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#Gods of Tremors 1
scalproie · 2 years
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the super secret 6th stage of grief where I'm placing bets over who will be the one to perform the fatality on kuai in snowblind
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historiaxvanserra · 2 months
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These Violent Delights | Chapter Two
Summary: A High Lords meeting goes awry and you find yourself thrust into the foxes den.
Pairing: Eris Vanserra x Archeron!Reader (brief mentions of Azriel x reader)
Word Count: 6.4k
Chapter 1 of These Violent Delights on my Masterlist
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The Hewn City’s state rooms are ugly, you think as you stalk the emissary of the Night Court through the winding, narrow corridors of Hewn City. The palatial chambers had been carved into the dark stone of the mountain by the Gods of old; and the high, domed ceilings are held in place by onyx pillars decorated with twisted carvings of beasts and fornicating demi-gods that line the Gothic archways.
Lurid, ill-fated omens, you think. 
Harbingers of your undoing. 
The emissary appointed with escorting you is adorned in ceremonial robes; a fine damask tunic in a deep indigo silk that is almost iridescent in the artificial light. You fall into step with him as he approaches a set of gilded iron gates. Two armored sentries fall into rank as you cross the threshold of the council chambers and you offer a courteous nod to the sentry as he meets your eye.
The antechamber of The Moonstone Palace is plunged in a suffocating blue-darkness with only the silvers of silver faelight, like artificial stars, to light the faces of the High Lords. The atmosphere is oppressive and the smell of hemlock and moonflowers stain the stagnant air. For a few moments, while you’re lost in thought, the world is silent and still. Feigning peace. But there is no peace. Not here, where the eyes of every High Lord in Prythian are upon you. 
Hewn City is a dark mirage. A metropolis of hedonistic desire and vulgar frivolity
It is here in the dark that you find yourself adrift; lost somewhere to the sea of time. You abandon yourself to the tide of memory. The happy recollections of your childhood; to the thought of home. Someplace far from here, where the sunlight touches your skin and the smell of salt from the coast becomes tangled in your unbound hair. Somewhere, in the recesses of your mind, where you know your mothers love and your fathers face is something more than a mere memory. 
It occurs to you that this is a home that never existed.
Home had always been burning; the acrid smell of woodsmoke beckons you like a funeral pyre and your salt-cracked lips chafe and bleed in the wake of blistering winds from the violent sea. And that’s the thing about mothers, you and she exist as some wretched mirror or one another; as hatred and guilt. 
You’ve been thinking of your mother a lot as of late; something in your dreams, the echoing of a coming storm. A fine line between love and hate. It is something strange and prophetic that makes your skin crawl uncomfortably from your body.
In a flurry of movement against the black you are brought back to the present as you take your place amongst the ranks of the Inner Circle. 
The silhouettes of the other High Lords, that had been flickering wildly against the dark stone of the mountain, cease to move. Cease to be, as shadows envelop the room, melting into the darkness as Rhysand glides into the room his violet eyes glinting in the dark. His eyes shine with a cold violence that draws you from thought and the visions of a home long forgotten turn to ashes in your trembling hands. He’s dressed all in black and violet, his tan skin looks pallid in the low light. By his side Feyre’s skin looks as though it is wreathed in starlight against the backdrop of the twilight-- you catch the scent of chamomile and moondust in the air. 
It smells like Nyx you think, smiling lightly to yourself at the thought of your nephew.
A tremor of dark power ripples through the air and you feel the shift in the atmosphere when shield after shield locks into place around each High Lord and his retinue of courtiers. The shield that Rhysand had already placed around the Inner Circle; made stronger in response. Night magic glitters in the air like stardust and you swear you can taste it on your tongue. That same cold rage and an essence of icy violence fortifies you against the hostility in the room and you school your expression to remain neutral when you seek out a pair of strange amber eyes in the crowd. 
A gentle warmth burns though your chest and your eyes scan the crowd. 
Eris Vanserra moves like a predator; resolute and obstinate. Amber eyes burn like fire glow in the dim light and each of his long strides are punctuated by the echo of boot clad feet on the marble. In this light, his face is almost ethereal. Unearthly even. Set in a painfully neutral expression as he slinks through the halls of the city below the mountains of Velaris. Eris Vanserra burns bright against the other Lords of Pryhtian; his copper hair, like burnished gold in the dim lights, and his eyes. Those fucking eyes. Haunting and evocative as he meets your gaze with a feline smirk. 
It is a wicked, false thing, that glitters with malice.
  He watches you with a wrathful sort of reverence. He is so very lovely, even in the pallid light. Even as his father and brothers flank his sides like a pack of hungry foxes; hungry and baying for blood.  
You watch him carefully as Eris takes his seat at the foot of the large black table, he’s careful to make a show of the way he languidly reclines in his chair, rolling his shoulders back and angling his hips in such a way that the whole room is displayed to him at once.
It’s almost voyeuristic in nature.
That summons a storm within you; a violent, lonely, sort of thing, that washes over him with the force of a raging tempest down the scarcely accepted bond and his eyes, glittering and amber in the dying light, finding yours again. For a moment, Eris Vanserra sees himself through your eyes; for the first time in centuries he doesn’t hate the man staring back at him. 
By his side Eris’ mother’s skin looks as though it is wreathed in fireglow against the backdrop of the twilight-- you catch her dark glassy eyes and she smiles softly at you. There is a deep sorrow there, in the depths of The Lady of Autumn's eyes, that feel kindred to you. 
A  shared pain, perhaps.
Turning as Rhysand and Feyre push further into the darkness of the antechamber, you are drawn from thought once more.
The rest of The Night Court look like some savage celestial army as they enter on a night-kissed breeze. Cassian and Nesta look like warriors hardened by war and ruin, all dressed in black and faces coloured with cold caution. They’re followed by the Shadowsinger, who is shrouded in dark wisps of shadow and his skin glows golden against the dark. His face is set in an unreadable expression, though, when your eyes meet a flash of recognition flashes in those hazel eyes.
Rhysand stops dead in his tracks when he regards the High Lord of Autumn.
Beron Vanserra; cruel and tyrannical, keens when he notes the flash of surprise in Rhysand’s violet gaze. His eyes simmer with a dim fire as his eyes land on you. Beron’s teeth are like crow-picked bones as he offers you a feral smile. 
“We weren’t expecting you, Beron.” Feyre’s voice is distant and cold as she speaks to the High Lord and his sons. 
Rhysand rises to his feet from his throne, waving his hand to the attendants, “Fetch the High Lord and his Lady a seat.”
The attendant presents Beron with a chair and he settles between Helion and the Lady of Autumn, neither Helion nor the lady seem to acknowledge each other but you can feel the shift in their demeanors as Beron’s ire sparks in his eyes. He doesn’t even spare The Lady of Autumn a glance before he moves on to inspecting his fellow High Lords. 
You pay Beron no heed and instead your eyes find the Lady of Autumn as she settles into her seat beside her husband and eldest son. The Lady of Autumn is like one of Feyre’s paintings; arresting and darkly beautiful. Her romantic eyes are shaded in the colors of sunset; a warm amber that looks almost golden in the low light and her dark auburn hair glitters in the dying fireglow and her eyes-- so rich that you get lost in their glassy depths. Those haunting eyes. They’re Eris’ eyes you realize as they meet yours. Though she doesn’t linger long she gives you a soft smile before returning her gaze to her long slender fingers that twitch in her lap. They’re adorned with many gold rings and crystals that she wears like armor to fortify her against the hostile atmosphere. 
You see something of yourself in her you think, looking down to your own attire. An opulent and finely boned corset, cinched so tight, that even breathing feels like a luxury and the heavy black damask that covers you in swathes of pleated fabric acts as barrier between yourself and the many eyes in the room that trail over you without care or warning. 
“Nor was I expecting to be here,” Beron drawls, “But alas, it seems we have business to discuss.” Beron’s fire rages dangerously against the black. Torrid and angry, his face unflinching and cruel as he turns his gaze upon Rhysand. Something treacherous passes between the two High Lords at that moment and something in your chest begins to stir like a storm inside of you.
A warning of a coming storm.
“Rumor claims that your allegiances are elsewhere, these days.” It is your voice that counters and Beron croons. The High Lord of Autumn assesses you keenly, his gaze shifting-- from the darkness of your eyes-- down. To the sulk of your lips. Further still to the exposed slope of your shoulders and coming to rest on your chest, where the swell of your breasts spills over the corseted bodice of your gown. His eyes darken luridly as his eyes meet yours again. Beron Vanserra scrutinizes every minute detail of your dark armor; every errant hair, every nervous twitch of your jaw, every flutter of your dark lashes.
It’s disarming the smile that spreads across his handsome face and his eyes shine with a maniacal sort of joy that sparks a wave of fury that runs through you like water-- and you swear you can feel Eris’ own fiery rage in answer. 
“And what would you know of my allegiances, girl?” The false smile he offered is soon replaced with a deep loathing in Beron’s eyes that practically burns through you. 
In a way, it feels strangely comforting to feel his ire. 
To feel anything at all that isn’t paralyzing dread or hirearth for a home to which you will never return. 
Helion waves a scar-flecked hand in front of him, “Let’s just get on with it, shall we?” 
The High Lord of Day glows with the radiance of the golden sun and he looks at you with such a strange mixture of boredom and curiosity that almost seems like reverence. He doesn’t dare look at The Autumn Lady in her seat though you notice the careful glances she makes towards him in those spaces between the seconds when no one is paying much heed.
“I know you met with rhe Prince of Rask.” you say and all the idle chatter in the room dies at once. “And he’s working with the Koschei, isn’t he?” 
Beron opens his mouth and you brace yourself for the torrid flames of his wrath. You see the violent delight dance across Beron’s eyes and Rhysand just holds his stare. Hold it with a face like icy death. And beneath the surface you see untempered wrath as it ripples beneath his carefully curated mask. A sharp pain in your chest has you seeking out Eris at his father’s side. His face is the picture of cataclysmic rage; writhing and burning in those eyes. 
To anyone else Eris Vanserra is the image of infernal rage. A righteous son to a wronged father. But to you-- all his fear comes home to you. 
A warning fire. 
“Never mind, we can discuss the happy news of your heir’s birth another time,” Beron smiles again at Rhysand and Feyre. It is Feyre who regards him with a snarling fury at the mention of the son she had almost died to bring into the world. 
She would give her life again if only to protect him from the clutches of a tyrant like Beron. Of that you were certain. 
“I believe we have business to discuss?” Beron questions again when no one responds to his taunt. 
All the eyes in the room turn to you when you loose a laugh, “I didn’t realize we were in the business of discussing plans with our enemies.” 
Eris Vanserra looks as though he might just vault over the table and silence you himself. His eyes smoulder in the dark and the scathing look he sends your way is enough to make you weak in the knees. 
“Make no mistake girl,” Beron muses, his eyes sparking with feral delight, “I am not your enemy,” 
“You are advised to keep it that way.”
In that moment you are bereft of every thought and sound in your mind as the room stills. 
Rhysand and Feyre falter and look between you and The High Lord of Autumn-- and his heir.
Your mate. 
Eris himself remains poised, his fingers wrapped around the arm of the chair, the wood straining under his cruel grip until his knuckles turn as pale as the sea foam that swirls atop the Sidra. 
It is the Shadowsinger who rises from his seat in response, “Threaten her again, old man-- I dare you.” Azriel’s voice wraps round you like cold death and you can’t help but stare impassively as he places his body between yours and Beron. The flicker of flame is smothered by Azriel’s darkness. 
Beron sits in his chair without so much as a word. Though you see the taunt in his eyes as he looks at you again. Azriel’s imposing figure still stands over you, a scarred hand that strokes languid circles into the skin of your shoulder. The bond in your chest hums violently. 
“Call off your dog, Rhysand.” Eris’ voice is dangerously low as he eyes Azriel. 
Rhys shrugs, smiling faintly “Very well,” he muses. 
Azriel takes his seat beside you, though his scarred fingers remain fixed on the arm of your chair. 
“Tell me, Azriel?” Eris laughs coldly, his voice devoid of any humor and he opens his mouth to speak, “Does it pain you knowing that both of your brothers have been given a sister as a mate?”
“And yet the Mother still deems you unworthy of a Mate -- desitined to pity fuck the spare sister.” Eris muses with a lilt of his voice when he realizes he has the upperhand. 
A twinge of heat in your chest from the bond makes your scowl deepen. 
Azriel blinks at first, his face twisting in rage before rising to his feet once more, barrelling over the table with an inhuman growl. Azriel grips Eris by the lapels of his emerald tunic. Coming together in flashes of flame and smoke as they struggle against one another. Eris swings a leg over Azriel’s thigh bringing them both tumbling to the floor, while the other High Lords watch on with varying degrees of amusement and frustration on their faces. 
Your face heats under the scrutiny. Unable to move or speak-- your stormy facade rendered useless as the tears begin to well in your eyes. 
You are a storm-- but in the face of their wrath there is naught you can do but watch and abide.
Rhysands commanding voice cuts through Azriel’s cursing and Eris’ insults. The room falls silent as the males pull away from one another. Azriel’s nose is bloodied and his hair falls around his face in messy strands. Eris’ lip is split, spilling crimson along the column of his throat. You trace the line of scarlet as the droplets stain the neckline of his white shirt. You can hear his heartbeat as it flutters wildly. His eyes meet yours and a look of resignation and shame crosses them for a moment; obscuring the perfect amber of his gaze. 
Azriel wipes his blood on his leathers; wears it like armor as he turns to Eris “Something to remember me by.” 
Azriel spits the words like venom at Eris whose face radiates with a dark and fiery wrath.
Feyre looks between the two males and then to you; her face softens then as she regards you. Your hands shaking wildly, and a heartbeat like an echoing war drum, the bond in your chest singing a mournful song as it rages inside you. 
You look utterly devastated. 
She’s not used to seeing that kind of defeat on the face of her elder sister; the sister who had weathered so much, always headstrong and ardent, who had suffered every injustice with a straight face-- she hadn’t quite prepared herself for the type of sorrow that realization would bring with it. 
Taking in the scene unfolding before you-- the descent into violence and the blood that pools like rubies at Eris Vanserra’s feet you loose a shaky breath. “Enough--enough” You wave your hands between Azriel and Eris. 
The males both take a tentative step away from one another and further from you. 
“Who shares my bed is of little concern, I assure you, My Lord,” You insist firstly, setting your shoulders straight and facing them now with all the stormy determination you can feign in that moment, “from what I’ve heard you yourself have quite curious bedfellows.” 
Beron sneers and scoffs from his seat at the foot of the table at the insult. A lie, at that. If anyone does share Eris Vanserra’s bed they are a mystery to you. 
“Preferring the company of hounds  - or so I am told.” Azriel adds.
And in truth you and Azriel haven’t so much as locked eyes since that night in Hewn City. After the mating bond between you and Eris had made its home in your chest you hadn’t been able to think about anyone or anything else. 
Just him. And those amber eyes.
“We are here because once more someone is threatening the tenuous peace we have established here,” Helion nods his head thoughtfully and Thesan, who had remained silent throughout the whole ordeal looks at you with genuine encouragement and utters his agreement. Kallias and Vivianne remain silent and imposing on the other side of the table.
“It is our duty-- our privilege-- to ensure Prythian and its people are not ravaged by war again.” You look to Kallias then, unimpressed by the needless violence that had passed but somehow enamored by your words.
“Hyburn took so much from us-- from all of us.” You say, gesturing around the table and the High Lord’s faces are all shaded in sympathy and regret for all they had lost, “and Amarantha made slaves of you all.”
You cast a glance to your sister; who had fought and died for these great men and their courts. And to Rhysand who had subjected himself to being her plaything. Something like grief flashes in those violet eyes that sparks a storm in you. 
“I will not be a slave again,” You vow and you notice then how all the High Lords seem rapt withal as you speak to them, and the storm inside you rages on, “to anyone.”
The tensions around the table seem to dissipate when Helion raises a chalice and smirks fondly at you and it seems that they see you as more than a bed warmer to a dark God or the mate of some High Lord’s heir. Talons scrape menacingly along your mental shields and Rhysand’s dark presence makes itself known to you. Bed warmer? Darling you are a storm-- everyone here knows it. 
A force to be reckoned with.
The rest of the meeting seems to come to pass as intended, laborious hours of negotiating and political games as you come to terms with each High Lord in turn. By the time the moon hangs in the sky like cut quartz, almost all of the High Lords have already departed, leaving only The High Lord of Spring and The Autumn Court’s entourage. 
“Where did you find this one, Rhysand?” Tamlin asks, his tone measured and light. 
Rhysand looks between Feyre and you smiling lightly, the corners of his mouth twitching as he opens his mouth to speak.
“I heard they found her in a Hyburn cell, after the war was over.” It is Beron Vanserra’s voice that cuts in, “what was left of her anyway.”
“Perhaps we should be asking where your loyalties lie?” It’s the middle Vanserra brother that speaks. His russet curls glow warm in the dim lights and his stare is cruel and malignant as he hones in on you. 
“Hyburn whore” It’s whispered, accusatory, on an inhale of breath. 
They way it is uttered with an air of repulsion and venom reminds you of those stories told in human villages; of woods women named ‘witch’ by those who do not understand. 
People fear what they do not understand. 
It seems that Fae are no different than mere mortals in that respect. 
“You’d be wise to bite your tongue, brother.” Eris’s voice is a cold echo as all thought and sound eddies out of your mind. Flashes of black and gold as the visions come back to you; those days spent cowering in the darkness of your cell, your feral anger directed at any man who came too close-- all biting fury, canines and claws, and the screams they tore from your like the howling wind over a violent sea.
A fury spreads through you, taking root in the dark caverns of your chest, slowing your heartbeat to a dull aching thud as you lose yourself to it; give yourself over to the tempest of emotion that courses through you. You try to fight it as the first ebbs of that dangerous storm embrace you. Lest you surrender yourself to the tempest; let it open you up and pour out into the world in floods of ravaging power. 
It brings forth a storm the likes of which the world has never seen; a thing of ugly rage.
You were born angry, your mother had told you once.
But rage is a learned thing. Your rage. It had been your mother’s first, before that it had her mothers, and her mother before her. 
It is an inherited curse; a wicked and wretched thing.
It is a storm enough to drown in. 
A howling wind whips around you and for a moment you are standing at a great precipice. From the cliff’s edge, peering down at a violent sea as it coils and breaks against the jagged cliff face of some distant shore, where the world looks as though it is dappled in fireglow, the smell of woodsmoke and bonfires wafts from inland. The sea-soaked wind is so palpable that you taste its salt-kiss on your lips with the ardent fervor of the most savage lover. 
There is something sacred in salt, you think.
For a moment you consider what it would feel like; to plummet into the watery abyss. How the sunlight would look as it fractures and splinters on the water's violent surface. 
How it might cascade into the murky green depths. A secret held between you and the sea.
“My Lady,” It is Eris’ voice, practically feral and dripping with an aching desperation as he all but vaults around the corner of the dark wood table, parting his brothers with a rehearsed type of brutality as he claws his way to you. His commanding aura draws you closer to him and his pale hand offers a strong and comforting weight on your arm as he takes your trembling palm in his rough hold.
“You’re bleeding,” Eris says, cupping your palm into a fist with his own, applying light pressure to the wound while he assesses it. Turning it over in his tentative grasp. Through your lashes you take a moment to assess him as he towers over you. He’s tall and much broader than you remember but he moves with an inhuman grace. His nose is long and straight and his jaw strong and regal. His amber eyes linger dangerously over the hand cupped in his own. You hadn’t even realized you had stood up. Nor had you registered the blood you had drawn from your own palms until you see the crescent moons, indented in the tender flesh, like a taunt as they stain Eris’ fingertips scarlet as he presses the fabric of his handkerchief to your grazed hand. 
“It’s nothing, My Lord,” You say softly, your voice low and you feel his eyes burning into yours; it is a slow, searing ache that almost feels like a kiss. A fragile thing, full of reverence and a strange tenderness. A vein of hurt throbs through you, quickly soothed by the press of his palm to yours. 
Eris Vanserra holds a power over you; commands you in a way that should feel unpleasant. The knowledge that you would give yourself over to him if only he asked. 
“It is only a little blood.” The words live and die on tongue, they fizzle out just as soon as they are uttered before he is calling for Rhysand -- his voice is swallowed by the din and your heartbeat echoes like a wardrum in your ears and the sound of the violet sea breaks against you and you feel your body go lax. 
You wait for the dull ache as your body meets the cool marble of the floor only it never comes; instead your weight is suspended in the embrace of Eris Vanserra’s arms, you vaguely hear your name from his lips before the world turns to darkness. 
You feel like lull of his heartbeat as he brings you closer against his chest. 
The smell of cedar and smoked bergamot follows you into the abyss. 
The room seems to come back to you like the tide; swiftly and cruelly as it materializes before you. It comes back in flashes of the dark; the oppressive pillars of dark marble that hold the domed, onyx ceiling in place, the silver fae lights like pallid stars and the visage of contorting demons and chimera’s like half formed ghosts. 
“What happened?” You ask looking around the darkened council chambers; once filled with the idle chatter of courtiers and High Lord’s and their entourage now only the Inner Circle is gathered in the darkness contained between these walls. 
And Eris. 
He burns golden against the black. 
“Well one thing is for certain,” It is Morrigan who stands over you, her shoes shine like rubies in the low light, “You know how to make a scene.” Her voice is light and jovial, laced with concern. 
“You fainted,” Feyre says plainly as she sinks to her knees before you. It is then you feel Eris’ solid frame as he radiates warmth behind you, where you are propped against his chest. Your body feels foreign and unlike your own as you move, transferring your weight from his arms and into the arms of Feyre who helps you stand on uncertain feet. 
“I’m sorry,” You say earnestly to both Rhysand and Feyre and turning to Eris again to mutter your thanks. He looks displeased at that. The distance between your body in his, the unfamiliarity you regard him with as if you hadn’t just allowed yourself to revel in the feel of his arms wrapped securely around you. “I’m sorry.”
“You should return to your father, My Lord.” You laugh humorlessly, using the hand that isn’t wrapped tightly around the lip of the chair to smooth a hand down the pleats of your gown reflexively.
A knock, resounding and resolute echoes through the chamber and the Inner Circle seem to bristle at the intrusion. Through the blanket of the dark a figure emerges; Keir stands tall with an air of arrogance about him as he steps into the antechamber. His hair is dark and graying and his face, though handsome, has begun to show signs of age. His eyes glitter menacingly as he finds you amongst the inner circle. 
“My apologies for the intrusion, High Lord.” Keir says, his voice full of dark promise as a second figure steps from the shadow, “but it appears there is a rather urgent matter that has come to our attention.”
The rooms seems steeped in solemn silence as Beron Vanserra reveals himself through the din; dressed in fine merlot robes and embroidered with gold threads and leaves. He looks like Autumn personified. All fire and wrath as he stalks into the room. 
“It appears you have been keeping secrets from me, Rhysand.” Rhys takes a step forward approaching Beron with little regard for the fury that burns behind his hazel eyes. The High Lord of Night laughs cruelly as Beron advances further into the room, seeking out his son, who reaches for you almost without thinking. His fingers flex around your forearm and push you further into Feyre as he steps in front of you both subtly. 
Beron looks suspiciously between the three of you. 
Beron smiles.
It is not a thing of fondness or affection-- It is dark and laden with malevolence. A whisper of amusement lights in his golden irises and Eris feels like a boy again; alone and afraid as the shadows of his fathers wrath descend upon him.
