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#Do y'all have any idea how much time it took doing the feathers for that first frame ;-; Damn you Phil and your giant wings
yandere-daydreams · 3 months
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oh daydreams, please bless us with your opinion of what kind of Hybrid the JJK men would be
my takes are hot and controversial. y'all will never know how much self-restraint it took not to pull an 'oops all catboys' and actually give this list a little genome variety.
gojo satoru would be a gyrfalcon. he's an absolutely huge, constantly looming bird of prey with grey-speckled feathers and a wings so long, it only takes one to wrap around you entirely. most hybrids hybrids are at least a little stand-offish, but he's laid across your lap nearly every night, clicking happily while you preen him. if it wasn't for his wings, his piercing eyes, you'd think he was a canine-hybrid - just based on how unwilling he is to ever leave your side.
geto suguru would be a black panther. graceful, elegant, stronger than he has any right to be - ironically, the only things that don't add to his air of mystique are the rounded, twitching ears on top of his head and the sleek, black tail that's almost always brushing against your legs. he's not as clingy as gojo, but if you ask politely, he might let you comb your fingers through his hair (you're dead if you ever try to call it 'petting') as he purrs and kneads at your chest. there's a good chance you'll be left with more than a house-cat's worth of scratches after your informal grooming session, but don't worry, he'll be more than happy do run his rough tongue over your injuries and pretend he doesn't notice that his pointed teeth are just making the damage worse </3
fushiguro toji would be a grizzly bear. his coat is much darker than that of the standard bear hybrid, but once he stands to his full height and throws you over his shoulder with all the effort it would've taken to lift an empty cardboard box, your doubts are miraculously cleared away. he's got hands that can wrap around your head and a jaw that can bite through through steel and he's going to take every possible opportunity to drape himself over you and wonder allowed just how good you'd taste if he ever decided to take a bite. his bark is worse than his bite, though. scratch his adorable ears for a few seconds, and he'll be roughly five-hundred pounds of putty in your hands.
nanami kento would be a spotted jaguar. he'd prefer to be something plainer, like a panther or a cougar, but he wears his spots well. jaguars are largely solitary animals with little need for socialization or companionship, but with enough pestering, he might let you hover around him and fawn over his vibrant coat and extremely kissable pink nose. he's more reserved than most of the other hybrids on this lips, but he'll show his affection through the occasional grooming session and, if you're lucky, the occasional slab of (store bought, thankfully) meat left where he knows you'll find it. he says he prefers to be alone, and yet, he's stilled curled around you every night, purring happily and nuzzling into your neck. he's just a big softie, at heart.
sukuna would be a red fox. it's not enough for him to be a predator - he has to be the one predator known for its intelligence. he's got an ever-present kitsune's smile, his white-tipped tail constantly curling and swaying as he flaunts his strength, and he's got no shame when it comes to unabashedly proclaiming himself your superior while you comb out his thick fur for the nth time that day. he's cockier than gojo (somehow) and obsessed with the idea of proving himself as a mate (without ever admitting he'd want a worthless human as his mate, of course), which means you're going to have a very jealous, very smug fox at your side at all times, no matter how difficult that might make your daily, probably not extremely fox-centric life. try not to hold it against him, he's just trying to impress his future mate <3
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littlefoxwithbighat · 3 years
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Letters from a dying son; Part 1 here!
He didn’t send a lot of letters in the end.
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The Man Needs His Cat
Bucky x fem!reader
Word count: 1,960
Warnings: mentions of animal death, fluff, Tony/Bucky interaction
Summary: Bucky and Reader stumble across a kitten in the woods and Reader is tasked with asking Tony for a huge favor. 
A/N: y'all- I'm head over heels in love with catperson!Bucky
The situation had to be dealt with carefully, (Y/n) knew. She didn't want to come on too strong or he'd be quick to turn her down. Maybe a hypothetical would be the best course of action... She took a breath and pulled her shoulders back. Then, with only a second of hesitation, she entered Tony's lab. 
He greeted her from his hunched over position at one of the many cluttered tables, barely sparing her a glance. In the heat of engineering, he worked on some odd piece of tech he had yet to fully present to the team. She echoed a small 'hello' back and rocked awkwardly back and forth on her feet. 
Still not looking up, Tony indulged the girl with idle conversation. They spoke of their day, of current world news, of the weather. That's how he knew she wanted something. The girl would always engage him in casual conversation just before asking a favor. Tony didn't mind much, of course. If anything, he found it entertaining how intently she tried buttering him up. But today he had quite a bit of work to get done so he wanted to get this show on the road. 
Putting his tools down, he looked at her pointedly with a knowing grin. "Alright kid, what's up?" He asked.
(Y/s)'s eyebrows raised in question, playing dumb. "What do you-" 
"Drop the act, (Y/n)," he chuckled, and grabbed an already greasy rag off the desk next to him to wipe his hands. He stood and made his way to her, tossing the rag back on one of the several tables in the lab. "I know when you want something, so just go on. Ask." He said, his face light with a smirk.
(Y/n) flushed with warmth, embarrassed by his boldness. But she continued anyway, determined to fulfill her promise to Bucky. 
The night before, she and Bucky were on their way home from the movies. It was a beautiful night out and in their comfortable silence, they found themselves on a slight detour through the woods. At some point, Bucky had pulled over off the side of the road and onto a look out.
Bucky, ever the silent communicator, simply stared at (Y/s) confused face with the softest smile on his own, before stepping out of the car. While (Y/n) scrambled to open her door, Bucky walked the couple of feet towards a barrier fence overlooking the river beneath him. His eyes followed the shine of the water as it drowned the boulders lining the river bed. He thought for a second how exciting the challenge of rock hopping sounded, never really having gotten the chance to as a child.
The call of an owl pulled his attention to the tree line which he observed with such intensity that (Y/n) nudging his arm made him tense. She flashed him a smile to calm the surprise on his face and in an instant, his arm was around her, pulling her close. They both looked out at the shadowed woods and (Y/n) was even sure to point out the moon and stars themselves. 
In the silent moments that passed, they both had turned to embrace each other wholly. They stayed like that for a moment and then Bucky pressed a kiss to her forehead. Pulling back to look at his warm, loving face, she found acute concern instead. He was glancing just past her head, off into the bush leading down to the river bank. 
"What's the mat-" she asked quietly, shrinking away. 
Bucky pressed his fingers to his lips and hushed her quickly and gently and then slowly gestured to his ear. Listen, he was telling her. 
She didn't hear anything at first. Nothing but the rush of the river below them and the gentle night breeze above them.
But then, just as she was about to ask again, she heard it. The faintest of mewling. Barely audible but definitely there. 
Bucky grasped her shoulders and looked her in the eyes once more before he squeezed them tightly and moved past her. He approached the thicket and hesitated for only a second before pressing forward. The branches hurt his skin but he'd suffered worse.
(Y/n) tentatively called his name to which he responded "I've almost got it." His voice sounded distant and strained and it worried (Y/n) that she could no longer see him through the darkness, being so close to the river and all. But as long as she could hear his grunts of discomfort from the branches whacking him in the face, she remained calm enough. 
Eventually, he emerged. Even in the dark, (Y/n) could see the pure white fluff sticking out between Bucky's fingers. As he approached, the fuzz ball revealed its face from its careful hiding spot in the crook of Bucky's arm and glanced around. Two dark eyes and the palest little nose swung in her direction, its whiskers twitching with cautious curiosity.
A kitten.
The poor thing was trembling but so was Bucky. Placing a hand on his forearm, she beckoned his attention and spoke low.
"What was it?"
To bide his time, he shifted the kit closer to his chest and took a deep breath. He didn't meet her eyes but he mumbled just loud enough to hear.
"A whole box of them but…." He didn't dare finish the sentence and instead held the kitten in front of his face, ignoring the unwarranted feeling of loss he felt for its siblings. Swallowing hard, he finally met the girls soft, understanding eyes and smiled sadly. 
Before she could say anything, the small creature let out another indignant mewl that seemed to reassure Bucky just a bit. With that, (Y/n) moved to his side and slung her arm around his waist.
"Alpine," he mumbled.
"What's that?"
"I think I'll call him Alpine." Bucky said fondly. His eyes never left the baby and the girl knew he was in deep.
"Oooh, I know that look." She tittered. Bucky only stared, his eyebrow creased, questioning. "That's the way you look at someone you love. That's the way you look at me." She said with a blush, nudging him lightly.
His face melted into that soft loving one she cared for so dearly. The kitten settled into the warmth that embraced him as the couple kissed.
"Let's get a move on. It's getting colder and colder by the second and I'm sure this little guy agrees." The kitten mewled one last time.
With a light chuckle, they spared one last glance over the look out before returning to the car where Alpine slept peacefully in Bucky’s lap the whole way home.
The two couldn't help but discuss what they were going to do with little Alpine. Bucky was set on keeping it and had even decided to clear his schedule the next day to make a vet visit. The only issue was their living space. They weren't too sure how Tony would react to them bringing a cat in off the street. But the girl could see how much the kitten meant to Bucky already so she promised to talk to Tony in the morning. 
Well, morning came and now here she was.
Tony crossed his arms impatiently. "Well?" He pressed, tilting his head up.
(Y/n) anxiously grasped her hands in front of her and leaned forward a bit. "What would you say to the idea of us getting a pet?" She stared openly at his face as he stared back at hers. The question bounced around in Tony's head, leaving his eyebrow slightly creased and the room painfully quiet. (Y/s)' nervously raised eyebrow gave him a clue into the situation.
"Right….and who exactly is this 'us' you're referring to? Cause something tells me I'm actually being iced out of this decision." Before she could even get a full breath in, he continued on. "All right, what are we working with, huh? A rabbit? A goldfish? If it's a parakeet, it won't even get past the front door, so help me god." 
The girl shook her head as she let out a laugh. She could tell he wasn't overly fond of the idea. It was clear by the way his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. But judging by the way his voice didn't fall completely flat, he wasn't opposed to it either….not entirely, anyway.
"No, no. Not quite. It's a cat. A kitten, actually, so there's still time to train it and all," She reassured him. "And Bucky should be getting home any minute from the vet with him if you'd like to say hello."
Tony caught himself before he let his expression drop at the name of the elusive ex soldier. He'd gotten better at watching himself since the two of them moved in. Bucky and (Y/n) weren't together when they did, but being only a few steps down the hallway certainly allowed them a closer relationship.
Tony nodded his head reluctantly and dropped his arms to his sides. 
He followed the girl down the various halls as she recounted how they found the poor kit, and found themselves approaching the common room. Or the family room, as (Y/n) preferred to call it, while simultaneously prattling on about how much time and energy the team wastes pretending to hate each other. Huh.
They could hear the tinkling of a bell being wacked around from down the hallway. As they entered the room, they stopped in the archway and took in the sight before them. 
Bucky sat crisscrossed with his back to them. In his hand was a feather wand, standing out bright purple, blue, and white against the dark brown floor. In front of him, white fluff darted back and forth. There was the smallest sound of tearing as its tiny claws ripped against the carpet, no doubt leaving it frayed.
Tony tried his very best to suppress his dissatisfied grumble...
They watched for a bit as Bucky went back and forth with the kitten. Tony didn't have to look hard at all to see how much the ex soldier cared for the tiny thing. No only because of his undivided attention towards the cat but also because of the many beige bags labeled "PetsPlus+"  full of toys, treats and towers scattered around the sofas. 
He thought it might be good for Bucky to have another companion around. Maybe it would help him relax. Maybe even lighten up a bit.
Tony stepped forward.
"So, uh, I'm not a big fan of funky smells so that's got to be top priority as far as pest control goes with this thing, alright?"
Bucky jumped to his feet and Alpine followed suit, hackles raised. Bucky quickly scooped him up and held him close. "Of course." (Y/n) made her way over to them. "Our rooms are big enough to keep him there most of the time and we have already worked out all the responsibilities between us. We've got it covered."
Tony stepped back a bit looking them up and down, humming. "I expect weekly visits in the family room," he said pointedly, then waved his hand. "Keep it tidy, folks." And with that he left the couple to their new fascination.
Tony lingered at the doorway on the way out. While the couple was distracted, he found himself watching that wretched arm. The dark, intimidating metal turned soft and gentle as it reached out fearlessly to antagonize the tiniest, weakest thing in the room. No hesitation, no fear. Not in Bucky or the kitten. Tony knew then that it stayed, no question.
The man needed his cat. And damn it, he'll get it.
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Yandere BNHA Boys pt 2
Okay, this is a continuation of the first yandere ones I did because I wrote that in basically a night and was too tired to do more, I'm probably gonna post some after for the pro heroes and villains if I have time, I might finish those on the weekend then post it.
This is just a bunch of headcanons I have about the boys in BNHA and what they’d be like as yanderes. Only the really fluffy or good things about them listed here. Neither of these works are a good depictions of a real yandere and make sure to be careful to identify yandere traits in real people around you. It’s a very dangerous world and stay safe!
sorry if you were waiting for me to come out with these and I literally took forever lol, link to the first one is here. It's basically just me comforting myself with the sweet things that I think they would do as yanderes.
Warnings: Brainwashing, blood, gore, death, trans headcanons, body dysmorphia, nonbinary they/he Sero, they/them pronouns + nonbinary headcanons for Tokoyami, he/they nonbinary headcanons with Shinsou, a little NSFW because if I don't specify then they are aged up (around 20-25 is where I imagine the timeline that they actually captured you and have a hero carrier going for them already), manipulation, regular yandere things, kinda just turns into dumbass horknee headcanons at some point after Shinsou (sorry lmfao), objectification
Sero Hanata
so basically the first time they saw you they immediately wanted to come up to you
they love to give you back hugs because once you stop trying to fight them he's gonna be so honored you finally trust him
Big time slut [non-derogetory] for you
Likes to have an apartment that's high up, probably a secured penthouse with lots of windows
If you're afraid of heights they will get a ground bed for you two, they would also vibe with a low hanging hammock if you allow it
they really really like just putting you on a custom made leash, not inherently in a sexual way just in general likes to have it look like that with their tape on you at all times
they really really like it when you come to them for hugs and comfort
If you're a trans reader, if you want a binder he will get you one as soon as you ask, cried when you told him about it.
they cried way more than you though...
Was very accepting as an nb person as well
they custom made you a tape binder of his
Kinda as a joke but high key felt like they were gonna combust at the thought of you wearing that for them
Takes you to pride but you cannot speak
only takes you to pride after they are 1000% sure that you're not gonna speak to anyone but them
Takes you to it as a part of their float because they'd been invited onto the Hero Float
You are in a costume that's exactly like his, helmet and everything, you aren't allowed to be looked at
After that though, it's gonna be your choice to go or not to go
they trust you a little more after you run away from some assholes though and after that sometimes lets you take your helmet off during pride, you have to give them a lot of kisses though
When/if you ever consider any type of surgery he is 110% on board
they demand that you have to have it performed by someone who has done this a million times before, trusts no one else
If there's a way for you to go through it without the surgery they're excited but he's more excited if there is surgery because they love the idea of you being so cuddly and clinging to them for their comfort
Tokoyami Fumikage
haha they're in love with you
like, intensely in love with you the moment they first meet you
Dark shadow thinks you're adorable but says nothing more about their obsession with you
when you met them before UA they absolutely cannot handle being around you in a 10-foot radius
Eventually, though they do try and become a friend of yours
After that, it's a hop on the manipulation train, my dude
they basically make you see them as your savior from a mean uncaring world
they love talking to you about things that make you happy and loving you in little ways
hugs, hand holding, a lot of time it's just a little peck (haha) on the cheek
they love living with you though, like really love it
they like baking and making dinner for you
but especially baking
like really, baking
the manipulation they use makes it seem like everything is okay when you only talk to them so that's what you do and to you, it seems so much better than anything you could do
they haven't come out to you by the time you come out to them so your trans journey really helps them figure things like that out as well
The first time you explain that gender is a made-up construct they're like "yeah......isn't that how everyone feels? Like, not a gender????" we love this for them
you both kind of heal each other through this process
they like seeing you when you're most comfortable so they get you as many binders as you need
also gets you a custom binder like Sero but with feather designs, not like stupid printable patterns but something that is soft and the softness isn't feathers it's regular fluffy cloth
idk I'm not a designer that's why I gave up and became a writer lmao
they also get you a compression corset because they're emo
if there is surgery it takes a lot of time to convince them
they don't ever want you to regret anything they helped you with so it takes a lot of long-winded conversations about it
there was a lot of nervousness on their part because (this is just my headcanon) they were almost convinced to get surgery to construct their face to look human-like
they had a lot of their family tell them that, because of the way they looked, they had less of a chance to become a hero, they were immensely traumatized by this and thus wants to make absolutely sure you were okay with this
but when they finally find themself comforted by you about it it happens quickly and in the safest way you could possibly imagine
Shinso Hitoshi
Shinsou didn't want to approach you at all, he was so scared you'd run away or tell him he's a villain
they always thought that they weren't good enough for you
he loved you but you needed to say hi first
and you did
so he whisked you away
they like to just brainwash you into tasting certain types of food when you're craving them instead of just getting you food
he likes to talk to you in a voice like he would talk to a kitten, not like husky or anything sexy, but something cute and adorable
especially when you're brainwashed and can't say anything to him
He likes to give you lots of soft stuff like I'm talking pillows upon pillows and squishmallows
once he gets his own house they get it in a place that's more comforting in the dark than in the light
they really like the dark and outdoorsy vibe anyway so if they choose a place somewhere in the forest to keep you what's the added bonus if no one can hear you scream?
a little bit of spice; he has this whole a/b/o fantasy (idk it's his vibes that he'd read that fanfic and stuff lmao) and kinda treats you like you were an omega
sometimes if you guys do have sex they'll brainwash you to act like an omega or once he's more experienced with bodily manipulation involving their quirk they'll make you do all of the......omega things
when you come out to them, if you're trans, they're definitely gonna not care
like if you need comfort and stuff about it they will not make a big deal about it
he legit is like "okay .....can I still fuck you or?????"
