#though that could just be a lot of smart people with good taste (for many reasons) steering clear of the unhinged girl | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

badkitty3000 · 2 months

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Breaking The Rules

Five x Plus Size Female Reader, Words: 8,159, One-shot

Warnings: Smut, slight Daddy kink

So I received a very lovely request from someone I won't name, but they asked for something very specific:

"There aren't that many Five x plus size reader fics, And I think that should be changed"

I immediately jumped on this idea, because yes, this does need to change. Body representation is very important. I fully admit that I normally write Five with petite women, and that's usually because he's not a huge guy himself, so I tend to make them smaller. That's kind of the standard formula I suppose: bigger guy, smaller girl? But it doesn't have to always be that way. Everyone should be represented in a positive way.

Anyway, I have tried my best to fulfill this request and hopefully I do it justice. 😽❤️☂️

You had just been transferred from Records to Case Management. It was a pretty big promotion, but you had worked hard for it and deserved it. You were excited to be out of the stuffy records room and into the main population of employees since you were by nature a very social person. At one point you had thought about training for an agent position, but decided against it. Even though that’s really what you dreamed of doing. Instead, you figured vying for an executive position would be the best route, but that would take a few more years in the machine.

Part of your job was taking the data that you put together and assigning a particular agent to the case. You were good at solving puzzles, which is why you were put in this department to begin with, but you were also very good at reading people. You loved getting to know new people and their personalities, and what made them tick. People in general were fascinating to you, and the Commission had plenty of personalities.

As usual, you had no problem fitting in with your new coworkers. You had some sort of energy or charisma that drew others in. Maybe it was your infectious laugh, or your inappropriate sense of humor. Or just that way that you had of putting everyone around you at ease. Whatever it was, it was a source of pride for you. You liked being the one people gravitated to.

There was one person that did not seem as smitten with you as everyone else, and that was Number Five Hargreeves. You knew of him, of course. Everyone did. He was a legend among legends and there was a reason for that. You hadn’t been there the first time around, when he was fresh out of the Apocalypse, but when he came back years later as a younger version of himself, it was all anyone could talk about.

Five had a reputation for being aloof and if you caught him on the wrong day, he’d cut you down with some biting insult that was just as powerful as any physical harm he could do. He was smart, agile, and brutally honest. He was also hot as hell.

There seemed to be no end to the line of women that would purposefully parade past him on a daily basis. You couldn’t blame them, though. You’d caught yourself staring a few times, as you watched him read over a file with that serious expression of his, before he nodded a curt thank you and disappeared in a flash of blue. But you weren’t really that interested in him and you knew for a fact that he didn’t date inside the office. You admired that about him, actually, because neither did you.

Just because he wasn’t sleeping around the Commission, however, didn’t mean he wasn’t getting some action elsewhere. When you work for an organization that can see anything and everyone across all timelines and at any point in time…well, rumors are bound to start spreading. And you had heard a lot of them.

As with all rumors, it was hard to determine how much of it was true, but you could at least believe what you heard about his usual taste in women. Petite, thin, perky boobs, a flat stomach, and a small, tight ass. The guys at the switchboard loved to give descriptions of Five’s latest conquests, and they all sounded about the same. But hey, good for him, everyone has a type.

So, even if you were somehow interested in him from a romantic standpoint, you wouldn’t have made the cut anyway. You didn’t fit that stereotypical mold of those other women with your wide hips, slightly bigger breasts and butt, and a stomach that had never been flat. You doubted his usual dates had stretch marks on their thighs and hips, or even a small amount of cellulite on their ass. Not that you cared. Everyone’s bodies were different, after all.

Being a bigger sized woman didn’t bother you. You were confident in your body and made no apologies about it. Just because you couldn’t fit into the size negative two jeans that were constantly shoved in your face on every clothing store mannequin, didn’t mean you weren’t going to wear what you wanted. Short skirts, tight blouses that hugged your chest, or low cut, strappy dresses. If you liked it and it fit, who the fuck cared what anyone else thought? You liked yourself and your body, and if someone else didn’t, then that was their problem.

You liked sex, too, and you had no problems in that department either. You’d had many boyfriends, and a few one-night stands. Currently, you were unattached, but that was ok. There would be another man along at some point and you weren’t going to settle for someone you didn’t like. In the meantime, you’d ogle the eye candy at work.

It was a typical day when you had your first real interaction with Five. Sitting in the breakroom with your lunch, laughing loudly with your coworkers, the room suddenly became very quiet. You looked over to see Five strolling casually in, heading for the coffee station. He didn’t speak to anyone, or really even look in their direction, but there were nervous glances all around. One by one, your friends quietly made some excuse and got up to leave. Eventually, it was just you left at the table.

“Aren’t you going to flee in terror with the rest of them?”

You looked up, surprised to see that he was actually talking to you. You pointed to your salad in front of you. “I’m still eating. And you don’t really scare me, sorry.”

Five looked thoughtful for a second and you saw the glimmer of a smile before he took another sip of coffee.

“Nice work on the Edinburgh case, by the way.”

You nodded. “Thanks. I didn’t think you even knew who I was.”

Five shrugged. “I pay attention. Especially when I see real talent.”

You frowned. “So, you’re stalking me, is that what you’re telling me?”

Five almost choked on his coffee. “What? No! Why would you…”

“I’m kidding!” you laughed. “I’m just messing with you. Thank you, though. I appreciate the compliment.”

“Oh,” Five said, clearly uncomfortable. “You’re welcome.” Then he cleared his throat. “Well, I’ll leave you to finish your meal.”

“You don’t have to go, you know,” you said as he headed for the door. He stopped and looked back at you and you gestured to one of the empty seats. “It’s ok to relax sometimes. Maybe be social? And I don’t bite…at least not without prior consent,” you added with a wink.

Five stood there for a few seconds in thought, and you figured he was conjuring up some perfectly crafted insult for you. Instead, you saw his mouth twitch up at the corner and he gestured to you with his coffee cup.

“Well, that is very good to know. Consent is always important.”

With that, he turned on his heel and walked away.

A few days later you were standing with your friends in the hallway at the end of the workday, talking about the upcoming Commission pickleball tournament you were all playing in. One of your best players had been injured on a job and now you were down a body. As you were discussing options, you saw Five walking in your direction.

“Hey, Hargreeves!” you yelled. “You up for some pickleball?”

Five stopped in his tracks and actually looked around, as if there could be another Hargreeves standing right behind him. Then he looked back at you, thoroughly confused.

“What the hell are you doing?” whispered one of your friends.

“What?” you replied. “The guy’s like a hundred years old, he probably fucking loves pickleball.” You turned back to Five. “We need another player, you game?”

Still rooted to the spot, Five shook his head slowly. “Thanks for the invite. But I’ll have to decline.”

There was an audible sigh of relief from the rest of your group. You rolled your eyes. “Come on! It’ll be fun. You know what fun is, don’t you?”

Five narrowed his eyes, but you could see there was no bite to it. “Yes, I know what fun is.”

“Well, I promise this will be all sorts of fun.” You gave him a big smile. “And as a bonus, you’ll get to watch me run around in a short skirt.”

Your friend next to you slapped you on the arm. “What is wrong with you?” they hissed.

Five actually smiled for a second, you were sure of it. “Tempting, but again, I have to decline.” Then he continued on his way down the hall.

Over the next few weeks, you made it your personal mission to try and get Five to loosen up. Whether you personally delivered case files to him just as an excuse to talk to him, or purposefully followed him into the breakroom, you wouldn’t leave him alone until you got him to at least smile at something you said. After a while, you noticed he was much more relaxed around you. Eventually, you and he were officially friends, much to the amazement of everyone else around you. He even started seeking you out on his downtime.

“Hey there, handsome,” you joked as Five strode up to your desk one day. “Something I can do for you, or did you just miss me?”

“You know, I could report you to human resources for sexual harassment,” he said as he perched on the edge of your desk, folding his arms across his chest with a smile. He had a standard manilla file folder in one hand.

“It’s only harassment if you don’t like it,” you replied, pointing a pen at him.

“I’m not sure that’s accurate.”

“Sure it is,” you said as you jabbed him in the arm with the pen, laughing when he frowned and rubbed at the area. “But seriously, did you need something?”

“Maybe. I just wanted to run this by you.” He slapped the case file on your desk.

“What is it?”

“A case I was assigned to. I read it over though, and I don’t think it’s right. I wanted your opinion.”

You raised your eyebrows. “Me? The legendary Mr. Five wants my lowly opinion?”

“Just shut up and read the fucking file.”

With a laugh, you opened it and started reading. He watched you, rather intently you noticed, while you read. You frowned and shook your head, pointing at a paragraph. “Right here, this isn’t true. The clockmaker didn’t take a carriage to work that day. He walked.”

Five nodded. “That makes this whole case pointless, then. I’d be targeting the wrong person.”

“Shit, you’re right.” You looked up at him. “Good catch.”

“It looked off somehow, but I couldn’t figure it out. I knew you would, though.”

Normally you’d say something snarky to bust his balls, but he was being truly sincere and his compliment meant a lot to you. “Thanks, Five.”

He shrugged and grabbed the file off your desk. “Alright, see you later.”

As he turned around to leave, you couldn’t help yourself. “Hey, Five?”

He stopped and turned. “Yeah?”

“I hate to see you go, but I love to watch you walk away.”

Five shook his head while you cackled at your own joke. “Can’t even make it ten seconds without treating me like a piece of meat. You’re hopeless.”

The following day, you were in the breakroom getting some coffee when you overheard a conversation by some of your coworkers.

“…yeah, I heard it’s not good. Took a shot right to the chest.”

“I heard it was a head shot; that he’s barely alive.”

“No way, I don’t believe it. Not him.”

You turned toward the group, coffee cup in hand. “Who are you talking about?”

“You haven’t heard? Your buddy was shot up pretty bad today.”

You frowned, lowering your cup. “Who, Five?”

“Yeah. I only heard bits and pieces so far, but it doesn’t sound great. They brought him directly to the infirmary when he came back. There was a trail of blood in the hall and everything.”

“What?” you cried, slamming your cup on the counter. “That can’t be.”

Your friend shrugged. “I’m just telling you what I heard.”

“Shit,” you hissed, before running out of the room.

You didn’t slow down the entire way to the infirmary, dodging people in the halls, and almost knocking a few of them over in the process. How could Five be hurt? And why was just the thought making you sick to your stomach?

You burst into the infirmary just in time to see several nurses scurrying away, and a very angry and bloodied Five sitting up in one of the hospital beds.

“God damnit, if you touch me one more time, I swear to god, I will strangle you with my IV line!”

“Oh my god, Five!” Without even thinking about it, you rushed up to him and threw your arms around him, hugging him tightly to you. “Holy shit, I thought you were dead!”

His body stiffened at first, but then he relaxed and put his arms around you in return. You heard him laugh and you pulled away.

“I bet you’d like that. Then you’d finally be able to molest me without me fighting back.”

You realized a few tears had slipped down your cheek and you hurriedly wiped them away. You gave him a half-smile. “You wish.” Then you looked him over, noticing the blood on his head and the IV in his arm. “Are you ok? What happened?”

He sighed. “Nothing, just a minor mishap. I’m fine.” He spoke louder and in the general direction of the nursing staff. “But these jack-holes won’t let me leave!”

You huffed out a laugh. “I can see you’re fine by your usual lovely attitude. You should hear the rumors going around about you, though. Pretty impressive.”

“Good. I need to keep up appearances.”

When you sat down on the side of the bed, you took one of his hands in yours and squeezed it. “I’m glad you’re ok, really. I got really scared there for a minute.”

Five smiled shyly at you and gave you a squeeze back. “I’m glad someone here was worried about me.”

You tilted your head to the side and brushed a stray piece of hair off his forehead and tried to wipe away a smudge of blood. “I doubt I’m the only one.”

“I think you are,” he said, looking you directly in the eyes.

You averted your eyes for a moment. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

“Maybe just one thing.”

“Sure, what do you need?”

He grinned. “Go on a date with me.”

You weren’t sure you heard him correctly. “Did they check you for a concussion because I thought you just asked me out on a date.”

“I did. And no, I am not concussed.”

“Five…” you started, blinking in confusion. “I don’t understand. Do you mean like a date date?”

He huffed and rolled his eyes. “Jesus. Yes, like a date date. Why is this so hard to believe?”

“Uh, well…because we’re friends. Also, I’m not really your type.”

His eyebrows creased together. “You’re not? You’re funny, smart, and sexy. Not to mention you flirt with me every chance you get. What’s not to like?”

“I do not flirt with you.” You smiled when you saw his incredulous expression. “Ok, yeah, I do. But that was just having fun and trying to make you laugh. I didn’t think you’d be into me.”

“Why not?”

“Ok, how do I put this? I have heard all about your little conquests and I know you have a running theme. Skinny, tiny, Barbie dolls that probably have never eaten a sandwich before. And not that there’s anything wrong with that. Everyone has a type and that’s ok. Hell, normally I prefer blond guys, but…”

“Normally?” he cut in.

You blushed. “Well, I do make some exceptions for certain grouchy, dark-haired men.”