“You knew,” The High Lord of Autumn charges forward, tearing through Azriel and Cassian, as he raves. His voice is dangerously low and full of malice as he advances towards Eris. His eyes blaze against the dark as he casts his wicked gaze upon his eldest son.
“You knew,” He repeats frantically, “That whore is your mate, and you lied to me.”
Accusatory.
Without thought or care, Eris lunges forward and takes one long stride so that his body shields yours from Beron’s grasp as his fire burns vengeful and angry as it bands around Eris’s arms. The putrid smell of burned flesh brings bile rising in your throat and you feel Rhysand’s shields fortify around you and the rest of the Inner Circle in response. 
You wait for someone to do something, but as is the nature of these things Rhysand is not permitted to interfere in the affairs of other courts. And whether he likes it or not, Eris is subject to his High Lord and father. 
And as it stands he is a traitor to both. 
Eris falls to his knees before you and you feel the bond die in your chest; his scream is something akin to dying. It sears through you, burning like fire until you feel like a phoenix rising from its own ashes as your body moves of its own volition. 
“Stop, stop!” You plead with Beron advancing a pace towards him as you pull away from Feyre’s secure hold. Not even Cassian dares hold you back when you claw your way from the safety of his arms, “Please, he didn’t know.” 
Beron pays you no heed as his wrath brings Eris to his knees. 
“Please.” you beg, your voice aching and angry as you address the High Lord, ignoring the warnings of Azriel and Cassian, “He didn’t know.” 
“W-we hid it from him.” Your lie desperately, your voice though strained comes out in violent waves of anger as Beron continues to inflict his fire upon Eris.
Your mate.
In a desperate bid to spare him you beg once more. 
“Please, whatever you want, you can have it, I swear it.” And all the fire ceases.
Eris heaves a heavy breath and he collapses in a swath of burnished gold and emerald, strewn lazily against the marble. You sink to your knees beside him, his hands, though shaking, are firm against you as they grasp at the many layers of your skirts as he hoists himself up. Even on his knees he towers over you. His hair drapes like spidersilk over one side of his sculpted face as he peers down at you with dark amber eyes. Despite all the eyes in the room Eris brings a tentative hand to cup your cheek and all his remorse and grief flood down the bond that runs golden and brilliant from your body to his; as if to say no use hiding now, little fox. 
Eris rises to his feet before his father who looks on with a mixture of feral delight and complete apathy as Eris’ pain subsides. 
Keir retreats into the shadows and with him the air shifts; the room, once shaded in the smell of hemlock and moonflowers, is tainted with something more. Something darker. Earthy. 
The smell of wildflowers; smoke-kissed juniper and foxglove, all undercut with the smell of salt and iron. 
It occurs to you then that it is the smell of your mating bond. 
Beron loses a dark laugh and approaches you slowly, like a predator circles its prey. Deliberate and calculating as he takes your chin in his bony fingers and commands you to look at him. His eyes are much darker than Eris’, so dark that they almost look black in this light and even in his age you admire their depths, haunting and arresting. Beron cuts an intimidating figure, you think as he flashes you a smile that is all Eris. 
You sometimes forget how alike father and son are; though Eris is undoubtedly more striking; with his strange amber eyes and baring a broader physique than his father, with strong arms and shoulders and that beautiful copper hair which he had inherited from his mother. 
“Anything I want?” Beron muses deathly quiet as he brings you closer to him, so close that the heat of his breath against your face causes chills to rise along the skin of your arms and neck.
“Anything, that is within my power to give.” You clarify, unwilling to be tricked into a more heinous bargain than you had prepared yourself for. Feyre protests loudly, calling your name, begging you to see reason though her pleas are useless against the thunder of your heart in your chest; like the sound of a storm rolling in from the sea. 
Rhysand holds his wife by her forearms as she attempts to fight her way to your side. 
A bargain offered of your own volition cannot be undone or unmade. 
All that’s left to do is come to terms. 
Beron smiles again, a saccharine smile that turns your stomach as his free hand cups your hip harshly, his brows rise in question and you realize how he’s looking right through you to his son who stands defeated behind you.
“And if I want you?” You swallow hard as his hand on your hip tightens to a bruising grip.
The High Lord of Night protests and a dark ripple of power separates you and Beron, you stumble backwards until you’re pressed up against the dark wood table as it cuts into the backs of your thighs. Beron laughs playfully and raises his hands in mock surrender to Rhysand. Keir smiles with a sense of sick satisfaction as Beron nods for Eris to join him. 
Eris joins his father on the side of the room and Beron inspects him in carefully; scrutinizes every furrow of his brow or the tick of his jaw as charred flesh gives way to pale unblemished skin. 
Beron claps a hand over his son's shoulder and offers his half-hearted explanation. 
Filling his ear with poison. 
“Your mate has deceived you, my son; she is yours by right,” Beron preens like an over-satisfied cat, offering a wave of his hand as he gestures to you, “Is she not?” 
Eris swallows thickly and through the bond you can feel his wrath as it burns silent and deadly through you. His fire burns ferocious and wild. Dark and untamed. It ignites a similar storm in the pit of your stomach as Eris regards you with feigned malice much to the appeasement of his father.
His gaze, once soft and vulnerable, is cold and predatory as he takes his time to trail over the swell of your chest and the curve of your hips like a hungry animal. 
“She is,” His voice is sharp-edged as he nods impassively to his father, the glimpses of his true self now little more than a trick in the light as he adorns his facade like a suit or armor to spare him his father’s fire. 
“You mean to claim her?” Eris questions pointedly. Eris’ eyes move around the room with a careful, almost pensive, precision.
He can’t pretend that he doesn’t want it. Some primal, territorial part of him wants it more than anything. It’s animalistic and carnal. 
Wholly perverse. 
He wants you, terribly; he aches for you in a way that he has never ached for anything.
And you want him.
But not like this. 
Not as a pretty pawn to bring him to heel. 
“She will do well in Autumn,” Beron says in lieu of an answer. 
Rhysand and Feyre stand firm against the hostility in the room even as Beron approaches them once more. “An alliance between our two most ancient and noble courts,” Beron says in a celebratory manner, his arms outstretched in a show of arrogance, “made strong by the oaths that you will swear to my son and my court.”
“Very well, High Lord.” You acquiesce and Beron smiles as his words hit their mark
You swear that Eris could burn the city to ash then and something in him cools then under your watchful gaze; it burns blue under the surface and you can see it tempering to a cold unmoving stare cast in his father’s direction.
It’s grotesque, the anger that runs hot in his veins that sears its kiss into the place where your body and his are joined. 
You seethe. A raging tempest that comes off of you in violent waves of temper that threaten to swallow the room whole. And Beron Vanserra with it. It is almost enough to bring you to your knees before him as your skin burns under his rising fury.
Your eyes meet the strange amber eyes of Eris Vanserra at his father’s side and you think then, that you will happily suffer his fire if burning always feels so profound.
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Steddie Upside-Down AU Part 39
Part 1 Part 38
Will’s heartbeat picks up when someone knocks on the front door. Even though Demogorgon’s don’t knock, and bad men with guns probably don’t either. He stays curled up on the couch while Jonathan goes to open the door.
The voice that drifts in from the front door makes his shoulder relax.
“Johnny boy!” Eddie calls, pushing into the house like he owns the place, Steve trailing in his wake. Eddie looks around, eyes wide. “Woah, this place cleans up nice.”
Mom and Jonathan had picked up all the furniture, cleaned all the debris from the linoleum, and packed away all the Christmas lights into boxes they’d stuffed into the garage. Neither of them had let Will help, so he’d sat on the couch, doodling pictures of Steve and Eddie as they worked around him.
“Thanks?” Jonathan says, awkwardly shuffling on his feet.
Steve smiles at him, “hey, man,” he says, bumping their shoulders together companionably before slinking past him to sink down onto the couch.
Will reaches out to snatch Steve’s hand, notices the fine tremors running through it. There’s sweat beading on his forehead, standing out starkly without his hair to mask it.
“Are you okay?” Will asks.
Steve smiles over at him, “I’m fine.”
“Actually,” Eddie says, clapping his hands together enthusiastically before wincing and shaking out his fingers, “We just came from physical therapy, and someone,” he pauses to make squinty eyes toward Steve, “could use some food to make up for the calories.”
“Eddie,” Steve sighs.
“No,” Eddie says, crossing his arms, “the doctor said you needed to eat to like, fix your body and shit.”
“I’ll, uh, go grab some sandwiches,” Jonathan says, scurrying into the kitchen and away from the conflict.
“I’m hungry,” Will murmurs, even though they’d had breakfast late and he’s really not.
Steve slumps into him, head lolling onto his shoulder as he groans pitifully. “God, there’s two of you now.”
Will giggles, cheeks warm at the contact.
“How tragic,” Eddie says, slumping down on Will’s other side, reaching over him to run his hand playfully over Steve’s head, avoiding the stitches. “Two people care about your wellbeing? Whatever will you do?”
Steve slumps further into Will, shaved head scratchy where it’s rubbing against Will’s chin. Eddie pushes him down, gently onto Will’s crossed legs. Steve grumbles but lets himself be shoved.
“There,” Eddie says. “Now we can feed you like the wilting princess you are.”
Steve scowls, eyes drifting between both of them as he mutters, “Whatever, dude,” before he seems to droop, eyes closing.
They sit quietly, waiting for Jonathan to come back. Will settles into himself, enjoying the way his skin isn’t crawling, the way it only seems to when he’s with Steve and Eddie.
It’s like, now that he’s met them, the shadows only fully recede when they’re in sight. That crawling thing inside him stops trying to get out.
Jonathan looks surprised when he gets back, plates full of sandwiches stacked on top of one another. He puts them on the coffee table, eyeing Steve. “Should we, uh, wake him?”
“’m not asleep,” Steve mumbles, levering himself up with a wince. He, notably, doesn’t open his eyes until Eddie grabs one of the sandwiches and curls his fingers around it.
He eats slowly, sedately, and seems to doze off again, a quarter of the way through. Will pulls the sandwich from his fingers and puts it back on the plate.
Eddie puts the remains of his own sandwich on top of it, pushing Steve gently down onto the couch, gently placing the throw from the back of the couch over where he’s curled into a ball.
“Is he okay?” Jonathan asks quietly.
Eddie’s brows furrowed as he looks down at Steve, but he smooths it out by the time he looks back up. “He’s fine,” he says, ironically echoing Steve’s own words, like covering up each other’s raw edges comes by rote. “Physical therapy just seems like a lot.”
Steve’s legs are now in Will’s lap. He clutches Steve’s ankles, cuddling them into his stomach.
“Guess we’re staying here for a bit,” Eddie says nonchalantly, but he’s biting his lip and darting his eyes between Jonathan & Will like he’s waiting to be kicked out.
Will clutches Steve’s ankles tighter, looking over at Jonathan as well. Jonathan shrugs, “Sure,” he replies. “Mom’ll be overjoyed. She’s pretty much adopted you both into the family.”
Eddie looks down, at Steve’s sleeping face, biting his lip. “Oh.”
Will thinks of Uncle Wayne, and the way Eddie’s Mom or Dad weren’t ever mentioned, not even once. He thinks about the conversation he’d overheard his Mom having with Hopper, that Steve couldn’t go home alone, and the way Steve hadn’t seemed to want to call his parents at all. Even in trouble. Even in Hell.
Well, they’ve got three more family members now, whether they like it or not.
And Jonathan’s right – Mom is happy when she gets home to find two teenaged boys passed out on her couch. She makes her special occasions lasagna, and the smell seems to rouse both boys from their prolonged nap.
It’s a quiet dinner. Mom asks gentle, probing questions about Steve’s health, and when everyone’s thinking of going back to school. Steve waffles around the conversation, blushing and turning awkward every time Mom turns the power of her care onto him.
Eddie seems to bloom with it, though, talking about getting back into D & D, and his band, and his plans to corral Steve into staying home at least for the rest of the week.
By the time they leave for the night, Will’s belly and heart are both full. Still, the shadows creep back in.
Will goes to sleep, alone in his bed, shivering from the cold, clawing thing inside him.
Part 40
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candy69gurl · 6 days
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POV: You are Sukuna's Vessel 6
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Warnings- consequences of self harm, private touching
wc- 2.3k
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 7 soon
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You wake up abruptly, your eyes flutter open, your body drenched in sweat. You stare at the ceiling, your head pounding, hands reaching for your phone. Messages from your friends and Gojo Satoru fill your screen.
It's 5 AM, you realize, feeling disoriented.
You struggle to get out of bed, your legs feeling unsteady. You notice a warm sensation between your legs, realizing you're wet, your core feeling damp and humid. You head towards the basin.
Staring at your reflection, you notice that same short hair, droopy eyes.
Suddenly, you vomit, bile burning your throat as you stagger back, your stomach twisting in revulsion.
Then.. Everything comes flooding back to you, the Malevolant Shrine, the tangled intimacy with Sukuna, the swirling mix of pain and pleasure...
You freeze in place, your heart hammering against your ribs. Panic claws at the edges of your mind, the looming specter of pregnancy flooding your thoughts. You vividly recall Sukuna's climax, the fear of its consequences gripping you.
With trembling limbs, you collapse to the ground, tears tracing salty paths down your cheeks.
"Oh, God," you whisper, your voice a fragile tremor. "Am I pregnant?" Your mind whirls in a tempest of uncertainty, grappling with the weight of the possibility.
In a sudden twist, Sukuna's lips form on your cheek, his tone dripping with mockery. "Are you daft? You're not pregnant," his voice laden with disdain cuts through the air.
"But why do I feel sick?" you inquire, your voice quivering with uncertainty.
"Oh, dumb girl," he croons, a hint of amusement in his tone. "I merely indulged your soul, not your mortal shell," he chuckles softly.
Your heart lurches, a surge of bewilderment flooding your senses.
"So, my soul was... defiled? Then, I am still untouched?" you stammer, your voice trembling with disbelief.
Sukuna's grin widens, his lone eye glinting with malice.
"Yes, your physical form remains pristine," he confirms, his voice icy. "But your soul will forever bear the mark of our encounter, even if it traverses to another vessel," his words drip with menace.
Shock grips you tightly, leaving you staggered.
"What have you done... to my soul?" you manage to choke out, your voice trembling with dread.
Sukuna's grin stretches wider, malevolence gleaming in his eyes. "I've granted it an unforgettable taste of ecstasy. It will ache eternally for more of me, regardless of where it may reside," he purrs, satisfaction evident in his tone.
"You... monster!" you spit out, your anger boiling over.
"Mhm, daring to insult me once again?" Sukuna's voice challenges you, daring you to defy him.
Fury courses through you, igniting your veins.
"Yes! A monster, you are!" you shout, a fire lighting within your eyes. "Why did you do it? Why would you taint my soul like this?"
Sukuna's laughter rings through your mind, a mocking soundtrack to your turmoil.
"Because that was the only way to tame YOU," he replies, his voice laced with arrogance. "Besides, your soul was so eager, so ready to embrace the sin we offered. Why resist temptation?"
A new wave of disgust washes over you, a bitter tide of betrayal.
"I feel sick.. So sick," you cry out, your chest heaving. "And now, I'm left with the memory, the shame... I hate you, Sukuna!"
His laughter dies down, replaced with quiet, cold amusement.
"Perhaps, that's where you're wrong," he whispers, his voice like icicles. "You crave me, desperate for more, even if you deny it. And I believe you'll come begging for it, sooner than later," he predicts.
The accusation leaves you reeling, struggling to regain your footing.
"No..." you gasp, your denial wavering. "I can.. NEVER."
Another wave of laughter washes over your mind, a cruel riptide in your mind. "We shall see, darling. We shall see," he promises, his voice ringing with dark confidence.
With a shudder, you turn away from the mirror, wiping your tears.
"This doesn't change anything," you vow, your voice firm. "I'll never let you control me, never let you win."
Determination courses through your veins, a steely resolve settling into your core.
Nausea gnaws at your insides, your body rebelliously refusing to accept sustenance. Each bite results in heaves, bile scalding your throat. As if to torment you, Sukuna's presence lingers, smug and triumphant.
"Why can't I consume anything? My head hurts so much," you complain, your frustration palpable.
Sukuna chuckles softly, his voice caressing your mind, "You see, dear, you bled profusely last night," he explains nonchalantly, "While I healed your wounds, your body isn't used to such treatment. The trauma is taking its toll on your equilibrium."
Your stomach churns, the reality sinking in. "Is there... nothing I can do to feel better?" you plead, your voice trembling.
Sukuna's laughter echoes in your mind, a cruel serenade to your plight.
"Ah, do you understand now?" he mocks, his voice syrupy sweet. "You shouldn't have tried such foolish acts, suffer now."
Your heart pounds, rage coursing through your veins.
"That's your fault," you snap, your voice sharp with anger. "You made me angry"
He sighs, his voice laced with false regret, "This is what I get after healing your body? Accusations?"
As you run your fingers through your hair, the thin strands catch uncomfortably. A decision forms in your mind. Slipping on a cap, you step into the quiet morning, hoping to evade notice.
Alas, fate conspires against you - Gojo and Yuji materialize in front of you, concern etched on their faces.
"Hey, you alright?" Gojo questions, his brow furrowing. "And why the cap?"
Your heart skips a beat, guilt gnawing at you. "Oh nothing.." you mutter, avoiding their gaze. "Getting a haircut."
Yuji tilts his head, studying your face, "Is everything alright?" he asks, worry lacing his voice. "You don't seem well."
Laughter of Sukuna flashes through your mind, "Go on tell them you tried to kill yourself."
Ignoring Sukuna you speak up, "Just tired, Yuji," you dismiss, forcing a smile. "Really, it's nothing."
Gojo raises an eyebrow, skepticism clear in his gaze. "Let's go to Shoko," he suggests firmly. "We need to check on you."
Your breath hitches, anxiety coiling around your stomach.
"I'm fine, really," you insist, trying to shake off their concern. "Just a bad night's sleep."
Yuji frowns, his eyes searching yours. "Pls tell us if something's wrong," he urges, his voice filled with sincerity. "We're here for you."
Your heart aches, gratitude and guilt warring within you. "Thank you, both," you murmur, offering a weak smile. "I promise. But today, I need some space, please?"
Gojo nods reluctantly, his gaze softening. "Alright, then. Just remember, we're here if you need us," he assures you.
Yuji reaches out, gently touching your arm, "Take-", but all of a sudden, he pauses, looking at you in disbelief.
"Y/N, you are cursed", Yuji speaks, withdrawing his hands from you.
Your eyes widen, shock washing over your face.
"Remember, you are not allowed to tell them anything", Sukuna warns, his voice clear through your mind.
"Yes, Fuck you Yuji," you laugh waving at them leaving the scene with confidence.
Yuji looks at Gojo after you leave, " I feel weird sensei. She is indeed hiding something from us."
Gojo replies, " I am aware of that. Gotta do something about it."
At the parlor, you opt for an undercut, the stylist expertly trimming your locks. As the transformation unfolds, you can't help but feel renewed. With a fresh look and restored energy, you venture back to your place.
"Don't mess with my hair again", you threaten Sukuna in your mind.
"Don't provoke me then," Sukuna retorts, matching your tone.
Throughout the day, you attempt to eat, engaging in small battles with Sukuna.
"I blame you for this," you grumble, your voice laced with irritation. "For making me feel like this."
Sukuna's voice echoes in your mind, "Oh, spare me your misplaced outrage," he responds, his tone dismissive.
"You ruined everything!" you retort, your voice shaking with anger.
"Everything, yes," he agrees sardonically. "Except for the fact you are still alive."
Silence descends between you, the weight of his words heavy. You swallow hard, conceding his point.
The evening casts its shadow, painstakingly slow hours stretching before you. Despite Sukuna's taunting, a faint empathy seeps through his words. Silent tears track down your cheeks, blurring your vision. An overwhelming sense of helplessness consumes you, your heart heavy.
As darkness falls, you retreat to bed, unable to find solace in sleep. Tossing and turning, rest eludes you. Your thoughts swirl like a tempest, each wave crashing against the rocks of your soul. You remember, Gojo and Yuji tried to comfort you today, their concern gnawing at your conscience.
Guilt tightens its grip, suffocating you.
Sukuna's voice echoes in the silence, "Stop pitying yourself," he advises, his tone unexpectedly gentle. "It doesn't suit you."
Torment gnaws at your insides, hunger and sleeplessness conspiring against you. Each rumble of your stomach serves as a reminder of your failure. Frustrated and desperate, you toss and turn, seeking solace in the darkness.
Sukuna's voice cuts through the silence, "Enough of this self-flagellation," he drawls. "Do something about it."
Curiosity piqued, you listen as he continues, "Touch yourself. Release the tension, and perhaps find sleep."
Defiance courses through your veins, your jaw tensing. "No way," you retort, your voice firm. "I'm not going to listen to your perverse suggestions."
Sukuna's laughter resonates, a sinister melody in the dark.
"You know it would ease your predicament," he purrs, his voice teasing.
Your heart races, temptation coursing through you. But you resist, adamant. "Not happening," you state resolutely, turning away from him. "If I fall asleep you will do weird things to with my body again."
Sukuna's laughter fills the void, his voice rich with amusement. "Fair enough," he relents, his tone mockingly placating. "But if you change your mind..."
Unsettled, you huddle under the covers, the weight of his words heavy on your mind.
Trembling, you hesitate, the truth of his words gnawing at your resolve. Gripping your sheets, you reach for your clit, the sensation immediately electrifying.
Sukuna's voice intrudes, "How delightful," he croons, his tone dripping with smug satisfaction. "You are really doing it."
Embarrassed heat floods your cheeks, mingling with pleasure. Ignoring him, you focus on the rising tide of sensations, each stroke bringing relief. Despite the distraction, your hand continues its steady rhythm, easing your restlessness.
He chuckles, "So vulnerable, so weak."
Sukuna's voice filters through your mind, his words laden with smug anticipation.
"You know I can help, right? Make it better?" he proposes, his tone smooth.
Unease twists your insides, but you consider his offer for a moment. With a final resolve, you push him away.
"No," you utter defiantly.
His voice drips with disappointment, "You can trust me right?" he sighs, resignation evident in his tone.
"That's the least thing I do", you spit.
With a shaky breath, you continue, focusing on the building sensations. Pleasure washes over you, slowly ebbing the turmoil within.
Sukuna's voice pierces the quiet, "Feeling good?" he inquires, his tone laced with curiosity.
You nod, your breath ragged. "Yes... I've never felt like this before."
A pause ensues, suspense hanging heavy between you..
His voice hums with satisfaction, "Then let's take it further. Insert, one finger," he suggests gently. "Just one."
Hesitant, you consider his proposal. Fear threatens to undermine your courage. "I don't know... I'm scared," you confess, your voice wavering.
"Don't worry you can take it", Sukuna assures you.
Cautiously, you follow his instruction, inserting one finger, gasping at the new sensation. Waves of pleasure wash over you, heightening your arousal.
Sukuna's voice vibrates with approval, "See? Doesn't it feel good?"
Breathlessly, you agree, "Yeah... it feels good."
Another pause stretches between you, anticipation mounting.
"Two fingers," he encourages softly. "Go ahead."
Pulse racing, you obey, adding a second finger. A fresh wave of pleasure engulfs you, your moans growing louder.
Sukuna's voice resonates, "Good girl," he praises, his tone approving. "Now, deeper."
Obediently, you move your fingers, exploring deeper. A surge of ecstasy courses through you, your body trembling in response.
His voice echoes in your mind, "There you go. Keep going, feel it."
As you continue, an uncanny sensation unfurls – a mouth forms from your palm. Its tongue flicking and lapping at your clit sends shockwaves of pleasure cascading through you. Overwhelmed, you cry out, your body bucking involuntarily.
