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sunnasweet · 2 months

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Alice and The Android

This is my first time using this account after perusing through the monster-fucker tag, this story is...tentatively a monster-fucker story?? maybe? I don't know where androids fall on the spectrum and this guy's pretty human except with a couple quirks so...?

Anyway, I wrote this in one sitting after I discovered Literotica existed and I wanted to submit a story there so...there's sex. duh. But I'm a Tumblr girl at heart so why not post it here too.

This is dedicated to Lana del Rey because I was listening to Dealer on loop all day writing this.

the tentative 64-character summary that I was allowed : Virgin Alice pays a philosophizing android escort to fuck her.

9.9k words (about 6k words before you hit the porn), heavy on consent, android x female reader, edited? i ran this through grammarly

Alice Walker had a secret, she was a 30-year-old virgin.

That's right, this woman, who wasn't even unattractive had never been filled before. Despite the many dates she went on that never went anywhere and her ever-filling contact comm list, she had never been intimate before.

Why? Great question. Alice was scared–terrified really. At first, it was something of a joke, 18, 19, 20, fine. But after that, it became something of an insecurity. The bridge between her age and experience grew further and further and before she knew it, she was officially in her 30s and certainly not dirty–or so the saying would suggest.

She was worse than a late bloomer. She had bloomed but instead of thriving she wilted. Her garden was empty. A dry, desolate place.

She hadn't even touched herself.

Whenever she thought about it she gave herself a twisted gut. She had considered maybe she was asexual but that wasn't true, she had gotten aroused before, very aroused. She just couldn't bring herself to do anything about it.

Any time things got hot and heavy with a boyfriend she felt so embarrassed about having to admit that she'd never done it before that she'd take the other route and say next time. Until next time became never. She lied now saying she was saving herself for marriage, an old ritual still practiced even in the galaxy. Alice was not religious.

Maybe there was some guilt involved in the act for her. Still, she had no reason for it. Quite the opposite. Like she said, she wasn't religious, her parents were very open and accepting, and she had no insecurities about her body.

Alice knew she was beautiful–or at least, evidence suggested she was. She was tall, lean with heavy breasts and a small pert ass, her nipples were raspberry pink and her face was nothing to shrug at either. She was cute rather than hot, if she had to describe herself and she dressed to emphasize that. Whenever she tried to wear something 'sexy' she looked like a kid playing dress up. In your 20s, that's fine, in your 30s? It was alarming.

She knew she wasn't old. She knew that she was not expiring, despite what her indoctrinated thoughts told her. Sure, she had the starting of some crow's feet and smile lines but she wasn't a child anymore. She was a 30-year-old woman.

A 30-year-old woman who had decided the moment she blew out the candle on her birthday cake–alone, that she would finally make her wish come true.

She was going to lose her virginity.

Alice unpuckered her lips and let the waft of smoke fill her nostrils as she stared around her dark kitchen. She shifted on the stool, her fingers tapping on the countertop. Then, her comm beeped, the screen glazing over her eyes as she got a confirmation notification that her appointment was in an hour. She blinked and she was back in her kitchen staring at her cake. She grabbed a knife and cut herself a slice.

"Happy birthday Alice," she murmurs to herself.

It's not that Alice had no friends. She was a very sociable girl. Maybe that was another reason why the fact she'd never had sex really got to her. She was a very well-adjusted woman. She worked, had a social life, and hung out in the Sector 17 lounges where rich Sector 20 men came to find high-priced escorts. She lived a very satisfying life.

She wanted for little, but what she did want, she couldn't get her mind off of.

She wanted sex and she didn't care if it wasn't special. But she wanted to make sure she picked the right person. Someone who would respect her and make sure she was properly prepared. The man didn't have to love her, but she needed to know that no matter what, at the bare minimum, she'd be treated with basic decency. She didn't like surprises. When she thought of situations she had never been in before her brain automatically went to the darkest scenario.

So no, she hadn't so much as let a man's hand under her panties.

Alice ate her cake slowly, after this, she'd take a shower and get ready for her appointment.

Sector 17 was the upper-class entertainment center. If you wanted something it was there. You just had to find it. So when Alice went looking for a solution to fix her dilemma she was presented with one.

Androids.

State-of-the-art, fully cognizant, customizable sex bots. Or escorts. Whatever.

In 4093, they were identical to humans. It was impossible to tell the difference. Some were servers, some were purchasable spouses, and some were sex bots. The only regulation on androids was that they couldn't run in any political circles but their own.

The way they were programmed, they were able to produce their own thoughts. Maybe they didn't feel anything, but they were real enough for Alice to feel comfortable. She also knew, that while they had some form of free will, their purpose of creation affected their desires and obviously a sex-bot was built to please. So she could say with utmost certainty that what she wanted was what would happen and that's what Alice needed. Certainty. No variables.

She wanted to mark this social achievement off the list.

So as a gift to herself for her birthday, she scheduled a full night appointment with one of the most expensive android escort services she knew of.

It was the price of a single-person emergency escape pod.

Alice saved all year for this and she knew it would be worth every credit.

The Den, which was the name of the business, was a one-of-a-kind business. They didn't just have sex bots. They let you customize your own. Appearance, voice, personality, everything. It was the exact kind of thing Alice salivated for.

Control.

Alice stood. She put her plate and fork in the sink and then quickly washed them. After that, she put her mini birthday cake in the fridge and headed for the bathroom.

She stared at herself in the mirror. Her round face made her still look youthful. Her small heart-shaped lips and doe-like eyes exacerbated the fact. She kept her beige-blonde hair long, it reached to her waist in loose ringlets. All things considered. She was generically attractive. Pretty but boring. There was nothing unique about the kind of beauty she had.

She stripped out of her loungewear and stepped into the shower where the water automatically came raining down on her in the warm temperature she preferred.

Exfoliate, shave, wash. It was ritualistic. She smelled almost too clean.

She had shaved practically every part of her below the neck. Her legs, her arms, the unruly strip of hair that went up to her bellybutton on her belly. The only part of her that wasn't bare was her pussy. She had only trimmed her vulva. Something about that hair made her feel sexy which was few and far between.

After that, she tied a tower around her hair and patted dry and slathered moisturizer and a hydrator on her skin. She painted both her fingernails and toenails a simple white. When she looked in the mirror this time she was smooth and shining.

Brush, blowdry, blowout. Her hair felt silky and smooth when she ran her fingers through it.

She wondered if all this effort mattered, if he was programmed to like her wasn't this all useless? She wasn't sure as she pulled out a lingerie set from her dresser.

White lace in a pretty floral pattern for the bra and thong. Her breasts were holstered but her nipples were easily visible through the fabric.

Whatever the answer to her question was didn't matter. For the first time, she felt hot.

She threw on a long trench coat on top of that. It would hide her exposed body and keep her protected from the artificial breeze that randomly emitted on the Omega Station.

Alice pressed the embedded button on the side of her head–her comm unit–and alerted The Den that she was on her way. Alice lived in Sector 13, so she'd have to take the elevator up 4 levels. It would be relatively quick as long as they weren't packed.

The elevators had been pretty sparse when Alice arrived. The inside dinged and the doors opened. Alice walked out, her heels click-clacking on the fake concrete tiles of the ground. She shivered as a breeze passed her by and kissed her inner thighs.

Sector 17 was set up like an earthen city. Of course, no one drove but there were still roads and streets. The lamps were lit and the only thing reminding you this was not a real city were the glass walls and ceiling that gave you a beautiful view of space.

It took 20 minutes for Alice to arrive at The Den. When she entered the doors, the first thing she recognized was the smell of spice invading her nose. It smelled…sensual. As did the music sound that quietly played in the background.

Alice kept her eyes down as she passed several men and women in the waiting room. She approached the receptionist at the desk with a slightly flushed face.

"Hello, how can I help you?" The woman asked.

Alice swallowed, and she smiled weakly. "I have an appointment? For..7:30?"

The receptionist nodded with a smile on her red-painted lips and her fingers deftly began to type on the holographic keyboard of her desk, her eyes flitting between her hands and the screen. Several moments later and she gently said 'Ah'

"Yep, I see you right here. Alice Walker, 7:30. You're right on time! That's good, you won't have to wait, we just need to do a quick check-up and then you're good to go."

"Check-up?" Alice asked nervously.

The receptionist nodded, "Mhm, you'll take a standard blood test to make sure you're free of disease and then we need to check you for any weapons." she looked Alice up and down, "It'll only take a minute. You look good to me." as Alice cursed in her head for not wearing actual clothes under the coat. She nodded and the receptionist went back to typing before acknowledging her once more. "Okay, so just head down the hall–" she pointed to the left– "and you can go inside room 10 where your blood test and security check will be done."

Alice quickly nodded and gave a quiet thank you as she nearly bumped into a man who was speed-walking down the hall also looking at the ground. Despite the luxury of this place, it didn't make the reality any different.

This was a brothel.

While she walked down the hall, Alice realized this place was either highly overrated or soundproofed. She couldn't hear a thing coming from the rooms she was passing.

That was good. Really good. Alice didn't want anyone listening in. This whole thing already had her nerves going. Her hands were slightly trembling and she was queasy.

When she reached the 10th door, which was at the end of the hall and not the beginning, she thought to knock but then remembered the presumed soundproofing and pulled the handle. She peeked through a slight crack in the door and saw a woman in a lab coat sitting in a chair next to a table.

Alice took a deep breath and then walked inside.

The woman–a doctor? Instantly smiled like the receptionist and stood.

"Hello Alice, I'm Dr. Sol," she says in a raspy murmur, she held her hand out for Alice to shake. Alice smiled shyly as she shook the woman's hand.

"Nice..nice to meet you."

"Of course." She says, then she lets go of her hand and turns back to the table.

While she did that Alice expected her room for the night. It was nice, really nice. There was a large queen-sized bed on one side of the room, with a reddish brown wood, matching the headboard were two side tables that had lit candles on them placed in clear glass holders.

The carpet under her feet looked plush and there was a second door in this room that she could safely assume was the bathroom.

"Okay, So I'm sure the receptionist told you but we'll just go over it again, today I'll be giving you a quick blood test and security check." The doctor snapped on a latex glove and Alice flinched.

"Can I ask…why is there a security check?" she asks.

The doctor nods, "Believe it or not, a lot of people try to steal our workers."

"Steal? As in kidnapped?

"Yes that's correct, so we've had to implement a security check to make sure no one is smuggling in any weapons, drugs, or outside tools." the doctor confirms and informs her.

Alice raises a brow, "Drugs?"

The doctor nods as she picks up a blood pricker that Alice recognizes from her tri-monthly check-ups with her own doctor. "That's right, drugs. The androids here are highly sophisticated. They are meant for not only this room but also the outside world when needed. Every android is designed with its own mechanical nervous system, brain panel, and circuitry. They are programmed to be unique."

"That's…amazing."

"Quite."

The doctor pricks Alice's finger then she watches it flood into the vial. The doc smiles and turns back around, she places the vial into a tubular device and faces Alice once again.

"Here comes the awkward part, I'm going to need you to undress for me. You can keep your underwear on though." Alice gulps.

She laughs nervously, "About that…" she says. Her shaky hands open her trench coat and she embarrassingly opens it to her lingerie, the doctor laughs.

"Oh!" she says, "Well that certainly makes things easier." she says, "Please remove your coat so I can do a full rotational check, and step out of your heels." Alice nods and follows the doctor's directions.

The doctor does a quick check over Alice's body, inspects her heels then smiles.

"You're all good Ms. Walker."

"Thank you…"

She turns back to the tubular device and hums, "No disease, that's exactly what I want to see." the doctor says, glancing over her shoulder with a smile. She grabs the machine, takes off her gloves then points to a bowl.

"While our Androids are highly specialized, they cannot procreate, however they do ejaculate. So, depending on your preference you can go bare or use a condom," she says, Alice nods wordlessly and the doc gives her a pat on the shoulder. "Alright then Alice, you're all good to go. Your android will be in shortly."

Alice sighs out in relief when the doctor leaves. She looks around the room once more, picks her coat off the ground, and drapes it on the chair. She peeks into the bathroom and spots a fluffy white bathrobe. "Score." She takes it off the hook and wraps it around herself then ties it.

With that, Alice sits on the bed nervously.

She fiddled with her hands on the bed, took some deep breaths then started pacing the room. When the android still didn't arrive, she moved her heels so they hadn't just been sloppily kicked off where someone could trip.

Alice's head snapped when she heard the door rattle slightly and her heart dropped to her gut.

The door slowly opened and revealed the exact man she had spent five hours customizing on her computer two weeks ago.

Tan, tall, broad. He had dark brown hair, so dark it looked black in this light, slicked and styled back but it seemingly looked effortless. His eyes were brown, he had a strong nose and an angular jaw. He was broad and big and suddenly Alice felt embarrassed.

Is this what she had really wanted for her first time? Was this her dream man?

Yes.

Yes, it was, and he was.

He smiled at her with straight white teeth and her eyes widened.

"Hi.." she breathed out, smiling back out of reflex. That seemed to make him smile wider. He was perfect, and not in a way that made him almost creepy. He looked human, his face wasn't completely symmetrical, one of his eyebrows was higher than the other and his eye was a bit thinner on top. She had asked for that. "I'm Alice…"

"I'm Ren." He introduced. It was the only thing she hadn't been able to customize–his name.

She looked at the floor for a moment, scraping her bare foot against the plush carpet and her eyes flitted back up when she heard the door close and lock.

He walked over to her and her eyes got wider than they were before. He crouched before her with that charming smile, crouched like he was about to propose. One leg bent, slumped slightly and an elbow resting on his knee.

"Don't worry." he said, low and smooth, "Everyone's nervous their first time."

Alice swallowed and nodded, "Thanks."

Abruptly he said, "You're beautiful" Alice blushed and smiled shyly.

"You have to say that."

"I still mean it." he said, then looked her up and down again, looking into her eyes, trailing down her neck then resting for a moment on her bare legs "And I have preferences like any person would." admitted the android and her heart started beating double time.

That couldn't be true. Could it?

"Okay.." she says awkwardly and he chuckled.

He reached for her hand and she let him touch her. This was familiar to her. She had been gently touched before, she had let people put their tongues in her mouth. This was okay. This was safe.

His thumb stroked the back of her hand and she shivered.

"Why don't we go sit on the bed?" he asks. She freezes and he laughs again, "To talk. We have all night for that." That. Sex. Intercourse. Fucking. However you wanted to put it, it was all Alice could think about when looking at this male–android? This artificial man.

"Okay…"

"Good."

He stood from his crouched position and helped her out of her seat, he looked her up and down for the third time, leading her to sit on the foot of the bed. Once sat she stared at him with an awed bewildered expression.

He didn't speak at first, content to just let her stare at him while he held and stroked her hand, soon moving to her wrist and then arm…

"Why don't you tell me about yourself Alice?" he encouraged.

She swallowed and nodded, "Well…I work as the assistant for a sector 19 CEO." she started because it was the most interesting thing about her. He nodded.

"Very impressive." he murmured, "I" 'm a SB009 model, which means I am one of the original androids made for The Den."

She took an indrawn breath, "Really?" she asked nervously and slightly relieved.

"Mhm.."

"So you're experienced."

"Quite."

"How experienced would you say?"

He chuckles, "You're pretty nosy." he teased and she flushed.

"Sorry.." she whispered.

Ren shrugged, "I've been working and living as an escort for 3 years, I work 4 days a week. You can do the math unless you would like me to…" he says, trailing off for the first time.

Alice did not need to do the math. If he was having sex at least once a day for 4 days every week…well, she could see why the blood test was necessary. Did he have to take a blood test? What a stupid question! He was a robot, he didn't have blood. Or maybe he does? His hand feels warm…

"Do you get tested?" she asked quizzically, he laughed, seemingly undisturbed by her question.

"I am…" he cleared his throat, "sterilized after every session."

Alice's eyes widened, "Oh." Did that mean he could just remove…? She cleared her throat and nodded. Neat.

He smiled, "Yes." His hand was still stroking the back of her hand and it made it extremely hard to focus on conversation when the most handsome man she had ever seen was sitting right in front of her, smiling and touching her.

"Tell me more about yourself, Alice. Something that's not work-related. What do you like to do with yourself?"

"Excuse me?"

"Your hobbies," he elaborated and she relaxed.

"Oh. Uhm…" Everything Alice did was boring. She shrugs, "I'm more of an R & R type of person…I like to relax…so I go to the spa a lot, or do yoga classes…" he perks at that.

"Yoga huh?" he says, a glimmer in his eye. Her brows furrowed and she nodded, "You're quite flexible then?" she gulped and nodded once again as he chuckled. "That's good. It's good to keep healthy."

"W-what do you do?" she asks, "You said you only work 4 days a week, does that mean you–"

"Have a life outside of The Den?" he finishes for her and she nods. "Yes, I do. There are few times when I need to sleep so I have a lot of free time." That interested her so she nodded again to signal he had her attention. "Well, let's see..how about I tell you how one of my days would normally go?"

"That sounds good."

"Well, I wake up, take a morning run..shower–"

"You can get wet?"

"Yes. I can be fully submerged in water."

"Can you..drown?"

He chuckles, "No. I cannot drown. I don't need air."

"That's amazing." She says slightly awed, "So..theoretically could you live your entire life underwater?" That gave him a pause but eventually, he shrugged.

"Theoretically, yes, but I imagine that would be very lonely."

"You get lonely?"

"Doesn't everyone?"

She frowns, "Yes but…" he smiles at her like they're in on the same secret.

He ignored her, "After my shower, I finally eat and no, it is not necessary to eat but I can eat and I have a digestive system that disintegrates anything I do eat. I have taste receptors. So while I don't need to, I want to." She wonders how many times he's had to explain this to a client.

Alice was not a scientist nor an engineer, she had no idea how a piece of technology could taste but she nodded anyway.

"Then, if I'm not working, we'll just say this is my day off, I will either go visit friends or do an activity." Friends..he had friends. "After that, I will come home," Where was his home? Did he live in The Den? "And I will usually read or watch something before going to bed."

Ren's life sounded simple. Simple but nice.

"That sounds…very peaceful," she says.

He nods, "Yes."

"Do you live here?" she asks.

He shakes his head, "No. I have a regular apartment unit. I am paid credits for my time here at The Den." Alice's eyes widened at that. He lived like a person. He looked like a person. He acted like a person. Doesn't that make him one? Or is this just an extraordinarily sophisticated list of code? Maybe he was lying. Maybe this was the backstory they created him with. She hadn't gotten to customize his backstory…

"That's all very interesting." she says, "You have friends? Are they androids like you?"