Five nodded with a smile. “So then go out with me. I promise the only type I have is the type that I happen to be attracted to. And don’t believe everything you hear around here. Remember,” he pointed to the small abrasion on his head, “I was almost dead a couple of minutes ago.”

Hesitating, you shook your head. “I don’t date anyone from work.”

“Good. Me either,” he said, still grinning.

You laughed. “Alright, then, you wore me down. It’s a date. But only if you promise to stay here for at least another hour without verbally or physically abusing these poor health care workers. It’s not their fault you’re an asshole.”

“Fine, I’ll stay, but only because I want to go out with you.” He raised his voice so the rest of the room could hear. “Not because I need to be treated like a child who fell off their tricycle!”

The next Saturday, you and Five went on your date. When he saw your outfit, he was speechless for a few seconds. He was used to seeing you in your work clothes, which was always the same boring gray pants suit, but now he got to see you in your preferred style. A form-fitting, teal blue dress that stopped halfway down your thighs and had a keyhole neckline to show off a bit of cleavage. You paired it with some gold jewelry and black, strappy heels. You laughed at his face when he saw you.

“You look…” he stammered. “That dress…just wow.”

“Thank you.” You looked him up and down, liking the way his tailored pants fit his lean body just right and his casual button-down shirt that was rolled up at the sleeves accentuated his sculpted chest. You had never really noticed how strong he looked. “You look really good, too. Much better than the stuffy suits.”

“Agreed,” he said distractedly as he continued to stare at your chest.

“Excuse me, but my eyes are up here,” you joked, pointing to your face.

He looked up briefly, then back down at your body. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll get to your eyes in a minute.”

“Wow, I had no idea you were such a pervert.”

He looked up at you with a devious smile. “Oh, yeah, huge pervert. I’m surprised you never picked up on that.” He laughed along with you and then offered his arm for you to loop yours through. “Shall we?”

At dinner, the conversation came easily. It was nice to be able to chat without having to cut it short due to work. Your stories were much duller than his, obviously, but he still seemed genuinely interested in anything you had to say. You made him laugh with your sarcastic comments and you loved knowing you were just about the only one that could crack that veneer of his. Over dessert, you finally worked up enough nerve to ask him what you really wanted to know.

“So, how come you’ve only dated thin girls before?”

Five looked surprised and he shook his head. “I haven’t only dated thin girls.”

You cocked your head to the side and raised your eyebrows. “Really?”

He coughed, embarrassed. “Ok, fine, that’s true. But it wasn’t a conscious decision. Like I said, I’m attracted to who I’m attracted to.” He paused. “But…”

“But what?”

“But what I am most attracted to is confidence. I like a woman that is sure of herself and assertive. A woman that knows what she wants.” He looked guilty for a second. “Usually, at least in my experience, those are the women that happen to fit into the societal standards of beauty. I hadn’t really thought about it until now, though. Sorry.”

“You don’t have to be sorry, it’s not a bad thing. I was just curious.” You hesitated, not sure you wanted to keep pressing him for information. “What was it that attracted you to me, then?”

He looked surprised again and then he laughed. “Are you kidding? I’ve never met anyone as confident and self-assured as you. Plus, you’re funny and easy to be around. And almost as smart as I am.”

“As modest as always.”

“I’m just kidding,” he said with a smile. “You’re incredibly smart, obviously. I wouldn’t waste my time with someone who wasn’t. And…” He reached across the table and placed his hand on top of yours, rubbing the back of it with his thumb. You felt a warm, tingling sensation ripple through your body. “You are also incredibly sexy with your shameless flirting.”

“Well, I’m glad you noticed,” you said, taking your finger and brushing it over his. “And just in case you didn’t know, you are also incredibly sexy.”

“I did not know that.”

“Oh yeah. I made a lot of enemies once word got out that I was going on a date with you. Lots of jealous women back at headquarters right now.”

“Is that so? Can I get a list of those women, just in case this date goes bad?”

Taking your foot, you dragged it up his calf, all while looking him in the eye with one eyebrow raised suggestively. “I don’t think it’s going to go bad, do you?”

He shook his head. “I don’t now.” You saw him swallow hard and shift in his seat. “How about we get the check?”

When you got back to your place, you were almost falling through the door as you struggled to get inside while aggressively making out. Neither of you had even made it out of the car before you started groping one another, so that by the time you had made it home, you were both on fire.

“You know,” you mumbled between frantic kisses as Five slammed the door closed behind him with his foot. “I don’t usually put out on the first date.”

“Me either,” he said as he grabbed you around the waist to pull you in closer, kissing you along your jaw.

“Ok, I lied. Yes, I do,” you exhaled breathily as your hands wound into his hair and he moved his mouth to your neck.

“Good, because I lied too,” he said, stopping to look at you with a sly grin.

After letting out a short laugh, you were back on his mouth again, breathing hard through your nose and pressing your body against his. You could feel his arousal building as he pushed his groin into your hip. Your hands fumbled as you started to unbutton his shirt.

“Fuck, you are so hot,” he breathed against your neck. “I want you out of this dress.”

As you finished undoing the last button and pulling his shirt out of his pants, you nodded. “Yeah, good idea.” When you reached down to pull at the strap of your shoe, he put a hand on yours to stop you. When you looked up, he shook his head.

“I said the dress. The shoes stay on.”

Well, if you hadn’t been wet before, you were now. The tone of his voice and the seriousness of his face only added to the hotness factor and at that point you would have followed almost any demand he made of you. Leaving the shoes on, you pulled the dress over your head while he watched. Even though you hadn’t really been anticipating your date progressing this far, you had still prepared with a pair of satin panties and lace bra that matched the same jewel tone as the dress you dropped onto the floor.

Five didn’t say anything, just eyed you up and massaged the back of his neck. Then he let out a long, shaky exhale.

“Are you ok?” you asked, suddenly a little concerned he might not be liking what he saw.

Five nodded, his gaze not leaving your breasts. “Yeah, just give me a second. I’m trying not to come in my pants.”

Your astonished laugh was quickly cut off when you found yourself pinned against the wall on the other side of the room, the fluttery sensation of one of Five’s spatial jumps lingering in your stomach. Your squeak of surprise was swallowed by his mouth on yours, as he pushed hard against you, his hands on your tits.

When he flicked his tongue across your bottom lip, you moaned and closed your eyes, jerking your hips into him. Your hands found their way to his hard chest and muscular arms, feeling them tighten and relax with each movement. He let you tug his shirt the rest of the way off and you wrapped your arms around his shoulders as he pressed his face into the side of your neck and lifted one of your legs up to his waist. His hard cock was grinding into you as you drew in a ragged breath. When you felt his lips against your skin and his warm breath as he brushed his mouth over your neck, you let out a loud whine.

“That’s right, sweetheart. Let Daddy hear you,” he groaned, his fingers digging into the flesh of your thigh and holding you tightly to him.

“Woah…Daddy?” you breathed out.

Five nodded, moving to the other side of your neck. “Is that ok?”

“Fuck yes, Daddy,” you moaned, running your hands greedily down his back.

You felt him smile against you and his kisses turned into small nips that he trailed down your neck and onto your shoulder.

“I want you. I can’t wait,” he said, his voice husky with desire.

“The bedroom is in there,” you said, pointing to the room just on the other side of the wall.

Five let your leg down and you pulled him by the hand into your bedroom, falling onto the bed and propping yourself on your elbows as Five stood there staring again.

“Well, come on, Daddy,” you teased. “I thought you couldn’t wait.”

A slow smile spread across Five’s face as he immediately started to undress the rest of the way, until he was crawling over you, completely naked. He rubbed his cock against your inner thigh, making a quiet growling noise in his throat before looking you in the eye.

“As much as I love this little bra and panty combination you’ve got going on here, I’m going to need those to go, too.”

When you nodded eagerly, he reached behind you and expertly unhooked your bra, tossing it off the bed before immediately moving farther south and ripping your underwear off. Once you were completely nude, Five sat back to take you all in. You assumed he liked what he saw, because it was only another second before he was covering you with his own body, attacking your full breasts with frantic sucking kisses.

“Damnit, honey, these tits…fuck,” he moaned as he buried his face in your cleavage.

“I take it that you’re pleased?” you giggled, threading your fingers through his hair.

He lifted his head, holding himself over you while he shoved your legs further apart with his knees. Then he lowered himself to kiss you tenderly, caressing your face with one hand. You let out a soft sigh.

“I’m more than pleased. You’re beautiful.”

He leaned in to kiss you again, this time using his free hand to travel down your chest and abdomen, and along your inner thighs. His long fingers met the soft, wet area between them, and he slowly ran them up through your pillowy folds, making you even wetter.

“Five…” you moaned as you rocked your hips up to match his strokes.

“What do you need, sweetheart? Tell me,” he asked, only slightly condescending as he continued to watch your face for your reactions.

Five entered you with two fingers, pressing in slowly and then backing out again before repeating it in a slow rhythm. You chased his hand with desperate thrusts of your hips, biting your bottom lip to try to contain some of the noises that threatened to escape your lips.

“Fuck me, please,” you whined, throwing your head back.

He gave a quiet chuckle and you felt his hand move away from you. Then he was positioning himself between your legs and lowering himself so that you could feel his dick rubbing against your slit.

“God, I swear I’ve never been this hard in my life. I’m going to fuck you like you want, gorgeous. Daddy’s going to take care of you.”

“Oh, shit,” you gasped when you felt him enter you, just slow enough not to be jarring, but not drawing it out, either.

When he was fully inside, you angled your hips so he was at just the right spot.

“How’s that?” he whispered as he slowly pumped into you.

“That’s good…” You grabbed at his shoulders and back. “Keep going.”

Five continued his slow and lazy thrusts while holding himself over you so he could look down at your face and body. His hair fell forward over his eye and he made quiet groaning noises that were punctuated with soft kisses.

“You feel so damn good,” he moaned.

“Five?”

“What do you need, darling?”

“I need you to really fuck me. Hard.”

He looked down at you, momentarily stopping his movements. Then he laughed quietly and you smiled back. “Well, I did say I’d fuck you like you wanted, didn’t I?”

When he pulled out, you let out a soft sigh and watched as he crawled back off the bed, his dick still hard and wet from being inside of you.

“Wha--?” you started to ask, right before he yanked your legs sideways, so that you were laying across the width of the bed.

Five positioned himself between your legs, holding them up under your knees and settling them on either side of his waist while he lined himself up and slammed into you again.

“Is this what you wanted?” he snarled, continuing to thrust into you hard and fast.

“Yes!” you cried, clutching at the sheets beneath you.

Every time he pounded into you, you got to feel the intensity of his strength as your entire body moved back and forth, your tits bouncing enticingly in front of him. He gave your voluptuous ass a hard slap that made you cry out again. You instinctively covered your mouth with your arm.

“Oh, no, I don’t think so,” Five warned through clenched teeth. “Uncover your mouth. I want to hear you scream.”

Everything he was doing and saying was driving you quickly over the edge, and you did scream for him, just like he wanted. You couldn’t even help yourself.

“Yes…please…keep going…harder, please! I need more!”

You were begging and pleading while he railed into you as hard as he possibly could, thrusting his thick cock deep inside of you while slamming his pubic bone right into your clit every single time. All while completely supporting your lower body, angling it up and off the bed so he could fuck you relentlessly and perfectly.

Soon, you felt your muscles start to twitch and your head fell back, your mouth wide open as you repeatedly asked him to fuck you harder. When you finally hit that wall, you completely lost yourself, screaming his name while bucking and thrashing wildly against him.

Your orgasm was still coming in waves when Five released himself inside of you, his head tipped back and jaw set, growling obscenities while his muscles contracted and he dug his fingers harder into your thighs.

When the intensity had passed, Five let go of your legs, setting them gently down, and he leaned over the top of you, his hands on either side of your head. He kissed you tenderly, still trying to catch his breath.

“Fuck, that was good,” he said with a heavy exhale.

You nodded, laying a hand on his cheek. “So damn good.”

After another minute, you both moved so that you were lying longways on the bed again. Five held you against his chest while he kissed your forehead and traced his fingers down your arms and back.

“I’m not sure why we haven’t been doing that all along,” he joked.

“Because you needed to get to know me and my sparkling personality first.”

Five rolled his eyes. “Sparkling? I don’t know, that seems a bit much.”

When you giggled, he pulled you close to him. Your lips pulled to the side in thought and after a few seconds you decided to just put it out there.

“Are you sure you’re ok with my body? I mean, I am, but I just want to make sure you are, too. Because if this is going to continue, and I really hope it does, then I need to know you’re going to be ok with my size and not try to change me after a while. I’ve dated men in the past that said they were ok with it, but then a month or so later, they’re encouraging me to go to the gym or making comments about my diet. They all got kicked to the curb, because I don’t need that kind of negativity in my life. I am who I am and I love my body. I just want to make sure you do, too.”

Five was quiet for a moment, then he held your chin in his hand. “Look at me,” he said quietly, while tilting you face up. “I’m sorry if I ever gave you the impression that body type or looks matter to me, because it doesn’t. I just had the most mind-blowing sex I have ever had, and I wouldn’t change one single thing about you. You’re perfect.”