HE JUST GIVES OFF REALLY HORKNEE VIBES OKAY?????
definitely brainwashes you into not feeling dysphoric anymore though
like loves it when you come up all sad to him and uncomfy just to ask them to brainwash you
he melts over you cuddling them after those times though
if you want surgery they're gonna make sure that it's between him and the doctors that y'all are there
like no one knows you're there, completely off radius, in and out like nothing (he's basically a cryptid in the woods by the time you guys have the surgery, so they wanna make sure no one questions it)
Monoma Neito
bold of you to assume that man can express literally anything when he wants to just sit you on his lap and look at your pretty face
love at first sight taken literally but not in a shallow way
he loves just having you around him
kinda treats you as an accessory at times, talks like you're a purse or something and people don't really comment but it's really freaking them out sometimes when you don't speak up on it
likes to say he's the only one to understand you cause he's afraid you'd leave him
a hardcore fan of collars though
definitely has lots of jewelry that represents him even though you don't go out he still loves the idea of it
big time cook
loves providing for you, never lets you do a damn thing other than watching pre-approved cartoons and hobbies
absolute fucking disaster about hugging you
always has to be touching you
he thinks you're so fucking gorgeous and body worships you even out of the bedroom
if you're trans he will definitely be weird about it at first
he's just diet transphobic
he's not denying it but sometimes he's like "Are you sure???" and stuff
he clears this up with the help of you being pissed enough to not eat or talk to him until he apologizes
he then educates himself on it and comes to the conclusion that he was in fact being an asshole
talks to you about binders and stuff like that
doesn't really believe in surgery, he would never allow you to do that just because it would be too painful for him to see you go through
he instead literally searches the whole fucking globe for a person with a body-altering quirk to make sure you don't get hurt
he seeks out homophobes, transphobes, and other dumbasses on the regular just to kill them like literally it just started out for your approval but now it's just for fun
Anyway, the villain one (if I do it) will probably become just horknee brain rot cause I am a slut. Request some stuff and I'll try to put up some works if y'all want ig.
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Settle
Summary: After the death of your best friend and their spouse, you went from Godparent to Parent overnight. Now, Mio is your world. Because of this new role, you move back to Tokyo, Japan in order to keep Mio with her friends and her school, even if it means you might run into *him*.
Warnings: Mentions of stalking. Swearing probably. Cannon violence. Single parenthood. barely mentions Mio's parents passing.
Gender Neutral!Reader x Shouta Aizawa (Eventual)
Mentions of past GN!Reader x Dabi
A/N: Okay here is my first fic for My Hero Academia! I got the idea for it earlier today and figured I'd just post this first part I just finished and see if I should keep uploading. This is the first thing I've written in a while and I'm so excited to be writing again :)
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It took him a moment to reorient himself, but he knew where he was going. A few more buildings and finally to his perch, he looked in to see you, and to his surprise, a child- no older than five, maybe 6, snuggled into your chest, your arms protectively around them. He stayed in his hiding spot for a while as you slept with your child. He hadn’t been informed there would be a child.
About an hour later, he noticed another person watching you in the shadows, just like he was. He would have to stay all night to make sure no one harmed you.
You controlled your breathing, not wanting the two sets of eyes to know you were awake, to know that you knew they were there. This way you had the advantage. You didn’t know what they wanted, but either way, you had a bad feeling about it.
She began to stir as the sun shone through the open window, stretching her small arms and legs before turning back to face you.
“Good morning my sunshine,” you said softly. “Did you sleep well?”
She nodded her head before sitting up and rubbing her eyes.
“Guess it’s time to get up, huh Mio,” you stood up and picked your girl up, giving her a squeeze as your eyes glanced around. Only one set of eyes, you realized making you shiver.
You did your best to keep to your usual routine and soon enough you were out the door, Mio's hand in yours.
The school Mio attended was used to having students whose parents were pro heroes, so you gave her teacher the signal and they knew something was up and knew not to release even to the people you had given the school the okay to. After a kiss goodbye, you headed to the market, now with your headphones on, music off.
You hummed as you looked through the isles of food, picking up the few things you needed and setting them in your basket. The bakery you worked at was out of a special type of flour you needed to bake a client’s cake with. Once everything was paid for and in tow, you noticed a red feather settled amongst the items.
Why is Hawks following me? What does he need from me and why?
You carried on with your day, hoping he hadn’t noticed that you had noticed.
That is until he came into the bakery. You ducked just in time and took a deep breath, coming back out to the front after he dinged the bell.
He was about to say something, a dumb smirk on his face, but you cut him off.
“Why are you following me?” You asked, trying your best to sound confident and brave.
His features dropped and his eyes narrowed before quickly going back to a leisurely look. “You’re better than they told me you’d be,” He finally said.
You rolled your eyes as you walked over to the little door and opened it for him, gesturing for him to follow you to the back. Once you were settled you told him to start talking.
“I really shouldn’t be telling you any of this bu-”
“I know someone else is following me,” you said, cutting him off again. “I need to know who, why, and if my daughter is in danger.”
“Straight to the point. I like a person who knows what they want,” he commented, eyebrow raised. This had you rolling your eyes again. “We don’t know why or if your daughter is going to be targeted, but we are pretty sure the League of Villains is watching you.”
You took in a sharp inhale. There was only one person who you could think of that would have joined up with them and you knew why he was watching you. You should have recognized the bright blue of his eyes. “Dabi.”
You were very quickly taken into hiding with a man you didn’t know, cause that made you feel safe and protected. But, you pulled some information out of him. For example, his name was Aizawa Shouta and he was an underground hero. His quirk allowed him to erase other people’s quirks, thus the name Eraser Head. He also had a cool capture weapon he wore as a scarf. You tried to mess with it once and it didn’t end well.
You were allowed to go pick Mio up, but you were discreetly escorted by Aizawa who was now in street clothes, hair tied up, looking like he could fall asleep at any moment.
Mio was confused as to who the man was and gave you a questioning look. “Don’t worry, he’s a friend,” you told her softly as the three of you began back to the safe house. Once there, you introduced the two.
She was tense but eventually got comfortable when she saw that you were okay.
“She’s cute,” you turn to Aizawa who is watching Mio with a soft smile on his face.
“She’s the best kid a parent could ask for,” you replied. “Her quirk,” you started slowly after a moment had gone by, “we don’t know a lot about it, but it has to do with her voice. I don’t know who it came from either. I’m not her biological parent, I was her godparent. And then her parents died and here we are. She’s only said a few words out loud and whatever happened, it scared her into staying silent.”
He nodded. “So Y/N, what is your quirk? Does it have to do with your increased senses?”
“That’s mostly learned, but I’ve always had the extra sense of knowing when I’m being watched, which has come in handy more times than you’d think.” You began rolling up your long sleeves, showing tattoos covering almost all the skin on your arms. “Creation is my main ability, but it has its drawbacks. If it’s not illustrated on my skin already, it’s painful and it drains me, which is why I’m covered in tattoos. I have weapons, items I need handy, and a few odds and ends. Now, with the tattoos, it’s almost as easy as breathing.”
Aizawa began to reach out, pausing before he made contact with your skin, looking up to you for permission. When you nodded, the pads of his fingers lightly traced several of them, following a vine up your arm to a butterfly. He looked at you inquisitively and you gently focused on it until a butterfly appeared, gently fluttering.
“Its… it’s real. You can create living things?” He asked in awe, “But how?”
You shrugged and watched as Mio noticed the flittering and watched with wonder as the butterfly landed on the sofa.
“They don’t last forever, that’s the drawback. The bigger the creation and the longer I will it, the more it takes from me. Inanimate objects are the easiest.” You reached your arm around your back and under your shirt, pulling back with it a sword.
Aizawa gently traced the ornate handle, only to jump back as Hawks entered.
“Don’t let me interrupt,” he says with a sly smile. “You figure out what their quirk is yet?” He asks Aizawa.
You turn to him with a frown. Of course, he didn’t actually care about you. You just met! Not to mention you were a part of his mission.
He has the sense to look slightly ashamed before nodding to Hawks.
“Good, now,” he says turning back to you. “Why is Dabi following you? You know more than you are letting on.” He spoke as he walked closer and closer, wings growing larger. You suppose it’s supposed to intimidate you.
You roll your eyes at him for like, the fifth time that day and brush past him. You walk over to Mio who had fallen asleep watching your butterfly. You smooth the hair out of her face before turning back to the men, giving them a warning look and asking them to keep their voices down.
“Fine,” you huffed, tired of them just staring at you, doing nothing. “I dated Dabi for a little while. Back when I was younger and foolish and my morals were… well, flexible.”
“What did you do to make him want to follow you?” Hawks was growing impatient.
“We fought, I won, he told him if I ever came back I better watch my back. I reckon he’s making good on that promise. I broke his heart, but that was so long ago. But, I mean,” you paused and looked back up at the two men who were looking at you incredulously, “he is really good at holding grudges.”
Hawks looked like he was going to have an aneurysm and Aizawa… well his face was unreadable. Except, there was a touch of something else in his eyes.
"Well you aren't going anywhere for a while," Hawks state with all the authority he could muster, still going over everything in his mind. "Better get comfy."
"No," you state clearly. Stopping everyone in their tracks.
"Excuse me?" Hawks says, stepping forward, extending his wings.
"You heard me," you reply, stepping forward yourself, fingers itching to create one of your many weapons. "If Dabi gets even a hint that y'all know and are protecting me, a whole lot more people are going to get hurt. So no, we aren't staying here. We are going to go home. If I have to have someone to guard us we are going to make it look as natural as possible. If you don't agree to my terms I'm just gonna take Mio and we are going back on the run."
Hawks looks like he wants to scream and Aizawa looks amused. You turn to pick Mio up, then you head to the door.
"Aizawa, you've been seen in public with me. You can be our guard. You'll come over at 6 tonight where we will have a meal, then you'll stay late because we drank maybe a little to much sake, then you'll sleep on the couch. Got it?"
Aizawa nods, completely amused by Hawks' bewilderment, and pats him on the back once before walking out himself.
72 notes · View notes
hazbincalifornia · 3 years
Note
Not trying to alter the timelines here but oh w-what if possessive Stolas in this whole awesome shitshow with pregnant Blitzy
I’ve been doing episode spinoffs already, so this is just an au thing! Anyway, I'm gonna kick this fic to you real quick before doing my own. 
_______
There was ragged nylon and kevlar cutting into his wrists. Not always a problem, especially when a guy liked rope play, but it sure as shit was right now when he was trussed up like a turkey, wrists and ankles pressed together above him and stomach hanging lower than the balls of a participant in No Nut November. The rope traced around his stomach, making a circle around where it jutted out from his body but leaving it entirely unsupported.
"So, y'all gonna tell me what the deal is here? Kinda got shit to get to, and all the blood's pooling in my gut. Trust me, you don't want me thinking even less, because instinct's telling me-"
"Hey, hey, hey! It took us ages to maneuver you with-" A voice asserted before a throat cleared and the human woman that the voice belonged to stepped forward. "Anyway. You're going to tell us what we want, or else!"
"Or else what?" Blitzo raised an eyebrow. "Come on, I've gotten out of blind dates worse than this on this on an average Tuesday night."
"Maybe this could convince you?" Something sharp dragged along his stomach and his head immediately snapped down to see a pale hand holding a blade that was slicing through the fabric of the shirt. He growled deep in his throat, and the man attached to the hand chuckled.
"Ha, I knew you'd be protective of your weird demon spawn. Do guy demons reproduce or do you just have a really deep voice?"
"Good question! How about you shove it and that knife up your puckered asshole, you fucking dipshit?" Blitzo's tail snapped like a whip, catching the man with a yelp as the knife was knocked out of his hand. 
“Hey! I’m not into anal!” The man scurried over next to the woman, and she patted his shoulder. 
“So, where’s the guy who came with me?” Blitzo’s eyes narrowed.
“It’s still unconscious,” The woman said. “It must be weaker than you. Maybe stronger demons are the ones to carry the young? Is that your mate?”
“Fuck, sometimes I wish,” Blitzo muttered before clearing his throat. “Okay, lemme make this simple: You let me go, and I kill you in a slightly less painful way than usual, sound good?”
“No, that sounds terrible, actually,” the man replied.
“Trust me, it’s a lot better than you’d think. I can get real creative. You ever seen anybody get their ribcage pulled out their throat before?”
They grimaced in unison, and Blitzo squirmed in the rope. No dice, and his stomach was starting to ache even more than usual- without any kind of support from his limbs, it was like the weight had been doubled. Something was compressing his lungs, but if it was the position or some kind of drug he had no idea. 
“Come on, what do you chucklefucks even want? I’ve got tips on how to get horses to trust you and how to make a body into a pretzel, but-”
“Information.” The man stepped closer. “Who you work for, how you got here-”
“What you are,” the woman chipped in, and Blitzo snorted.
“I’m a catch is what I am.”
“Sure you are.” The man flipped some switch and the ropes cinched tighter. Blitzo bit back a yipe, stomach bubbling acid as the weight dropped lower. “And we caught you.”
“Nice one, One.”
“Thanks, I was saving that one.” 
Blitzo struggled, but any movement just pulled the ropes tighter, circulation starting to chafe as his hands got hot- and so did the ring around the now-squirming baby gut as the kid inside started kicking up a fuss at the restricting space.
Losing oxygen to the gut region would... probably be bad.
“Feel like talking yet, demon scum?” The woman had borrowed the blade from her partner, running it along Blitzo’s cheek, and a single drop of black blood oozed over the blade.
Things got... a tad blurry after that. Blitzo knew that he swung forward, trying to bite at the woman, and that she swung with the blade, slicing through his face. Blood oozed over his eyes, and no amount of blinking could get rid of it without access to his hands. 
The lights flickered, then went out, so even if his eyes had been working, they might not have helped that much. The humans yelped, and a warmth swelled up in Blitzo like he’d swallowed lava before he coughed up a single feather. From what he could see, the woman was doing a lot worse, bent double and pounding on the floor before her knuckles split and she started smearing the blood everywhere.
“T-Two? What are you-”
Two didn’t respond, even when the man shook her shoulder- she just swatted it away.
The fountain of feathers erupting from her throat before she vomited black blood was thick, and Blitzo just stared slack-jawed as they kept coming and coming, twitching his eye muscles to try and get the blood off his eyelids. 
“Who dares to harm my precious little impling?”
“Impling? Really? I’m not five,” Blitzo muttered under his breath and entirely without thinking as the feathers formed into a black and red form seething around the edges with deepest Hellfire, the kind that would keep burning for decades if touched even once. The thing was impossible to describe, the edges shifting every millisecond, but it had far too many teeth and wings and eyes, and a roar at the humans made them piss their pants. Blitzo could smell it.
It took mere seconds for the thing to spin itself into a more familiar form, and Blitzo gulped as Stolas lifted him up and sliced through the bonds with a hand.
“Are you alright, darling?”
“I’m fine, they just got my face. That’s the worst place to leave cuts, though, don’t want to ruin this pretty mug.”
Stolas gave a little chuckle, scooping Blitzo up with ease and running a hand over his stomach. 
“I can heal it for you, and I believe that I told you to be careful while carrying.”
“Yeah, well, I believe that they snuck up on us. I’m not trying to get junior whacked any more than I’m trying to off myself, alright?” 
“D-demon...” The man muttered, and Stolas turned.
“Ah, are you two the ones that tied my Blitzy up and mussed his face?” He raised one hand and the man’s brain exploded inside of his head, bits of brain chunk flying out of his ears and popping out of one eyeball. They made a squishy splatter on the floor and the nearest object, which happened to be his partner. Two didn’t even have enough time to scream before the same happened to her.
“...Holy shit, Stolas,” Blitzo said, and Stolas grinned.
“I couldn’t let anything happen to my favorite Daddy, now could I?”
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organic-guacamole · 3 years
Text
showtime
episode 211 let's go
ok first of all, this is the second to last episode guys... I don't even wanna think about how much pain I'll be in after next week's episode
mr mazzara doing the recap-
this is so weird to me and I don't know why
WHY DIDN'T YALL JUST ASK BENJAMIN FOR HELP, THATS LITERALLY HIS THING
is Nini giving out the cards a callback to season 1 when Natalie Bagley said that Nini gave her a card or something on opening night of another musical?
STEPHY AS THE ENCHANTRESS OMG YES
Ricky in the crown gives me Harry styles in that photoshoot vibes
he's so pretty.
ok but why did we never see Ricky and Ashlyn interact before? it's been like 5 seconds and I already love how they bounce off each other and it's just so natural
OH THEY REALLY DON'T HAVE ANY UNDERSTUDIES-
well that explains a lot...
so Ricky fell on top of Ashlyn and all that broke for both of them was their wrist-
insert Jake Peralta *coolcoolcoolcoolcoolcool no doubt no doubt no doubt*
of course howie was amazing as the beast, were we expecting anything less??
Ricky is so beautiful and I will not shut up about it....
let me enjoy this before the makeup crew slaps mud on his face.
Nini and Ricky talking to eachother? in a civil manner? wasn't she avoiding him just in the last episode? hm ok
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH THEY CANT EXPRESS THEIR FEELINGS JUST LIKE ME HAHAHAHAHA THIS IS HILARIOUS, WHATS NEXT? THEY CUT EVERYONE OFF CUZ THEY CANT HANDLE EMOTIONS? ...ha
yes Kaden and Rico, my favourite east high boys 🥰
I mean....where's EJ?
THERE HE IS
EJ AND GINA IN THE BACKGROUND... doing something idek
KOURTNEY'S MOM IS BACK YAY
Howie is a shining star, ofc ofc
the smallest fOrk
can't wait to see the fork burst into song about how she deserves more than to be used to eat salad😌
the duster and the bluster.... ok😃
hi Gina!
hi- oh wow I didn't know Robbie Rotten was in this show!!!!!
the portwell look.
that my friends, is a married couple's look✋
GOSH EJ WHAT DID THEY DO TO YOU
aww Gina's so excited for this
D word?