"Most of them, yes. I have very few human friends."

"Why is that?"

He smiled but she couldn't understand what was so amusing.

Finally, he shrugged, "It is just how things have turned out."

"Do you enjoy your job?"

"I…" he paused, "do you?" he asked.

She shrugged as well. "It's work. It pays for the bills." Ren nodded.

"That is what I think as well."

That made Alice's stomach twist. So he would just tolerate tonight? The way Alice understood how androids work was that they had a natural favor for their purpose but now this android was personally telling her he did not enjoy his work but merely did it because it was what he was paid to do.

"Do you get treated well here?" she asked a little quieter.

"Very well," he says.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Tell me more." Alice wanted him to elaborate. She wanted to make sure this man wasn't being treated like some Sector 2 low-class gigolo.

"Well," he seemed to shift positions, then he looked at the bed. "Come lay down with me then I'll tell you." he bargained which shocked her. She didn't know he was allowed to do that. But I guess he didn't owe her anything from his personal life.

She nodded without hesitation, crawling further onto the bed and laying against the headboard. He did the same, one arm thrown over her shoulder and pulling him into her side which made her heart race, and the other doing that same circling motion he was doing on the back of her hand the whole time they spoke. She wanted to know more about an–this android's life.

"Let's see," he says, clicking his tongue. He raises a finger. "I get 60% of the profits The Den makes off my clients." Alice's eyes widened at that. "I'm allowed to reject clients if I don't feel comfortable or attracted to them."

"Attracted?" she asks, "How do you know you're attracted to something?" she asks. He was a robot. He couldn't feel at least, not in the way she could.

"How do you know?"

She thought about that, "I just know.."

"Precisely." he says, "I just know."

Her lips thinned and cheeks flushed as she had two realizations. The one that made her blush was that he specifically accepted her as his client because he was attracted to her.

"Keep going..what else."

"I get maintenance insurance." he then says and she laughs.

"You're kidding" he got health insurance for robots? It was both hilarious and sad that something like that existed.

She was beginning to get more and more comfortable with Ren as he spoke, telling her about all the benefits he received from working at The Den. She even found herself subtly cuddling into him as she listened to him. At some point, she even started to rest her head on his shoulder.

Alice only noticed that when his hand had started to play with her hair. She shivered. This was all very…intimate. She had expected something a lot more primitive. She guessed this was what her money was paying for.

He felt so real and from what he was telling her, (if he wasn't lying) by all means she would consider this artificial man a real one.

She understood now why the Android Protectant Program existed. They discussed android rights with both the human and alien commanders of Omega Station.

"Alice?"

She refocused on him, "Yes?"

He smiled, "Should we get started now that we know each other better?" Alice looks him in the eyes nervously.

"Maybe we can talk some more?" She asked.

He nodded, "We can do that." he murmured, he stroked her scalp, "We can just talk all night if that's what you want." Alice leaned into his touch, sighing softly.

She wanted to take him up on that offer and back out of her birthday goal.

"Today's my birthday.." she says loosely, moving further into his body.

He looked down at her, "Happy birthday Alice."

"Thank you, Ren."

He shifted, turning towards her further, his hand moved from her scalp to her cheek. Stroking it with his thumb and her eyes widened. "Tell me more."

"More?"

"About you.."

"Oh."

She swallowed, and shrugged, getting distracted by his touch. "I'm uhm, 30…single obviously, you already know I'm a PA. What else can I tell you?"

Ren laughed, "I'm sure you're more interesting than that."

Ouch.

"Not really.." she muttered.

"No?"

"No."

"You're single? How many boyfriends have you had?" he asked, trying to dig out more from her. "Who was your first love?"

Her brows rose, "My first love huh?" she paused, "Well, I've had about..5 boyfriends? All of them lasted longer than a year." Until they realized she wasn't going to put out. "As for my first love—" Alice had to think long and hard about that.

Her first love.

She didn't really have one?

If she had, she wouldn't be a virgin anymore, she would have found that one person who she could relax with and trust to take care of her and not make fun of her for her inexperience. She wouldn't be here at all.

"I don't think I've had one yet," she replied, soft and honest.

"Me neither." he sympathizes like he understands.

She didn't want to comment on the fact that of course, he had not had his first love yet. He was a robot. He might feel things like attraction and be capable of taste, but she did not think that meant he could love. She did not think a machine was capable of that. However, she didn't want to hurt his 'feelings.'

His thumb began to trace over her bottom lip and her eyes were falling heavy.

"What did you wish for on your birthday today Alice?" he asks.

Her eyes open back up, and she flushes. "I can't tell you."

"No?"

"No. It's bad luck." She lies. An old earth superstition.

He raises a brow, "Are you religious?"

"No."

He hummed, "But you believe in superstition?"

"Don't you?" she asks.

"No," he says almost automatically. "I do not believe in something that cannot be proved."

She laughed softly, "I forget you're just a piece of machinery." she said lightly, but she realized she'd offended him when his eyes narrowed and that wonderful stroking he'd been stopped.

His eyes slightly narrowed. They both went silent and it felt wrong and awkward. She had been getting along with him so well and she just ruined it.

"I-I mean…" she tried to backpedal but well, what she said is the truth. He was a machine. She looks into his…annoyed? Eyes but failed to come up with a better response before asking, "What do you consider yourself." she asks.

"I am not just a piece of technology," he said and she heard an undercurrent of irritation in his voice. "I am a highly competent, highly sophisticated, adaptable piece of tech." he explains, then takes a breath, "I can adapt just as quickly, if not quicker than a human which is what humans are known for no?"

"Uh…I guess?" She didn't know what humans were 'known' for to androids but to the intergalactic community, they were known as barbaric warmongers. But she didn't think that's what they were talking about here. "You can't feel it though, I think that's what makes humanoid species so special."

Air whistled between his perfect teeth and she knew she said the wrong thing.

"I feel," he says defensively. "I witness a situation and react"

"That's not what feeling is." she says lightly, "Feeling is…I don't know. Inherent. They can't be programmed in. You might be a good mimic but I don't think you feel emotion." She didn't know why she was debating with this android. Why she was pushing him further and further in the way as his…anger rose?

"I feel, I can tell you what I'm feeling now."

"What?" she asks softly. "What are you feeling?"

"Inhuman."

"You are inhuman."

"You know what I mean. You're making me feel like I'm not a person. That I am…just a tool." This seemed to weigh heavily on him and it was clear this was not just a one-off conversation but a hardcore belief of his.

"I…" she's at a loss for words. "I'm sorry." she tries. Cringing when she realizes how disingenuous that sounds. "I didn't mean to make you think that. I think you're a person in a way…" she murmurs.

He seemed to relax, "you do?"

"You have free will don't you? No one has to constantly reprogram their movements throughout the day. You can think and do things because of all the information that has been given to you…that's what people do."

"Yes." he agrees, seeming to get less stiff as she kept talking. "Yes." he repeated softly, "You understand."

"I think I do." she says, "But technically speaking, you are a machine," she says, trying to correct her previous statement. "You're made of wires and circuitry."

"And you're made of bone and marrow, but I don't see how that means anything." she sighs in response. He taps her cheek, "Explain it to me, tell me why you think that makes me less of a person."

"I didn't say that"

"No. But that's what you meant."

"I-" She's at a loss for words. Why did this matter? This isn't what they were here for. She didn't need to do whatever they were doing. "I don't have a good argument for you, I'm not an engineer," she murmurs

"And yet."

"Why do you care?" Can he even do that or was his technical procedure to be argumentative to keep her talking? They certainly weren't connecting…

Or were they?

"Wouldn't you care if some species told you that you weren't what you know you are." he asks then continues before letting her respond, "Wouldn't you want to prove them wrong, especially if you like this person."

Alice's eyes widen and she swallows.

He liked her.

Or so he says.

"You keep comparing yourself to me."

"We are alike," he says, stubbornly.

"Not in the way you think."

"You're wrong."

She sighs, "Maybe."

Wearing her down seemed to please this android immensely. He had gone back to absentmindedly stroke her skin. She was not winning this argument but she wasn't very sure if she cared about that before.

"You said you had few human friends," she says wearily. "Why is that?"

"I'm only friends with people who consider me a real person." Oh.

That was… really fucking sad.

"Do you consider me a friend? I think you're a real person."

He stares at her for a few seconds, his thumb returned to her bottom lip, this time tugging it down slightly. He could slip his thumb into her mouth if she parted her teeth ever so slightly.

"No. No, I don't," he spoke quietly.

Ouch.

She tried not to feel hurt by that. She was just his client after all. She nodded. She wanted to be hurt but he was so damn distracting.

"Do you still want to talk?" he murmured.

Did she?

"I want to tell you something first…" she says nervously.

That seemed to catch his interest, and he nodded. "Go on."

"I…so the reason I'm here–" she started. Rambling a bit about how it was her birthday and how she just turned 30 today she thought this would be a good solution to her problem–" I've never had sex before." she admitted quietly.

She expected this android to laugh at her, or look at her like she was undesirable but he didn't.

"You are?" he asked gently, "You came here so you could lose your virginity?"

"Yeah.."

"You mean, you came to me because you want me to deflower you?" she shivered at his words.

"Y-yes…"

There was a distinct hunger in his eyes that shocked her. She didn't feel ashamed, she felt wanted. This was not the reaction she had been expecting. Questions about why she waited so long? Yes. Indifference? Maybe. But not…Hunger.

He licked at his lips. "Have you kissed before?" he asked and she looked aghast.

"Of course!" she said and he laughed, "Of course I-I have…I've just never gone…well I've

never done anything that involved me taking my clothes off."

He seemed amused by that, "There's a lot you can do without taking your clothes off Alice." her brows crinkled.

"I've only kissed. I've made out with men. I've had a boyfriend, several like I told you."

"Uh huh." he nodded but his mind seemed to be somewhere else. "Alice…"

"Yes?"

"I've been waiting to see what you've got hidden under that damned robe for a full hour now…"

Her cheeks heated, and she squirmed. Her lace lingerie. She had forgotten all about it.

"Uhm…"

"Alice," he said, stroking her face, coaxing her. "Are you ready?"

"Maybe?"

"I need a yes Alice," he says seriously.

She could see that he meant it.

She nodded slightly dazed, "Yes Ren."

The man practically lunged for her. She yelped as he flung himself atop her, her eyes widened and she couldn't help but giggle when he placed her arms spread out like a starfish. He looked back into her eyes.

"Yes?"

She nodded. "Yes."

He opened the robe and sucked in a breath.

"Oh Alice," he said, his eyes slightly widened and lips parted. His hands hovered above her like he didn't know where to touch first. She bit her lip.

Waiting, wanting, needing. She needed him. She wanted him to just do whatever he was going to do because at this point just straddling her hips and staring enraptured by her breasts made her feel good. She needed him to keep touching her.

"I expected them to be small…" he murmured, taking a cupful of her tits with one hand, she breathed out in a whoosh. "This is better," he remarks.

His other hand slipped a finger under the strap of the white bralette and it snapped back against her shoulder. She let out another breath.

"This is nice. Pretty." He said, "Do you want me to take it off?" He asked on tenterhooks. His eyes flitted from her bralette to her face. Up and down, up and down, she could tell when he spotted her nipple in the almost see-through fabric because his eyes stayed there for a long time before he looked back to her face.

"Eventually."

"Thank god." he groaned and she curled her lip into a smile.

"I thought you said you weren't religious?"

"I'm not but maybe for you"

That made her fully smile. He was charming. She could give him that. Alice had to remind herself that this was not as real as she'd like it to be. That she paid him a hefty sum–60% of which would land right into his pocket–to be here, doing this.

He certainly didn't look like he was just tolerating her like she had previously worried.

His thumb with the hand cupping her breast circled her hardened nipple and she sighed in contentment. This was the second time she had let someone do this before. Her very last boyfriend before she swore them off.

His other thumb was tracing the band of her bralette.

He slipped his hand underneath the fabric, watching her face carefully as she did it.

"Yes?"

"Yes." she breathed out.

"Fuck." he murmured, squeezing her breast, she shivered and he circled her nipple. Skin to skin. His other hand went underneath the bralette and she moaned softly and he massaged her breasts, groping her.

"Take it off please," she asked softly.

He laughed bewildered, "Please? You're going to beg me?" he asked, "you don't have to beg me for anything Alice, I should be begging you."

She had no clue how to respond to that.

He was really very good with his words. He made this experience feel a lot more intimate than it probably was. It made her…trust him. Other than the fact he was a professional. He was also giving her a lot of control with him asking if what he did was okay. She liked that. It made her feel safe.

The white lace bralette didn't have a clip so he pulled it over her head and tossed it to the side.

He stared at her bare breasts for a long while and she felt embarrassed about how they pointed in opposite directions from her chest. She moved to cover them but he shook his head.

"Don't do that." he said, then backtracked, "No, actually do it. Touch your tits for me Alice." her eyes widened and her stomach curled. In a good way for the first time.

"How should I…?"

"Whatever feels good," he said, already moving his hands to touch other parts of her body now that she had agreed to take care of her breasts.

He watched her avidly, his eyes flicking between her breasts and face, it seemed he couldn't make up his mind on which he wanted to see. Alice sighed and started to gently stroke her nails over her right breast.

Alice didn't have too much sensitivity in her breasts but doing it in front of someone made it far more exciting for her. She liked Ren's rapt gaze. She gave her breasts a squeeze on both sides then mimicked the way he had circled her nipple. Touching the sides then rubbing the tips.

"Mhm.." he nodded, "Like that." he encouraged and she swallowed.

While she did that, he began to run his hands all over her. He ran a hand down the valley between her breasts, then her ribcage and her soft belly last. It made her feel ticklish, she squirmed a bit but he didn't seem to mind.

As she circled her nipples he stroked her thighs and instinctually she let them fall open. His eyes snapped up to hers and he hooked his thumbs into the waistband of her thong that he hadn't even gotten the chance to appreciate.

"Yes," she said a bit breathless before he inevitably asked himself.

He nodded eagerly and began pulling them down. She lifted her hips and then bent her knees when they got stuck because she was lying down. He slipped them off one ankle, then the neck, and tossed it wherever her bra had ended up. She was completely naked now.

"Beautiful," he murmurs.

"You..you have to say that," she said, slightly panting out of arousal. She was getting turned on by just his long drawn-out looks. He shook his head.

"I don't." he says, "I could say nothing and skip straight to eating your pussy." he says. Her eyes widened.

"Huh?"

"I do that sometimes. When I'm strapped for credits and need to take on an extra client or two who isn't my type."

"Ren…" she said, breathy. "Don't say that, it's rude."

"Sorry." he looked up at her, "But you are beautiful."

She nodded slightly, "Thank you."

"Mhm.." he hummed, then spread her thighs apart, "Sweet too, you're sweet." he says, "My sweet girl.." the words come out in a gentle purr and his eyes widened when he watched a clear bead of slick drip down her pussy to her ass.

That seemed to set him off, he lifted her hips off the bed and laid her legs over his shoulders.

"You're still dressed!" She said a little panicked. She was nervous.

He grinned up at her, "after." is all he said before burying his face into her cunt.

She gasped and her hands bunched into the sheets, she lifted her hips further to get closer to his already intruding tongue.

"Ren!"

"Mmm…." he sucked and laved, his wide tongue starting with long strips up her seam then getting nose deep into her. His tongue prodded at her entrance and she squirmed.

"Oh..!" she whined. "Wait…!" she was distressed, she felt…weird.

He lifted his head and she whimpered at the bottom half of his face. His skin was shiny.

"What?" he asked like he had been disturbed by something very important.

"I…I don't know," she whispered.

His face softened, "Too fast?" he asked, seeming to calm. She wanted to say yes but she shook her head no. She wanted to feel that again. To try again.

"I'm ready now," she murmurs.

"Yes?"

"Yes." she breathes out.

He dipped his face back between her legs and she shot up this time. Balancing herself on her elbows as he sucked on her clit instead of just brushing over it with his tongue.

She was moaning now, it was undeniable, the keening noises coming straight from her mouth. It made her a little embarrassed. She thought she sounded obnoxious but he seemed not to mind it and used it as a measure of when he could push her further.

One hand was placed on her mound, pulling the skin upwards so he had more access to her clit. It made her hiss. Too much! She didn't stop him though, she squeezed her eyes closed. His other hand slid inside her thigh and then towards her cleft.

He inserted the very tip of his finger into her and she felt the slightest stretch. There was no discomfort, she was too wet for that. His eyes met hers as he slowly slipped the finger in, in one go. Her mouth dropped into an 'o' shape and she was starting to breathe heavily.

His finger was knuckled deep inside her and then he was pulling it out, before he could fully remove himself, he slid forward again. Alice made a terrible sound, something that didn't sound sexy but was primal.

Ren seemed to like that so he did the same thing, again, and again. He sucked her clit and fingered her like an expert–because he was.

Her eyes went closed again and she just let herself feel and hear the wet sensations and sounds.

It sounded downright perverse with the occasional moan and groan coming from the man between her legs. She couldn't bear to look. It was too arousing and embarrassing. But it was finally happening. Alice was going to lose her virginity tonight.

A man–artificial man, was eating her pussy and soon, he'd fuck it.

She could feel something building within her. A heat and pressure that was driving her insane. She wasn't quite sure if she was supposed to be doing something but she could do little more than buck herself against Ren's face and pull at his hair in an attempt to get him closer. If that was even possible.

The feeling was startling and amazing, she whined out Ren's name. Calling for him and her stomach was starting to tighten as her legs locked.

"Oh–!" she gasped as he retracted his face from her thighs.

She looked at him bewildered, they stared at each other for a moment and she had been stunned into silence. She was breathing heavily while he looked at her with a smug grin.

He let her legs fall from his shoulders and backed up just enough to let her watch him remove his shirt. He stood up and unbuckled his jeans next but all she could pay attention to was his muscled torso.

He wasn't lean and lithe–no, she hadn't asked for that. He was broad and bulky, there were defining lines that clued her into his physique but his stomach was a little softer. His arms flexed and bulged. She bit her lip, she couldn't wait until he was on top of her.

He grinned down at her, "I won't ask if you like what you see, because I know you do."

Ren was right.

Alice had completely customized Ren from the ground up. From his body type to the light spackling happy trail that gave way to–oh.

His conservative 5 ½ in member. Which sounded like plenty for a novice like her. She didn't want to be impaled the first time or ever really.

"Yeah…" she nodded and agreed in a daze. It was like he was hypnotizing her. Her eyes flitted to his thick thighs then back to the already hard cock between them. It curved slightly, had enough girth for her thumb and index finger to circle and then there were the veins. She thought–knew those would feel good.

