to sit up a little, holding the glass up to your mouth. You do, enjoying the cool water as it hits your throat. You’d moaned more than you realised; your throat feels sore. 

Joel has a sip too, then he pulls the blankets up from the bottom of the bed, tucks you both in beside each other. “You wanna cuddle, or do you need some space?” 

You shake your head. “Cuddle,” you answer without needing to think about it.

He pulls you in, turning you over to press your back to his chest. He’s so warm, his arm strong and familiar wrapped around your waist. His lips press to the back of your head, nose pressing against your hair. “You did such a good job, baby. I love you,” he whispers, “so much.” 

You kiss his knuckles. “I love you, too.” 

“Don’t fall asleep. We might flood the place if we forget the bath.” 

“I won’t,” you laugh a little. “Still too wired.” 

He presses a comforting kiss to your shoulder, hugs you in tight. “I'm here. I got you, baby.”

{end}

notes: yes hello i have been in a state of peril since my joel miller brain rot was reactivated (it never deactivated) with the show. i hope this eased it for y'all like it did me 😩 good luck out there fellow horny babes, take care of yourself, ily very much xo if you have any joel smut requests, hit me up ❤️

ps: this is fanfiction during the apocalypse so we make allowances but in real life don't forget to always practice safe sex!!! ❤️

[fuhlensworld]

୨⎯ Red waves ⎯୧

Pelle ohlin x Reader

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・

Tw:period oral,AFAB! Reader,cursing,hair pulling,pet names, reader being in pain from cramps,oral fem receiving,slight fluff,slight cnc, Dom!pelle

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.

Laying in bed,you wiped little tears off your face, your cramps had been so painful and your boyfriend Pelle had been gone all day with the band working on their new song. You were curled up in your favorite fuzzy blanket, the stuffed animal Pelle had bought you in hand,when you heard the door open and your boyfriend call out to you.

“Sweetheart I’m home dude varg was getting on my last fucking nerve tod- baby? Oh baby are you okay?” He says as he walks into the room and sees you a crying mess in your shared bed.

“Y yeah m’just having really bad cramps”

You say as you sniffle and look at him with glossy eyes.

“Aww my poor baby” he says as he pulls you in for a hug,

“You know what would make you feel better” he says with a smirk on his face

You assumed he meant a nice movie and a cuddle sesh but oh we’re you wrong.

“What?” You say as you move to get in a more comfortable position

“If I gave you some head” he says as he rubs your tummy

“Pelle no! Thats nasty im not gonna let you give me h head when I’m on my period!” You said to him, even though some head sounded good right now you never had it when you were on your period so you were unsure.

“Oh baby but I wasn’t asking you” he cooed as he pulled the blanket off of your body and got on top of you and started to plant sweet but firm kisses along your jawline moving down to your neck.

“Fuck Pelle please let’s just do something else” you pleaded with him, it’s not that you didn’t want him to eat you out, you were just embarrassed,what if he was grossed out?

“Shhh baby let me make you feel good you’ll like it I promise,also you don’t really have a choice now do you?” He let out a light chuckle before pulling your pants and panties down,you hid your face in embarrassment but he didn’t care he started kisses your thighs and finally moved his face right at your pussy, he let out a groan as he kicked a stripe from your entrance all the way to your swollen clit.

“F-fuck Pelle please oh my god”

You moaned out forgetting about ever feeling embarrassed in the first place, “that’s right baby just relax, god you taste so damn good” he said diving right back into you, after he spent some time licking your entrance he focused on your aching clit,sucking and giving it little kitten licks.

After some time you felt that knot of pleasure in your tummy coming undone and you grabbed onto his hair and grinder your hips against his face, desperate for more

“Fuck Pelle im gonna cum please please” you moaned out as he gripped into your hips tighter,that’s definitely gonna leave a bruise. Finally the cord snapped and you screamed Pelle’s name as he gave your pussy tiny kitten licks to help you come down from your high.

“You did so good baby” he says as he comes up to kiss you, you didn’t care that he had your blood all over his face, you just wanted to taste him.

You made out with him heavily as he gripped your hair trying to pull you in closer.

“I love you baby” he said as he peppered kisses all over your face

“I love you too now let’s clean this blood off” you said with a light chuckle.

The rest of the night was filled with cuddles and kisses from Pelle!

An:AHH THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT SORRY THIS KNE TOOK SO LONG IVE BEEN BUSY, FEEL FREE TO REQUEST ANYTHING!!!

[felassan]

Thoughts on the new Dragon Age: Dreadwolf teaser THEDAS CALLS, and other new things about the game from DA Day 2023

[post under cut due to length]

(ﾉ `･∀･)ﾉﾞ New stuff! Let's goo!

Other than chatting about the new stuff with some friends, I have avoided reading other posts (and other peoples' speculations/theories from other websites/platforms) about it. I like to try and get it all out my head onto 'paper' before doing so (it's fun seeing the few things I get right and the more things I get wildly wrong in theorycrafting hhh). after this post I'm super excited to dive into other speculations, compare and contrast and also read the thoughts of others on things I will have totally missed!

this post will mention some things I already mentioned in previous posts.

First, I think it's interesting that the "Welcome to Dragon Age" text blurb on the website has been slightly updated. the old version reads:

“Enter Thedas, a vibrant world of rugged wilderness, treacherous labyrinths, and glittering cities. The Dragon Age is a time of warring nations, savage combat, and secret magics. Now, the fate of this world teeters on a knife’s edge. Thedas needs a new hero; one they’ll never see coming. Forge a courageous fellowship to challenge the gathering storm. Friendship, drama, and romance abound as you bring striking individuals together into an extraordinary team. Become the hero and light the beacon of hope in their darkest moments.” [can be seen here]

The new version reads:

"Enter the world of Thedas, a vibrant land of rugged wilderness, treacherous labyrinths, and glittering cities – steeped in savage combat and secret magics. Now, the fate of this world teeters on a knife's edge. Thedas needs a new leader; one they'll never see coming. You’ll forge a courageous fellowship to challenge the gathering storm. Friendship, drama, and romance will abound as you bring striking individuals together into an extraordinary team. Become the leader and light the beacon of hope in their darkest moments." [source]

I like "the world of Thedas" better as it makes for a nice call back to the World of Thedas lore books. The reference to "warring nations" has been removed which I find curious, and what remains is savage combat and secret magics only. I wonder if it was decided that some 'warring nations' storyline elements would take more of a back seat? e.g. the Tevinter/Qunari Antaam war or Qunari Antaam invasion of Tevinter and other northern nations. - in favor of focusing on the array of other stuff, factions, threats and plot-threads that's going on, like Solas' plans/the Veil, the threat of the Evil Gods, whatever's going down among the Wardens, all the new factions (Lords of Fortune, Shadow Dragons, Veil Jumpers), red lyrium etc? there's certainly lots the plot could involve and explore without a nations at war plotline/backdrop. The Qunari Antaam invasion has been covered a lot now anyways in short stories, Tevinter Nights, and the recent comics, and I'm reminded of how the mage-templar war in the run-up to DA:I seemed like it would be a bigger part of the game's plot than what it turned out to be.

Also interestingly, a new "hero" has been changed to new "leader". Become the "leader", not become the "hero". I feel like these words have kinda different connotations. what are the connotations of "leader" as opposed to "hero"?

I also like the Thedas Calls tagline. this teaser reminded me of parts of the DA:I "A Wonderful World" trailer, in that both are showcasing the varied regions we'll visit and locales that will feature in the game. and yk, I am super enjoying BG3, it's an amazing game that is really fun and beautiful and I've put loads of hours into it, but I miss the world&worldbuilding of DA. Thedas is calling to me indeed ( ´•̥̥̥ω•̥̥̥` )

Now, the fate of this world teeters on a knife's edge. // "a spike of lyrium sprang from the base of the idol, so that all at once, it was not merely an idol, but a ritual blade."

I also wanna take a moment to compile in one place the various lines posted by the BW and DA Twitter accounts:

"Thedas is on the cusp of revelation and on the brink of damnation."

"This is Thedas. 💜 Enjoy it while it lasts." ("What does that mean?!")

"The Dread Wolf readies to make his move."

It's well-established by now that Solas has been Planning things and that there are imminent threats (not just Solas) to Thedas. it's also pretty commonly thought that the Veil will indeed be brought down in or prior to the next game - that would change the nature of Thedas as we know it, and the nature of reality. one version of Thedas would end as a new world begins (or the old world returns?). these snippets also sound like general fantasy/marketing/high-stakes SAVE THE WORLD! / THE WORLD IS UNDER THREAT OMG taglines. lines from the DA:I marketing era ("Will you stand against [the darkness/fires above]? Or lead this world to its bitter end?", "Lead Them Or Fall") weren't super accurate to the contents of that game. so I'm not sure how much we can read into them. but they sound cool and serve a purpose. (even the Gear Store account is in part in on it btw, "unveiling" the new merch in the store hh).

I also like the suggestion that a sort of bronzey color accompanies the purple color themeing now. it's neat.

To the trailer. The teaser is "a mix of gameplay and cinematics". It "represents [a] game in development". it's in-engine. we're told that there will be a full reveal of DA:D in the summer of 2024. what might a full reveal entail? sounds like a kind of detailed showcase right? showing new companions, showing gameplay, story trailers and story information, in-depth looks at specific systems in or aspects of the game like skill trees or CC or something etc. when might that be exactly - perhaps Summer Game Fest, or during an EA Play type event? they could also just do their own showcase.

also overall I liked the teaser, I thought it was neat, it looked and sounded cool.

the new blurbs from the latest blog are relevant to the trailer, so let's put them here too.

Ever the pinnacle of mystery and intrigue, the Crows watch from the deep shadows of beautiful Antiva. Something, however, is amiss, and they are set on uncovering the source.

-

Upon eastern shores and sunkissed sands, the Lords of Fortune no longer hold dominion over the coasts of Rivain—not when dragons are growing bolder and laying waste to their ships.

-

To the far west, three Grey Wardens patrol the Anderfels. Tremors have been creating disturbances of late. Their cause is unknown. Upon the distant horizon, a storm of ominous intent brews and darkens the skies.

-

We see a shot of Antiva and the port-city of Treviso. this city is in northern Antiva, on the coast of the Rialto Bay. The Antivan Crows originate from the lands surrounding Treviso, and it’s an important city for the guild still, as well as the seat of House Valisti. Fittingly in this shot in the trailer we see a corvid in the foreground, and more flying from Treviso in other parts of the map.

Treviso has been captured, occupied, burned and liberated several times during the Qunari Wars and the New Exalted Marches, and in recent times irl and in the post-DA:I Thedas timeline, in the short story As We Fly it has been occupied and invaded by Qunari Antaam. ("The Antaam will rule Antiva. And Treviso will learn to kneel." / "Out of time, like your city. And soon, the world" / "Treviso will be free.")

He smiled and signaled for his men to halt, making a show of raising his war hammer to his shoulder, emphasizing its weight. "Out of breath?" he called.

I'd also like to note that while the blurbs reference tremors in the Anderfels, the trailer map shows fault lines/cracks in other parts of Thedas, as here in Antiva.

Next we see a shot of the Treviso skyline at night. corvids fill the night sky and it sounds like we can hear them cawing. on a tower or rooftop is a statue of a crow (in fact there's more than one of these), and the rooftops with the roof tiles and those distinctive domes look like they would be super fun to do some Assassin's Creeding on. it's cool to see this locale from previous teasers and previous concept art pieces come to life again. Does anyone see any hint of the Qunari Antaam occupation of Treviso being ongoing in this shot? I could be missing something.

"We fight for everyone, and we always will. The Crows rule Antiva." Who could the speaker be? Andarateia Cantori, Caterina Dellamorte, Noa de Acutis, a member of House Valisti, Crow Lady who is from concept art, the "another Crow" or "friend" who picked up the contract in As We Fly, someone new? What she's saying is also of note. the Crows are a guild of assassins who basically run Antiva, not freedom fighters per se. but as we can see in As We Fly, as the Crows have been combatting the Qunari Antaam occupation of the city, the Treviso populace have begun in part to see them as something akin to freedom fighters who are "fighting for us!" Noa and Neri, a pair of old Antivan Crows, discussed how the Crows are trying to free Antiva, and the Crow message being intentionally shaped in response to the message of the Qunari Antaam occupation:

"Pity,” said Noa, smiling across her drink. “I'd enjoy killing a few pretenders.” Neri smiled back. "Noted. But until then, we craft our message to answer theirs." He raised his cup. "The Crows rule Antiva." Noa answered with her own. "And Treviso will be free."

The Antivan Crow speaking in the trailer is echoing this message. it could also be a sincerely-held belief or principle for her of course. Teia for example seems to lean this way, and in Tevinter Nights it's detailed that before Houses and masks, the Crows were monks near Treviso. using some herbs they poisoned a local duke who was terrorizing a village; they did what needed to be done to protect the Antivan people. over the years, they've apparently lost sight of that. (with a Crow in TN saying that now it's all about family and blood instead of a claw working as one, and disparaging them for being all about money when, in the beginning, they were protectors who fought for Antiva and for the people. he felt that they had chosen profit over patriotism somewhere along the way). so for some Crows it's an actual sentiment and not just a crafted message. Tevinter Nights also mentions how the Crows are mostly heroes in Antiva (protecting it as it lacks an army), with Antivans tending to romanticize them as freedom fighters.

As for the blurb, I wonder what is amiss in Antiva? the Crows are apparently set on on uncovering the source of things being amiss in Antiva. Does this pertain to the Qunari Antaam invasion? Or is it to do with what Teia and Viago were investigating in one issue of Dragon Age: The Missing (which was of course a prequel comic)? they were in Vyrantium on a contract to kill Lady Crysanthus, because there were rumors of her unsavory connections and questions that needed to be answered. They believed that she was working with the Venatori, helping them to operate freely in Vyrantium while they laid their plans to plan a move against the Imperium. At the end of the comic, they say that they will report to the Crows what they learned with Varric and Harding, as "the Crows must be made aware that the Venatori are seeking to make a concerted move against the Imperium". that's Vyrantium and Tevinter ofc, but it could be part of some greater tangled thing. I'm also reminded of how in the Lucanis story, we learned that someone mysterious had contracted the Crows to kill a bunch of prominent Venatori. the Venatori were like "bro we will not cower to foreign mercs like the Crows". So perhaps they are cooking up something bad in Antiva because of this stuff between them?

in any event, per Tevinter Nights, with half her Talons dead, Antiva is more vulnerable than ever, and so something being amiss there does not sound good!!

The accompanying art piece from the blogpost (all three of these are beautiful ^^) shows three Crows on the Trevisan rooftops, looking out over the canals at night, one a bearded human man, one an elf, and one person who is facing away from the viewer's perspective.