Die?
Delicious?
Dom Toretto?
"good, clean fun all alone with someone I dig...a lot"
sir that does not sound very clean to me
SEBLOS
Seb looks so cute standing there next to pope Carlos
DID THEYEY REALLY LIGHT ANTOINE ON FIRE-
I NEED TO SEE THAT
Seb's reading Carlos better than big red read the script in episode 102, this is great development after the "fight"
Kourtney really just made the best outfit for herself and let the rest of them suffer
the way Gina immediately goes to hold on to EJ after the announcement
"tonight we're going to put the U in UTAH"
...
"hey where are you from?"
"TAH"
SEB'S SINGULAR CLAP KILLED ME-
he's officially salt lake city's resident thanos
just wity clapping because for some reason I have a feeling he doesn't know how to snap his fingers...don't ask why
Ms Jenn do you mind encouraging your leads before the show? idk just an idea
pepto bismol product placement smhsmh
those flowers are bigger that big red himself-
*bops along to the opening theme*
that whistle at the end slaps everytime
WHY IS THE AUDIENCE SO MASSIVE
I guess they're all here to see Ms Jenn go on as a fork after Nini decides to *go her own way*
wow i am so funny
so they couldn't do many group scenes cuz of covid, but this 300 person crowd is cool? nice
OO THE VIOLIN GIRL FROM EPISODE 6 IS IN THE ORCHESTRA
HOWIEEEEEE
"Mr Caswell", he said, in the loudest voice possible while backstage at a show that's about to start.
Mazzara what are you trying to pull-
I usually like Benjamin but I don't like his tone
"iS yOuR wHoLe FaMiLy HeRe?" LIKE YOU DON'T ALREADY KNOW THATS A SOFT SPOT FOR EJ
"we've had some good conversations these past few weeks"
right so what's going to happen after you graduate?
what does he think of you not going to Duke?
what did he say about you giving the sweatshirt that's been in the family for 3 generations to a girl you're not even dating?
good old Mr. M
therapist Mr. Mazzara, they all need it.
start with Ricky though.
"Michael Bowen"
dude why did you shave, now you look less like "hot lumberjack" and more "creep at the gas station"
OH-
does she not like Mike anymore?
why does it sound like jennzzara started dating and now they just sit back and talk smack about everyone in their freetime
break the fourth wall-
uhhhh im scared
why am I scared
he's scary
hehe flowers for Ricky, obviously for Ricky, ObViOuSLY
oh boy poor Michael
this man is in love, rip
why does Ms Jenn always look at people with her eyes open so wide
LILYYYY
I'm only excited because I really like the idea of lily and Ricky being friends, nothing more.
ha this guy's got jokes
a MOAT AROUND THE SCHOOL
wheeze
also he's very pretty.
"the wolves and very talented humans"
how dare he forget to mention the very talented wolves and normal humans, smh erasure
"being nice, what a concept" ted talk by Lily who still doesn't have a last name
did she just say lol out loud
same with the hug emoji last episode-
go touch some grass babes
the way he didn't say no, but said he didn't know how the east high kids would react-
not saying he does want to date her but that's an interesting thing to think about, also another thing to write an essay analysis on just to leave it in my drafts for a few months
awww lily genuinely trying to help him
sorry guys, I've been taken by the Lily charm (didn't know it existed until now but oh well)
REMEMBER WHEN I SAID I'LL NEVER SHIP PORTWELL?
just look at me now
the Lily wink I can't she's so cute-
HELP ME I'M BEING HELD HOSTAGE BY LIL-
David Attenborough?
oh nvm it's Benjamin narrating the show in a really weird British accent for some reason.
STEPHY GOT MORE LINES YAY GOOD FOR HER
also is this to show that Nini doesn't care about being the star of the show anymore? the way she's supporting everyone else even though she's a fork?
I would pay for a special of the full musical ngl
OOO THE TRANSFORMATION WAS SMOOTH
shockingly
yo where did the makeup come from
man I wish I was a theatre kid
THIS IS STEPHY'S EPISODE NOW IDC✋
my girl is starring
"needs an X-factor"
Simon Cowbell creeps in
"it's a yes from me"
and them boom, he takes Nini and mistreats her horribly and then she comes back to theatre after deciding music isn't for her👍
"I thought she just hog-tied him?"
don't ask sebby, it's better if you don't know.
imagine they spotlight the wrong person and this dude is just some random person that likes writing down stuff during shows.
Ms Jenn just let them do what they rehearsed (at some point we never saw) or else this is gonna end horribly wrong
"help"
same Carlos, same
I love how seb is just his translator rn
I thought he said "great displeasure" instead of "greatest pleasure"....help?
big red coming out from throwing up to see his girlfriend star is the cutest thing in this show.
Ash and Gina dancing is so fun
I'm imagining them practicing at night at their home, watching the movie for the 100th time and making sure their one dance together is perfect
KOURTNEY YES
HOWIE IS IN LOVE AHHHH
I LOVE HOWIE SO MUCH
SEBBY
THIS SCENE HAS SO MUCH GOING ON I CAN'T KEEP UP
THIS IS SO GOOD
HOW???
no because I'm actually crying
I'm dead serious.
we need this musical released as a special
big red is so proud and I love to see it
Natalie: "if you do not by at least 20 dollars in concessions, you do not support art"
rando in the audience: "but I pay for ad free Spotify"
Mr Mazzara clapping in the distance
Gigi, the guy you like is talking to you, complimenting you and hyping you up
YOU LUCKY LITTLE FEATHER DUSTER
aw EJ teasing her about the chocolates in a way that doesn't make her feel bad? take notes Richard
JORDAN FISHER
there is no rest of the show idc Jordan is it for me
THE WIG CAP ON RICKY OMG
they look like they're high and having "deep" conversations on the floor
THE MEAN GIRL WITH THE EYES-
@sunshine-julie-molina YOU HEAR THAT
Natalie really just be coming for them all
Howie what is happening rn
I'm scared
"did you enjoy it"
"very much"
dude wants a kiss so bad
ASHLYN OMG
NO DON'T DO IT BECAUSE OF LILY, PUT YOUR OWN TWIST ON IT
I want a Jordan autograph please
just keep swim- oh pushing...
Gina is literally a giant next to him and I live for it
am I about to cry for the 3rd time in this episode?
yes.
Ricky's leg kicks under the table makes me so happy aw
the portwell glances will kill me.
ah yes, mashed potato snow
Mr. M.... I'm not a theatre kid but even I know you can't have your phone on backstage.
Howie please just do it
CHIP'S BIG LINE I CANT
I LITERALLY HAD TO PAUSE IT AMD SCREAM INTO MY MASK FOR A SOLID 2 MINUTES (I'm not at home rn) HES SO CUTE
oh ok bye Jordan
oo tea
NOT HIM BEING STARSTRUCK BECAUSE HE'S MEETING HIS FUTURE BROTHER IN LAW-
"we're all just glad Gigi has a big brother figure in her life"
excuse me for a few thousand hours while I laugh hysterically
THE CAMERA ZOOM ON EJS FACE AND EVERYTHING-
STOP EJ LOOKS LIKE HE'S GONNA CRY BUT I CAN'T TAKE HIM SERIOUSLY WITH THE STAGE MAKE-UP
someone else said this already but I think it's hilarious that they had to bring in 2 guest characters to create some portwell angst
omg this really is Cici's episode, found family is their thing
elevator music lol
I'm gonna bet that big red took the harness for his surprise for Ashlyn without realising what it was
did Ms. Jenn just....tell her most mentally unstable student....to commit suicide....on a disney show...was that....I'm very....well....what the actual-
oh and there she goes running off instead of trying to make it right
oh wow Nini's the hero, she's gonna save the show 🤩
😐
the judge is doing a sudoku
honestly if I went to the hsm show as well, I'd come prepared for this one too
Lily why are you looking like that-
I WAS JUST STARTING TO LIKE YOU DON'T MESS THIS UP
wow ok, there goes that.
omg
what if Howie was acting weird because he knew what Lily did and wanted to tell Kourtbut Lily threatened him so he was scared to-
anyways see y'all clowns next week when we all simultaneously lose all motivation for the week without Fridays to look forward to.
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dizzydancingdreamer · 4 years
Text
Come Back | The Mikaelson Boys
Hey Lovelies! I decided to switch it up and try something a little more angsty! Lemme know what you think (and if I should do a part two?) It's a little short, I started it before receiving all the requests that y'all have been sending in! I was in a little bit of a writers block and a slump and wrote this while listening to/crying to "My Immortal" by Evanessence. Anyways, enjoy my loves! Keep sending in your ideas! I'm starting on them presently! <3
Description: Elijah dies and the reader is falling apart in the shower, Kol and Klaus rescue her. Really just a short little blurb.
Pairing: The Mikaelson Boys x Fem!Reader, Mainly Kol and Klaus, Mentions of Elijah
Warnings: The reader in this is grieving and trying to feel something in some self destructive ways. Not self harm but not nice either. Mentions of loss and grieving.
Word count: 1764
Tags: ANGST, tiny bit of fluff
Part Two
(Pics aren't mine but the mood board is :) )
Tumblr media
The water pours over your head with a fury. How it’s still hot you don’t know. Hell, you don’t care. You can’t feel it anyway, every inch of you skin having gone numb an hour ago. Was it an hour? Your fingers are pruned but it only feels like it’s been seconds. It doesn’t even matter anymore. You turn the dial further to the left, not flinching when the scalding water hits your face. You only hope it burns away every last trace of him.
When you close your eyes you can feel strong hands slip around your waist. They draw across your skin, tracing every dip and curve of your hips. Thumbs massage into your skin, delicately kneading your sensitive flesh. You sag into the touch for a second, allowing yourself a moment to memorize the feeling. Your heart aches dangerously, threatening to split apart in your chest.
You slam your hand against the wall, your wrist jarring where it meets the tiles, “let me go!”
The sound tears itself from your body like a second entity, the scream perhaps a banshee living in the cavity where your heart should be rather than your own ruptured soul fighting to be released. Maybe it’s the same thing, though. Water rushes in your ears, mingling with the crushing bang of your pulse. You can feel it throb in every vein in your body, singing the same song of agony over and over again.
You scrub your hips furiously with a loofa, avoiding the bottle of pine soap on the rack at all costs. You can’t feel the scraping anymore. You lost all the feeling in your body an hour ago. Or five hours ago. Or five minutes ago. You still can’t remember. You continue to scrub at your hips. The shower continues to steam. If your eyes weren't open you would wonder if you even had any skin at all left. But they are open, and unfortunately the skin is still there.
Lips meet your shoulder blade, laying soft kisses down your spine. Now the hands reach lower, slipping down your thighs with feather light strokes. Your head finds the wall once more, supporting you when your knees buckle beneath you. The lips find the side of your neck, nipping with soft loving bites. It feels like acid against your skin. You peel your eyes open again, the taste of salt filling your mouth like sand, gritty and sharp against your tongue.
“Leave me alone,” you choke on your words, the scream mingling with tangy bile, “please!”
The sound that rips itself from you is in no way human but it doesn’t matter, you can barely hear it. Water pours into your mouth, rinsing the vomit back down your throat. Your throat feels like it's blistering. Like someone is reaching down and snipping each vocal cord one by one. You can feel the screams as they fight their way out of your body, each one a knife being shoved in your ear and down your lungs. You still can’t hear them.
“If you’re not going to come back then get out!”
Your body convulses with each word. You turn the dial again, forcing the water as hot as it can go. Maybe it can burn your skin off. At least that way it'll take the memories with it. You sink to your knees, pulling them into your chest. All you can feel are the gentle hands on your back, rubbing up and down. It lulls you, like a tiger waiting to strike, your body becoming limp before squeezing in agony.
You rake your hands down your arms violently, clawing the feeling of his touch off of your body. You’re angry at him. You don’t want to be and that makes you even more fucking angry. It wasn’t his fault what happened. He didn't want to leave. You have to keep repeating it to yourself. Every minute of every hour of every day. He didn’t want to leave you.
You curl into yourself tighter, threading your hands through your hair and pulling until you feel something, “you promised. You promised me! I need you!”
You slam your hands against the floor of the shower, over and over again. You can feel the crack but you keep going. You can’t feel nearly as much as you want to. As you need to. You need it to hurt more. Your stomach heaves again and you can smell the acid more than you can taste it. Fingers rake softly through your hair.
“Come back, Eli. Please! I’ll do anything.”
Hands wrap around your stomach, pulling you into a strong chest. You choke on the sobs as they come, not fighting it anymore. Not physically, at least.
“This is cruel, Elijah!”
“Darling it’s me,” Kol’s voice is strained and tired, “It’s Kol. I’ve got you.”
You can feel more of him when he speaks. Not just the traces of touch but all of him. Every part of him is wrapped around you, holding you on his lap. His arms cage you in tight. You’re clinging to his arms, your nails digging in hard. Everywhere that your skin meets his you can feel yourself shaking. The water pouring over you is now ice cold. How long have you been here?
“Kol,” your voice cracks sharply, ripping a pain that you cling to down your throat, “I- when did you come in?”
Your senses flood back to you slowly, like molasses, creeping over you with sticky disdain. The bathroom lights sting your eyes. Your hands feel broken, if not close to it. Your throat to your eardrums feel raw. It all hits you at once, in full force, like a punch to the chest. You cough hard when the wind is knocked from your lungs.
Kol’s hand smooths up and down your back carefully but he’s not the one who speaks, “we’ve been here the whole time, love. We couldn't leave you.”
Klaus isn’t in the shower with you and Kol but he’s as close as he can be, kneeling on the floor next to the base. His eyes are red, dark circles laced below them. Your heart cracks more at the look on his face. You shiver as the water continues to pour over you, mixing with the tears pouring down your face. You can feel each one as they trace over your skin and sink down the drain.
“Let’s get you out of here, darling,” Kol scoops you closer to his chest while Klaus turns the shower off.
The silence left in the wake of the water is overwhelming. It’s too quiet. You can hear all the space not being taken up. There are no footsteps anywhere else in the house. No doors opening and closing, no muffled voices, no noise whatsoever. There are only three people in a space that was supposed to always have four and it fucking hurts. It feels like your soul is trying to fill every space he isn't in by tearing itself apart. The problem is there isn’t enough of you to do that. He took his part of your soul with him.
Kol passes you to Klaus who wraps you in a towel that still smells too much like pine for your liking. It wraps around you completely, clinging to your raw skin and melding into your bones. Your chest screams with every breath of Elijah that you take. You just want it to stop. You want it all to stop. You can’t breathe but you can’t stop at the same time. Every part of your body screams in agony.
“I- I can’t,” you cling to Klaus with everything you have, digging into his shoulders and drawing blood, “it won’t stop. Why won’t it stop? I- I can’t do this! It hurts Klaus!”
He wraps his arms around you as tight as he can, pressing his forehead against yours. He rocks you gently back and forth. Warm droplets hit your burning skin, mixing with your own. You lose track of which tears are yours and which are his.
“I know love, I know. Us too, we can feel it all,” he lays his lips against your forehead, pulling more strangled sobs from your chest, “everything you feel, we feel it too. I wish I could take it away, my love. I would do anything to make it stop for you. We’re doing everything we can to bring him back to us. You have to trust us.”
Kol’s hands find their way back to your back when he steps out of the shower, his lips soft on your shoulder.
“You need to sleep, darling. Elijah would want you to rest.”
The thought of sleeping makes you nauseous. Everytime you close your eyes all you see is him. It’s almost unbearable. Almost. Part of you clings to him while you still can. Holding tight to his memory before his face begins to warp and his voice fades. It already is starting to fade, sounding a little different each night. It's agonizing, like losing him twice.
Klaus squeezes you tighter, nuzzling his face against your head. Kol rubs his hands down your back, soothing your burning skin. Together they calm you enough to slow your sobs. They can’t make the tears stop completely but they manage to stop the panic attack you've been having for the past few hours. You can feel the spots Elijah should be taking up with painful accuracy. You have to push yourself to focus on the two Mikaelson’s you have.
“I can’t,” even as you say it you can feel yourself fading out, as if the mere mention of sleep reminds your bones of how exhausted they were, “I can’t see Eli. I can’t keep losing him every night.”
“We’ll get him back, darling. We will not stop until we get him back, but you have to rest for us,” Kol’s voice is rough but determined.
Your chest aches, each beat of your heart a reminder that his is still. For days all you’ve been doing is thinking about Elijah. Every agonizing moment spent thinking of ways to bring him back. You know it can be done. Scratch that, it has to be done. If he doesn’t come back you don’t know what will happen to you. You have to trust them.
Your words are too quiet, “do you promise Eli will come back?”
“I promise.”
Both of your Mikaelson's speak together but you swear you hear the third, whispering alongside them. For just a moment you feel almost whole again.
395 notes · View notes
mallowstep · 3 years
Note
I had a dreamplease. (I'm never taking my migrane medication after reading the human au before bed after this, btw I will suffer through, hopefully you'll see why) That Reedwhisker came to be in the Human Misty AU when the triplets are 7 or 8, and when Reed is 5, the triplets 12-13 Tigerstar gets parole and the judges, CPS and everyone assumes Reed is Tigerstar's as well. (Like they think Misty used some of Tiger's stored sperm or something.) Anyway, Somehow Tiger got 50 percent custody with the Triplets and Reed, and everyone is pissed. About a year passes and Tigerstar is throwing a party, and he says something downright nasty about Feathertail, Mistyfoot, Tawnypelt, and Mothpaw in one go. 6 year old Reedpaw over hears him and launches himself at Tigerstar, and bites down on his ear. Tiger's screaming, Hawkpaw's trying to coax his younger cousin but who everyone thinks is his baby brother off Tigerstar, Frog is comforting Moth, and Moth has called Feather.