He smiles down at her. All charm.

She lay there like a doll, just ready for him to get back on top of her.

"Though I'd love to see it, I won't ask you to take me in your mouth today." again, another nod though she didn't really digest what he was saying

He put his knee back onto the foot of the bed and it was over from there when he dragged her down and positioned her spread eagle–knees slightly bent.

He kneeled between her legs.

Ren looked at her face while his hands stroked her thighs. "What do you want sweet Alice?" sweet? "Hm?"

She didn't answer because she thought it was rhetorical and he chuckled.

He slightly patted her outer thigh, "Tell me."

"Tell you?" she asked.

"What you want."

She bit her lip a little confused.

"You?" she said though it came off more as a question than a statement.

Ren smiled. "Uh-huh. But what part of me?" he spoke, coaxing her.

"Your…?" she trailed off but didn't finish the sentence.

"Go on, tell me, sweetheart."

Her eyes flitted to the side and she murmured "Your uhm..I want.." she breathed. "I want your cock." she said and his grin broadened.

"That's my girl." he praised and it gave her not only butterflies but a severely aching pussy. "You ready, sweet thing?"

"Yeah…"

"Good." she watched. She couldn't look away, from his hand grasping his stiff cock. He stroked it once, twice–three times. He grabbed her thighs and wrapped her legs around his waist, then slid forward.

They both groaned as he slid between her vulva.

He did it a couple of times, bumping her clit with his tip before he seemed to get impatient with that and tease her entrance.

"Ren." she gasped as he moved inside ever so slightly.

"Hm?" he hummed absently, looking at nothing but their soon conjoined parts. "What is it?"

"It…feels weird," she says.

His eyes flit up, "Bad weird? Does it hurt?"

"No…" God no. She was too slick for something like that. Her juices had gone from coating her ass and inner thighs to the sheets beneath her by now. "Just weird…"

His neck strained and his jaw clenched, "Do you want me to stop?"

"No."

He breathed in relief then slid further in and she keened.

He stopped again, letting her adjust. She stared at him with wide-open eyes, unable to do anything but watch what was being done to her–because frankly, she wasn't doing shit but laying there.

"Uh huh." he murmured, moving in again, just an inch, "gods" he hissed. He glared at the ceiling and paused. "You're killing me."

"Sorry." She wasn't and he seemed to sense it.

Another inch, she gasped, then another, and the both of them moaned. Then, finally, he was to the hilt. He didn't move a muscle. Just stood there with his eyes clenched.

"Something wrong?" she asked softly, a little breathless but mostly just feeling full.

"Not at all. Everything's great." his eyes searched for hers and he cupped her cheek and leaned forward. "Perfect." it was at that moment, she realized they had not kissed yet.

Maybe he seemed to realize it too because he was bending forward, causing her to moan with pleasure and anticipation as he buried himself deeper from the position he was moving into. He moved his hand to the nape of her neck and pushed her towards him.

His lips met hers and he groaned, shifting his hips forward. Rocking against her.

"Ngnh"

Her mouth opened and he didn't hesitate to take advantage of the fact as he explored her mouth with his wet, hot tongue.

This she knew how to do as they teasingly stroked one another's not giving too much or too little but just enough. He thrust forward unexpectedly and she moaned. How was she going to live without this? It took her an entire year to save up for Ren. How the hell was she going to just give this–him up?

His hips shifted again and they both pulled away to breathe out, he wasn't moving in and out, he was pushing himself deeper and deeper, going in, in, in as she writhed around him.

She was beginning to pulse again and he groaned before pulling out.

"What are you doing?" she whined.

He didn't speak.

Instead, he grabbed her by the hips and turned her onto her belly. His hands massaged her ass momentarily but then he was at her cleft.

He slid in without a word and they both groaned in response. There was no need for a waiting period. He could thrust in and out as much as he liked. He pulled out halfway before going into the hilt again. He wasn't going particularly fast but his balls still slapped against her cunt now.

The noises were lewd and wet.

It sounded…squishy.

"Ren.." she called. Gripping the sheets. "Please…" she begged, "Faster."

"Mmm…"

He did as she asked, moving at a quicker pace but remaining deep inside her. One arm was wrapped around her hips to keep her pinned to him and the other was on her ass.

Experimentally, she tried to meet his thrusts and he moaned in encouragement.

He lasted about 2 minutes doing that before he groaned, buckling forward. "Fuck. That's it sweetheart." he hissed. "That's fucking it" she whined in response, her ass slapping against his hips over and over.

Suddenly, she felt vibrations coming from inside her. Her mouth dropped open, eyes peeled back and a hoarse cry came out of her mouth.

She paid extra for that. She forgot all about it completely.

She pushed back against him frantically, fucking herself onto his vibrating cock.

Alice whimpers and Ren pulls her hair to the side, he kisses her shoulder and then buries his face into the crook of her neck breathing her in with another groan. He spoke into her ear, raspily telling her how good she felt.

"So warm.." he murmured. "Your pussy is clenching onto cock so tightly." he hissed.

Her abdomen was tightening, she could feel the pressure of her orgasm growing tighter and tighter and it made her scared. She was making a rhythmic "uhn!" sound nonstop, growing higher and higher pitched.

"Yes." he crooned, "that's it sweet girl, cum on my cock."

"I-I can't!" she wheezed, "Oh no, no, no! I'm scared!" The tightness was so strong she was scared she was going to…she didn't know, but tears were prickling at her eyes and a large arm wrapped around her chest. Pulling her back against Ren's torso, she gasped with an arched back, "Agnh!"

Just before she thought it was finally going to happen, she wailed when he started mercilessly rubbing her clit back and forth. She was yelling–shrieking incoherent words.

"You can baby, cum for me." He encouraged me once more. "It's going to feel so good just let go.."

And she did.

Her voice cracked as she screamed out her orgasm, her toes curling, her back arching as her head flung back against Ren's shoulder. He was fucking into her with no end in sight as this happened and she felt the pulsing of her pussy, she was crying now. All of that pressure released into one big wave of euphoria, Ren let out his own shout of satisfaction and she was filled with an oozing warmth that made her keen.

Then, it was all gone and she was a twitching sobbing mess.

Ren immediately took her down onto the bed, rolling them over so that his back was against the mattress and she was between his legs, she could feel his now soft cock on her lower back as she panted.

"You did so well." he murmured, "So, so good sweetheart." she groaned in response, her eyes falling heavy and tired. His hands were in her hair, stroking her scalp while the other stroked her tummy.

"Ren…" she croaked.

He hummed, "I know." He said, "I know."

Did he know? Because she had no idea what she had been about to say. All she knew was that she felt exhausted and scared and the way he was assuring her of how good she had done was making her feel warm and sleepy.

" 'm tired.." she slurred.

"You can just sleep, Alice." he suggested softly, "I'll be here. You have me all night. I'm here."

The reminder of their time slot made her shiver a bit but she ignored it. She switched to her stomach and crawled atop him, throwing her body on his, and passed out. She heard the faint sound of a chuckle before she was out of it.

In the morning, Alice's eyes fluttered open to the surprise of Ren.

He was still here and it was–her eyes glazed over as she checked her comm for the time–morning. She had thought he'd leave while she was asleep but that did not seem to be the case

She was tempted to wake him up but instead she ever so carefully disentangled herself from his body.

When she was standing she looked down at him. They had fallen asleep above the covers and he was splayed out. His head tilted to the side the same way soft his cock was while it rested on his abdomen.

Again.

She felt tempted to touch him but wasn't that against the rules? Their time was over…

Expectedly, that did not sit well with her.

Instead, she shook her head and snuck off into the bathroom. She needed a shower. She had dried…cum? 'Ejaculate' dried on her inner thighs.

Before she could close the door however it seemed she had woken him up.

Ren strolled into the bathroom with a smile on his sleepy face.

Alice stared at him through the mirror, half curious and half admiring his chest. He walked behind her, draping his arms around her waist before resting his chin on her neck.

She was slightly startled but didn't move.

"What are you doing?" She asks curiously.

"Holding you," he responded easily.

Well of course but...?

"Why?" She asks, concerned but also hopeful.

Alice could admit it. She wanted to see him again.

"Because I want to." he once again responded with ease. It was so simple, wasn't it?

"Why do you want to?" She asks softly.

He looks into her eyes through the mirror, kissing her neck before answering, "Because I had a really good time last night."

"Yeah but..."

"But what?" He was slightly frowning now.

"I hired you."

"I don't care," he said, then paused. "Unless you care. I connected with you last night, did you connect with me?" Alice's eyes widened. How could he possibly just admit that? didn't he have any concern for his heart?

No, because he didn't have one.

She looked back at him, "I did..."

"Good."

"Isn't this against some rule?" she asks.

"What?"

"Asking a client out."

"Uh," his eyes glaze over, and rapidly data scrolls over his eyes. They cleared. "No."

"Really?"

"Mhmm.." he hummed.

This was all so bizarre. Could it be that simple? He wanted to date her so now they were? Life didn't work like that, did it? Alice had been wrong, nothing about this night had been safe nor had she had any control over it whatsoever.

He wanted her. She wanted him. That was simple.

Hell. She decided to take a risk.

"So are we actually friends now?" She asked.

"No Alice," he smiled, "We are certainly not just friends," he spoke and her heart leapt.

She searched his eyes. Did he really like her? He had said so before they had sex but now it felt a little more genuine. She licked her dry lips and he stared at her expectantly. She had no idea how this would work but she was willing to give it a shot. She gave a shy nod.

He grinned. "Yes?"

"Yes."

133 notes · View notes

lincolndjarin · 9 months

Text

ride cowgirl! ★ (agent whiskey x reader)

(18+ mdni) pairings : agent whiskey x afab!reader summary : you like to make bets with your coworker for simple things, what happens when he decides he wants to raise the stakes? warnings & tags : no use of y/n, smut, sort of dubcon there's reluctance but everything is consensual, porn with plot, this ended up actually being mostly plot lmao, p in v sex, unprotected sex, forced orgasm, light bondage, use of restraints, fully clothed sex, pet names, size kink, praise, whiskey big dick truther word count : 2.3k a/n : first new fic post on the new blog!!! I had so much fun with this thank you so much to the person who requested it !! one of my google forms anon requests was for anything whiskey!! (I put the request at the end) this was the direction I went in >:) this was meant to be a drabble but I got carried away immediately. enjoy!! (this was edited super fast bc i'm tired after work lmao, so apologies for any mistakes)

It was a stupid deal.

And you never should have made it.

Of course it’s a little late for that now, when he’s already tying your hands behind your back with his ridiculous flask belt.

“This wasn’t a part of the original agreement.” You grumble as he pulls the leather tight. That smug smile on his face.

“You said, anyway I wanted it. This is how I want it.” He leans back against the headboard to admire his work. His eyes focused on the way your chest pushes out now with your arms forced behind you until you cough to get his attention. He takes his time before letting his eyes crawl back up to your face, still grinning ear to ear.

“Can we just get this over with?” You groan.

“Oh come on, gorgeous.” He’s loosening his tie, his smile never falters. “I already told you we don’t have to do this. I’ve offered you several outs and you keep turning them down. Besides,” He flashes his teeth at you in a toothy grin. “it’s no fun for me if you don’t want it.”

That’s exactly what he’d said when you’d made this deal a week ago.

“I think I want your hat.” You said rather confidently. The two of you had a long standing rivalry. You were placing bets nearly every week at this point. The winner was whoever had the most successful missions. It had started off simple. The loser has to take the other out to dinner, or pay for drinks after a night out.

After a few months of that you’d gone out with Whiskey more times then you’d gone on any dates.

Then you decided to raise the stakes.

The other person's paycheck that week, a piece of tech the other had, at one point your mothers phone number was on the line. (Thankfully that week you had won.)

This week you were feeling lucky. So you pointed at his cowboy hat, he was never seen without.

“If I win I want your hat.” You cock your head to the side, smirking.

“You have a hat already.” He was typing up a mission report, you had come in as you always did on Monday mornings.

“Nice observation agent, how’d you figure that out?” You took a pen from the mug on his desk, rapidly clicking it in an attempt to get under his skin. “That doesn’t change my mind, I don’t want my hat. I want yours.”

He sighs in irritation, taking the pen from you and moving the mug to the other side of his computer.

“And if you win you can have mine.” You flick the rin of his hat as you say it and he finally turns to glare at you.

“I don’t want your hat, I already have a hat.”

“Someone’s in a bad mood today.” You whisper theatrically as he turns back to his work.

“I’ve got a lot of paperwork to get through darlin’ so let’s hurry this up.”

“I already told you. I want your hat, if you don’t want mine then pick something else.”

He turns in his desk chair completely to face you now. Annoyance visible on his face.

“If I win, then you wear my hat.” As he speaks he cracks the first smile you’ve seen on him all morning.

“You aren’t making any sense, are you still waking up? Do you want me to go get you some coffee?” You laugh but he leans forward. Even though you were up on the desk and he was in his chair he was still nearly face to face with you.

“Darlin’ you can be so cute sometimes.” You have no idea what he means but his voice has a condescending tone that makes you scowl.

“Stop being coy and just clarify.” His first signs of a smile turn into a full blown grin.

“Wear the hat, ride the cowboy.” He whispers, you’re about to slap him for making such a crass joke but he looks completely serious.

“That’s not funny. What do you really want?” You pray he doesn’t see the goosebumps on your arms at his words, you spend so much time with him yet he’s never made a pass at you. You’ve watched him hit on countless women these last few months but he’s never turned his attention towards you quite like this.

“I told you. You win, you get my hat. I win, you wear it.” He has to be messing with you. You want to believe that he’s just trying to push your buttons but you know purely based on the way he looks at you that he couldn’t be more serious.

It’s an insane offer. But it’s not like you haven’t thought about it. Who wouldn’t be curious about what he must whisper to get women to come home with him, what he must promise them.

Stop. You can’t seriously be considering this.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Obviously I’m not doing that.” You get up to leave. Embarrassed by the entire situation.

“You win, you get my hat and the Bronco. I win, you wear the hat.” You’re already walking out when he says it and you stumble a bit before turning back to stare at him slack jawed.

“You’d give me your car?” The disbelief in your tone is palpable.

“If you won.”

And you just couldn’t say no. It was too good of an offer.

So you set up ground rules.

You wanted your clothes to stay on, at least as much as possible for the situation. Which he agreed to, so long as the two of you did it “how ever he wanted.” You didn’t realize until much later what that entailed. And of course there was the fact that he wanted you to enjoy it. An odd request all things considered, but he said it was important to him that you had a good time.

“It's no fun for me if you don’t want it.”

He had insisted that if you weren’t into it that he would stop, especially if he thought you were faking it.

Once everything was decided the two of you shook hands.

And then, by some cruel trick of fate, you had fumbled not one, not two, not even three, but all of your missions that week. A feat that has never happened to you in the entire history of your employment with Statesman.

So that’s how you ended up like this.

Fully clothed other than your discarded panties, straddling your most annoying coworker, who’s sitting underneath you, dressed the same as always except his pants are unzipped, with his belt around your wrists.

“Just let me know when you’re ready darlin’, take your time. I can wait all night, I've got nothing else planned.”

You could tell him no. You should. You just don't want to.

The second you did he would take the belt off your wrists, hand you your panties (the ones you pretended you didn’t see him shove in his pocket when you threw them on the bed,) and send you on your way. And he’d do it all with a smile.

Of course you can’t let that happen, that would just mean that he’s won, again.

He wouldn’t even tell anyone, not that anyone knew about the deal to begin with. But he’d never tease you for bailing, he’d just make you live with the knowledge that you bit off more than you could chew.

And worst of all, if you had won, you know for a fact that he would have handed over the keys to his car with zero hesitation.

So you roll your eyes and nod.

He clicks his tongue, leaning forward, his hands rub your thighs, pushing your skirt up further.

“Tell me you want it sweetheart.” He taunts, making you sigh loudly.

It’s not that you don’t want it. God knows you want it. You crave it. But you can’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that.

“I want it.” You say, almost comically emotionless which has him frowning, sitting up straighter.

“Let’s just call it. You clearly don’t, and I’m not interested in an unenthusiastic partner.” He begins to lift you off of his hips but you push against him, properly sitting yourself in his lap.

“Give me a second, Jesus. I’m not even warmed up, just- I need a minute. We’re doing this.” There’s a determination in your voice that stops his efforts.

There are a few seconds of silence before he speaks again.

“Do you want me to… warm you up?” It’s the first time he’s dropped the cocky facade since you started this ordeal.

“No. I think I’m okay. Let’s do this.” You nod a few times, almost like you’re hyping yourself up. The two of you hadn’t factored in a lot of the logistical details of this deal, more specifically foreplay.

As he pulls himself out of his jeans you’re starting to wish that you had. He isn’t even completely hard yet and you aren’t entirely sure how you’re going to take all of it.

He unceremoniously spits into his hand before gripping himself at the base, steadily stroking himself.

It’s like he’s a porn star and you’ve got front row seats to a private show.

You’re close enough that when he leans forward, softly grunting, his face brushes against yours. His cock becoming fully erect in his hand, you hope he doesn’t hear you gulp.

As he jerks himself off, his free hand reaches up, removing his hat before placing it onto your head. It’s a little too big for you so it tilts to one side. He gives you a lopsided grin before picking up his pace. You watch with wide eyes.

He’s too big.

In every way possible.

He’s too long, he’s too thick, he’s simply too much.

And you can’t tell him that. He’s smug enough as is, if you say “actually nevermind. you’re dick’s too big I couldn’t possibly fuck you.” he’ll be even more insufferable than he already is. But much to your chagrin he already knows what you’re thinking.

“You still sure you don’t want me to warm you up?” His nerves are clearly gone as he chuckles before hissing through his teeth. His thumb brushes over his pink, weeping tip.

“I’m fine. Ready when you are.” Not true.

“Maybe I could free your wrists. You can do it yourself if you don’t want me to do it.” He’s reaching behind you and you once again halt his efforts.

“No. We’re doing this your way.”

You’re certainly overestimating your abilities, but he doesn’t need to know that.

You scoot forward in his lap until his cock is resting between your thighs. You sit up on your knees and he lines himself up at your entrance.

“Last chance to back out, sugar.” With that final taunt from him you sink down onto him without warning. Barely taking more than an inch before you drop your chin to your chest so he can’t see your face as he simultaneously leans back to rest against the headboard once more.

It feels like he’s splitting you in half.

His hands return to your thighs. His palms splayed against you as his thumbs rub comforting circles against your flesh.