“Wow,” you said with a smile. “Five Hargreeves just called me perfect. Wait until I spread this rumor down at headquarters.”

“I’m serious,” he said. “You believe me, don’t you?”

You nodded. “I believe you. And thank you.” You gave him a soft kiss and smiled. “So, does this mean I can keep sexually harassing you at work?”

“I hereby give you permission to harass me as much as you want on a daily basis. I will welcome it.”

After that first date, you and Five couldn’t get enough of one another. It was like just being in the same building with him set your body on fire. You would find yourself staring off, lost in a daydream about what his mouth felt like and then someone would clear their throat or say your name, and you’d realize they had been talking to you without you noticing.

Obviously, everyone knew that something was going between you two. You hadn’t exactly spread the word, but you also hadn’t denied it. You didn’t really care what anyone thought, anyway. The only problem was, there was a strict policy of no relationships between case managers and field agents in place. This was done to protect the agents, and to avoid any favoritism with assignments. A few casual flings here and there were overlooked, but serious relationships were usually squashed. Not that you would describe what you had as serious. Yet, anyway.

You did love spending time with one another, even without the sex. You even made Five join you at lunch with your usual group, much to the shock of your friends. It was awkward at first, but when Five cracked a very dry and cutting joke about someone in upper management, the table went silent for a second before bursting into laughter. He looked at you in surprise, like he couldn’t believe he was having this type of positive social interaction. You just smiled and shrugged, mouthing “I told you so”.

Despite the fact that you spent a lot of time together outside of work, that didn’t stop either of you from taking advantage of your proximity at the Commission. You had lost count of the number of times you two had stolen away somewhere in the building for a quickie during the day. With Five’s status plus his convenient teleportation powers, you could hide anywhere you could think of that would give you at least a few minutes of privacy.

You would be sitting there, attempting to work on a case, when Five would come strolling in. Just the sight of him striding into the room, all confident and sexy with that tiny smirk on his face, made you want to jump on top of him. He would approach you with some made up problem he had and ask you to go with him so you could help straighten it out. It was pretty apparent what was going on, and your coworkers would exchange glances around you, but you didn’t care.

Once you were safely down the hallway, Five would grab you and blink you into some abandoned storage room where you were immediately attacked. You had told him to stop being so aggressive while at work, because the hickeys he was leaving on your neck were clearly visible. But that didn’t stop him from shoving you against a table or a wall, all while kissing you fervently and telling you how much he wanted you in that deep, growling voice of his.

Dropping to his knees to eat you out while kneading the flesh of your ass. Spinning you around to bend you over a table before fingering you and then fucking you from behind. Biting and sucking at your tits and stomach, leaving marks that would be hidden by your clothes, but were still a reminder of who you belonged to. All of it was expertly done, as only Five could do, and you couldn’t get enough.

The servicing wasn’t a one-way street, though. You liked to flip the tables sometimes and push him against the wall, sliding slowly down his body until you were kneeling in front of him, hands already clawing at his belt and zipper while you called him Daddy. When you would take all of him into your mouth, he would hiss through his teeth and groan loudly, his hand resting in your hair while he praised you for being good for him. He wanted you to look at him while you sucked him off, and tell you to finger yourself while you did it. You’d be choking on his dick, a hand shoved into your panties, and both of you moaning until you came; all while the throngs of Commission employees were passing by right outside the door.

It was quickly becoming apparent that your relationship was evolving into something more. You were starting to spend more nights together, sleeping in one another’s beds, curled up together and waking up happy in the morning, just to be near each other. Five loved cuddling up with you, pulling your soft body close against his, and nuzzling into your neck or hair. He told you how happy you made him and thanked you for pulling him out of his shell. He’d idly stroke your arms and thighs while you would lie together in the dark, just talking quietly. In the morning, he’d trace patterns over the white, jagged lines that criss crossed your abdomen and hips, reminding you how beautiful you were as the sunlight spilled across your bed.

Your feelings for Five were starting to seep into your everyday routines and the work you normally prided yourself on. You found yourself worrying about every assignment he went on, even though you knew he was a professional and could handle it.

After a while, the cases you started assigning him got easier and easier, whereas before you would have given him the most difficult and dangerous ones. He finally called you out on it when he received a total rookie assignment while another agent that was not nearly as skilled received a much more complicated one.

He sat on the corner of your desk, a smug grin on his face, as he dropped the file in front of you.

“What the hell is this?” he asked you, still smiling.

You glanced down at the file, then back at him. “What do you mean?”

He tapped the file with his finger. “This garbage. It’s a case for a newbie. Hell, you could probably hand this to any random person off the street and they could do it. So what’s going on?”

You sighed, crossing your arms over your chest and frowning. “Maybe I thought you just needed a break, that’s all.”

He studied your face and shook his head. “No, that’s not it. Every case I get from you these days is getting simpler and simpler. I just haven’t said anything until now. Are you losing faith in my abilities, is that it?”

Your eyebrows raised in surprise. “Of course not! It’s just, you know…” Your voice trailed off and your eyes flitted away from his.

“No, I don’t know. Tell me.”

With a heavy sigh, you dropped your hands onto the desk in front of you, looking up at him. “Fine. I’m scared to give you anything complicated because I’m afraid something will happen to you. And I don’t really want my boyfriend being gunned down or stabbed or beaten all to shit, ok? Especially not in another timeline where you might not even be able to come back.”

Five took a second to absorb that information, then he looked down with a smile. “You really worry about me?”

“Yes, I worry about you. Is that so bad? You might not be as amazing as you think you are. You’re not infallible, you know.”

Five made a face like he hadn’t actually considered that before, which was mildly infuriating, and then he looked at you with that gentle smile of his that you knew he saved only for you. He leaned in and gave you a quick but tender kiss full on the mouth, even though you were still in a roomful of people that could see. When he pulled away, you felt your face flush, but not from embarrassment.

“Thank you,” he whispered earnestly.

Then he flashed you that arrogant smirk again, the dimple on his cheek deepening, before snatching a much thicker file off your desk, and blinking away without another word.

It was only a matter of time, you supposed, before Corporate caught wind of your relationship. Especially when you were making erratic decisions with your cases lately. Both you and Five received a notice from senior management requesting a meeting. You were a mess of anxiety and nerves when the time came. Your career was important to you, and it was not in your nature to just throw that away for some man. But Five wasn’t just any man, was he? If you were going to have to choose between your job and your relationship with him, you had no idea what you were going to do.

Sitting in front of the executive’s desk, your leg bounced up and down with nerves as you waited for Five to join you. When he arrived, he had the absolute audacity to look calm and unbothered as he sat down in the chair next to you. He greeted the manager and then turned to give you a wink and a small smile. You really had no idea how he could be this nonchalant. Maybe he didn’t care if you had to end things.

“As I’m sure you know, the reason you two have been called here today is –”

Five cut your manager off mid sentence. “Yes, we are fully aware. According to section 64, subsection D of the Commission Code of Conduct, we are prohibited from being in a romantic relationship with one another.”

The executive paused. “Well, yes, that’s correct. And so –”

“And so you have to inform us that we either have to end our relationship or resign from our positions.”

There was another moment of perplexed silence from across the desk. “Uh, yes…”

“But that is only because of the current departments we work for, due to conflicting interests, correct?” Five continued.

“That is correct, yes. But—”

“So, if we move to the same department, that shouldn’t be an issue?”

“Well…yes…I suppose…”

You looked at Five, completely confused. “Five, what are you doing? You don’t want to work in case management. I know you don’t.”

He nodded. “You’re right. But you can train to become a field agent.”

Your mouth hung open. “What?”

“You’ve only mentioned that you were interested in being out in the field about 50 times, so why not? They can always use more agents,” he turned to the manager, “Isn’t that right?”

The man cleared his throat. “Oh. Well, yes, that’s true.”

Five nodded again, as if that explained everything. “Alright then, so move her to my department. She has the determination and skill. And you have my official recommendation, which as you know, holds a lot of weight around here.”

There was another look of bewilderment in your direction. “Yes, Mr. Hargreeves, that’s true. I suppose we could do that—”

Five stood up with a smile. “Great! It’s all settled then.” He turned to you, still sitting in your chair and trying to make sense of all of this.

What he had said was true. You had told Five many times that you wished you could have his job. But you figured that was outside of your skill set. Five didn’t seem to agree. He knew you were highly intelligent, strong, and had the right personality. You just needed the proper training.

He reached out a hand to pull you up. “Is this all ok with you, darling? Do you have anything to add?”

You shook your head slowly. “Uh, no…I mean, yes…I mean, yes I’m ok with it and I don’t have anything else to add.”

“Great!” Five turned to the manager. “Just send me the paperwork we need to fill out and we can call it good.”

The manager shook each of your hands and it appeared that the meeting was over before it began. Five guided you towards the door with a hand on your back. You looked over your shoulder, still unsure of what exactly just happened, but you let him push you outside into the hall.

“What the fuck, Five?” you demanded, hands on your hips. “You want to tell me what is happening right now?”

“It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? They weren’t going to let us keep dating if we were working in our current departments, so one of us had to move. And I know this is what you really wanted.”

You thought for a moment. “So…you didn’t think of breaking up with me just to keep things the same?”

His mouth dropped open and then he snapped it shut again, his brows furrowing and creating deep creases between his eyes. “No. Of course not.” He took a few steps closer to you and took your face gently into his hands, gazing into your eyes. “I love you.”

You drew in a sharp breath. “What?”

“I love you,” he repeated, this time with a smile.

You answered him, your own grin spreading slowly across your face. “Say that again.”

Five laughed, leaning down to kiss you and you hugged him around his waist. “I love you,” he said again after breaking away.

“I love you too, Five. I don’t know if I realized it until just now, but I do. I love you so much.”

Five nodded. “Well, that’s a relief. Because I would have looked like a giant asshole if I did all that and you shot me down.”

Laughing, you reached up for another kiss that quickly turned very heated. When you pulled away, Five was breathing hard and he tugged your body harder against his.

“There’s an empty room down the hallway over there,” he said suggestively.

You shook your head. “Sorry, honey, but we have to get to work. I have a lot of training to start on.”

“I think you forget who your new boss is,” he said in that serious tone of his.

Five pulled you in tightly again, kissing you hard on the mouth and flattened you against the wall. His hand roamed down to your chest and he gave your breast a small squeeze while pressing his knee in between your legs. When he heard you moan softly into his mouth, he backed away with a grin.

“You know, I can report you to HR for sexual harassment,” you said with a crooked smile, even though you were having a hard time controlling your heart rate.

“It’s not harassment if you like it,” he shot back before giving you a loud smack on the ass.

Then he turned around and walked away, leaving you flustered and hot; but also with that amazing feeling in the pit of your stomach from knowing you had found the perfect person to love and that loved you just as much in return.

#five hargreeves x reader #number five x reader #five hargreeves x you #five hargreeves #number five #number five smut #body positive #the umbrella academy #tua #umbrella academy #five hargreeves smut #fanfiction requests #requests open #tua fanfic #tua fanfiction #umbrella academy fanfic #smut #badkittywrites

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nightsmarish · 4 months

Text

Summary: James might actually like Slytherins.

Poly!Starchaser x Reader (James Potter x Reader x Regulus Black) | 1.2k words

TW: mentions of Sirius leaving, getting kicked out(?), honestly not a lot I think

✶⋆.˚꩜ .ᐟ˙⋆ ✶⋆.˚꩜ .ᐟ˙⋆ ✶⋆.˚꩜ .ᐟ˙⋆ ✶⋆.˚꩜ .ᐟ

When James started Hogwarts, he had a certain distaste for Slytherins. Never an outright hate, unlike his best mate, Sirius. But something about the house always put a sour taste in his mouth.

Maybe it was the stories Sirius shared of his family, or the way many of them seem to sneer at him, or maybe it was Severus Snape. He was never really sure. But, nevertheless, the Gryffindor seeker has always seemed to avoid Slytherins.

Until James’ sixth year at Hogwarts. The previous year, Sirius had left Black Manor for good (but if you ask James, Sirius had left closer to third year, the incident in fifth year just made it official).

All the Marauders know the story well, and all the boys know just as well how distressed Sirius was when Regulus didn’t take the chance to leave with him.

The refusal created a rift between the brothers—a big rift. Like the big crack in the earth muggles call grand that James never remembers the name of. And that rift lasted for the entirety of fifth year.

But the summer before their sixth year marked when Sirius couldn't take it anymore. So, the boys' sixth year marked when the Black brothers started mending their relationship.

And also when James became a pathetic mess for Regulus. Lily was the first to find out. Besides the boys, Lily was James' person. Once he finally got over the childhood crush he had on her, they became actual friends.

Regulus is just so…. Regulus. He's pretty, first of all, like, so pretty. James isn’t very poetic, but he reckons one of the romance books Remus has read wouldn’t even begin to describe how beautiful Regulus is. From his well-kept, dark hair to his gray eyes, which at times reminds James of The Fallen Angel by Alexandre Cabanel. The same painting his mother has fawned over to him and his father many times. The poetically tragic painting.