Feathertail then gets Stonefur, Stormheart, and somehow Tawnypelt (idk on this one tbh) and shows up at Tigerstar's house, only to find the cops there. The triplets surround the car, Reed ridding on Hawkpaw's shoulders.
"Tigerstar's getting a restraining order on Reedpaw. He says Mistyfoot ruined him." Frogpaw informs Feathertail, eagerly hugging his mother.
"He bit off a chunk of Tigerstar's ear, Mom, Stonefur, Stormheart, Tawnypelt! It was awesome!" Hawkpaw explained, eyes shining.
"I told him I was going to tell My mom, Mistyfoot, Tawnypelt, and myself what he called us that caused Reedpaw to bite him. He was just defending his mom, his sister, and his Auntie...please don't be to mad at him, Mama." Mothpaw pleds.
ohhh yeah i have no idea how. well. since i doubt y'all remember and this ask was sent a month a go so i certainly don't remember what was/wasn't public knowledge at the time, but the general timeline here is that tigerstar gets his first chance for a parole appeal when the triplets are about 14/15.
actually, they're approximately the same age as feathertail when they were born. hm. someone remind me to write about that.
anyway that's only vaguely applicable here because frankly i'm perfectly okay with the occasional hand-waving for sake of angst. lord knows i do it enough. we'll set aside my own Strangely Detailed thoughts on the laws regarding custody and adoption in this au, i just wanted to bring up ages because i was thinking about that and yeah.
also i'm pretty sure tigerstar cannot get custody of the kids while on patrol like i think as a convicted felon he'd have exactly 0% chance of that but again, hand-waving for angst.
right.
obviously feathertail spends the entire time the kids are with tigerstar in uh. very anxiety much unfun. like right like? yeah. especially considering this is the age she was when things were the worst.
so i actually took the time to look through some common custody arrangements i could've just asked my brother but he's in school right now so shhh because i do not understand where he is at any point in time ever so let's say...well okay feathertail (& mistyfoot & stonefur & stormheart, y'know, the whole extended family parenting crew) are not going to jump for an alternating week schedule, but tigerstar lives far enough away that a really short alternating schedule isn't going to work, so. i want them to alternate weekends so let's give them a 2-2-5-5 rotation starting on mondays.
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but pretend this calendar starts on monday, and you get it. uhhh we'll give feathertail mondays and tuesdays, tigerstar wednesdays and thursdays, and alternating friday saturday sunday.
...
can you tell i have known a lot of different custody arrangement? because let me tell you holiday planning with two different custody arrangements in play is an exercise in "we're doing winter birthdays in march this year."
okay. anyway.
this was a long tangent just bc i like to b able to establish this kind of thing.
the triplets all get smartphones fairly young, because feathertail is reasonably anxious, but she also gives mothpaw a little preloaded cellphone and tells her to keep it secret and on her person at all times. why mothpaw? well, (a) tigerstar hates women and (b) frogpaw and hawkpaw are a little less responsible at this point in time.
so tigerstar throws a party and party rules are no-cellphone-environments but mothpaw refuses to wear dresses without pockets (as she should), so she's prepared. for the most part, she and her siblings (& cousin) are chilling in a corner, being anti-social teenagers as is their god-given right.
tigerstar brings someone over to introduce them.
"where's their mother?" they ask, and tigerstar clucks his tongue.
i am not skilled enough at spontaneous dialogue to craft a suitable insult to hit everyone, but tigerstar is. swirls his glass, says something, and reedpaw, six years old, not born in the direct aftermath of tigerstar, not cautioned by feathertail to be good and not get into trouble and we're trying to find a way out of this just hang in there and be safe, wriggles free of frogpaw's arms, where he's been sitting.
"those are mean words," he says, and tigerstar snickers.
"they're only mean if they're lies," he says, crouching down to reedpaw's level.
this is a mistake.
reedpaw, six years old, angry, confused, reacts how many would, and throws a temper tantrum, effectively. tigerstar picks him up, intending to bring him somewhere for a timeout (lamenting, to one of his guests, that if it weren't for his mother, reedpaw would be better behaved -- and tigerstar would be able to discipline him properly).
this is also a mistake.
mothpaw excuses herself as soon as this begins. call me if things ever even begin to look bad, feathertail had said. even if you're not sure.
she locks herself in the bathroom, calls feathertail. it's pre-programmed into the phone, and feathertail has never, ever ignored a single call from them. even when she was in the hospital and sick, she would give her phone to stormheart or mistyfoot or stonefur and make them swear to pick up, no matter what.
feathertail picks up, already panicked (she spends this time an anxious wreck; it is the good graces of stonefur having a flexible work schedule that gets her through it, and shadepelt's company, failing that), and mothpaw explains.
"we'll be right there," feathertail says, and mothpaw can hear her scrambling for things in the background. "stonefur!" she shouts, tinny and distant. "okay," feathertail says, "are you okay? where are your brothers? if you--"
"i'm going to go back out," mothpaw says. "make sure reedpaw is okay. so i have to hang up."
someone could point out that they could just leave the call running, but they don't think of that and also it's probably a terrible idea for poor feathertail's sanity. like maybe listening to tigerstar party conversation sounds is bad idea. neither of them think of that, but.
no idea how tawnypelt gets there either but it's fine she's not really important to this.
stonefur drives them, stormheart updates mistyfoot, who's on her way but far enough away that this will all be more-or-less resolved by the time she actually arrives, and feathertail is on the edge of a panic attack. sorry babe.
tigerstar doesn't live in the same compound as before (leopardstar recovers the rights to it), which is a saving grace, because the idea of going back there is terrifying. feathertail went back once, it was hard but provided closure, and can't dream of going there when it is inhabited and lived in by tigerstar.
(would she, for her kids? of course she would. but would it be very productive? no, no it would not.)
sigh okay the canon replacement for the dark forest meeting with feathertail happens during parent's weekend at hawkfrost's college (what, did you think i didn't account for that?), but this serves as good enough for that, because.
they pull up, and tigerstar has taken everyone outside. hawkpaw clutches his cousin, and as soon as the car stops, feathertail struggles to unbuckle her seatbelt and get out of the car. mothpaw rushes to her, because anxiety means feathertail is really not doing great, here, and also isn't thinking super clearly, like, "maybe i should wait for help here."
tigerstar snorts. "what's your plan, feather?" he sneers, and mothpaw (already taller than feathertail) can feel her mother shake.
tigerstar keeps talking, and it all starts to go fuzzy and blank in feathertail's mind.
now, the thing is. feathertail has a restraining order on tigerstar (possibly a protective order but i'm not doing legal research rn), as does mistyfoot. stonefur is the one who orchestrates custody drop-offs. the exact circumstances of feathertail-willingly-entering-contact-with-tigerstar also require legal research, but tigerstar is walking a thin line.
frogpaw sees feathertail, and runs to her as well, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
"we're taking the kids home," stonefur says.
"it's my time with them," tigerstar says, and then he brings his hand to his bloody ear. "but fine. you've already ruined them. what's a few extra days."
stormheart takes reedpaw from hawkpaw, and then ushers the kids back into the car. they don't own a minivan in this (they do in the human misty au, because they have seven people in their family, and yes that means taking any friends with them requires some finagling until stonefur restores his license and they have money for a second car), but a proper van. well. okay look cars are complicated but my specific personal difference between van and minivan is based on the eight-person family i grew up knowing and their van, as compared to the minivan of the six-person family. it's not terribly ugly. but that's so far besides the point.
but they need a considerably amount of car, because they have: four adults, four children, and the space to transport a wheelchair. so they can't get away with a fold up third row suv, they need an actual trunk at the same time.
anyway, that was a really weird tangent thinking through what car they own. sorry. i got really distracted.
right so the reason for this was to establish that was that there's a bunch of bickering over who sits where. reedpaw's booster seat is in the middle row, and even with somewhat reasonable access to the back row, that's still more mobility than feathertail really has, which means exactly one of her children gets to sit next to her.
(it's hawkpaw.)
(he gets this by pointing out he was holding reedpaw. mothpaw and frogpaw are like "okay we hugged her for like two minutes" but hawkpaw is already helping feathertail into the car and climbing into the middle seat and their fate is sealed.)
("god fucking dammit," mothpaw says, but not really because feathertail would be disappointed with her for swearing and mistyfoot would definitely dock their allowance for swearing in front of reedpaw, "why is it always him?")
(they will all end up sneaking into feathertail's bedroom tonight. the master bedroom has a ridiculously large bed, in part as a bit of a things-you-didn't-have-growing-up and in part because they upgrade from a queen to a king-but-it's-a-square-to-fit-three-triplets-who-sneak-in-a-lot when the kiddos are five or so.)
(but hawkpaw claims feathertail for this period of time.)
oh as a consideration, i don't know how mistyfoot is getting here but i think she has a nicer car. maybe it's a company car? yeah. yeah she has nice lil company car. the kids do not get to ride in it very often because children are disasters, and she's allowed to have some nice things.
right. so stonefur is talking with tigerstar as the police pull up, and stormheart and feathertail and all four kids are in the car, and mistyfoot finally arrives as the police are taking notes, and she slides into the driver's seat to check on everyone. mistyfoot reaches back and squeezes feathertail's hand, and reedpaw pushes out of his seat to give her a hug. she sits him on her lap, and raises her eyebrows.
"so," she says, "what's this i hear about reedpaw biting someone?"
"please don't be mad at him," mothpaw says, already considering if she can climb over the row of seats to bully hawkpaw out of his feathertail monopolization. "tigerstar--" she looks down. she doesn't want to have to say it out loud. mistyfoot catches this.
"i suppose i can wait to decide if i should be mad until we get home," she says, kissing reedpaw on the forehead, and then ushering him back into his seat, just as mothpaw has hooked one leg over the row of seats. she groans. frogpaw pats her arm sympathetically.
"okay," mistyfoot says, "i'll be back. i need to make sure my brother doesn't make this any worse."
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nikibogwater · 3 years
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Two Worlds, One Family--a Mermaid AU oneshot
I don't know, y'all, it's ten after one and I can't think of any other titles so just accept the cheesey Phil Collins reference and go with it--
A few weeks ago, my dear FMA Buddy Willow requested a fic set in my Merman!Douxie AU (you can see the rough character designs for that here). Well, today, I desperately needed a break from working on the RotT fic, but I also still felt like writing, so I sat down and cranked this one out in basically one sitting.
It uh, sort of got away from me, I'll admit lol.
We've got sappy Siren!Zoe x Merman!Douxie, Underwater Found Family, Archie having to be the Adult of the group, and also an honest-to-goodness argument between our favorite Magical Siblings, which is something I've sort of always wanted to tackle, but I was never able to find a good way to do it while sticking to current canon. Here, they're both younger and have been in a pod together for several hundred years, allowing the stress of their situation to build up and--Y'know what, I'll just let you guys read the dang thing now.
~~~~~
The black waves rolled beneath an inky, starless sky. A freezing wind cut through the air like a knife. Salty foam sprayed up from where the water lapped against Zoe’s perch. It was a thoroughly miserable night to be away from her nest.
But still, she waited.
She shivered and folded her wings around herself tightly. Twenty-seven years, one-hundred and eighty-three days. That was how long it had been since she’d last seen him. He had said in his last message that he would be here tonight. And so, no matter how fiercely the wind beat against her, no matter how badly the freezing spray stung as it hit her, she refused to move. Douxie’s life was already haunted by uncertainties and betrayals. She would rather die than contribute to such things.
Finally, she heard him. His call was masked beneath the sound of the sea, but she could feel it reverberating through her like a roll of thunder--the steady, fast-paced, yet gentle clicks of a merman searching for his mate.
Her wings snapped open, and though the rush of cold air that met her was unpleasant, she didn’t flinch. Electric blue eyes stared fixedly at the water below her for a moment. And then she finally saw it--the silvery sheen of moonlight hitting dark blue scales.
Zoe didn’t even wait for him to make it all the way to the surface before she dove in.
Douxie tumbled back in the water as she slammed into him, and for a few joyous moments, his world was made up entirely of swirling bubbles, warm feathers, and the feeling of Zoe in his arms. He had just enough sense to bring both of them back up to the surface before her lips were on his. Her wings closed around him tightly, and he could feel the tingle of her electric magic in the water around him, but she was just as careful as ever. She’d never shocked him, not in all the years they’d known each other.
“Sorry I’m late,” he breathed, once she’d pulled back for air. She shook her head, nose brushing against his.
“Doesn’t matter,” she said gruffly. Her voice was choked with tears, but he knew better than to point that out. “I’m just glad you’re here.”
“I never would have guessed,” he chuckled, trailing a few kisses down her cheek as she huffed and half-heartedly swatted his shoulder. There were a few moments of silence as they simply held each other, broken only by the sound of the waves and a few soft, contented clicks from Douxie. Zoe had asked him centuries ago why he always clicked when he was happy. He’d seemed genuinely surprised to hear that she didn’t do the same. Merperson biology was a very strange thing indeed. Finally, Zoe picked her head up from his shoulder and looked him in the eye.
“Nari and Archie?”
“Safe,” he answered. “They wanted to see you, but I didn’t want to risk bringing Nari up to the surface, and Archie agreed to stay with her. We had a close call with the Order a few weeks ago off the coast of Ireland--they never actually saw her, and I don’t think they know she’s been hiding in the ocean but...” He shook his head, sighing wearily. “...They can’t know where she is. Not ever. I just couldn’t let her come with me tonight.”
“I understand,” Zoe said, brushing his wet bangs out of his eyes.
“How is the flock?” Douxie asked.
“...Surviving,” she replied after a moment’s hesitation. “...We lost Ariadne to a navy ship two years ago. They shot her right out of the air....took her body on board and we couldn’t get her back. We don’t know what they did with her corpse.” She felt him shudder at the news. He pulled her back in and kissed her temple.
“I’m sorry,” he breathed, and she knew he meant it, knew he felt her pain as keenly as if it was his own. He always was a little too empathetic for his own good. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to tell him that, so she simply clutched him tight and let him stroke her hair, as the waves gently rocked the both of them.
“The world’s getting more and more dangerous for people like us,” she murmured into his shoulder. “And the ironic thing is now it’s all because of mortals. As if angry demigods and warmongering trolls weren’t enough on their own.”
“Killahead tipped the balance in their favor. But I’d hoped they would use that as an opportunity to make peace with magic. Not try to exterminate it for good...”
“You’ve always put too much faith in humans, Douxie,” Zoe sighed.
“Perhaps,” he admitted, hand still carding idly through her feathery locks. “...Merlin was a human too, though.” Zoe snorted at that.
“If that crotchety old windbag was the best humanity has to offer, then it’s no wonder things turned out like this.”
“He saved my life, Zoe,” Douxie argued softly, pulling back to look her in the eye. “I would never have met you if it weren’t for him.”
“I still say he was a far ways off from being a ‘good man,’” she retorted. “...But I understand your loyalty to him.” Douxie felt her right wing shift around him--the same one he had bandaged and tended all those centuries ago. “...Enough of that. I have more important news for you. There’s talk of a secret community of magical creatures like us forming in the New World--a settlement off the western coast. The trolls found a new Hearthstone there, and they’re building a sanctuary. The water there is supposed to be charged with all kinds of magic, and I’ve even heard rumors about merpeople living there. The flock has decided to migrate there, at least temporarily. I would advise you to do the same. Nari would be happier in warmer waters, and there’s a chance you could join a larger pod there. You haven’t seen one of your own species in centuries, right? And we...” she faltered, realizing that she was letting her eagerness get the better of her now. “...we could be together again. No more of these long separations.”
“...It almost sounds too good to be true,” Douxie breathed.
“Maybe it is,” Zoe chuckled mirthlessly. “But we won’t know unless we check it out for ourselves. I’m leaving with the flock in the morning.”
“I’ll....consider it,” Douxie relented. “If it was just me and Arch, I’d be on my way there tonight, no hesitation. But now that I have Nari to protect--”
“I get it,” Zoe cut him off quickly. “I just....thought I’d let you know. In case it works out somehow.” She looked down, the hand that was resting over his heart clenching into a fist.
“...Hey.” Douxie tilted her chin back up to look her in the eye. “Whatever happens, wherever we go, I know we’ll always find each other again. That’s what it means to be a pod.”
“...Right.” Zoe gave a half-hearted laugh, and gently bumped her forehead against his. “Alright. Now I want to know what you’ve been getting up to. Tell me everything.”
“We’d be here all night if I did that,” Douxie chuckled.
“Sounds good to me,” Zoe murmured, drawing him close once more.
*****
Douxie didn’t return until it was almost sunrise.
Nari hadn’t been expecting anything else, but she still couldn’t help the way her heart twisted in her chest at the sight of his exhausted, melancholy countenance. He slipped into the den quietly, stopping just long enough to renew the concealing spells around the entrance, before floating to the floor with a sigh, burying his face in a still-sleeping Archie’s fur. He’d hardly been there a full minute when he blearily opened one eye, and looked around as though he was missing something.
“Nari?” he whispered into the darkness. “Everything alright?” He must have felt her aura--there were times when Nari found the magical bond they shared somewhat inconvenient. She sighed, unhooked her tail from the frond she had anchored herself to, and flitted over to him.
“All is well. I....woke early.” The truth was, she’d been awake for most of the night, head too cluttered up with unwanted thoughts to let her rest. She curled her tail up beneath her and settled on the floor. “How is Zoe?”
“Beautiful,” Douxie answered without thinking, then turned bright red. Nari stifled a giggle in her hand. “I-I mean she’s fine. The flock’s down to just twelve sirens now... The mortals are getting braver and more dangerous. They’re going to fly west and try to find safer nesting grounds.” He paused, his tail swishing up and down thoughtfully.
“...Douxie?” Nari prodded.
“Zoe was telling me about a settlement across the ocean--a secret community of magical creatures. There’s a Trollmarket near the coast, and....possibly merpeople like me. That’s where she and her flock are going now. She... She wants us to go too.”