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

Next we move to Rivain. See here for prior posts on: the Evil Gods and cephalopods

I wonder if the placement of the squid monster ON/AS Rivain is just fun art/general foreboding 'oh no, the bad gods are coming',-themeing, or does it mean that an evil god is specifically rising in or under Rivain and that Rivain is in more danger? it's super clever art having the monster god be Rivain on the map anyways hh and it looks cool. I also think that it doesn't just look like a cephalopod - minus the tentacles, it looks like the head and snout of a dragon. I know the monster is following the shape of Rivaini landmass and so that's why, but it struck me nonetheless. (also I like the parallel imagery of a draconic squidthing vs draconic wolf in Fen'Harel's dragon-wolf form..)

it's a nice and ominous/threatening touch that the creature's eye turns to the viewer and the pupil dilates on catching sight of us. the creature's tentacles writhe and pour out of Rivain into the rest of northern Thedas. and when the trailer later shows a map of Tevinter coast, much of the center is entangled in tentacle-like or snake-like tendrils.

btw are these lines implied shipping lanes, cool lines because cool art looks cool, or something else? I ask because they reminded me of the repeating circles motif and the geometric type patterns in the vinyl art.

"Glory to the risen gods. They've come to deliver this world." - Risen Gods plural, there isn't just one of these bad ominous risen gods. and the Dread Wolf (though, despite the Fen'Harel cultist/followers in TN I don't think that he's one of those being referred to in that line) clearly isn't the only thing that has been "rising" in Thedas, there are multiple other ancient godlike entities other than Solas afoot. The tentacles and squid remind me of the Cekorax (see Evil Gods and cephalopod posts linked above), which is neither demon nor spirit and came from somewhere past the Veil. this creature could be of a similar ilk, like maybe the Cekorax was a mere mook type mob (that's the vibe it gave. a herald of what is to come but not anywhere near like being a big bad itself) compared to this trailer squid which is more like a king of its kind or something. the Cekorax also said that "things are rising" in the story it appeared in. I also note that like the Cekorax, the true nature of the Old Gods is yet unknown - are they demons, spirits, Great dragons, something else?

Cephalopods also commonly in fantasy-type media have dangerous, demonic, cthonic, Lovecraftian, interdimensional type vibes and symbolism going on, e.g. the Illithids in BGworld. In a Dragon Age context, this makes me think of the Void/the abyss, eluvian travel, implied 'spaces between' and how the Crossroads is like a sort of pocket dimension. cephalopods are ofc also sea creatures, and so this also reminds me of the imagery where the Fade (another realm) is described as being watery or being like a sea in nature (the well of all souls, emerald waters of the Fade, the sea of dreams etc). You can see why these creatures are portrayed as or were designed to be tentacley and cephalopody. this is becoming a ramble I know but it's all connected somehow aaa.

On the speaker during this segment: perhaps they are a Tevinter or Venatori Old God cultist, that's the sort of vibe I get from them. worship of the Old Gods still persists in secret parts of Tevinter society to this day, with cults to them existing. in recent times in Thedas, we've seen numerous examples of these:

"the Blood Band is an Old God cult led by Fallstick. They hate templars and don’t view blood magic as being inherently evil. the Last Moon are/were a cult dedicated to Lusacan. Early in the Dragon Age, they abducted and ritualistically murdered several people. Their goal at that time was to cause the start of a terrible battle, in order to cover Thedas in “a night that will never end” (Lusacan being the Dragon of Night).  Magister Aurelian Titus also led a cult. Titus wanted to return all of the Imperium to the worship of the Old Gods. He tried to use the Dreamer abilities of himself and his cult, bolstered by the Magrallen artifact, in order to brainwash Thedosians. He had a vision of a restored Tevinter where slaves knew their place and the Chant of Light and the Qun were both purged from peoples’ minds. He said “The old gods. The dragon gods. We shall become them”. there’s also a tale of a group of Old God cultists who departed mainland Thedas on a trio of ships in the late Storm Age to try and reach the mysterious uninhabited land of Amaranth, across the eastern ocean. Their expedition was supposedly never heard from again" [source]

I note with scared hamster fear btw that the Amaranthine Ocean is in the east, the land beyond it is called Amaranth, Thedosian people go there or try to go there and never come back, and the land there is said to be devoid of any sentient species and yet when former settlements are found they were empty and the only survivor had been driven mad and killed themself. meanwhile, the Executors purport that they act on behalf of powers across the sea, they are cloaked from head to toe and smell of salt/brine like the sea, and they have a history of being active in the east of Thedas and Thedosian countries with eastern coasts. It was said that "those across the seas will come soon enough". I have also speculated before since literally the time of Tevinter Nights's release a link between Ghilan'nain and the Executors, given that they smell of salt/brine/the sea, given the salty/briny smell of her monster lab creecher pools, and given the sea monsters she created, giants of the sea, of which some she left alive "in deep waters, for they were too well-wrought [though these could be cetuses], and Pride stopped her hand":

"Ghilan'nain kept herself apart from the People. She used her power to create animals none had ever seen. The skies teemed with her monsters, the land with her beasts. Andruil hunted them all, and after a year of killing, approached Ghilan'nain with an offer: the gods would share their power with Ghilan'nain, but only if she destroyed her creations, for they were too untamed to remain among the People. Ghilan'nain agreed and asked for three days to undo what she had made. On the first day she struck down the monsters of the air, except those she presented to Andruil as a gift. On the second day she drowned the giants of the sea, except those in deep waters, for they were too well-wrought, and Pride stopped her hand. On the third day she killed the beasts of the land, except the halla, whose grace she loved above all else. This is how Ghilan'nain was made youngest of the gods. —Story of the elven god Ghilan'nain, author unknown"

Back to this line: "Glory to the risen gods. They've come to deliver this world." here, I presume, are two of these risen gods, or these two are the risen gods. the one on the left has a watery motif with those wavy lines (water pouring off them as they rise from the sea), or it looks like seaweed hanging from their crown. in the concept art piece it's also depicted bursting out of the sea.

People connect the lefthand figure to Ghilan'nain, among others. The figure on the right has pointed ears. I think they are Ghil and Elgar'nan.

This speaker also reminded me of the Jaws of Hakkon trailer. the Jaws of Hakkon past and present tried to bring their dragon-formed god to life or free him to destroy the Lowlands. the old Inquisitor and then the new Inquisitor then fought to save Thedosian lands from Hakkon. An Avvar (Gurd) with a not dissimilar English accent to this second trailer speaker (a non-RP one) says "blood will spill before the new moon". the trailers then both end with a godlike entity speaking a threat: "Lowlanders, I am the breath of winter, the cold wind of war. Join me in battle and die" and "All the world will soon share the peace and comfort of my reign". I am not saying that I think the second speaker in the Thedas Calls trailer is an Avvar, a Hakkonite or an Avvar devotee of a different god, or that I think the final speaker in the Thedas Calls trailer is Hakkon or another Avvar god btw. just that I was struck by the similarity of theme and patterns that repeat in Thedas, echoing across time and dimensions.

If not an Old God cultist, I could also see the second speaker being a Venatori or Venatori-type person. the speaker is obviously a follower or cultist of some kind of these "risen gods". the Venatori are arguably a cult, although not precisely of the Old Gods exactly but of one of the High Priests of the Old Gods, the Conductor, who we knew as Corypheus. They see/saw Corypheus as the Elder One and a deity, essentially, and want to restore the glory of Tevinter. They revered him and believed he’d turn them into god-kings when he became a proper god. Although routed by the Inquisitor in DAI, as we know they’re not gone. and Corypheus wasn't the only High Priest of the Old Gods, or the only ancient magister that breached the Fade (and there was more of them besides just the Architect). it's also possible that rather than one of Corypheus' contemporaries the modern Venatori have simply switched to straight up Old God worship, sans Cory-style middleman, and this is a modern Ventatori speaking - and in Tevinter Nights, one prominent Venatori loyalist tried to release a demon that was sealed under Minrathous in a ritual attempt to bring about “Minrathous’ return”. It was thought that the demon is so powerful that only a god (like Corypheus) could summon it. you sure could restore Tevinter to supremacy if you brought back its ancient powerful gods. but more on the god stuff later.

Back to Rivain.

The cave rocks and stalactites give the sense of a toothed maw. the sea water is so bright and blue! in the distance in the sea looks to be a statue (of Andraste?). there's ships wrecked in the waters. the vegetation looks vibrant, and on the shore looks to be the skeleton of a great creature, maybe a dragon or a giant squid type creature that beached and died or died and was washed ashore. I also wonder why there are stalagmites among the ruins? as in why would people build buildings around stalagmites or rock protrusions like that. curious. also, it's cool to see this locale from previous teasers and previous concept art pieces come to life again. Also I feel like the blue dome structure is somehow notable. it feels familiar??

We should also talk about the Rivain blurb. The Antivan Crows in Antiva are not alone in facing something amiss in their nation. The Lords of Fortunes' dominion over Rivaini coasts is slipping because dragons are growing bolder and laying waste to their ships. indeed, the trailer shows a wrecked ship, as does the accompanying art piece, which also features a red dragon curled around a chest of piratey treasure. What could be causing the dragons to grow bolder and attack ships? Is something upsetting or stressing them in the way that wild animals irl may lash out to humans when stressed or predate human livestock/attack humans the more humans encroach on their territory and deplete their natural food sources? Is something or someone controlling them in order to cause havoc (we have examples of people controlling dragons in DA)? Or as dragons, can they just innately sense that something, such as a potential return of dragon-formed dragon-gods, is coming, and are getting stirred up by that feeling? Have they been Blighted or maddened by something? there's that "eastern sea" motif cropping up again btw, and the Rivain blurb also made me wonder if this DA:D codex was written in Rivain about one of the dragons there, especially since it's about a dragon that can swim and catch prey underwater:

this particular dragon has been hunting more than she needs, which could tie to destroying ships (or just be because she has babies). she's also not been attacking [REDACTED] unless they get close to her den, where her babies are. I think it's a fair assumption that the [REDACTED] thing in this codex could be what's behind the weirdly-behaving dragons on the Rivaini coast, and that it's redacted because it's spoilery. I also think it's interesting that this codex specifically mentions the dragon preying on.. squid, a cephalopod. what if she or other dragons in the area ate Cekorax-level mook squidguys that had been like schlorpin' around or near Rivain of late and were driven mad or corrupted by it or something? :<

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Next the trailer travels to the Anderfels, with a roar of battle during the transition. someone yelling a battlecry, and the clang of sword. the third speaker sounds like a hardened fighter, a seasoned commander. he is speaking when he's about to be attacked, or in a pause in battle - like he's in a fortress that is or soon will be under seige. there are cracks, faultlines in the ground in the Anderfels, just like there were in the Antiva map. and indeed, the Anderfels blurb specifically tells us that the land there has recently been shaking with tremors that have been causing disturbances, tremors of unknown cause. around the Anderfels in this map shot are smoky billowing clouds, representing the "storm of ominous intent" that is brewing and darkening the skies, encircling the Anderfels in a way that reminds me of the way the Blight encroached on Fereldan lands on the map of Ferelden in DA:O. the cracks go towards Weisshaupt. we can probably say that we are going to Weisshaupt in DA:D just like we're going to Treviso in DA:D, and we can probably say from this trailer that Weisshaupt is in imminent danger, or maybe even already under attack or laid to waste. it's cool to see this locale from previous teasers and previous concept art pieces come to life again. "far west" also makes me think about the Volca sea and the place beyond it hinted at in World of Thedas, where ships came captained by dwarves talking of a cataclysm.

The griffon obviously represents Weisshaupt fortress. I'm so excited to finally go there for real (but worried about what is happening there). "Grey Wardens don't hide in our castle. I won't ask good soldiers to turn tail and run." - The situation sounds dire. This line also reminded me of Davrin's line in a previous trailer where he heroically said "Nobody dies on my watch! For the Wardens." (I don't think the speaker is Davrin though, the Davrin line just further adds to the stakes of the bad situation the Wardens are probably in rn). Remember, things weren't sounding good for the Wardens in the various DA:I and Trespasser epilogues:

The Grey Wardens of the south slowly rebuild in the months following the events at Adamant. They declare it time for the Order to emerge from the shadows, to join the rest of humanity in fighting their ancient foes. Rumors abound that they severed ties with their leaders at Weisshaupt, and that a bitter war now rages between them. What becomes of Hawke/Loghain/Stroud/Alistair is unknown – save that all news out of Weisshaupt soon ends. Does the sudden silence indicate a battle within... or something far worse? - Those Grey Wardens who survived the battle at Adamant ventured north into exile. They returned to the mighty fortress of Weisshaupt, and word slowly spreads that a battle for control of the Order has erupted. - It is said that Loghain/Stroud/Alistair leads these Wardens in their rebellion, a fight to change the Order from within. - If Hawke reaches Weisshaupt with them is unknown. Indeed, before long, all news out of Weisshaupt ends. - Slowly, the Wardens withdraw from across the north as well. Some believe the ancient order is on the verge of vanishing forever.

There's basically a Warden civil war and Weisshaupt has gone dark, and the Wardens are on the brink. Romanced Warden Blackwall kept getting increasingly urgent messages summoning him to return to Weisshaupt, and eventually when they became too urgent to ignore, he left for the sake of duty, and then years passed and he never returned and is implied to have fallen in the line of duty. (btw, maybe a Warden splinter faction/Warden civil war is the explanation of why we are now seeing a variant version of the traditional Grey Warden heraldry?)

I wonder if this speaker is the First Warden or a high up Warden who is opposed to the First Warden (or a male Hawke who survived DA:I and went to Weisshaupt in the epilogue?? probably not, because by the Trespasser epilogue Hawke has returned and been helping Varric in Kirkwall). I am leaning towards a different leader Warden who is opposed to the First Warden, as opposed to the First Warden themselves. Reason being, the FW commands from Weisshaupt HQ (holed up in a castle) and does not sound to be very frontline battle-like or heroic, unlike the speaker. the FW is said to be mostly caught up in Anderfels politicking, as there the Wardens are regarded as basically nobility, and the FW offers little guidance to the Order or its commanders. they are said to be mostly a figurehead, and even the Hero of Ferelden themself, right after stopping the Fifth Blight could "expect little assistance or guidance so far from the Anderfels" cleaning up the darkspawn dregs in Ferelden in Awakening, because:

Even those close to Weisshaupt learn to suffer alone. The murmurs are true—the First Warden is often embroiled in the politics of the Anderfels and has little opportunity to consider worldly matters. I would like to believe it is a matter of survival, not of political self-interest. [source]

This line, "Grey Wardens don't hide in our castle. I won't ask good soldiers to turn tail and run", it doesn't sound like something such a figurehead would say. assuming it's still the same First Warden in command, it sounds like the FW's focus in the years before and since the Fifth Blight IS political self-interest rather than survival or for the Order's survival (distracted from the Grey Warden original purpose/duty at best, potentially something much darker and far worse, in that way that Wardens are wont to do - see what they got up to in DA:I etc). it sounds like the FW's actions have caused a segment of the Wardens to resent them and maybe rebel, try to take control back of the order. this is probably part of what's caused the schism/civil war/disarray. and I think the trailer speaker sounds like someone who is opposed to the FW and their 'type of Wardening'. I would not be surprised if this is a sort of rebel faction leader that we meet, and if in the years since DA:I, it's no longer Loghain/Stroud/Alistair that is leading the Warden rebellion to change the Order from within and is instead this speaker. (you could easily write that 'in the years since, X had to go and do something elsewhere and Speaker Warden took up the reins'. Heck if it's 9:52 some of them could have been due their Calling.. this would also remove the need to spend the resources to have 3 models and 3 sets of specific lines for the 3 characters in the same role. instead of a "Wrex or Wreave or Wreave2 oR EVEN HAWKE" situation, in the time since DA:I the quantum for that whole role could have been collapsed and it's just like "hello, I am previously-unknown Krogan Leader, Warden Wron Wreasely".)