And dear Merlin, he's so smart. James has shared very few classes with the boy, being one year apart makes it hard. But when they shared The Study of Ancient Runes, James became almost certain that he's attracted to people smarter than him, (which he realized greatly limited his dating pool because it can be a bit hard to find people smarter than him (save Remus, Lily, and now Regulus)). Don’t get the seeker started on how good Regulus is at quidditch, he could talk all day.

Honestly, not much changed with this crush when James met you. You had been friends with Regulus (and Crouch and Rosier, but that was irrelevant to James); maybe a little more; he wasn’t sure at the time; the little friend group had always seemed suspiciously close sometimes.

You. Oh Merlin, you. It made a lot of sense, at first glance, how you and Regulus got along. Both of you seem to be able to sit in silence, not needing a conversation every time you hang out, yet still having fun. But at the same time, James had seen you able to joke and have banter with Crouch and give half glares at Sirius when he was trying to borrow -steal- Regulus for a bit.

And finally, after months of talking to (mildly annoying) you too, the lot of you finally started dating. Even though Sirius nearly had a heart attack when he found out, either way, James has found himself walking to the Slytherins table before his own more often, and has found himself ducking from Crouch throwing potatoes at him even more regularly. James has also found himself sneaking into the Slytherin common rooms when he isn’t planning a prank. Like right now.

It's not exactly necessary to sneak into a common room. The way to get into most common rooms stays the same. Ravenclaws answer a riddle; Gryffindors have a password that changes semi-regularly; Hufflepuffs have changed a few times over the past few years, but right now you have to tap a barrel located in the kitchen space near the Hufflepuffs door. But, as it seems, the Slytherins seem to change more regularly.

Rarely just a simple password nor a rhyme or riddle. Though James likely doesn’t deserve the right to be annoyed by the constant changing because the Marauders pranks are often the reason for a change. And it's not like the boys exactly need a password to get in. Not when you have learned almost all of the secret passageways through the castle and can sneak in through one of them.

James finds a way down to the dungeons, with or without any password or trick, and makes his way to Regulus' dorm. When he gets there, he's presented with a loving, beautiful, and perfect view.

The dorm is free of Regulus’ dormmates, Crouch and Rosier, the only people who lay claim are you and Regulus. There you two lay, your head on his stomach, arms wrapped around his waist as your body lays between his legs, any closer and you'd be under his skin.

Regulus is lying back on his pillows, jumper far too red to belong to him. As one hand rests on the top of your head, the other lies abandoned. It’s clear both of you had been reading at some point; books lay abandoned nearby on the bed.

James could scream, squeal even, but instead he silently closes the door and locks it (the only people that would really need it are people with a key (Crouch, Rosier) or people who don't believe in locks (Sirius, and honestly, probably also Crouch and Rosier)).

James slips off his shoes near the bed, climbing onto the bed with the two of you.

“Love?” He whispers in your ear, brushing your hair away from your face as he gently rubs your shoulder.

You shift, barely coherent, as you open your eyes the smallest amount to look at who woke you. They soften a tremendous amount when you register that James is in front of you.

“Hi, baby,” Salazar, his smile is so bright, he could make the Black Lake change its name with just a curl of the lips. “Your arms are gonna cramp if you don't move.”

James slowly draws your arms from under your shared boyfriend for you, limp like a liquid cat in his arms, and he somehow finds it the most endearing thing in the wizarding world.

The movement makes Regulus come to consciousness, opening his eyes much quicker than you did and already more alert than you. “Chéri?”

“Hello, love.” James drags your liquid body to the side of Regulus, instead of on him, and kisses his boyfriend's temple. Freeing a hand to smooth out his hair and stop him from getting up. “Go back to your nap, just moving you guys a bit so neither of you hurt.”

You are quick to go back to wrapping your arms around Regulus, now in a slightly less straining position, ready to go back to dreaming. James' smile might just grow impossibly founder.

James goes to the other side of Regulus, leaving you to cling to his left as James takes his right. “'S ‘kay to go back to sleeping.”

“I know.”

You reach one of your hands blindly and grab James’ arm, resting it there as the three of you drift back to a lovely sleep.

Maybe James has a taste for a type of Slytherin after all.

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letruyuread · 3 months

Text

Little thoughts about about Twisted Wonderland characters and you (yuu)

Riddle loves having the first slice of tarts, strawberry ones especially. So I think that, for holidays or even if you're just feeling down, he gives you the first slice of his strawberry tart. No explanation, please don't mention it- you'll fluster the poor boy. But it means a lot to him, and he secretly hopes you understand that.

Yes, Ace is a teasing prick, most of the time, anyways. But the second anyone brings up how he might possibly feel for you? Absolute tsundere. Denying it to the high heavens. Insults you a lot, too. "How could I ever like the perfect?! They're so- so-" Yeah, no one's falling for it. Give him time. He'll get comfortable with the idea soon enough, and then you have a whole other problem.

Deuce loves to talk to his mom about you. Rants about you- the incredible magic-less human that stole his heart (No, get out of here Ace-). You don't even care that he used to be a delinquent! How amazing is that? His mom is overjoyed that her son met someone who sounds so nice and keeps trying to give him advice to ask you out. She also tries to convince him to bring you home during break- you're not even dating yet.

Cater, of course, posts about you on his Magicam. It's the usual- oh, they're so pretty today, look my partner gave me food 😍. But there are also things he doesn't post, surprisingly. He doesn't post the picture he took of you, laughing against the sunset. That one's private. Too perfectly you to be seen by everyone. No, that's just a moment for the two of you, he thinks.

Trey loves baking you things, baking with you, but he always finds himself flustered when you bake something for him. He taught you the recipe, he remembers, a few weeks ago, and here you are standing with a small platter of cookies. Some are burnt, some taste a bit salty (you didn't add the oyster sauce... right?) and yet he eats them all and loves them because you made them. For him.

Leona, I think, takes very good care of his hair. It was worse before he came to Night Raven, his attendants tried to take care of it, but he always managed to hide away (he was taking a nap). On the first day, though, Vil couldn't stand such a pretty face with such horrid care and taught Leona a routine. Leona now follows that routine strictly. He takes pride in it, as much as his smarts and strength. You know he's having a bad day when it's unkempt and tangled. You also know how much he trusts you when he teaches you the routine, when he lets you help him with it on those bad days or weeks or maybe months.

Ruggie gives you things. It's always random- a bit of his food, a dandelion in the field, a ribbon floating in the wind. He grew up with little- so naturally, he hoards everything he can get his hands on and keeps it for himself. One day he might need it, or his grandma, or the kids in his neighborhood. He's very protective of his growing stash. So when he gives you these things, it's him telling you that you're part of his family now. Ask for anything, he'll find it. Just like he would for the people back home.

Jack adopts a lot of cacti (I nearly spelled cactuses) with you- very silly, right? A lot of cacti. He waters them appropriately, a strict schedule for each, and keeps them at Ramshackle dorm. You have a whole room for them, very bright from large windows and only tables for the plants to be placed on. It's common in his family that you only have one person, your whole life, to stick by. He's hoping it's you- he's hoping you'll fall for him if he keeps coming around, day by day, taking care of your plant children (plant army).

(oh God there's so many but Im on a roll)

Azul, Azul... Oh boy. He really wants you to make a contact with him. Doesn't matter what kind- you want it, you'll get it (even if you don't agree to his offer, honestly). He always seems to want the same thing, though: (no it's not marriage) a friend. That's what he says, that's not really what's in the contract, though. The exact wording is 'companion.' Someone to talk to, someone to trust. Someone who calls his merform pretty and him intelligent. Someone who doesn't make him feel insecure.

Floyd. What do to with you? He's very touchy. Very touchy. Once, he skipped all his classes and just grabbed onto you, having you carry him around on your back and not letting you go. Yes, he put a spell on himself to make him light as a feather, no one could carry that tall of an eel. He's very clingy and doesn't understand how he feels about you. It confuses him, he has no clue what this is, he just knows he wants to be around you and why shouldn't he be?

Jade knows. You have weekly tea parties. Don't worry, everything's free of charge... Except that, you have to pay for that. Oh, you didn't bring any money? Well, a kiss would do, but... Oh, no, that was a joke. Please don't look so worried. Jade may know what he feels for you, but he's still working out how to deal with it. The twins kind of never thought this would happen.

Kalim is such a sweetheart! Give him all the love in the world, he'll reciprocate tenfold! Whatever you want. He can buy it, if not, his family has the connections to get it, surely. But don't be mistaken- he'll adore you if you make something for him. If he can, he'll always have it on him. Plus, he tries to make stuff for you too! It might look bad, or taste weird, but he's beaming at you and the thought is there!

Please give Jamil a day off. No, really- drag him as far away from Kalim and any responsibility as possible. Do everything. Cook for him, cuddle him, tell him he's amazing and smart and very very cool and it is HIS DAY OFF. Take care of him, please? He needs this. He needs you. He'll do the same for you, if you ever overwork yourself or have a bad day. Trust him, and ask him to trust you.

(I haven't gotten beyond book 4, so I don't know enough about the other characters to feel confident writing them. Maybe Idia, Malleus or Lilia, as I really like them and have done some research on them, but for now this is what I got. Enjoy?)

#twisted wonderland #disney twst #riddle x reader #leona kingsholar x reader #ace x reader #deuce x reader #Trying to get everyone hold on #trey x reader #cater x reader #ruggie bucci x reader #jack howl x reader #azul x reader #floyd x reader #jade x reader #kalim x reader #jamil x reader #God there's so many #I think I did it

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captn-trex · 24 days

Text

a little while longer

Hunter x F!Reader

word count: 4.1k

description: your job keeps you away from pabu, your home, more than you would like, but when you return after weeks away, there's a certain someone eager to make you stay for good.

warnings: fluff, mutual pining, friends to lovers, all that good stuff, wet hair hunter !!!

a/n: been sitting on this for a little while and finally finished it lol, I'm pretty proud of how it turned out in the end. also I realised after that pabu's beach might not be sand....... just pretend it is okay

You brought your ship out of Hyperspace and sighed delightedly at the sight of the swirling blues of Pabu's surface. It was always such a wonderful sight after a long stretch of selling.

You owned a small vineyard on Pabu, though of course none of your customers from other areas of the galaxy knew that's where you operated from. The drinks you made were your main source of money, but you also owned a small wine bar on Pabu. Most of your time was taken up by travelling to other star systems and selling your wares, but your favourite times were spent back home, talking with customers across the bar.

As you entered the upper atmosphere, you were greeted by the wonderful orange and pink hues of the sun disappearing over the horizon. You quickly sped down to the surface, eager to watch the sunset from the town square as you often did when you were back.

When you set down your ship, you saw the flash of blonde hair as the young girl you had grown so familiar with rushed across the square. You smiled at her eagerness, and barely made it out of your ship before you were attacked at the waist by her crushing hug.

“You've been gone for so long!” Omega whined, “You've never been away that long before”

“It was only a few weeks Mega” You told her, but she still wasn't pleased.

“How long are you back for this time?” She asked, her eyes wide and shining up at you.

“I'm not sure” You ruffled her hair with tight lipped smile.

She groaned as she let go of you, “Alright, well I guess I should just make the most of it then”

“That sounds good to me” You smiled down at her as she slung her arm around your waist, pulling you in the direction she knew you'd be going.

Ever since the Bad Batch had arrived on Pabu, you had spent a lot of your time with Omega. For whatever reason, she was very interested by your work, and she often came to help you with some of the more simple parts of the process. She was fascinated that you could create such a mind-altering beverage just from simple fruits. She always wanted to try some, but she was many years away from an acceptable drinking age, and so you had to crush her dreams every time you said no. You thought that she probably continued asking because one day you might just break, and sometimes it felt like that. Her hopeful smile was just too precious, and the look of dismay that followed denying her a taste was enough to make most people do as she liked.

Omega let go of your waist to pull you down onto the ledge by your forearm, a little too close for your comfort but you knew she was smart enough not to fall off.

“Careful Mega” You reminded her anyway, and she rolled her eyes.

“I'm always careful” She said, shuffling closer to you so that she could rest her head on your shoulder.

“I know. Doesn't stop me worrying though” You sighed, leaning your head onto hers and pulling her in with your arm around her back.

“Maker, you're as bad as Hunter” Omega mumbled, earning a chuckle from you.

“Can you blame him? Chaos follows you wherever you go”

“That's not my fault” Omega shrugged.

“Hm, I'm not sure about that… but if you insist” You replied, and both of you settled into silence as you watched the sun setting.

The pink clouds circled and danced around the orange glow, and a deep red was bursting from the horizon line. As the sun sunk lower and lower, the air was filled with a haziness that only came on beautiful summer evenings such as this. It was still warm, a little light and people still moved about in the town, but the lack of wind made everything seem stationary, like a picture, a frame, frozen in time.

“You should get home” You mumbled to Omega, feeling calmed by the serene atmosphere.

“Probably” She sighed, and lifted her head from your shoulder to look at you, “Why don't you come with me?”