“This idea troubles you,” Nari observed, feeling the way his aura was turning with uncertainty. “Why?”
“It’s quite literally on the other side of the world,” Douxie explained. “We would have to cross open waters to get there, and even with my magic, the journey could take months. There’s no guarantee we would be able to find safe places to hide on the way, and even once we get there...” He sighed, ears drooping slightly. “...I don’t know if we’d really be safe.”
“We will never be safe anywhere, Douxie,” Nari said softly. “For as long as you are with me, you will be in danger. The Order will continue to search for me. They will not stop until they have found me and opened the Genesis Seals. They are not limited by time and space as we are. They could find me on the other side of the world just as easily as they could here.” She hated the way his aura seemed to grow cold as she spoke, his hand clenching against the stone he was resting on.
“...So what are you saying?” he asked after a long pause. “Do you think we should go?” Nari looked down, hands wringing in her lap.
For nearly five-hundred years, Douxie and Archie had dedicated their lives to caring for her. They had been her fins when she was still learning to swim, her warmth in the cold, deep waters of the north. They had been her guardians, and more than that, they had been her brothers. Both Douxie and Archie had taken her into their tiny pod, accepted her as one of their own, though she could not be more different from them if she tried. She had lost count of the number of times they bled for her, and she for them, as they fought to withstand the dangers of the sea together.
But she could never ignore the longing she felt in Douxie’s spirit, his heartache every time he was forced to part with Zoe in order to take Nari to safer waters. She couldn’t blind herself to the tears she knew he shed when he thought he was alone, couldn’t pretend all was well when that empty space in his heart hurt so much he couldn’t keep his aura from twisting in pain.
Which was why she now found herself telling him something she had never wanted to tell him.
“...I think you and Archie should go,” she whispered. “...and I will stay.”
Douxie’s tail thrashed suddenly, and his soul sparked with something akin to anger. Archie snorted and whipped his head up, ears perked and blearily searching for the source of his Familiar’s distress.
“No.” Douxie’s voice was hard as he grasped her by the shoulder. “That’s not an option.”
“You know it is, Douxie!” Nari argued. “You are not bound to me by the laws of magic, I am not your appointed ward--You could be with Zoe if you would only--”
“If I would only what? Cast out one of my own? Break my pod apart?!”
“Who are we casting out...?” Archie yawned. “Can it wait until morning, perhaps?”
“But you love her!” Nari argued desperately. “You deserve to be with her, you deserve better than this.”
“And I also love you! I don’t give a damn about the wizarding customs, you are part of my family, and down here, family is just as much of a binding contract as any ward-appointment or whatever!”
“Oh for the love of Poseidon, didn’t you two just have this fight not three decades ago?” Archie snapped. “Nari, you know how important pods are to merpeople--that includes mates, friends, offspring, and siblings. We leave none behind, no matter the cost. And if you’ve got a problem with that, well you should have considered that before agreeing to come with us all those centuries ago. I did try to warn you, after all. Now both of you, settle down and get some sleep, for goodness’ sake! It sounds like we have a long swim ahead of us.” He swam around in a circle three times, and resettled on the ground. Douxie opened his mouth to argue further, but Archie grabbed the front of his shirt with his teeth and pulled him down on top of him. “I said settle down,” he huffed. “You too, Nari. I know you were awake half the night working yourself into this state.”
“I was not working myself into anything,” she grumbled, curling up between Archie’s paws.
A long, heavy silence fell upon them. Nari could feel Douxie’s aura gradually settling, as anger gave way to exhaustion. She could have sworn he was almost asleep, when suddenly, his hand found hers and squeezed it.
“...I won’t settle for less Nari,” he whispered. “That’s why I won’t leave you. I need all of you--Zoe, Archie, and you, and I won’t....I can’t stop fighting until all of you are safe, and we can all be together. I know Zoe will be alright with her flock, and we can always find each other again. But I won’t leave you to face the Order on your own.” She heard him shift, readjusting his head where it was pillowed against Archie. “...I’d rather die.”
Nari swallowed the knot that rose in her throat and squeezed his hand in return.
“...Merpeople are so very unusual,” she murmured. “Even after all this time, I’ll never fully understand you, or your ways. But....I am truly happy to be part of them--part of your pod--even if I cannot fathom these sorts of bonds.”
“You’ll get it eventually,” Douxie huffed. “...Anyways, Arch was right--”
“I’m always right,” the Familiar interjected without bothering to open his eyes.
“--we should get some sleep. I guess we have a long journey ahead of us.”
“You have decided then?” Nari asked.
“The opportunity’s too good to pass up. Just promise me you’ll stay with us.”
“...Alright,” she whispered. “I promise.” There was another pause. “...And I love you too. More than I know how to say. That is why it hurts so much to know when you are suffering.”
“I know.” Douxie’s hand squeezed hers one more time, and Archie shifted his head to rest across her shoulders.
Come what may, they had to stay together. That was what it meant to be a pod. And though the thought of the journey ahead of them was daunting, it was made easier by the knowledge that they would undertake it together. And that at the end of it, the last missing part of their family was waiting for them. The pod would be whole again at last, safe in a secret haven for all displaced magical creatures.
A haven that would, in another few centuries, come to be known as Arcadia Oaks, California.
Hope you enjoyed, Willow! Thanks for reading. ✨
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peppersonironi · 3 years
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Duke Thomas VS The "Good Child" Stereotype Chapter Four
For my @dukethomasbigbang fic, we have the third prank, and fourth chapter! I hope y'all like it! Yet again a huge thanks to betas @queerbutstillhere & @theycallme-ook
Summary:
Everyone was suddenly shaken out of their stunned staring when the Cave’s sound system flared up, blasting dramatic choral music. It was the perfect track for the perfect moment, building up tension to an uproar as the lights dimmed slightly, and all attention was brought on the crackling of lightning arcing across a new figure, who was rounding the bend.
Duke grinned at his crowning achievement.
Read on Ao3
Ah, Cheerios, the best kind of breakfast cereal. Duke just didn’t get why people seemed to hate them so much. They weren’t bland, they just had a nice even subtle oat flavor which was refreshing compared to all the intensely sweet sugary crap that Dick kept attempting to sneak in past Alfred. And they were so delicious with milk! Of course, they were also fantastic when you added things to them as well, like a light drizzle of honey, or a small handful of granola. If you were feeling especially adventurous - or if Damian was the one to go shopping with Alfred and therefore got the choice in what was bought that week - you could even have it with some unsweetened vanilla oat milk.
“But does that count as a subset of cannibalism?” Duke wondered aloud between bites of cereal.
He took another bite thoughtfully and hopped down from the island in the middle of the kitchen to make his way out the door and down the hall. Alfred was away for the weekend (Tim had mentioned something about regaining his honor in a pie baking duel with Ma Kent? Duke wasn’t sure.) so he wouldn’t get in trouble.
Not that he ever got in trouble. For some reason.
Duke angrily crunched down on another spoonful when a sudden banging around came from the ceiling above him. Duke froze, suddenly terrified. What was it? Aliens? Did Alfred (The Cat) finally figure out how to phase through walls? Were some of the skeletons (which Jason had warned Duke he stored in the drywall) finally reanimate and were slowly crawling out, in a slow determined quest for revenge?
As the opening to the air vent just a few feet ahead banged open, releasing a lone figure, Duke was dismayed to find it was not, in fact, some fantastical being or occurrence.
It was just Steph.
Duke quickly finished eating the spoonful of Cheerios and chewed as he waved a greeting with his spoon.
Stephanie, who was completely covered in glitter and carrying a feather duster, glared daggers at Duke and slowly, methodically, drew the duster across her throat.
Duke swallowed heavily and cringed. Ah, it probably would be in his best interest to avoid blaming the purple clothed bandit for any of his pranks in the future.
*****
For the second time that day, Duke found himself in the kitchen of Wayne Manor. Though this time, instead of pondering the moral and psychological repercussions of eating his cereal with oat milk, the teen was having a pre workout snack with his younger brother.
“Add more whipped cream, Thomas,” Damian advised, passing Duke the can. “Dairy is protein, and protein is essential to proper nutrition.”
Duke took the can with a grin, and added a more generous than necessary squirt to the top.
“Alright Dami,” Duke said as he set aside the can, “But you need to be sure to add more than one cherry. Fruit is good for you, you know.”
Damian sniffed superiorly and delicately pulled out three maraschino cherries from the fancy jar than Alfred kept in the pantry. He then placed them precariously on top of the summet of his ice cream sundae mountain.
Duke held up his spoon in front of Damian. “Shall we dig in?”
Damian grinned - a rare occurrence which took the years off of his face, allowing him to truly look like a child. Duke quietly celebrated, ever since he first saw Damian smile at him, he had made it his mission to make his younger brother happier more often.
They clinked their spoons together, and dug into their huge deserts. It was a good thing that Alfred wasn’t home at the moment, or the old Butler would have an aneurysm at the amount of sugar they were putting into their bodies. But oh well, they deserved it for the training session that they’d be taking part in later that afternoon.
It wasn’t often that Bruce had enough time to do a full workout session with any of his kids, let alone something smaller like a one on one thing, or him and a few others. Duke had only gotten this privilege during his first year of staying with the Waynes, and at the time, when he was futilely trying to kick down trees in the yard, he hadn’t understood why such a thing was coveted by his siblings.
But now he did, so he completely understood Damian’s excitement when the thirteen year old had animatedly informed him that because all the others were gone from the city that day, only he and Duke would be present for the training session. So of course Duke suggested making a special treat in preparation.
They were at the very bottom of their large bowls of ice cream when Bruce walked into the kitchen carrying his large jug of water.
“Are you boys ready for today?” Bruce asked, and Duke and Damian grinned.
“Of course, Father. We have been preparing extensively for the past half hour.”
Bruce eyed the empty bowls in front of each of his sons, and grunted. “And sprinkles helped you do that?”
Duke scoffed. “Of course, B. Didn't you know that?”
Bruce looked skeptical, so Damian butted in. “Father, Pennyworth is always informing you to eat your colors. You americans eat such bland food, all tans and grays. Surely compact fluorescent bites are the best way to remedy such a problem.”
Bruce squinted, but didn’t seem in the mood to argue, so he turned around and began to leave the kitchen. “Just be in my study in twenty minutes.”
Behind him, Duke offered a fist bump to his partner in crime. Damian accepted with a smirk.
*****
“Please tell me I’m not late!” Duke exclaimed as he rushed into Bruce’s study.
Bruce and Damian were over by the clock, looking as if they were about to input the time. Duke heaved a sigh of relief at that. Being late to a training session was a mortal sin in the Manor. Or at least, that’s what Jason told him. He said it was the reason he had died (something about Bruce kicking him out, which made him go to Ethiopia for some money an old rich uncle of his had left him, and then the Joker catching wind and tried to rob him, which somehow ended in with him, a warehouse, and a crow bar).
Suffice it to say, Duke made it his mission to never be late to a training session. Ever.
“Tt, Thomas,” Damian remarked, turning back to the clock. “You were cutting it close.”
Bruce sighed. “You’re fine Duke.”
Duke nodded and took his place right behind Damian. The boy huffed in a satisfied manner and crossed his arms.
“Any day now, Father. Unlike you, my time is precious.”
Translation: Damian was excited, and tired of waiting.
Bruce frowned as he spun the arms of the clock again. “The clock is broken.”
Duke raised his eyebrows. “Wow, that couldn’t have anything to do with the fact that it’s really just a door, right?”
Bruce frowned back at the face of the grandfather clock, not bothered by Duke’s incredibly funny remark.
A few seconds later, Duke tried again. “Bruce, what’s wrong?”
Bruce’s eyes were narrowed to slits by now, and his brow furrowed in concentration. “The entrance is malfunctioning. I want you boys to go around and check the others. Including Stephanie’s smuggling tunnel.”
Duke blinked. “Stephanie’s what now?”
Bruce made a shooing gesture with his hand. “Yes, I know about that. Now go.”
Duke and Damian looked at each other, shrugged, then left the room. Might as well do what Bruce says. The sooner they got this over with, the sooner they could work out. Plus they were sort of curious to know what was going on. Neither of them knew, they were innocent! Especially Duke.
Fifteen minutes later, and the trio reconvened in the study once more. Bruce looked angry, Duke looked confused, and Damian was positively fuming.
“This is outrageous!” He cried, as soon as he entered after Duke. “None of the entrances are working! I even attempted to use imaginative means to enter, and nothing worked!”
Bruce’s grim look receded for just a moment. “I’ll let Barbara know she did a wonderful job shoring up the security if even my children can’t get in.”
Damian scowled. “What’s the point of making security that we can’t get into?”
Bruce closed his eyes for three long, tired seconds.
“Anyway!” Duke said, “They aren’t allowing access. Any theories? Or should we just get Tim?”
Damian looked appalled at the idea. “Father!” he cried, “you can’t call Timothy! He will be unable to operate at maximum capacity if he does not complete the weekend of so-called relaxation with the clone at the Kents’ farm.”
“So second best option?” Duke asked.
Bruce raised an eyebrow. “I hope you don’t let Barbara hear that when she gets here.”
*****
“Hhmmmm.”
Duke, Bruce, and Damian cringed in unison at Barbara’s contemplative noise. The young woman was typing on a laptop plugged into some kind of control panel in Bruce’s office. She hadn’t spoken to them more than first greetings  when she had arrived, so they were left in the dark while she rifled through the Cave’s security system.
Finally, Babs closed the computer and set it to the side. Duke and the others held their collective breath.
“The Cave is registering you as already present inside,” Barbara explained, “Actually, it says that everyone is in the Cave right now.”
Bruce was still and silent, considering Barbara’s words. Damian, on the other hand, seemed to be an inch away from having a meltdown.
“This is preposterous!” He blustered, whipping about and glaring, not having any particular target. “The system is trash, I said we should have fixed it ages ago! And now look at the outcome! I must remain at peak physical capacity, and I am not able to if I miss even a single session! Father, I demand you fix this!”
“Woah, dude, chill,” Duke soothed, resting a hand on Damian’s shoulder. Thankfully, the kid didn’t bite him. “I know you're frustrated, but we work more effectively when calm, right?”
Damian blinked, and glared at Duke for a long moment. “You are not incorrect, Thomas.” Damian finally allowed, turning away.
Barbara smiled. “Well, good news: I can get you in. It’s probably a good idea to call for back-up and wait till you have the forces to-”
“That won’t be necessary,” Bruce interrupted, his eye twitching at the glare Babs threw his way. “We can handle it - right, boys?”
Damian sniffed proudly and produced some knives from who knows where. Duke nodded confidently.
Bruce grunted, and motioned for them to fall in line behind him. Barbara watched with her precise gaze as Bruce, Duke, and Damian made their way down the stairs. They didn’t turn the lights on, going for optimal stealth as were, and moved slowly downward.
“Don’t be suspicious, don’t be suspicious,” Duke sang under his breath a little ways after the halfway point down the stairs.
“Making noise is very suspicious, Thomas.” Damian muttered.
“Quiet, Boys,” Bruce snapped before Duke could make a comeback, “We’re almost there.”
As soon as the doors to the Cave opened, they scattered and melted into the shadows. Duke just managed to see Damian crawl up the side of the cave wall, but didn’t see where Bruce went. He didn’t have much time to worry about that, though, as he was hiding himself among equipment that lined the sides of the space.
The path he had chosen gave him an easy pass to circle the main platform, and gage the situation. And boy was it a situation. Because, you see, like Barbara said, they were not the only ones in the cave. They were just the only sentient ones.
The elevator dinged, and Barbara rolled out and into the light. “Are those Manikins?” She asked, incredulous.
*****
Duke smirked proudly at the sight before him, the same sight that left the others outraged and confused
Someone, somehow (It was Duke, and through much hard labour during some time while the bats were actually asleep - he got someone to cover his patrol, this bright young girl called Maps to do it. She said she was a friend of Damian’s, and quite skilled with a grappling hook. Tim had mentioned her before, so Duke wasn’t surprised.) managed to get dozens of manikins - those hyper mobile ones that you can personalise their positions - and spread them out across the cave.  And not just that, they had managed to stylize them after each member of the family.
The manikins also seemed to be moving around at preset speeds, through some mysterious robotic means (Duke mentally thanked the stars that Bruce didn’t bat an eye at someone purchasing thirty roombas with his credit card.).
The first manikin, the one that caught everyone’s eye, was clearly meant to represent Stephanie. It was doused in complete purple, the exact shade of her suit and automated to throw the glitter bombs stored in a sack by its side at seemingly everything - though apparently mainly at the nearest authority figure.
Said authority figure was obviously Bruce, who was moving slowly in wide arcs around the chaos. It was wearing one of those ghost costumes, (you know the ones with just a sheet and cut out holes? Yeah, that’s Bruce.) except with a black sheet. And two plastic forks taped to either side of the head to imitate Bat ears. Though by this point it was also covered in purple glitter, thanks to Steph.
Somehow, the figure right next to Bruce was completely untouched by the purple sparkles, despite wearing the exact same outfit as Bruce’s manikin, plastic forks and all. (Although to be fair, this one was significantly shorter.) Though this mystery could easily be solved by the fact that it was Cass. Well, that explains pretty much everything, actually.
Nearest to Bruce and his mini-me at that point in the rotation was a toddler sized, bright green manikin that represented none other than the current Robin. And if that weren’t enough, think of Edward Scissor Hands. Now imagine those knives and blades and such taped over the whole body. Now you have an accurate picture of Damian Wayne in Manikin form. Honestly, it wasn’t that far off.
Humans weren’t the only things replaced in the Cave, as just by Damian were little dog, cat, and cow statues. And a giant bat stuffie colored red.
Bruce’s manikin had to stop it’s wide arc and jerk suddenly to the side to avoid the next member of the family. Tim Drake’s stand-in was barely visible underneath the six foot tall pile of bulk coffee bean bags stacked around it.