The sting is all you can think of but buried beneath it all is a heat that threatens to consume you.

You lift your head to look at him. He’s lost a bit of his bravado as he runs his fingers through his hair. You don’t give him (or yourself to be fair) a chance to adjust. You have a desperate need to watch him unravel despite the ache between your legs.

You take a deep breath before you take nearly half of him in one rock of your hips.

The stretch is unlike anything you’ve ever felt before, the heat in your stomach is bubbling over as you let out a moan you’ve never heard from yourself before. His grip on your thighs is tight enough now that you’re certain you’ll have to wear a longer skirt tomorrow.

“Christ darlin’.” He stutters out, his eyes are squeezed shut and you couldn’t be more proud.

“Is this enthusiastic enough for you?” You manage to grunt out between your small gasps.

He mumbles something that sounds like a yes.

You have to wait longer this time before moving again, you wait until the pain eases itself away and is replaced with that heat you’ve been pursuing. Only then do you try taking more of him, you don’t manage all of it but you take most of him after a bit of effort. The entire time his eyes are trained on you, a look of admiration on his face.

“You are something else, gorgeous.” He whispers.

His low drawl shoots straight to your core and god you’re sure he knows it. He whimpers when your walls clench around him.

You haven’t even started properly riding him and you’re close.

The way he fills you has you seeing stars. You would love to try and banter with him right now, tease him, but you’re too far gone. Too focused on the way his tongue pokes out to wet his lips as he lets out a soft whine before squeezing your hips.

“Let me touch you, please.” He mutters breathlessly.

You aren’t one to deny good southern manners.

You give him a nod and he wastes no time as he rubs your clit with the pads of his fingers frantically, like he’s trying to make you cum as fast as possible. You’re confused as to why for only a moment because your climax approaches so rapidly it nearly knocks the wind out of you. Your hips stutter as you sit, finally fully impaled on his length, in an instant your vision is a searing hot white. His hat tilts forward on your head, briefly covering your eyes. You’re left breathless in his lap, when you come down from your high he’s grinning at you.

“I win again darlin’.”

You groan as you recall the conversation you’d had right before he had tied your hands behind your back.

“If I finish first you can have my hat, if you do, then I get to finish inside you.”

“Absolutely not.”

“If I finish first you can have the Bronco.”

“...Fine.”

a/n : requester ily, thank youuu

#lincolndjarin #agent whiskey #jack whiskey daniels #agent jack whiskey daniels #agent whiskey smut #agent whiskey x reader #agent whiskey x you #pedro pascal #agent whiskey fic #agent whiskey / reader

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shygirl4991 · 23 days

Text

Her beauty like the stars Chap 1 of 2

art and character design by @alianarepasa do not repost

Personality of SMG3 and SMG4 base off of Rae and Claire from the anime i'm in love with the villainess

Also like to think Rae voice is SMG4 and Claire's voice is SMG3 will post a link to the dub clips in case you guys don't know the anime.

Summary: SMG4 notices that her rival of several years has been down, wanting to cheer her up SMG4 decides to invite her to watch the stars as a way to cheer her up.

Tags: Fem SMG4, Fem SMG3, First love, fluff and angst

SMG3 sighs looking at her books, she has been losing money rapidly due to the lack of customers coming in. She slams the book annoyed, from the records there has only been one person that comes in without missing a day. SMG4, her old rival that she wanted nothing to with until a recent event made them friends. At least she sees them as friends, she has no idea what goes on with SMG4. Since the incident she has done nothing but hit on her and be overly affectionate. Letting out another annoyed sigh, she decides a small walk with Eggcat is what she needed to clear her mind.

SMG4 stretches, she spent the whole night editing again a bad habit that her crush always tells her to stop doing. She gets up and smiles looking at the photo on her desk, looking at SMG3 the girl blushes letting out a giggle “I do need a energy boost, SMG3 is the only woman that can get the job done!” SMG4 burst through the door with a huge smile “Oh SMG3! I spent all night editing the next video and I need my energy charged!” she blinks looking around the cafe. That was odd her crush was always working, where could her lovely goth queen gone? SMG4 steps out to see the person she was looking for walking around with her meme pet, Four normally would stand and watch her crush play with Eggcat. The smile that Three lets out takes Four breath away, though right now that smile wasn't there. Three looked so sad as she played with her meme pet, she wasn't being her usual spunky self that Four loved to see. Slowly she walks up to her “Hey Three, not opening the cafe today?” her ruby red eyes looked right into Fours blue ones before looking away. With a sigh she picks up Eggcat and turns to her “No, it wouldn't make a difference if i did today or tomorrow…look scrub not in the mood to deal with your shit today. So leave me alone,” with that she walks back to the cafe.

Four frowns watching Three walk to the cafe upset, she needed to figure out what was bothering her. She follows Three from a distance and sees the women glare at a sheet of paper, with a sigh she crumbles the paper and tosses it. Once the coast is clear, Four sneaks in using her spare key that Three gave her for emergencies and takes the paper. Opening it she gasped seeing a graph, SMG3 cafe wasn't doing good if things kept going like this then Three could lose her new home. She had to come up with an idea to cheer up Three and save her cafe. Sneaking back out, she runs to the castle to think up a plan.

It was night, Four walked back and forth in her room lost in thought. Annoyed that she couldn't come up with anything, she tosses her hat, then proceeds to throw herself on the bed and screams into her pillow. She was a popular youtuber that can come up with funny videos like nothing, so why couldn't she figure out how to help the women she loves. She unties her hair, she was about to get into bed till she noticed how nice the stars were. Her blue eyes went wide when an idea hit her, she jumped off her bed running towards the cafe. She goes down the elevator and sees Three sleeping in her bed, carefully she walks to the bed and sits down. She gently wakes the women up, Three slowly opens her eyes and blushes seeing how close the other women were to her.

Four’s hair was loose which was a rare sight to see, the dim light from the computer monitor made the women glow. Three held her breath looking at her ex rival, has four always looked so captivating. Four gets closer to Three face leaving them inches apart, Three’s faces turn red from how close they were. Then Four whispers “The stars are out tonight, i wanted to know if my beautiful neighbor would like to see them with me?” In a panic, Three sits up knocking Four off the bed. She yells as she falls to the floor, getting a glare of Eggcat who was sleeping close by. Three trying to calm her racing heart glares at Four “WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU THINKING BREAKING INTO SOMEONE'S HOME TO ASK THEM TO SEE STARS!” SMG4 gives her a huge smile as she fixes her overalls skirt. She then gets up and stares lovingly at the women, she couldn't help letting out a giggle seeing the women in black cat pjs.

As if reading her mind, Three throws her blanket over her blushing, hoping the blanket can cover her pajamas. Four then grabs her hand “Please Three? You seem so sad, whenever i'm sad and need to think i look at the stars.” Three lets out a sigh seeing the puppy eyes the woman is giving her “If i agree will you leave me alone?” Four giggles holding Three’s hands tighter “MAYBE!” Knowing Four as long as she did, she knew Four would never leave her alone. She shoves Four out of her way again to walk to the elevator “Coming scrub?” with a giggle Four runs into the elevator with her. Four studied her face, it was rare to see her without her iconic makeup. Four knew this was the perfect time to take mental pictures.

Once outside Three sits on a nice pile of grass, she tucks her hair behind her ear before patting the spot next to her. Four skips to it and sits down looking up at the sky. It was peaceful as the both of them looked up at the sky, Three watches the stars feeling herself relax. She hates to admit that Four was right but the stars really were relaxing, Her eyes slowly drifted to the women beside her. Four had such a soft smile looking at the stars, her eyes sparkled making Three hold her breath. Four hums as she looks up “I notice your cafe has been empty lately…i was wondering do you want to do a collaboration video? We can make it an advertisement, what do you think?”

Three looks away letting out a bitter laugh “Please, the fact i need someone like you to help me…shows im just your cheap copy. You're the better woman while I'm just me,” Four frowns turning around pulling Three into a hug. “SHUT UP!” Your amazing Three, no one can say they had their own Dr phil parody show. No one can say they created an evil star. You're so damn smart and beautiful, I wouldn't have fallen in love with you if I didn't see you for what you really are!” Three pulls away surprised by how emotional Four got, she stares at the woman's face. Her eyes were watery as she attempted to hold back tears. Three sighs gently caressing Fours face “You idiot…i don't understand you and your strange obsession over me,” she leans forward giving Four a kiss on the cheek “Fine, we can make the video if you think it will help.” Three gets up and walks to her cafe leaving four to sit outside, her face bright red “She..kissed me..AHHHH SHE KISSED ME HAHA!”

#smg4 #smg3 #smg34 #shygirl4991 #smg4 smg3 #smg43 #smg34 fanfiction #i'm in love with the villainess

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whatyadrawin · 2 months

Text

The Fruit After the Flesh 18+ -Chapter 9-

Minors DNI!

Masterlist

Approximately 4,872 words

Pairing: Thomas Hewitt (Headcanon) x AFAB reader

This chapters Warnings: Sexual language, foul language, scary moment. This is Slasher smut, be mindful of that and use your discretion.

A/n: This chapter took me so long to complete! I had to read over it and edit like four times. I took 48 hrs to make all the art pieces starting from 3pm march first until 6am march second, took a nap, started back up to finish the art at 2:30pm and finalized EVERYTHING for upload at 6am March 3rd. I'm tired bro, I got so carried away with the art I really should have cut it down to just 3 images but artists always suffer for their passion, it's our curse. Let me know if you want to be in the tag list. I update chapter progress on the masterlist whenever something changes.

Please enjoy this chapter! I worked very hard on it so reblogs, comments, and likes are appreciated very much.

Tag List: @fan-goddess , @artxasa

Chapter 9

The days at the Hewitt house went by slow as molasses, within these dragging days a construction crew had arrived and began repairing your home. They worked quickly and made a lot of headway which is unusual for contractors, the team seemed eager to leave for some unspoken reason. The foreman said that in one month, you would get your home back; you were excited to have your life get back on track despite enjoying your time at the Hewitt house. You made sure to water and trim the fruit trees so that they didn’t overgrow or die, since Dover was still missing, all the responsibility was left up to you. There was so much work to do but you were happy to be able to contribute your time to the property. In the passing days you didn’t see much of Tommy, he seemed preoccupied and was frequently away from the farm which only made the days last longer for you.

Half past 4pm, the day was really wearing on you and the sun was getting low in the sky so you decided to leave the orchard and head back to the Hewitt house to rest. On your walk back, you think about Tommy’s room and what it must look like, when you saw the door under that menacing red light it was simultaneously both frightening and intriguing.

The basement was such a dark and quiet place, so spacious and empty; You remembered that room with hooks that Tommy swiftly prevented you from exploring, your curiosity grew when he spun you around and slammed the door shut. This family has a mysterious history to you, the mention of them allegedly eating people weighed heavy on your mind -can I really get past the fact that they might have been cannibals? – it felt easier to gaslight yourself into thinking everything was fine, so you ran it out of your head.

When you arrived at the house, you make your way through the parlor and see Luda Mae sitting on the couch in the living room. She was reading a romance novel with a muscular, golden-haired man on the cover, it was reminiscent of the classics you had seen in your grandmothers closet as a kid. She sees you and places the book down to the side hurriedly as if she was ashamed of what she was reading,

“I-uh-ahem” She stuttered,

You smile politely “Reading anything good?”

She laughs, “Yeah, this one’s real saucy too. Thought I might get lost in it for a while.”

You felt bad for interrupting her, “Well don’t let me stop you, I’m just heading over to my room for some rest before dinner.”

she replies, “Oh, shoot that reminds me, best get dinner started now.” Luda Mae gets up with a groan and starts walking towards the kitchen.

“Time really does fly by when you find a good book.” She laughs as she passes.

You go to your room and get yourself changed and freshened up before dinner, you didn’t want to be around everyone while having the sweat of farmwork still lingering. You put on a comfortable pair of black tights and a white tank top which matched the white walking shoes you slipped on your feet.

When dinner was ready, you left your room to meet with the Hewitts at the dining table. The scent of roast chicken and baked corn wafted into the room, you were starving from having worked all day. Charlie was already sitting at the table when you arrived, he looked at you and said,

“Didja see the progress on the house?”

You take a seat, “Yeah, it’s coming along really fast, I’m surprised.”

He laughs “Don’t be, that crew probably knows this area ain’t so safe for ‘em. They’re smart, gonna get their paycheck and fuck off.”

You furl your eyebrows, “Why isn’t it safe for them?”

“Ah- Uh...” Charlie stopped himself when he caught a glare from Luda Mae from the kitchen,

“Well, what if they were to get hurt hm? Ain’t no hospital nearby or nothin’” he looked pleased with his answer.

You reply, “That’s a good point I guess.”

You know there is something more to what he said, but you didn’t want to push him. Luda Mae brought in the food, placing it all on the table followed by a big jug of ice-water, she groaned as she sat down; Tommy however, was missing tonight and you were worried,

You ask, “Where is Tommy? Is he not eating?”

Charlie laughs “That boy not eat? Maybe when hell freezes over after pigs fly n’ the fat lady sings.”

A devilish grin forms on his face before he turns to Luda Mae and says,

“Hey Luda, get the ball rollin’ n’ start singin’, then when the pigs grow wings Satan’s ass’ll turn to ice and the boy won’t be eatin’ us outta house n’ home no more.”

Luda Mae just rolls her eyes, she turns to you and says,

“Don’t worry hun, Charlie brought somethin’ to him so he don’t starve out there.”

You push for more info, “He’s been so busy lately; I feel like I never get to see him anymore. Where is he anyway?”

Charlie grabs a chicken leg and bites into it, he starts speaking with his mouth full,

“He’d shred us in half if we toldja. He’s been workin’ real hard though, wants to show you what all he’s been doin’ tonight”

Charlie swallows his food and continues, “He’s got a big ole’ hard on for you girlie, you better not be trailin’ him along fer nothin’, or he might lose it.”

Luda Mae whips her dishcloth at Charlie, who just smiles and winks at you. Luda Mae looks at you and says,

“Hope you get used to this foul-mouthed pig here, I might die from having to apologize on his behalf all darn day.”

She shakes her head at him and follows, “Thomas wants to meet up with you after you’re done eatin’. He wants to show you what he’s been workin’ on.”

Charlie pipes in, “Yeah, I bet he wants to show you somethin’. Probably whip out the fuckin’ anaconda he’s hidin’ down there. For an ugly motherfucker he sure was blessed. God is a real shit heel for that one.”

You squint your eyes at him, and he continues,

“He used to bathe outside when he was a youngin’ but once he grew up a bit the bulls started feelin’ emasculated.” Charlie starts laughing hysterically.

Luda Mae hides her face in her hands, she yells out,

“Why’r you talkin’ bout my boy’s privates like that!? You tryin’ to make us all upset?”

Charlie is now red in the face from laughing, he gets a sick pleasure in making people uncomfortable, but if anything, it just made you unbearably curious. You caught a glimpse of his erection when you watched Tommy run from you at the pond, it was greatly obscured but from what you could see, it was huge; You were able to feel the size and firmness of it in the laundry room, which factualized Charlies words.

He looked over at you, his eyes were watery from laughing so hard, he says,

“I’m sorry honey buns, but you need to be warned before you let him stick that goddamn two by four in ya.” He continues to laugh while he shovels corn into his mouth. You were still not used to his outlandish way of conversation and it made you blush.

The rest of dinner was mostly just Luda Mae trying to keep the subject matter light and Charlie giggling to himself. Once you cleared the table and packed away the leftovers, Luda Mae guides you to the door and says,

“Go wait for him by the silo, he’ll take you to his surprise. I hope you like it dear.”

The sun was now deep on the horizon which was losing its rosy hue, twinkling planets were already visible and the moon was following the dark part of the sky. You see Thomas leaning against the silo, he had one hand in his pocket and the other was fiddling with some wheat from the field to check the progress of the crop. He was wearing a very loosely fit tank top that looked old and worn, his pants were a pale blue jean with dirt and other stains scattered all over, he was still wearing his working boots which means he must have completed this surprise only today.

He looks up from what he was doing, when he sees you, he stood up straight, dropping the wheat to the ground. You could tell he was smiling, his deep blue eyes squishing upward gave it away, this made you smile wide as you felt knots form in your stomach. You felt like you hadn’t seen him in forever, time away really does make the heart grow fonder, it was agony not being able to spend time with him. He extended his hand to you and when you placed your hand in his and realized how small you really were compared to him, you felt like you could only hold onto two of his fingers while he could easily cover more than just your hand with his.

He looked at you and carefully pulled you toward the forest,

“Where are we going? It’s dark in there, sort of scary, isn’t it?” You were hesitant to be going into a dark forest as the sun was rapidly losing its light, he looked at you and tilted his head to the side,

“I’m here” he said calmly.

His voice was so deep and reassuring. You rarely ever hear him speak, so it felt like you won the lottery whenever he did utter out anything. He was walking slowly, he made sure to accommodate the vast difference in gait you both had by staying behind you, he guided you by gently moving you in the right direction with his hand on your shoulder. Even though you were nervous about the darkness of the forest, you felt safe with Tommy close to you. He was so large and unbelievably strong that there was no way harm could come to you.

Suddenly, Tommy stopped and turned you around to face him, he took your hands and covered your eyes with them, you couldn’t help but smile. He put his hand on the middle of your back to guide you further in, you trusted that he would ensure you don’t trip and fall. The ground went from dirt and crunching leaves, to soft grass, then a hard flat surface. Each step you took made a hollow wooden noise as if you were at a harbor. Tommy stopped you and moved your hands from your eyes. You looked around and gasped, you were on a dock that sat on top of the pond.

The moon was already shining a bright light on the water making it look like glass, the stars that now shone in the night sky were reflecting off the surface and turned the pond into what looked like a portal into space. The gentle croaking of frogs created a peaceful ambience, and as you walked further onto the dock you saw some wooden chairs to relax on, one was much larger than the other.

“Did you make all this?” your voice was exasperated with awe.

Tommy nodded again and pointed at you,

You smiled “You made this for me?”

He nodded again and went to sit on the largest chair, he tapped his hand on the other chair to get you to sit with him. You sat down and the deep seat forced you to recline which was relaxing.

“I’ve never had anyone do something like this for me. Thank you, Tommy, you’re such a thoughtful man.”