“I'd love to Mega, but I should be getting back to the bar really” You told her reluctantly. You had told the person working you'd be back before sunset…

“Awh, come on, just this once? You can come and see Hunter” She grinned up at you and you rolled your eyes. You had made the sore mistake of letting slip the nature of your feelings towards the Sergeant, and Omega saw it as a perfect opportunity to try and play matchmaker. “I'm sure he'd like to see you” She added.

“Yeah yeah, in my dreams right?” You chuckled, and held your hand out to help her up as you stood.

“You know, there's nothing stopping you from just telling him how you feel” She said matter-of-factly, looking up at you with her hands on her hips.

“Well, for now I've still got to go back to the bar. I'll see you tomorrow kid” You smiled at her, and she waved you off before running back home.

You chuckled to yourself, shaking your head as you walked in the direction of your bar. It was located down a small street, almost tucked away, but the people of Pabu all knew where it was, those that drank wine anyway.

You approached the building, flower baskets adorning the windows and metal chairs and tables outside, a few people sitting there and enjoying the last traces of light. You brought your lighter from your pocket and lit the candles at the tables, the people smiling appreciatively and welcoming you back to the island.

You absolutely loved it here. You hadn't lived here your whole life like many of the other islanders, but when you had arrived around seven years back, they took you in as one of their own. Everyone was exceedingly friendly, and your dream of running an orchard and wine bar was quickly taken up when you had mentioned it in passing to Shep. A lot of people had pitched in, and you would never be able to repay them for that.

That was partly the reason you spent so much time away, because you couldn't possibly cover the cost of running your business just through the wine bar and the sales you made on the island. There simply weren't enough people. Truthfully, you wished that you never had to leave at all.

“Heya Lenny” You smiled at the man currently working the bar.

“Hey boss, looks like you're late again” He smirked, knowing what had kept you.

“Sorry Len, you can go home now, I've got it from here” You chuckled, setting down your bag behind the bar.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, go spend time with that lovely husband of yours” You smirk at him, the emphasis coming from the newness of the title, as they had only got married a month prior.

“Alright, don't threaten me with a good time” He laughed, untying his apron and leaving out the back door.

You settled yourself behind the bar, looking up at all the bottles of wine that adorned the back of it. You smiled, looking at the labels from years gone by, as well as the new additions. You could honestly say that you were proud of yourself for how far you'd come.

“I heard you were looking for me” A voice spoke from behind you, and you instantly knew who it was. You turned towards the front of the bar, and met the soft brown eyes of your favourite customer.

“Who told you that? Wait- let me guess… Omega” You chuckled at the young girl’s attempts to get you two in the same space all the time.

“Oh, you weren't actually looking for me?” Hunter asked, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

“I wasn't, but it's nice to see you anyway” You smile.

“You too. When did you get back? You should've come said hi” Hunter leaned on the bar.

“Only as the sun was going down, I had to get back here anyway” You shrugged, brushing past his comment, “What can I get you?”

“Oh nothing, I was only coming to see why you were looking for me” He backed away from bar a little, “I'll leave you to it”

“To what?” Your eyes sparkled with amusement, casting a glance around the empty bar.

Hunter chuckled a little at the realisation, clearing his throat, “Right, sorry”

“Come on” You grinned, grabbing a bottle from a few years back off of the shelf, as well as two glasses. You held them up as you moved from behind the bar, heading outside, “Have a drink with me?”

Hunter smiled, following behind you, “Sure, why not”

The customers that were here when you got back had since left, so it was just the two of you when you sat down at the table outside. It was quiet as you set down the wine glasses on the table, and poured a sensible amount for both of you. You swirled the deep red liquid in the glass and took a sip, smiling as the different notes hit your taste buds.

Hunter watched you with interest, inspecting the way you enjoyed the drink. He took a small sip from his own glass and swallowed thickly to get it down his throat.

“So” You began, crossing one leg over the other as you looked to the clone across from you, “What's been going on since I was away?”

Hunter began going over everything he could think of that happened, which didn't end up being too much. Pabu was peaceful, nothing catastrophic ever really happened, not counting the sea surge that you still jokingly blamed the bad batch for bringing with them. He recounted how Omega had been doing more flying, and that she was pretty much better than him, Wrecker and Crosshair combined by now. He talked about his brothers so fondly, and you loved to listen to it. The way his mouth curled at the edges as if he was trying to surpress it, the creases at the edges of his eyes giving it away. It was clear to you how much he cared for them all, how he still felt responsible for them, and it always warmed your heart.

“And you? How have you been?” You asked, a knowing smile playing on your lips.

He chuckled breathily, “Yeah I'm fine”

“Just fine?” You arched an eyebrow at him subtly.

“Good, then. I don't know” He shrugged with a small smile.

You shook your head a little. You had told him before that he thinks of himself far too little, so you knew he knew what you were getting at.

“Sorry, I've just been rambling on, what about you? How were your travels?”

A sigh escaped your lips before you gave it permission, “Fine, as always”

Hunter knew you didn't like leaving. You had once drunkenly regaled him with all of the worst tales of your travels, an unfortunate memory your mind replayed often at night when sleep eluded you.

“Did something happen?” He asked.

“No, I'd just rather not have to do it”

“Why do you? Couldn't you get someone else to do it?”

“I wouldn't want to subject anyone else to it, and besides, I've gotta pay the bills somehow” You said with a tight smile.

“I'm sure Shep wouldn't mind helping out in some way” He suggested, but you shook your head forcefully.

“I've already taken too much from the people of Pabu”

Hunter could see the guilt written on your face as plain as day. He wished he could reach out and ease the crease that formed in your brow whenever you were reminded of how much had been given to you in your time on Pabu. You found it hard to accept help, Hunter had learnt that the hard way, but he could never find the right words to express just how much he felt you deserved. He would give you the galaxy if it was his to give, but that was far to obscene to just say in passing.

“It's fine” You blinked a few times, “The time I do get to spend here makes up for it”

Hunter offered you a sympathetic smile, “Omega misses you a lot when you leave”

You chuckled, “That sentence alone makes me want to never leave again”

Hunter huffed a small laugh, understanding completely what you meant. He, along with everyone else, had a hard time saying no to the small blonde clone. The only person he had seen handle saying no to her well, was you.

After a moment of silence, he spoke what was on his mind.

“I miss you when you leave too”

You just took a sip of wine and tried not to react in any sort of way, but that was always more difficult around Hunter, who could sense just about anything, any changes in your body.

“Yeah, I- I miss you too, all of you” You tried to act casually about it. Hunter smiled kindly and your eyes flicked away briefly.

“You not enjoying this one?” You asked, pointing to his almost untouched glass of wine

“Uh…” He scratched his neck, “To be honest, I don't really like any wine” He said cautiously and your mouth dropped open, “Sorry”

“You don't need to apologise, but… Hunter you've been coming here for the better part of a year, and you don't even like any of the drinks we sell?”

“Well… I wasn't really coming for the drinks” He said with a small smile stretching across his face.

You just looked at him puzzled, but he waited for you to figure it out, “I-” You frowned deeply, looking at him and trying to understand, “I'm confused”

He chuckled at your cluelessness, “I only come to see you”

“Oh” You said quietly, almost dumbfounded.

“Yeah, you're either always working, or away, so… I have to take what I can get”

You suddenly felt alive inside.

“I… I would have hung out with you if you had asked”

Hunter cocked his head slightly, looking vaguely amused, “I did ask”

“Well, I didn't know you were serious” You said, your cheeks heating up a little.

“I'm always serious” He replied, earning a laugh from you.

You chewed on the inside of your cheek for a moment, just watching him, and him watching you. He raised an eyebrow slightly as if to ask what was going on in your head. Truthfully, you didn't know.

You then stood up quickly, “Let's get out of here”

“What?”

“There's no one here anyway, let's go to the beach” You said, drinking the remainder of your wine and grabbing the other glass and bottle.

“What's at the beach?”

You shrugged with a grin, “I guess we'll find out”

You're body felt like it had been electrified as Hunter helped you take the tables inside, and your hands were almost shaking as you locked the door. You never did anything spontaneous, especially not nowadays, and the prospect of taking the evening as it came felt exhilarating. You were positively buzzing, maybe from the wine, but mainly from the nervous energy bubbling up inside of you.

Hunter could sense it. It was the strangest sensation, it's like your insides were trying to escape you, pent up with fizzing electricity, like static.

“Race you there?” You smirked up at him, and quickly ran off in the direction of the beach.

Hunter let out a surprised laugh, and for a moment just watched you sprint away from him, his smile taking over his face. He darted after you as you rounded the corner, not necessarily caring to beat you there, but just to engage in your sudden spontaneity.

The wind was whipping at your face, sending your hair flying behind you as you winded around the cobbled streets. You hadn't felt so free, so youthful, in such a long time, and it was nice to indulge in such a feeling.

When you reached the beach, you slipped off your shoes and sunk your toes into the sand. The sensation was strange but familiar, something you hadn't done for years. The sun had fully sunk beneath the horizon now, and the moon was shining proudly, casting a gentle blue light over the waves.

Hunter came to stand beside you, an intrigued smirk curling the edge of his lips. You looked up him, and couldn't help but mirror his expression. He could see the glimmer of mischief in your eyes and waited for whatever idea you had to unfold in front of him. Though, he was wholly unprepared when you grabbed the hem of your shirt and pulled it off.

“Woah!” He stepped back slightly, “Uh… What are you doing?”

“Going swimming” You said simply, unbuttoning your trousers and tugging them down.

Hunter's mind was reeling. One minute you were standing next to him, looking up at him innocently, and now here you were, walking away from him in only your underwear. He couldn't help but let his mouth hang open a little.

You turned to look at him from the edge of the water, “Are you coming?”

The moonlight illuminated the edges of your silhouette, your smirk undeniable even in the low light. Hunter was frozen, the sight in front of him making him breathless. As you turned your body towards him, hands on your hips with your brow arched questioningly, he gulped.

He didn't say anything, but he slowly reached back and took off his shirt. He didn't take his eyes off of you as he unbuttoned his trousers and left them in a crumpled pile with the rest of the discarded clothes. You bit your lip a little, turning back to the ocean and stepping into the water.

It was freezing, and you shivered violently, a small gasp escaping your lips. You waded in, getting used to the temperature, until the water came up to your mid-thigh. You heard a hiss as Hunter followed you in, and looked back at him, a genuine smile on your face.

“How are you in that far? It's kriffing freezing” He grumbled, moving away from the shoreline.

You laughed at him, “What's that? The big bad Sergeant can't handle a little cold water?”

The teasing look on your face was enough to make his knees fold in on themselves, but he kept a calm exterior as he shook his head and stepped into the water again.

“I'm not so bad, am I?” He said in reply to your mocking remark, finally reaching your position.

“Hm” You hummed, arms crossed over your chest, “That remains to be seen”

Hunter's eyebrows raised slightly, looking down at your teasing expression with a smirk. The longer he looked at you like that, the more you cracked, your confident streak fizzling out. He could feel your heart beating faster each second, and saw the light dusting of a blush across your cheeks, and his smirk faded into a more sincere smile.

“Come on” You nodded your head out to sea, “There's a place I want to show you”

You then dove into the water, submerging yourself completely. You broke the surface after a few moments, swimming out into seemingly - to Hunter - the open ocean. After a minute, you got to the rock that jutted out just above the water level, and hauled yourself onto it. Hunter followed after you, reluctantly at first as the freezing water chilled him to his bones, but seeing you sat atop the rock, body glistening in the moonlight, he soon forgot all about the temperature of the water.

Watching Hunter pull himself out of the water was unlike anything you had ever gazed upon. The moon cast a light on the drops of water that ran down his toned body, making it glitter, and highlighting every muscle as it moved to push himself to sit next to you. His hair was pulled down by the weight of the water, the pieces around his face falling over his eyes so that he had to push them away.

You couldn't look away. He was gorgeous.

His chest was heaving as his eyes found yours, both of you out of breath from swimming. The air between you felt different, charged with unspoken feelings that were quickly becoming apparent. Hunter's gaze was serious, a small crease in his brow as he looked at you.

“I don't want you to leave again” He admitted quietly.

You sighed, tearing your eyes away from him. There wasn’t really anything you could say.

“I don't want to either” You confessed, your shoulders slightly slumped.

“Then don't” He urged, and you tilted your head back to him. He looked at you with such longing, his eyes slightly wide and swimming with emotion. He reached out and gently placed his hand on your cheek, “Stay with me”

Your breath caught in your throat, “I can't promise something like that Hunter”

“Why not?” He asked softly.

“I-” You began, but hesitated when Hunter brought your face closer to his.

“Why not?” He asked again, looking so deeply into your eyes that he could be looking at your very soul.

“I- I don't know” You stuttered out, mesmerised by his gaze.

Hunter smirked, “Exactly”

He then immediately pulled away and slid back into the water, swimming towards shore faster than you could possibly keep up with.

“Hey!” You shouted after him, entering the water once more and racing after him. He stood in the shallows as you approached him, but before you could ask what that was all about, he scooped you up into his arms. His hands found themselves under your thighs and he pulled your body towards his, making you let out a small squeal at the sudden and unexpected closeness.

“You're going to stay here, on Pabu. I'm going to make you” He claimed.