Sukuna's voice rings triumphantly, "Ah, the moans you are making.."
Panting heavily, you struggle to respond.
In awe, you stifle your cries, covering your mouth with your other hand. Despite your efforts, the sounds escape you, a soft moan slipping past your lips. Simultaneously, a second mouth appears, its tongue delving into your mouth in a passionate kiss.
Sukuna's voice rumbles with satisfaction, "Shh... It's okay," he murmurs, his tone husky. "Let go."
Your body trembles, pleasure and embarrassment warring within. As his tongues dance against your clit and lips, you surrender to the overwhelming sensation.
His voice echoes in your mind, guiding you. "Come for me," he coaxes, his tone seductive.
With a final, fierce thrust, you climax, a deafening scream trapped behind your hand. Wave after wave of ecstasy crashes into you, obliterating all thought. Your body convulses, surrendering to the bliss.
His voice resonates, "That's it, sweetheart. Let it flow."
As the storm subsides, you collapse onto the bed, breathless and spent. Relief washes over you.
Sukuna's voice echoes in the stillness, his tone encouraging.
"Again," he urges softly. "This time, play with your nipples too."
Reluctantly, you obey, adjusting to his request. Your fingers explore your nipples, their sensitivity surprising you. Combined with the continued stimulation, a familiar fire blooms within.
His voice hums, "See how responsive they are?"
With renewed vigor, you succumb to the sensations. Pleasure builds once more, escalating with intensity.
Unexpectedly, your hand halts, replaced by a sudden invasion. His tongue plunges into your hole, sending a shockwave of pleasure coursing through you. Meanwhile, the hand manipulating your nipple transforms into a mouth once more. It suctions your nipple, eliciting a sharp intake of breath.
The dual assault overwhelms you, a potent mix of pleasure and surprise. One tongue probes deep within you, its rhythmic motions stirring your core. Meanwhile, the suction on your nipple intensifies, a delicious pull that leaves you breathless. Sensations overload your senses, each action synchronizing in perfect harmony.
"Oh god!" you gasp, your body arching involuntarily.
His voice hums in your mind, "Almost there," he promises, his tone tantalizing.
Intense pleasure swells within you, threatening to break free.
"Please..." you plead in your mind, "Gonna cum again."
Sukuna's voice echoes in your mind, "Cum on my tongue, let me taste you," he assures, his tone confident.
The onslaught continues, his tongue and lips working in harmony. You teeter on the edge, each touch pushing you closer.
With a loud cry, you orgasm again. Ecstasy engulfs you, washing away all thoughts. Your muscles contract, riding the intense waves until exhaustion takes hold.
His voice whispers in your ear, "Well done, human."
Exhausted, you sink back into the pillow, your breathing labored. In the afterglow, you drift off to sleep, lulled by the residual pleasure.
Sukuna's voice lingers in your mind, "I wanted you to orgasm a few more times but for today, rest."
"O-oversenstive", you say before drifting off to sleep.
While you're lost in sleep, a shift occurs. You're unaware of the change, unmindful of Sukuna's return. His consciousness merges with yours, awakening a sense of familiarity.
His voice hums in delight, "Ah, it feels so good to be in this flesh again."
Curiosity piqued, he explores his newfound freedom, his fingers tracing your body. An instinct guides him, his digit finding your clit.
He chuckles, startled, "Whoa, it's clenching like crazy! and so fucking wet.."
Unease creeps in, his action initiating a reaction. Oversensitivity courses through your body, amplifying even the slightest touch.
His voice trembles, "Oh fuck.. this is so sensitive."
His fingers continue to explore, reveling in the hypersensitive state. Each stroke incites a jolt of pleasure that reverberates throughout your body.
His voice quivers with disbelief, "Damn, I didn't think it would be this strong!"
Unable to resist, he indulges in the experience, daring to venture deeper. Your body responds predictably, a fresh surge of desire building. Thighs shaking, abdomen twitching.
Ignoring the oddity of the situation, Sukuna dives in, his fingers delving into you. The oversensitivity catches him off guard, a low moan escaping your lips. The sound is foreign, a deep male voice emanating from your feminine form.
"M-mhm, a-ah this.. this feels better than that day's", his deep voice softly echoing the room.
Despite the peculiarity, the pleasure beckons. His fingers continue their assault, your body responding eagerly. Each thrust sends rippling waves of ecstasy throughout.
His voice groans, "I c-cant stop.." his tone strained. "Can't resist."
Driven by curiosity and pleasure, he persists, the feeling too exhilarating to abandon. Your body writhes beneath him, reacting to every touch.
His voice rasps out, "So tight, so hot... Perfect."
The feeling intensifies, nearing a crescendo. He struggles to maintain control, each thrust fueling the impending release.
His voice shakes, "You're going to come again..."
And you do, a third round of orgasms tearing through your body. Your body arcs, gripping his intruding digit in a desperate attempt to prolong the pleasure.
His voice growls, "God, this body feels incredible."
Once the storm subsides, Sukuna pulls back, his eyes wide with wonder. The unusual sensation lingers, a testament to your newly discovered oversensitivity.
With reluctance, he releases you, allowing consciousness to seep back in. As awareness returns, you find yourself in sleep.
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TAGLIST: @moonlightazriel @unholiiness @nyxlai @cocoaxbunny @persephone-lilly @iraa567 @rabbidbunwy @sweetchildcloud @lotus-n-l0ve @smashhed @imhellakawai @loveoreos @selfloverrrrrr @matchainthemorning @freckledmuffin @palegardenrebel @hellomeow12 @rowrowrowyourboat13 @zurakoofgintama
Dividers from @cafekitsune
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Comet Donati [Chapter 1: History]
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Series Summary: Sex, drugs, boy bands. You are a kinda-therapist recruited (via nepotism) to help Comet Donati through a recent crisis. Things are casual with Aegon, very not-casual with Aemond. Loosely inspired by One Direction.
Chapter Warnings: Language, references to sexual content (18+) and drugs, alcohol, smoking, astronomy, mental health struggles, Missouri.
Selected Chapter Quote: “You’re gonna love Aemond. He’s so fucked up. He’s like Disney World for therapists.”
Word count: 4.1k.
Link to chapter list (and all my writing): HERE.
* * * I’m going to tag like a bazillion people since this is the first chapter of a new fic, but I WILL NOT TAG YOU AGAIN unless you ask me to. I hope you are all doing well, wherever you are in the world. 🥰😘 * * *
@borikenlove​ @myspotofcraziness​ @teenagecriminalmastermind​ @quartzs-posts​ @tclegane​ @poohxlove​ @narwhal-swimmingintheocean​ @chainsawsangel​ @itsabby15​ @padfooteyes​ @arcielee​ @travelingmypassion​ @what-is-originality​ @burningcoffeetimetravel​ @randomdragonfires​ @aemcndtargaryen​ @jvpit3rs​ @sarcastic-halfling-princess​ @flowerpotmage​ @ladylannisterxo​ @thelittleswanao3​ @libroparaiso​ @tinykryptonitewerewolf��� @girlwith-thepearlearring​ @minttea07​ @trifoliumviridi​ @deltamoon666​ @mariahossain​ @darkenchantress​ @doingfondue​ @atherverybest​ @namelesslosers​ @skythighs​ @moonlightfoxx​ @partypoison00​ @bellameshipper​ @coffedraven​ @greenowlfactif​ @catalina-howard​ @babyblue711​ @marvelescvpe​ @heimtathurs​ @ammo23​
Let me know if you’d like to be tagged in future chapters! 💜
“You are a professional,” you tell your reflection threateningly, like it owes you money. Your hair is painstakingly tidy, your makeup neat, subdued, businesslike. You are wearing a black blazer, a white blouse, and Cookie Monster pajama pants. You are in your one-bedroom apartment in Kansas City, Missouri: grey, thunderous, humid as hell, June raindrops on the windows. “You have a master’s degree and hundreds of clinical hours and you are not afraid of clients. Not at all! Not even a little bit!”
You check your phone. 2:55 p.m.
“Oh God,” you whine to the checkered tiles of the bathroom floor, to the floral wallpaper. You clutch the cold porcelain of the sink: rose-pink, 1950s, diners and Thunderbirds, housewives and Valium. “Oh my God. Oh my God. I can’t do this. Oh my God.”
But there is no escape! You hurry, sweating profusely, to your laptop. You start the Zoom meeting and wait for your client to arrive, chewing your thumbnail until it bleeds, a scarlet semicircle of dull warm pain, a crescent moon like spilled merlot. You glance at your notepad again. David Mills, 25, married, anxiety upon relocating to a new city and beginning employment there.
Wait.
You confirm with a quick Google search in a new tab. David Mills was the protagonist in Se7en.
You sit back in your swivel chair, eyes narrowed with suspicion. The blue-white luminance of the screen glows on your face like moonlight. Your client is either a coincidence or a liar.
So what? People lie. People lie about therapy especially. So he wants some anonymity. Big deal.
“Strange,” you murmur to yourself.
You have no further opportunity to mull it over. A gratingly cheerful ding announces your client’s arrival in the Zoom meeting waiting room. No avatar, name still listed as David Mills.
“Okay. Okay. It’s fine. Here we go.”
You shake the tremors out of your hands and admit him. He pops onto the screen like a bloom of ironweed, like fireworks on the Fourth of July. It’s nighttime wherever he is. The background is dark and indistinct, shadowy; lamplight cascades across his face, topaz and fool’s gold. You are startled to realize that you already know him. And his name is definitely not David Mills.
“…Aegon?!”
He grins, sly and cocky but never cruel. “Hey.”
“Aegon Targaryen??!!”
“That’s me!” he concurs brightly. “What’s up, Stargirl?”
And instantly, you are transported back to almost exactly one year ago: a rooftop bar downtown, neon signs coiled in shades of violet and rhodonite and sapphire, night wind, constellations, ice clinking in misty glasses, locks of his hair skating between your fingers, the sting of his teeth on your throat, the Weeknd. “Hey,” you say softly. And then again, with more enthusiasm: “Hey! I saw you on Good Morning America last week!”
“Yeah? Was I good?”
“Jace was good. You were slightly offkey.”
“Aw shit. I usually am.”
“That’s okay. You’re the hot loser, right? That’s your character?”
“That’s me, baby. That’s why it works so well.”
It’s impossible: time has passed, thousands of miles have opened up between you, and yet it’s like he’s right here in the room, he never arrived, he never left, he’s always been here for life to grow up around like the framework of a house, a trellis, a skeleton. “How did you find me?”
“I couldn’t remember your name, but I figured you must have finished school by now. So I Googled therapists in Kansas City. Do you know how many there are?”
“500,” you guess.
“712,” Aegon says. “At least, that’s how many I scrolled through before I found your photo.”
“Wow.” You’re smiling; you can’t take your eyes off him. A lot of girls have that problem. That’s why he’s worth $100 million. “Couldn’t remember my name, huh? I guess I didn’t make much of an impression.”
He chuckles, a little bashfully, sweeping his blond hair off his face. “No. No, you definitely made an impression.”
So did he. In the downstairs bathroom of the bar, tucked beneath a staircase, stark white florescent lights and red walls, lip biting and ripped seams on your dress. He’d finished in approximately thirty seconds—which, oddly, felt more like a compliment than anything else—and then promptly snapped off the condom, dropped to his knees, and went down on you until you came not once but twice, a rarity for you. But that wasn’t the best part. Afterwards you’d gone back up to the roof together, sat in a quiet corner booth until the bar closed, talked about anything and everything with your bodies folded unconsciously into each other, origami, blended watercolors, whispers and murmurs, your palm on his thigh, his fingertips ghosting the underside of your wrist.
“So,” Aegon says through the laptop screen. “Are you, like, kind of unemployed currently?”
“No,” you reply, palpably defensive. Embarrassing! “I’m clearly working right now. You literally made a virtual appointment with me. I’m just…getting my practice off the ground.”
“Yeah but you seem lowkey unemployed.”
“You are so fucking rude.” But you’re laughing.
“I’m just saying, you had a lot of appointment times available. A lot.”
“I’m recruiting clients!” you exclaim. “I’m not like you. I can’t simulate sex with microphone stands to sell tickets.”
“That was one time!”
You smirk at him, eyebrows raised.
“That was…four times. That I recall.”
“I’m a professional. A serious, grown-up, certified professional.”
“You’re a glorified hobo, admit it.”
“You’re a dollar store Harry Styles.”
“Fuck,” he sighs, clutching his chest. “Okay you win.”
“Why did you do this? Why did you track me down in order to make some fraudulent therapy appointment?”
Now Aegon is something you’ve never seen from him before. He’s nervous. “I, uh…I need your help.”
“Really?”
“Well, not me specifically,” he amends. “We need your help. Comet does.”
Comet. What he means—what screaming fans all over the world mean when they drop this name in Reddit threads or Twitter hashtags or Tumblr gifsets—is the boy band Comet Donati. Three albums, five members: Aegon, Jace, Luke, Cregan, Daeron. The lineup has changed recently. Everyone knows why. “Help with what?”
“I mean…I’m sure you heard about what happened.”
“Yeah,” you say, somber now. Six months ago a piece of rigging collapsed during soundcheck at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo. It hit Aemond, costing him six inches of flesh on the left side of his face, his sight in one eye, and his position as the undisputed, archetypal fearless leader of Comet. The celebrity gossip sites had reported that he was taking time off to recover, and then that his younger brother Daeron would be filling in for him at a few shows, and then suddenly Daeron was the fifth member of the band, and everyone was so charmed by his distinctly buoyant, sunshine-and-rainbows quality that Aemond faded from the discourse almost entirely, a ghost, a phantom, an antiquated word like telegraph or courtship or laudanum.
“So things are different now,” Aegon continues. “Things are…not always easy. And I think it might be a good idea to have you around.”
“Look, I’m not…like…” How can you put this? It’s something you have difficulty admitting out loud. “I’m not a real therapist, you know? You’re right, Aegon. I’m basically unemployed. I’m fresh out of my master’s program, I don’t have anywhere near the kind of experience that someone would need to adequately help Comet. So, maybe I could recommend some people to you, but other than that I don’t think I can—”
“It has to be you,” Aegon says.
You shake your head, gazing through the screen at him, through the space and the time. “Why?”
“When Comet performed in Kansas City…when we met at the bar that night…” He is hushed, meditative. “I don’t really remember what we talked about. But I remember exactly how you made me feel.” He smiles, the sort of smile you didn’t know he had in him: soft, pure, nostalgic, without edges. “I think Aemond could use some of that.”
The walls fall down around you, this apartment, this city, this life. “Where are you right now?”
“Capri.”
“Where?”
“Capri,” he says again, amused. “But we’ll be in Rome tomorrow. You can meet us there.”
“In Rome,” you repeat, like it’s Mars or one of Jupiter’s moons.
“Catch the next flight out. The band can reimburse you. We’ll get you a contract of some sort. Nothing too long-term, so you won’t be locked in or anything. A few months. Then we can reassess.”
“Okay, but…I don’t feel comfortable serving as an official therapist to you or anyone else in Comet, Aegon. The circumstances are less than orthodox. And not just because of the…um…bar bathroom situation.”
“Fine, whatever.” He’s high on the victory; the details don’t matter so much.
“Okay,” you say. And then again, giggling wildly at the ludicrousness of it all: “Okay! I guess I’ll see you in Rome tomorrow!”
“Cool. Let me give you my WhatsApp.” You exchange information, and then he grins at you, crafty and radiant through the screen. “You’re gonna love Aemond. He’s so fucked up. He’s like Disney World for therapists.”
“We’ll see,” you reply distractedly, already opening Expedia in a new tab.
~~~~~~~~~~
The Midwest, the East Coast, the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, Southern Europe, green to blue and then green again as the plane descends into the Leonardo da Vinci Airport of Rome. You roll your single carry-on bag through the corridors, peering out the windows at cloudless cerulean skies and towering stone pines. Aegon meets you at the bottom of an escalator. He’s wearing cargo shorts, a neon green tank top, and matching Crocs. He’s slightly chubbier than you remember, just as beautiful, just as chaotically charismatic, the sun made flesh. He’s standing with a man you don’t recognize.
“Benvenuta, bella!” Aegon proclaims, nearly tackling you with a hug before taking your bag. He smells like beer, sunscreen, Axe body spray, summer air that unfurls warm and golden in the lungs.
“Oh, thank God,” the other man—possibly Italian, definitely gorgeous—exhales with great relief. “Aegon said he needed to meet someone at the airport and I was 90% sure that you would be a drug dealer. But you do not look like a drug dealer. You’re not a…are you a…?”
“No, I’m definitely not a drug dealer.”
“Okay. Great. Hello.” He extends a hand, tan and muscley. “I’m Criston, I’m the tour manager. It is my job to keep everyone alive and uninjured.”
“Four out of five isn’t bad,” Aegon says. And then, when Criston is clearly distressed by it: “Uh, anyway, there’s an Escalade waiting outside.”
The SUV is massive and black with tinted windows. As you follow Aegon into the backseat, several paparazzi appear on the sidewalk and begin snapping photos, calling out to you and expelling rapid-fire white flashes like lightning. Aegon ignores them. You’ve been travelling all day, and the sun is setting now in Rome. The sky is the color of embers, autumn leaves, Saturn. Criston climbs into the passenger seat and gives instructions to the driver. The Escalade wheels out of Arrivals, paparazzi sprinting down the sidewalk after it to take a few final pictures.
“So,” Aegon says, smiling. He pops open the mini fridge and hands you an ice-cold can of San Pellegrino. “Do you have a boyfriend back in Kansas? Or, maybe, boyfriends?”
“Missouri,” you correct him automatically. “And no. None worth mentioning.” A guy you’ve had lunch with twice, a guy you made out with at an Olive Garden, a guy you hooked up with back at UChicago who you’re still texting, guys who flit in and out of your mind like birds through the sky, impermanent, inconsequential.
“You still on the pill?”
“Yes.” You’re not offended. Aegon is teasing, and so are you. It occurs to you that talking to Aegon is a bit like talking to yourself; there are no awkward lulls, and he rarely says anything that shocks you. “But that’s not why I came to Rome.”
“That’s fine. That’s not why I invited you.”
As the Escalade zooms by iconic landmarks—the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, the Piazza del Popolo—you ask Aegon about them. He has no idea; he makes things up instead.
“That’s the duck waterpark,” he says as you pass a fountain that’s over 1,000 years old. Then he points to a naked statue of an extremely buff Mercury. “That’s me before I started eating carbs again.” His only snippet of accurate trivia comes as you drive by the twilight-lit Colosseum. “Holy shit, that’s where Taylor Swift made out with Tom Hiddleston!”
“Surely more important things have happened there at some point in the past two millennia.”
“I doubt it,” Aegon replies, frowning out the Escalade window, taciturn. “I wish I got to make out with Taylor Swift in the Colosseum.”
Comet Donati is staying at the Anantara Palazzo Naiadi Rome Hotel, which closely resembles a palace. When the Escalade stops at the front doors, you drag your luggage out onto the cobblestones.
“No no no,” Criston says, grabbing the rolling suitcase from you. He gives it to a white-gloved butler along with a room number and then escorts you and Aegon to the top floor. It’s not until the three of you are in the elevator that you realize you are still wearing your highly unsophisticated travel-day attire: yoga pants, flip flops, a tie-dye hoodie with Louis Tomlinson’s face on it that you purchased from Etsy last winter. Aegon catches you scrutinizing your reflection in the mirrors that line the inside of the elevator.
“Traitor,” he says with a grin, massaging your shoulders. His eyes lock with yours in the mirror. His touch is—just as it was a year ago at that bar in Kansas City when you were home from school on break and he was a transient visitor, fleeting like a rainstorm—familiar somehow, pleasant and comforting but not profound, welcome without being necessary.
“Don’t hate him ‘cause you ain’t him. When was the last time you wrote a #1 hit single?”
“Never,” Aegon readily admits. “Although I got into the Top 5 in Norway once.” No, everyone knows that Aemond was Comet’s Louis Tomlinson: their best songwriter, their relatively unproblematic and grounded team captain, their protector, their compass. And now he has no official place in the band at all.
When the elevator doors open, Criston leads you and Aegon down the hallway to a bustling suite. Inside there are white leather couches and gold-colored lounge chairs, a bar, a staircase that leads up to the loft bedroom, people wandering in and out of air that is hazy with whispers and cigarette smoke. There are men in suits, women in short tight dresses, leather and velvet and sequins. You are woefully underdressed. Fortunately, so is Aegon. He is greeted with a dizzying array of cheers, waves, and toasts. Someone shoves an emerald green bottle of Peroni into his grasp. Kesha’s Your Love Is My Drug is vibrating through the speakers mounted on the wall: “What you’ve got, boy, is hard to find, I think about it all the time…”
“Hey, hey, listen up!” Aegon shouts, stepping on top of an ottoman, and the chatter lowers in volume like a radio being turned down.
You scan the smokey room until you’ve located all five current Comet Donati members: Aegon the disaster playboy, Luke the sensitive and kindhearted one, Daeron the energetic ray of sunshine, Jace the heir apparent in the power vacuum created by Aemond’s departure, Cregan the brooding, mysterious, sexy Northern Englishman. You know them, and yet you don’t. You know the characters they play, their reputations, their public personas…but that doesn’t mean you know them. Aegon is the only man you spoke to at the rooftop bar that night in Kansas City a year ago. So far, the mythical version of him seems quite consistent with reality.
Cregan is slumped at one end of the couch by the window and knocking back shots of what appears to be straight vodka. In the night sky beyond the glass, you can see stars and the illuminated Rome skyline: modern skyscrapers, ancient rubble. At the other end of the couch is Aemond. He’s smoking, drinking something iced and bloody pink, hunched over with his elbows on his knees, all in black like he’s trying to disappear. His left eye, the blind one, is an ethereal cloudy blue that reminds you of renderings you’ve seen of Neptune, Uranus, exoplanets, the Earth from space. He glances up at you and holds your gaze for just a few seconds too long. Then he looks away, bewildered, taking a drag off his cigarette.
Aegon introduces you to the room as you stand beside the ottoman, awkward and ashamed in your Louis Tomlinson hoodie. “She’s a friend,” Aegon says. “And she’s also a therapist.”
“Good, you need one!” Jace shouts through cupped hands, and there are tipsy titters and guffaws.
“Not for me,” Aegon snaps. “For you deranged bitches.”
As Aegon descends from the ottoman—klutzily, stumbling, clutching onto Criston like a baby lemur to its mother—Luke approaches to present himself. He has a mess of dark curly hair that falls over his face and large, honest eyes. There’s a black spiral notebook and a white gel pen in his left hand. He offers you his right. “Hi! I’m Luke Velaryon.”
“Yeah, I know. I spend a lot of time on Comet’s Spotify page.”
He groans. “I look so bad in that header photo.”
“I don’t think so.”
“It’s the nose. I have a pug nose. The label has been trying to convince me to get it fixed for years.” He turns to a girl who is practically hiding behind him: arrestingly beautiful in a fragile sort of way, gentle like a doe. “Maybe you can help Rhaena talk to people.”
“I have social anxiety,” she explains apologetically. Her voice is very quiet yet lyrical. There are weights tied to her confession, years of shame and despair. Luke throws an arm across her shoulders and hugs her to him, touching his forehead briefly to hers.
“That’s okay.” You give Rhaena a reassuring smile. “It’s super common, and there are a lot of strategies you can try that might make it more manageable.”