Tommy looked at you and nodded slowly, he made an approving ‘hmph’ noise, he felt good about pleasing you. The heat tonight was thick, it made your skin sticky with sweat, and you could see a slick shine on Tommy’s arms and chest. You get up from the chair to put your hand in the water, testing its temperature, small fish reveal themselves as they flash in the moonlight. You stand up and remove your shoes, Tommy stands up nervously and you giggle,

“Don’t worry, I won’t take off my shirt or underwear. It’s too hot to just sit down when we have the most immaculate natural pool right under our feet.”

You slowly take off your tights and fold them neatly on top of your shoes, the black thong you had underneath did nothing to conceal your feminine shape; Tommy turns away from you, staring off into the sky in an attempt to avoid gawking at you. It was amusing to you since he already saw most of your body the first time you were in the pond. You slowly lower yourself into the cool water of the pond, its cooling temperature feels like heaven.

Tommy heard you get in and slowly turns around to see you on your back, floating gently with the moon’s reflection circling your body, you looked like a goddess. You saw that he was just standing there watching you, you swim up to the dock and put your arms on the edge, you say,

“You know, you don’t have to just watch me.”

Seeing him act so shy was strange, a polar opposite of the last time you were both in the laundry room where he made no qualms of pushing himself up against your clothed pussy with his dick begging for entry. You watched as he took off his clothes, throwing them sloppily next to your neatly folded pile. You were annoyed that he was wearing black boxers which concealed the shape and size of his package too well, but being able to see his body almost completely unclothed was still enough to have you biting your lip in excitement.

Tommy had very long legs which were complemented by his thick thighs, his butt was muscular from having to haul his hefty body weight all over the farm. His torso was exactly as you pictured it, he had heavy muscle underneath a layer of fat that softened any sharp edges and did nothing but add mass to his already impressive size. His pecs were large and heaved with every breath he took, a smattering of soft hair covered the base of his chest and ran down his abdomen leading towards his groin, getting less sparse the lower it went.

Seeing him so exposed was odd, most people would look vulnerable, but he only looked more intimidating and fearsome especially since his arm muscles were well defined despite his soft torso. His size was not a mirage from thick clothes or padded jackets like most men you encountered, he really was authentically a behemoth of a man.

He lowered himself into the pond and let out a sigh of relaxation when he submerged his torso under the surface. You smile, and swim over to him,

“You deserve to relax after working so hard. I hope we could make this a frequent thing, something we could do together.”

You waited for a response, he looked at you and then up to the sky, he let out a positive ‘hm’ and nodded. You felt like you were in a dream, nothing you experienced was ever this beautiful, and no man was ever as generous as Tommy, you wanted to live in this moment forever. Tommy stands up in the water, he turns to you and grabs your hand to pull you to another part of the pond,

“C’mere” he says.

He pushes past some thick reeds and you end up in a tiny alcove where the water comes up to your chin and tall grasses circle you both which made the area very intimate. Tommy sees you struggling to keep your head out of water, he bends over you and grabs the smallest area on your waist under your ribs with both hands and he lifts you out of the water effortlessly. You let out a short-excited scream as he pulls you up and holds you close to his body. You’re barely able to straddle him, your chest was now just under his chin, your tank top clung to your breasts exposing your now hardened nipples. You placed both arms over his shoulders to prevent yourself from smothering his face with your bosom. He was so strong that you were able to sit comfortably on just the one arm, he looks out towards the grass and says,

“Watch”

Tommy used his free hand to splash water across the grass around you and it erupted with whirring, a horde of fireflies sprung out from their hiding places and lit up the night. You were stunned,

“I’ve never seen fireflies before, this is… this is magical.”

Tommy laughs and slowly turns to let you take in the full effect of the display before you, the glow of the fireflies created a warm soft light that was bright enough to let you see his eyes clearly, you couldn’t help but stare. He looked up at you, his eyes half lidded and glossy, he drank in every inch of the enchanting sight before him. When he looked into your eyes it was like projecting his soul into your mind, you could feel his emotions and you felt a deep comfort from it, like a warm blanket on a cold winter night.

You reach up and move his hair away from his face, he took your hand and held it to his cheek as he pressed his face into your touch, his eyes closing and letting out a deep breath. You smile at him and decide to be brave; you begin to slowly remove his mask but he abruptly stops your action with his hand, you could see his expression was full of worry, you say,

“If I keep my eyes closed will you let me take off your mask? I promise not to open them.”

Tommy looks off to the side thinking, he wasn’t scared of anything except losing you and he was worried that if you saw his full face, it would disturb you. He wondered what you were going to do, but the fear was stopping him from finding out. You see him deep in thought and speak again,

“Look” you close your eyes tightly, “I can’t see a thing, I promise I won’t peek.”

Tommy trusted you, and despite the anxiety running through his system, he removed his mask and let it hang down on one ear. He took your hand and guided it up to the left side of his face, which had no significant damage compared to the other side. You feel his stubble and softly move your hand down to his lips, they were smooth and parted slightly. You smile when your fingers reached his mouth, despite not being able to see his face, from what you were able to feel, you knew he was handsome. You slowly lower your head down and pause, hovering your lips over his and testing to see what he would allow. He didn’t resist.

You pressed your lips onto his and immediately felt a jolt of hormonal chemicals race through you like an electric shock, he let out a muffled sound of surprise. He pressed back and slowly lowered your body so he could kiss you on a more equal level. You extended the kiss by opening your mouth slightly, parting his lips only to press in on them again passionately, Tommy reciprocated the motion and was now breathing heavily through his nose, you could hear his heart beating loudly in his chest as he groaned with arousal, it was so deep that it vibrated into your chest further exciting you.

You could feel some strange deformation on one side of his face, your lips didn’t quite connect with his fully on his right side. You stayed closer to his left side since it felt a little bit more intact, you wished you could see how unique his face was. Imagining the damage done to him at such a young age was upsetting, it only emboldened your feelings for him.

The kiss was long and passionate, you both couldn’t get enough of each other, it felt like a sin to stop. Every time you pulled back from his lips, he leaned into you to catch them again parting and closing your mouths to enhance the connection you both so desperately craved. You could smell the air from his nose washing over you, it was strangely intoxicating almost like it was fresh mountain air which aroused you further. His free arm was now trailing up your spine until his hand found a resting place on the back of your neck.

You wanted more of him; your emotions were getting so intense that you moaned each time the pressure of the kiss increased. You placed your left hand on his shoulder, and your right on his collarbone. You ran your fingers over the thick muscle tensing on his neck, his carotid artery was pulsating with his heart beat, you continued feeling upwards and reached his jawline where his thick stubble prickled your fingertips. His features were so far above a stereotypically masculine ideal, it made you feel a cautious excitement, as if you encountered the final product of evolutionary success aimed to create a monster of man.

You finally pull away, making sure to keep your eyes closed. You are breathing heavily, letting out a soft moan as you lean your head back to get more air. Tommy covers his face back with the mask and gazes at you still drunk off the kiss and feeling lighter than air. The fireflies have now dispersed to the point where it was very dim around you both. He carries you back to the shallow area of the pond so you could stand up.

You smile, “Thank you for trusting me.”

Tommy nods and smiles under his mask. You wade in the water around him as he sits in the water so his torso is once again submerged, his head leaned back and eyes closed. You look around at the leftover fireflies lazily floating over top the glassy pond surface, the water gently laps at your hips.

A feeling of unease creeps into your body and raises the hairs on the back of your neck, you stop moving and a sudden wave of anxiety rushed over you. In this moment you freeze and quiet your breathing, you felt an instinct to try to listen to the world around you very carefully but you couldn’t hear anything out of the ordinary. The feeling of something being…off was now overwhelming and setting you on edge. You quietly move closer to Tommy to create a sort of protective border from the surroundings and hold onto his arm, he opens his eyes and looks at you with concern.

“Somethings wrong” you say in a hushed tone.

Tommy immediately got up from his sitting position and stood alert, he closed his arms around you and searched with his eyes to see what spooked you;

He breathed out slowly and moved you back towards the dock. You were confused and frightened, a tense gut feeling was like an ancient ancestral alarm which you knew should never be ignored. He helped you up on the dock and followed behind after you walked toward your clothes. You quickly put on your tights and shoes and as Tommy got his clothes on you looked around, trying to find the source for this sudden dread. You slowly panned across the forest, until you see it.

In the distance, and shrouded in the shadows of night, a silhouette of a person stood still. It was too dark to make out any features and just as you saw them, they disappeared into the bush as if they were nothing but a hallucination. You get closer to Tommy who just finished pulling his shirt down over his body, you press your back into him to feel a sense of security. Tommy looks at you and bends his upper body over you as he looks around,

“Where” he says firmly,

You point to where the shadow was and whisper, “There was someone there, watching us.”

He didn’t need to see what you saw in order to know that the energy outside had shifted, all he wanted to do was get you to safety. He lifted you up into his arms and held you tightly, he took one look around to ensure the exit was safe and bolted; His movements were agile and fast, it almost felt supernatural. The trees whip past and you quickly lose sight of the pond, his footsteps reverberating thuds as he moves through the woods with expert agility. Your eyes are wide with fear as you watch the forest behind you darken the further away you get; How Tommy was able to see things in the dark was a mystery to you.

Finally, you are out of the wooded area and coming up to where the silo was, the feeling of dread dissipates and Tommy slows his pace down, he wasn’t even huffing and puffing like most people would be doing after running so fast with a grown adult in their arms.

You hug him tightly, “Thank you for carrying me.”

You give him a kiss on his neck and continue to tighten your grip. Tommy brings you into the house and shuts the door behind you both, he gently lowers you to the floor, you keep hugging him as you stand on your tip toes. He felt very protective of you and was mad that someone scared you so much. His rage was building the more he thought about someone being on his property watching the two of you. He wondered how they would have been able to evade the multiple traps he set up around the pond perimeter.

Tommy grabs your shoulders and pushes you back slowly, he lifts your chin to have you look up at him. He sees the worried look on your face and it fuels his rage of the intruder,

“Go sleep, I gotta do somethin’.”

His voice was rich in baritone, you could hear anger in his words. You didn’t want him to leave, but before you could tell him to stay, he was out the door. You made your way to the washroom to shower off the pond water and get ready for sleep, Luda Mae and Charlie were already asleep upstairs, unaware of the situation. You were disturbed by what you saw, but as long as Tommy was out there, you felt safe in the house. You went to bed that night worried, who was that shadow and what will happen if Tommy catches them? The morning couldn’t come soon enough.

#what ya writin #thomas hewitt #thomas hewitt x y/n #slasher community #thomas hewitt x afab reader #leatherface 2006 #texas chainsaw massacre #my art #the fruit after the flesh #slasher smut #slasher x reader #slasher thirst #slasher fandom

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futurehunt · 4 months

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My Old Friend, Fire

Azriel x Eris

Against his better wishes, Azriel has found himself growing close to the new Autumn High Lord, Eris Vanserra. The male has dug himself under his skin and now he can't get him out. An invitation to the Autumn Equinox changes the path of Azriel's life for the better.

Read on AO3

AO3 version is updated with editing and spelling corrections!!

Word count: 15,737

Azriel POV

18+

Content warning: Smut- story can be enjoyed fully without reading it!

*no beta, we die in Prythian

This is long, I apologize! It's a lot of feeling, realizing, and longing. Azriel's got all the emotions. Flashbacks are in italics- they all have important details in them that tie in at the end so don't miss 'em!

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"I would do it all again. I would suffer another five centuries of you loving another, another five centuries of facing my father's cruelty, another five centuries of being hated by all of Prythian just for this- just for you."

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

Read full story below

Azriel shifted his weight from one foot to the other, fidgeting at the pinching sensation caused by the buttons on the wing-flaps of his jacket.

Mor had bought it special for him, special for today.

It was a tight-fitted jacket made of a dark, woodsy green fabric. Along the cuffs and collar were sewn black embellishments that swirled and shaped a pattern so complex that Azriel hated to think of how many hours went into creating it. Intricately carved silver buttons ran up the front and finished at a final clasp around the middle of his neck.

Mor said the jacket suited him, brought out the colors in his eyes. Azriel just felt like a fool.

He'd been on edge all week leading up to tonight. The Autumnal Equinox, Mabon. The Autumn Court's Great Rite.

It was Eris's first Equinox as High Lord of Autumn. He had graciously extended an invite to Rhysand, Feyre and the Inner Circle- his treasured allies he mockingly referred to them as in his letter- and encouraged them to come celebrate his new position and experience a true taste of Autumn.

"Treasured?"

Eris remained silent in response, bow drawn tight. His sharp gaze honed in on a pheasant, trackings its movement through the stalks of wheat. Its emerald neck acting as a beacon for the eye.

Azriel wondered what it would be like to be on the receiving end of that gaze, how it would burn.

On an exhale, Eris let the arrow fly. "Don't talk while I'm aiming, it's rude." He turned towards Azriel, not bothering to spare a glance to see if his arrow met its mark. Eris released a shrill whistle and his hounds took off, cutting through the stalks to their target.

"Treasured?" Azriel pressed again.

"I used my thesaurus for that one." Eris quipped back.

Azriel squinted his eyes at the High Lord. "You like being disliked, don't you. You're a masochist."

"You like me".

"I tolerate you." There was a chill in the wind that blew towards them across the field. It dusted red across Eris's pale cheeks, the fire in his blood seemingly not fighting the bite of the cold. "Here are the reports we have on Koschei. He's getting desperate."

Eris reached out for the thin file from Azriel, the full might of the hunter's gaze finally locked onto him. It burned right through him, just as Azriel had suspected. Burned right through to the icy center of him.

Rhysand and Feyre decided they would not attend. While they wanted to put on a good show for diplomacy, they deemed it unnecessary for the High Lord and High Lady to make an appearance. And as it is with them, where one goes so does the other. In their stead, Azriel, Mor, Cassian, and Nesta would be attending as representatives of the Night Court. Azriel was pretty sure Cassian and Nesta only decided to tag along because they wanted to fuck in the woods.

Azriel chuckled to himself as he remembered the conversation in which Cassian crudely explained to Nesta the erotic nature of Great Rite celebrations after nightfall. Nesta had known the basics, brief snippets of information from what Feyre had deigned to share with her about Calanmai, Spring Court's Great Rite, but wasn't aware the seasonal courts all had their own version. Nesta was all too eager to attend after learning everything.

Mor was attending because. . . he wasn't entirely sure. Azriel knew Mor had made great strides in accepting Eris as an ally of the court, knew that she had traveled the path of forgiveness with him and the two were on amicable terms. Amicable, nothing more. Eris certainly did not make it easy, he was still an asshole. Gods was he an asshole.

But Azriel also knew she was still haunted by the past. Saw it in the glaze in her deep brown eyes every time Keir threw barbed comments her way. Azriel gathered that this visit tonight would serve as one of Mor's final steps in conquering the demons of her past. Regardless, she seemed all too willing to attend.

It was part of the reason Azriel agreed to join the visit today- why Rhysand pulled him aside and adamantly requested he tag along. Though Rhysand's request left little room for disagreement.

He wanted Azriel there to keep an eye on Mor. Rhysand knew all too well how suffocating the horrors of your past could be. Azriel remembers vividly the nights, not too long ago, when dark power filled with shadows and stars would burst through his brother's window as he drowned under the weight of everything that haunted him.

.…........................

That's how Azriel found himself here, in the ornately decorated receiving room of the River House, the base of his wings getting pinched to Hel by the jacket Mor bought him for Mabon.

He's the first to arrive as usual.

It was barely past three in the afternoon but the sun, beaming in through the room's westerly windows, was already on a quick descent. His shadows dodged the rays and dissipated whenever they come in contact.

Azriel thumbed the plum, silk curtains that draped the large picture window whose frame he leaned on. Not that he would ever utter the thought out loud but he found the interior of his brother's home a bit gaudy. Fit for a High Lord, no doubt, but it felt impersonal.

Eris's manor smelled of sandalwood and cinnamon. Woodsy and sweet. The scent stuck inside of Azriel's nose, invading his senses. It invoked a nostalgia for an experience he had yet to live.

"The magic in Spring is growing weak- I can feel it in the land at our shared border. We need to get Tamlin back on track," Eris spoke without preamble. He stood opposite Azriel, a smoke gray granite countertop separating them. The texture of the stone rippled and eddied, it felt like the scars on his hands.

"Tea?"

Azriel nodded in assent and looked around the kitchen in which they stood. Dark brown wood laid the foundation of the room, it blended well with the warm colors of the furnishing.

"You made yourself right at home. Was your father's body even cold before you started moving in?" The question was probably too crude, even for Azriel.

Yesterday marked a month since the long awaited death of Beron Vanserra finally came to fruition.

Eris merely smirked over at him, taking his crass question in stride as he poured the second cup of tea. His eyes traced over every inch of Azriel's face before he responded, "You wound me, brute. This manor hasn't been inhabited since my grandfather. My father felt it too exposed and only resided in an apartment deep within the Forest House."

Azriel snorted. His only response. He continued to take in the room.

In the corner of the kitchen was a nook that housed a dining area encased by a dome of windows on one half. It gave the illusion that you were dining out in the jeweled canopy of the woods.

His attention caught on the dining chairs that surrounded the table.

They were all shaped to fit wings.

Growing weary of the solitude, Azriel decided to set out to track down Rhys, Feyre, and Nyx in the massive house when the carved wood door at the home's entrance swung open. From his spot within the receiving room, Azriel watched Mor strut in.

"I knew that color would look great on you," She tittered, looking him up and down, "you really ought to let me buy you more for your wardrobe."

Azriel's face pinched - answer enough to her demand.

"A shame" she bemoaned, throwing herself on to one of the room's stiff cobalt couches. "Where's Cass and his Lady Death? We should be off soon."

"Don't call her that." Azriel chastised, not having an answer for the first part of her question.

Mor just shot him a look, rolling her eyes. It's been a year and a half since Nesta sacrificed her Cauldron-stolen power for the life of her sister and nephew, yet Mor still clung to that infernal nickname. For Mor it's all in good fun, but Azriel never fails to catch the haunted look that ghosts Nesta's face whenever the moniker is used in her presence.

As if on cue, he heard the bustle of Cassian and Nesta coming in through the home's rear entrance. No doubt they landed on the back lawn after flying down from the House of Wind. Cass still likes to give Nesta a good fright by coming in hot for his landings, the back lawn providing a perfect landing zone for him.

Confirming his suspicions, Nesta's face is tinged with green as she rounded the corner and came in sight of Azriel and Mor.

"Cassian, they're in here," she called over her shoulder. Her hair, uncharacteristically, is worn loose today, with a tight braid running down the center of her head segregating both halves of her hair. Her mauve, linen dress was modest in the length of its hem and sleeves but clung to her frame in a way that suggested excellent tailoring. As she twisted to shout to his brother, Azriel noted the deep scoop of the dress's back.