“You're going to make me? How do you intend to do that?” You asked with a smile, feeling giddy from his words and the feel of his strong arms holding up your almost bare body.

“Like this” He mumbled before his lips crashed into yours.

The kiss was passionate, so much more so than you were expecting. It was a perfect climax to the tension that had been building all evening, possibly all year, finally bursting and dissipating. His lips moved against yours with an urgency, his plea for you to stay echoed by his actions. He held you close to him, one arm snaking around to your back as you wrapped your legs around his waist. You deepened the kiss, your hand finding itself lightly tugging on his hair at the base of his scalp. He groaned quietly as he devoured your mouth, his teeth gently nipping at your bottom lip. After a short while, you broke away to catch your breath, the kiss feeling like it had taken your very lungs away.

“Well, that was certainly convincing” You grinned, pulling a laugh from Hunter.

He pressed his forehead into yours, his gaze becoming more serious, “If I do it again, will you stay?”

You sighed slightly, but the look in his eyes made you feel like everything in the galaxy was right, exactly how things were right now, with you in his arms. It made you feel alive, and the intense urge to finally do something self-indulgent brought your answer from you.

“Yes” You replied in a whisper, “I'll stay”

His hands gripped you tightly as he brought his lips to yours again, and you completely lost yourself in the sensation.

The feel of his body against yours, his lips on yours, his tongue on yours, were enough to make you want to stay forever. You could figure out the problems this would bring later, but for now, you were eager to get a taste of what the rest of your life could feel like.

#trex writings #star wars #the bad batch #bad batch #tbb #clone force 99 #clone troopers #tbb hunter #sergeant hunter #hunter bad batch #hunter tbb #hunter x reader #hunter x you #the clone wars #clones #divider by cafekitsune

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wifegideonnav · 7 months

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should i read homestuck. like i feel it would be interesting so i could see what yall are talking about in regards to tlt but is homestuck actually good

"is homestuck good" - the greatest thread in the history of forums, locked by a moderator after 8129 pages of heated debate,

no but seriously, it highkey depends on 1. your definition of good and 2. your tolerance for stupid bullshit. as someone who read tlt and then hs, i'd say that being a fan of the chaotic aspect of tlt is a good predictor of being able to hang in with homestuck.

readmore because this. um. got long. the tl;dr is: i like homestuck a lot and i am glad i read it. i can't tell you if you should read it bc idk your tastes, but there is a lot to like and enjoy about it.

the official pitch for homestuck is something like "4 kids play a game and then a bunch of other shit happens." here's my pitch based on what the core of the story is to me:

several groups of characters across time, space, and reality are brought together in order to succeed at creating a new universe after their own are destroyed. this takes the form of a game, which is called sburb (by the humans) and sgrub (by the trolls). the characters must contend with an eternal battle against good and evil in which they are the deciding factor, and level up while following personalized quests. at its heart, homestuck is about relationships of every sort and how they shape us, growing up and the associated grief and loss, coming into ones identity and choosing who to be, predestination and fate, and stories themselves. it gets very meta at times, and the characters are semi to fully aware that they're characters, and attempt to subvert or escape that. it's got hordes of fleshed out, compelling characters, one of which will almost certainly glom onto you for the rest of your life, real emotion, extremely funny jokes, smart and exciting plotting, and some very cool moments. it more or less invented an entire new genre/medium, and plays with medium in a very cool way.

it is also clunky, hard to get into, and way too convoluted. you will never fully understand what's happening. there are tons of characters whose stories you will follow whom you simply do not care about. there are too many characters. it was written by an edgelord in 2009 so there's some unsavory humor and character writing. it's so fucking long. the ending kinda sucks because the fandom was so toxic that hussie simply wanted it over with. the fandom still kinda sucks tbh. so many people have wrong opinions about it. it requires a very specific lens to approach and understand it. i still dont understand what happened with that fucking puppet someone explain it to me.

overall, i'd say that if you think you want to read it, give it a shot. i have a complicated relationship with it but at the end of the day, i genuinely love the story and the characters and i know they will be with me forever. it certainly enhanced my understanding of tlt, and getting to read more of tamsyn's writing was such a bonus (even though her taste in pairings is. not the same as my own). and like honestly. it's just fun. even when you're going "wait what the fuck just happened" you're having fun. it's really goddamn funny too. it WILL change the way you speak and also think about romance forever.

the best way to read it is to have an experienced reader guide you, but if you or other people don't know anyone like that, here are my basic tips:

i think most people know this already, but download the unofficial homestuck collection. just do it. it's like 4 gigs and it's infinitely better than trying to read on the broken website, and it's even ad free. it can also be modded - for instance ik there's a slur replacer mod (lmao) if you don't want to read those

act 1 sucks to read. you're like what the fuck is this, THIS is homestuck?? the beginning is radically different from how it ends up, so just hang in there. for me, it really picked up somewhere in act 3. just focus on the silly fun the characters are having and you'll be good

things you should actually try to follow in the early acts: the concept of a sylladex existing (the various fetch modi are only there for jokes and eventually just kinda stop being a thing), where all the copies of the game are, what each kid's relationship with their guardian is like, the mechanics of the game and the lore behind it, including classpects and quests

things you do not have to waste brain space on: anything about how the totems work, what the various machines are, what the levels are, basically any of the jokes that would be funny to hussie's original intended audience of software engineers and rpg gamers. oh and the intermission with the midnight crew and the felt, just know that those are guys that exist and you'll be good.

and the biggest tip i have is just. go with it. suspend your disbelief. a lot of the worldbuilding doesn't really make sense, but it would be a worse story if it did. when the time shit and ectobiology come into play, literally just go ok got it and keep going, don't think too hard.

so yeah i don't even know if any of this is useful but i hope it helps you decide. and if you or anyone else have follow up questions send em!

#asks #hs

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tryfonpeixes · 1 year

Text

D'ya ever get that awful feeling when you've gone too long without eating? That one where there's this really gross pit in your stomach that actually makes your body sink in. The one that makes your hands shake because you had a small dinner and haven't eaten breakfast yet. The one that makes you salivate so much you feel like a dog, in a bad way. The one that makes your throat hurt and makes you feel like you're about to cry, and then the more you think about it you start to get all choked up and sad?

Joel's too used to that feeling- the feeling of the pit in your stomach when you go without food too long. Being alone means you notice these things, because there's nothing else to notice. He focuses on hunger and how awful it is, and how his hands tremble and he has to swallow a little more thickly every time he gets that feeling. The way that his Adam's apple felt like it was tearing at his throat, desperately clawing to get out.

Well- he's not sure where he's going with this. He's not sure what kind of point he's trying to make so he just tells himself the truth. The feeling reminded him of Jimmy. Beautiful, stubborn, ignorant Jimmy.

When he went so long without Jimmy he swore that there was a pit in his stomach that hurt like that. The kind of one that makes him tell himself he's definitely being overdramatic cause he was fed yesterday. Cause he saw Jimmy yesterday. Jimmy kind of reminded him of that stupid lump in his chest and that shaking feeling in his hands. The feeling of him getting overworked and trying to push himself to his very limit until he literally could not function without eating again. Without seeing Jimmy again.

He's not sure why he's admitting this to himself. He knows this already. God fucking damn it he knew it so well it drove him crazy. He knew he was weak without food, and that he couldn't live without it. He couldn't enjoy himself or anything that he was doing without food.. and he wasn't quite ready to assess that he felt the same way about Jimmy.

You know- he compared Jimmy to food once, just to see if he could find a food that sticks. Something that he could firmly say was a food that reminded him of Jimmy. At first he went with sweeter things, like tiramisu and cream horns and strawberries. Then the thought drifted. Jimmy isn't actually that sweet. He could be a bitch too, sour and leaving a weird taste in your mouth. Not a bad one though. Joel enjoyed the most bitter and sour of foods out there. He could handle a bit of sour from Jimmy.

Jimmy kind of reminded him of a peanut butter and jam sandwich. PB&J was simple, easy enough, well known, and yet so good tasting. What a lot of people might not realize about PB&J is that there are so many ways to ruin it- to mess it up, so they just don't bother to be careful like they would with any other food. After all, it's a PB&J. You wouldn't be so careful with one either, would you? On the flip side, there are so many ways to make a PB&J better, to enhance it's flavour and make it as delicious as it could get. You could toast the bread, butter it too. You could get preserves or expensive peanut butter as well. You could add honey or syrup to make it sweeter- or you could add guacamole to make it savory.

Joel thinks he likes PB&J the way it is. Sometimes he won't be as careful as he should, and tears the bread, but he always makes up for it.

What was he saying again? Right. Jimmy. Jimmy reminded him of all of those things- the things you could do to a PB&J, and how you still wouldn't get it as good as how it's supposed to be. He liked Jimmy the way he was, to be honest. Some people only wanted him for a kiss- or for when he's all cute and bubbly all himbo like. Those people really got on his nerves, actually. Did you think he was really just all of that nonsense he put on for show? Jimmy was smart and crafty, kind of like a fox. He seems a little plain, but he was Joel's favourite. He was Joel's comfort on an early morning when he was hungry, and his hands shook and he felt a lump in his throat.

Joel gets up. He thinks he might have a sandwich.

Tag:

@zedif-y

#smallidarity #/romantic #joel smallishbeans #jimmy solidarity #solidaritygaming #smallishbeans #my writing #they deserve the world #and more #joel babygirl jimmy is like right there if you need him than go get him #trafficshipping #empiresshipping #trafficblr

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eldritch-spouse · 1 year

Note

Why do I want to be one of Syb's unfortune game victims...I shouldn't, but dammit PiNniE

[Oh come now, that's just an indicator of good taste, in my humble opinion. Fem reader. This is a shortie.]

TW: Gore; Noncon.

Sybastian doesn't like to think of himself as a particularly cruel mimic. Yes, he's also not an exemplary, morally righteous monster by any stretch of the imagination, but he's not villanous, he doesn't go out of his way to cause misery, to harm and genuinely torment.

Unless he's in the escape floor.

See, Vinnel has many tricks up his sleeve, and one such involves tapping into people's most violent impulses, their less than sightly desires. All he had to do was show Syb how much fun he could have there, in a perfect hunting ground with lots of wide and bulky furniture for him to blend in with. He could do anything, free of consequences, and be rewarded for indulging like the beast others perceive him to be. The mimic won't lie, he felt a little guilty at first, most escapists aren't that crafty, he could very easily tear their limbs off and end their lives, hang them up for the surviving ones to see and become paranoid, let the stench of their terror lead him to gruesome victory.

But nowadays, Syb's conscience is mostly clear of burdens. This is part of his job, after all. He can enjoy himself, why shouldn't he?

Your kind of participant, well, unwilling participant, is his favorite. Frightened, shaking little lamb, but clever! Oh so clever! You can lockpick, you spot the details the jester spent so much time trying to hide, you're nimble and your reflexes are commendable, for a human.

Even still, even with so much talent- You are fighting a losing battle without even knowing it. Your game partners have been eliminated, the entire floor stinks of ichor and steaming guts, you're aaaaall alone, and you've yet to find Sybastian even once. How cute, how adorable.

You've walked past the aged armchair a couple of times now, hearing the mimic sniff at your skin and getting startled, but never being able to tell where the sound comes from. Where your pursuer is. Sometimes he inches from side to side, and yet you never spare him a second glance. Whatever could be off-putting about a lavender armchair, right? To think that's what's been killing you off one by one is ludicrous!

Poor little thing. Smart as a street rat, though smartness and intelligence are two entirely different concepts. And you, dear muse, haven't put two and two together yet.

Oh, this is Sybastian's favorite part of the game. The final one. The final prey. Logically, when there's only one target around, what's the point in hiding anymore? No one else can see him, no one else can inform the others. It's just you and him, and you're not close to getting those locks off the main door anytime soon.

The fear in your expression as you witness the inconspicuous armchair twist and mold its mass into Sybastian's usual chest-headed form is priceless -Ah, he never tires of it- was quickly accompanied by miserable realization. And a tardy reaction speed. Really, how pitiful, you hardly make it out of the faux living room before he's got a gaunt hand curled around your ankle.

It would be a shame to kill you. Cute thing. Cute rabbit with your heart hammering so loud he can almost taste the blood pumping through it.

You're the last, you're the best, he'll give you a reward, since there's no rush anymore.

There's nothing that can prepare you for the eventuality of Sybastian's claws tearing indiscriminately at your clothes. As he pointed out before, you're not stupid, so you know exactly why he's carelessly undressing you. So quick-witted are you, that it takes little time before you glance at his half-heartedly tied loincloth, finding it already tented and wet with the mimic's precum, his anticipation- Sybastian waited to have you, he was nice. The monster rips the worn cloth off as well, letting you have an eyeful.

He finds your scream of distress predictable as soon as your bottom half is lifted by two spidery yet abnormally strong hands. And yes, while he will enjoy bouncing you on his cock until you're too crazed to make sense, bending you over every piece of furniture in the room, he knows where he wants to start things-

By sampling you pretty wet cunt, of course.

" ... Ssmile. " He rasps, making your small heart freeze for a moment as he points up, towards hidden cameras. You tear up in horror and humiliation, making his dick throb.