“It wasn’t a big deal at first, you know?” Rhaena says. It comes out in a rush like water through a cracked dam. Luke looks astonished but pleased. You have been known to have this effect upon people, a compulsive sort of disclosure that drains, empties, unburdens. Aegon is watching from several feet away, beaming between swigs of Peroni. “Luke and I met before he got famous and we could just hang out around the neighborhood. Ice cream, public parks, Pret a Manger, riding the Tube together. But now…now he’s always meeting new people and there are all these events I’m supposed to go to with him, and I can’t sleep properly for days leading up to each one, and half the time I end up hiding in the bathroom or being too nauseous to eat anything, and…”
Jace is at the bar and slurping a vesper: shoulder-length curls, flashy blazer with nothing underneath it, a contemplative appraisal of you. There’s a stunning girl sitting beside him that he’s not listening to.
As you are explaining the potential benefits of exposure therapy to Rhaena and Luke, Daeron bursts through the crowd to greet you. He’s their Niall Horan: warm, uncomplicated, disarmingly friendly, beachy blond hair, a golden retriever on two legs. He hugs you—spiritedly, like Aegon did—and then compliments your flip flops.
“So you’re our new therapist?” Daeron says eagerly, like this is something he knows they’ve needed.
“Well, I’m a therapist, but I’m not really your therapist. Because I can’t hang out with you guys all the time and also be your therapist. It’s unethical. But Aegon thought I might have some good ideas, I guess. In a strictly unofficial capacity.”
“Okay! Cool! And you and Aegon are…friends?”
“Um…yeah. Sort of.”
“Remember that show in Kansas City last summer?” Aegon tells Daeron. He’s supernaturally gifted at making everything sound blissfully casual, like there couldn’t possibly be more to the story. “I met her at the bar we went to afterwards.”
“Totally,” Daeron says. “Great city. Awesome barbeque.”
Criston asks him: “So, uh, how’s your mom doing?”
Daeron is puzzled. “Fine…?”
“Criston, please stop asking about my mom,” Aegon says. “It’s getting weird. It’s been weird. It was weird four years ago and it’s weird now. She has a husband.”
“Yeah, but is that…you know…is that still going well?”
“Yes, Criston.”
“Fantastic,” Criston mutters, pouring himself a Scotch. He uses the glass to gesture to you. “So what the hell am I supposed to bill her as? Aegon’s friend?”
“She’s a…” Aegon considers this, waving his Peroni around in the air. “Human resources mental health consultant.”
“She’s a what?”
“She helps resolve both intra and interpersonal conflict.”
“That sounds imaginary.”
“Well then you figure something out!” Aegon says, exasperated. “Isn’t this what you get paid for? To make problems go away? To keep us happy? To stop us from killing each other? You figure it out.” He saunters off to grace the drunken masses with his presence. Criston sighs and goes to stand by the wall with a herd of stone-faced businessmen in suits, record label guys, guys who only know how to see the world in terms of contract clauses and account balances.
Rhaena goes to stand by Jace’s companion, who—as you conjure up vague recollections of celebrity gossip sites—is named something like Bella or Bailey. Daeron is commandeered by a gaggle of adoring Italian women. Luke is showing Aemond something in his notebook: black pages, sparkly white ink. Aemond is nodding and giving critique, not that saccharine, generic, brainless kind of praise but authentic encouragement: try to think of a more specific word here, move that line up to the first verse, I love the use of this metaphor. Aemond’s voice dredges up memories you didn’t know you had of him on talk shows, in YouTube compilations, in songs you’ve been streaming on Spotify for years. Smoke drifts from his lips. Ice jangles in his organ-pink cocktail. And again, he looks up at you, inhaling poison as Luke makes his opal-ink edits.
“What’s that drink called?” you ask the bartender, and he squints across the room to where Aemond is seated on the snow-colored leather couch to discern it.
“A Bramble,” he says. “It’s named after blackberry bushes.”
“Can I get one?”
“Sure.”
You procure your drink and when Luke leaves the couch, you whizz past him like a meteor as you walk towards it.
“Hey,” Cregan flings impassively, not knowing why you’re here, not caring either.
“Hey,” you return.
And then you sit down next to Aemond, deliberately on his blind side. He glances over at you, his brow crinkling with confusion. Because—surely, undoubtedly—no one ever speaks about his injury, but it’s veined through everything they do, it’s a perpetual undercurrent that steers his life and yet cannot be voiced without breaching those vigilantly constructed levees of propriety. It’s the elephant in every room. It’s a ghost rattling doorknobs and tapping on windows. And sometimes the only way to free yourself of something is to throw the cage door wide open and set it loose.
“I accidentally wore your competitor’s merch,” you say. “I didn’t want you to have a good view.”
Aemond laughs, and the strangest thing happens: everyone in the room turns to look. On their faces are expressions of shock, bafflement, relief, wonder. Aemond shifts so he’s facing you, one elbow propped on the back of the couch. He sips the Bramble in his right hand, puffs on the cigarette in his left. And there it is, what people like to call a spark, but it’s something deeper than that: organic chemistry, neurotransmitter plumes, wells of marrow that sing to each other from beneath the darkness.
You nod to his cigarette, Benson & Hedges according to the shimmery gold pack that lays open on the glass coffee table. “You think that makes you cool?”
“I know it does,” he says. His gaze flicks down to your Louis Tomlinson hoodie…or what’s under it, perhaps. “Wouldn’t work on you though. Too far gone.”
You hold out your hand. After a few seconds, Aemond passes you his cigarette. You—very stoically, very nonchalantly—take a single drag and then erupt into a coughing fit, eyes watering, lungs gasping, surrendering the cigarette emphatically. Humiliating! Irredeemable!
“Told you,” Aemond notes. But he’s rubbing your back with a hand that is large and strong and yet careful. You smile at him. Aemond smiles too.
Criston pulls one of the suit guys aside and says: “Get her on the payroll.”
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kit-and-wolfe · 1 month
Text
Battle of the Bands
Hobie, Miguel, Gabriel, Gwen and 1st person pov OC / MC
New Adult magical realism AU (obvi) brain worm that has grown from a 2-shot screenplay for some fun comics into a monster. This fic is like Tremors in my brain.
The summer before college MC, Gabriel O'Hara, and Miguel O'Hara go on an international road trip with their metal band, Neon Requiem. Destination? BandFest, the Battle of the Bands in London guaranteed to secure the winning band a record deal. They meet other ATSV characters along the way.
No mention of Y/N / Reader, written from 1st person POV. Self-insertion is made easier by fewer details about the MC.
Notes on language: Tried my best here, if you are a native speaker of French, let me know if the MC's French is unnatural and I will love you forever.
Romance, angst, and poorly understood music concepts are often written as having a distinct visual component because I am an artist first. <
@pinksugarscrub @the-kr8tor I DID THE THING!
*******************************************************************
Chapter 1 - “Vous êtes maître de votre vie et de vos émotions, ne l’oubliez jamais. Pour le meilleur et pour le pire”
The Rusty Nail's neon whir and raucous rhythms had been muted to a melancholy hum that evening, it was a ghost town, the emptiness of the dimly lit bar echoing with decades of unfulfilled longings. I nursed my drink, letting the smoky burn of liquor etch contours of quiet contemplation onto my throat as I surveyed the handful of kindred souls keeping solemn vigil. Life had been feeling heavy, and I needed to write, to make art, and to get lost in music.
At the far end of the bar hunched a beautiful wraith, his slim, angular frame sheathed in torn denim and studded leather. Something indefinable shimmered around him, unsung poetry, snippets of melodies, a symphony I could see and hear and almost touch. Drawn like a moth to the lambent glow of the music, I slid onto the stool beside the ethereal punk spectre. In my mind's eye, I crowned him the prince of punk, a fairy tale rebel.
Our bodies brushed intimately in the cramped space, raising ghosts of sensation along the exposed skin of my fishnets. "Wozzat, luv?" he murmured, kohl-rimmed eyes flickering over the point of contact with a soldering heat.
Mon dieu, {My God} Had I spoken my admiration aloud? A flush crept up my cheeks as I scrambled for a response.
"Désolé. Je répétais quelque chose pour ne pas l'oublier… Need to write it down before I lose it," {Sorry. I was repeating something so I wouldn't forget it…} I mumbled, a flimsy excuse for my wandering mind.
Fumbling through my bag ,I pulled out my tattered notebook, fingers trembling as I scribbled down a scrap of verse inspired by the punk's incandescent presence beside me. I scribbled my observations in hasty strokes. The dying light of day bled into night, a liminal space that begged for a soundtrack. I could almost hear it, a melody just out of reach, shimmering in the smoky air.
"The liminal light of late afternoon, yawning into early evening…" I muttered, pulling on the strings of the melody, trying to draw it back to me. "I don't want to be loved for the things that I don't do. I don't want to be just a pretty face, I want to be a work of art…We are all just works of art."
The jukebox fell silent, making my mutterings around sift and strange, slightly unhinged---but the punk prince remained---his gaze heavy on my skin. I met his stare, unflinching. Unabashed curiosity flickered in eyes, wide brown and doe-like, framed by lashes so lush they seemed to blur the line between masculine and feminine, earthly and ethereal. I found myself dizzied by warring impulses - to flee this unsettling intimacy, or be consumed by it wholly.
He was a changeling, gorgeously androgynous: part punk Mona Lisa with a Cheshire cat grin, part Jean-Michel Baptiste, part force-of-fucking-nature. He made me feel like a background character in his story, could be a punk fairy princess, and I would be the dragon. My thoughts raced, fragments of poetry and half-formed desires. I scribbled faster, chasing the threads of inspiration, but a nudge from my prince brought me back to earth.
Snatches of poetry, raw and unfinished, that I urgently longed to refine on the page before they dissipated like the last wisps of smoke in a spent ashtray. But the punk's aura dragged me too deeply into devotional reverie. I glanced up apologetically as my concentration scattered, the thread of inspiration slipping through my fingers once more.
The bartender had sprouted up directly in front of me, and she eyed me expectantly. Her hair was a shock of blue curls and silver streaks shorn close to her scalp, it made her eyes seem more gray. Her skin etched with lines that mapped out the years like a roadmap. I felt the familiar pang of a poem lost to the ether.
"Un…Jack Daniel's, s'il vous plaît," {A…Jack Daniel's, please} I said, no longer able to filter its lilt from my words, as I wasn't paying attention to dulling it.
"Blimey, that's a proper choice, innit? You 'ere for the battle of the bands event this week, love?"
"Oui, how did you know?" {Yes, how did you know?}
"Just a…sense," he demurred with a wicked grin. "Call it a punk's intuition, darling. I'm in the mix too, y'know."
The bartender chuckled as she set my drink down. "You mean because everyone is here for Bandfest? Don't listen to this one, lovey, he's incorrigible. The crowds will be in later on, but you're a bit early."
"Shh, Roz. Who's up tonight?" The prince asked, a wicked gleam in his eye.
"Oh, you want insider information? What's in it for me?"
"Givin' away free tattoos, could autograph yer arm, love."
"I'll pass, thanks. The brackets are up in an hour anyway. It's Night Terrors vs. Death Rapture, Blood Prophecy vs. Cherry Bomb, Spider Punks vs. Neon Requiem…"
"Why are the punk bands going up against the metal bands?" I asked, just as the prince inquired about Phantom Pulse.
"There wasn't a lot of quality competition this year, or that's what the sponsors said, so they automatically advance to the semifinals since they won last year."
"Bollocks!" The prince cried, his outrage palpable.
"Oi Punk, you don't want to sign with Vic Luna at Zenith Music Group, anyway."
"Tu…ne le fais pas? Mais pourquoi?" {You…don't? But why?} The words tumbled out, my curiosity getting the better of me. At her blank stare, I repeated the question in English, heat rising to my cheeks.
Roz leaned in, her voice low, "Look kid, it's complicated…"
The prince rolled his eyes, a sneer playing at his lips. "Betrayed a lot of good bands."
"You don't need to remind me, Punk, I lived through it. Despite the changes at Zenith Music Group, they still organize the annual Bandfest, which showcases both established and emerging talent in the punk and metal scenes. The event is highly respected within the community and provides a platform for bands to gain exposure and connect with fans," the bartender continued, her words stilted, rehearsed.
"Ay, and they are the sponsor bringing in your crowds." The prince's voice was sharp, laced with an emotion I couldn't quite place.
"The only time we're out of the red, punkass. We'd have to shut down if it weren't for the Battle." She said heavily, "Which is the greater evil, we are a place of refuge for several members of the community, not just you."
"You don't need to remind me Roz, I'm living through it. Right, I'll stop ragging on the corporate sods for now, until you have some plausible deniability." He raised his hands in mock surrender, a bitter laugh escaping his lips.
"There's a good Punk." Roz smiled, sliding him another pint before retreating.
I made a mental note to warn my bandmates about Vic and Zenith's sordid history. We were in this for the music, not the money, no one played metal for the money--but it never hurt to be cautious.
"Roz is like the den mother of the London punk scene, a living testament to grit and resilience, and screaming yourself hoarse at basement shows. Dream t'be like her when I grow up. To listen without judgment, offer advice without preaching, and know when to slide a shot of whiskey across the bar and when to cut you off. She has a way of looking at you, really seeing you, like you matter… like you are more than just another face in the crowd." His voice trails off, heavy with emotion. He blinks and shakes it off.
"Can I see it?" The prince's voice cut through our lost thoughts, his fingers reaching for my notebook.
I clutched it to my chest, a knee-jerk reaction. "Can you look into my very soul, like Roz?"
His smirk widened, that Cheshire cat grin that set my heart racing. He nodded, a challenge in his eyes.
"I'll show you mine if you show me yours," he purred, and I felt my stomach flip. I repeated the phrase in my mind, first in French, then in English, just to be sure I'd heard him right. Wasn't this some flirty idiom?
"You have a book of poetry somewhere hidden in those skinny jeans, mon ami?" {my friend?} I ask, hesitant, double-checking his meaning. He flirts like others breathe.
In lieu of an answer, he produced a sharpie from thin air. Before I could protest, he had my arm in his grasp, his touch electric against my skin. I shrugged off my leather jacket, baring my arms to his ink-stained fingers. Roz chuckled as she set another drink before me, clearly amused by the prince's antics.
"You'll need it…I see you took this wanker up on the free tattoo offer. Don't let him draw any on your arms."
"Any? …Any what?"
"Wankers," she clarified with a laugh. It clarifies nothing, I need to study my British slang.
"I would not mar the flesh of such a beautiful and willing participant, Roz. Kindly fuck off," the prince mumbled around the sharpie cap clenched between his teeth.
Between the verses he scrawled, he peppered me with questions, his voice a giddy whisper.
"So, who's your poison, love? Which bands get your motor runnin'?"
"Ah, j'adore Rammstein, Gojira, et bien sûr, Motörhead. And so many others, doesn't even scratch the surface. Et toi?" {Ah, I love Rammstein... And you?}
"Proper choices, those. For me, it's the classics - Sex Pistols, The Clash, Buzzcocks. Real raw, in-your-face stuff, y'know?"
I leaned in, excited, but too close. I nearly jumped as my lips grazed the dusky shell of his ear. "Ah, un homme de bon goût! I've seen the Buzzcocks live, you know. Pure chaos, c'était incroyable!" {Ah, a man of good taste! I've seen the Buzzcocks live, you know. Pure chaos, it was incredible!}
"No bleedin' way! Metal chick like you? I'd give me left bollock to have seen the Sex Pistols live. But I did catch The Clash back in '07. Changed me life, it did."
"Lemmy, sans aucun doute. The man's a legend!" {Lemmy, without a doubt.} I declare into the bar.
"Oi, don't go disrespectin' Johnny, now! The bloke's a punk icon, 'e is!"
"You're a punk icon!" someone shouted from the back, but the prince waved them off with a grin.
"Oh, I didn't catch your name," I said, with a sudden shame, my brow furrowed.
"Everyone just calls me Punk. You can too. Just not dirty punk, we don't want to come to blows, do we, love?"
"I'd kick your ass, mon ami. Pas grand chose à donner, mon petit prince des fées… eh mon prince dégingandé, right? I would not describe you as petite even if you are skinny." {I'd kick your ass, my friend. Not much to give, my little fairy prince… eh my lanky prince, right?}
Miguel was at my side in an instant, all rippling muscle and furrowed consternation. "Carnalita, {little sis} why did you sneak out on practice just to drink in this hellhole?" he rumbled, disapproval lacing every sonorous word. Tenderness faded a bit.
I met his gruff chiding with an insouciant toss of my hair. "Salut, Miguel. Ça fait longtemps." {Hello, Miguel. It's been a while.}
"Is that Jack? No puedo mas… Carnalita…This shit is bad for you." {I can't take it anymore…little sis...}
"Je nais etre rond comme une queue de pelle. Tu es vraiment un trou de balle quand tu dis des choses pareilles!" {I would be round as a shovel handle. (Idiom, essentially she is saying ~ I was born to be drunk) You are really a dumbass when you say things like that!}
Miguel's grumbling stream of Spanish reprimands washed over me as I settled into our familiar dynamic - the tender yet terse cantata of friend and protector that had composed them score of our relationship since childhood. For all his bluster, I knew every arrhythmic cadence encoded Miguel's steadfast affection.
Only Gabriel's soft interjection could salve the rising discord. "You worry too much, Miggy. We've been practicing all week."
He cast me a plaintive glance, silently pleading for conciliation, and I grudgingly obliged with an internal eyeroll. "Qu'il aille se faire! C'est vraiment chiant tu te rends compte." {Let him go fuck himself! It's really annoying, you know.}
Heedless of my saucy french asides, Miguel merely drew a fortifying breath before continuing in that maddening timbre of unrelenting reason. "Gabri and I could have come out with you. You shouldn't go out alone in an unknown city - it's not safe for you, mi carnalita."
The prince leaned towards us with a lazy smirk, "S'not that serious. The Rusty Nail is safe enough." He paused as the bartender snorted in agreement before continuing, "We're keeping the lady safe, mate…you can trust me, I'm one of the Spider-Punks."
Miguel simply sneered at the prince's proffered handshake, dismissing it out of hand. "You have arms like sticks. How would you keep her safe?"
The punk's smirk widened as he shrugged. "Ah, one of those. Never skip leg day, eh bruv?"
I strangled a guffaw as Gabriel hastened to run interference, engulfing the punk's hand eagerly. "We've heard of you guys, the local punk band, yeah? Your drummer is…gahh…Ah-Mazing! You think we could meet?"
"You call that punk noise "rock"?" Miguel scoffed. "Metal is where the real skill lies…Real talent is in the complexity, the technical skill. Metal pushes boundaries, takes you to new places. Punk's just three chords and an attitude."
I rolled my eyes. At this rate, I'd have to drag Miguel out before he started a brawl.
"Ah, mais non, Miggy. There's art in simplicity too. Punk, metal, it's all about the energy, the message, non?" {Ah, but no, Miggy. There's art in simplicity too. Punk, metal, it's all about the energy, the message, right?}
Miguel grunted, but squeezed my hand.
I stood, motioning for him to lean in close. "Allez, let's save the competition for the stage, d'accord? I learned some things about the record company. We should talk in private." {Come on, let's save the competition for the stage, okay?}
The prince unfolded himself, towering over me. "Tell you what, mate. Let's settle this on stage. We'll let the crowd decide who's got the real chops," he challenged.
Gabriel chimed in, "Pero, mana's right, Miguel." {But, sister is right, Miguel.}
Miguel looked ready to explode, but Gabriel's eyes held him in check.
"Music's music. Let's just focus on putting on a good show, and maybe we can learn something from their band, eh?" Gabriel said.
The prince leaned in, lips grazing my cheek. "Aye, love. Can't wait to teach your wall of meat here a thing or two. How about we give 'em a show they won't forget…later?"
I grinned, "Oui! A collaboration? Here… Ça ne casse pas trois pattes à un canard…mais, pour vous. I want it back later." {Yes! A collaboration? Here…It doesn't break three duck legs (Idiom ~ It's nothing special) …but, for you. I want it back later.}
The lanky punk sauntered off, his studded boots leaving faint trails of glitter on the barroom floor. Miguel's scowl deepened as he watched him depart, fists clenched tightly.
"Is that your poetry notebook?" he growled, voice rumbling low.
"Yes, I traded it to the punk faerie for these tattoos, I smirked, revealing the vine-like scrawl of ink now adorning my flesh like raised scars from whipping brambles.
Miguel's face darkened further, storm clouds gathering at my words. "The one you never let anyone touch or read…"
His voice strangled to a whisper, and I could not parse the complex calculus of emotions flitting behind his eyes
Gabriel placed a calming hand on his brother's arm.
"Easy, hermano {brother}. He's not worth it," Gabriel said in a soothing tone.
"Be nice, Punk is a good guy. I like him," I countered softly, a warm glow blossomed within me as I realized my entire arm was now a crawling garden of sentences entirely in French.
Miguel opened his mouth, undoubtedly to unleash a heated retort, but Gabriel cut in, "Should we go look at the brackets to see who we're facing?"
"It looks like my entire arm is covered with quotes from The Little Prince, which happens to be my favorite book. It's actually quite a sweet gesture," I said softly, fingertips grazing the raised words like treasured runes.
With renewed curiosity, I examined the ink quote now etched on my skin: "Vous êtes maître de votre vie et de vos émotions, ne l'oubliez jamais. Pour le meilleur et pour le pire." {You are the master of your life and your emotions, never forget that. For better or worse.}
I didn't mention the lone scrawl that could have been a phone number hidden amidst the literary foliage now vining my limb. Miguel was in full-on Dad mode, and I didn't need to add fuel to that particular fire.
"I already know the competition for the quarterfinals, we don't need to waste our time. Come on, manos {used as slang for brother}, we're going to kick some ass!" I giggled brightly, elated at my new 'tattoos' scrawling up my arms. I didn't put my leather jacket back on, I didn't want to cover any of it up.
Miguel's glare never wavered, his eyes fixed on the far side of the bar where the prince had disappeared into the crowd. "Don't tempt me. Let's go, carnalita {little sister}, time for practice."
With a resigned sigh, I surrendered to my brothers' insistent tugs, allowing them to lead me from the Rusty Nail. But the punk prince's parting words still reverberated through my mind like the lingering notes of a siren song. Later, he had purred, that single hushed syllable seeming to contain all the intoxicating lure of a siren's call - equal parts velvet promise and brazen challenge, twined inextricably into an enchantment I could not resist. The whole damn bar was a sailor's nightmare.
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lorimnnn · 1 year
Text
Mine pt. 2 (Michael Myers x AFAB!Reader)
summary: before Michael was ever ‘The Shape’ of Haddonfield, he was just a boy. he was a boy in love with the girl across the road, his sister’s best friend--- the only girl to show him kindness, love and warmth. you.
Basically, Michael falls in love with his sister’s best friend at 6, who sometimes played emergency babysitter especially when Judith was fooling around with her bf. He clings to those memories growing up in the asylum until the day he breaks out, where he decides the first thing he wants to do is find you and keep you, your sunshine only for him. Reader is super girly and feminine, which just fuels michael’s possessiveness.
cw: gore, violence, kidnapping, obsession, manhandling, possessiveness, non-con themes
pt: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
welcome back @xprettyqueenx @bitchyglitterfox @ameliachastain  @agustdeeyaa @fanlovedlt @valen-yamyam16 @looseratinthegarage @quixscentsposts @sunshinexxmoonlight @sunshinexxmoonlight @hxrzvf  @poisonjoke @singingpianowings @babybooday @serryjailor @bdudette @blackholegladiator @imobsessedreader @cluelessyasmin​ @kittenfrostt @tooprettytoofeelshitty @alexsworldsstuff  @bigcreatorwombatdreamer @abadnamee  @gremlinfuck @aromess @radioactive-mocha
~
Your breath shutters in your chest, and a violent tremor seizes at your hands. Tears threaten to fall from your eyes. They sting. They smell like fear. 