"You look...very good today, Nesta." Azriel said to her as she twisted back around and entered the receiving room. Not that she didn't usually, though she now wore her Valkyrie leathers more often than not.

Mor interjected from the couch, "You didn't say anything to me! I even complimented your jacket".

"Your ego doesn't need anymore stroking, dear sister." Cassian quipped sarcastically, picking up the conversation without pause as he too rounded the corner and entered the room. "And, my even dearer mate is upset with me so she told me she'll be leaving me tonight for our beloved- her words not mine- High Lord of Autumn".

Azriel hummed his acknowledgment, not wanting to voice anything that may incidentally draw himself into the middle of their squabble.

Eris would probably think she looked drab in the linen dress.

"Linen is the fabric of the working class, Azriel," Eris drawled, a mischievous grin lifting the right corner of his mouth.

Even from his position on the leather tufted couch on the opposite end of the room, Azriel could see the mirth glimmering in Eris's eyes from where he sat behind his grand mahogany desk. Azriel twisted away from the sight to look back into the depths of the crackling fireplace that warmed the High Lord's office.

"You're just a snob", he shot at Eris, not bothering to turn around again.

He heard him snort. "Linen is a lightweight, breathable, porous fabric. It is designed to be worn by those working the fields. It's not supposed to be fashionable- I'd look like a fool wearing linen to a dinner with my court representatives. Apologies for knowing the intricacies of garments and how they relate to socio-economic class."

Azriel couldn't help himself. Throwing an arm across the back of the couch he twisted to look back at Eris again.

"Lightweight, breathable, porous fabric? You're a snob and an ass." He secretly delighted in the look of glee that flashed across Eris's face at the insult. "Why even ask for my opinion then? If your own was so decisive."

"I like to hear what you think." Nothing but truth burned in the amber flames of Eris's eyes.

"Thank you, Azriel." Nesta shot sharply at him. She lowered herself gracefully onto the couch opposite of Mor. Not allowing space on either side of her for Cassian and his wings, leaving him to settle in standing next to Azriel.

He felt a nudge on his shoulder and looked over at his brother who leaned in and said, "Nice jacket, Az. You look like a proper little prince of Autumn in it".

Azriel scoffed, taking a wide step away from his brother before quickly twisting his body to punch Cassian in the arm in retribution for his gibe.

Nesta guffawed from where she perched on the couch. Composing herself, she remarked, "At least he made an effort! You look like you're ready for a visit to Windhaven."

It was true. Cassian donned a standard set of his leathers, albeit cleaner and newer than his usual ones.

"Whatever. I'm not making an effort for the prick," Cassian shot, impudence lacing his tone. "It's an Equinox celebration that the entire court is invited to, at most we'll see him to shake his hand before he moves on to others he deems more worthy of his time."

He wasn't wrong. Like Calanmai in Spring, Grianstad in Winter, or Litha in Summer, denizens of Autumn flooded to their court's seat during Mabon to celebrate the equinox and participate in the Great Rite. It's a tradition, Azriel heard, that even Beron nurtured and encouraged. After all, a fruitful turnout for a Great Rite produces a wealth of magic for the court. Azriel is sure that another strong motivator for Beron's patronage of the event were the swaths of young fae females that showed up clambering for his attention, hoping the magic of the Rite would choose them for their High Lord. Even the deep-seated fear and corruption that Beron plagued the land with wasn't enough to dim the honor of being selected by whatever powers governed the Rite.

This year, for the first time, it would be Eris's turn to lead the Great Rite. He would pair off with a lady and together they would fuel enough magic to inundate the land until the next Mabon. The thought settled like glass in Azriel's stomach.

"Even then," Cassian continued "he'll likely only deign to be touched by you, Nesta. The rest of us are too beneath him for an actual handshake."

"Speak for yourself, Cassian," Mor chimed in indignantly.

Nesta hummed in agreement and added, "He'd probably give Azriel a handshake. After all, he's the closest with Eris out of any of us at this point."

"We are not close," Azriel growled at her defensively.

He immediately regretted his tone when he saw the trepidation in her eyes. He felt like his father.

"Is your father still alive?" curiosity clouded Eris's face from across the chessboard between them.

Azriel's eyes flickered up to him for a moment to take in his demeanor before refocusing on the board as he took one of Eris's black marble bishops with his gleaming, white knight.

"How is that a pertinent question?"

"How is playing chess pertinent," Eris countered.

"As the official liaison between the Night and Autumn court, it's my duty to make sure our allies are properly schooled in all forms of strategy," Azriel arrogantly replied. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep his grin from spreading across his face. After six months of working with Eris as liaison between their two courts, he had come to enjoy the haughty banter the pair fell into in each other's presence.

"Azriel," Eris dead-panned.

Azriel would never admit to the shiver that ran through him at the sound of his name in Eris's mouth. Shame washed over him at the mere acknowledgement of the sensation.

"He's dead," he at last replied to Eris, dryly.

"He gave you those burns?"

Azriel only shook his head.

"You're ashamed of them." An observation, not a question from the High Lord.

Azriel settled his face into a sheet of neutrality. His centuries-old mental barriers slamming into place as the topic of conversation entered an area he had no interest in going.

Playing his turn, Azriel hoped to end the game quickly now. He shouldn't have stayed this long anyway, was only there to assess the durability of the security wards around Forest House as a courtesy to Eris.

Quiet blanketed them as the pair finished up their game. Azriel refused to raise his eyes to look at Eris.

"Beron would have healers erase all the scars he etched on me. For five centuries."

"I don't care, Eris." Cruel words that did not reflect the truth. He did care- deep down in a pocket of his soul that he never let see the light of day- he cared about what Eris had to say.

Azriel still refused to raise his gaze up to the High Lord sitting across from him.

"He would erase everything he did to me. No proof that I lived. No proof that I suffered. No proof that I survived. All my torment is trapped inside my head with no evidence that it happened, no outlet for escape... I wish he had left them... but that was probably the point of healing them in the first place."

Eris's declaration cut deep through him, burning through the layers of his defenses in a rage of fire.

He stayed for another round of chess.

Azriel ran a scarred hand down his face, mortification riding through him in waves.

"I'm sorry, Nesta, I didn't mean to snap."

Nesta shook off his words with ease. "I only mean to say, you literally are closest with him," she pressed on "the rest of us haven't even seen him since his crowning ceremony eleven months ago. You're the only one meeting with him anymore."

Of course. He was such an idiot. Of course that's what she meant.

Cassian came up behind him, clamped his hands on his shoulders, and jostled him jovially. His brother's voice boomed behind me, "Don't worry, Az, we know you still hate the lordling as much as ever. We'd never dare suggest otherwise." Azriel could've sworn he heard an undercurrent of sarcasm lacing his brother's tone.

But he didn't hate Eris. Didn't hate him at all. Dreaded the looks on his family's faces when they realized just how much he didn't hate Eris Vanserra anymore.

That was the other part of the reason he agreed to join the visit today. For the past eleven months he'd been working as the Night Court's liaison to Autumn, having taken it over from Cassian, he's found himself... inexplicably drawn to the High Lord. Perhaps in the absence of conflict, Azriel was subconsciously poking around for danger and adrenaline. Eris made his blood boil and he was addicted to it. Not that he would ever admit that out loud.

Mor was looking at him with an expression he couldn't decipher.

"We should go." Was all he said to the room.

The females got up from their respective places on the couches and together they all trundled through the receiving room out into foyer.

"Guess Rhys and Feyre don't want to see us off," Mor observed.

"Ten gold marks they're both dead asleep upstairs. Nuala told us that Nyx has started climbing out of his crib at night and that Rhys and Feyre can't leave him unattended for even a second," Cassian added, laughing.

The four of them headed out to the front courtyard, not wanting to check and risk waking the parents up. They cut across to a point that would put them outside the wards encasing the River House.

Nesta grabbed Cassian's hand. Feyre, in her free time, had been teaching Nesta how to winnow. The eldest sister became adept at it rather quickly and could even carry Cassian along with her over great distances.

Together, they winnowed away to the Autumn Court.

....................

A thrum of voices chattering around him was the first sensation Azriel perceived as his shadows dissipated and left him standing in an area of woods on the outskirts of the Forest House.

The next sensation to follow was an aroma of smoked meat, spun sugar, and baked pastries.

Surrounding him, and stretching out as far as he could see, were merchant stands and food stalls. There seemed to be no coordination with how the stalls were organized. They were dotted randomly throughout the woods, the sea of stands interspersed with giant oak trees that comprised this section of the forest.

Waves of people bustled around him, side-stepping the obstacle of his body in order to reach their next destination.

He snapped his wings tight into him to avoid any unwanted contact.

Azriel looked over the heads of the fae surrounding him to try and locate Mor, Nesta, and Cassian. There had to be thousands here. His eyesight found no end to the mass of people.

At last, he spotted the three of them already together a few hundred paces away, ogling the vendors. He made his way over and heard the last snatch of what Mor was saying.

"- seen these only in Montesere." Her voice was filled with awe.

They were huddled around a table laden with glazed pottery. Plates, mugs, and bowls all painted with rich, vibrant jewel tones.

"Eris reached out to a few territories on the continent to invite local artisans to come sell their wares at this year's Mabon," Azriel confirmed, sidling up beside Mor. "With Calanmai being... not what it used to...with everything going on with Tamlin...Eris is trying to pick up some of the slack."

Mor's face twisted in surprise at his words.

"And I think he's trying to set a good precedent. After all, Beron only allowed upper-class and high fae craftsmen to set up booths here and apparently he even took a cut of their sales," Azriel scoffed out. "Eris didn't limit who could participate this year. He told me a lot of local lesser fae farmers are coming and selling excess crop from the growing season that just concluded- I think he might've gone a bit overboard with how many he's permitted though."

Mor nodded silently, smirking in amusement at him.

Realizing how much he'd just prattled on about Eris and his booths, Azriel felt his face heat up.

He focused his attention of the pottery in front of him, suddenly very interested in inspecting the intricacy of the handiwork.

Azriel pointedly avoided Nesta's stare that was burning a hole through his head. He had easily just proved wrong his statement earlier about how close him and the High Lord had become.

"So...is that where Eris lives?" Nesta's attention had shifted away from him and she was turned around, pointing to the Forest House in the distance. It's oppressive size seemed to have stunned her. Azriel knew from experience that it took around three hours to get from one side to the other, having done the entire walk with Eris a few months ago.

Azriel shook his head, refusing to foolishly prattle on again and reveal precisely how entrenched in Eris's life he really was.

"From what Azriel's told me, he now lives in the High Lord's manor. It has sat vacant since his grandfather. I think it's somewhere on the other side of the Forest House," Mor fills in for him. "Though from the crowd that's gathered around the south entrance, I'm assuming Eris is likely over there now."

Indeed, there was a massive congregation of people milling around the wide, stone stairs that led up to the grand south entrance of the Forest House. The massive wooden doors at the top landing were thrown open. Though due to the row of guards flanking the stairs and entryway doors, Azriel couldn't make out if Eris was up there.

It hit him then.

The hundreds of fae gathered around the steps, the thousands more that wandered through the festival, the countless guards and sentries patrolling the area- they were all here for Eris. Eris Vanserra, the bane of Azriel's immortal existence, the High Lord of Autumn. Eris was a High Lord now; no longer a pestering lordling with dreams brighter than his own damn hair.

Azriel knew this, of course, had been working one-on-one with Eris for months to help ease the transition into his new role. But being here, it all felt more real.

The Eris he played chess with last week in the study of his manor home while they drank out of a shared bottle of wine was the same High Lord who now ruled the court he stood in and drew the crowd of thousands surrounding him. The same High Lord who seemed to already have the admiration and respect of many, given the throng waiting to greet him.

The crowd awaiting Eris seemed to be largely comprised of females, no doubt hoping to be the lucky maiden selected to help him complete the Great Rite that began after sundown.

Azriel's shadows thrashed around him at the thought.

"Well, let's go get the greetings over with. One of Eris's weasly guards probably already informed him of our arrival," Mor said bluntly, stepping away from the table of pottery.

Azriel steeled himself with a breath and dropped into step next to her as the four of them weaved their way through the festival-goers and headed for the south entrance steps.

He was thankful for the push of the crowd that slowed their journey down.

A wave of anxiety flooded through Azriel, causing his stomach to clench. His lungs wouldn't expand to take a full breath and it was making his surroundings spin. He felt like he was standing on the precipice of a battle that he was guaranteed to lose.

Why was he nervous?

Azriel willed his centuries of training to take over and took a deep breath to release the tension that seized him.

He pulled at the high-neck collar of his jacket, hoping to loosen it. It felt like a leash growing tighter with every step he took towards the Forest House.

Eris was going to mock the jacket, he was sure of it. He was going to call Azriel 'a want-to-be Autumn aristocrat fool', he never should have let Mor dress him in this.

He just hated seeing Eris. Hated the male's all-knowing gaze that could tear through Azriel's defenses without a thought. Mor, Cassian, and Nesta were going to see it. They were going to see the way Eris could pick him apart and expose a layer of Azriel he never showed. They were going to witness first-hand just how much the Autumn High Lord affected him.

As they reached the rear of the crowd huddled around the bottom of the staircase, Azriel's eyes darted around the top trying to spot the High Lord.

He couldn't see him. Where was he? Was something wrong?

And as much as he was dreading speaking to the male, his absence made Azriel's stomach drop even further.

His mind whirled with unexplainable anxiety.

He needed the Cauldron-damned crowd to get out of his way so he could get up there and see if something was wrong.

Fae tended to retreat willingly away from Azriel. His oppressive height, writhing shadows, and intimidating wingspan conveyed what he usually didn't need words for. It seemed the prospect of catching sight of the new Autumn High Lord distracted the fae in front of him enough that none marked his presence behind them.

"Move," Azriel's deep, menacing voice broke through the thrum of sound. He felt no inclination to add pleasantries to his request.

As the fae closest heard him, they turned to look at the source of the sound and scrambled back at the sight of him.

With ease, Azriel marched through the pathway that opened for him and led Mor, Nesta, and Cassian to the stairs.

Five flights made up the grand entrance and by the second landing Azriel still couldn't catch sight of Eris.

Desperation quickened his pace.

At last he reached the third landing, coming into view of the palatial wooden doors of the Forest House thrown open at the top. And there he was.

Eris.

A full breath of air whooshed into Azriel's lungs as he finally gazed upon the High Lord.

Eris's beauty was undeniable. It was almost laughable the way he made everyone around him look simple. A God stood amongst fae-kind.

In the afternoon sun, Eris's hair glowed like living flames; the ends of those fiery locks pushed back behind his pointed ears. Those very ears were adorned with a handful of small golden hoops in the upper cartilage, drawing Azriel's eye to trace along their curve.

His beautiful, wicked face was twisted into a wry grin in reaction to whomever he was speaking to. Azriel couldn't tear his eyes away from the High Lord to check. With his unmarred porcelain skin, Eris appeared to have been carved from marble.

Azriel's eyes continued their journey down the slope of Eris's neck, taking his time to trace its length. He was surprised Eris couldn't feel his gaze burning into him.

The male wore a billowing white silk shirt whose neck hung open to reveal a hint of the muscled chest that lay underneath. He wondered what more lay unexposed. The shirt was tucked into a pair of dark, well-tailored pants- very well-tailored pants.

On top of his ensemble, Eris donned a cloak whose hemmed reached to the bottom of his boots. The garment was a rich, velvety maroon, with gold details running down the sides of the opening.

Perfectly put together as always. Eris was skilled at wielding clothes like a weapon, he always knew how to arm himself properly for the occasion. And today he looked so damn regal and powerful, commanding the attention of everyone around him.

As if finally registering the weight of his observation, Eris turned and caught sight of Azriel and the others.

A wide smile broke across Eris's face.

Azriel's head whipped around to look behind himself. Who the hell was Eris smiling at? Mor? Nesta? Had someone else followed them up the stairs?

Cassian and the two females had come to a stop behind Azriel, no longer ascending the stairs.

When had he stopped walking?

Azriel looked back and the smile that had cut across Eris's face was gone. The male was now biting his lower lip, keeping it still.

Cassian gave him a push from behind before sliding around Azriel to take the lead with Nesta.

"Let's go you fool," his brother said to him gruffly.

The shove and command from his brother broke Azriel out of his reverie. It must be the magic of Mabon that entranced Azriel when he was regarding Eris. The magic flows most acutely through the High Lord after all. Azriel had become as spell bound as the hoard of fae below him.

Azriel resumed his climb, drawing nearer and nearer to Eris.

As Cassian reached the final landing ahead of him and approached Eris, Azriel heard the High Lord say in greeting, "Well, if it isn't my favorite court. Behind the four others. I'll be generous and put Tamlin at the bottom of my ranking."

Still an asshole. A beautiful asshole.

"You're look very pretty today. I like what that jacket does for your eyes." Azriel chuckled at his brother's words. Cassian had learned well how to get under Eris's skin.

Eris sneered at him, not responding, before turning his gaze to Nesta. His expression lightened as he looked to her. "Nesta, you do yourself no favors with the company you keep."

To Azriel's surprise, Cassian chuckled good-naturedly at the High Lord's remark.

"It's lovely to see you again, Eris." replied Nesta, politely. "I think you might be right. I find myself occasionally regretting my refusal of your proposal."

Eris nodded his head in the mockery of a bow before replying sarcastically, "At your earliest convenience Lady Archeron, I will eagerly make you my bride." His eyes glittered with derision.

Nesta chuckled, curtseying before Eris, before grabbing Cassian's hand and pulling him out of the way.

Eris shifted his attention to Mor. "Morrigan, I must say I did not anticipate your appearance today."

"Eris," Mor nodded in greeting. "It's been a while since my last visit."

Visit is not how Azriel would categorize it.

She continued, "I wanted to reacquaint myself with the court and I heard," her eyes shot to Azriel, "that this event was not to be missed."

Azriel's face twisted. He said no such thing.

"Hmm," Eris hummed as his gaze quickly darted to Azriel, "Well I'm happy you could attend. I hope everything is up to your standards."

Perfectly cordial, the two of them. They had come such a long way.

Mor gave no reply before bowing out of the way.

She turned to Azriel, squeezed his arm and said quietly, "We'll wait for you at the bottom of the steps."

Why? He didn't voice the question aloud.

He turned to face Eris who was glaring pointedly at the spot on Azriel's arm that Mor just touched.

Azriel stood in silence, waiting. After a moment, Eris's stare rose to his.

"Azriel."

"Eris."

More silence.