" Pretty girl... "

His final girl.

#Sybastian oc #tw noncon #tw gore #yandere monster #monster smut #monster x reader #terato

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monstrous-fusion · 7 months

Text

MF Masterpost

🫶🏽 Hullo! We're the Bat Collective (🦇) the creator of Monstrous Fusion! We want to clarify that this is a Links Meet AU independent of Linked Universe or any other popular Links Meet AU. Our main account is @nebulapaws

Our Ask Box is; Open!

I ask that people be kind and respectful when answering questions. We are not a machine, we have a life outside this AU. You are completely allowed to draw fanart or write fanfics and don't be nervous to ping the account to show us! We love seeing what people have to create. We can't stop anyone from writing/drawing NSFW, we just ask that that not be shown to us. (This one is also common sense, but please do not write that about the children in this AU.) Thank you.

Detailed Synopsis;

Ancient forces have returned to the living world in the shadows of the divine. It struck before the goddesses can react and captured the goddess of courage, intending to spread their plague to the other three. Before she was fully imprisoned, she sent a warning to the goddess of Time; no one hero was enough, they needed as many hands on deck as possible.

Thus, the goddess of Time reached throughout the ages and pulled the heroes of old into one final adventure. They must battle the shadows of their past, present and future. One stumble, one falter or one wrong step, can lead to the end of the timeline and the creation of a new eternal age of darkness and despair.

Meet the Links (below the cut)

Artisan | ALBW/TFH (they/them) - A boisterous and adventurous young fellow. To the outside perspective, they can seem rather loud and oblivious--and they wouldn't deny it, either! What runs deeper, however, is a young person who has lost the deepest love, hoping desperately they can pick up the pieces left behind.

Engie | Spirit Tracks (he/they) - The Engineer is a smart young fellow. He's quite the boy scout--smart, kind and...a little too trusting for his own good--but he's terrible at fighting. He's shy, and not very people smart, but stubborn. In spite of his rather...poor sword skills, they've never heard the term "give up".

Eras | Hyrule Warriors (he/they) - In his prime time, he was the head of the Royal Guard, the most loyal soldier and best strategies. Now a retired war vet, Eras struggles in the shadows of the war. He's quiet, calculated but loyal to a deadly fault. He would do anything it takes, if that meant he could protect his family and kingdom.

Faye | OoT / MM (any/all) - A former hero that'd been turned into a monster upon getting lost in the Lost Woods. He's mistrusting of people, quiet and sneaky. If you aren't close with her, you'd think she's standoffish and unapproachable. Underneath that calloused exterior is a soft spoken child who wants to be loved. They just. Don't think anyone would love them enough to try.

Feathers | Skyward Sword (he/ae) - Determination is aer middle name. Feathers is confident, snarky and slightly egotistical. Ae had a taste of divine ichor and they're not afraid to drink from the devil's chalice again. Feathers is exceptionally skilled for a young man at his age. POTS has never stopped him, even if its gotten significantly worse since the beginning of this adventure...

Minish | Minish Cap / Four Swords (they/them) - Minish has never been one for talking. They're reserved and self contained but quite bright. As a system, they've never felt like they've had a place to slot into. Turmoil from their past still lingers as an echo in the back of their mind, and with the freshness of their adventure, even at the young age of 12 they have a lot to think about.

Mirror | alltp / Oox / LA(he/they/ze) - Mirror has had zer fair share of adventures--honestly, he was pretty sure he's seen everything. Once a glowing and legendary adventurer and mage, Mirror is quite happy to retire and settle down with Ralph. In their old age, they are snarky and imbittered. Though the hero's courage still rests deep in his soul, an inexplicable cowardice has taken hold--or perhaps it never left?

Tune | WW/PH (he/him) - Tune is a carefree sailor hailing from Outset Island. He's very intune with the winds, seas and the culture of his home. As such, he is carefree, reckless and a bit of a goofball, and that can often come off a bit childish if you don't know him personally. For someone his age, he's skilled with the sword and oddly nonchalant about the risk of hurting someone.

Rancher | Twilight Princess (he/she) - Though he is but a simple farmhand from Ordon, Rancher is exceptionally brave, often going out of his way to help those in need. Possessing a heart of gold and dogged loyalty to his greatest good, Rancher is the ideal hero. The only thing marring her perfect image is a shadowy form and a regret that boiled his blood.

Wild | Botw/Totk (he/him) - The traveler is a curious fellow. He's quiet, reserved and holds himself with an air of mystery that befuddles and intimidates those around him. He wears his life on his face and scars, yet no one knows much about him. Inside he fears the lack of control in his life. Though the shrine has cleansed him of his self imposed silent burden, he lapses occasionally into that silence. Under all that, he is quite the adventurous young fellow and enjoys a good challenge.

Zonau | 10k hero (he/it) - Zonau is a mysterious fellow. He is quiet, reclusive, and tired. Many years have passed since he had given up on adventuring. To say he is disgruntled to be on another adventure is...quite an understatement, really. In spite of that, he is not a barer of the hero's spirit for nothing. He adventures with a wild spirit, even if its been dulled over the years.

#Monstrous Fusion #Master Post

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tythehedgehogheadcanons · 2 years

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General Knuckles HCs

Explaining my general thoughts for Knuckles and how I characterize him. I always include a lot of thoughts on the characters, as well as random things they do, their music taste, fashion sense, and all that.

My requests are open, please read the pinned message!

~ I see him as a closed-off guy, all he knows is being tough and being alone. It's hard for him to talk about feelings, so prefers to express himself through violence and yelling. In short; he would rather level a mountain than talk about how lonely he is.

~ I wouldn't say his tough-guy attitude is entirely an act, but there's definitely a part of him that wants to play it up to look cool. In reality, he's just a strong and determined guy who still has a lot to learn.

~ He is uneducated, but not stupid. He may struggle with concepts he didn't have on his island like things taught in school and ESPECIALLY social interaction, but outside of that, he is rather smart. (The fact he still has to hold his hands up to tell left from right does not mean he is stupid!)

~ Say it with me yall; Touch. Starved. He secretly craves physical affection but refuses to admit it. He's gotta keep up the tough guy look damn it!

~ I see Knuckles as a very "I don't have to understand it to accept it" guy. He doesn't try to understand something before he decides if it's good or bad, just accepts it at face value. Someone's trans? Just tell him what they want to be called and he will call them that. This does lead to a lot of pranks being pulled on him though!

~ Knuckles has anger issues he is still learning to control. A lot of small things that don't matter make him really angry, and he often lashes out in anger at times when a fight would only make the situation worse. He is very aware of this issue and is getting better at managing it, but things like teasing are still huge triggers for violent outbursts.

~ Knuckles struggles to ask for help. He swears up and down that he can do it himself when he absolutely cannot and just doesn't want to feel humiliated and ask for help.

~ That being said, Knuckles doesn't like help when he doesn't need it. It makes him feel humiliated and embarrassed that someone helped him when he could have very easily done it himself.

~ If there was a contest for who could give the best "cold shoulder treatment" he would have multiple gold medals.

~ Knuckles isn't an introvert, but not really an extrovert either. He doesn't actively hate or try to avoid other people, but he does tend to stay in areas without many people as it's what he is used to.

~ Knuckles hates small talk. If it's not something he enjoys or something important, he doesn't want to hear about it. He doesn't care about other people's business!

~ Knuckles always looks like he's pissed about something- even when he isn't. He never seems to realize this and always get's confused when people get nervous about his glare.

~ Due to Knuckle's lack of social awareness and social skills, he often stares at people in public, stands in the way, touches and grabs random things that he's curious about, and generally things that are considered rude or annoying. He doesn't mean to be rude, he just has no idea those things aren't very socially acceptable. He is often asked to leave stores after grabbing a bunch of things to mess around with (and very likely breaking them...)

~ Continuing off of that, Knuckles often just walks away when someone is trying to talk to him. If he doesn't want to be there, he will leave with no explanation and you will not stop him.

~ Knuckles doesn't care for being called a 'hero' or receiving praise for doing something small. He appreciates praise as much as anyone, but unlike Sonic, he would prefer to be praised for something like stopping Eggman, not getting a cat out of a tree. It should be common sense to help someone who needs it!

~ Knuckles prefers to spend time outside, either training or just a nice stroll. He has no idea what the appeal of "Movies" or "Social Media" is, and is very confused about how people find entertainment in it. Why fight someone with words on a small rectangle when you can go actually fight them?? (Please do not give him access to twitter.com)

~ Knuckles practices meditation and is often seen in calm or peaceful places with his eyes closed. Knuckles actually joined a local meditation group and considers everyone in that group a friend. He gets very upset when his meditation is interrupted!

~ Knuckles makes friends with some of the most random and strangest people, it honestly concerning. The store owner of a small pawn shop? Knuckles greets them whenever he sees them. A traveling merchant that sells weird and creepy trinkets? They have an inside joke!

~ I don't feel like Knuckles cares for music. He doesn't hate it, but he doesn't really listen to it on his own time- Knuckles prefers the sounds of nature instead! That being said, he DESPISES pop music.

~ Fashion sense! I always love Sonic characters in clothes, so always include this in my headcanons. Knuckles would prefer loose clothes, clothes that show off his muscles and don't get in the way of his movement. He just prefers to wear tank tops and sweatpants or cargo pants. He may wear an athletic jacket on colder days. He prefers white, black, or green clothes to stand out against his Red.

~ He absolutely asked for Amy's help picking clothing colors and begged for her to keep it between the two of them, people can't know he asked for help! He has a reputation!

~ Knuckles still has his old cowboy hat and treats it like his child.

Please reblog this to help me gain publicity, reblogs over likes! Thank you!

And please, comment with whatever thoughts you have. I love to read them all and it gives me a huge motivation boost to keep going! <3

#knuckles #headcanons #sonic headcanons #sonic the hedgehog headcanons #knuckles headcanons #knuckles the echidna headcanons #sonic #sonic the hedgehog #knuckles the echidna #sonic fandom #sth #knuckles x reader #knuckles x male reader #x reader #x male reader #x gn reader #gn reader

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i-was-bored-so-this-happened · 7 months

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Greensleeves Chapter Nine: In A Week

Fandom: Baldur's Gate 3 Wordcount: 3.1k Warnings: Description of a dead body

The party must explore a cave to earn passage through the blighted village on the path to the goblin camp. Shadowheart and Xaph share their opinions on the gods

Read on AO3 Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

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Conflict resolution is, admittedly, not one of Xaph’s strong points. Not with people, anyway. Historically, she hasn’t been a smooth talker or a particularly good liar. Luckily for her - and more importantly for Astarion - their companions are surprisingly understanding about there being a vampire amongst their numbers. For now, at least. As long as he stays away from their necks. Shadowheart grabs Xaph’s chin and wrenches her head to the side to examine the bite there, but in doing so breaks the skin and makes it bleed again. Xaph bats the cleric away and presses her thumb to the wound, her other fingers loosely around her neck,

“It’s fine. And now we know, yeah? Breakfast, anyone, before we move on?” she asks. Reluctant, the group disperses to strap on armour or find a place to sit for breakfast. Gale warns Astarion that he would taste simply awful, and Astarion says something quippy and smart that Xaph doesn’t hear but makes Gale laugh. Lae’zel watches with narrowed eyes as Xaph lifts her bloodied thumb to her mouth and licks it clean, but says nothing. Shadowheart digs out their map and sets it on the ground, pinning it down at the corners with rocks. Over sausages - burned black as charcoal for Xaph, Lae’zel wrinkling her nose at the idea of purposefully burning food you intend to eat - the party plot their next move. They haven’t been fortunate this past week. They know where the goblin camp is, or in Wyll’s words they’re pretty damn sure, but there’s a village occupied entirely by goblins in the way. For the last few days, the party has been split in two. Wyll, Gale and Astarion have been negotiating safe passage through the village and to the camp if possible and however uncomfortable Wyll might be with goblins and lying, they’ve almost cracked them. Xaph, Shadowheart and Lae’zel have been scouting the woods around the village in case there’s a way around but they’ve had no such luck. Their one lead is that the goblins have offered them safe passage if the party retrieves something from a cave they’ve marked out on the party map.

“And they won’t say what’s in the cave?” Xaph asks around a mouthful of bread. Table manners had not been a key lesson in her mountain education. Wyll, however, chews his food and drinks his water before he answers,

“No, they just kept saying there was a bird monster, but there’s a lot of things that could be. A strix, for example.”

“A hippogriff.” Gale suggests.

“A cockatrice. Or a boobrie.” Xaph adds.

“Oh, say those again.” Astarion smiles. She doesn’t indulge him, pushing herself up onto her knees to lean forward and see the map better.

“Could be the owlbear that killed that man, the true soul,” Shadowheart points out, though she waves a mocking hand at the phrase true soul, “It’s close enough.”

“You may be right,” Wyll admits after chewing the thought and his breakfast over, “Edowin and his siblings believed in the Absolute. Perhaps they were looking for the same thing the gobbos are.” The derogatory term doesn’t suit his mild-mannered tongue, and Astarion notes the twitch of Xaph’s tail.