Right behind Tim was a large manikin painted blood red, wearing a faux pink leather jacket with sparkles and rhinestones glued it. It looked like it was meant for a six year old girl. What didn’t look like it was meant for a child, though, were the strips of ammunition draped across its shoulders like a fancy scarf. The look was completed by a large red bucket dumped haphazardly over the head of the manikin.
To the side of the Cave, just barely out of the war path that was The Red Bucket, was something different. Instead of a manikin like you would find in the clothing store, a halloween decoration was set up. And not just any decoration: A life-sized recreation of Dracula that looked so cheap, it was probably bought at Party City for ten bucks. (Hey, it was on sale! Duke wasn’t one to ignore such a spectacular bargain!). The only thing customized about it was the cheap, long, cherry red wig perched precariously on its head. Hey, everyone always said Kate looked an awful lot like a vampire!
The simplest manikin was somehow one of the most recognizable. Painted plain white, it was mostly unadorned with the exception of “007” painted across the chest in big, black, block letters. Now who could that be? It wasn’t like the Bats casually knew a british spy.
But all of that is fairly sane, compared to the … others.
In one corner of the room, a manikin was on fire. Completely on fire. The blaze was huge. Somehow, the manikin itself wasn’t on fire, though. One got the impression that it was supposed to be reminiscent of the burning bush story, or perhaps a phoenix. Ha, phoenix. Flamebird. Duke hoped he wasn’t the only one who found that funny.
Dick’s was on a complicated zip line pulley type system thingy. It was upside down and twisted into a pretzel for a bit, then it reached a checkpoint and was replaced by a new “Dick” in a different position. It looks like Dick’s doing mid air acrobatics. Oh, and he’s wearing a crop top that said “I’m A Dick.”
There was yet another all-green manikin seated on a hover chair that looked suspiciously like alien tech taken from the Watchtower. There was a face drawn on, and it was emulating the Oracle Symbol.
Hidden amongst the shadows in the corner was another manikin, barely within sight. It was resting luxuriously in a clawfoot bathtub, which was filled with jewels of all kinds. Upon its shoulders were multiple cat stuffed animals.
Everyone was suddenly shaken out of their stunned staring when the Cave’s sound system flared up, blasting dramatic choral music. It was the perfect track for the perfect moment, building up tension to an uproar as the lights dimmed slightly, and all attention was brought on the crackling of lightning arcing across a new figure, who was rounding the bend.
Duke grinned at his crowning achievement, the one that is easily the most terrifying. The one that is undoubtedly the Taser Girl herself: Harper Row.
What made this one different? Well, that’s because Harper was not, in fact, a manikin. Instead, the figure was not unlike a stick figure made completely out of metal pipes. The bottom was attached to an encased roomba which was currently going in wide, swooping arcs. The arms are raised triumphantly overhead. (Duke may or may not have spent three hours in front of the Hellmo meme, making sure that it was perfect). And, of course, it was conducting bright blue crackling electricity. (Duke had gotten the idea from one of those science experiment things that is made of lightning, and will every so often shoot a bolt and light something on fire. Minus the fire part. He didn’t have a death wish .)
It was just then that some lightning arced out and set an extra manikin that had been lying about on fire.
Duke cringed internally, but his mood wasn’t dampened for long. He took one look at the other Bats present, and muffled a snort of amusement. They were positively shocked - even Babs! That in and of itself was an utter victory for Duke. It got even better when they slowly separated and began to wander the Cave in wonder and horror. Duke split off as well, and hid behind the Dinosaur.
He almost tripped, however, on one of the babies. Yeah, Babies. Around the legs of the dinosaur, on their own roombas, were inflatable versions of the giant T-Rex. Somehow (maaaaybe with a touch of fiddling with controls), they were even faster than the moving people. They were zipping around and crashing into each other. When Duke hit one, though, it activated a system he had put in place which suddenly unleashed a gigantic roar throughout the Cave via the soundsystem.
The Dinosaurs weren’t the only extra addition to the native wildlife, though. Bats, hundreds of them, were replaced with stuffed animal versions of themselves, and painstakingly hung from string to the stalactites at the top of the cave, like a giant mobile.
Duke peaked out from the side of the wide space where he had been inspecting his own work to gage the situation with the other members of his family. The shock seemed to have worn off by that point, replaced with mixed reactions. Bruce was growing increasingly frustrated, Babs was trying not to laugh, and Damian was secretly pleased, enjoying the look on his father’s face.
Duke chuckled to himself as he went back to looking around in the nooks and crannies where smaller details - like the glow sticks representing glow worms - are set up. He had to admit, when he had set all of this up in two-days-without-sleep haze, he hadn’t actually been sure if it actually looked good. Two minutes later, and Duke was absolutely sure that this was in the top fifteen best Bat-Pranks, He’d have to petition for it to be added at the next meeting.
A sudden clamor came from the Batcomputer, and Duke grinned before practically skipping over to see what was the matter. This will be fun, he thought.
Upon his arrival, he knew it was true.
“Holy shit!” He crowed joyfully upon catching sight of the one manikin that had been missing earlier: his own.
Duke’s manikin was draped in gold curtains - clearly from the South Wing’s Music Room - to look like a toga, and sitting on a throne. Literally. (Bruce just had one lying about in the Attic) The throne rested on a huge platform covered in jewels (also taken from the treasure chest in the Attic). A light setup in the crannies of the Cave’s ceiling shot out beams of ‘disco’ light. Thin black vales hang from the ceiling to give the ominous feel of shadows. And, in case there was any confusion, a golden plaque rests at the base, and is engraved with the words “The Duke of Gotham. Bow Before Your Ruler.”
It’s beautiful, Duke thought ecstatically, so much better than I could have ever dreamed!
He promptly burst into laughter.
Bruce growled in frustration. “This is not funny, Duke.”
“I dunno, B,” Duke shrugged, “I sure think it is!”
“It is not. This is a defacement of the cave, plain and simple. And a poor use of resources to boot. This space is supposed to be efficient, a place that aids in the mission - and are those my Great Aunt Matilda’s emeralds?”
Duke shrugged again as Bruce was set off onto an even longer rant about wasting everyone’s time and abilities since they were going to have to clean it all up. Duke was mostly tuning Bruce out by that point.
“-if you are being flattered by the prankster, that is a clear sign of them trying to get you on their side.”
Duke froze and did a double take. “I’m sorry, what?”
“I didn’t train you to be so easily manipulated.”
Duke coughed. “Uh, I think you got this mixed up, B. See that? That’s me on the throne. Clearly this whole prank was organized by me.”
Bruce stared at Duke for a solid three seconds. Babs was covering her mouth to avoid a giggling fit, or maybe just out of shock. Damian was frowning at Duke.
Bruce’s right eye twitched. “Duke, no need to be sarcastic.”
Duke opened his mouth to argue some more, to explain just how wrong Bruce was, when said Dark Knight whipped around and stalked towards the elevator. He froze, though, when he stepped in front of Damian.
There wasn’t even a moment's pause before Bruce was glaring down at his youngest son with resigned, tired eyes. “Damian, how many times have I told you that more knives are not better? You gave yourself away.”
Damian screeched in indignation, and raced to follow Bruce out, demanding for Bruce to see reason.
“Father, you are being ridiculous!”
But his cries were quickly silenced by the closing of the elevator doors, leaving just Duke and Barbara in the Bat Cave.
Babs pivoted to look to Duke and shrugged. “Sorry kid, but he’s just stubborn.”
Duke blinked in confusion as she wheeled away. Had she always known? Scratch that - she was Oracle. Of course Barbara knew.
Duke collapsed at the foot of his throne, and put his head in his hands. Next time, he promised himself, no one else is gonna be there. No one else can take the credit.
*****
“He’s really trying, isn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“Well, this will be fun to watch.”
“Yes.”
“Should we just tell Bruce and be over with it?”
“…”
“Yes, you’re right Cass. We wait and watch.”
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ampleappleamble · 3 years
Text
lmao how/why am i actually still writing this y'all???? anyway, here's the first finished portion of my new Pillars WIP, working title: God's Children Bathe Free. It's gonna be a one-chapter wonder about an old man takin' a bath and having Feelings about it ♡
It was the third Rytlingsdag of the month.
Having been raised in a land of sub-freezing temperatures and a culture that regarded him as more holy symbol than flesh-and-blood man, Vatnir had only ever rarely found himself in the company of the underdressed. Communal bathing was commonplace in many clans to conserve the energy needed to heat bathwater, but bathing alongside ordinary clanmates wasn't an activity befitting the progeny of a god, apparently, so Vatnir had always been obliged to wash by himself, when he bothered at all. (This was all due to piety, of course. Nothing at all to do with how he looked, how he smelled.) And for a brother or sister of the clan to attempt to initiate any kind of inappropriate intimacy with the High Harbinger, to open their robes to him– why, that was unheard of, a perverted act of unforgivable blasphemy. So while he had gotten glimpses here and there over the decades of kith with their chests bared or their trousers around their knees– Hel, back when he'd still had lips, a drunken reveler had even kissed him once, full on the mouth, during a festival– the priest could honestly say he'd seen more dead people in his life than he had naked people.
So to say that his first evening in Neketaka was a bit of shock to him would be somewhat of an understatement.
"Because it's the third Rytlingsdag of the month." That's all she'd said when he'd asked the Duskspeaker why they were here, in this too-crowded, too-loud, too-bright street in the middle of this twisted pile of a city. Though the sun was setting, the streets of Periki's Overlook were more than adequately illuminated by arcane torches, their eerie blue light glinting off of the glittering cobblestone. Vatnir winced against the unnatural glare as he tried to avert his gaze from the unsettling amount of bare skin around him, and he muttered softly to himself, pondering the uncharacteristically cryptic response the little Watcher had given him. What did the day of the month have to do with dragging him up a crowded, noisy mountain, being shamelessly gawked at by barely-dressed socialites?
"You haven't figured it out yet?" The air suddenly tasted strongly of the sea, and Vatnir turned his head to find Tekēhu looming over his shoulder, that seemingly permanent sensual grin still chiseled into his perfect face. "I say, you are a rare one, friend Vatnir. I almost envy you, your innocence..."
"Don't tease him, Tekēhu." Pallegina's voice had an edge to it– more than usual, even– but Vatnir still spotted a tiny smile playing on the feathered woman's lips. Until she addressed him, of course, and her typical cool scowl returned. "We are heading for the Luminous Bathhouse, priest. The proprietor offers use of the facilities free of charge to all Godlike patrons after sunset on the third Rytlingsdag of every calendar month."
Tekēhu laughed and his hand fell heavily on Vatnir's shoulder, his knobbly knees knocking together under the blow. "Ekera, just so! And he has done so every month for at least as long as I have been in the city, if not longer. A truly magnanimous soul, my heavenly half-brother Ganor. And a wise leader our little Watcher is, to take advantage of such a generous deal!" His sharp, white smile gleamed in the arcane lamplight, and the sickly little elf winced.
The bathhouse. They were going to the bathhouse, ostensibly for a bath. And...
"And... the Duskspeaker expects me to go in there?" Vatnir's near-constant trembling intensified for a moment as he considered the implications. Oh, gods, was he actually going to have to disrobe in public, in front of everyone? In front of the Watcher and her little wizard boyfriend and that horrid animancer woman? ...And was everyone else going to...?
Tekēhu blinked at the horned man, oblivious. "Well... ekera, yes, of course. The baths have no entry fee for Godlikes this evening, we are Godlikes–"
"–and the Watcher likes to take good care of her crew," Pallegina finished for him, slowing her pace to match Vatnir's. She craned her neck to gaze into his face, a spark of concern in her golden eyes. "...Although she would understand, I think, if you'd rather not participate."
"Don't get my hopes up, serra, please," Ydwin sighed as she strolled quickly past the little cluster of Godlikes, and Vatnir shot her a vicious glare that she did not notice at all. Tíkka.
Tekēhu actually gasped, and Vatnir found himself tolerating the man's gigantic, clammy hands on his shoulders yet again. "Not participate? Oh, my dear lady knight, you mustn't suggest such wicked ideas to one who has never experienced the pleasures of the Luminous Bathhouse before! Especially on this day of all days! To allow this poor, pitiable man to pass up the opportunity to luxuriate in those magical waters and not pay a pand for the privilege– it's a crime, I say, and one that I simply cannot condone." He squeezed the priest's shoulders to emphasize his feelings on the matter, and Vatnir grunted in annoyance, wriggling angrily out of the well-meaning fishman's grip. Tekēhu looked positively wounded.
"You will go to the bathhouse with us, won't you?" The watershaper's wet, black eyes fixed themselves on Vatnir, shining opalescent in the streetlights. "You must!"
"Unless you would prefer not to," Pallegina insisted, shooting the tentacle-headed man a look halfway between warning and plea, before turning her attention back to Vatnir, that same concern from before still gleaming in her keen eyes. "You seem to be a bit... overwhelmed by the city. If the bathhouse seems like it might be too much for you, there is no shame in admitting that. But ultimately, the choice is yours to make."
It took the priest a moment to realize that the other two had stopped talking and were staring at him, waiting for him to make up his mind now that his options had been presented. His eyes darted quickly between the other two Godlikes– Tekēhu, making sad eyes at him like an orphaned seal pup, and Pallegina, her cool aloofness only slightly betrayed by one feathered eyebrow cocked ever-so-slightly higher than the other.
And then he looked past them to the fore of their little group, at the Duskspeaker marching confidently up the hill, her broad hips swaying alluringly beneath her bountiful burgundy curls. At Aloth next to her, the muscles in his shoulders and neck taut and firm beneath his smooth, flawless skin. ...At that hairy blue gremlin of a pirate, practically hanging from Ydwin's elbow, cracking wise and peeking back over his shoulder to point and smirk at Vatnir. At Ydwin, responding with yet another infuriating snicker that came, no doubt, at his expense. Vatnir glared petulantly back down at his feet, embarrassed and angry and conflicted.
If I go in there, they'll– everyone in there will see me, look at me. At my ruined body, my horns, what remains of my face. He could already picture the disgust on the other bathers' faces, hear the jeers and exaggerated retching that often accompanied his appearance in a public place. Not that others' opinions of his body had ever really mattered to him before, but it hit a little differently without his High Harbinger clout to protect him. And I'll see them, too. All of them, with... everything that implies. He stole another glimpse at the Watcher's curves, her full, round behind wiggling as she walked– and he instantly regretted it, guilt and shame bubbling up in his gullet like bile.
But... it'll feel nice, at least, the bath will. Probably. And all the other Godlikes there will surely divert some of the attention from me, at least insofar as providing a bunch of other strange bodies for the nosy fools to gawp at. And even if I do have to suffer the indignity of being stared at and mocked, they'll have to endure the experience of perceiving me, too. Hel, it might be worth it to attend just to spoil Ydwin's evening... He pictured the haughty little shrew gathering her things and storming off in a huff, her precious bath ruined by his mere presence, and his lipless mouth twitched into a mangled grin.
"Oh, I..." he sighed, picking absently at a scab, "I could join in just this one time, I suppose. If, as you say, I must." He rolled his eyes back up to meet Tekēhu's, just in time for the giant to pull him close with one arm, crushing the frail priest against his moist, briney torso in an overly energetic side hug.
"Marvelous!" he cried merrily as he lifted the poor man off his feet. "My friend, you won't regret this. I'll make certain of it!"
"Di verus, I think he might regret it a bit already," Pallegina chuckled as she picked up her pace again, the matter settled at last. "Do put him down before you hurt him, aimico."
"Too late," Vatnir gurgled, writhing miserably in the aumaua's grip. This was going to be a difficult evening.
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tex-treasures · 3 years
Text
Hogwarts Professors au
About: Tex and Sherlock sibling bonding time! Complete with nerding out and staying safe in the sun!
I just really love my eggheaded brother so much; this au is a fun Hogwarts professors au where I’m the caretaker / professor of magical beasts, Sherlock is the potions professor, Moriarty is in charge of Defense Against the Dark Arts, and John is head Mediwizard at the school.
On an exceptionally hot day in early May as a Quidditch game unfurled over at the school stadium, Tex and Sherlock stood in front of the Black Lake, Sherlock in blue swim trunks holding an enchanted pad and pencil (Tex's transfigured work) charmed to work underwater (a combined effort between the two). Tex sported a lean black bathing suit, hair in a French braid after a quick tap of her wand to the crown of her head.
Tex squinted up at the sky, taking note of the sparse clouds and glanced over at Sherlock, assessing him for a moment. She nodded to herself and proceeded to dig into her beach tote bag before procuring a bottle of sunblock.
"Alright gringo, c'mere." She said, opening the bottle with a swipe of her thumb, "cain't let you get sunburnt or Mycroft'll get angry with me."
"He's all the way in London," Sherlock scoffed, "how's he going to find out?"
She fiddled with her hands, grinning. "Because, he's gon' Floo me at some point soon enough and I'm gon have to tell him if you end up lobster red-"
Sherlock glanced up and frowned at the sun peaking through a thin strip of cloud. "Bet you love the fact you've all the melanin in the family, the sun doesn't hate you."
She glared playfully at him, "It's only fair! Y'all ended up hogging the height genes!"
He laughed and shuffled over, smearing the UV protection onto his face and across his chest as she got his back and shoulders. Once he was done, he turned around and helped her.
Now protected, the two walked down to the shore. Tex stuck her toe in, sighing in relief as the cool water welcomed her, the stifling muggy air releasing it's grip as she walked in. She felt goosebumps breaking out on her arms and giggled to herself as Sherlock scowled his way in to join her.
"Alright, are you ready for trial one?" Sherlock asked.
This whole experiment had been her idea, having spent time in her early twenties getting a open-water diving license. She had used NoMaj equipment for years and wondered if a Bubble-Head Charm could compete with a tank of air. Having come to Hogwarts to teach Care of Magical creatures, she had to leave her gear at home and figured this was the next best thing--- or maybe it would prove to be better.