You know that whatever you do, you can’t let them fall. 
But you can’t help yourself. “Mikey?”
The last time you saw Michael Myers, you were 17, at the height of your senior year, and honestly with a few better things to do than cover for Judith when she decided to slack off with Danny. 
Not that you minded that precious little boy. 
Could you still call him precious?
You don’t dare to turn around. You don’t know what will happen if you do--- what will you see? What will it matter? A part of you needlessly clings to who he used to be. A part of you is certain that if you don’t turn around, you can still pretend a little while longer that nothing’s changed. 
Here’s little Mikey, inviting himself into your home because Judith is ‘having her own fun’, as you’d so eloquently put it in the beginning. You’re 17 all over again. You’re squeezed into a tackily patterned pink dress, lips swabbed with a glossy sheen, eyes defined the way everyone used to define them, cancelling on more plans because Judith couldn’t care less that other people lived other lives that could co-exist with hers, if she were considerate enough to open her eyes and find balance. He’s six, with floppy blonde hair and wide, seeing blue eyes. 
Your breathing comes faster, a heavy, wet whisper that stimulates your heart into painful, frantic pounding. Fuck. You’re so fucked. Who are you kidding?
You’re 32 and he’s 21 and he’s a serial killer and he’s standing behind you. Why he hasn’t made his move yet is beyond you, but even so--- do you want to know the answer?
A heavy hand curls over your shoulder. There is nothing gentle about it. Nothing familiar, but you don’t know what you’re supposed to be accepting after fifteen years. He’s demanding and impatient as he squeezes, almost enough for you to wince. 
You understand what he’s saying. Turn around. 
You do. Slowly, you do, and fuck. There he is. 
Staring at you with that expressionless latex mask, his features distorted, one eye peeking back at you through the hole. He’s huge. Broad shouldered and long-legged and built like a fractured god. 
The chills swamp you in seconds. 
“Michael,” you correct yourself. Because this isn’t Mikey. No. 
This is Michael Myers. 
And you’re going to die tonight. 
You eye the knife at his side, then glance back at the hand still clutching your shoulder. 
“Well?” you say. “Get it over and done with, then. Have at least enough respect to do it quickly.”
If he’s stunned, he says nothing. Either that or he’s really good at hiding it. He says stiff. Rigid, even. But what reason would the notorious Michael Myers have to be rigid around you?
Well, you have balls, for one. But that’s nothing new. It’s been so long since you’ve had to give a shit or cared to even pretend to, there’s no reason to start.
No time like the end to make the most of it, right?
You tilt your head back. “Go on. Do it.”
You wait. You wait and wait and wait. 
It seems like forever until he can show he’s processed your words at all. But the knife doesn’t move from his side. Neither does his hand move from your shoulder. He doesn’t even try step closer to you. 
Instead he just... Tilts his head at you. 
Confused. 
Any curiosity you have in return is quickly snuffed out the second he shoves you against the wall, his hand moving to your neck and collaring it in a harsh, iron grip. You choke. You sputter at the unexpected intrusion of your space. He’s not even squeezing hard, which makes it even more disorienting. You feel like you should be dying. You delude yourself into thinking you are, that your body is in denial, which is the only reason you can keep your eyes open. 
Michael Myers doesn’t speak. 
You don’t even know if he recognises you at all. Then again, why else is he in your house, and why else is he hesitating?
You don’t know what’s worse. Him knowing your or not knowing you at all.  “Michael?” His hand lingers a little longer before he releases you all together, your knees buckling when your feet hit the floor. You’re oversensitive. Everything feels like too much, your fear amplifying your senses as you wrestle between flight or fight.  “Don’t come any closer,” you warn. “You’re the one who changed your mind.” It’s obvious that he’s not used to following orders. Or maybe he is and is actively choosing not to--- all those years in the Sanitarium must’ve added up to something, if not some submissive trauma. You hate the rush of sympathy that seizes you when you think of it, only resolved by the bitter tang of horror as you remember why that little boy was sent to the asylum in the first place. 
You’re more scared now that you can’t predict him. It was easy enough when you were sure he was going to kill you, because that was what he did to everyone. But now?
Now you don’t know. 
You swear sharply when Michael lunges, seemingly not fast or agile enough to dodge him as he slams you into the wall, his body pressing against yours. You don’t even both fighting him, arms squished between you where you’d thrown them protectively in front of yourself. His face is so close to yours. That unsettlingly emotionless mask is too close. You can smell the silicone. The sweat. 
You can see his eyes through the holes. Icy, stark and blue. Pupils dilated as his gaze holds yours, as his breathing comes heavier, more laboured. You quickly realise why. 
His hands roam your sides. They grip. They grope. You hold in your scream as his fingers sink into your hips --- not enough to hurt, but enough to make his intention clear. You try squirm, you try shove him away. Nothing works. 
You can feel him against your belly. Hot. Hard, Probing. 
Where was the little boy you used to care for? Did he even exist? Did he exist at all now, somewhere deep inside this monstrous creature, hulking in size and ineffably superior, dominant, a symbol of fear? Did he know what he was doing when he was touching you like this, or were the hands that were touching you the hands of a stranger consumed by rage and blood thirst? 
You gag. You want to vomit. This is so wrong. Every part of you screams to escape, but he won’t let you. 
You clench your eyes shut. “No. No, no, no.”
He pushes harder against you, and you begin to tremble. 
You’ve never heard of Michael Myer’s victims being raped. It just wasn’t his thing. It wasn’t supposed to be his thing. 
Why start?
Why the fuck start with you?
“No, no, no.” You start to scream. “No! Fucking no!”
You shove him hard, even if it does nothing. 
“Get the fuck off me, you disgusting, deranged bitch!”
You shove him again, and this time he stumbles back three steps. They’re all hesitant, like he’s hurt or something. Good. 
“Fuck you,’ you spit. “Get out of here.”
He gives you one, last look. His eyes are eclipsed in the shadows, the distance making them hard to see. But you know he’s looking at you. Intently. Deliberately. 
Darkly. 
And then he’s gone. Just like that. 
When you open your eyes, the room is empty. The door is wide open, and the wind slips into the house, submerging it in a chill you can’t differ from your disgust and horror. 
On your porch is the corpse of the man you slept with last night. He’s mutilated, body angled in ways that make you sick. 
You don’t know anything. You know nothing, and you’re scared. 
But one thing remains clear. 
He’ll be back. 
__
Michael’s heart throbs in his chest. It is the most life it has had since he was a child, since he was watching cartoons on your sofa or watching you examine your reflection in the mirror. 
He’d stepped into the room, and it had beat. It had beaten so loudly, it’d sounded like thunder in his head. 
Mine, mine, mine. 
You were his. 
He’d touched you. Felt you. You were older but you were the same, and you were real. How he imagined you couldn’t compare to how you were now. 
Fuck. 
And to think someone had touched you that wasn’t him. 
Nobody would ever do that again. 
comment or follow to be tagged in pt.3!
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dandelion-blues · 3 months
Text
I was Never the Gods’ Hero
Intro:
Percy Jackson just wanted a break. He didn't ask to be favored by ancient beings. He didn't want to be a hero, he needed to, but here he is expected to be a hero again! And in another universe already filled with heroes to boot!
Percy Jackson x DC crossover fanfic
Chapter 1
Gasping, clawing, trembling for air. He can't breathe! His hands are on his throat gasping desperately for oxygen. The all-encompassing pressure surrounds him from every inch of his body, suffocating and consuming him. It's a thick and oppressive void of blackness where there is no color, no light, and no hope. It's a parasyte waiting to consume, where it's solid in the freezing, crushing pressure that cracks his bones and liquid as it oozes into his skin and feasts itself in his blood and lungs and brain. It lets him feel everything all at once, all of his nerves alight with agony as they are targeted too slowly and individually, yet numbing his body in less than a second.
It is still too slow! It felt as neverending and unrelenting cycle of continual pain and torture. More torment than even Styx could give to her river.
Then, as the pressure finally grinds his bones and organs to sand, and freezes and suffocates him molecule by molecule, there is the blinding light, electrifying and raging. It renews his once frozen and distorted body instantly to energize him with a thousand suns, making his body a inferno of heat and agony. His numbness shocked back into awareness with a potency much greater than lightning that sears though his being. Only, for his eyes to see light before they burn away to husks of ashes along with his skin, blood, and bones.
Over and over again, this cycle of crushing darkness and searing light, all at once and yet separate at the same time. He feels as if he is dying and given life all at once. He is pulled apart then put back together again and again. His very atoms pulled apart and then back together.
If he were given even a second to breathe he might even notice how when he was torn apart and put back together he wasn’t put back the same… how he no longer bled red, and how his very senses and being enhanced; to be more than human. However, all he felt was the agony, shocking and suffocating and burning. Percy Jackson just wanted it to end!
Ichor
Red blood of mortality,
Tastes sweet with immortality.
Colors were in shades of gray,
Enhanced through his decay.
Gold was for the riches,
Now in his blood so much it itches.
A mother's son forever since,
Crowned a God's prince.
…………………………………………….
Percy woke up, tremors racking his body. A silent scream tore at his throat, his heart pounding in his chest.
What was that?!
He looked widely around the dark room, his body high on alert, but still he wasn't prepared for the being awaiting him the darkness behind him.
The being cradled Percy and forced him back to sleep, wiping the tears from his eyes.
“It's too soon,” the being whispered.
The ‘dream’ all but forgotten the next day as Percy awoke in the morning in his home in Manhattan, New York.
Still Percy’s nightmares weren't just in his dreams. They have been a part of his life ever since he was introduced, since he was born, as a half-blood.
……………………………………………
Percy Jackson was done with the Greco-Roman pantheon. He fought and won their wars, and watched so many people, kids - Hades he was still a kid - die around him and he almost died too many times to count while the Gods did the bare minimum to just save themselves, for him to deal with any of their shit again. Yet, here he was, packing up traveling bags to see his father in Atlantis. Oh, he might have forgotten to mention that his father is Poseidon the Earthshaker, Stormbringer, and Father of Horses (yeah, all horses are Percy’s thousand time removed nephews and nieces, but best not to think about that) and don’t forget the God of the Sea.
Percy was just celebrating his seventeenth birthday with his Mom and Paul in their apartment when his Dad just showed up! He’s pulled this before on Percy’s fifteenth birthday, but Percy thought that was a once in a life-time thing. Gods don’t just show up for their kids! Then, his Dad pulls him into his room and proceeds to invite Percy to Atlantis in a week in order to get to know his godly side of the family better and relax without having to deal with the stress of being a leader for both camps.
At first, Percy just wanted to tell him no and tell him to leave, because where was his Father when he needed him, but the little self preservation that Percy had told him that would be a terrible idea to anger one of the Gods that was on his side. Plus, Chiron sent him home to take a break and heal; that there was enough help at the camps to rebuild and he could tell Percy was not okay and needed a break from being a leader. Then, Percy also thought of Tyson, his little cyclops brother, and Percy caved. Thus, Percy told Poseidon that he’d love to come. Poseidon got a wide smile on his face, and hugged Percy and told him how excited he was for Percy to come. Then, Poseidon just transported away.
Percy remembered his Dad’s genuine excitement and warm hug, and that made him smile that maybe it would be worth it to go to Atlantis and be with his Dad. Percy was also excited to really see Atlantis, after all it’s been a while (a year) since the end of their war with Oceanus, and surely more would be rebuilt now. Restored to some of its former glory.
Some part of him, though, was incredibly worried about his step-mother Amphritrite’s, and his brother Triton's judgment even though they became closer after the second Titan war when he came to Atlantis on the weekends - it was only for three months a blink in the time of immortals. Not to mention Kym, she just tried to kill him! Then, Percy was angry, because what right did the Gods have to judge him and treat him like scum just because he was born and that he had to work extra hard just for them to treat him indifferently! However, Percy was raised by Sally Jackson and he would do his best to be nice and polite until they crossed a line, respect was earned after all.
(Also, Percy thought secretly, hopefully, that maybe he could have a big brother to look up to and train with, and a step-mother to confide in.)
Then, came the part of explaining the trip to Atlantis to his mother. Yeah, that was fun to explain to his mom, especially when this was the first time Percy has been able to see her in almost a year thanks to a certain Cow Queen (aka the Queen of Olympus, Hera). Luckily, Sally Jackson is a queen amongst women and understood that Percy needed a break, and that maybe this would turn out really good for him.
…………………………………………….
Sally saw how her baby came back littered with more scars, haunted eyes, and worn down from life that no one, especially a teenager, should feel. Gods, when Sally first saw her son at that door, she held onto him for dear life and they both ended up crying and falling asleep in each other's arms on the couch because they couldn’t let go of each other, at least until Paul came home and joined the hug pile. Sally quietly wiped a tear from her eye at letting Percy out of her sight so soon, but she knew a demigod’s life was never without chaos, and he deserved to get to know his father. Maybe he would confide in his father what was haunting him, that maybe Poseidon would understand and help. Sally heard Percy’s screams when he woke up in the middle of the night, and his flinches from sudden touches - flinches that were going away as reminders from that monster of ex-husband, Gabe Ugliano.
Gods, Sally Jackson wished she never married him. She thought that she protected her son by having Gabe’s horrendous smell protect Percy from monsters, then sending Percy away to boarding schools to be away from Gabe and his terrible influence, but no the real monster lived with them all along. Sally Jackson had to work two jobs just to make ends meet, and would often end up having to leave Percy alone in the house when Percy was home, and Gabe used that opportunity to abuse her son! She never saw the signs, she thought it was bullies or having to change schools every year, but no it was her ex-husband. She was too focused on protecting him from the divine world, that she wasn't able to protect him from Gabe! She could remember all clear as day when Percy, just having turned thirteen, and finished his first quest, flinched and curled in on himself when a loud drunk man walked by them when going home. She proceeded to question him when they got home, remembering all too well her own tells, and he told her how Gabe beat him, berated him, and humiliated him.
The next thing Percy says, Sally remembers word for word when she asks why he didn’t tell her, “I thought I was p-protecting you mom,” he sea-green eyes shined with tears, “G-gabe said that if I said anything to a-anyone he would b-beat y-you t-too,” he gasps and his breath hitches from crying and closes his eyes. Then, he looks up to Sally, and gives her a look that breaks her heart, “B-but I failed y-you, I saw you f-flinch, M-mom. I-I couldn’t protect you!” It was then that Sally knew that she failed as a mother, and proceeded to tell him that it was her job to protect him, and that she failed, that she loved him and there was nothing that he could do that could change that.
From then on, Percy and Sally began to confide in each other their traumas of Gabe, but Sally could still tell he was holding back, trying to protect her. He still barely told her anything of his quests, and Sally just wished that he didn’t inherit her stubbornness and selflessness, but Gods Percy made her so proud and heartbroken at the same time because he is so strong and so so good, and that is Sally's Jackson's son, dammit!
However, he is also Poseidon's son, and with that unfortunately comes monsters and tragedy that Sally can only understand the bare minimum of either through her own research or of Percy's own recounts, heck even when Sally sees the monsters they just ignore her.
'Hopefully, Poseidon can protect her baby. Afterall, hasn't he done more than enough, he deserves a break and to be with his father. I just hope this trip to Atlantis will be good for him,' thinks Sally as she watches Percy pack his things.
……………………���…………………….
Percy finishes putting the last items in his bag and looks up to his mother. She has a few more gray hairs and wrinkles around her eyes and forehead, but she looks so full of life especially when Percy came back. He feels terrible for leaving her again even if she said that it was more than alright. Percy is just so tired of the divine world, but he still loves his father even when he's mad at him - he's just so tired of being scared and alone and wants to feel safe again! Safe like he felt in his father's cabin before Hera kidnapped him. Safe in his mother's arms from when he was young and she protected him from monsters and bullies.
Percy takes a breath, and says tentatively "Mom?" Sally's deep blue eyes look into Percy's and soften, "Yes, seastar?" Just with Percy's nickname he smiles, and states, "Mom, how… how do I learn to not be afraid?"
Sally blue eyes water, “Oh my baby!” Sally grasps Percy's hands, his eyes looking down at the floor.
“Sometimes that fear will always be with you,” Sally remembered Gabe's beer-filled breathe as he leered over her, but then she thought of her family, her son and smiled, “but then I remembered all the things, the people, that make me happy, and I know that they be there for me. That I am loved.” Sally gently squeezes her son’s hands, and he looks up at her, “And baby I love you, and I’ll be here for you no matter what. So will Paul, your friends, and your father. We are here for you Percy.”
Percy’s green eyes swim with tears and he runs into his mom’s gasp as she opens her arms. He hugs her, a few tears escaping his eyes, but he feels all so loved.
“Thanks mom,” Percy says wetly and smiles after it feels as if they hugged for hours.
“Of course seastar,” Sally smiles back, "I love you so much, and I'll be right here when you get back."
Just then, a knock on the front door is heard. ‘What timing?’ both think and smile once again to one another.
Sally goes to open the door, and Percy follows shortly behind with his bag strapped around his back, and Poseidon greets them both at the door.
“Hello my dear Sally, beautiful as ever I see,” Poseidon winks playfully at Sally. Percy is to say the least, mortified.
“Ah son I see you’re all packed and ready, then let's make haste, I have a celebration planned in Atlantis!” Poseidon exclaims.
“Celebration?!” Percy exclaims.
“Of course my son, the Prince, is visiting after so long, a celebration is due of course.” Poseidon states.
“Prince?!” Percy yells, what is happening right now?!
Luckily Sally intervenes before anything can escalate, “Now boys, I know you're excited,” she says pointedly to Poseidon, “but Percy would have appreciated being notified about what he is doing instead of just forcing him into the spotlight like that.”
“Also, what’s this about Percy being a prince?”
Poseidon looks sheepish, “I’m sorry my dear, well I was just really excited that Percy agreed to visit and well one thing led to another, and after all Percy’s done for us, we agreed Percy should officially be crowned a Prince of Atlantis.”
Percy looks faint, luckily Poseidon notices and says, “It’s just an official ceremony and announcing it to the kingdom officially, but afterwards we can keep the party small to just family and close friends.” Poseidon, despite seeming oblivious, did notice that his son was never comfortable with the crowds for Olympus’s parties.
Percy smiles relieved at his dad, “Alright, I think I can manage that.”
Poseidon claps, “Alright, it’s really time we should go.”
Percy nods and gives his mom one last hug, melting into her embrace reassured in her love, but for some reason he felt like this would be their last hug for a very long time. Percy shrugs this off, surely he’ll be fine in the heart of his father’s domain, especially with no war or anything worrying going on.
…………………………………………….
A chuckle escapes an ancient being, their laugh reverberating throughout the lives held so tightly by the Fates.
“My young dear always had a knack for his future, didn't he? So powerful, so pure.” Their laugh echoing through the stars and galaxies, all mortal’s hearts beating in tandem.
“He’ll forever be Destiny’s chosen, after all.” Another being wrys, her smile so much like a serpent, so wide it could eat the world whole, “Perseus, my destroyer of my fates. You never could be confined by their roles, and it’s almost time for you to break free, to grasp your destiny!” Her light fills the darkness, lighting her descendants precious tapestry golden.
“Indeed, it’s Time,” The other being states, their word ineffable as the universe, as the past, present, and future are all ruled by the passage of Time.
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valiantstarlights · 7 months
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Omegaverse Lore: Blue Fingers Disease
As with the previous omegaverse lore post, I talked about this on @mr-sadman discord, and I'm also posting about it here because sharing is caring. 😊 Again, feel free to use this in your omegaverse stories, as long as you give credit/tag me. Thank you! 🥰
Huge thanks to @sleepsonfutons for coming up with the official medical term for the Blue Fingers Disease, and to @arialerendeair for reminding me to post the lore! 🙇‍♀️
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Thermal Dysregulatory Sensorineural Myocarditis (TDSM), or as it's more commonly known, The Blue Fingers Disease, is a Secondary Gender Disease that can happen to anyone, regardless of their secondary gender, as soon as they reach their majority.
CAUSE
Rejection (or apparent rejection) by one's potential mate.
SYMPTOMS
1.) Low body temperature and unnaturally cold skin
The longer the person is experiencing this disease, the lower their body temperature gets.
This symptom is easier to spot in alphas, whose body temperature run hotter than betas and omegas.
2.) Discoloration of the fingertips
Fingertips during early stage TDSM are a shade paler than the person's skin, while later stages of TDSM sees the person's fingertips turn into shades of blue that grow darker the more the disease progresses.
Fingertips that are almost dark blue are advanced cases, as the person could literally die at any time if not provided with immediate care.
(A sure sign that a person's cause of death is TDSM is when the person has blue-tinged lips immediately after their death, along with dark blue fingertips. The blue shade does not fade over time.)
3.) Intermittent tremor in the hands and poor grip strength
4.) Lethargy
5.) Memory loss and/or confusion
6.) Tendency to space out
7.) Lack of appetite
8.) Vulnerability to seasonal diseases
These include, but are not limited to: the common cold, influenza, and pneumonia, as well as mosquito-borne diseases, such as dengue and malaria.
TREATMENT
Receiving care from other sources, such as family and friends, is a tried and tested way to cure TDSM. But the recovery is slow (taking months or years) and the person is still considered at risk until the blue on their fingertips fade completely.
The quickest way to fully cure the person, of course, would be if they fall in love with someone else, or if the person who initially rejected them returns their love. If this is the case, then it is not unheard of for the person to be cured of TDSM in a single week, though it would still take a couple more weeks for the symptoms to fade completely.
That being said, it is important to note that multiple studies conducted worldwide show that it is more common for TDSM to be cured by the care of others versus the person's feelings changing or their feelings being requited by the person who had initially rejected them.
DURATION
There is no set time for how long this disease lasts until the afflicted person dies. There have been cases where the person only lived for a couple weeks more after the rejection happened, while in rare cases, the person lived for decades after the rejection, before they finally die around the same time as their beloved.
One of the most famous long-lived cases of people who lived with TDSM is St. Francesca,* which caused early Christians to start referring to TDSM as St. Francesca's Disease.
(*It is said that St. Francesca fell in love with a married man and, realizing that it was against the teachings of the church, prayed to God to let her live so she could serve Him all her life.
However, recently discovered evidence suggests that Francesca was actually in love with her fellow nun, Sister Cordelia, who was one of her childhood best friends. When devout Cordelia decided to enter a convent upon her reaching her majority (a decision supported by her religious parents), Francesca allegedly ran away from home to join her.
She had written a note to her older brother that she made the decision to run away 'with both eyes open,' knowing that Cordelia will never return her affections, but willing to suffer TDSM (she used the term The Internal Winter) if it means still being a part of Cordelia's life.
Multiple sources write about how the two remained best friends until their later years, often claiming that Francesca and Cordelia are 'true sisters in the eyes of the Lord,' and that it is rare for one to be seen without the other.
St. Francesca died less than a day after Sister Cordelia did, at age 79, after having TDSM for more than 60 years.
Due to this, people are now theorizing that Sister Cordelia is an aromantic asexual, but that she still loved St. Francesca as her dearest friend, so Francesca did not succumb to the illness or get too sick, as others with TDSM do.
People from their hometown have asked for Sister Cordelia to be made into a saint as well, and they have commissioned statues of the two women to be made. The statues will be placed in the town square, and will depict the two sitting by the fountain, with Sister Cordelia warming St. Francesca's hands.)