“Goblins.” She corrects. Again.

“May I ask,” Wyll starts, “Why you insist on that?”

“It’s belittling,” the sounds of the word pair delightfully with her pointed teeth, “You don’t call me hells-touched, and there are as many tieflings with misguided morals as goblins.”

“I take your point.” Wyll says, but that’s all.

Their fast is broken, their camp collected and the ashes of their fire scattered. The map indicates that they should go north, so north they go. Xaph puts herself at the back of the pack, bow strung but not drawn. Astarion is badgering Wyll at the head of the party and Gale has once again put himself between Lae’zel and Shadowheart. Their tadpoles curl quietly in their heads, swimming leisurely in time with one another as various members of the party fall in and out of step. The suspected cave is back by the bridge where they’d encountered Raphael, and he’s either teasing Xaph with the smell of sulphur or she’s imagining it.

“Xaph? Take a squint at this?” Wyll asks. The party have reached the mouth of the cave. At Gale’s soft touch at her elbow, Xaph pulls her attention away from the bridge and towards the tracks Wyll is indicating. She crouches and then lets her knees sink into the mud. Mud is good for tracks, they hold the shape well and then bake hard in the sun. These are like bear tracks, but the fingers of the paw are too long.

“Feather.” Lae’zel presents Xaph the thing. It’s the length of her forearm and holds a very distinct pattern, white on one side and striped brown on the other. Xaph swipes the thing under her nose and something undeniably sweet pushes into her nostrils. Owls smell weird.

“Owlbear. Definitely.” Xaph states, sliding the feather into the quiver at her hip.

“Oh, I’m not going in there,” Astarion proclaims, and the entire party turn to look at him, “Owlbears love elves, everyone knows that. We’re disgustingly tempting morsels.”

“Coward.” Shadowheart snorts.

“Alright then, you go and deal with it.” Astarion sits himself on a rock as a secondary statement. He will not be moved.

“An owlbear. It is what I think, isn’t it?” Lae’zel asks, “Not some tongue twister that isn’t what it means?”

“It’s what you think it is,” Xaph tells her, “But I need you to stay out here with Astarion.” Intruding on an owlbear’s space requires delicacy, and Xaph has learned that ‘Lae’zel’ and ‘delicate’ are not words that belong in the same sentence.

“Tchk. You think my sword unworthy of such a foe?”

“We’re not going to kill it,” Xaph tells her, “We go in, we get this trinket, we get out.”

Lae’zel complains about being left elf-sitting, and Astarion bites back that she’s not exactly his choice of company, but the rest of the party are fairly sure they won’t rip each other’s throats out. The cave is surprisingly dark, sunlight winked out less than twenty feet in. Gale is not quite as sure-footed as the warlock but when he raises a hand to summon some light, he’s beaten by Xaph mumbling fiat lux as she rubs the locket around her neck. Swirling sprites of light dance in a circle above Xaph’s head. The motes burn orange, bright as flames.

“You didn’t say you could do magic.” Gale says, his words echoing even though he whispers. Sure, he’s seen her talk to animals but he’s never been awake early enough to see her perform the ritual every morning and thought she took potions. Xaph smiles at him, and the dancing lights make impressive shadows of her horns,

“My family are descended from the devil Mephistopheles,” she reminds him, “All tieflings of his line have latent arcane abilities. It’s up to the individual whether to pursue it or not and my mother, being a sorceress,” Gale had guessed that much, not just anyone could craft multiple rings of sending, “Encouraged us to pursue it.”

“Lead the way, Sunset Ranger.” Wyll says, indicating more tracks that are on the ground. Xaph moves forward slowly, and the others follow. She keeps her knees bent, just a little, and keeps her hands on her bow. Shadowheart swings her mace back and forth in a preparatory motion. A waterfall splits the rocky chamber of the cave in two, and it flows in the direction of a time-smoothed statue surrounded by glowing purple rocks. They’re too far away to tell who the statue is dedicated to, but if it was Mystra Xaph’s pretty sure the wizard would have something to say. “I’m not a betting man, but I dare say that’s where we’d find our key to the goblin camp.” Wyll whispers.

“You don’t say.” Shadowheart kicks at the corpse of a goblin. The body rolls and intestines spill out of the hole where the mesentery and ribs used to be.

“That’s unpleasant.” Gale’s words are muffled by the hand over his mouth. Xaph looks back at him,

“Not a fan of innards?”

“Not a common thing to come across in libraries.”

“You’re going to want to get used to it.” Shadowheart tells him. She has no reservations with dead bodies, taking the goblin’s pack and searching it for anything useful. Xaph reaches out and pushes the cleric back when she tries to step over the body,

“Wait. Wait…” she moves a hand over the dirt. Gale has to look away when she picks up the intestines to move them, “Ah, shit. Look,” she brings her dancing lights closer and Shadowheart’s braid swings as she leans down to see tracks. Similar to those outside but a fraction of the size. “A cub. She was just trying to protect her cub,” Xaph looks up at Wyll, “She’s going to be very angry.”

“What’s our move?” Wyll asks.

“Stay behind me. Don’t touch your weapons. Let me talk to her.” With each sentence, Xaph turns her gaze on a different companion. She’s met with little resistance, so she stands. She even gives Gale her bow again, leaving herself unarmed. Reluctantly, Shadowheart tucks her mace away. They cross the stream of the waterfall, feet sloshing in the shallow water. There are more bodies on the other side, and the stench of death and rotting meat wrinkles Wyll’s nose. The ground quakes with the impact of, announcing the arrival of the owlbear before she emerges from the shadows. Xaph opens her hands and holds one behind her back to signal that the others should stay back. Not that they were particularly keen on getting any closer to the beast anyway. It’s at least three times the size of the tiefling. She keeps her hands up and open, her tail still. She looks tiny, but she shows not an ounce of fear. The owlbear is covered in feathers, like the one they’d found outside the cave and the claws on its paws are long, their sharpness rivalled by the beak that opens to let out a bone-shaking growl. Xaph is the only one who can interpret the words that underline the sound,

“What’s this? Something weak, something tender…Won’t even have to chew you before I feed you to my son, softmeat.”

Xaph lifts her tail to catch her companion’s attention, and Gale and Wyll follow the direction it points in to see a nest just behind the owlbear. A young cub cowers in the branches of it, curled into a ball next to a huge, smooth egg. Xaph communicates twofold, silently by moving her tail and vocally by mimicking the friendly calls of birds of prey,

“We’re not here to hurt you. The man who attacked you is dead. I wanted to ensure you and your cub were unharmed. I see that you’re injured,” Xaph lifts a hand slowly, slowly, to her head to mirror where the head of a spear is lodged in her eye socket, “Can I help you?”

“It’s a splinter. I’ve gutted bigger threats than you with worse.”

“I understand. We would not have come here if we didn’t have to. If you grant us passage, we can find the artefact we were sent here for and you and your cub will be safe from the goblins. I give you my word, however much you believe that’s worth.”

There are several moments where it looks like the owlbear might still lunge at her. The cub squawks and it doesn’t translate, baby-talk. The wing-like ruffles of feathers on each of the mother’s forelegs calm.

“You may pass. But you make one wrong step, and I’ll rip you to shreds.”

Xaph doesn’t push her luck. She returns to her companions, relays their conversation, and lets Wyll lead them over a pile of rocks that makes way to a clearer path to the statue than trying to follow the waterfall. Shadowheart recognises the deity carved in stone first, with a derisive edge to her voice,

“A Selune statue? In a stinking cave? Hardly a place of honour.”

“Some gods don’t care where you worship, as long as you do it.” Xaph remarks, disregarding the statue in favour of a small gilded chest that shines blue.

“There’s magic at work. Be careful.” Gale warns. Xaph steps to the side to let him inspect the chest more closely, encouraging her lights to dance his way so he can see better. Shadowheart stands with her arms folded and her hip popped to the side, staring at the statue as though she can crumble it through disdain alone. Xaph wouldn’t put it past her. Wyll, on the other hand, is trying to find a way across the gap in the rocks between them and the statue. There’s a book on the ground, warped with moisture. The language inside is inscribed in rune-like shapes, but not one that Xaph can understand.

“Gale?”

“Yes?”

“Book.”

“Ooh,” He leaves the chest to stand behind her, tall enough to read the book over her shoulder, “Celestial.” His eyes stick on the bite mark still visible on her neck before the allure of the runes takes him.

“Celestial?” Xaph echoes as a hand slides under hers and she lets Gale take the book.

“It tells the story of Shar and Selune. Twin gods, forever locked in combat along with their followers.” He explains. He mouths a few of the Celestial words. It’s not a language he’s had much cause to use since-

“Something over here.” Wyll says, loud enough for them to hear but not so loud as to irritate the owlbear mother. He jumps back across the gap, grabbing hold of Xaph when he teeters a little too close to the edge. She’s effectively reacquainted herself with being touched, as she must when joining a group after travelling alone for a period, and it’s second nature to catch him. A piece of parchment is clutched in his hand, which holds a prayer to Selune.

“Prayers are often keys, in a way.” Gale muses. Encouraged, Wyll approaches the chest and recites the prayer. The shining blue case of magic falls away into sparkles.

“You should leave it. Or even destroy it.” Shadowheart says even as Wyll makes to lift the lid of the chest.

“Now why would you say that?” he asks, good eye squinting in confusion.

“This rubbish is an offering to Selune. At best, it’s worthless, at worst…who knows? Could be cursed. Do not trifle with that moon witch or her trinkets. Only trouble will follow.”

“Why do you care that it’s for Selune?” Xaph asks, suspicious, “It’s what the goblins want, and if she takes issue with us trying to help refugees and druids I’m sure she’ll let us know.”

“Why do I care? You want the truth?” Shadowheart asks. It’s not out of character for her words to be said so archly. She feels accused, and maybe she is. She likes her secrets, but she can’t keep them forever.

“You’re among friends, Shadowheart. You speak the most of how much we need to trust one another.” Gale points out.

“I worship Shar,” the cleric admits, “The Mistress of the Night. Selune’s twin and foe. Now that you have the truth, please don’t make a big fuss about it.” Well. Xaph can’t say it doesn’t make sense. Shadowheart has made no secret of her worship, but she’s never tried to impart her patron’s wisdom on the others. Never even said their name. But Shar is a goddess shrouded in darkness, in secrets.

“Shadowheart, I don’t give a shit who you worship,” Xaph tells her, “Each god matters equally little to me, but you can’t let this get in our way.”

“You’re right.” Shadowheart hesitates, then looks at the men with a mildly surprised expression. As though she’d expected them to evict her from the party. “Perhaps I should have told you sooner.”

“We thank you for sharing.” Gale nods.

“Don’t thank me. I’m breaking Lady Shar’s teachings just by telling you. But sometimes you have to be practical.”

“Can I open the chest now?” Wyll asks, and he waits until Shadowheart nods before he flips the lid open.

Astarion and Lae’zel are, thankfully, still waiting at the cave mouth when the rest of the party leave the owlbear family and Selunite shrine behind. Wyll shows the pair his prize, a pendant of moonstone that Gale has confirmed is magic. They can return to the village and give the goblins the amulet. Xaph tells Wyll to take the lead so she can walk beside Shadowheart. She is silent for the most part, clearly having a little trouble coming to terms with sharing the object of her worship.

“We won’t ask any more questions, you know. One thing about this lot, they err on the side of respecting privacy. Everyone has things they don’t want to share. Astarion’s secret just happened to be a little more pressing than yours.”

“I appreciate that. I do trust you, you know. Might not seem like it, but your kindness has not gone unnoticed or unappreciated,” she hesitates again, but Xaph’s pretty sure she’s not going to say anything else about Shar, “May I ask you a question?”

“Yes.”

“What did you mean, when you said the gods don’t matter to you?”

“What I said,” Xaph shrugs, “All the gods do the same thing in the end. They use you as a toy while you live, then kill you and chew you up and use you as a tool when you die. Not to shit on your faith personally,” she assures her friend, “But I’m as entitled to my disbelief as you are to your devotion.”

“I see.” Shadowheart nods. Her eyes slide past Xaph and towards Wyll who has stopped their procession, “Is that a dog?”

***

With the Selunite amulet, they are granted entry to the village. Moonhaven, a sign proclaims it, though the goblins use a far more vulgar word for it. It’s desolate. Abandoned for several decades at least, probably longer judging by how the buildings have fallen apart. And yet belongings unclaimed by the goblins are scattered everywhere, rotting wicker baskets and opened crates of clothes. Something bad happened here. Unease settles over the entire party, drawing them into a tight knot as they pick their way through the rubble. Just beyond a well from which the smell of dust rises, there’s the sound of screaming.

“Bleeding heart, please don’t-” Astarion starts, then groans when Xaph redirects the party towards a windmill.

“Must we stop for every creature in distress?” Lae’zel asks.

“We stopped for you, didn’t we?” Shadowheart taunts.

“I asked you to.”

“Demanded, more like,” Astarion counters. An opportunity to be dramatic, and he’s going to take it, imitating Lae’zel’s gravel tones, “Get me down, I need you.”

“I did not say that!”

“Are you sure, darling?”