Eris's gaze darted down Azriel's frame, taking him in.

With surprise lacing his tone, the High Lord said, "Your jacket... I like it."

Azriel's brows shot up his face.

"The color. It suits you. I don't think I've ever seen you in something other than black. I appreciate that you made an effort with my court's style," Eris added on. Genuine sincerity shone in his face.

Azriel merely nodded in thanks.

A slight weight lifted off of Azriel's chest at the High Lord's words. Why did he give a damn what Eris thought about his clothing? It was humiliating. Why did he have this irritating need to impress him, to get his approval?

Azriel wanted to run away from the knowing glint in Eris's eye, the ghost of the smirk that danced on his lips, like he knew exactly the effect his comments would have on Azriel.

Planning to do just that, Azriel spun on his heels angling to catch up with the rest of his companions who already reached the bottom of the staircase.

"Wait." Eris's voice stopped Azriel in his descent.

The Illyrian turned to look up at the High Lord who now descended the few steps Azriel was able to make.

Eris came to a stop on the same stair as Azriel. They were eye level. How had Azriel never realized the two of them were the same height? Perhaps it was due to Eris's new commanding presence, it was now impossible not to be aware of every detail about the High Lord. Azriel tried desperately to tamp down the flush in his cheeks.

Eris continued on, cool confidence lacing his tone, "I'm heading out to tour the vendors, would you join me?"

A lifetime of stoicism is the only thing that kept Azriel from reacting visibly.

There was a crowd of people waiting to meet the High Lord. More dignitaries were set to arrive, surely Eris had to wait to greet them.

But Eris was looking at him with such an earnest expression that Azriel couldn't find it in himself to care about what duties of his might take precedence.

"Is that... a request or a command, High Lord?" Azriel responded after a moment, keeping his features neutral.

Eris's eyes narrowed slightly.

"A command. I don't want you off on your own scaring away all my visitors"

Laughter broke from Azriel's mouth before he could catch it.

The corner of Eris's mouth quirked up in satisfaction.

That wouldn't do.

"No, thank you." That should humble the High Lord. Azriel took off down the flight of steps at a much quicker pace this time.

Silence. And then, "No?!" Eris called after him.

The smack of boots against stone rang out as Azriel heard Eris follow him.

Azriel made it down two flights, nearly halfway to the bottom, before Eris caught up. He could see Mor, Cassian, and Nesta looking up at them from below.

Eris grabbed his arm. His cheeks were flushed and eyes a bit wild as he demanded, "You really won't come with me?"

His arm tingled under the hand grasping it.

"Ask nicely."

Eris huffed out an exasperated laugh.

"-Azriel!" That was Mor's voice this time from two flights below.

He could see Eris's face bunch up in frustration. The grip on his forearm tightened infinitesimally.

She called up at him, "I promised Emerie I'd get her something so I'm going to go look around. Alright?"

Azriel nodded in understanding. It was then that he realized Nesta and Cassian had already peeled away and were reentering the thick bustle of the festival.

At his assent, Mor followed after them.

His attention returned to Eris.

"Azriel. Would you please join me?"

He was quiet for a moment, before, "Yes... what about them?" He nodded at the throng waiting for Eris.

The hand on him gripped hard and then Eris was winnowing them in a spark of heat and light.

..........................

They reappeared on the outskirts of the Forest House's northern side. A few hours walk from their last location.

The festival stands and crowds were sparser here. But in a small field of grass close to the northern entrance of the estate, a group of children were playing. Squeals of delight rang in Azriel's ear as the children ran around, tossing a ball between themselves. His shadows jumped at the shrill noises, darting out as if they'd investigate.

A pleasant, carefree atmosphere hung in the air.

"It's so... different here now," Azriel said carefully.

So different from Beron.

Eris hummed quietly in confirmation at Azriel's words. He wistfully watched the children play. "Rhysand once advised me that change is slow in our world and to prepare myself accordingly. I've personally found that it's only slow if you don't care to try hard enough."

Azriel's eyes narrowed at the slight jab to his brother.

Eris pulled his attention from the children and dropped his hand from where it still wrapped around Azriel's forearm. Azriel hadn't registered it was there but the cold it's absence left in its wake sent a shudder down his spine.

Leaves crunched under the heels of their boots as the pair walked leisurely into the festival.

"You think you care more than Rhys? Care more about your court?" The comment rubbed Azriel the wrong way, he couldn't let it go.

"I think Rhysand cares an awful lot about Velaris. I know he sacrificed greatly to keep them safe from Amarantha. But a High Lord's duty is to the well-being of everyone in his court, not just those he favors."

Azriel stopped in his tracks. "Don't speak about it as if you have any idea."

"Don't I?" Eris said, stopping with him. His brow quirked up on his face. "Aren't I one of the few that can now judge him?"

"You know nothing of the Night Court. Since when were you an advocate for the rights of Illyrians?"

"It's not the Illyrians about which I'm concerned."

Azriel's mouth dropped slightly, "The Court of Nightmares? You can't be serious. Keir has gotten to you."

Eris whooshed out a frustrated breath. "Keir is a pest. But he's not the only one that lives there. You forget that I have experience at Hewn City, not only now, but from before."

Rhys had snuck Cassian and Azriel into Hewn City earlier that morning. It was the first time Azriel had been anywhere but the steppes of Illyria.

His shadows writhed over his wings, something in the bowels of the mountain called to them.

The three of them stood a few hundred paces from the entrance to the Court of Nightmare's receiving hall.

She was in there. Mor.

She was in there with Keir getting introduced to her new captors, the Vanserras.

It was the reason for Rhys, Cassian, and Azriel's visit today. Mor would never admit it, that beautiful, proud female, but Azriel knew she was terrified for the encounter. He had practically begged on his knees for Rhys to take them there so they could keep an eye on her.

The grand obsidian doors that kept Mor from view creaked open suddenly, startlingly the three males.

They stood straight, imbuing confidence into their features. Despite being barely of age, the three of them refused to cower under the presence of Keir and the Autum High Lord.

Beron Vanserra exited first, Keir keeping at heels like an overexcited dog. Pathetic.

A few paces behind was Mor, eyes blazing as she kept her stare straight forward. And there he was.

Eris.

His cruel, cold beauty matched his reputation.

The second Azriel laid eyes on him, he felt a searing hatred for the male tear through his chest.

Azriel had hated before; hated his father, his half-brothers, the camp lords that shunned him. That hatred had been iced-cold, settling inside him like a stone. It followed him everywhere and pushed him to work harder, fight harder.

What he felt now, staring at the Autumn male before him, was a passion so bright it ached deep inside him. It set his blood on fire.

As if sensing Azriel's glare, the princeling's eyes slid over to him. Eris's mouth parted slightly, eyes widening, as he looked at him. The shadows often taken people by surprise.

Azriel sneered at him before tearing his eyes away to look at Mor. As she passed Azriel, she gave him a reassuring nod. She was alright.

He shot her a gentle smile in return.

He kept his attention on her as she walked away but had the odd sensation of another stare burning into him.

"I don't think you went there more than once," Azriel scoffed.

"I was enough."

"Enough for what?" Azriel grew exasperated.

"Enough to see that Mor was not the only young female desperate to escape that prison. She was just the only one that had a lifeline out of there. Rhysand condemns everyone in there for the crimes of their ancestors. For the crimes of Keir and his ilk. I know monsters lurk in every shadow corner of that gods-forsaken place but it's Rhysand's responsibility to not abandon those that need help. Who want something better."

That immediately shut Azriel up. He looked to Eris's face and saw a passionate fury on it, saw a look of someone who related intimately to about that which they spoke.

"Perhaps you're right." Damning words from Azriel's mouth. But today was not the day to delve into it, to process just how much a part Azriel played in keeping those people trapped within the confines of the Court of Nightmares.

A slight burst of guilt churned his stomach.

Eris observed him with an understanding he didn't deserve.

"Anyway," Eris shifted the topic onwards, "I am hungry." He made a show of looking around the booths around them as they walked. "What interests you?"

Azriel shrugged noncommittally. "Whatever doesn't have a line."

"Why would I want the food that doesn't have a line. Don't you think that would suggest it's not worth eating."

Azriel rolled his eyes and said, "Nothing can be that bad. Food is food."

"Very well. But if it is bad you still need to eat it all." Eris said and took off towards a food stand that stood patron-less.

As the two of them approached, the man standing behind the stand's counter eye's widened. A High Lord and an Illyrian shadowsinger marching towards you was likely an intimidating sight.

A basin of cooking oil bubbled away behind the stall, lit by a large fire kindled underneath. On a small table next to it two trays were filled; one with a rough flour mixture and one with beaten, uncooked eggs. A container full of wooden skewers sat next to it. On the ground, off to the side was an ice-box whose lid was firmly shut.

"My lord!" The stall's operator rose from his stool and gave Eris a sweeping bow.

He then merely jerked his head at Azriel, saying nothing. A look of contempt flashed across Eris's face at that.

Eris shook the look off his face and smiled stiltedly in greeting to the vendor. "We are looking for food, sir. What are you making here today?"

"Amazing," the vendor exclaimed, "I am the premier maker of fried Autumn frogs!"

Azriel watched Eris's brows shoot up his forehead.

That explained the lack of line.

Now that Azriel looked, he saw a crudely painted wooden sign depicting a frog skewered onto a stick. He should've been paying better attention on their approach.

"Wonderful." Even centuries of courtier skills couldn't stop the trepidation from slipping into Eris's voice.

"We-," Eris darted his eyes over to Azriel and he could see a dark humor glittering on the High Lord's face, "We will take three, please, one for me and two for my friend. He's very hungry."

Azriel stomped on the male's foot as soon as the vendor turned to start preparing their order.

"Food is food," the High Lord whispered at him, wincing in pain at his foot.

"I'm not even hungry," the Illyrian hissed back.

"Too bad, you are now." The High Lord chuckled at his own antics.

They stood there waiting for their food. Azriel scowled as he watched the frogs get dipped in the batter and then dunked into bubbling oil.

He was deeply regretting his earlier statement.

Eris slid a few silver marks onto the stall's table as Azriel grabbed two of the skewers from the vendor. He'd let Eris grab his own.

The pair strolled away, eyeing the food in their hands.

Azriel gulped before braving a small bite from the fried meat. He swallowed roughly.

"So?" Eris questioned.

Azriel contemplated for a moment before replying, "It's... not that bad." He went in for a second bite.

Following his approval, Eris raised his own skewer to his mouth and took a sizable bite.

The High Lord's face dropped at the taste that met him. His stare burned through Azriel with fury as he slowly chewed and swallowed the large bite that was in his mouth.

Azriel threw his head back roaring with laughter.

Eris chucked the food into a nearby trash bin, "That. was. disgusting," he seethed. "Why did you say it was good."

"You deserved it you ass." Azriel threw his skewers into the bin as well.

"It was sour!?"

Azriel continued to laugh.

Eris's eyes softened imperceptibly as he looked down at Azriel's smile. It sent a jolt through Azriel's system.

The two of them wandered on, appetite gone.

They stopped at many stalls along their walk. Eris thumbed through heavy, fur garments on display from a Winter Court seamstress. Azriel weighed and handled Raskian throwing knives brought from a merchant on the continent. The pair chuckled at a table that displayed men's silk undershorts, saying they were going to send a collection to Helion. Eris grimaced when Azriel reminded him his mother would be on the receiving end of the silk shorts, the male's amusement dissipated immediately. Azriel had to drag Eris away from buying a dozen handmade leather collars for his hounds. Eris did end up buying a thin silver chain bracelet from a local Autumn crasftwoman. It was made from a metal found only in this court, Eris told him, and the metal is the only known deterrent to the fire magic the flowed through the blood of Autumn court fae.

"It's incredibly hard to find, near impossible to forge into something wearable, and gods-damned expensive as a result. I can't explain to you how it works, just that it'll lessen the effect of fire magic on the wearer. The Mother balances all things she creates."

Eris pivoted towards him and in the blink of an eye clipped the bracelet around Azriel's own wrist. It sat right below where the scars on his hand faded into unmarred skin.

Azriel gaped at the High Lord.

"Well it's not like I need it," Eris said in response to his expression. "I am the Lord of fire. It's not exactly going to hurt me."

Fluttering ignited within Azriel's chest, it tickled along his ribs.

"Will it protect me from you?" He meant the question to sound coy but it came across strained.

Flames flickered in Eris's irises as he said, "Nothing could stop me from reaching you, Azriel."

Azriel's heart ponded painfully within him. "Your fire, you mean?"

"Yes, my fire." The flames in his eyes shuttered and he took a step away.

They strolled on.

It was impossible to miss the way passersby looked at Eris. Hunger. Longing.

It reminded Azriel that nightfall was rapidly approaching, only two hours away. The notion saddened him.

"How does tonight work. For you?" questioned Azriel, although he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

Eris smirked in amusement at him, "When two people are attracted to one another, Azriel, they do something called-"

"You ass," he growled, cutting Eris off, "What's the ritual? I know Calanmai has a cave, Summer a beach cove, Winter... I don't know- a glacier? What's the landmark of choice for Autumn."

"A tree."

"A tree?"

"Yes. A tree. Don't give me that look, I didn't pick it. There's a large oak tree at the center of Autumn, I'm told it's been there since the court's creation. It's said to be the center, the beating heart, of all magic here. A load of nonsense but it's tradition at this point. I've seen it a few times. It's this massive thing, so large that a hundred people wouldn't be enough to line its entire perimeter. According to my father, it's hollow inside. I'm not sure how that works out. There's ancient wards around the oak that only allow the High Lord to approach or winnow inside the tree. And that- that is where the magic happens." Literally and figuratively.

"A magic sex tree?" Azriel said crudely.

"It's no worse than a magic sex cave. Certainly better than a glacier. Or snow bank. We should really find out what it is in Winter."

"Well I feel bad for whatever poor female gets chosen for you tonight. She has your company and a floor of dirt to look forward to." Bitterness laced Azriel's words and he hoped it sounded like contempt for the High Lord.

"Don't sound too jealous now, Azriel." The fire was back raging in the High Lord's eyes, "After all, no one said it had to be a female."

Azriel couldn't help it as his attention dropped down to Eris's full lips at the words. Dropped to look at the High Lord's muscled body hidden beneath his clothing. Azriel wondered what his skin tasted like, if it was sweet and woodsy like the cinnamon and sandalwood that wafted on his scent.

"Unfortunately," Azriel choked out, "I will not be here to see the lucky chosen person. Female or male."

"What?" Eris sounded frantic.

"I'm not staying. Mor and I are leaving before nightfall. Nesta and Cassian are the only ones remaining."

Eris stared at him, eyes wide, searching Azriel's face. "Are you serious? You're leaving? Why did you come?"

"You invited us. Mor was adamant on coming and I didn't want her to come alone, Nesta and Cassian aren't much for company." It was a lie, one that Azriel spouted again.

"Then where is your precious Morrigan?" Eris made a show of looking around them.

"I'm here if she needs me."

"You really came here only for her?" Devastation etched across Eris's face. Azriel refused to read into the expression but his shadows were jumping around him, slithering out as if they wanted to wipe that look off the High Lord's face.

"Why do you care anyway? What's it to you if I stay and find some stranger to fuck in the woods and add a little magic to your Great Rite. It doesn't interest me." The words were a barrier to hide the war raging inside Azriel; to hide the feelings ripping away inside of him desperate to get out.

Eris looked away from him and stared up into the vibrant canopy of leaves above them. The setting sun shone down through the branches, making his fair skin glow. He seemed to be counting every leaf on the oak that towered over them. As Eris got lost in the scenery above them, Azriel took a moment to map out every detail of his face.

Eventually Eris said, voice controlled, "You're right, I don't care. I'll be preoccupied with someone else anyway."

Eris glared at him, staring deep into his soul, as if he could see the animal that went wild inside of Azriel at his words.

They walked for an hour longer, finally approaching the south entrance again. Their conversation was noticeably more stilted.

The disgust from the fried frogs had abated but Azriel found he was no longer hungry for an entirely different reason.

The sun was cresting the horizon. Soon it would set completely and the Great Rite would begin. He could feel the magic thrumming in the air, ready to break free from the confines restricting it.

He looked at Eris next to him. The High Lord looked agitated, twitchy. The magic must be beating away at him as the Rite's beginning drew nearer.

Now that he had his gaze on him, Azriel couldn't look away. There was a magnet inside of him drawing him closer as if its match was inside the High Lord. He understood now why people went mad during Great Rites, this heady sensation made him want to disregard all expectations and let loose. Azriel wanted to lean in and taste the sweat beading up on Eris's skin.

Unknowingly, Azriel had taken a few steps closer to Eris who darted his attention over to him. He wanted to keep those amber eyes on him- didn't want anyone else to come in between them. He wanted to feel Eris's burning palms running along the skin under his jacket. Wanted to feel those lips against his neck, sucking marks for everyone to see.

Azriel needed him. He couldn't let anyone else have him- not tonight.

He was going to tell him as such, "I-"

"Azriel!"

The call from Mor broke through the haze Azriel was lost in.

"What? Azriel, what?" Eris grabbed him by his jacket bringing his attention towards the High Lord again.

Azriel wanted to step into the fire inside of Eris's eyes and burn.

"Azriel" Mor's hand clamped down on his shoulder as she said his name a second time.

He turned to look at her.

"It's nearly nightfall, we should go. I'm feeling pretty drained, do you think you can winnow both of us back? I don't think I can make it the entire way?" she looked up at him expectantly.

He needed to go. He couldn't leave her here alone. He looked back at Eris.

The High Lord looked like he was seconds from dropping to his knees to beg Azriel to stay. The hand holding his jacket twisted tighter.

"What were you going to say, Azriel?" Eris sounded manic.

"I need to go, Eris"

"Yes. Okay." He looked crestfallen. His hand still gripped Azriel's jacket.

"You need to let go."

The High Lord actually shook his head no in response to that.

"Of the jacket. You need to let go of my jacket." Azriel felt like his heart was ripping out of his chest. Desire was swallowing him whole.

He at last dropped his hand away.

Azriel spun on his heels, grabbed Mor, and winnowed away without glancing back.

.…........................

Azriel bid Mor goodnight in the dimly lit foyer of the River House and dazedly made his way up to his room on the second floor of the home. Dropping onto the foot of his bed, he propped his elbows on his knees, stuffed the heels of his hands into his eyes and pressed so hard that a constellation of lights popped into his vision.

He needed to get up. He needed to fly. He needed to lay down. He needed to get drunk. He needed to go to sleep. He needed to scream until there was nothing left in him. He needed to curl up and cry.