There have been claims that the stronger the feelings of the person are, and the harsher the rejection was, affect the time in which the disease accelerates. And while this is a trope often used in literature and popular culture, there is no scientific basis for it as of yet.
STATISTICS
The Blue Fingers Disease is one of the top 10 leading causes of death worldwide, with more than 80% of the people who died being betas and omegas.*
(*As TDSM is more easily detected in alphas, it is possible that betas and omegas often get misdiagnosed with depression during the early stages.)
SECONDARY GENDER DISEASES AWARENESS MONTH
February is Secondary Gender Diseases Awareness Month. The month was chosen primarily for easy recall, as it is the second month of the year. However, February is also the month when new cases of TDSM spike worldwide, due to everyone everywhere celebrating Valentine's Day.
--
Note: In the original discussion, this was supposed to be an alpha-only disease, but for the sake of all the delicious angst, I say it's up to you to decide in your stories who can have this disease. 😊 Enjoy!
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blessyourhondahurley · 7 months
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Suptober day 1 - The Liminal Moment
Dean's managed to completely screw up his back. Bobby sends him... somewhere?
Suptober prompt: Liminal
(Read on AO3)
The pain isn't getting any better.
Okay, understatement.
The pain is getting worse every day. The last couple of mornings it had hurt so much just to get out of bed that there had been tears in his eyes by the time his feet were on the floor.
He'd manged to torque himself somehow, moved in exactly the wrong way by half an inch a few weeks ago, and something in his lower back had seized and squeezed and it hasn't let go since. What started as a sharp but localized ache has spread, more and more of his muscles going into spasm as he's held himself in increasingly awkward ways in search of relief. At this point his entire left side, kneecap to earlobe, is a hot line of agony, centered on a spot near his kidney that feels like a rusty rebar's been shoved straight through it.
But Dean's no wimp, and he's no whiner, either. No matter how bad he hurts he's showing up for work every day, putting in the hours, pulling his weight. Maybe he's not too fast on his feet right now, shuffling from car to car on the shop floor like somebody's decrepit grandpa, but he's still covering the floor. He's got a lifetime of experience with suffering in silence, after all, and nobody needs to know his business except him.
He's hunched crookedly over the engine of a '93 Chrysler LeBaron when Bobby yells for him, “GODDAMMIT DEAN!!” cracking through the shop so loud and so unexpected that he immediately straightens up on reflex. The sudden movement brings pain so intense he's briefly nauseated. His eyesight swims, and for a few seconds he worries he's about to pass out. By the time he feels steady again his boss is standing in front of him, looking equal parts irritated and worried.
“Boy, what's gotten into you lately?” he asks gruffly. “You look like hell, and you've been actin' like you're half-dead for days. You sick or somethin'?”
Dean tries to play it cool, but as he reaches to lean on the LeBaron's bumper a tremor in his hand betrays him. Busted. He grits his teeth and fesses up. “Kinda threw out my back a week or two ago. Pain keeps getting worse an' worse. I didn't mean for it to affect my job, though. I'm sorry if–”
Bobby cuts him off with an impatient gesture. “Y'ain't got nothin' to apologize for, son. You're more than just a shop hand to me, you know that.” He pulls off his grimy trucker cap, runs a hand through his thinning hair, and sighs. “You gotta take better care of yourself, Dean. You ain't nineteen any more. God knows none of us are.” He turns to his left and calls, “Garth, come take over on this Chrysler.”
“What? No!” Dean tries to block his lanky coworker's access to the engine, but Garth's got the advantages of height, reach, and a functioning muscular system and Dean can't even slow him down. Bobby tugs him carefully toward the office door. “It's fine, I can still work!” he protests.
“Not today you can't,” he says. “Go wash your hands, and then I want you to head on over across the street.”
Dean looks out through the open doors of the garage bay and across the two-lane blacktop that runs by Bobby's shop. There's a tiny strip mall on the other side of the road: four bland storefronts and an Italian restaurant. “You... want me to go... pick up a pizza?” he guesses.
His boss brings his hand up like he's about to dole out one of his trademark slaps to the back of his mechanic's head. Then he seems to think better of it and stops himself with a huff. “Try two doors down from the pizza place, idjit.” He gives Dean's shoulder a gentle shove. “Wash up and go. I'll call ahead. By the time you get yourself dragged across the way there'll be somebody waitin' for ya.”
Aching, dazed, and confused, Dean complies. It takes him a good five minutes to shamble his way up to the cheery yellow door he's been directed to. The sign above it declares this place to be The Liminal Moment and Dean has no idea what the hell that's supposed to mean. He turns the knob and walks inside as a collection of small bronze bells tinkle above his head.
He finds himself in a generic waiting area – a couple of chairs, a small table with some magazines, a reception desk (currently unmanned). There's an assortment of potted plants on the desk and the windowsills, and a small electric fountain burbling in the corner. The walls are painted a softer shade of the door's yellow. Behind the desk, someone has stuck up one of those cutesy inspirational stick-on decals. It reads “Honor the space between no longer and not yet – Nancy Levin”.
Dean still does not know what this place is or why he was sent here.
“I'll be right with you,” calls a rough voice. A few moments later a breathtakingly beautiful man strides in to the room with a gummy smile and a “Hello, Dean.”
Off balance and befuddled, Dean offers a limp wave in response.
The man continues. “I just got off the phone with Bobby. He says you're in a great deal of pain?”
“Yeah, I, uh, fucked up my back? What is this place, man? Bobby told me to walk over. Why am I here?”
“Oh, I'm so sorry, we're doing this all out of order. Welcome to The Liminal Moment. My name is Castiel. I'll be your masseur today.”
This story concludes here!
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anotheroceanid · 4 days
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One day Hera does something that causes her image of an ideal daughter to crack.
Perhaps she fails some important exam or her number in the competition does not get the first place. There is no perfect result that Hera could proudly present to her parents and receive their love and warmth.
But Jason still arrives to pick her up on time and she is afraid to see the disappointment in his eyes in her father's eyes.
But Jason is gentle and affectionate to her as usual - he sits down on his knees in front of her, gently takes her face in his palms and his golden gaze is full of love.
"You are my daughter" there is no tremor in his voice, during the days of their "dollhouse game" treating them like their own children has become something familiar and normal "I love you endlessly just for this fact, not for your achievements and victories, just for what you exist, you are my girl and Percy's girl, no matter what."
He hugs her and Hera still feels Daddy's love.
Hera being an overachiever eldest daughter is so real of her 😭 Like, she's been carrying this family on her back for aeons and she can't just let it go even when she's playing pretend.
If Jercy gets to have kids of “their own”, either adopting a baby or having a baby through divine interference or omegaverse or genderbend or whatever, that's really not the point here, the thing is: Jercy gets a baby. An actual mortal baby.
Oh, the six are drenching in jealousy. But it's not just that, suddenly Jason ain't the nicest dad who ever lived anymore, because trauma comes back to knock on the door and suddenly the big six is like this to Percy: YOU HAVE TO HIDE, YOU HAVE TO RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN, WE WILL PROTECT YOU NO MATTER WHAT, MAKE SURE HE’S WELL FED WHEN THE BABY ARRIVES.
Well, Jercy tries to talk them out of this paranoia. They have a lot of talking about how they do not treat cannibalism as a family dynamic, but the gods are not very convinced. Suddenly, poor Jason is being hissed at all the time.
Then, the baby arrives. Hey, cannibalism is really NOT a family dynamic in that family.
That was supposed to be the happy ending, right?
Nope. Now they hate the baby. Father obviously love them more than us.
Yeah… They’re competing with a baby. They call the baby “Rock” as an insult. In fact, Zeus ends up the one to antagonize the baby the least, because he also never went through the “being eaten by your father” experience, so now turns out he can sympathise with a sibling of his. He’s #1 older brother to the baby, it's actually cute.
It's not cute that the other five are jealous of it too. I mean, Heatia is mostly cool, but she's definitely sadder and quieter ever since the baby was born.
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Steddie Upside-Down AU Part 74
Part 1 Part 73
It’s cold. Eddie’s breath is gusting out in front of him, visible in the air. Somehow, remarkably, Will and Steve are both asleep, cuddled up together in Eddie’s bed. Eddie’s not sure he’ll ever sleep again.
Will’s in one of Steve’s crew-neck sweaters, the yellow one that Eddie steals to sleep in sometimes. His head’s pillowed on Steve’s cold shoulder, cushioned by Steve’s teddy bear to keep a barrier between their drastically different skin temperatures.
Will has three blankets stacked atop him, making him look childlike and smaller than he usually is.
Fuck, they’re all just kids.
In contrast, Steve’s got a t-shirt on, some boxers, no blankets. He’s breathing deeply, air puffing invisibly into the room. Like his lungs are already too cold for the air to tell the difference.
Eddie wants to cry. They’re fucking kids, curled up and small in Eddie’s bed. He wants to barricade the door and never let anyone else see them ever again. But Mama Byers is probably freaking out right about now, and Eddie has the horrible feeling that the monster’s already in here with them.
He leaves the bedroom, closing the door gently with a near-silent click as he pads, sock-footed out of the room.
Eddie’s stuck at the threshold, staring into the darkening interior of the trailer. He feels like he’s been stuck at the threshold for weeks, and everything keeps trying to push him through.
The monster, the lab, Chief fucking Hopper. They’re all pushing at his back, trying to shove him somewhere he’s not sure he wants to be. And now’s he through, and he doesn’t know what to do. They’re kids. They’re all just fucking kids. Even him. Even Steve. And god, Will’s still so small.
He’s past the theshould, straight through, and there’s no more time to stall. So, Eddie does what he always does when he wants to run – he picks up the phone.
It’s not Uncle Wayne that answers, just a faceless, nameless peon down at the plant. But they patch him through. Eddie’s bottom lip tremors, so he bites down on it, caging all his mixed up emotions in his throat until Uncle Wayne can pick up his call and tell him what to do.
“Ed?” he asks, sharp and demanding the way he always gets when he’s worried and trying not to show it. “What’s wrong?”
“It–” Eddie’s throat chooses that moment to clog up. He chokes on his words, trying to claw them out. “It’s Steve he–”
He hiccups pathetically. “Breathe, boy.”
Eddie doesn’t, but he starts talking, words slurring over each other as they fight their way out past his clogged throat and lame tongue. “There was all this smoke, Uncle Wayne, and it’s in him.” He says it all in one breath, barely intelligible as they make a mad dash to escape his vocal chords before he loses the ability to speak altogether.
“Breath.”
Eddie does, just once, sharp and quick, before continuing, “You don’t get it. He was suffocating! Dying! But then he wasn’t, but this is wrong.” he says, hissing into the receiver and staring at the closed bedroom door, waiting for it to open. “There’s something wrong with him.”
The last whisper rings over the static of the line. Eddie can hear Uncle Wayne breathing, slow and steady enough that he can regulate his own lungs to it without the command. As if he knows this, because he always knows, he lets the silence settle in. Eddie’s breaths deepen, finally making his lungs fully expand, before Uncle Wayne speaks.
“I’m coming home.”
Uncle Wayne hasn’t come home early since that time in grade school when he’d called him at work, delirious as his brain cooked itself.
Uncle Wayne had come home with cold medicine and canned chicken noodle soup clacking together in a shitty plastic bag from the gas station. Eddie had been curled up on the couch, nearly delirious as his Uncle spooned medicine down his throat before going to heat up the soup on the stove.
He’d only been living with Uncle Wayne for a few months at that point, walking on eggshells as he waited to be kicked to the curb. It was Wayne’s quiet care even in the face of Eddie’s inconvenience that had convinced him that maybe this situation was for keeps.
He hadn’t realized until the next week that the missed work and cost of supplies would mean two double shifts to keep the electricity on. Wayne never mentioned it, but Eddie noticed things, and the break in routine stuck out. He decided to never call Wayne home early from work again. And, he’d stuck to his guns, muddling through any situation until his Uncle got home.
Now, those same cost analyses are running through his head. A day at home today, means overtime tomorrow, means they get to keep the electricity on. “But–”
“No buts, Ed,” Wayne cuts in gruffly. “I’ll see you in ten.”
The dial tone is the most comforting sound Eddie’s ever heard. He stands there, cradling the dead line until it starts beeping, then goes silent. He’s stuck again, at another threshold.
He doesn’t move when he hears tires on gravel coming up the drive, doesn’t move when the front door opens, when his Uncle’s work-rough hands brush over his shoulders and squeeze, when he walks further into the trailer, away from Eddie.
But then he hears the bedroom door click open. He drops the phone, just lets it dangle unhooked on the line, and follows his Uncle into the unknown.
Will’s still curled into a small ball, but now he’s blinking up at where Wayne is hovering above the bed, the back of his hand pressed to Steve’s head with a frown of concentration.
He reaches out to shake Steve’s shoulder. “Don’t–” Eddie starts, but it’s too late: Steve’s awake.
He blinks up at Wayne, gaze vacant and uncomprehending before it clears. “What?” he asks, voice full of sleep’s gravel as he rubs his eyes.
“We gotta go, Harrington.”
Steve blinks uncomprehendingly up at Wayne. He doesn’t react. Not to the last name that Wayne had never called him. Not to the way Wayne’s frowning down at him like he’s trying to vivisect him with just his gaze. He just gets up and walks purposefully out of the room in nothing but his boxers to stand by the door.
Will sits up, looking after Steve with a worried frown Eddie swears he can feel beating within his own chest. He wrings his hands in the loose fabric of the too-long sleeves of Steve’s sweater as he stands. “Where are we going?” he asks, leaving no wiggle room to be left behind.
Wayne turns away, rifling through Eddie’s drawers to grab a T-shirt and basketball shorts for Steve, who’s still standing eerily still by the front door.
“Eddie?” Will asks, but Eddie just shrugs because he doesn’t know, can’t seem to think past the clawing dread festering within him.
Uncle Wayne huffs, “your Ma’s house,” without looking at either of them as he strides out of the room and toward Steve.
Seeing as Eddie’s own Mom is six feet in the ground, he’s going to assume Wayne means Mama Byers. He looks over to Will who’s still standing there, fidgeting with Steve’s sweater with a wide-eyed look Eddie can’t quite read.
“I’m late,” Will murmurs, staring up at Eddie like he can fix this. “She’s going to be mad.”
Eddie strides over to slap his arm companionably over Will’s shoulders as he drags him out of the room. “Nah, just worried, baby Byers.”
Will huffs. “That’s worse,” he murmurs. And yeah, it is. Ms. Byers has spent enough time with that grieving, panicked look in her eyes, that Eddie’d rather never see it again, to be honest. But it’s a little late for that.
Wayne’s pulling Steve’s shorts up, tying the string around his waist. He’s already got a shirt on, arms dangling loosely as he makes no move to help. It would be a sweet moment if Steve’s eyes weren’t still staring vacantly at the front door.
Wayne pushes Steve forward, shuffling him into the flip flops Eddie left abandoned at the front door. Steve flexes his toes around them, and finally shows signs of life. “Thank you,” he murmurs, reaching out to open the front door, and step surely down the steps as they all scramble to follow.
All four of them pile into Wayne’s truck, Wayne in the driver’s seat, and Eddie in the back with Will, Steve sandwiched in between them. No one mentions the empty passenger seat.
Without prompting, Will digs his walkie talkie out of his deep jean pocket, and depresses the talk button. “Party meeting at my house,” Will says, “Over.”
He lets go of the button, and stares down at the thing, like he’s willing his friend’s voices to trickle out. Wayne watches him through the rearview mirror, before flicking his eyes back to the road.
Eddie jumps when voices start speaking over each other, chaotic and loud, until Dustin’s voice rings over them all. “Code red?” he demands.
Will shifts his eyes over to Steve before meeting Eddie’s own. Eddie shrugs because honestly, who could say what the fuck is going on at this point?
“Uh, code yellow?” Will replies questioningly.
“That’s not a thing!” Dustin says.
There’s the sound of a scuffle, then silence, before it’s Mike’s voice ringing out over the tinny speaker. “Is it about whatever the hell happened with Steve?”
Steve doesn’t look up at the sound of his name. A stone’s dropping in Eddie’s stomach. He’s not sure where it lands, but he can feel the impact shake him. Something’s very very wrong.
Will responds, “yeah,” on a quiet exhale. He takes a deep breath before continuing. “Be quick.”
Will shuts the thing off and stuffs it back into his pocket. The silence immediately suffocates, clouding Eddie’s mind. There’s a careful three inches between his thigh and Steve’s that leaves him buzzing.
There haven’t been any spaces between them, not since that first night in the Upside-Down, huddled down in Harrington’s closet, waiting for a dawn that’ll never come. The space aches now, like a missing limb, like a string pulling them together, rope burning Eddie’s skin as he resists.
It’s a relief to pull up to the Byers’ house. Even when Mama Byers storms out, the rain cloud of anger across her face barely masking the banked terror beneath it. Jonathan trails out after her, eyes shining with the worry he hasn’t been able to shake in almost a year. Will crawls out of the backseat, and stands hesitantly beside the open door, looking down at his shoes as his Mom approaches. She scoops Will into her arms with a curse, scolding him fiercely even as Will burrows into her embrace.
Jonathan hovers, palms resting gently onto both their shoulders, like it physically pains him not to be involved, but he doesn’t have the heart to push in between them.
Eddie watches the scene for a moment, letting the ache settle into him before he’s sliding out of the car to stand by Wayne’s side.
When Steve doesn’t immediately get out, Eddie calls, “Stevie?” until he’s crawling out to stand beside Eddie. The contrast between their outfits is startling in the cold, November air. Eddie’s got goosebumps. Steve’s got nothing at all.
“Aren’t you cold, honey?” Eddie looks up from the bare skin of Steve’s arm to watch Mama Byers round the front of the truck, hands outstretched, as if to pull him into his own hug.
“Wait, don’t—” Eddie says, but her hands are already clasped around Steve’s forearms.
Steve hisses, taking a step back and yanking his arms out of her hands. Mama Byers looks up at him, mouth open, eyes wide. No one speaks.
There’s silence. Then, the loud tires of three kid’s shitty bikes eating up the pavement as fast as possible. They skid into view, abandoning bikes to crowd around Will like he’s an injured deer they're trying to protect.
Wayne sighs. “Guess we better go in,” he says. His voice is monotone, but when Eddie looks over at him, his eyes are sad as he gazes at Steve. “We got a lot to talk about.
Part 75
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whump-4-ever · 6 months
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Torture Prompt #1
Warnings: implied torture, creepy/intimate whumper, a couple curse words
Feel free to use this prompt to your liking! If you do use it and post it online somewhere, I would appreciate credit if possible because this is mine, I wrote it just a few minutes ago 😂😅❤️
“Every time I look at that gorgeous face of yours,” Whumper began, running the backs of their cold, dirt-stained fingers against Whumpee’s cheek, “I realize how the only thing you’ve got going for you in this life is your beauty.” Their hand slowly slid down to caress Whumpee’s chin while their other hand moved to swipe a few stray hairs out of Whumpee’s eyes.
-
Whumpee leaned as far away from Whumper as they could, disgust churning the contents of their stomach and sending waves of nausea through them. “D-Don’t fucking touch me,” they stuttered, attempting to come across as threatening, but with the way their words broke on their tongue and the violence of the tremors rippling through their body, it was quite clear how frightened they were. If it weren’t for their hands being tied behind their back and the rope binding them to this damn chair, they’d be able to make a run for it.
-
Whumper hovered over Whumpee and chuckled deeply, pressing their lips to Whumpee’s ear. “Oh, darling, I know you don’t mean that.” Whumper then stood back up and proceeded to circle Whumpee repeatedly. “That defiance right there, by the way, is a perfect example of what I’m talking about. Your physical attributes are the only good qualities you have. All the rest of you consists of such ignorance, such stupidity, that it infuriates me,” Whumper growled angrily, a snarl beginning to tug at their lips. “Why God would waste a perfectly good body and absolutely stunning looks on such a fuck-up like you, I will never understand. In fact, with each and every mistake you make, I can’t help but fantasize about what your brains would look like splattered on the floor. Honestly, I believe they’d serve a much greater purpose as a stain on the concrete than they will just rotting away in that thick ass skull of yours.”
-
Whumpee’s breathing quickened as Whumper began to make their way to the small table in the corner of the dimly-lit room, each inhale shallow as anxiety pulsed through their veins, their heart racing. “You’re sick.”
-
Whumper froze halfway to the table and glanced over their shoulder, making eye contact with Whumpee, but they didn’t acknowledge what they’d said. “What do you think we should start with?” They asked, then returned to their previous task, closing the distance between themselves and their destination. “So many wonderful instruments to choose from, so little time!” Whumper sang cheerfully, running their fingers over each and every tool laid out before them. Morbid fascination glistened in their eyes as they considered their options. “This is a fun one!” Whumper finally decided on [insert tool/torture device of your choice here], grasping it in his hands before spinning around and giving Whumpee a merciless, bone-chilling smirk. “Let’s begin, shall we?”
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musclesaber · 1 month
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Growth Drive: Week 2
[Story Gallery] [Week 0] [Week 1] [Rob's 1st Report] [Rob's 2nd Report] [Linktree] [Ko-Fi]
The growth continues.
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“Now, why did I stop growing?” asked Jared as he looked down at the entire city. He could see the citizens as small as ants crawling up onto his massive purple bulge. 
“Jaren, if I might interject, you are already bigger than almost any building in the entire city with a cock bigger than a stadium. You don’t need to grow any bigger,” said Rob as he laid down on Jared’s pecs. 
“When are you gonna get it through your robotic brain that I’m never gonna stop growing. I’m going to grow as much as I can for as long as I can,” bellowed Jared as his cock twitched a bit. Some of his followers were giving his giant bulge a massage. “Besides, that guy said this speedo would be able to stretch to infinity and I wanna test its limits.”
“Yeah but most people only grow to about 500 feet tall. You’ve already surpassed what I thought was possible for someone to grow to.” Jared smirked at hearing those words and chuckled a little bit. 
“I have, have I? Well what’s stopping me from blowing past that record even more?” Jared brought up his bicep the size of a house and flexed. 
Rob had stood up and was floating in front of Jared’s face. “Your growth could become unstable and you could explode! This isn’t a joking matter. You must stop!” Jared furrowed his brows and frowned. 
“Last time I checked, I was your master!” roared Jared. “I am going to continue to grow! I don’t care if I’ll “explode”, it’ll be a great way to go if it means I can grow bigger!” Jared looked over at the swarm of helicopters that had amassed around his head. “Did you hear that world? I am your new growing god! If you wish to be spared from this giant’s expansion, donate to my growth and you’ll be allowed to live on your growing god’s body and watch his ascension!” Rob looked at Jared and shook his head. 
“Fine. I can see there’s no stopping you, but if I could make a suggestion?” Jared moved his gaze down to Rob as he spoke and nodded. “Get out of the city. Your wrecking ball fat ass has already demolished a building and I’m sure if you grow more, New York City will be a crater under your growing body in no time.” Jared purred and his giant bulge bucked and landed back on the ground with an earth shaking tremor. 
“As hot as that sounds, you’re right. What’s a growing god without his devoted worshippers? I’ll get out of town to save them.” Jared stood up and looked down at the city below. He was surrounded by buildings, but the only safe way out was going to the harbor. 
“Now get to the sea before you cause anymore destruction,” said Rob floating back to Jared’s pecs. Turning their attention to the screen floating next to Jared, the numbers had started going up again. “And hurry.”
Jared felt the flow of energy return to his body and he looked down and saw the ground getting further and further away. Looking out at the horizon, Jared could see the harbor. At his size he could get there in a few steps, but his giant body would be hard to move. 