Anyways, I think the next shot is also the Anderfels (the trailer shows 2x Antiva shots, 2x Rivain shots, 1 Tevinter/general northern Thedas shot and so it would make sense for these two to be 2x Anderfels shots), specifically I think it's Weisshaupt, and I think it shows Weisshaupt after some kind of attack or cataclysm, explaining what the epilogues were alluding to and why it has gone dark. See here.

"[this image is Weisshaupt] after some kind of attack? like the ruins of Weisshaupt after something terrible went wrong. There’s a blue flag in this image like there are in this one. in this image of Weisshaupt something terrible, bright and green and magic (Fadey?) is going on outside. this last image to me has the feel of the ‘aftermath’ of that one, especially if it was a kind of magic explosion/attack. in the new trailer, the Grey Warden character is still talking when it pans to this scene, and it pans to this scene right after the view of the Anderfels on the map, where we saw cracks in the ground spreading ominously towards Weisshaupt. the trailer also shows 2 shots of Antiva and 2 of Rivain. I think there’s 2 of the Anderfels too (map + this one) before the final view of 1 pic of the northern coast. last time we heard from the Wardens as well, it sounded like some weird and strange and dangerous stuff was going down there too." [source]

So it sounds like this is what's befallen the Wardens, beyond their general disarray from their civil war. this image is so interesting to me. there's a green tinge in the sky, reminding me of the Fade/Breach and as mentioned, of that concept art. the atmosphere is so dark and ominous, lightning cracking in the sky just as the ground on the maps cracked with fault lines. it heavily reminds me of the Bad Red Lyrium Future in DA:I in atmosphere and tone, and if you look here there could be the suggestion of red lyrium on this door (alarm klaxon!!).

also, is it just me, or can we see the pattern of carved griffon wings on this door/gateway or the stone around the door/gateway in this shot? also when the lightning flashes and illuminated things for a moment, I wondered if there were a few tiny figures on the clifftop in the distance, but maybe I am just seeing things.

The red lyrium is obviously alarming. it and the whole atmosphere of this shot immediately reminds me of the old EA Play 'spooky tree' teaser, with its dark skies, ominous setting, and red lyrium coiling around the tree and on parts of a building.

I am wondering if ^ this is the same place as this. (no it doesn't look like dry badlands Anderfels climate conditions, but if a magic cataclysm of some kind has taken place or things got somehow warped, local climate conditions could also be impacted unnaturally). Another reason beyond the red lyrium that I say this is: these shots also look to be from the same location, and what have we here?

A statue of Andraste in the 'red lyrium darkspawn' location, and a statue of Andraste on the Anderfels map in the new teaser. I know the Anders are devout and there's the Our Lady of the Anderfels statue of her there. and I know that there's also a possible statue of Andraste in the Rivain coast shot, and indeed of her all over Thedas. but I'm 👁️ because the presentation of these ones juxtaposed like this struck me, as did the similar conditions from the 'spooky tree teaser'/'red lyrium darkspawn' location compared to the 'Anderfels 2' shot. if red lyrium darkspawn would surface anywhere, I could see it most likely to be in the Blight-wracked Anderfels, and I could also see some of the Wardens fucking around with red lyrium in order to try and gain power to combat the Blight, or information about the Blight in order to stop it (red lyrium being Blighted), and so inadvertently causing red lyrium to spread all over Weisshaupt. we also have this concept:

of a barren wasteland, red-eyed (red lyrium..) creatures/undead, a red lyrium afflicted ruined part of a big building like from a fortress, a red lyrium-affected tree twisting towards the sky, and the ever present 'trapped Evanuris Dragon Age 4 concentric circles' 'concentric circles with hemispheres' motif in the sky. and again the ominous atmosphere, darkness, and green tinge in the sky reminds me of the 'Anderfels 2' shot in the new trailer.

Aside from that, what are these rings? is it part of a puzzle, or part of a platforming type mechanic? the thing they remind me of rly is the rings from the Jaws of Hakkon DLC. these were part of the ruined structures of a temple Razikale (an Old God, which.. of course the Wardens fight them in Blights when they become corrupted into Archdemons) in the Frostback Basin. in the quest On Ameridan's Trail, the Inquisitor pulls leavers to activate these things, which are trail markers, and they point to the next trail marker through a ring. the first of these markers is outside of Razikale's Reach, and activating them all gains the Inky access to the next quest.

maybe the rings in the teaser are part of a similar mechanism? I feel like it would be a sort of delicious and tragic irony if one of the two last remaining Old Gods (who btw are Lusacan and.. Razikale) were slumbering in the Deep Roads right deep beneath Weisshaupt. or perhaps Weisshaupt itself was built on the site or on the bones of a temple to the Old Gods? as to why that wondering is relevant, in this scenario maybe the ring things were part of a temple to the Old God that once stood on that site?

all of this is interesting considering we know that Wardens fight corrupted Old Gods as Archdemons, the Old Gods sleep trapped underground until burrowing darkspawn find and Taint them, two remain, "glory to the risen gods" and there are tremors in the ground in the Anderfels. and especially considering the DA:D concept art that people often call the 'Double Blight' concept art, which features a Warden and companions fighting darkspawn with 2 horrid weird Blighted-looking Archdemon-looking Old-god-looking dragons in the background. especially considering the 'gold dragon' and 'dark dragon' in the vinyl art. etc

so it seems that a sleeping Old God rising/escaping from underground could be a potential reason for the tremors in the Anderfels. BUT there are other very possible reasons too. these include: the Titans, who are "the pillars of the earth" and possessed of massive, tectonic-platelike power; the cataclysm from across the Volca Sea somehow spreading to the Anderfels; and the underground Ghilan'nain (ol' Ghil crops up again) monster labs from Tevinter Nights. in Horror of Hormak, some Wardens venture into the Deep Roads, find mutated darkspawn, yellow-green lyrium, a sea salt/briny smell, and deep elven ruins with the monster lab carvings on the wall. an enormous centipede monster comes out of the pool. the story ends by telling us that Ramesh has to warn the other Wardens, as the lab he found was only one of twelve. so it's also possible that the tremors are another one of these monster labs and another monster rising from a pool.

There are also some interesting inscriptions from Razikale's reach, written by those who worshipped her.

To She Who Winds the Skein of Wisdom, we dedicate this citadel. Dragon of Mystery, bestow upon your faithful servants your ineffable truth. Grant us eyes to pierce the darkness and souls to bear the wounds of your labyrinth.

For me this harks back to "Enter the world of Thedas, a vibrant land of rugged wilderness, treacherous labyrinths, and glittering cities."

Razikale, O Shadow Which Obscures the Path Ahead, deliver your faithful, save us from the silence which devours

This reminds me of "Glory to the risen gods who come to deliver this world."

Dragon of Mystery, return to us, we beg you.

"The risen gods": risen, returned

If the Imperium has fallen, we shall build it anew. This citadel shall be a new Minrathous, and we who serve the Twisted Path shall be its Magisterium. Praise be to Razikale—may our raised voices reach her and bring her back to us at last.

Bring her back, risen. Building Tevinter anew, "all the world shall soon share the peace and comfort of my reign". I'm not saying I think Speaker 4 is Razikale, just that these things remind me of one another. Lusacan perhaps however..

The other thing about the Andefels is that in the accompanying image from the blog post, there's a brewing storm on the horizon. I imagine that if an Old God or other monster roses from out of the ground in a dusty land it would cause a big old dust cloud or storm that darkens the skies. I wonder if this is what this art piece depicts? the eye is also drawn to the small red items in the bottom left hand corner - some kind of plant, or small red lyrium crystals? also as an aside I liked that one of the Wardens is an elf. Maybe that's Antoine, and the Warden sitting down is Evka? they could just look shorter because of sitting down and the angle though, and I guess the weapons of choice don't match for these two Wardens to be Antoine and Evka. also I thought the knightly Warden's spear/polearm was cool and think it would be super cool if those were options for warriors as weapons in DA:D.

Lastly the trailer pans to this shot, which shows part of northern Thedas - including Tevinter - coastline, and other parts of the Thedas map which have featured in the new trailer thus far (panned out).

It doesn't say "Tevinter" on the map in that shot, but we're looking at the Nocen Sea and the land around it, including Seheron. On the right are the white spires of Treviso city in Antiva again, Crows flying out from it. Beyond that is the hint of Rivain, with its 'squid'. We can see Minrathous clearly on the left, and a mass of tentacles or snake-like pattern twining through Tevinter (mentioned here) but which have not yet reached Minrathous. Cracks in the ground in Tevinter are also apparent, and so it's likely in Tevinter too. we can also see Arlathan Forest (breathes into paper bag) and the outline of the mountain called the White Spire.

In the Forest is the suggestion of aravels, which remind you of these 'flying aravels' (halla circled, elven scene pictured) / 'flying ships' from this concept art, which in turn resemble Dalish aravels. I feel like this in turn confirms that this concept art is of a place nearby or in Arlathan Forest:

which, given that the Veil Jumpers are an alliance of Dalish mages and hunters along (with some non-elves), it makes sense that there would be elfy/Dalish-looking aravels/ships there. Aravels were said to float by a magic method in a specific scenario in the Last Flight, but perhaps, given the space-time reality warping happening recently in Arlathan Forest (DA: The Missing, Ruins of Reality), and the Veil Jumpers' eponymous ability to navigate this, perhaps this explains why the aravels can float in this area, in a place where up is down and down is up etc. also the floating rocks stuff is classically Fadey, classically magic. In turn, the biome/vegetation etc in this art crops up a lot in the Veil Jumper images, see here (the yellowy/amber vegetation, the trees, floating stuff etc).

Now about Speaker 4, "all the world shall soon know the peace and comfort of my reign". As he speaks, the purpley foreboding clouds float over and encircle northern Thedas. Speaker 4 could be one of the 'risen gods' that Speaker 2 refers to earlier in the trailer (Speaker 4 obviously isn't Solas). This section reminds me a lot of the DA:I Enemy of Thedas trailer. I don't think it's Cory, but the vibe, voices and sentiments are similar. The Elder One comes etc. Cory was all like "Bow before your new god and be spared", "I am worthy of godhood" etcetc. I wonder if Speaker 4 is another ancient Magister like Cory, one of the others of that group? Some other fanatical Tevinter cult leader (as opposed to cultist like Speaker 2 may be), like a Venatori leader, or the Archon or the Black Divine? the voice of the squid monster? one of the Forgotten Ones? one of the Forbidden Ones - the Formless One? an entity we've not yet heard of? the voice of an Old God, two of whom have now risen/returned? ("Risen" would make sense if you had to literally.. rise out of the ground LOL). I sorta lean towards the Old God or Old God priest/ancient magister idea, because when Speaker 4 finishes speaking, his voice deepens and "reign" rolls into the SFX of like a big beast's growl or rumble, like a dragon growling. & and the Old Gods are dragons, and a divine pretender like Cory already had a dragon himself. If it is an Old God, we could probably guess at it being Lusacan, as the voice sounds like a dude and Lusacan is referred to with he pronouns. and Lusacan is one of the two remaining sleeping OGs along with Razikale (who in contrast is referred to with she pronouns). Call of the Dark also said this:

“Lusacan, the Dragon of Night, calls to you. He lives where it is darkest and waits for the day he will rise. Drink of his blood and know the power in darkness: either fear the Night or wield it."

I guess Lusacan's day could have come? "The darkspawn yearn to awaken and corrupt Lusacan to start a new age of darkness." we talked about the Last Moon cult already,

the Last Moon are/were a cult dedicated to Lusacan. Early in the Dragon Age, they abducted and ritualistically murdered several people. Their goal at that time was to cause the start of a terrible battle, in order to cover Thedas in “a night that will never end” (Lusacan being the Dragon of Night). 

it wouldn't be the first time Lusacan has cult followers of late. the eternal night idea is interesting to me too. the speaker doesn't say "MY REIGN WILL BE BLOODY, FIERY, AND AWFUL I WILL TORTURE YOU ALL FOR ETERNITY". it will still be bad and he is still gonna rule, but he frames it in terms of a creepy sense of peace, security and comfort. night-times can obviously be creepy (fear of the dark etc) but they're also a time of peace, quiet, when we sleep in our beds, comfortable, underneath blankets in the blackness, ensconced in darkness. a 'in the womb' type darkness I guess, shared eternal sleep, Sloth in DA:O type vibes. (thinking also again of Titus' cult where he was going to use Dreamer abilities to brainwash all of Thedas and become a dragon god/old god. Dreaming links to that imagery of peaceful comfortable sleep, and if you were brainwashed to think you were living a peaceful live in a comfortable place, well, you would.).