Before they waded in deeper, Tex had Sherlock help her set up a wide protective bubble to block any curious merpeople from stumbling into their experiment, let alone any particularly vicious grindylow.
"How deep do you think it is?" Sherlock asked.
Tex hummed, staring out into the darker and deeper parts of the lake. "I know for a fact it houses a gosh dang Great Squid," she said matter of factly, having seen it exactly once before when she was an exchange student. Her NoMaj studies swelled forward to the forefront of her mind like the oncoming tide as she continued, "and those frickers generally live at depths of about..."
She paused, doing mental math before blurting, "300 to 600 meters? So it would have to accommodate- and since there's so many magical creatures here, the lake itself is imbued with magic too- I don't doubt that there's plenty of space for this creature and its mate to live comfortably."
Sherlock hummed thoughtfully at this, "Well, the protective border is firm. Would you like to go through the signs once again?"
Tex nodded and they spent a minute reviewing the diving signals- "ok", "let's ascend", "stop". Tex paused, nerves welling up as she stared down at her wand. Sherlock watched her for a moment before laying what he hoped was a reassuring hand on her shoulder and squeezed.
"I'm not sure on the visibility," she said quietly to herself, "hopefully we get at least 10 feet."
"I'll be right here." He said, hand reaching into his pocket to retrieve some gillyweed he'd harvested for this specific occasion. She nodded and watched him swallow it, stifling a laugh as he struggled to keep his face neutral from the unpleasant texture and taste.
Once he seemed ready, she casted the Bubble-Head Charm on herself before adding a warming Charm to them both and she dove in, grateful for the dive belt with weights inside already to counteract the air of the charm and her own natural buoyancy as she dove down until her dive watch told her they were about fifteen feet, a perfect depth to explore but capable of ascending quickly if need be. She then gave Sherlock the time and depth numbers via hand gestures.
She breathed slowly and fully, eyes locked on Sherlock as he breathed freely, gill slits flapping gently as his newly acquired breathing apparatus began to work for him. Even looking at him brought questions to her mind but there was no time for that now. Perhaps another time.
They looked around and relief flooded her- the warming charms were working nicely, because otherwise they really would've needed a wet suit at least, and secondly, the visibility seemed kind- she could see what she supposed was about 20 feet out, enough to see the some merpeople watch them curiously from the other side of their self-made barrier.
She signaled him that she was "ok" and he returned the gesture before she gestured for him to follow her. He did as he was told, and she lead him around inside their border, pointing excitingly to a school of brown trout as it passed through the protection barrier on the northernmost side. As they swam, Tex checked Sherlock's location often, admiring his magically manufactured flippers and her own NoMaj made ones. He took to swimming well... Swimmingly.
The Bubble-Head Charm was working splendidly, and she couldn't help but feel her theory was right-- 'Magic, blessed magic', she thought as Sherlock drew her attention to an otter, pointing excitedly at it and smiling to her. Seeing him excited fueled her own excitement- when was the last time they were able to just hang out like this?
She hadn't been diving in a couple months, and it felt wonderful to get in the water and feel weightless, be in a world that she (admittedly wouldn't confess to anyone) felt more comfortable in. The freshwater fish eyed them lazily, some even coming to investigate them as the two hovered and looked around once they finished recording for their first dive.
She kept her eyes on the clock, aware Sherlock's gillyweed only lasting an hour and once they hit the 45 minute mark, she signaled Sherlock to ascend with her. They did so slowly, and within eight feet Sherlock's gills began to disappear. Tex quickly and silently casted a Bubble-Head Charm on him and in turn, he shot her a grateful look. Once they surfaced, their bubbles popped and the two swam back to shore.
Sherlock perched himself on a rock before scooching over to let her sit next to him. He cast a Drying spell on both of them before sharing the notepad and his scrawl listing the depth and time.
"So while I was down there, I think it confirmed my theory," Tex said, "the charm was working in a molecular level, filtering the oxygen in the surrounding water through osmosis and then using reverse osmosis-"
"To expel the carbon dioxide," Sherlock interjected, watching her dark eyes light up and feeling his own do the same, "that makes sense-- carbon dioxide is heavier, so-"
"The real question is just how long it will continue to do so," Tex continued, leg bouncing, "which really-"
"-could quite possibly continue infinitely if the user has enough energy to keep it casted." Sherlock finished, grinning and shaking his head.
"This could be big news!" Tex exclaimed, "In the NoMaj world, we've underwater engineers, biology researchers-- if the extent of this could be explored, it could open up more job opportunities for wizards and witches- of course they would still need to keep using diving buddies, but seriously-"
Sherlock's stomach cut in, letting out a low and long rumbling growl and both science geeks startled at the sound. Tex laughed heartily, "Okay, okay, I get it. Food. We'll discuss this more over lunch. You think the game is over yet?"
Sherlock looked out towards the quidditch pitch and shrugged, "Who knows," he said as they began to gather their things and head back to her shack, "if not, do you want to go join the others after we eat?"
"Sure thing, Sherly."
They walked in companionable silence for the most part, the roar of the quidditch spectators carrying over in the wind. Once they reached Tex's shack she opened it and allowed Sherlock in, earning them both curious chirps and squaking from her Occamy Quetzal, seven feet now and taking up the entire sofa like a lazy king.
Once Sherlock exited the bathroom, he waited out in the living room for her to re-enter from her bedroom, taking the time time idly examine her possessions. He spotted a mix of Muggle and magical picture frames of family and friends (one of which was of him, Mycroft, and Tex). Masks from different countries adorned the walls, bookshelves lined with both Muggle and magical fiction and nonfiction text books. When they were in school together, as brief a time that was, Tex didn't seem well adjusted to being of both worlds, too self-conscious of her background.
Clearly, time had been kind to her and allowed her to own her duel heritage and not a little pride swelled up in his chest for her. With nothing to do but wait, he watched Quetzal as the feathered serpent drew close but not close enough to reach out to- not like Sherlock would, he wasn't stupid; he'd seen what that beak could do. Quetzal eyed him curiously, cocking his head up to peer at him.
"You don't say?" Sherlock murmured to him.
Quetzal chirruped.
"Fascinating."
As soon as Tex came back out and joined him, Quetzal shrunk and flew to her, wrapping himself around her neck with a stubborn hiss when she tried to put him back down.
"Alright Q, but it's going to be noisy." She said, stroking his now small head.
Quetzal purred.
Sherlock raised a brow at him. "Looks like he's staying."
"Yeah," she said, taking a second to grab the black fanny pack hanging by the door before snapping it around her waist. Quetzal let out an excited squak once it was situated and dove into the bag in a streak of turquoise and purple.
"Did you Extend that yourself?" Sherlock asked, nodding to the accessory.
Tex smiled, pleased. "I did, yessir. Found it made carrying Q much easier-"
"You spoil him." Sherlock teased.
"I spoil all my critters." She corrected playfully as she followed him out and locked the door behind them, "I'm surprised he wants to join; he hates noisy places just as much as me but at least this way he can at least hide from all the noise when it gets to be too much."
"Perhaps I'll make a backpack and Extend it for you too one day," Sherlock offered jokingly.
She snorted "Maybe I'll take you up on that if you swear not to dump me somewhere."
Sherlock laughed, "I make no promises."
Once they were finished eating (Quetzal included), they headed over and settled in the faculty section of the quidditch pitch, John greeted them excitedly, pointing at the scoreboard reading "Hufflepuff: 70, Gryffindor: 40". Sherlock smiled at his joy, feeling his own chest warm at the sight before settling next to him as Tex flanked his other side between John and Jim.
Quetzal poked his head out for a minute, catching Jim's attention. The creature hissed at the Slytherin graduate as the man looked at him, somewhat surprised, before slipping down into the fanny pack and disappeared completely.
Jim pouted before pointing at the fanny pack. "He still doesn't like me."
Sherlock opened his mouth to make a snide comment but closed it as Tex laughed and patted Jim's shoulder, "Don't take it too hard; Quetzal doesn't like anyone-"
"Well he tolerates me-" Sherlock drawled, smirking as Jim shot him a dirty look. Jim raised a brow and casually bumped shoulders with Tex, leaning in to her space to talk as the crowd once again quieted.
"So, how'd the dive go?" Jim asked, ignoring Sherlock's overprotective glaring. John turned his attention to Sherlock and Tex then, his blue eyes twinkling with curiosity.
"Fantastic!" Tex exclaimed, beaming at him with a small grin as she fidgeted with her hands, "We'll tell y'all all about it after the game, right Sherlock?"
Sherlock eyed Jim over the back of Tex's head. She would've noticed, if she wasn't busy admiring Jim's hands tapping on his thigh, wanting to hold it. Sherlock pitied her- he'd rather play Marco bloody Polo with the vicious grindylows than sit at a table with Moriarty, pretending to be civil with each other. Jim winked at him, smirking knowingly, almost challenging him with the way he didn't break eye contact.
Sherlock hated that smile, hated what he was saying by the mere flash of his canines.
'Can't play nice with me for fifteen minutes, Holmesie?' it said, 'You can't do it, not even for your sister, can you? Well I can. Pathetic, aren't you?'
Sherlock rolled his eyes at him, done with the nonverbal taunts, "Oh, I suppose we can."
John nodded, oblivious to their exchange, his eyes already drawn back to the game, "Excited to hear about it, mate."
Sherlock preened a little before catching Tex's eye, the two of them sharing a smile over their favorite Blondie as Jim pressed a little closer into Tex's side.
(✨okay to reblog✨)
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purple-cat-demon · 4 years
Text
Sweet Sensuality
For Voltage-Vixen's Summer of Smut Writing Challenge: Sharing S'mores
Pairing: Gavin x Hazel
Genre: smut 18+
Tags: food play, oral (male receiving), vaginal sex, unprotected sex (they're married).
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“Microwaving S’mores? That’s a thing?" Gavin gave his wife a skeptical look. The way he knew how to make s’mores involved sticks and a campfire. Hazel just beamed at him, while holding the bag of marshmallows.
“It is when you don’t have access to actual fire, although you don’t get that crispy outside for the marshmallow,” her voice trailed off a little, “but they’re still good and messy!” 
Gavin cocked an eyebrow at her, he was still not convinced.
The s’mores supplies were laid out on the kitchen counter: graham crackers, marshmallows, chocolate bars and two paper plates. Gavin watched as Hazel put the first set of graham crackers on one paper plate. She then grabbed the chocolate bar and broke it into four pieces, laying them on top of the graham crackers. Next came the marshmallows, two a piece on each set of crackers. Gavin moved out of the way of the microwave as she reached for the handle. In they went and in twenty seconds, they were done. She put the second set of crackers on top and pressed down, causing the  marshmallows and chocolate to ooze out the sides. She held out the plate to Gavin, and he went to take one off the plate but Hazel stopped him.
“I suggest you take the plate, these are very messy. I’ll get you a wet paper towel as well~”
He took her advice, which was good that he did, because when he bit into the s’more, it oozed melted chocolate onto the plate. Marshmallow that was stuck to the plate, stretched in sticky webs, causing it to stay on Gavin’s fingers. His wife handed him the wet paper towel.
“That was a good idea,” he said as he wiped his fingers clean of the sticky treat.
“Well, what do you think of microwaveable s’mores?”
“Hmm, not bad, but it’s not the same.”
She smiled at him as she made her set of s’mores. As she was enjoying her treats, the melted marshmallow got onto her fingers. Before she could reach for the wet paper towel, Gavin grabbed her hand and licked the two sticky digits clean. She blushed a beet red.
“This way is good too~,” he said with a sly grin. She cackled at his cheesy suave attitude. Hazel then took a little bit of the melted chocolate and dabbed it on his nose. He blinked in confusion and was then yanked forward by his wife so she could kiss him on the nose and lick the chocolate off. This gave him a rather naughty idea that he would definitely try out in the very near future.
One Week Later
Now having mastered microwavable s’mores, Gavin wanted to do something more with the ooey gooey treat. The marshmallows proved to be way too messy for his plan so he stuck with just the chocolate and graham crackers.
“Honey, what’s taking you so long,” a whine came from the bedroom.
“Just a little longer…,” he called back, lightly chuckling at her impatience. He arranged the treats on a paper plate and then headed to the bedroom. Hazel was perched towards the foot of the bed, wearing nothing but a pair of bullet patterned panties (courtesy of her husband). She bounced a little when he appeared at the doorway, causing him to stop mid-step.
“Wait, do that again.”
“What? This?”
She bounced again, her boobs bouncing up and down along with her body.
“Yup, thank you~”
Hazel snorted.
“Honey, you’re such a dork…”
“Yes, but I come bearing treats,” he said as he presented the plate to his wife. She looked at it in a confused manner.
“I think you forgot something…”
“No, I have ulterior motives,” he gave a sly grin to his bewildered wife. She took one and bit into it; chocolate oozed out the sides and onto her chest.
“Ah, Honey, did you bring any paper towels?”
“Nope,” he answered as he pounced on her, hungrily lapping up the chocolate. It finally clicked in Hazel’s head what her husband was up to. She bit into the treat again, purposely letting the chocolate fall, this time a little further down to her stomach. At that point, Gavin had set the plate down on the dresser in order to pin Hazel down on the bed. He licked at the chocolate on her stomach, causing her to laugh and thrash about.
“W-wait… what… about you?”
Gavin looked up to meet her gaze.
“What do you mean?”
She sat up and pointed to the abandoned plate of treats.
“Gimme,” she said while childishly grabbing for it. He snorted and got the plate. She placed it on the nightstand before yanking her husband on the bed by his lounge pants. Hazel wriggled out from beneath him and made him flip onto his back. She went for another treat, but instead of feeding it to Gavin, she smooshed it, causing the chocolate to drip all over his chest.
“Think you can one up me on the food play,” she said while taking another bite of the treat. Her husband, momentarily caught off guard, regained his composure and snatched his wife’s wrist, pulling her toward him.
“Wait,” she told him, earning her a frustrated growl from her husband. She straddled him and bent down to lap up the chocolate. As she did so, she rolled her hips over his now present erection. He moaned at both sensations, goosebumps forming as her teeth lightly grazed his nipples. She trailed her tongue over all the spots where the chocolate had landed, stopping just above his waist band. She left the comfort of his groin area (much to Gavin’s dismay) and grabbed another treat, while yanking her panties off. Hazel repositioned herself back onto her husband but this time on his legs. She tugged his lounge pants down, letting his length spring forth. Lightly smooshing the treat, she let the chocolate drip onto his length. Gavin’s breath hitched in his dry throat as Hazel did feather light licks along his length.
‘Oh boy, I hope I’m doing this right…’ she nervously thought. She let a little bit more chocolate dribble onto the head before taking him into her mouth. The saltiness of the skin mixed with the sweet taste of the chocolate made for an interesting combination. She didn't go too deep for fear of the gag reflex; not wanting to ruin this new technique. Gavin desperately grabbed for the sheets as she swirled her tongue around him; he wasn’t quite ready for just how good that felt.
‘Hm, let me try the head bob method,’ she mentally psyched herself up; trying to remember all the pointers that Willow and Kiki had told her. As soon as she started to bob her head up and down, a guttural moan came from Gavin, startling her. She then hummed a little; quite proud of herself of how unraveled her husband was.
He twitched a little, signaling her to do one last swirl of her tongue before releasing him. An almost cry of anguish came from her husband. She sank down on his length easily and began rolling her hips as he bucked into her. With a choked cry, he found his release pretty quickly with Hazel following soon after.
Coming down from her high, she collapsed onto Gavin’s chest; his strong arms encircling her. His breathing was still heavy as he planted a kiss atop her head.
“Geez, Love, you keep surprising me with these different tactics you’re using. Fess up, who’s teaching you this? Please don’t say Minor…”
Hazel exploded into laughter.
“Oh no, no, not Minor. Poor guy got his fair share of TMI when Willow and Kiki were giving me pointers. I don’t think he'll look at bananas the same way again.”
Gavin stared blankly while taking all that in. He put his hands to his face, covering his second-hand embarrassment for his friend. 
“Oh man, poor Minor…,” he chuckled. He propped himself up on his elbows to face his lovely wife. 
“So what else have these two little pervs been teaching my not-so-innocent wife?”
Hazel giggled and put a finger to her lips.
“That, my love, is a secret~”
~~~~~~~~~
Okay, so this was my first time writing smut with a BJ involved... Nervous as hell in case y'all didn't notice in the writing. I hoped I made it believable~ 😅
@stehkotori
@voltage-vixen
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misteria247 · 3 years
Text
The meeting room was crowded with gods and goddesses of all sorts, their voices booming over one another as they fought to speak to one another. Among them sat the Trickster God himself Loki, who watched them all with a hint of annoyance as he sucked on a sucker. The meeting had been a last minute idea and every god and goddess was to attend it, leaving the poor trickster stuck with his less than friendly acquaintances. Sitting next to him was the Goddess of destruction, Kali. The young woman was glaring at her fellow immortals, looking ready to snap at them should they not get the meeting started. With only a moment to spare the meeting had finally been called to order, the room falling silent.
"I know that this meeting has been called together on short notice but I've been informed by a.....contact of mine of a situation that has occurred."
The God known as Odin spoke, his voice loud and demanding the uttermost attention. The Trickster bit back the urge to sigh while Kali scoffed a bit.
"Well pray tell what is the situation Odin? I have places to be and offerings to collect."
Another God spoke out irritated by the abrupt summons. Odin shot the god a look and was about to retort when the doors to the meeting room burst open, a fierce wind accompanying it. The room went into a dead silence as a familiar figure strolled into the room. The Trickster stiffened as his golden hues landed on the figure and he couldn't help but bite back the curse that wanted to come out. There among the immortals was none other than Death. Loki swallowed hard and the other gods and goddesses began to whisper in slight panic or fear.
"What's he doing here?"