Jared tried to pick up his feet to move, but they were trapped under his giant bulge. “Is there any way for you to make it easier for me to move?” asked Jared. Rob poofed the remote into his hands and tapped some buttons. 
“I’m going to direct all your growth to your height until you get somewhere safe for you to grow.” Rob dramatically pounded one of the buttons and Jared moaned in response. His body swelled taller and taller by the second. The energy flowing through his body was intoxicating as he surged past the 2,000 mark. 
“This doesn’t feel like it’s helping!” moaned Jared as another droplet of pre escaped the speedo and fell to the ground, flooding the street below. 
“Give it a second.” Jared took a deep breath and finally felt his feet being freed from under his bulge. With his increase in height, Jared’s body had gotten tall enough so that his bulge wasn’t permanently dragging on the ground. Or at least his balls weren’t. His dick however extended for over the length of multiple football fields and still barely hovered over the ground. “There’s your opening. Take it before you become a weapon of ass destruction.”
Jared slowly picked up one of his giant feet and started walking towards the sea. The ground shook like an earthquake every time he took a step. He could feel his bulge slamming into the buildings beside it with each sway of his hips. From the back, the giant’s ass wobbled hypnotically back and forth as Jared maneuvered his way towards the harbor. 
As Jared trudged forward, his body still swelled from all the donations. The numbers blinked and flashed as he reached 3,000 already and he was barely halfway to the harbor His legs were becoming too wide to fit on the street and were swelling out into neighboring buildings. “Fuck, it’s still too soon,” said Jared. 
Looking down, his cock was now much smaller compared to the rest of him with the same little worshippers crawling all over it. Jared reached down with his big arms and heaved his giant bulge up. He hugged the massive bulge and nuzzled it between his pecs. Eliciting more moans of pleasure as he pec fucked himself with each step. Lucky his balls had already grown off the ground because had they not, them swelling with cum could’ve demolished an entire city block. 
Now with his cock in hand, Jared lifted one of his legs and sidestepped it over to the street on the other side of the block. Straddling the buildings in between. With more room to move, Jared resumed his waddle towards the ocean. And with each growth spurt he felt, his strides getting larger and larger. 
With a better view of his cock, he could see hundreds of little worshippers perched on the tip. Squinting his eyes, Jared saw all of them massaging and kissing his dick. “No wonder I feel like I could cum at any second. You guys really know how to treat a growing god!” boomed Jared. Jared hugged his cock tighter to his torso and pushed another droplet of pre out of the speedo. Craning his neck down as best he could, Jared licked up his own pre and rumbled with satisfaction. “Mmm, I taste delicious!” 
Jared hit the 5,000 mark as he neared the harbor. Waddling as fast as he could as he felt more energy coursing through him. Taking one last step, Jared pushed his weight up and jumped into the water below. Sending a massive tidal wave in every direction. “Woo, that was a close one. Didn’t know if I’d make it there with all this bulk to move!” said Jared as he dropped his package into the water with a loud splash. 
“Considering you’ve reached the mile high club, I’d say you could stand to move a bit more out to sea before I unleash all this growth onto you,” said Rob. 
“How much have I racked up since you stopped the cock and muscles from growing?” asked Jared. 
“Let’s just say you should walk out a lot more into the ocean. And aim your cock away from the city when I activate this thing,” said Rob. Jared waded through the water seeing many boats around him zoom away from him as waves taller than buildings emitted from his ankles. The water barely covered his toes as he got deeper and deeper into the ocean. 
Looking up, Jared’s vision became foggy. Not because he was feeling dizzy from the ecstasy of growing, but because his head was in the clouds. Jared had grown so tall that he was growing into the stratosphere. “Is this far enough away for you?” asked Jared looking back at the small city behind him. 
“It should be. Get ready big guy. This’ll be a lot of stimulation.” Rob pressed a few buttons and Jared felt an immediate burning sensation in his crotch. His bulge started swelling at an alarming rate. His balls fell into the water and swelled with gallons upon gallons of cum. His dick hit the water and shot through it like a torpedo. Growing over a mile long in a few seconds. 
Jared’s cock wasn’t the only thing growing. His muscles expanded into each other with his traps crushing his ears. His pecs pressed into his chin again, and his biceps making it so his arms were unbendable. Jared’s already bodybuilder waddle became impossible as his skyscraper sized thighs rubbed together. 
But Jared didn’t need to worry about walking anymore. His cock and balls were growing so big that they were lifting him off the ground. His bulge was growing bigger than the entire city and a state wasn’t that far behind. 
“Fuuuuuck Rob, this is fucking incredible! I can’t believe you wanted me to stop this! I’m never gonna stop growing!” roared Jared. He bucked his hips and made tsunamis emit from his bulge. Pre spurted out of his cock and Jared could feel hundreds of little mouths licking up the pre in his speedo. 
Rob floated down to Jared’s pecs and got a good view of some worshippers. As Jared had grown, Rob had teleported thousands of little worshippers onto Jared’s body. Each one kissing and licking up the pre on his body. “What’s this?” Rob hovered down to some of the worshippers on Jared’s pecs and examined them. They were bigger. Rob could see tatters of clothes all over Jared’s pecs. The men licking up his pre had grown from normal sized men into mini hulks. “Interesting.”
“What’s that little guy?” asked Jared. 
“Oh nothing big guy. Just admiring how much you have been able to grow,” said Rob. He turned and saw the number on the screen. He’d grown to a staggering 8,000 feet tall and could still feel the energy flowing through him.
“This is the life. Growing bigger, getting worshiped by thousands of tinies all over my body, soon I bet I’ll get my own gravitational field and you’ll be able to call me planet Jared.” Jared laughed as his body grew through the clouds and through the stratosphere. 
“And it seems like you have another super fan. Someone just donated over $10,000 to your growth,” said Rob tapping the remote. 
“Good boy. Where does he want the excess size going?” asked Jared as he massaged his pecs with his big hands. 
“He says he wants it all going to your thighs and ass,” said Rob as he pressed a button and Jared felt that same burning sensation return to his ass. Jared cried out in pain and pleasure and he rolled his body forward so he was lying down on his giant cock. 
“Fuuuuuuuck! These little guys really wanna see my ass grow!” Jared moaned as his ass ballooned bigger behind him. With him lying down on his cock, Jared’s ass was up in the air. Stretching the fabric of the speedo tightly around its two massive spheres. Each of Jared’s cheeks expanded like two blimps. And on Jared’s multiple miles tall body, his ass cheeks could be compared in size to two mountains rising out of the sea. 
While his ass inflated bigger than his own head, Jared’s thunder thighs that were straddling his dick started thickening around it. Squeezing his cock in between them and sending even more pleasure through Jared’s body. Each of his thighs were so big, they could crush entire towns in them if Jared so pleased. But his cock was receiving the full force of Jared’s thighs choke hold.
“Fuuuuuuuck! Get him here. Let me thank the little guy that blessed me with all this incredible size!” screamed Jared. His voice echoing out over the entire Earth now. 
“He’s already here.” Rob floated to the side to reveal a muscular man standing on Jared’s pecs. No bigger than a grain of sand to him. 
“Ah, I’m happy to see one of my best worshippers and I might add one of my bigger worshippers,” said Jared with a smile on his big face. “Thank you for your contribution to your growing god.”
“Of course sir. My master. I want nothing more than to see you bigger,” said the man as he kneeled before Jared on his pecs. 
“Good boy. And as a reward for your contributions, Rob, please teleport this man to the area on my body of his choosing.” Rob bowed his head and the two of them poofed to the top of Jared’s ass crack between the two massive moons growing in front of them. 
“It is done,” said Rob as he poofed back to Jared’s nose. He looked at the screen and it read 11,816. “Congratulations Jaren, you’ve reached the two mile high club. And it’s review time again. I’m giving you a 5-star rating this time. Despite my protests on growing bigger, you were a much more merciful giant this time around.”
“Hey, as long as people don’t try to stop me from growing as big as I can, there’s never any problem,” said Jared with a chuckle. “So I get a 50% increase to my size?”
“Look at that, not all your smarts got absorbed by your muscles. Good job big guy. Yes, you’ll grow 50% bigger. Now hold on while I plug in some numbers.” Rob continued to poke at the remote and Jared happily waited.
“Hey Rob, when you said I might blow up if  I get too big, what exactly did you mean by that?” asked Jared.
“Now you have concerns?” asked Rob glaring up at Jared. “There have been times where users have outgrown their size limitations that their body could handle and they ended up as a giant pile of cum. But you’ve already outgrown many of those people.”
“But not all of them?” asked Jared. Rob’s eyes darted open as he realized the idea he just put into the giant’s head.
“No, not all of them,” said Rob as he slammed his hand down onto the device. “But this will get you closer to that size.”
Jared roared again as his body swelled at an alarming rate. It was a good idea going out to the sea where he could grow because his cock alone would have demolished the city at the rate it was growing. Jared’s feet returned to the water as he grew taller and higher up out of the clouds. Looking down, he could no longer see his body. Just a thick layer of clouds he was quickly growing out of. 
His muscles swelled and thickened denser with each passing moment as Jared became bigger and bigger. There was nothing to compare Jared to, he was getting so big. His muscles were fighting for space on his body and he was quickly becoming near immobilized because of them. 
After an eternity of growing, Jared’s body seemed to relax and his growth halted. Panting out of exhaustion, Jared looked down and could see how truly massive he’d become. He could probably topple the Empire State building with just his big toe. 
“Fuck I’ll never get tired of that,” boomed Jared as he watched a plane buzz by his face no bigger than a gnat. Looking to the side, he saw the floating jumbotron reading 17,730. “I love being big, so let’s keep the growth coming!”
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(Jared continues to grow bigger and bigger and it doesn’t look like anything is stopping him from growing. Thank you again for participating in my growth drive. I can’t tell y’all how much it means to me that y’all wanna grow him bigger. And as always a big thanks to those who donated towards growing Jared even bigger. This next part will go from March 22nd to March 31st. It’s the last part of the Growth Drive so get all your size in for Jared. Now on with the growth! Happy Macro March!)
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Have You No Idea That You’re In Deep? [Chapter 4: Under The Heart Tree]
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Aemond is a fearless, enigmatic prince and the most renowned dragonrider of the Greens. You are a daughter of House Mormont and a lady-in-waiting to Princess Helaena. You can’t ignore each other, even though you probably should. In fact, you might have found a love worth killing for.
A/N: I wanted to take a moment to give a heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who has fallen in love with this series!!! I read (and go back to reread) every single comment, reblog, tag, and message I receive, and they mean the absolute world to me. I truly don’t have words to express how appreciative I am of you all. With the end of Chapter 4, this series is officially halfway over; there will be 8 chapters total. I hope you continue to enjoy it. 💜
Song inspiration: “Do I Wanna Know?” by Arctic Monkeys.
Chapter warnings: Language, witchcraft, a wild Aegon appears, drama, pregnancy, a tiny bit of sexual content, mentions of death and violence (per usual), cryptic Helaena prophesies, Sir Criston being a supportive stepdad, found family feels, one (1) still jealous boi, more drama, lots of shouting, this fic is for readers 18+!!!
Word count: 6.5k.
Link to chapter list (and all my writing): HERE.
Taglist: @crispmarshmallow @tclegane @daddysfavoritesexkitten @poohxlove @imagine-all-the-imagines @nsainmoonchild @skythighs @bratfleck @thesadvampire @yor72 @xcharlottemikaelsonx @mochimommy2002 @loverandqueenofdragons @omgsuperstarg​ @endless-ineffabilities @devynsshitposts @vencuyot @ladylannisterxo @ariesbabycitlaly @itzwhatever123 @cranberryjulce @abcdefghi-lmnopqrstuvwxyz @liathelioness @mirandastuckinthe80s @haezen @fairaardirascenarios @penteknati @darkened-writer @weepingfashionwritingplaid @signyvenetia @abrielleholland @crossingallmine @burningcoffeetimetravel @itzwhatever123 @yummycastiel @lol-im-done @lovemissyhoneybee @nomugglesallowed @witchmoon @yoshiplushie @404slayer404 @sunafterthethunder @torchbearerkyle​ @sweetashoneyhoney​ @quartzs-posts​ @lauraneedstochill​ @nctma15​ @queenofshinigamis​ @rapoficeandfire​ @hinata7346​ @curiouser-an-curiouser​ @eleganttravelercloud
💜 Please let me know if you’d like to be added to the taglist! (Also I’m sincerely sorry if Tumblr refuses to tag you!!!) 💜
“What do you need?” Aemond asks—his voice tender, the back of his hand testing the heat of your cheeks—and you tell him. He gathers everything: foxglove, sorrel, mint leaves, sticks of cinnamon, snakeskin, bloodstone, clear quartz, a blue candle, black tar rum, blood from a living bull. He does this swiftly and without any hesitation. He knows that only you have the power necessary for a cure.
In the dead of night, the prince half-carries you to the heart tree in the godswood of the Red Keep. You try to grind the dry ingredients into dust with the mortar and pestle, but your hands are weak and trembling. Aemond takes the tools from you and finishes himself. He sets the candle on a gnarled, ancient root and sparks it to life with the dagger and flint your mother gave you before you left Bear Island. Then he pours the dust into a pitcher and slowly mixes in the rum and the bull’s blood. The candlelight dances on his face: shadow, light, shadow again. All the while, here where the Old Gods can hear you, you chant this over and over: “Mend the bones, fill the veins, stitch the flesh until it’s whole again.”
Aemond grimaces as he stirs the contents of the pitcher with the dagger blade. “You don’t have to drink this or paint it on your bedroom walls or something, do you?”
You smirk wanly. “Not quite.” And that’s fortunate, because you haven’t been able to drink anything in days.
Back in the Red Keep, the servants to fill your bathtub with water so hot it clouds the room with steam. Once they’re gone, Aemond helps you into the tub and then adds the pitcher’s crimson brew. You steep in a shimmering, blood-red sea and feel the sickness sweat out of you: the nausea, the tremors, the pain, the repulsive bone-deep weakness. Aemond perches on the rim of the tub and braids your hair to keep it tucked neatly away, singing softly in High Valyrian, words you haven’t learned yet.
“I don’t deserve you,” you murmur in the dreamlike haze of blood and heat and relief, nearly asleep. Your cramped muscles have unraveled like loose threads. The anxious, scratching demons that live in your skull are blessedly chained at the moment.
“You do,” he replies. When he leans down to kiss the crown of your head, you can hear the smile in his voice. “You always will.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Sleep recedes from you like a waning crescent moon. Sounds of the morning breathe in through the open windows: birdsong, faraway voices, clops of horse hooves, wind in the leaves. You stretch, tentatively measuring the strength of your body; there is no aching, no fragility, no absence of strength like smothered embers. Your spell worked. You are cured. The triumph swells through you, a dazzling sort of fever. And then when you open your eyes, you see him.
You yelp like a startled animal. “What—?!”
“Good morning,” Aegon says brightly. He’s cross-legged on top of your writing desk and brandishing a cup of wine in his right hand.
You sit upright with a groan. “You need to stop doing this.”
“I have things to say that you should hear.”
“What?” you reply crossly.
Aegon sips his wine. “My mother has formally invited Borros Baratheon and his daughters to court. She did it a while ago, actually, but she’s been keeping it quiet. She didn’t want to give Aemond too much time to brood, I think. They are arriving in one week. There is going to be a feast. Lots of dancing, lots of diplomacy, and—my personal favorite—lots of drinking.” He raises his cup in a mock toast.
“Fantastic,” you say flatly.
“The thing is, Jason Lannister heard about this little development all the way out in Casterly Rock, so now he’s sending his daughters to court too. And so are the Arryns, and the Starks, and the Tullys and Tyrells, and Greyjoys too, if they can find anyone who counts as a lady. Maybe even the Westerlings and Swyfts and Swanns, you know…just in case they can pull an upset.” He takes another swig of wine. “It’ll be just like a horse market, except that all the horses walk on two legs and wear dresses.”
“One week…” Everything in you sinks. I knew this was coming, of course I did…but does it have to happen so fucking soon? Then again, maybe any time would feel too soon, months or years or decades. Maybe eternity with Aemond wouldn’t be long enough.
“No matter which horse wins, the result will be the same,” Aegon continues. “An engagement will be announced and my brother will soon wed in the Great Hall and set about the glorious task of producing heirs.”
“Okay. What do you want me to do about it?”
“I thought you might benefit from having the opportunity to prepare yourself. To devise an exit strategy. To…” He considers this next word carefully. “Cope.”
“Oh,” you realize, staring at him. You’ve never been able to get a handle on Aegon Targaryen. He’s not attentive to Helaena—she gets companionship from Aemond, from Alicent, from Otto, from you, but not from her husband—yet to your knowledge he’s never been cruel to her either. He does not ridicule her many peculiarities. He does not criticize her. On the rare occasion that he shares her bed, you overhear no sounds of mistreatment, no weeping or shouting or coercion. Aegon never leaves marks of violence on his wife, which is more than you can say for your own father. He neglects his duties, but he does not rebel against them. He’s done horrible things, surely, blatantly; and yet somehow he does not strike you as a particularly horrible person. “You’re not here to torment me. You’re trying to be helpful.”
Aegon smiles, but there’s very little humor in it. “You can keep that to yourself. No one would believe you anyway.”
He hops down to the floor, guzzles the last of his wine, and leaves the empty cup on your dresser before vanishing through the doorway like a ghost.
~~~~~~~~~~
The gardens are buzzing with bees and gossip. You sit in the midst of a stiflingly mundane tea party and try to remain present enough to smile and nod at the correct moments. You wring your pendent—moonstone gem, silver chain—as Helaena eats lemon cakes beside you, humming contently. She is technically the host of this gathering. It’s meant as a welcome to the noblewomen who have already begun to arrive at court, an opportunity for them to mingle and sample the luxuries of King’s Landing and prove themselves as future wives and mothers. So far, all they’ve proven themselves as is vapid and shallow and frustrating; although perhaps you only feel that way because one of them might be destined to marry the man you love. Aemond hasn’t mentioned the feast to you yet. He never mentions anything related to his impending marriage to some other woman. You’re afraid to bring it up. You’re afraid to break the euphoria you’ve been living in with him like a spell.
As your attention wanders, you notice a spot of blood on the sleeve of your dress. Before the tea party, you and Helaena had been watching Aemond and Sir Criston spar in the courtyard. That particular exchange had been bloodless, but then Ivar Kellington had broken the nose of some hulking Arryn man deluded enough to challenge him. The droplets had sprayed into the crowd like burgundy rain. The match lasted about twelve seconds.
Look at me, having some illustrious gilded blood after all. Ha ha ha.
Across the table, several noblewomen have veered into a covert discussion of one of King’s Landing’s greatest scandals: the indiscretions of Prince Aegon. You can’t catch every word, but you can catch enough of them. Which means Helaena can too.
“A handmaiden…that’s what I heard…yes, I know…what an embarrassment…well you can’t give them all moon tea, now can you?”
You glare at them—a Tyrell girl, you observe now, and a Lannister and a Tully—but they continue their prattling. Helaena rises from her chair and hurries off into the foliage with tears sparkling in her eyes.
“Hey,” you begin, but still the ladies take no notice.
“Little blond children all over the city…more brothels than you could…and the fighting pits…”
“Hey,” you say again, leaning over the table. Now they look at you. “Shut the fuck up.”
“Excuse me?!” cries the Tyrell.
“How dare you!” says the Lannister.
The Tully blubbers: “It’s not like she understands anyway—”
“She does understand.” Your voice is fierce and black and low. “She understands everything. She is your future queen and you’ve upset her with your stupidity. She’s too kind to tell you that to your faces, to make you pay for it. Her kindness is chronic and all-consuming. But I suffer from no such affliction.”
“You seem to suddenly think very highly of your station,” the Tyrell notes. “I wonder what has instilled such confidence in you, Lady Mormont.”
“Yes,” says the Lannister. “Has your family recently acquired some new lands…or titles…or armies…or anything?’
“No.” The Tyrell grins viciously. “They still just have poor little Bear Island. I wouldn’t even be able to find it on a map.”
“Perhaps that isn’t something to brag about,” you say, and storm away from the tea party before she can puzzle out what you mean. You can feel their narrowed eyes following you, cold and conspiratorial.
You find Helaena by a towering butterfly bush. Winged insects in a hundred different colors swoop around her like snowflakes. Silent tears stream down her ruddy face.
“Helaena…” You move to comfort her, then think better of it. She can be very particular about being touched. “I’m so sorry,” you offer, not knowing what else to say. It’s not like the girls were lying. Their words were terrible, and they should not have been said in earshot of Helaena; but they were true.
“Dragons do not speak our language,” Helaena says haltingly, deliberately. A sapphire-blue butterfly lands on her outstretched hand. “But still, they understand. To think they don’t is a mistake.”
“Yes,” you agree.
“They are not stone. They feel as deeply as we do.”
“Yes,” you say again. She means herself, of course; woven in the womb to speak differently, to think differently, to be so irretrievably different. And yet you find every thread of her wonderous.
She opens her arms wide. For a moment, you don’t understand what she wants; and then you embrace her. She clutches you tightly, digging her fingernails into your shoulder blades, burying her face in your neck. You can feel her tears there, hot and flowing freely.
“It’s alright,” you soothe. “Everything’s okay. You are so loved. You are so blameless.”
“I want to help you,” she says softly between sobs.
“Help me…? Help me with what, Helaena…?”
“I want to help you,” she repeats; and then she plods off, swiping tears from her eyes with both hands, still surrounded by a blizzard of butterflies.
~~~~~~~~~~
“I have to talk to you about something,” Aemond says.
You are sitting together under a juniper tree on Bearstone with a picnic you’ve assembled: breads, cheeses, cherry and apricot jams, glossy red apples, honey cakes, wine for him, pomegranate juice for you. The kitchen staff had shot you sideways glances as you plucked each item from their cupboards. They know you’re Helaena’s lady-in-waiting, but they also know that you’ve been spotted socializing with the royal family with increasing frequency. There are whispers, and there are rumors, but if Alicent and Otto Hightower are aware of them they haven’t mentioned anything to you. Perhaps they feel it’s not even worth mentioning. Perhaps they expect the problem to be imminently remedied by one of those gorgeous, wealthy, well-connected women sauntering around the Red Keep.
“Okay.” You steel yourself for what comes next. You’ve known this was coming since the very beginning, since your arrival in King’s Landing, since before he ever touched you; Aemond Targaryen must marry, and he must marry well. Your hand settles protectively, instinctively over your belly, where your child lives unbeknownst to the rest of the world. You will be showing within a few months. What happens next will not only affect you. The prince’s affection for you is such that you now trust him not to leave you abandoned, adrift…but which path will he choose for you? He could give some lord a generous reward in exchange for marrying and providing for you…although given his territorial nature, this seems unlikely. He could send you back to Bear Island. He could send you to Dorne, where he counts the maesters among his few true friends. He could send you anywhere. He could set up a small household in the Crownlands somewhere, visit you a few times a year, know his child only as a passing thought. Regardless, you will lose him, whether in part or in whole; regardless, he will drain away from you like spilled blood.
Aemond says: “I think we should marry as soon as possible.”
Your mouth falls open. The apple you’ve been holding rolls out of your grasp. “You can’t marry me.”
“Why? You don’t consent?”
“No, I…” You shake your head, staring at him, stunned. You can’t find your words. “I…I’m a Mormont.”
He smiles. “I am aware of this, Moonstone.”