Another possibility is that Speaker 4 is an Evanuris, who are said to be 'Evil Gods' that would return if Solas brings down the Veil. - and I think this is what's most likely precisely because of the "Evil Gods" stuff in Trespasser and the BioWare 25 year book. Flemythal needs/needed Solas' plan to succeed and them to be released for her to take her vengeance and kill them, you can't kill someone locked away from your realm in magical prison. I also wonder if it's Elgar'nan because of:

and

(staff shape), as well as:

there is also the eclipse-style imagery in the in-game Dragon Age: Dreadwolf cinematic and a bunch of previous sun/moon motifs/references floating around e.g. Dalish lore holds Mythal created the moon and was born of the sea (so a moon connection there via the tides), and that Elgar'nan opposite her is the Eldest of the Sun, the guy who buried the Sun, the Pools of the Sun etc. also those art assets of overlapping spheres, repeating/concentric circles etc. [...] left [in the vinyl art], silvery dragon - Mythal? right dragon (which is gold-toned despite the blackening) - Elgar'nan, after he’s approached her [maybe as the figure on the rock promontory] and then murdered her and taken her place as the god, ruler, dragon who presides over all? moon and sun, moon dragon and sun dragon, beauty and destruction.. the shape of the 'right-hand’ dragon’s horns match the evanuris headpiece on the ring which is in the biggest hemisphere, and of the 7 gods those headpieces apply to (9 Evanuris, minus Mythal and Fen'Harel), the 'biggest’ naturally is the patriarch leader opposite Mythal, Elgar'nan. [quoting myself from here]

If it was Elgar'nan I would ascend, primarily bc I simply think he is the most metal of all the potential options ('wanna fight Elgar'nan' since 2014 squad!!). and also I am for some reason an Elgar'nan truther, like if you said, MJ, you're just suggesting literally all possibilities here in this post, who do you think it actually is and you can only choose one in your answer? (Elgar'nan, and I think this is him too). But I would like to say that the actual things the speaker says remind me somewhat of Falon'din, god of death and fortune and guide in the Beyond. There is A Certain type of vanity inherent in the idea that if you ruled all the world, everyone would be knowing the peace and comfort of your reign. sounds more vain and insidious than random basal cruelty or tyranny. and Solas says of Falon'Din in the Temple of Mythal:

"I do not believe they sing songs about Falon'Din's vanity. It is said Falon'Din's appetite for adulation was so great, he began wars to amass more worshippers. The blood of those who wouldn't bow low filled lakes as wide as oceans. Mythal rallied the gods, once the shadow of Falon'Din's hunger stretched across her own people. It was almost too late. Falon'Din only surrendered when his brethren bloodied him in his own temple." 

And like Tamlen identifies this statue as Falon'Din in DA:O (and also noting that this statue follows a design which was an old discarded design for the Old Gods' appearance before the title of the series made it so they had to change them into dragons). I could imagine the peace and comfort of my reign line coming from such an entity. So I feel like in a way Falon'Din matches the vibe of the line more than Elgar'nan, who seems to be more of the fiery anger, aggressively lashing out type.

But MJ, I hear you say, how can Speaker 4 be an Evanuris rather than an Old God when it peels off into a dragon growl? Well my friend, there is dragon stuff up in the Evanuris' grill as well, may I introduce you to the idea that: "The Evanuris Were [all] Dragons[haped sometimes]"

of course, if you subscribe to the 'Old Gods and Evanuris are the same, or linked somehow' theories, it could be both an OG and an Evanuris, or both, in a manner of speaking. and there is a link for example between Falon'Din and Lusacan suggested by Tenebrium. in which case the Razikale pairing could be Razikale-Ghilan'nain for instance, given the Ghil presence in the lore and the monster labs etc.

"Called "Shadow" in the common parlance, likely due to the ancient association of the constellation Tenebrium with Lusacan, the Old God of darkness and the night. It is odd, however, that the depiction for this constellation has always been an owl and not a dragon, even in the Tevinter texts. This lends credence to the widely-held belief that Tenebrium was a name meant to supplant an older, elven association—perhaps with the elven god Falon'Din, sometimes represented in tales as a giant owl. There is, of course, another explanation: owls are nocturnal hunters, and among earlier people, were considered terrifying omens of loss."

Speaker 4 also sounds like a or one of the big bads. ofc 'Solas is not the real big bad, something else is afoot' is a long-running theory, the idea that he's a red herring or perhaps 'The Dragon' to something else (perhaps Mythal or another non-supergood entity that he's trying to stop, say, Speaker 4), like how Loghain is an antagonist but he can even be recruited, and the real overarching enemy in that story is the Blight/Archdemon.

The trailer ends with an echoing, wolf-Fen'Harel howl. I thought it was neat how that followed right after the rumbling draconic growl, like a warning of the danger of that entity, or Solas following in its trail on its heels to oppose or try to stop it, yelling a war cry as they go to do battle or something. the dragon growl into wolf howl also reminded me of Fen'Harel's draconic wolf/lupine dragon appearance as described in TN.

Overall, I feel like the speakers in the trailer aren't companions but important NPCs we will meet (for example I think Davrin sounds like a more likely Warden companion than Warden Speaker 3 from this trailer).

In general, the trailer showcases, or rather teases, some of the locations we will go to in DA:D and confirms Antiva, Rivain, and the Anderfels along with the already-confirmed Tevinter. I wonder if we will go to Nevarra at all? the scope (at least four countries) seems like a lot but I would guess that these would be smaller zones within each of the countries, like the different zones for the main questlines in DA:O or something, rather than straight up an open-world or four massive open-world maps. With the water in Rivain coastline, I wonder if swimming makes its series debut? and with so many different countries involved, I wonder again about us travelling around via eluvians on a commandeered portion of the eluvian network, and it + the Rivain stuff also makes me think of the common fan theory that we will have a ship base. Minrathous and Treviso are also on the coast incidentally, we could like sail between them.

It also seems that the trailer lends credence to the idea that these three factions, Antivan Crows, Lords of Fortune, and the Grey Wardens are important factions in the game. Perhaps we will have a companion from each of these groups, or perhaps these are different backstories (I'm saying backstories because we don't know if it's selectable backgrounds like in DA:I or playable origins like in DA:O, and because I feel like playable origins isn't as likely) the PC can be from. this would make sense, as we need to "find people he doesn't know", while in Tevinter Nights groups which Solas seems to have more detailed knowledge of, and groups which are interested in moving against Solas, were mentioned (Carta, Mortalitasi, Tevinter Siccari, Qunari Ben-Hassrath, Inquisition remnants, Executors - note that the Lords of Fortune, Antivan Crows and Grey Wardens were not among these). Wardens can be any class and the order has humans, dwarves and elves in it. The LoFs contain humans, dwarves, and elves and there's no lore saying mages can't be LoFs (mages would make good treasure-hunters too). the Crows contain humans and elves, Calien d'Evaliste was a mage Crow. given where Crow recruits sometimes come from you could probably write a Surface Dwarf Crow. there are assasins in the Carta, so it's not like a dwarven assassin is a crazy idea or something.

Some of the text from the blog entry is also worth mentioning. at the top, character focus and a "few returning characters" (I wonder if this means characters beyond Solas and Varric..?) was exciting. other quotes of note compiled below:

we’re sharing a look at a few of the in-game locations you’ll explore on this new adventure (and perhaps a little more for those who listen closely). The stage is set. The Dread Wolf is ready to make his move.

More locations if we listen closely? is there hints hidden in the trailer audio? can anyone confirm?

This time, you’ll be venturing to places unseen and returning to places from long ago.

Does this mean we will visit ruins of / what remains of ancient places in Thedas in DA:D, that we will visit places back in time temporally in DA:D, see echoes in the Fade, or that in DA:D we will return to locations we visited in earlier games in the series?

We stand on the precipice of change.

hello Flemeth advice/prophecy reference (“We stand upon the precipice of change. The world fears the inevitable plummet into the abyss. Watch for that moment... and when it comes, do not hesitate to leap. It is only when you fall that you learn whether you can fly.”)

This time, however, much more of Thedas is yours to see. The desolate, beautiful badlands of the Anderfels with curtains of distant mountainous spires. The twisting canals and gleaming towers of Antiva, where Crows may lurk in any shadow. The turquoise seas of Rivain with its rushes of greenery and hardy sea-faring people. And of course, there’s more.

Anderfels badlands: the DA:D team's location scouting visit to Drumheller badlands in Alberta now makes sense. ^^ this description of the locales is also 👌

We felt this was best for the tale we wanted to tell this time and we hope you enjoy it as much as we have! It’s allowed us to create many more locations than past games, including both some you’ve longed to go to…and some you’ve never heard of before!

ヽ(°〇°)ﾉ places we've never even heard of before! The places Beyond Thedas like Amaranth and Par Ladi, type of places, or places we've never even heard the names of before ever?

An insult that he took as a badge of pride. An insult to inspire hope in his friends and fear in his enemies. That is what Fen’Harel, the Dread Wolf, truly is. Not a man who sees himself as evil, but someone who believes he’s fighting for a good cause and is willing to get his hands dirty.

dragon age dragon age dragon age

we’ll have much more to share with you as we approach Summer 2024.

this comment makes it sound like there will be a few bits of info in the lead up to Summer 2024.

Know this, though: The Dread Wolf has not been idle these past years. His reach is far, and soon his plans will come to fruition—a cataclysmic rejoining of magic and realms hundreds of years in the making. Will you be able to stop him? We hope so.

I wonder if these past years in-world are the timeskip that takes us to 9:52? the cataclysmic rejoining of magic and realms again make it sound like the Veil is definitely coming down.

anyways those are some thoughts for now. ^^

if you have any thoughts pls let me know. ^^ also I'm sorry that this post is so rambly and it like talks about multiple theories all mashed up at once, has some repetitive elements etc. but if you read this far I hope you enjoyed dragon ageing with me. (❁´◡`❁)

[readychilledwine]

Requiem for a Dream

Part 4 : Closer

(Three Months into Rhysand's return home)

Rhys is left with no choice but to call the bargain with Feyre in, but it turns out the anger the cursebreaker fills him with is the perfect catalyst.

Warnings - a lot? NSFW, Smut, Penetration, rough sex, d/s dynamics, bratty behavior, mentions of self pleasuring, mentions of voyeurism and exhibitionism, degradation and praising, light impact play, alcohol use. Let me know if I'm missing something?

A/N- this is the end, my loves. From here forward would begin the journey that is ACOMAF but with my OC. I'm interested in diving into a tense dynamic between her and Feyre that is very much an enemies to friends trope. I just do not know if I will. If you are interested, this one is pretty obvious to the gurlies with a banging time playlist, "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails

Part One Part Two Part Three

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Rhiannon could hear Rhys arguing with Feyre. The bargain they struck had begun zapping him this morning and used that small piece of him that lived inside of her to force him to feel her emotions. Panic, fear, depression. He had tried pushing it aside as long as he could before getting too angry to ignore it any longer. 

Rhiannon had dressed him impeccably for his first outside of the court appearance since leaving the mountain. He looked like a God. His fitted black trousers, a black shirt, and jacket with embellished lapels. His swirling chest tattoos peeked out from under his clothing. She, admittedly, had been drooling over her husband.

In her mind, his outfit highlighted the return to health he'd undergone. It showed that his court was thriving under their strong high lord. Appearance was one lesson she took very seriously from her own father. Even if Rhysand hadn't repaired his court alone, she ensured it looked like it he did.

The other high lords did not need to know she had been a driving force in how quickly they recovered. They didn't need to know Azriel and Cassian had made examples of every single male that stepped out of line. That Mor and Amren had slapped the Court of Nightmares back into shape with two long visits. No, she'd allow her mate that credit, especially when it was Tamlin having to face it. She ran a perfectly manicured nail along the rim of the crystal glass before refilling it with the sweet red she had stolen from Rhysand's cabinet.

She smirked as the doorway to their room, and then the bathroom, slammed open and shut. She had been teasing him all day. Sending him images of her playing with herself, sending him images of last night when she was watching him with his cock in her mouth. Now, she sat in their oversized tub, drinking wine, and looking out over their court, she regretted nothing about the bratty behavior she had sent him despite his multiple delicious warnings. Not when it would become this.

She could feel is rage ripping through the bond like wolves. But all of that stopped the second he saw her, naked and wet, in the steamy haze of their tub. "Are you going to join me, or just stand there?" She looked back at him over her shoulder. She watched his eyes go wide and his smirk grow. She took it one step further, wiggling her hips at him.

He growled at her, immediately pulling his clothing off. "Stay right fucking there. Do not move." 

"Right here?" She motioned to the bench her knees were on. "Right in this spot?" She had arched her back and leaned forward out of the tub, allowing him a full view of the absolute present she was offering him. She smirked as he was instantly in the water and over to her within seconds. 

His hand found purchase in her hair, pulling it to arch her back even more. "Teasing me today, little mate? Do you think it was really appropriate to send me images like that while I was trying to save the cursebreaker?" He placed kissed along her neck and jaw line before whispering into her ear, "Did you enjoy fucking the toy I bought you? It sounded and looked like you did, pretty little thing."

She smiled ferally while looking up at him. "I did no such thing, Rhysand. Are you sure your mind isn't playing tricks on you? We both know old age has started to take its toll." A harsh smack found her round ass making her cry out in pleasure. 

"Flithy, fucking, liar." He smacked her ass again, enjoying the way it bounced as his hand made contact, then again and again. He didn't stop until her legs were slightly shaking and her ass was red from the continued strikes. "Am I going to have to fuck some manners back into you, Rhiannon? You are a High Lady. You should behave with more respect."

She felt herself dripping at this point. Rhiannon loved when Rhysand was a gentle dom, but the degrading, angry male she was dealing with right now was her absolute favorite. She loved when he fucked her to release his frustration, and they had a month of build up to this moment. 

She'd spent the past month teasing him. Anything from sucking his cock in the broom closet or under his desk, to having him walk into their shared bedroom with her fingers buried inside of her, to riding his thighs in his office, to begging him finger her under a blanket at family reading night, she'd teased her mate with all she had to offer to lead up to this moment, and he had teased her. He'd wake her with his tongue between her legs, he'd send her memories of them. He kept her on edge constantly.

He reached over her, taking her wine and drinking it. "Did you get that cunt ready for me? Or were you unable to follow that order as well?" He ran a single finger along her folds, groaning at her wetness before pushing it in and making her gasp.

She kissed below his jawline, laughing in a way that had his hand wrapping around her throat and him growling in her ear. She began to ride that finger, then the second he added, moaning before finally answering. "Oh High Lord, didn't you just accuse me of showing you how pretty I looked fucking myself with that toy? Did I not do a good job positioning myself in front of the mirror so you could watch every single inch sink into me?"

"Fucking brat." His fingers withdrew from her and went to his cock. He lined himself up and was inside of her within seconds, his hands gripping her plush hips as he immediately set a punishing pace. Rhiannon screamed at the intrusion before quickly falling into moans and whimpers. "What's wrong, pet? Nothing to say now?" She whimpered at a harsh thrust.

The stretch of his cock had her drooling. No toy compared to her mate. To her husband. Every drag had her eyes rolling back, lips parted as she panted in bliss. Her hips began to meet his as his wings appeared, flared wide in dominance. He was growling and moaning behind her, causing her own pleasure to soar higher and higher.

"Such a fucking tight pussy," another hard spank had her squeezing him and crying out loudly. "Gods I've missed your cunt baby. Feels so fucking good. You were fucking made for me." Another spank, then another. Rhys had his head thrown back as he heard his mate crying out below him. He tilted his head, instead watching her reflection in the glass windows as he fucked her into oblivion. 