"Has he come to slaughter us all??"
"How could Odin involve him?!?"
Voices echoed in the room. Death paid no attention to them, instead calmly making his way to Odin's side to take the stage. Death's blank stare flickered over to Loki and narrowed, his eyes holding a knowing look in them. The Trickster shivered slightly.
'He knows....oh dear Father he knows.'
The thought whispered in his mind making him sweat. To his relief the reaper didn't say anything about him but rather looked away to stare at the rest of the room.
"The situation he was addressing is one of uttermost importance. One that should it not be fixed will be disastrous to us all."
Death said his voice a raspy rattle. The room seemed to be holding its breath waiting for the reaper to continue.
"The Goddess Life has been taken from her post.....by a Winchester."
Death finished. The room erupted into chaos within moments, the voices now even louder than they were previously. The Trickster sat in his seat stunned and feeling sick to his stomach. He knew who Life was, he knew about her role from the moment of her creation. He knew about the Winchesters and what they were to bring in the future. The thought of Life being with a Winchester......
'We're so screwed.'
He thought as he realized just how bad this could get should Life continue to remain running around with one of the starters of the apocalypse.
"So what does this have to do with us??"
Kali asked knocking Loki from his thoughts to pay more attention to what was happening.
"I'm asking for your assistance. Bring me the Goddess Life, and you shall be spared from my scythe."
Death stated simply, not bothering to sugarcoat what would happen should they refuse to help him. The gods and goddesses went quiet as the threat hung in the air. After a beat of silence Odin finally spoke up.
"We will help retrieve her."
He said his voice grave and slightly rocky. At this point Loki had heard enough and with a flick of his hand he replaced himself with a clone and disappeared from the meeting. Once out of sight he snapped out his wings, the golden feathers glistening slightly before taking off into the night. He had to get to Life and the Winchester first before his fellow immortals got to them first.
'Father help me this is going to be a pain in the ass.'
~~~~~
Sam Winchester looked over towards the passenger seat an amused smile on his face while he drove through the countryside. His partner Olidia was singing to the radio, her window rolled down as she took in the fresh air. The sun shore brightly, adding a nice touch to the peaceful atmosphere in the car. The duo were heading towards a new destination, the open road stretched out in front of them.
'I've got that old time Rock and Roll~!'
Olidia sang her heart out bringing a small chuckle out of Sam. It was amusing to the witch to see the Goddess have fun. Ever since the two of them were forced to run from hunters and other creatures Olidia had been trying to experience everything she'd never got to when she'd been living in her forest. One of those experiences had been listening to music from different time periods and she'd taken quite a liking to them. The young man watched as his friend enjoyed herself, a fondness warming him. Seeing the young woman having a great time made him happy. Feeling his eyes on her Olidia flickered her dark brown eyes towards him and gave him a bright smile.
"What's up?"
She asked her voice chipper. Sam quickly shook his head a slight blush coming onto his cheeks from embarrassment at having been caught staring.
"Nothing just got lost in thought."
He responded with a smile. Olidia just gave a small nod of understanding before going back to singing her song. The hunter took a moment to spare one last look at her, noting the way the sun made her long curls glow auburn, and the freckles that decorated her pale cheeks. Her outfit which had once consisted of outdated togas and plants weaved into her hair was now nothing more but a plain t-shirt and a pair of well worn jeans and cowboy boots. Yet even with the simple new look he couldn't deny that she was beautiful. And seeing her being so bubbly and cheery made him want to protect her. Olidia was his family at this point just like Dean was and the witch would be damned if he allowed anything to happen to her and her chipper smile.
'I'll keep you safe Oli. That's a promise, even if it kills me you'll be safe.'
He'd keep her safe, just as she'd done for him. She was his family after all, and he loved her just as much as she loved him. As Sam's eyes flickered back to the road he failed to notice that Olidia looked back at him, taking him in. The goddess noticed how messy his long brown hair was from the wind and the way the sun made his eyes light up in their hazel glory. Sam looked like the perfect picture of happiness and it made her heart soar in joy. Just like Sam, seeing the hunter looking at peace made Olidia just as happy if not even more so. It wasn't often that the witch was so at peace. Between trying to get John off of their trail and the hunts he still went on with her assistance, the young man had barely anytime to truly relax and enjoy the world around him. Which was why Olidia had made it her personal mission to give Sam as many happy moments as he'd given her.
From the moment Olidia had met the kind hearted Winchester, he'd made her happy. Sam had opened up a doorway to a whole new world of possibilities that she never dreamed of having. All of her life she'd known nothing but her forest and Death who came to visit occasionally. She never knew anything else other than the sheltered life she'd lived. Up until she'd met Sam and started to teach him in the ways of nature and magic, Olidia had never realized how truly alone she'd felt. The isolation of being in her home, the longing to be apart of the world that she helped keep alive. It was unbearable, the emotions she'd buried for so long coming back to the surface. Then Sam appeared, in all of his awkward tall glory. A man who just like her felt isolated and longed for something more than what he had. For the first time in her long life Olidia felt like she belonged somewhere. No longer was she the only one who didn't belong, but rather she'd found her place and it was at the side of Sam Winchester.
'I wonder if you truly realize how much you changed my life. How much you made my long existence finally feel like it's worth it.'
She thought quietly as she turned her gaze back outside to watch the world pass her by. Olidia would do anything to help Sam and keep him happy. He was her best friend and her family. Smiling softly to herself she began to sing to the next song, only this time Sam's voice joined hers making her small smile bloom.
'I'll do everything I can to keep that smile on your face Sam. I'll have your back and keep you safe just as you've done for me, I swear it.'
With that promise locked away into her heart as well as the promise locked away in Sam's own, the two continued onwards towards their destination, unaware of the plans that was in store for them.
*I honestly don't even know. Okay so I've grown to really like this concept and I've been dying to do some writing practice because I've got literally things mentally planned out somewhat for my two Azul x Reader series and my two Malleus x Reader series however I've been having trouble figuring out how to make it make sense if you catch my drift. So I decided to just go with this and get some practice in so I can actually get my brain cell to cooperate with me shdhdhfhh. Anyways y'all probably know who the lovely gentleman in the beginning was lmfao. Anyways if any y'all read this I hope you enjoyed it!*
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catboysimulator · 3 years
Text
Story Four - The Matron’s Honor
Moons have gone by ever since Azhi'li has left Ul'dah; has left his old life behind. It is now the autumnal season, yet there is not much of a change in the desert, just some nippier nights... but there sure has been a change within the Sankres.
Ever since Azhi'li's arrival, the leaders as well as the elders have already been in the talks about a coming of age rite. There are children on the cusp of being ready for the rite; the Matron's Honor, and have been in preparation for it all year. The elders and handlers were prepared for the children they knew of, but certainly didn't expect one of them to be returning after twenty-four summers.
Azhi'li had no idea as to what was being spoken about amongst the three groups, until one evening when he was approached by G'sena. 
"Mijo, I know you haven't been here for very long, but... Your cousin, uncle, the elders, handlers, and I have been talking to each other about a coming of age rite ceremony for you."
Hearing his uncle, Azhi'li blinked owlishly before lifting his head from his bowl with his cheeks stuffed with caldo.
"-- hmpf?"
"You do not have to do it if you do not wish! But, we were just thinking...if you would like to do it, you have the option."
Swallowing down his caldo, he continues to stare at Sena silently before looking down at his bowl.
"... Really? Do-- y'all want me to?"
"Only if you do, mijo. We would never force you, but if you wish to do it, we would be thrilled."
Contemplating, the red Seeker rubs his thumbs along the rim of the ceramic bowl, before giving small nods and a smile, looking back up at his uncle.
"... Yeah. I think I would like to do that, tio."
With a brilliant grin, Sena would laugh and cheer happily, moving over to Azhi'li and ruffling his hair with a hug. "Andale, mijo, that's what I love to hear! We will prepare everything for you as well, then."
"When is it going t'be?"
"Within three sennights."
"O-oh. Uh. What do I have t'do?"
"You don't have to do anything until it gets closer to that time. Four days before the rite, you will be taken to the fledgelings where you will spend three days and nights in their nest, preening their feathers and familiarizing yourself with them. This will give them the chance to also learn about you. On the fourth day, you will climb your way up to Azeyma's Watch where you will meet Rahja, the matron. We will inform you on what needs to be done when that time comes, but for now, relax and wait for the day. Prepare yourself mentally, if you'd like, but I am confident you will do well, sobrino," he encourages with a smile, petting Azhi'li's head.
"And, when that time comes and all has gone well...you will come back down, and be able to fully take on your birth name-- if you wish to.  We call you that now, or at least I do, but if you are willing to take on the name, then everyone will happily call you Dhezi. It is your choice," he mentions, though his expression was almost-- pleading?
Azhi'li blinks a bit before his ears lower, giving his uncle a gentle half-smile. "I'll think ‘bout it, tio."
At that, Sena takes in a breath but continues to smile, nodding and pressing his forehead to his nephew’s. "Alright, sobrino. Whatever you decide, we will respect your decision. Now, I shall leave you to your devices, I have to leave for a few suns and visit the surrounding tribes."
"Okay, tio. I'll see you later, aye?"
"Of course."
He presses a kiss to the crown of his nephew's head before patting his shoulder, slinging a bag over his shoulder and passing through the tapestry of their home.
-------------------------
As the suns passed, Azhi'li had come to learn more and more about the Matron's Honor. It is when the matron griffin fully recognizes someone into the tribe for the rest of their life. It is usually done for children, yet also those who have later joined the tribe as refugees. Even if someone were to leave the tribe after their rite, they would still be able to call the Sankres their home and return whenever they wish. 
Yet, apparently, the matron didn't always recognize someone into the tribe. Whether it is because the person has hidden intentions, or they are simply not ready. This does not mean the end-all of everything, but that the person needs more time to figure things out for themselves, or have help from the Sankres.
This made Azhi'li quite nervous; the possibility of not being recognized. He understands that it's not a permanent thing and that he might need time, but... He also understands the history of his father. Of what his sire did and the damage he has done to the tribe, before Sena took care of him and took over leadership. 
What if his sire's reputation follows him, and the matron sees something in him that he is not aware of? To an outsider, it may seem absolutely ridiculous for a griffin to be the judge of one's worth, yet it is something that the Sankres have relied on, and they have not been led astray. Even Nhogu was not immediately acknowledged by the matron at that time, for she saw something. Yet, he was then recognized after a few more attempts.
Azhi'li knows he has no underlying motives! He never came to the tribe with any, but he's scared anyway! In hindsight, it's such a silly thing, and he knows... yet he was still filled with paranoia nonetheless.
With each passing day that came closer to the rite, his paranoia was more and more apparent. Tani saw this and huffed, yoinking her cousin by his shoulders and rattling him. "Stop it. You are psychin' yerself out fer no reason, an' I know y'know that," he states, firmly. 
"But, what if--?"
"Ah-ah-ah! Sst. Zip it. Another word outta ya 'bout this whole thing an' I'll knock ya around, got it?"
Azhi'li clamped his mouth shut at that, sighing heavily with a frown. 
Tani then squeezed his shoulders gently, affectionately; assuringly. "Primo... Do not make this situation bigger than it actually is. So what if she does not accept ya right away? You will have other chances. Plus, there is another thing y'need ta remember," they say, pressing a finger against his chest above his heart, "You are not Nhogu. You are Azhi'li Ditreinu, 'nd our G'dhezi, no matter what. Now, go on 'nd meet with th'handlers. They'll get ya all situated fer th'next three nights."
Despite Tani being brusque and a little rough around the edges, they sure do know how to help Azhi'li, and he cannot be more grateful for it. His frown would give way to a gentle smile towards the taller Seeker, nodding in response. "Alright-- Thanks, Tani."
She returns the smile, nodding and ruffling his hair. "Of course, primito. We'll see you again in a few days. Have fun!"
They shove his back, pushing him forward to send him off on his way. 
-------------------------
At the handlers, Azhi'li is then introduced to the fledgelings; Rima, Tega, and Oto. They are still young, yet are still bigger than everyone in the tribe. From what Azhi'li remembers, griffins are only native to Dravania, with some species brought over to Gyr Abania as well. To think that there are some in the Sagolii boggles his mind, especially since they are so well-trained, playing with the handlers and preening their hair affectionately.
Yet, once Azhi'li arrived, the three seemed to stop in their antics and simply stared at the Seeker. Taking a few steps towards him, they circle him while sniffing curiously, chuffing as their tails give little flicks here and there. Once they'd satiated their curiosity, they moved away from him and instead paid attention to the handlers again, while Azhi'li got himself situated on a cot near the pen, simply staring.
As the suns passed, the handlers taught Azhi'li how to preen the fledgelings, feed them, play with them, and generally get used to them. The looser the Seeker got and more relaxed, the more the three griffins did, too. Towards the end of the third night, they've gotten so comfortable with him that they curl up their massive forms near Azhi'li's legs, falling asleep before the Seeker could even slip back to his cot. It was a bit surreal, yet it filled him with a certain determination and renowned confidence. 
He went to bed feeling like he could take on the world.
At least, until he woke up. It was the fourth day, and that meant it was time to meet the Matron. Rahja.
In order to reach the Matron, the children are made to climb their way up to Azeyma's Watch on their own, without any outside assistance. One by one, they would climb the rocky mountains, and one by one they would come back down. 
Once they hear the cry of the Matron announcing her arrival, the final passage begins. The youngest child goes first, and the oldest the last. Azhi'li waited for a few hours, his heart pounding in his chest and a clammy sensation overtaking the nape of his neck. Sena, Maryn, and Tani are overlooking the process, their ceremonial feathers worn upon their heads and tagua necklaces around their necks, watching as each miqo'te makes their way up and back down, as well as taking heed of the Matron's decisions.
Soon enough, it was Azhi'li's turn. Staring up the mountain, his round ears pin back against his head. Tani whistled out for his cousin, catching the Seeker's attention as he mouths, 'Go,' offering a gentle and toothy grin.
Taking in a deep breath, the younger Seeker would nod as he began his ascent, scaling the rocks as though it were second nature. It did not take him long to reach the top, rivulets of sweat running down his forehead and chest as Azeyma beats down on his form. His breath stalls in his chest the moment he sees Rahja, her eagle eyes piercing straight into him. He feels seen; exposed, and he hasn't even approached her yet.
Gulping down the lump in his throat, he moves closer to her before doing as he was instructed to a few suns ago, raising his dirt-covered, calloused paws towards the Sun, shutting his eyes and craning his neck to bask in Her warmth. He lowers himself onto his knees afterwards, bringing himself down further into a kowtow before Rahja, pressing his forehead against the stones for a few moments before lifting himself back up to gaze at the Matron.
Rahja continues to stare down at the young Seeker before her, approaching him slowly and lowering her head down to his. Azhi'li couldn't help the vague trembling along his body, his breathing shallow and light, his eyes wide and pupils blown out into saucers. His nervousness was not any bit of a secret, and he knew it. She knew it.
And yet, it was as though a small gleam of amusement danced in her eyes. She leaned her forehead down to his, pressing them together. He took in a quick breath, before shutting his eyes and releasing a trembling sigh with a small laugh, his relief pouring out like a broken dam. He gently took Rahja's face into his paws as their foreheads nestled together, the griffin's eyes briefly shutting before she eventually pulled away and stepped back enough to flap her wings and release a bellow towards the Sun.
Azhi'li stared at her in awe, expression full of wonder and delight from her magnificence. It took a few moments, but he then realized the gravity of the situation, a heavy weight upon his shoulders and heart-- yet, not a burdened one. No, it was a comfortable weight, like a heavy blanket on a cold night. He laughs happily, cheering and hooting as he stands back up onto his paw feet, his tears warm as they streak down his cheeks while he grinned as brilliantly as Azeyma Herself.
This-- this is everything and more to him. 
Shifting over towards Azhi'li, Rahja lowers her head down to him once more before folding her legs beneath her, laying her wing down for the Seeker. He blinks and stares at her, stupefied, stammering out, "-- D--... Do ya want me t'get on?" Such a silly question, surely she wouldn't understand--,
And yet, she chuffs in response, craning her head towards her back. He still really couldn't believe it, but he carefully moved towards her, placing his soot-colored paws on her back gently, questioningly. She huffs once more, slipping her wing right under him and hoisting him right onto her back as he yelps in surprise. Once he held onto her feathers, she lifted herself off from Azeyma's Watch and flew him down below, back to his family.
Still stunned, Azhi'li blinked owlishly as he remained on her back even after she had laid on the ground, Tani cheering and calling for her cousin while reaching out for him to yoink him off Rahja's back, giving him a giant, crushing hug.
That surely did snap him out of his stupor, causing him to yelp and groan as he felt his air be squeezed out of him. "I TOLD you, primo! Don't ever doubt me again, ya hear?! If ya do, I'm kickin' yer ass inta next week!" she states, firmly. 
"Aye-aye! Okay!" he whines, yet laughs breathlessly nonetheless. Tani places him down and ruffles the younger Seeker's smaller mane, grinning toothily and placing a giant smooch to his forehead. "Eso, primo. That's what I like ta hear."
Beside Tani came Sena and Maryn, gazing towards their nephew with warm smiles, the former beaming proudly. "You never had anything to worry about, Dhezi."
With a light huff, the young Seeker's wet face softened yet remained elated, nodding in response to his uncle's words. 
-------------------------
CW: Mention of blades, bleeding, and scarification. No graphic details.
With the rite now complete, the new and official Sankres must go with the tradition of scarifying wings upon their backs.
It is quite a bit of a painful process, yet everyone in the Sankres have gone through it at one point or another. Some folks take it a bit harder than others, and must do it in increments, but Azhi'li was able to lay through it the entire time.
Carving wings into his back, they wrapped him up carefully with bandages, applying medical salve around the newly forming scars to avoid any infections. It hurt like hells, but it was done, and he couldn't be happier.
From now on, he will be known as G'dhezi.
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