“Then surely you are also aware that there are currently about fifty highly-esteemed noblewomen in King’s Landing prepared to fight to the death for a chance to marry you. And that Otto Hightower and your mother are expecting a prompt betrothal to one of them.”
“I won’t do it,” he says calmly.
“You have to.” It pains you to say it, it flays you alive to say it, but it’s true. “I know that. I’ve always known it.”
“I have met my match in you. I will have no other. And my child must be legitimate.”
“They won’t allow it, they’ve planned this for years, they need this marriage—”
“Then Daeron can do it,” Aemond says. “There is one more son of King Viserys, is there not?” Daeron is younger than Aemond. He’s been serving Lord Ormund Hightower as a squire in Oldtown since he was twelve. You’ve heard that he’s a sweet boy, a compliant boy, more humble than either of his brothers. But he won’t be ready to marry for another few years. Aemond peers out over the ocean, meditative, melancholy. “I have already given enough to this family.” His eye, he means; his eye and his dragon and his swordsmanship and his fierce, efficient loyalty. “They will not take you from me too.”
You watch him, the wheels in your mind whirling. Is it possible? Is it really? When he turns back to you, he is at once himself again, or at least the way he is with you: kind, gentle, alight.
“What do you think, Moonstone?” Perhaps he’s nervous, but he’s hiding it well.
“I think that there is nothing I want more than to be bound to you in every way possible.”
“You must truly consider it,” he warns. “If you are my wife, you are inextricably linked to our side in what comes after. You must fully understand what you are entering into. Nothing can stop me from having you except your own will. If you have rethought your allegiances, or if you cannot bear to face the bloodshed…I can send you somewhere safe. I can make you disappear.”
What comes after. War, he means; the war of succession that will almost certainly follow the ailing King Viserys’ death, whether in a week or a month or a year. On one side will be Rhaenyra and Daemon. On the other will be Alicent’s children. You know exactly where you’ll be standing. “I understand, and I consent. I will shy away from no battles.”
Aemond closes the space between you. He takes your face in his hands and kisses you roughly, deeply, sending dragonfire heat spiraling down to every piece of you: nerves, arteries, bones, heart.
“So you aren’t bored of me yet,” you tease, climbing into his lap, your fingers tangling in his silver hair. Your freshly renewed body fits with his perfectly, effortlessly, like the black of night around the stars.
“Regrettably, I am not even the least bit bored of you.”
“I hope I don’t get you killed.”
“I’m sure you’d have a spell to fix that.”
You laugh, and he kisses you again, grinning, greedy. You respond eagerly, melding into his rhythm. Blood rushes to your cheeks. Your heartbeat races. The ocean wind is strong and tearing, the grass beneath your knees soft.
“Hm. I’m glad you’re feeling better,” your betrothed murmurs, his palms pressed into the small of your back, pulling you in closer.
“Me too.”
“And you’re hungry again.”
“Starving,” you amend, grinding your hips against his, turning his face away with your hand so you can bite the soft white skin of his throat.
“Oh, fuck,” he gasps. His right eye is dazed, rapt, lost in you like a labyrinth; his sapphire glistens like sunbeams reflected off the crests of waves. You guide his hands beneath your dress so he can feel how wet you are. And he whispers slyly as he helps free you from all those cumbersome layers of fabric: “I told you you’d always be mine.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Aemond has studied the marriage rituals of the North. He knows them almost as well as you do. And so what must happen next is clear.
He comes to collect you from your room when the moon is high and the rest of the Red Keep dreaming. He looks the same as he always does—dressed in black, hair long and flowing, stoic and unsmiling until he sees you—and there are no special ornaments for you either. Weddings witnessed by the Old Gods are not strewn with guests or festivities or music or gold. They are vestiges of long, dark, cold winters when survival itself was a triumph. They are bare; they require only the meeting of two honest souls. And a heart tree.
Aemond grazes a thumb across your cheekbone, marveling at you. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.” And you are: completely, absolutely, with every drop of blood in your veins.
He takes your hand in his. He leads you from the room. And then, on the other side of the door, you discover Helaena. Both you and Aemond halt mid-step.
“Can I come too?” Helaena asks timidly. Moonlight glows on her angelic face. “I would like to be there. I would like to see you happy. Someone should be happy…if not me and Aegon, if not Mother and Sir Criston, if not the king…then at the very least you two should be.”
“Helaena…” Your words cut off, choked by emotion. You reach for her. She burrows into your arms with no reluctance at all. “Of course, my love,” you say, holding her. Aemond gazes at you, smiling faintly, immeasurably proud. “Of course. You are always, always welcome.”
In the godswood, under the cold fire of infinite constellations, the three of you arrive at the heart tree. You carry no torches to attract the attention of others. In the darkness, there is no discerning the color of the grass or the bark or the leaves. All the world is a murky, placid indigo; all the world is blind to arbitrary mortal designations of good and evil.
“There’s one thing I should mention,” Aemond says. “I have arranged for us to have a witness. I know they aren’t necessary in the North—the Old Gods themselves are the witnesses, seeing through the heart tree like a window—but I thought it would be wise for us to have someone of widely-regarded integrity to confirm that this marriage occurred. There can be no disputing it later.”
This is sensible. Your palm skates over your belly before you remember to stop yourself; you must get into the habit of giving away no clues of your pregnancy…until your marriage is public, at least. “But who…?”
Sir Criston Cole trudges into the godswood in full armor. “Alright Aemond, you better not be forcing me to help you catch and cut open a bull again, I’ve still got the bruises from last time, good gods…” He stops dead when he sees you. “Oh. So this has been the cause of your distraction.”
“Sir Criston, Lady Mormont and I are to marry.”
Sir Criston’s eyes are wide and blinking. “…Marry…?”
“Yes,” Aemond says. “Immediately.”
“What? Where…?”
“Here.” He turns to the heart tree in explanation.
Sir Criston stares blankly at the three of you, then shakes off his paralysis. “Oh no. No no no. Your mother would murder me.”
“I think we both know that’s not true.”
“Aemond…” Sir Criston begins, petrified.
“I am asking you to serve as a witness because of the love you bear for me and my family,” the prince says. “And I am asking you to keep this from my mother and grandfather. Not for long, mind you. Just until the feast has passed and the nobles have returned home to their own castles. Then I will inform my family in private, and they can soften the blow by offering Daeron’s hand in marriage to whichever house they decide they like best. This is not treason, Sir Criston. It is a mark of the profound trust I have in you.”
“Oh gods. Gods help me.” Sir Criston covers his face with his hands and stays that way for what feels like a very long time. Fireflies illuminate the cool night air like stars. Several land on the sleeves of Helaena’s gown and shine there like jewels. “Okay,” Sir Criston agrees at last. “I’ll do it, Aemond. I’ll do it for you.”
The prince embraces the lowborn knight, perhaps the best swordsman in the realm. “You’re the closest thing I have to a father.”
“I know.” Sir Criston’s mouth quivers. His dark eyes are slick. “Now let’s do this before I lose my nerve.”
You and Aemond join hands under the rustling leaves of the heart tree. Sir Criston stands beside the prince; Helaena stays near you. There is a distant rumbling of thunder. Sparce raindrops begin to fall. Aemond doesn’t know the vows used in a Northern wedding, you realize, and you can’t remember them well from the marriage ceremonies you attended as a child; from what you can recall, they are generic, plain, ‘who comes to take this woman?’ and that sort of thing.
“What should we say, wife?” the prince asks you, smiling, starlight in his eye. Suddenly, you are alone with him here in the godswood. You are the last people in Westeros, in the entire world. Winter has come and gone and left nothing but two ghosts doomed to dwell together here for eternity.
You speak without first thinking of what to say. The words flow through you like a river. “In the sight of gods and men, I bind myself to you. I will run from no battles, I will crave no flesh but yours, I will put no cause before your own. I pledge to you any strengths that I possess and I vow to slay my weaknesses. I am yours, body and soul. Use me as you will, but only out of love.”
Aemond repeats these words, and then he kisses you. Helaena claps; Sir Criston bows his head to hide a small, sincere smile. Rain falls as you all hurry back inside the Red Keep.
For the very first time, Aemond takes you to his own bed, to the room where you cast the spell of protection that saved him in the joust. There are still remnants of dust on the floor; he could not bring himself to erase you. As your clothes fall away, flashes of lightning reveal every line and birthmark and scar. There is no shyness. You know every stitch of each other already. You make love with gentle, exquisite slowness as the storm builds outside: his fingers woven through yours, his thrusts deep, his whispered promises heavy with truth.
~~~~~~~~~~
“I have something for you,” your husband says as you stand together by the fireplace in the privacy of Helaena’s chambers. In the flames, dry wood pops and crackles. “For the feast.”
“We are so well matched you will not believe it,” you reply. “I have something for you too.”
Helaena brings it over: a tunic that you have been embroidering together for days. It is black—Aemond’s preferred color—but decorated with a dragon of silver thread. The beast winds around the wearer’s back and waist and arms, breathing cool glistening fire.
“It’s supposed to look like Vhagar,” you explain. “But…well…I’m not quite as good at embroidery as Helaena is, so the face is a little…and the wings…”
“It’s perfect,” Aemond says, beaming. And then again: “It’s perfect!” He yanks off his plain black tunic and replaces it with the one you’ve gifted him. “Now I will appear especially dashing for all my prospective wives.”
Helaena giggles, blushing a cheerful pink. She is elated to be in on a joke, to have been trusted with information of such consequence. She points at the silver dragon. “Be cautious with her. She will not always listen.”
“Who, Vhagar?” Aemond asks. “She listens well enough. I’ve tamed her. I’m good at taming all manner of beasts…dragons…bulls…bears…” He grabs you by the waist and draws you to him, kissing the side of your face over and over until you squeal and push him away, laughing. “As for my gift…” He calls for the servants and they enter with a gown. They hand it to the prince, casting you a wary glance, and then disappear again. The gown is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. The color is subtle, shimmering, opalescent, almost…
“It’s…it’s…”
“Moonstone,” Aemond says. He gives it to you. The fabric flows like water. “I commissioned it the day after the joust. No one else will have anything like it. I’ll be able to spot you anywhere in the room.”
“I doubt you’ll have time to notice me. There will be a plethora of views to enjoy.”
“Yes,” he agrees. “But you’ll be the best.”
He leaves to accompany Alicent as she enters the feast while you and Helaena finish getting ready. Helaena’s gown is a vivid greenish-blue, and the stones in her jewelry are turquoise. There are teardrop-shaped sapphires dangling from your ears and a string of them around your left wrist, gifts from the princess. As always, your moonstone pendant hangs from your neck. You are dressed ostentatiously for a mere lady-in-waiting, particularly one from as modest a house as your own. People may wonder about that. You smile to yourself. They won’t have to wonder long.
The Great Hall is radiant with music and conversation and candlelight. The most celebrated houses of Westeros mingle: the men boasting about their lands and their swords (which hang at their belts in scabbards of leather or metal), the women boasting about their wombs, the children boasting about their enviable betrothals. Those who don’t yet have betrothals to boast about are hoping to procure one tonight. No one pays much attention to you—the daughter of an important house, the widow of an unimportant man—unless it is to compliment your gown. You and Helaena dance together with flushed faces, giggling and twirling until you trip and fall into each other’s waiting arms. Meanwhile, Aemond—who, contrary to you, is having a great deal of attention paid to him—dutifully navigates the hall to pay his respects to the Baratheons, the Lannisters, the Tyrells, the Arryns, the Starks, on and on down the ladder. He speaks to each of the families, nodding politely to the clamoring, bejeweled daughters, before moving on to the next. He does this as quickly as he can so he can get it over with. He has never been at ease with strangers. He has never found it simple to trust them. A part of him will always be that overlooked, scorned second son, reserved by nature, suspicious by necessity; it’s just that he sometimes forgets this when he’s with you. No matter where he goes in the room, he keeps you on his good side. He watches you, he covets you.
There is one guest, and only one, who notices you and asks for a dance. Cregan Stark is young and handsome next to the other lords, nearly your same age, and you had met years before as children. He has a natural, kind charisma. He asks you about your family back on Bear Island as he carries you around the floor like a strong wind, tells you about Winterfell, offers his condolences for the loss of your mother. He doesn’t even think to mention your late husband. It is a commiseration between two Northerners in a distant land; it is a comfort to you both. As soon as Cregan Stark drops your hand and departs to awe some other lady, Aemond appears.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he asks good-naturedly as he circles you, gliding his palm nonchalantly over your waist, your wrists, the small of your back. Your skin responds to him, goosebumps rising, lust kicking up like embers in a stirred fire.
“Diplomacy,” you reply primly.
“Hm. Perhaps we should send you to negotiate treaties.”
“I am very persuasive.”
“Yes, I know.” And he takes your hand to spin you around just once before leaving to pretend to consider marrying some other woman.
When Helaena is whisked away to dance with Otto Hightower, you pour yourself a cup of pomegranate juice and nurse it as you stand by the wall, alone. The noblewomen from the tea party toss you venomous sneers. You ignore them. You have everything they could ever want and more. Your hand settles briefly, forgetfully on your belly, and then you snatch it away.
Aegon, very intoxicated, wobbles over to you and props his back against the wall so he can keep his balance. “Hello,” he slurs.
“Hello.”
“I thought you might like to disparage the candidates with me,” he says, then gestures with his wine cup. “Look at that Floris Baratheon. Ears like a fucking donkey.”
You chuckle, hiding your face guiltily behind your own cup. “Shh. She’s not so bad.”
“You seem to be handling this remarkably well. Perhaps my brother has bored you, perhaps you have had your fill of him. Or perhaps you aren’t so heartbroken because he’s planning to keep you around as his mistress. I wouldn’t have guessed that to be his style, but upon second thought, you have thoroughly corrupted him. In that case, he should choose the donkey for sure. Someone stupid and docile. You can have rooms on opposite ends of the Red Keep and there will be no need for you to claw each other’s eyes out.”
“I’m not an animal, Prince Aegon.”
“You’re a Mormont. That’s hardly better.”
You smile. He smiles back.
Aegon leans into you, unsteady but not purposefully intrusive. “You’re worth more than all of them put together. I’m sorry that’s not what matters.”
“Why are you being so nice to me?”
“We are natural allies,” he says, and clinks his cup against yours in a toast. Fortunately, he is too drunk to notice that you’re avoiding wine this evening. That would certainly raise some suspicions. “I know your secret, and you know mine.”
“What…?” And then you understand. Your secret is your relationship with Aemond, that part is easy. Aegon’s secret is a bit more obscure. What perhaps no one else knows is that there is more to him than brash words and wicked deeds and flippant, lazy recklessness. That he loves his family. That—somewhere way down deep, unspoken but alive—he cares.
Aegon shoves himself away from the wall and gives you a parting bow, clumsy and lurching. “Enjoy your evening as best you can. I’m going to go piss on the floor.”
“Cheers,” you reply. He staggers away, leaving you alone again.
As the Great Hall whirls around you like a galaxy, you bask in the warm glow of this moment, this liminal space like a doorway. There will be grumbles, surely, but what you and Aemond have forged cannot be undone. No one can take away your marriage. No one can take away your child. You knew unconditional love once, long ago on Bear Island, safe in your mother’s arms; now you have it again. You belong somewhere again. You took one hell of a detour, but now you are home.
You don’t feel him enter the hall, because he’s not Aemond Targaryen. He doesn’t change the room at all. You only turn because you hear rising chatter, and then elated shouts, and then the thunder of men’s handshakes and pounds on the back. You wonder who is being congratulated, who is being cheered like a soldier returning from war. When you see him, your cup drops out of your hand. Pomegranate juice floods across the floor like blood. He sees you, rushes to you; and it's the strangest thing, because it all seems to be happening very slowly, but not slowly enough for you to flee. It’s like one of those dreams where you’re trying to run but you can’t. You can’t even speak. You can’t even scream.
He is battered and bruised and thinner—harsher—than you remember, but it’s him. His name rings through the hall in a hundred different voices.
“Axel Hightower, back from the dead!”
“He survived the shipwreck! Praise the gods!”
“And now he’s come to surprise his wife!”
You are powerless to stop his approach. You are chained in place by horror. All around you, the life you thought you’d have is crumbling into dust. It’s running out of your fingers like sand in an hourglass.
“Aww, look, the poor thing is in shock! She can’t believe it!” some idiot sighs romantically. There are applause and whistles. On the periphery of your vision, you see Aegon backing away as far as he can from the dance floor. His head whips around, searching for someone.
Axel grips your arm, pulls you into him, and kisses you. It feels like being invaded. It feels like that very first night with him when he—not cruelly, no, but with a dreadful, willing ignorance—forced his way inside you until it felt like you were being sawed in half. You flinch violently; every muscle, every nerve screams to be away from him. You try to push Axel off of you, but he doesn’t budge. Why would he? He owns you, like a castle or a horse. He can do whatever he likes to you. The notion of you having desires to the contrary would never even cross his mind. There are tears bleeding down your cheeks: for you, for your child, for the future whose throat has just been slit in this room. It feels like you’re dying. You wish you were.
There is the shrill whisper of a blade being torn from its scabbard. All the guests fall silent. Axel takes a step back from you, his fingers still clamped around your forearm. Aemond holds the point of his sword to Axel’s throat. Several crimson beads drip from where the steel has pierced the paper-thin surface layer of skin. Aemond’s voice is dark, like nightfall, like onyx. His eye is blazing blue, cold fire. “Remove your hands from her, or you will lose them.”
Axel is too mystified to be outraged. He releases you. You can breathe again. “She is my wife by law.”
“She carries my child!” Aemond’s words ricochet off the walls like shattered glass. The Great Hall boils over with gasps and scandalized jabbering. “And we married under the heart tree. She is mine.”
“You what?!” Aegon blurts out.
“You what?!” Otto Hightower roars.
“Sir Criston?” Aemond calls, summoning him.
Sir Criston Cole steps out of the rabble. “It’s true,” he says. He hides his reddening face from Queen Alicent. “I witnessed it. They are wed.”
“This is an outrage!” Axel bellows, then looks to the crowd for their verdict.
“Bigamy!” someone cries out. A chorus joins them, a sea of jilted noble families who can only benefit from Axel carting you back to Oldtown.
“Whore! Whore!”
“Poor Axel Hightower escapes from the jaws of death to find this?!”
“A mortal sin!”
“Go back to your true husband!”
“Take her to the dungeons!”
Aemond steps in front of you, twirling his sword once, twice, again. “And who would like to be the first to try?”
No one moves to detain you, but the crowd’s sentiment is unmistakable, rabid. The jeers continue to rain down on you: bigamist, sinner, whore. And you can’t even decry them as slander, because they’re true. Otto Hightower is clutching the back of a chair like he might fall over without it. Alicent’s eyes are pooling with stunned, furious tears. Helaena sinks to the floor, covering her ears with both hands. After taking a moment to consider it, Sir Criston moves to stand beside Aemond and draws his own sword.
Ideas flit through Aemond’s mind like arrows. He catches one of them. As Sir Criston watches the crowd, Aemond turns back to you and touches your face with his free hand. “Say you want a trial by combat.”
“Are you sure—?”
“I can beat any man here besides Sir Criston and he wouldn’t fight me, just say it.”
“I demand a trial by combat!” you announce for all the court to witness.
“No she doesn’t!” Otto shouts, trying to drown you out.
“She does,” Aemond insists, grinning madly. “And I will be her champion.”
“Then I shall name my own!” Axel says. Already the court is chattering that there is no great cowardice in this; he is still recovering from his ordeal, far from his physical peak, and Prince Aemond is one of the best swordsmen in King’s Landing. Axel scans the Great Hall for someone, anyone, who could challenge him. Sir Criston could probably best Aemond, but he would never agree to try. His allegiances to both Alicent and Aemond are too great. Who else could there be? Who else could there possibly be?
And then Axel’s gaze lands on him. When Aemond said he could beat any man here, he wasn’t wrong. The giant the court calls Killington hardly counts as a man at all. He’s not a man; he’s a monster. And he’s been thirsty for Aemond’s blood for years. He towers over anyone else in the room; he outweighs them by double. He steps forward, answering a question that has not yet been asked.
Axel’s face splits into a grin. His eyes glint like mirrors, like blades. “I choose Ivar Kellington.”
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steddie-there · 1 year
Text
"Eddie, I need you," Steve says over the phone, a very un-Steve-like tremor in his voice.
That's all Eddie needs to hear before he's shouting to Dave that he has a family emergency, he'll be back later, and booking it out of the record store and across town to the veterinarian. He's never been so grateful to have such a chill boss.
Steve is pacing in the empty lobby when he gets there, one hand shoved in his pocket and the other running incessantly through his hair. He doesn't stop until Eddie touches his shoulder and then Eddie has an armful of Steve, his face buried in Eddie's neck.
He's shaking so Eddie holds him close, buries a hand in his hair, waits for his trembling to stop.
"What happened, Stevie?" he asks and his voice is gentle, as gentle as he can make it, but Steve still curls inward. Eddie rubs soothing circles into his back.
"The hay bag," Steve finally whispers. "I heard it fall, thought it was far enough away from his cage. So I didn't check. But when I walked past, he'd chewed a hole in it and I don't know if he swallowed any and oh god what if he did what if he has a blockage what if -" he breaks off, his breath hitching.
Eddie presses a kiss to his forehead, pulls him over to the chairs. Tucks his hands into Steve's, lets him hold them bone-crushingly tight, lets him fiddle with his rings. Presses their foreheads together and whispers soothingly.
They wait.
It feels like hours but can't be more than 45 minutes before they're called back to a room. Paul is staring up at them from the doc's arms, calmly chewing a piece of hay into his mouth.
The doc smiles, tells them he's fine, no blockage, and Eddie lets out a breath of relief, feels Steve sag against him.
"So he's okay?" Eddie asks.
"Perfectly healthy," she confirms. "Although maybe the tiniest bit heavier than he should be. How many treats is he getting a day?"
Steve furrows his brow. "Just two hay treats. Three every once in a while."
Eddie doesn't say anything, glances down at the floor, scratches at the back of his head. Steve turns his head to look at him. Eddie breaks.
"...he's good at begging, all right? He rattles the cage and then he looks up at me and. He's just. Really cute. And sometimes I give him a couple extras."
Steve bites his lip and his shoulders start shaking again.
"Steve, what... are you okay...?"
Steve bursts out laughing. It's relief and joy and amusement all wrapped into one and it's infectious and soon Eddie is laughing, too, and even the doc is chuckling and Paul is staring at them all with big black bunny eyes.
"Just, maybe lay off the treats a little," she says when they're all just grinning at each other.
"Yes, ma'am" Eddie promises, crossing his heart.
"Will do," Steve grins as he takes Paul from her arms, puts him in his little pink travel kennel.
He turns to Eddie, a gentle smile on his face. "Let's go home."
Later, curled up on the couch, Paul flopped over their laps and the tv low, Steve leans his head on Eddie's shoulder. "Thanks for putting up with my freak out. For being there."
Eddie turns to Steve, kisses the side of his head. "Sunshine, I'd do anything for you. And for this little bastard, too," he says, tapping the white spot on Paul's head. He flicks an ear in Eddie's direction but otherwise doesn't move.
"Even stop giving him extra treats?" Steve asks, a smirk in his voice.
"Yeah, even that," Eddie says as they both dissolve into quiet giggles.
-----
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 7
ao3: And Rabbit Makes Three
My real life inspiration behind Paul the rabbit
Also, credit for this idea goes to my roommate @steddiehawkins, who also inspired Eddie giving Paul extra treats since she definitely doesn't give my rabbit extra treats because of how cute he is and how much she loves him. She would neeeeeeever do that 😉😜
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