Rhiannon was a true ethereal beauty. Her lips were slightly open, whispering his name and praises, her golden skin flushing with the power of his hips meeting her own, bouncing her full ass on his hips and thighs. Her perfect tits. Her small trim waist. Her head fell softly back in pleasure before falling to the side, her back still arched as he took his pleasure from her. 

She was twitching around him with every rich heavy drag of his cock against her. She was begging him for more. "Rhysand, please," a soft moan fell as he moved to angle himself and her to kiss her. A sharp well aimed thrust had her pulling her lips away, "Oh fuck, Rhys!" He began to speed up, hitting that spot. The one he knew all to well from their time together. "Fuck! Yes! Yes! Right there, Rhys!" Her walls were fluttering more and more, the coil in her stomach tightening. "Please! Rhysand please!"

Rhys knew one thing to be true as his name started to fall from her lips in constant breathy moans like a mantra:

He never wanted anyone the way he wanted her. The way he craved her. Whispering her name was enough to breathe life back into places Rhysand didn't even know had died inside of him. She was his. He was hers. From the day he swore those vows to her, until the day they parted this life together.

He felt their bond glowing brightly between them, shimmering and dancing as if it had come alive at this final act of their reunion. He knew also then that he'd never allow anything to come between them. Never again.

"I'm so close, Rhys," he kissed her neck. The hand holding her throat ran down her body as water splashed between them. He found her clit, ghosting it.

"Me too, Rhia. I love you, baby. You know that?" She nodded, whispering to him how much she loved him in return. Her walls were pulsing around his cock, begging him for his release. "I want you to come for me. Come for your high lord." 

Rhys pressed on her bundle of nerves, groaning as her pleasure shot through their bond like a well timed arrow. They tumbled over the edge together, Rhysand moaning so loudly he knew the mountains shook as Rhiannon screamed his name. He allowed her to relax, enjoying her little wiggles on his cock as she spasmed below him. He placed gently kisses to her shoulder, coming down much quicker than her and whispering praise into her rounded ear. 

She was glowing, and it was then that he remembered why he kept her ready for him at all times. She looked like a goddess, her power humming and replenishing some piece of the realm with the extra magic and energy she found in release. Her eyes were shut, and she circled his neck with her arm, pulling him into a passionate kiss as the bond began to settle back down. 

"I missed you," He pulled out of her and pulled her into his lap as he sat in their tub. He pulled the bottle of wine and glass back over to them before taking a drink and offering her one as well. 

She placed small kissed on his jaw line. "I missed you too." She leaned her head on his shoulder, her fingers lacing with his free hand resting on her stomach. "You two were fighting?"

"She threw her fucking shoes at me." Rhiannon paused looking at him before bursting into laughter. "Rhia, this isn't funny. She threw her Godsdamned shoes at me. One hit me, darling."

"Do you have a booboo?" She began checking him over, dramatically looking for any signs of damage. "My poor Illyrian baby! How ever will you recover? Should I call for Madja? Maybe she will put you on bed rest for a week. I will stay by your side and be your nurse if I must." 

Rhys nodded with a smirk at his wife's antics before making eye contact with her. "Keep up that behavior, and I'm going to fuck the attitude right out of you. Your sudden lack of manners is appalling. You spent far too much time with Cassian and Azriel."

Rhiannon smiled, pressing a kiss against his lips. "I apologize my powerful, handsome, intelligent, and cunning mate." He pulled her into another kiss. "Make me a promise, Rhys?" He nodded at the request. "Promise me from here forward we do all of this together. No more one of us is left behind, no more you self-sacrificing, no make fake facade that I am just your little piece of eye candy. Us, from here forward, working together as a team."

He nodded, kissing her shoulder. "I promise you, from here forward, I will take you with me wherever I go, that I will involve you in my choices and decisions. I will never allow something like this to keep us apart for so long ever again. That will end your position as a spy, though, Rhiannon." She nodded at the expected condition. "The priestess knows you are my High Lady," he waved his arm, unglamoring the swirling pattern that covered her right hand and arm. The tattoo he had placed into her skin once she was sworn in as High Lady in secret. "It's time for our family, court, and other High Lords to know as well." He kissed her hand, and each finger.

She leaned in capturing his mouth with hers and relaxed into a long slow kiss. One that was vastly different from the previous they've shared since his return home. It was filled with love, joy, anticipation. She gave him every single ounce of passion she had in her soul and he returned it with his own. They pulled apart, catching their breath together as Rhysand rested his forehead on hers.

"We will begin that process once dear Feyre Cursebreaker is back in Spring. Rght now, darling, we are going to our bed together. So I may ravage you over and over until you are nothing more than a silly cock drunk whore." She giggled as he lifted her out of the water, carrying her bridal style into their room with a wide smile on his face.

"I love you," she whispered as he laid her down on the silk sheets.

"I love you too, Rhiannon."

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@horneybeach1

@we-were-beautiful

@cat-or-kitten

@twsssmlmaa

@dream-alittlebiggerdarling

@tothestarsandwhateverend

@wallacewillow0773638

[watsittoyah]

Along Came A Spider…2099

Warnings-Sexual content, time travel, oral sex, rough sex, fang play, size kink, breeding kink, slight angst…

(My Spanish isn’t great, so I did use google translate to help…)

Chapter 7- Everything is not what it seems…

It was the last night of your vacation and you really didn’t want to go back home. You were relaxed and well rested.

“Here mi amor. This piece is juicy.” Miguel feeds you a piece of mango and you moan because of the taste and juice. “I am going to miss eating mangos on this hammock.” You say as you sit up.

“I’ll miss it as well, but we can always come back.” Miguel kisses your shoulder and cuts more of the mango and eats a piece. You then remember what awaits you when you get back to Nueva York and you groan leaning against Miguel’s shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

“I still have to have that dinner with your ex. Do you think you can get Spider-Man to help me out?” He hands you another piece. “I can see what I can do. Maybe I can swoop in and save the day.”

“Yeah, maybe you can like throw her out a window too.” Miguel shakes his head. “Amor…”

“Okay, okay. I’ll throw her out the window.” You joke. Miguel gets up and he helps you out of the hammock. “Let’s go my little villainess. I have one more thing that I want to do with you before we have to get back home.”

“I thought we were staying in tonight?” You ask as you two walk into the house. “We are and we aren’t. You go ahead and get dressed and meet me in a few. Wear that pretty dress I bought you and wear those gold heels.” Before you could ask anymore questions, Miguel had ushered you into one direction while he goes another.

I guess you’re getting dressed.

You had a few things packed up like your souvenirs, and your clothes you’ve wore and washed. You pull out the gorgeous scarlet red dress that Miguel wanted you to wear. It was floor length and you take out your six inch golden heels.

As you get dressed, you look around the room and smile. This week was probably the best week you’ve ever had. You got to go scuba diving, seen the sights. You even got to eat delicious foods and spent a great amount of time with Miguel. This vacation was well deserved.

You put on your earrings and look yourself over in the mirror. This dress made your body look amazing. It clung to the right places and smoothed out others. You grab your lipstick and carefully put it on, you pull your braids up in a high bun and smile. “Perfect.”

Your heels clack across the floor and on the way out of the room you freeze. Something about this, it seems familiar. “What is up with this feeling?” You take a step forward and find Miguel wearing a suit.

“Miss Valentine. Please come with me.” He holds out his hand to you and you take it, hiking up your dress just a little so you don’t trip.

You hear music playing and you follow Miguel until you see a candle light dinner. “Miguel when did you have time to do this?” You ask as he pulls out your seat for you.

“I’ve had this planned since the first day. You know it’s pretty tricky making sure you didn’t know until now.” He says as he sits down.

On the table were red rose petals and two covered dishes. He nods for you to see and you expect to find food under the tray but instead you see a box.

“Miguel what’s this?” You look up and see him standing. “Just a gift for the wonderful woman in my life.” He picks up the box and opens it. Revealing an opal and rose gold necklace. “Here let me.” Miguel places it the necklace on for you and you immediately get up. “Baby, thank you, thank you, thank you!” You kiss him leaving lipstick marks all over his face. He smiles as you wipe it off. “There’s one more gift. Now close your eyes, and hold out your left hand.”

You frown at the instructions but you do as you’re told. “Mantenlos cerrados, princesa.” He says to you. “Miguel my eyes are closed, come on.” You feel him waving his hand in front of your eyes and you stand still in anticipation.

You then hear a loud alarm and you openly your eyes out of fear. “Forgive me. I need to answer this.” Miguel walks away from you and he speaks into his smart watch. You can’t hear what he’s saying but the look in his eyes he gets looking over at you tells you that he’s going to have to leave.

He walks back over to you after he was done with his conversation and he looked guilty. “What’s wrong?” You ask feeling scared. “It’s nothing serious, but I need to leave for just a few hours. As soon as I’m done I’m coming back to you. I guess you’ll have to wait for your other surprise.” Miguel kisses your cheek and he runs into the house.

“Wait Miguel! Where are you-“ You enter the house and strangely you knew he wasn’t there. “Going… Miguel?” You call out to him but there was no answer. Your hand touches the necklace and you sigh.

This is your life now, dating a hero means you’ll have special moments like this and it’ll get interrupted. Which this was okay. This is what you signed up for. The thing that you didn’t understand was how did Miguel just disappear from the house?

••••

Erica was smothering you with her boobs and telling you to never leave her that long again. “Get your tiddies out of my face!” She lets you go and you scoop up Milo. “Hi baby boy. I missed you.”

“You heifer! You don’t miss me but you miss my cat? Give me my son.” You laugh and give her a side hug. “I missed you too E. I got you and our friends some souvenirs. Let me just go unpack and then I’ll give it to you.”

You put Milo down and he meows and runs to the kitchen. “You’re a whole different breed, T. You’re the only person I know who gets home and immediately unpacks.”

“Who sits there and unpacks weeks or months later?” Erica points to herself. “Normal people.” You roll your eyes at her and she watches you unpack a bit.

“Where Miguel? I figured you two would be joined at the hip and talking about getting married by now.”

“He had to handle some business. So he won’t be spending the night.” Erica studies you and she sits on your bed. “What’s wrong?” You want to tell her the weird feeling you had but instead you bring up the other subject thats on your mind.

“So long story short, I have to have dinner with Miguel’s ex.”

“WHAT!? Explain please I need details, I need to know her name. What does this hoe look like?” You knew Erica was down for whatever and you loved her for it. “I’ll pause unpacking and tell you everything if you grab your laptop, some snacks and something harder than lemonade.”

“Girl shit you ain’t say nothing but a word. I’ll be back on five minutes. Milo! Don’t come in here we’re doing hot girl shit!”

About an hour later, Erica was stalking Dana’s socials. “She had the nerve to say hmm I see he has a type.” You say as you take a sip of wine. “The fuck is that suppose to mean? See she was kinda cute but that was ugly. I see why he dumped her ass. Just a bully.”

“I will say she does look like a model. And she has pretty hair.” You say as you twirl your fingers around one of your braids. “Girl I know a Brazilian twenty four inch bust down when I see one, snatch that bitch off and she’s bald headed. She’s not all that. Miguel upgraded when he got with you. Oop hold up, look at this.”

You move across the bed and you look at Erica’s laptop. She points and on her Facegram she had posted a memory.

The memory was a photo of her and Miguel at some fancy dinner. The caption says: Here with my date, isn’t he the cutest?

Miguel looked blankly at the camera while Dana was smiling like a child on Christmas.

“Save my boy, Miguelito! He looks miserable.” Erica bursts out laughing and you look at the date. “This was from last year. From today. Why did she repost this today?” You ask out loud. “I don’t know she’s weird. Didn’t you say that Miguel said she had issues?”

You nod and you take Erica’s laptop and look at Dana’s post. You look at her page and see she has a few posts about charity evens and even some posts about vacations, but those were dated months ago.

Why did she repost this picture the day you came back from your vacation? Were you being paranoid? Was there something behind this?

You close the laptop and you down the rest of your wine. “I’m going to keep an eye out on her. There’s something about her that I don’t like.”

“Well I don’t like her period. So when you go to that dinner I’m coming.” You give her a look. “Now how are you going to be coming?” She shrugs. “I don’t know, but I’m not letting you be alone with that wanna be Bratz doll. Wait I take that back, I liked my Bratz dolls when I was little. She’s more like a furbie. You know those ugly little things back in the day?” You nod and get up out of your bed.

“I’m getting some more wine do you want some?” Erica yawns and shakes her head. “No, but I’m sleeping in your bed tonight. I hope you don’t mind.” You leave the room and as you get some more wine you see your phone light up on the counter. You check it and see you have a voicemail from Miguel. You go ahead and give it a listen.

“Hola amor. I’m sorry for not seeing you off to your apartment. I’m going to be busy for a while. It’s some lab things and you know my other job. But I want to say again that I enjoyed being with you this past week. And when I am finished up, I want to talk to you about something. Huh? Oh…Tommy mi amor, I love you. I’ll talk to you soon.” The voice mail ends and you smile at your phone.

As you turn to go back to your room, you swear you see something pass the window. You stop and you look at the window.

Something…

Something was at the window but you don’t see it. You walk up to the window even though in your head, it’s telling you to stop. It’s telling you to turn around and don’t look at the window. You cup your eyes and search and-

“T! Can you make sure Milo has water?” Erica calls out. “Yeah sure!” You say back as you turn your back to the window.

You can’t see it, but something was out there…

•••

“Are you sure you can’t kidnap me for the night?” You ask as you look at your calendar as you switch your phone from your left to your right ear. Miguel chuckles over the other end. “Amor, if it’s so bad then just push back the dinner.”

“I did, twice. I can’t push it back anymore. I have to go tonight. Can you stay close by?” You ask him as you grab a pleated skirt and cute shirt from your closet. “I will, but I thought Erica was going to be with you?”

“Her boss is making her work late tonight.” You tell him. “I’ll be close by, amor. I promise.” You groan at your outfit because you wanted to be perfect. You didn’t want Dana to out dress you.

“Amor, I know you. Are you overthinking your outfit? Video call me, and show me.” You two hang up and then you video call Miguel. He answered immediately. You prop your phone on your desk and then you show him your outfit.

“I feel like I look like a school girl in this.” Miguel motions for you to do a spin and you do it. “I see nothing wrong with a school girl look. Maybe you should save that outfit for us later. We can role play the naughty school girl and the horny professor.”

You try to keep the smirk off of your lips but fail. “Miguel I’m serious. The dinner is casual but I feel like it’s a trick somehow.”

“Dana is the type to go against dress code. How about that emerald dress? You know the one that’s thigh length? You can wear the matching heels I had bought you and have your hair down.”

You get the outfit together and you change into the outfit. You hear Miguel clapping. “Yes! Esa es mi chica! You look beautiful. I’m pretty sure Dana will be jealous of your outfit.” Your face warms up and you smile. “Thank you, I should let you dress me up more often. Being your doll is kind of fun.”

“Mm, I prefer undressing you, amor…I wish I could be there. I miss those lips.” You sit at your desk and lean forward, letting him see your chest. “Which pair?” You joke. He stares for a moment and then he look up at you. “Both, if I’m being honest. Life as Miguel and Spider-Man can be very tiresome.”

“It is, but I’m proud of you. I’ve been keeping tabs on you and I clipped some newspaper strips.”

“You sound like my biggest fan. I bet you have a scrap book started.” You raise your brows. “How did you know?” He bursts out laughing. “Because I know you amor. When I’m all done and when you’re done with your dinner, I’ll come over. Draw you a bath and you can tell me about everything.”

“That actually sounds so good…oh I have to get going. Baby, how will I know you’re around?” You ask him. “Well you two are having dinner at the Moore Lounge. I’ll be close by. Trust me you won’t miss me.” You nod as you grab your clutch and your keys. “I’m leaving now, I’ll see you soon. Love you.”

“I love you too amor.” You both hang up and you tell Milo to be good as you leave the apartment.

You arrive at the Moore Lounge and as you head inside you walk over to the host. “Hello I’m here for the D’Angelo party.” The host gives you a smile. “You must be Miss Valentine. Right this way please.” They lead you further inside and you were brought to the upper level.

They open a private room and there Dana sat. She looked bored until you came in sight. She got up and walked over to you. “Tommie, it’s so good to see you again.” She kisses your cheek and you feel a shiver because her lips felt cold.

“It’s nice to see you as well.” You lie. She takes a step back and she was wearing a mustard yellow form fitting dress. How did this girl make an ugly colored dress look so good? You think to yourself. “You look so pretty, and your hair.” She reaches over to touch it but you move back.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I know how you people get when being touched.”

What the fuck is that suppose to mean?

You ignore that comments and she ushers you to the table. “Miss D’Angelo thank you for giving Mr Stark the opportunity to work-” She waves your comment off. “Please, just call me Dana. I should be thanking you. If I got an invitation from my boyfriends ex I’d be suspicious. But you don’t have to worry about me. I want us to be friends since my father and your boss will be working together.”

A waiter comes in and asks if the two of you are ready to order. “I’ll have a bottle of your finest and I’ll have a steak medium well, shrimp, chilled and a fresh side salad. No dressing please. You can order anything you’d like. Money is no option.”

Why does that remark makes you feel as if she’s trying to be funny?

“Right…I’ll have the chicken carbonara, and a side salad, with thousand island dressing please and just an apple martini.”

The waiter lets the two of you know that your meals will be ready shortly

Dana leans over touching your knee and she smiles. “Again, thank you for coming tonight. I don’t have many girlfriends. The ones that I do have seem to like me for my connections, and not for me.” You nod feeling a bit sad for her.

“Thank you for inviting me. This place is very nice. And I’ve heard the food here is great.”

“I sure hope so, my father gifted me this place last year for my birthday.” You side eyed her as she checks her makeup in the reflection of a butter knife.

Okay spoiled much.

“Tommie, how’s Miguel been these days? Does he still work like a mad man day and night?”

“Well, yes. But he makes time for me. I just love how passionate he is when it comes to his job though.” Dana rests her cheek against her knuckles and she gives a smile. “Oh yes, I remember. There was this one time where we were going out but he had to cancel at the last minute and go to the lab. Tell me has he ever shown you his office? His desk is just so spacious.”

You grind your teeth because how does she know that?

“Yes, but from what Miguel told me you two only went out on one date.” You tell her seeing her eye twitch. “Well, yes. But it was one date in the public eye. Him and I were together for a while. Didn’t he tell you?” You try not to look pissed off and your eyes land out the window where you see movement.

You then see Miguel dressed in his spider suit and Dana moves her head to see what you’re looking at but you scoot in to stop her. “Enough about Miguel, I heard that your family does a lot of charity work. That’s impressive, what charities has your family done?” You ask.

“Oh tons, mostly some for cancer, some for orphans, I think we did one for a school in Africa but I don’t remember. My parents are the ones who does that sort of thing. You know you look really pretty. Like you’re model pretty.”

“Thank you. You’re too kind.” You tell her. “So, how long have you and Miguel have been together?” She asks as the waiter comes back with your drinks. “Oh, for a while.” You answer.

“But how long? Months? Several months? Has he shown you his…other side?” You pause before answering. “What other side are you talking about?” You challenge as you glance at Miguel out the window.

“Oh nothing too crazy. Just…Miguel tends to have a temper. But then again you know what they say about Latin men. And he is Irish. He just oozes red, doesn’t he?”

“I wouldn’t know, he’s only ever been sweet to me.” You say as you sip your drink. “Well aren’t you a lucky, lucky girl.” She says as she pours herself a drink. She sips it and watches you from the corner of your eye.

“Are you mixed? You look mixed.” She asks you. “No, my parents are both black. Why?” She gives a slight shake of her head and giggles. “Mm, forgive me it’s just Miguel dating a woman such as yourself seems so, well you know.”

“No I don’t. But do explain.” You say gripping your glass, thinking about throwing it in her face. “Well-”

The waiter comes in with your food and you couldn’t be more happy. Maybe her chewing will make you not want to jump over this table and knock her teeth down her throat.

As you cut into your food you see Dana looking into her phone. “Ah, did I mention my trip from Italy? It was gorgeous. The food, the culture. The men. All delicious.” She says as she places her phone down and she grabs her fork and knife.

“That’s nice.” You say keeping your replies short. “Tommie, I get the feeling that you don’t like me much. But I’m only looking out for you. You know seeing that we both have been with the same man.” You put your utensils down.

“Dana, I don’t know what sick and twisted things you’re trying to do but cut the shit. Miguel is a sweet man. I don’t know about his past with you and I don’t care-” She tries to interrupt but you stand up. “I’m not finished. You need help, and you need to get over whatever it is. Thank you again but I think I’ll be leaving.” You turn and she laughs.

“Oh sweet little Tommie. I’m only warning you because I was where you were. Miguel isn’t who he says and you deserve to know. And if you’re not careful you’ll become like me, the girl watching Miguel play with his new shiny toy. But you go ahead and play stupid, baby girl. When he breaks your heart. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

You fight the tears as you leave the room and you continue walking to the parking lot. You know Miguel is close by but you rush into your car and you peel out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell.

You don’t even know how you made it to your apartment without breaking down, but you slammed the door and kicked off your heels.

You felt hot all over as you unzip your dress and let it pool at your feet. You snatch the dress up and as you go to your bedroom you hear your window open, but you don’t bother to turn, you know who it is.

“Am-” You shoot Miguel a venomous glare and he takes a step back. “Tommie, what is wrong? What did she say to you?” You ignore Miguel for a moment and you grab a t shirt, throwing it on.

“Miguel, be honest with me. How many dates did you go on with Dana.” You turn to him as you pull your braids into a high ponytail. “Only one-”

“Then why in the fuck does she know stuff, Miguel? She knows intimate things that I know because I’ve been intimate with you!” You snap at him. He walks to you but you place a hand up and take a step back.

“Tommie, I don’t know what she told you but I’m telling the truth. I only had one date with her and I never even kissed her.” You take a deep breath through your nose.

“She made me look st-“ You clasp your hands together as if you were praying and you calm your breathing. “She made me look stupid, Miguel. She told me how you two were together for a long time, she told me about your office. About the spacious desk. She told me about your tempter that I’ve only catch glimpses of. How could she know those details? H..how.” You can taste the tears in the back of your throat.

He pulls you in and you push back. “Answer me!” You lash out. “Amor, I don’t know. But I’m telling the truth. Dana and I have never been intimate. When I left her, I knew she was heart broken but I didn’t think she would lie to you in this way.” You look up into his eyes and there. Right there you can tell he’s telling the truth.

“Miguel just go to your apartment. I want to be alone.” He shakes his head. “No, I’m not leaving you alone like this.” You try to push him back but he was solid. “Then go sleep on the couch. I want to be alone. I want to be alone.” You feel your shoulders shake as the tears you’ve been holding back finally falls.

You let out the tears and Miguel pulls you in, engulfing you in his arms like a security blanket. “I’m here. Estoy aquí mi amor. No te estoy dejando.” Miguel says as he kisses your forehead. You wrap your arms around him and you two stand in your room as you let the tears fall…

After an hour, you were sniffling and Miguel was rubbing your back as you two laid in bed together.

“It’s okay, pretty girl.” Miguel whispers as he wipes the remaining tears from your face. You turn your head so you’re facing your pillow. “I am not pretty right now. My eyes are puffy, my lips are chapped. I probably look like those bums that beg for change at the gas station.” You moan into the pillow.

“Well I’d give you every last cent.” You look over at Miguel after that comment and he leans in. “You’re stupid.” You laugh and he gives a smile.

“There’s my pretty girls smile.” You sit up and sniffle still. “I’m sorry for that. Yelling at you and just crying like a big baby.”

“No, amor. You don’t have to apologize for that. You were frustrated. I’d rather you let it out then bottle it up.”

“Dana just made me so mad. The way she talked down to me and how she talked about you. I was so close to hitting her.”

“I’m glad you didn’t resort to violence. But I think it would be best if you aren’t near her.” He says as he pulls you between his legs. “Yeah, because next time she won’t be so lucky. I have to ask, why the hell did you even date her?”

He gives a heavy sigh. “I did it out of pity and for her to leave me alone. Dana has this thing where she picks and picks until she gets what she wants. She had invited me to a charity event and when we arrived she looked bored. She only perked up when the cameras were around. But she was the most self centered, boring, egotistical woman I had ever met. She was even rude to the waiting staff and I just couldn’t take it. I told her that this wouldn’t work and I broke it off with her right then and there.”

“Hmm, she sounds fun.” You say to him. “She wasn’t my type of fun. But enough of Dana. I want to tell you about tonight, you’re going to love this.” You turn so you’re facing him and give him your ear.

“So there was this group of kids, and the smallest one was trying to catch up but I could tell he wasn’t going to make it across the street in time, so I land in front of him. Casi lo asusto. Poor kid, but he looked at me and he asked if I could help him cross the street.”

“And did you?”

“Of course. Once I got him across the street the other kids all crowded him, treating him like the coolest kid ever. I know it might not sound spectacular like saving people from a burning building, or stopping a mugger. But that smile on that little boys face was, the best reward ever.”

You push him back and get on top of him, kissing his face. “Can I just say that I am so proud of you? You do so much, and no matter the problem you find a way to solve it.” Miguel holds you by the hips and he rubs your lower back. “It’s nothing, amor.”

“Stop being so humble. You can flex a little baby. You deserve it.” You lean down and you kiss his stubbled face. “Oh, that tickles.”

“Debería afeitarme. I’m starting to look like my sperm donor.” You let out a laugh. “Well I think this stubble looks sexy. Makes you look rugged. Like those men who come home after cutting wood all day.”

“Oh, so thats what turns you on? Lumberjack men?” He flips you onto your back, causing you to scream as he tickles you. “Stop! Miguel! Stop!” He gives you mercy and he just looks at you. “What? You look like you have something to say.”

“Can I take you out tomorrow for a bite to eat?” He asks as he rubs his nose against yours. “Of course, I’m sure I can squeeze you into my busy schedule.” You wrap your legs around him and he kisses your neck, and starts kissing down to where your necklace sits. “Miguel, what are you doing?”

“I am admiring you. You are beautiful and before you wave my comment off, you deserve to flex. You deserve to do so, amor.” You roll your eyes. “I know you didn’t just quote me to me, you dork.” You tease as your hands reach under his boxers.

“Ay dios mío, princesa. What are you doing?” You look up at him fluttering your lashes at him. “I’m not doing anything bad.”

“Oh but you are being bad. You’re…mmmm, siendo muy mala. Amor, don’t just stroke me…guide it in.” He moans as he gently grips your throat. You bite your lip smiling at him as you scoot your panties off.

“Awe but Miguel, you called me a bad girl. And if I’m so bad, then why would I…” You rub him against your lips and clit and you watch his eyes flutter closed. “Tommie, por favor deslízalo, amor.” He begs which makes you giggle. “I like this side of you. You begging.” You slide the tip in and he moves his hand and he holds himself up by his elbows.

“Don’t tease me. Por favor, cariño, no te burles de mí.” You bite and pull at his bottom lip and you flick your tongue up as you see his fangs. “I’m a bad girl, remember? Why don’t you just thrust in? It won’t…take much effort.” You guide him a little deeper and in a snap his eyes went from a dreamy hazel to a blood shot red.

He thrusts in and he places a hand over your mouth. “If you were my good girl, then I’d let you moan. But you were a bad one. Now lay there and just take it. And if you let out even a whimper without my permission, I will stop. Me entiendes?” You nod, letting him know that you understand and he thrusts in as he holds your hands above your head.

“Esto es demasiado bueno. This is just too good amor. I bet you want to moan and let me know you want me to go deeper.” You nod and he gives a chuckle.

“Too bad, you’ll get it how I want it. And I want it like this.” He does a quick thrust and he slows down then slides out. “Would you look at that amor. I guess I have to slide it back in.” Without warning he thrusts it back up almost causing you to groan.

“Qué fue eso? Huh? Did a sound just come out of that pretty mouth?” You shake your head and he slides back out almost getting a whimper out of you. “Awe, princesa. I bet you want to speak. I bet you want to moan my name. Don’t you? Go ahead you have permission to answer me.”

“Yes, yes I want to moan. I want to m-” He puts a hand over your mouth. “That’s enough.” He bites your neck which catches you off guard and causes you to let out a loud moan.

Miguel draws his fangs back and he raises a brow at you. “Oh I heard that. But I’m a merciful man, am I not?” You nod and he slides out of you and he pulls you over so you’re on top. “You’ll listen and be a good girl this time, right amor?”

“I’ll be good. I promise.” You tell him as you straddle him and feel his dick resting against your lower stomach. “Buena, now show me how I like to be ridden, belleza.” He places his hands behind his head and you hike yourself up.

You position yourself above his dick and when you slide down he moans. “Oh fuck.” His dick throbs as it stretches you out and you place your hands on his chest to keep yourself balanced.

“No tengas miedo. Show me how good girls ride.” Miguel takes one’s of his hands and he cups your right breast, massaging it. “I’m no…not scared.” You lean back and you rock your hips just how he likes it.

You lean your head back as you look up at your ceiling. You moan out his name as he calls you several pet names in Spanish. Miguel then moves his hips and you lean forward quickly. “I know what those clenches mean, amor. Come for me.” And on command it seems, you grab him upwards and you come as he holds you close to him.

He grabs a hold of your ass and he comes deep inside of you. “I love you, I love you so much.” He moans as both of your bodies relaxes together. You two look into each others eyes and you kiss him. “You are mine, Miguel O’Hara. Do you understand me? Mío.” You say rubbing his stubble with your fingertips. “That is right. I am yours amor. And your Spanish is getting better I see. Let me teach you something. Say this. Eres mi corazón en forma humana.”

“Eres mi corazón en forma humana.” You say perfectly. “Good, you did good, amor.”

“Thank you, but uh what did I say?” You ask as the two of you lay back down together. “Nothing bad if that’s what you’re wondering.” You give a scoff and you look at your ceiling again. “Baby? Can I ask you a question?”

“I hope it’s not about Dana.” You make a face. “Ew, hell no.” You lean up on one of your elbows and you look at Miguel’s profile. “Are there more people out there like you? Like an elite team of Spider-people?”

He chuckles at you question. “You can say that.” You get wide eyed. “Wait for real? Can I be a spider person?” He shakes his head. “Yes for real, but no to you becoming like me. I love you the way you are, and this job is tough. Anyways, what would I do if my heart got hurt?” Miguel strokes your cheek and you hold his hand close.

“I could be your side kick. Spider-Man and his trusty partner in Justice. Spider-Byte.” Miguel gives a yawn and cuddles you. “Maybe we can talk about a different type of partnership later. But for now let’s get some sleep.”

“Alright, good night Miguel.” You kiss his cheek one more time and he inhales your scent. “Good night, amor…”

••••

“Miguel, where are you taking me?” You ask as he drives further down town. Miguel was taking you out somewhere special and you were a bit anxious on where exactly. All you see were a bunch of buildings close to each other.

“It’s a surprise. But the hint I’ll give you is, this place means a lot to me. And to someone I cherish close to my heart.” Miguel says as he parks his car on the side of the street. You look around as you get out of the car and Miguel takes your hand.

He leads you to an apartment and he knocks on the door. A small woman with dark black hair answers the door and her eyes lights up when she sees Miguel.

“Ay! Mi bebe varon!” Miguel leans down and kisses the woman on her cheek. “Hola Mama. Esta es mi novia, Tommie Valentine.” Miguel looks at you and you give a shy wave. “Hello Ms. O’Hara.”

She opens her arms to you and you step in for the hug. “You are so beautiful! Oh! Come, come inside. I have lunch ready. Espero que ustedes dos trajeron su apetito. Miguel, help me in the kitchen. Tommie, please please have a seat.”

She leads you to the living room while Miguel heads to the kitchen. When she leaves you there, you look around and you see pictures of two boys.

One of them looks like Miguel but he had two missing front teeth.

“Oh he looks so cute, the other little boy must be his brother.” You hear Miguel laughing in the kitchen and you walk in to see what’s going on. “Mom, I don’t think we can eat all of this food.”

“Nonsense, you’re skin and bones, niño. I remember when you use to eat three plates of my food. And then take from your brother.”

As you watch the two of them you smile. Seeing Miguel interact with his mother was adorable. “It smells really good in here, Ms O’Hara.” You say to Miguel’s mother.

“Tommie, you don’t need to be formal. You can call me, Conchata. Or mom if that’s easier. Anyways has my son been eating? He seems to have lost some weight.”

“Oh Miguel loves to eat.” You say giving him a side eye. He glares at you but shakes his head with a smile. “Well, mom. Tommie feeds me well. In fact this morning-” You step in. “Here let me make you a plate, you look famished.”

Conchata stops you. “You sit, both of you. I’ll make the plates. Tommie, I have pork shoulder, Spanish rice, some salad. Oh I have chicken and I think the ice tea is cold. Niño please grab it for me. Tommie, you aren’t a vegetarian are you? I should’ve asked.”

“No, I eat anything except jello.” You joke. She makes you your plate and she places it down and gets started on Miguel’s.

“Mom, ven a comer. I can make my plate.” She waves Miguel off. “Let me do this. It’s not like I get to do this often. You don’t visit me like your brother does.”

“Mom, you know I would come to visit more often but my job keeps me busy.” Miguel tells her as she places his plate down. “And Gabriel is a cop, but he comes and makes time for his mother.” Miguel gives her a look and goes to eat.

“Primero da las gracias, Miguel.” He sighs and takes my hand and his mothers hand. “Thank you lord for this food. Bless the hands who have prepared it. And lord, please let my mother understand why I don’t visit often.”

“Miguelito...” She warns. “Amen.” She kisses his temple and she gets her plate on the table. As you take the first bite you moan from the taste. “Conchata, this is delicious.” You take a few more bites and she gives you a kiss on your temple too. “Thank you, Tommie. You know Miguel has told me a lot about you. I can see why my son is so in love.”

“Mom, don’t embarrass me.” Miguel whines. “No te estoy avergonzando. You are in love, and that is beautiful. You know your brother he’s in love with his girlfriend. You would know that if you came for family dinners.”

Miguel just eats his food. “I know mom, I know.” He mutters as he chews his rice. “Tommie, make sure you save some room for dessert. I made tres leche cake. It’s Miguel’s favorite.”

“Oh, he’s made that a few times for me. Do you make it with lots of strawberries?” She nods. “I do, but lately they’ve become so expensive at the grocery store.”

“Well, my grandmother, she has a garden and she has a lot of fresh strawberries. Maybe I can ask her to give you some.”

“Ay niña, you don’t have to do that.”

“It’s okay, I’m sure my grandmother would love to meet you as well.” As the conversation continues, you hear fire trucks in the distance. Conchata gets up and peeks outside of her window.

“Oh Dios mío! Mr Li’s pizza shop is on fire.” You look over at Miguel and he gives a slight nod. “Mom, I’ll be right back. I just need to use the bathroom.” Miguel gets up and you get up and walk Miguel’s mother back to the table.

“Conchata, can you tell me about Miguel when he was younger?” You ask to keep her distracted. “Miguel he was my sweet boy. Always sticking up for what’s right. He would come home with bruises but he would smile through the pain because he would make sure the bullies knew their place. But I taught him that he can use more than his muscles. He could use his brains. My sweet boy he created so many inventions in the garage I thought the fbi would come by the house at any moment.” She laughs at a memory and you touch her hand.

“Miguel is a brilliant man. I’m just lucky he’s in my life.” She touches your hand as well and touches your cheek. “My son is blessed to have you in his life. And just between us, I think you make him a better man. He was down for a while but when he did come and visit he mentioned how he finally got to talk to you. He said the pretty girl down the hall gave me a chance. Do me a big favor, niña. If he ever forgets himself, remind him who he is from time to time.” She winks at you and you smile. “I will.”

“Are you ladies talking about me?” Miguel says as he enters the kitchen. “No sé de qué estás hablando.” She says to him.

Miguel gives his mother a kiss on the cheek and he sits back down besides you. He holds your hand and that was perfect. “Mom, can we have dessert outside?” Miguel asks. “Sí. We can.”

After lunch the three of you were on the back deck and you feel Miguel hold you from behind as you look at the scenery. “Miguel not in front of your mother.”

“Amor, we aren’t doing anything my mother hasn’t done. Need I remind you she has two sons.”

“Miguel, behave yourself.” Conchata says as she places dessert on the table. “Oh no, I forgot to grab the coffee.”

“Mom, nosotros no lo necesitamos.” She gives her son a frown. “Miguel, tú y Tommie vayan a la tienda y compren el buen café.” Miguel goes to protest but stops. “Don’t take out your money, mom. I got it. Tommie let’s go.” You follow Miguel to the front and as you do you see the firefighters taping off the pizza place.

“How many people did you save?” You ask him. “Six. It was pretty easy, but I’m not bragging.” He says as he holds your hand. “Right, not bragging. So do they know how the fire started?”

You two cross the street and continue to walk. “They said it was faulty wiring. Hopefully Li can get that han-” Miguel stops and looks up. As you do the same you see something in the air flying around. “What is that?” You ask as it’s getting closer.

“Run!” Miguel yells as the green creature swoops down and throws what looks like a pumpkin.

As the pumpkin lands, you hear a high frequency sound and it explodes causing you, Miguel and the few people on the street to go flying.

You can feel your hand being ripped away from Miguel and when you land, you land hard. The wind was knocked clean out of you.

You sit up and all you see is the aftermath of the chaos. You look around for Miguel but he was nowhere in sight. “Miguel!” You call out his name and as you go to stand you wince. You definitely feel that you have a broken rib or two. You see an old woman on the ground. You go over and you help her up. As you check to see if she’s okay you hear laughing in the air behind you.

“Look at what we have here.” You turn and you see a person in what looks like a goblin costume. “Miss, go.” You usher the lady to go elsewhere and you take a step back. You then see a glowing red web and you see Miguel in his spider suit.

He swoops in and he sends a deadly punch into the gut of the goblin wearing freak. You hold your side as you start running to safety.

“My baby! I can’t find my baby! Please help me find my baby!” A woman runs and screams. You run to her to help. “Miss, what does your baby look like?”

“He’s….a small boy, he’s wearing a black panther shirt and-oh my god! Jacob!” You turn to where the woman is looking and you see a small child crying in the middle of the street. Your legs take off running before your brain can figure out what to do next. You see a large concrete slab fall but you swoop in and grab the boy just in time.

You run into a building and the boy was crying. “I want my mommy.” You hold him close. “I know, and I’ll bring you to your mommy. We just-” As you try to leave the building, you see another pumpkin fall and you run back inside. It explodes causing the building to crumble.

You go towards the back of the building and you cover the boys nose because the smoke just smells terrible.

You make it up the stairs of the building and you see a balcony. You wave down below for anyone to hear and you hear Jacob crying harder for his mom.

You set him down and you cough. “Hey, hey you’re Jacob right?” He nods and you hold his hands. “Jacob, I see you like super heroes, well I have a super hero friend. His name is Spider-Man.”

You feel wind past you and there was Spider-man. Jacob hides behind your leg and you kneel down. “This is my friend Spider-man. I know he can look big and scary, but he is going to bring you back to your mom. Is that okay?” Jacob nods and you pick him up and hand him to Spider-Man.

“Hold onto me miss.” You wrap your arms and legs around him as he hold Jacob in his other arm. As he swings through the buildings, you point to Jacob’s mother and he lands. He hands Jacob to him mother and she kisses his face, while telling Spider-Man thank you.

You unwrap yourself from him and you get a strange sensation in the back of your throat.

You bend over and cough out blood. As you wipe your lip you feel your legs give out. He catches you and you notice it’s harder for you to breathe.

“Amor, breathe. I need you to breathe.” He says in a panic as he holds you upright. You try to make your lungs work but they don’t listen. Instead you cough up more blood and you hear sirens in the distance.

“Tommie! Necesito que respires! Come on, baby breathe.” He shakes you a bit and you get tunnel vision as your throat fills with blood. “She needs help!” You hear Miguel scream as you lose consciousness…

Previously, Next

[half-oz-eddie]

Billy wears sunglasses everywhere he goes. Forged some bullshit medical note so he can keep his glasses on in class.

There's nothing wrong, not medically at least. Maybe supernaturally.

Anytime Billy makes eye contact with someone, they instantly fall in love with him.

There were very few limitations. Family members, and anyone more than 4 years older than Billy was immune, but no one else was safe.

He realized he had this "ability", or whatever the hell one would call it, when he was 13. It worked on nearly everyone, but after awhile, using his charm to his advantage wasn't fun. No one wanted to be his friend. Everyone just wanted him to themselves, and sometimes they'd go mad trying to pursue him. He couldn’t let his guard down around anyone.

That's why his family moved to Hawkins in the first place. A jilted girl tried to burn their house down while they were all inside sleeping.

He sat in science class, hardly paying attention, when a tardy student walked in.

It was that King Steve guy everyone had been talking about.

Silky hair, sandalwood smelling, Farrah Fawcett hairspray using son of a bitch Steve Harrington.

Billy hated him, and just as much as he hated him, he wanted him.

He decided he'd make things easy for himself when the teacher paired them up for a project.

He lifted up his glasses, waiting for Steve to look up from his worksheet and make eye contact with him.

Their eyes locked, and Steve's eyes widened. Billy smirked knowingly, expecting that his ability was working.

Steve narrowed his eyes, slightly leaning forward. "Your eyes are really blue, wow." He mentioned, returning to his worksheet. "So d'you wanna finish this up at my house? Or should we go to yours?"

What the fuck? Why wasn't it working? Was it because Billy wanted Steve to fall in love with him? Was that it?

Billy was disappointed. This ability was just as useless as useless could be. What's the point of winning people over, if it isn't anyone he wants?

"Hello? Billy?"

Billy snapped out of his thoughts and nodded at Steve. "Yeah, whatever, let's go to your house."

Billy brought Max home and drove to Steve's house to work on their project.

Billy was determined to use his ability on Steve. Maybe it just didn't work that time. Maybe he needed to try again.

He parked out front, took off his glasses and rang the doorbell.

Steve answered and they briefly made eye contact. Still nothing. Steve invited Billy inside and Billy put his sunglasses back on.

"How come you have to wear those glasses all the time?" Steve asked, offering Billy a beer.

"It's a uh...medical condition."

"Is that why your eyes are so blue like that? You have some kind of light sensitivity thing?"

"Yeah. Something like that."

"So it's like...photosynthesis or something? But in your eyes?"

Billy's face fell flat. Maybe it didn't work because Steve's stupid.

And yet, Stupid, Silky haired, Sandalwood Smelling Steve was all Billy wanted. So he took the glasses off again, and Steve looked into Billy's eyes once more.

"They're so blue and...sparkly. It's pretty. I could look into them all day."

Billy's face flushed a furious red. How could he flirt with him so effortlessly?

He pointedly turned away, trying to conceal his blush.

Steve smiled cheekily. "What? Was it something I said?"

"Yeah, it was! I can't believe you fuckin' said that."

"You're blushing." Steve teased. "You're really beautiful, you know. I've never met anyone like you."

Or...maybe it did work. Did it?

"Y-yeah?" Billy faltered. "S-so what?"

"So...you wanna...hang out before we do the project? Maybe grab dinner?"

"What, are you like...in love with me or something?" Billy half joked, really he was trying to see if his ability was working, just not instantaneously like it usually does.

Steve laughed. "I just wanna get to know you. But who knows what the future could hold?"

Billy smiled. He liked this much better than deep diving into a sudden and obsessive love.

Maybe Steve wasn't so stupid. Maybe he was able to see beyond Billy's eyes.

Or maybe...Steve has some sort of ability of his own...

[enavstars]

can u also give us fic recs? i wanna read your fic but it's long hdhwhsjs

wanna be in the right mindset

so do u have any?

Here are some fics that I really liked because I thought they were interesting. I loved the way the characters are written, most of them are Kai centered, angst (check the tags for any triggers) and short. Also these are some we used as reference for the characterization of the ninja in Eclipse.

(idk how many recs you wanted so I put a lot)

They turn the light on and it's burning up the sky by Sugarglider_s : very short and poetic Kai analisis angst fic. Absolutely love the way it's written and the interpretation of Kai's character.

Hello my old heart by Bemmiecake : this is a long unfinished fic centered around Kai in the timeskip between seasons 3 and 4. I had to add it because it is definitely one of my favourites, this fic has made me emotional multiple times. It's heartbreaking how Kai has to go through his awful coping mechanisms as the Red Shogun and how he ends up finding a sliver of hope in the process. It also features a well built oc!

What gets out comes around by fruitcasket : this one is Cole centric but explores some contradictions of his character mostly with his relationship with Kai, how despite being a kind soul he acts as a bully towards him quite often.

Too familiar by Maplebreeze : Oneshot about Kai realizing him and Lloyd had similar experiences. Basically RG brothers fluff with some hurt.

Alike, alone by fruitcasket : Morro possesses Kai fic but it’s focused on Kai and Morro’s interactions and similarities rather than actions. It does some character analisis and dives into their mentality.

All of the work, none of the money by ADHDplusCartonnmakesCHAOS : Fic about the ninja learning about Kai and Nya’s childhood. There are many fics exploring this theme but this one is my favourite so far, talking about the subtler things like how costly pads are when you're already short on money to eat.

Fight by Maplebreeze : It describes perfectly how Kai would lose himself to violence (as one of his awful coping mechanisms) again and again and again, to distract his heart from all of those close to him he couldn't save (up until Possessed)

Guilt by Cherry_dynamite : On this fic we finally get closure with Lloyd addressing the fact that he did not see Kai's survival guilt back in the slither pit.

Boiling Point by Salty_Pickle_Bones : It is about Kai and the team being wrecked by Nya's death. It shows just how lost Kai has become, how he's going down the alcoholic rabbit hole again.

Off the deep end by Kiss_The_Cook : Set in the first season when Lloyd is a kid living with the ninja. Kai refuses to get close to Lloyd, despite Lloyd admiring him, because he knows he and Lloyd will get attached to each other and Kai thinks it would be very bad for the kid to do so. Brothers fluff (and some angst), I love how Kai’s mentality is portrayed and of course little Lloyd.

Aftermath by Sugarglider_s : Fluff opposite oneshot. Not really related to the rest but I love it and made a comic about it -> link here.

Feel free to recommend any other fic you like. We are especially interested in those that analyze the characterization of the ninja in depth, more specifically any other character besides Kai (pls let us know, especially ones about Jay, we’re struggling with writing him).

Side note: I know there aren’t many Kai and Nya fics so recommend ones focused on them too pls.

[chvnnie]

It wasn’t easy to convince him to agree to this. In fact, you’re not sure if this is what he really wants or if he gave in just to get you to stop bringing it up every time you have sex.

SMUT — MINORS DNI

Even if that’s the case, how could you complain when he looks so pretty in the dimmed lights of the bedroom. Chest flushed, bottom lip between his teeth as he exhaled a shaky breath. His eyes aren’t on you, but on the toy around your waist. The one that’s diving deeper inside him, moving at an agonizing slow pace.

You giggle, reaching out to stroke his jaw. When your fingertips brush his chin, Minho looks up at you. Big, pretty eyes. Helplessness fills every corner of his gaze though he tries to hide it.

Maybe he didn’t really want it at first. But now, there’s no doubt he’ll be begging you for this again.

“Aw, what’s wrong, pretty?” You tease, a thumb on his bottom lip pulling down. Releasing it from his bite. The skin is punctured, dark red blood pearling on the sensitive surface. With your digit, you spread it across the expanse of the lip. Painting blood like lipstick. “Too much?”

Minho whimpers, shaking his head quickly. “N-no.”

“Not enough?”

Ah, that brings a nod from him. His hands come to your hips, nailing digging into the leather strap as he tries to bring you in closer. To have the thick dildo fill more of him up. The one he fought so hard against.

Your hand moves quickly from his chin, finding grip on his dark hard and yanking. Hard. Minho cries out, his cock twitching on his abs from the pain.

“Impatient.” You click your tongue, retracting your hips back. The toy slides until only the tip is inside of him. Nothing compared to what he so desperately needs. “Don’t be such a slut, or you won’t get my cock at all.”

You can see it. The fire hasn’t burned out in his eyes — a piece of him is still angry. That you would speak to him like this, that you would overpower him. That you would demean him by showing him how much he enjoys being pegged by you.

It’s cute. You like watching him suffer.

“Say sorry.” You coo, a cold hand wrapping around his cock. Minho shutters, the feeling of finally being touched enough to make him moan. Loud, deep.

“‘M sorry.” He gives in quickly his time, hands falling from your hips to show he means it. “I’m sorry, j-just please don’t stop touching me—“

“Oh? You like this?” Giving his cock one harsh, rough tug, Minho is verging on tears. It feels so good — your hands, the dildo. God, it’s all so good.

“So much.” He’s whining. You’ve never heard him make a sound like that before. Where’s all that dominance he brags about? Where’s the asshole who you can't stand outside the bedroom, the one who said he’d never kneel for anyone — especially you?

He’s the one begging beneath you so beautifully. It’s so nice to bring the untouchable down.

Humming, you roll your hips. Pushing the strap on deeper inside him. Slowly, the pace agony for him. You move until you’re so close to his spot that it brings tears to his eyes. Right there, you just need to move a little more—

“Do you want to cum?” You ask, rubbing a thumb up and down the vein of his cock.

Minho doesn’t hesitate, nodding quickly. “P-please?”

You lean in until your chest is against his, hand still firmly gripping his cock. Lips hovering above his, the blood staining them a pretty scarlet color. His breath is fanning over your face. Waiting. For your lips to meet, for you to pull out. For anything.

“Anything for you, angel.”

Your hips buck, pushing the toy so deep inside so quickly that Minho cries out against your lips. Pushing yourself back up, you grab a hold of his hips as you set a brutal pace.

He’s pinned the bed, legs spread wide and head thrown back against the pillow. His body is like a sculpture, handcrafted just for you. Yours to please, yours to fuck. Whatever you want to do to Minho.

And now, all you want to do to him is make him shatter. Break the marble into sharp pieces. Destroy the beauty. Leave him as nothing, as he always does with you.

“Is this what you fucking wanted?” You almost have to shout to be heard over his cries. “Hm? To be fucked like a little bitch?”

It’s like all Minho can do is cry. His hands gripping the sheets, head rolled back as he releases the prettiest sounds that you feel deserve an audience.

“Fuck.” He curses. “B-baby, please—“

Oh, the begging is too much. You can’t stop giggling, your whole body on fire from how pathetic he’s acting. “You’re so cute when you cry.” Grabbing his cock again, you start to pump with the beat of your hips. “Let’s see how pretty you are when you cum.”

What a delight it is to have his cock in your hands, the cum running down your wrist. There’s so much of it; puddling on his stomach, rolling down to the sheets. Everywhere.

When he’s finished, you grab his face again. Hold it still as you push your cum covered fingers in his mouth, making him gag on it. Forcing him to lick them clean.

“Good bitch.” You say so sweetly, grinning so evilly down at him.

To your surprise, the fire has died in his eyes. Replaced with awe, a slow smile spreading across his face. You’ve broken the unbreakable, putting the pieces back together in a way that compliments you better.

Though, it’s hard to extinguish a fire like Minho’s.

[canirove]

My neighbour Rúben | Chapter 15

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Masterlist

“Another party?”

“Another party” Lucy said while closing the door behind her, the pizzas that had just been delivered on her hands. “That greasy friend of his was coming out of the lift with a girl on each arm.”

“Greasy?”

“Yes, that one who doesn’t know what an encyclopedia is.”

“Oh, you mean Grealish” I laughed.

“Same thing. He has greasy hair, so” she shrugged.

Rúben was throwing a party. Again. Like after every game at home they had had lately. It had become his new favourite thing to do once his parents and Ivan had left for Portugal to continue with his recovery there. 

Most of them lasted until pretty late, but the walls were thick and neither Julia, nor her mum or I, were hearing things we didn’t want to hear. Though most mornings we would cross paths with a different girl leaving his apartment, and it was all because of me. 

The moment I came back from London I went to speak with him, to tell him everything that had happened with Aaron. And he hadn't taken it very well.

“I knew something like this would happen after you hung up. I just knew it!”

“Rúben…”

“No! He took advantage of you, you know? You said it yourself, you have little to no experience with men. He noticed and took advantage of it.”

“He didn’t, Rúben. Like I told you already, I said yes to it, I did it willingly.”

“As if that made it any better” he snorted.

“Rúben…”

“I need to be alone” he said, storming out the door, those words being the last we shared.

“Anyway” Lucy said, bringing me back to the present. “What Chris Evans' movie are we watching today?”

“The Red Sea Diving Resort.” 

While Rúben was partying and doing God knows why, this was what I had chosen to do to cope with what had happened between us: watch Chris Evans’ filmography while it was just Lucy and I at home. It probably was the worst decision ever because he kept reminding me of Rúben and because Chris is a bit… special picking roles. But the time we were spending together was priceless.

“It sounds… interesting.”

“People say it is boring, but I’ve seen gifs online and he looks so hot.”

“Then it’ll be worth it” Lucy said, handing me a beer. “To Chris Evans’ boobs.”

“And America’s ass” I laughed. 

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“Yes, grandma. I’ll go.”

“This may be it, you know?”

“I know. That’s why I’m going. See you next week, ok?”

“Ok. Love you, sweetie.”

“Love you too” I said, hanging up and walking into the lift. The moment it started moving, it made some weird noises, and when I was almost on my floor, it stopped. “Oh, no. No, no, no. Please move.”

But it didn’t. The lift had stopped. 

I pressed my floor’s button again, but nothing was happening. Well, not really. The lights were flickering. 

“No, no, no, no!” I screamed, pressing the emergency button, hoping someone would answer or come see what was going on. But it wasn’t working. Julia had pressed it more than once and it usually made a ring noise. Not today. 

And then, the lights went off. I was in complete darkness.

“This can’t be happening. No, no, no” I said again, unlocking my phone and calling Roger. He had been at the door when I came in, he should be answering. But he didn’t. I tried many times, and he didn’t pick up.

“Ok, breathe. Just breathe” I told myself, my hands shaking. I needed to get out of that lift. 

I tried calling Roger again, but it was pointless. The buttons still weren’t working and I was starting to feel very hot, so I sat down, trying to focus on my breath, closing my eyes and thinking that I was in my room, sitting on my bed, relaxing… But that didn’t work out either.

“Fuck!” I yelled, starting to cry. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” 

I unlocked my phone again, not sure about what I was doing. And then, for the first time in months, I called him.

“Rúben!” I cried when I heard him picking up. “Please don’t hang up, Rúben. I’m scared. Please.”

“Are you ok? What happened, where are you?” 

“Home, stuck on the lift. Please come get me out of here, please” I said between sobs.

“I’m on my way home from training. I’ll be there in ten minutes, ok?”

“Please” I cried.

“Ten minutes. I promise.”

I’m not sure if it took him ten minutes to arrive or not, but it felt like an eternity. When I heard noise above my head, I thought I was dreaming. Or maybe going crazy. But then the lights turned on again, and the doors of the lift slowly started to open.

“I’m getting you out of there, ok?” Rúben said. “I’m here.”

He was the one opening the doors.

“Give me your hand” he said once there was enough space for me to go through. I did as he told me, and I was suddenly flying, finally leaving that damned lift. 

“Rúben” I gasped when my feet touched the floor, hugging him and starting to cry again.

“It’s ok” he said, hugging me back. “It’s ok, you are ok. I’m here.”

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“Feeling better?” Rúben said, sitting on the couch next to me. “You’ve stopped shaking.”

“Yes, I think the tea is helping. Thank you.”

“Of course. Do you need anything else? Do you want me to call Lucy?”

“No, no, it’s fine. Don’t ruin her date.”

“Is she seeing someone?”

“Yep. And she doesn’t want to tell me who he is, which isn’t fair. I’ve told her everything about me and now she is keeping secrets.”

“What about you? Are you seeing someone? Ramsdale, perhaps?” 

“Oh, no. We’ve texted a few times because he wanted to know how I was, but nothing else.”

“I'm sorry about everything I said that day" Rúben said after a few seconds in the most awkward silence ever. "About the way I shouted at you. I shouldn't have done it, I regret it so much…”

“It's ok.”

“No, it isn’t. I had barely slept, then during training Pep had gotten mad at me because I wasn’t focused, and even though it isn’t an excuse, when you told me what had happened in London I just exploded and made you pay for everything. And I shouldn't have done that. You didn’t deserve it, you had done nothing wrong.”

“I made out with another guy and ended up in bed with him.”

“But we weren’t dating, were we?” Rúben said. “And we hadn’t discussed if we were exclusive or the type of relationship we had.” 

“I guess, yeah.”

“I’m sorry” he said again. “I really am. If I could go back in time and do things differently, I would. ”

So would I, I said to myself.

“What about the parties, tho?” I dared to ask. After his apology and basically clearing out things between us, I needed to know if he was seeing someone. If he had moved on. “Would you also change that?”

“Definitely.”

“Really? You all seemed to be having lots of fun.”

“Nah.”

“Then none of those girls you were with made the cut?” I said, arching an eyebrow. He noticed and answered like I expected: with that smirk of his, making the last bits of the knot in my chest disappear.

“They are Jack’s friends. Very hot, but if you ask them about... I don't know, Stradivarius, their first thought is the shop, not the violins. They’ve probably never heard about the violins, to be honest.”

“Rude” I chuckled.

“But it is the truth. Do you want another one?” he asked after I left my mug on the table.

“I’m fine, thank you.”

“I’ve missed you, you know? This. Us.”

“I’ve missed you too” I said, looking up at him. God, I had missed him. I had missed him so much. Seeing him in photos from the games or in training wasn’t the same as having him here, in the flesh, just a few centimetres away from me. 

“Can I kiss you?” he asked.

“Please.” 

And before I had time to blink, he was already doing it. And it was a movie worth kiss like all his kisses were. 

“Rúben” I whispered between kisses, both of us laying on his sofa. “Let’s go to your room.”

“What?” he said, lifting his head from my neck and looking at me. 

“I want to go to your room.”

“Are you… are you sure?”

“Yes. C´mon” I said, getting up.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“You can stop me whenever you want” Rúben said, kissing my stomach.

“I know. I've heard you the other eighty times you’ve said it” I giggled. 

“Just eighty?” he said while looking up at me, that smirk on his face.

“Eighty-one with this. And again, I’m telling you I don’t want you to stop. I want to do it. All of it. And I want to do it with you.”