There was an animal inside of him clawing to get out, ripping at his chest so hard he swore he could feel it tearing underneath his ribs.

What was wrong with him?

After a few minutes there was a knock on his door and Azriel jolted up from the hunched position he'd been in.

Peering in through the cracked doorway was Mor. When she met his gaze, she gently swung the door open the rest of the way. It was silent for a moment as she looked over him as he remained sitting on the foot of the bed.

"You should go back", Mor whispered delicately into the depth of the room.

Azriel's brows furrowed. He just stared at her, tried to read her expression. There was nothing but quiet contemplation on her beautiful face.

"You should go back", she repeated, simply. Mor's assessing gaze tore into him. He could feel the truth she wielded cutting through him as they looked at one another.

Azriel said nothing. Couldn't choke out the words and only shook his head.

Mor at last entered the room fully and crossed over to where he remained sitting.

She gently grasped his face between both of her hands and angled him up to look at her. Her fingers were delicate and soft against his skin as her thumbs stroked short arcs soothingly against his cheeks. There was a time that he would've killed for a touch like this from her.

Now all Azriel could think about is what the same touch would feel like under wider, stronger, warmer palms. If there were fiery amber eyes looking back at him instead of warm brown ones.

His eyes pricked at the thought and he attempted to duck out of Mor's grip, cowering at the weight of everything he felt.

"You're the one who asked me to leave with you. Why should I go back," he asked her, staring at the tile underneath her shoes.

"I wanted you to have a few moments alone, away from the Rite's magic so you could clear your head and think without it influencing you."

His shook his head again, "I don't want to go back."

"Yes you do. You know you do."

"I don't want to want to go back." He looked back up at her.

"You don't need to be afraid of it anymore, Azriel. We love you, every part of you. No matter what you choose." This was the Morrigan of Truth who spoke to him now. The fae who saw every facet of the world around her with uncharacteristic clarity.

She didn't elaborate before heading back out of Azriel's room and down the hall. She left his door open.

Azriel sat there. He counted to a hundred before standing up and hurtling out the door and down the stairs. He rushed out into the front courtyard, made his way to the ward boundaries and winnowed away in a swirl of shadows.

.…........................

The hum of a crowd didn't meet him this time as his feet touched down in the Autumn court for the second time that day. The buzzing of insects and the rustling of wind blowing through leaves were the only sounds that kept him company.

He didn't recognize the land where his pesky shadows deposited him. He intended to go back to the same spot he originally left.

He felt, more than he heard, someone winnow into existence behind him.

Azriel drew his blade and spun around, expecting to find an attacker awaiting him.

It was Eris.

His hand holding the knife went limp and dropped down in shock.

"How did you find me so quickly?" he asked.

"I could find you anywhere you go, Azriel."

His name was butter in the High Lord's mouth. He wanted to grab Eris and taste the tongue that said his name like that.

"You came back." Eris's pupils were blown wide as he looked Azriel up and down. He'd become a creature of the Rite, the power making him more monster than male.

Azriel's blood rushed in his ears in response.

"I did."

"Why?"

"Why do you think?"

"I need to hear you say it." The male clawed back control to ask that question. To hear Azriel give his consent.

Azriel let him stew in silence, driving Eris mad. He was nervous to let the words out of his mouth.

Growing impatient, Eris said, "Azriel."

"I want you... Eris. I want this. I want you."

With a groan at his words, Eris rushed to Azriel and slammed his lips into his.

The first press of Eris's lips against his own was like a lightning strike. It made Azriel's skin burst to life with the power of it.

Azriel slid his hands into the silky red strands of the male and held him close. He angled the male's head to the side to deepen the glide of their lips along one another.

Eris's hands, which had gripped his waist, moved down underneath Azriel's jacket to brush along the skin of his lower back. His hands burned a path along Azriel's skin, just how he imagined they would. At the sensation, Azriel let out a small groan.

Eris used the opportunity to slide his tongue into Azriel's mouth. His tongue stroked along Azriel's own, sending a shiver of desire down his spine.

The taste of Eris was better than he ever expected; it made him feel high. He barely drew a breath, not wanting to part from Eris's mouth for more than a second. His taste was more gratifying than air.

Azriel pressed his front into Eris until they were fully flush, his hardness pressing into the other male's own.

"Azriel, fuck," Eris backed away for a moment to murmur on his lips. "I need- I need-," he didn't finish that thought before leaning in to give more sucking kisses to Azriel's bottom lip.

A broken groan escaped Azriel as the High Lord bit down on his lower lip, his cock growing harder in his pants.

Eris pulled off him again and grabbed Azriel's face between his hands to keep him still. That didn't stop Azriel from chasing his lips for more.

"Have you been with a male before?" Eris asked him.

"I'm 545 years old, Eris, of course I've fucked males."

Eris growled at the statement, eyes blazing. He grabbed Azriel's ass and dragged him back in for a few moments.

Panting to catch his breath, Eris said, "That's not what I mean." He squeezed his ass for emphasis.

Oh.

No, he hadn't. Not that it didn't appeal to him but he could never give someone control of him like that. But looking at Eris, into the face of the male he'd grown to know so well the past year, Azriel didn't feel the same trepidation that tended to hold him back. Azriel realized that he actually trusted Eris. He wondered when that happened.

"I want to." With you, only with you. He hoped his eyes conveyed the truth he wouldn't speak.

Eris leaned in and gave Azriel a gentle kiss before winnowing them away.

They reappeared inside the hollow of a massive tree. It must've been the oak Eris spoke about before.

It smelled mossy and the air was damp inside the trunk. As Azriel predicated, only dirt lined the floor.

Eris conjured a couple faelights that rose above them and sent a gentle glow cascading down upon the pair.

There was a beat thrumming in the air. It pounded so loud through Azriel that he felt his heart skip to match its beat. The sound made his head swim with a heady sensation.

He saw Eris in front of him similarly affected.

His gaze dropped to see tenting at the front of Eris's pants. His wings twitched with the arousal that flooded him in response. He needed him. Now.

Always knowing what was on Azriel's mind, Eris hooked a finger through one of Azriel's belt loops and dragged him back toward him.

Instead of his mouth, this time Eris ran his lips down Azriel's throat. They were delicate kisses that sent goosebumps over Azriel's arm. The male seemed to be savoring the pounding of Azriel's pulse beneath him. When he reached the soft hollow between his neck and shoulder, Eris sucked hard.

Azriel's knees buckled beneath him. Only Eris's strong arms supporting him kept Azriel up as the High Lord laid claim to the sensitive spot.

Azriel shoved at the coat draped around Eris's shoulders. The maroon garment thudded to the dirt floor with success.

Once that was gone, Azriel slid his hands under Eris's silk white shirt and traced along his back and chest. Though Eris was leaner than him, shapely muscle lay underneath his clothes. He had been general of Autumn for close to five centuries, the training required for that now showed in the strong chest and abdomen that Azriel's fingers ghosted down.

Eris moved on to sucking a matching mark on the other side of his neck. Azriel's head fell to the side as he let out a low, deep whine at the sensation.

"You taste so good," the High Lord whispered into his skin.

Azriel rolled his hips against Eris's in a desperate search for friction. Eris snapped his fingers and the entirety of both the males' clothes disappeared.

A wobbling sound left his mouth as he took in the sight of the naked male against him. Eris's muscled, pale chest and long lean legs made his mouth water. He wanted to taste every inch of him. He pushed Eris to the ground and did just that.

Azriel nipped and sucked down the male's chest, leaving marks and savoring the taste of his skin. He paused when he reached Eris's cock. Where Azriel was long, Eris was thick.

He bent down aiming to take him in his mouth when he was stopped.

"No." Eris's chest was heaving. "I can't- don't want to finish yet. If you take me in your mouth, this'll be over far too quick."

Azriel smirked, leaning down to lick a long stripe up the underside of him anyway before leaning back on his knees.

Eris followed him up and pushed him down onto his back. The male settled between Azriel's legs and looked down at him.

"Is this okay for your wings?"

Azriel never let his wings get trapped like this. In his centuries of taking lovers, would only ever be on top. But the sight of Eris above him made his cock twitch and blood heat, and Azriel knew it was alright.

"It's fine."

Spurred on by his confirmation, Eris bent down and took Azriel in his mouth without preamble.

Azriel shouted a groan at the warm sensation of Eris's mouth around him. He worked Azriel slowly, tongue dragging along him. Eris was looking at him, watching his every reaction with blazing eyes.

After a minute, Azriel started to feel a tightening in his lower stomach. He was already so close.

Just then, Eris's hand that rested on his thigh, slid over to press into the area beneath Azriel's balls. Questioning eyes looked to him and Azriel nodded his approval.

A bottle of oil appeared out of thin air into Eris's other hand and Azriel felt a zap of cleaning magic rush through him. Convenient.

Eris pulled away to pour oil onto the fingers of his right hand. After slicking them up, Eris grabbed one of Azriel's thighs and pushed it up out of the way. He then ducked down and took Azriel in his mouth again while gently pressing the tip of his pointer finger against Azriel's hole.

The Illyrian let out a choppy moan and the High Lord slowly pressed his entire, long finger into him. It was a weird sensation. Neither pleasant or unpleasant, just new. Eris's mouth continued to move up and down him, keeping the pleasure stable. After a few seconds Eris moved the finger within him, steadily withdrawing and pushing back in.

Azriel relaxed around the finger after a few moments and felt Eris's middle finger push in to join it. He hissed at the slight burning sensation that went with it. The High Lord shot him an apologetic look.

Both fingers pressed in all the way together and repeated the same cycle of moving slowly to loosen Azriel up. The only noises were the sounds of Eris's mouth on his cock, the slide of the fingers inside him, and the gentle moans coming from his mouth. As Azriel once again relaxed around the fingers, Eris pulled off him.

He gave Azriel a wicked smirk before curling his fingers up and brushing along a spot that he hadn't yet touched. Azriel's legs spasmed at the jolt of pleasure that shot through him.

"Gods, what was that." he moaned out.

"You must not have been pleasuring those male's very well if you don't know what that is, Azriel."

Eris started thrusting his two fingers harder inside of him, keeping steady pressure on the spot.

Azriel threw his head back, moaning loudly.

Eris pushed a third slicked finger in. The burning only heightened his pleasure this time.

Azriel drew his second leg up as Eris rammed his three fingers into him, no longer taking Azriel in his mouth. He didn't need it. The High Lord's fingers alone felt amazing.

Azriel's hole eased around the three fingers and was taking a fourth appendage in no time. He felt stretched so wide. The amount of fingers Eris had stuffed into him allowed him to brush roughly against that spot every time. Knees drawn up, Azriel's eyes rolled back into his head as he laid there getting fingered by the High Lord. His hands clenched at the ground above his head.

The drums of the Great Rite thrummed around them. The sound clanged in Azriel's ears. The closer he got to finishing, the louder they grew. They reached a deafening crescendo before Eris's movements came to a stop inside of him.

Azriel groaned out in protest. He was about to cum from Eris's fingers alone. His hips thrusted uselessly as he tried to get him moving again

Eris leaned down and sucked Azriel's lips into a kiss. "You're not cumming until you're on my cock, you big bat." He slipped his fingers out of Azriel.

Eris sat back and started slicking his cock up with oil.

"I want you to start off riding me," he said, "that way I know you're in control in the start. The magic is getting to me, I don't know how much longer I can keep it contained and I don't want to hurt you."

The sentiment thrummed in Azriel's chest.

He swung a leg over the male and settled up against his chest. Eris was sat up, a hand on the ground behind him to prop himself. The other was still stroking his cock.

Since the males were the same height standing, Azriel rose over him a bit while sitting in his lap. He leaned forward, unable to resist the temptation of kissing Eris.

When he pulled back, Eris was giving him a look that knocked the wind out of him. There was a well of desire and admiration in his eyes. No one had ever looked at Azriel with such raw longing before.

He felt Eris line himself up behind him. The head pressed against him and Azriel rocked his hips back slightly. He had to press hard to get the tip to pop in and when he did, he released a long whine at the burn.

Azriel gripped the High Lord's shoulders tightly. His features twisted at the discomfort and he stayed motionless for a while. With one hand still holding himself, Eris raised the other to rub along Azriel's lower back.

Eris tilted his chin up and recaptured Azriel's lips. It proved a welcome distraction and shortly Azriel was rocking his hips again, taking more of Eris's cock in him.

The hand Eris had on his lower back was gently pushing him down on every rock, increasing the pace at which Azriel took him. It was the only sign of desperation from the High Lord.

Once Eris was far enough inside him that he didn't need to guide his cock in anymore, his hand reached around Azriel's front to press a thumb against the skin between Azriel's balls and hole.

The jolt that shot through Azriel was similar to the one from the spot inside him. With a renewed desired, Azriel pushed down into the press of Eris's thumb. As his hips chased the pleasure of the pressure, Azriel was surprised to find himself meet the jut of Eris's hips below him. He had taken him to the hilt.

He leaned into Eris's neck and moaned loudly at the feeling of the male's cock fully enclosed within him.

"Fuck. So good Azriel. You're so good."

Azriel was stretched so wide on the base of Eris's thick cock. He felt the tip deep within his stomach.

In that moment, Azriel was completely owned by the High Lord.

He raised his hips up a few inches and dropped back down. Eris let out a rasping groan and tightened his arms around Azriel.

Azriel's shadows wrapped around the pair as he began to ride Eris in earnest. Eris's cock scrapped deliciously along that spot inside of him and Azriel rode him hard, addicted to the feeling.

His full, leaking cock bounced forgotten beneath their stomachs.

"You're riding me so good, Azriel. You feel fucking amazing." Eris groaned into his ear.

The praise made Azriel's skin flush. He wanted to erase every fae from Eris's memory. Make him forget anyone that wasn't him.

He bounced mindlessly on Eris's length. Content to stay like that, wringing the helpless moans from the male's mouth.

But the pressure on his thighs grew to be too much and Azriel still needed it harder. He couldn't ride Eris's cock hard or fast enough to get what he wanted.

"Eris," he moaned deeply. "More. I want more."

"Gods, Azriel. Anything. I'll give you anything you want."

"Fuck me, please."

Without pulling out, Eris flipped him onto his back, showing care for his wings. He hooked both of Azriel's legs over his arms and placed his hands onto the dirt floor in the gap between Azriel's waist and wings. He then started pounding so hard into Azriel that the Illyrian saw stars.

The feeling of the full length of Eris's thick cock pistoning in and out him rendered Azriel speechless. All he could do was grip Eris's back and moan into the air in the hollow of the tree.

The beat of the Great Rite's drums resumed, matching the rhythm at which Eris fucked in to him. The slap of their pelvises reverberated in the enclosed space.

Eris dropped his legs and lowered himself on to his forearms by Azriel's head. The shallower angle made him grind furiously against that spot along Azriel's walls. Eris nipped at his lower lip, panting into his mouth.

"You're so gods damn perfect Azriel."

Azriel moaned at the words.

The drums raced around them.

"So. fucking. beautiful." Each word from Eris was interrupted by a brutally deep thrust.

"I wish I could fuck you all night but I'm so close," the High Lord continued on.

Azriel nodded in agreement, wrapping his legs tight around Eris's hips. He didn't want the male pulling too far away from him, not now. He hole was squeezing sporadically around Eris's length.

"I-" Azriel couldn't get anything out, too busy moaning.

The drumming was reaching a crescendo again. It rocked against Azriel's skin.

"What is it." Eris brushed kisses along Azriel's jaw as he fucked him.

The beat around them was deafening.

"I feel so good, Eris-" Azriel groaned out the male's name.

It must've been from witnessing the delirium of Azriel's pleasure that he caused but at his words, Eris shouted out a long surprised groan. Azriel felt the male's cock twitching inside of him and his thrusts stuttered to quick, deep jabs. Heat bloomed within Azriel's stomach from the High Lord cumming.

At the sensation of the pulsing warmth of Eris's cum inside him, Azriel felt his own cock start to shoot. He grabbed himself moaning as his strokes heightened his finish.

As Azriel plummeted down into his orgasm, the drums of the Rite's magic pulsed through him. The beat matching the rhythm of his heart hammering inside him. Azriel's legs tightened around Eris as they both rose and fell through the waves of their pleasure, creating their own rhythm that sang with the magic of the night.

Fingers still dug tightly into the pale muscled back above him, Azriel's release came to an end. His legs dropped and relaxed to the ground as all his strength flooded away. He felt Eris's cock give one final kick inside him before he too finished and relaxed fully down onto Azriel's front.

The thrum of the magic in the air came to a stop, the sounds of the woods rushing in to fill the silence left by the drum's departure.

They laid there, Azriel wasn't sure how long, catching their breath. He closed his eyes, laid his head back, and enjoyed the warmth of Eris pressed against him.

The pressure on his wings soon became too much and he shifted, pushing slightly at Eris's hips.

With a groan, the male on top of him pushed up onto him arms, staring down between them as he pulled out. Azriel hissed at the sensation.

"M'sorry," Eris murmured, rubbing a hand down Azriel's thigh soothingly.

Eris Vanserra was rubbing his thigh.

Hundreds of fae showed up tonight with the hopes they'd be the lucky ones selected to sleep with the High Lord. And here Azriel was, in the middle of some historic magical tree, spend dripping out of him, getting his thigh rubbed by Cauldron-damned Eris Vanserra.

It was completely fucking surreal.

Azriel giggled. He didn't think he'd ever giggled in his life.

He felt drunk on the atmosphere. Maybe this was an after-effect of the magic's let-down; after the high of Rite abated you were left feeling delirious.

Eris took one look at him and started laughing too. They were definitely delirious.

Leaning his weight forward into his forearms again, Eris rested his forehead against Azriel's collarbone as laughter kept rocking his frame. Azriel buried his face in the silky red hair below him, chuckling into it.

With deep breaths, they both collected themselves.

Eris rose up onto his knees and glanced down between Azriel's legs.

"Fuck," Eris groaned, throwing his head back," You need to close your legs or I'm going to be ready for round two in a few seconds."

Azriel burst into laughter again, kicking Eris away from him.

"Gods," Eris moaned as he clambered to his feet. He reached a hand out for Azriel who took it and forced Eris to do most of the work pulling him up.

Azriel wrapped his arms around Eris's hips, the other male grabbing his bicep and throwing his second arm around Azriel's neck.

Silence weighed down on them as they stood facing each other. Eris's thumb left a path of heat in the arcs it swiped along Azriel's bicep. His other hand played in the short cropped hair at the base of Azriel's head.

With the high of the night seeping from his system and Eris's hands tracing warm paths along his skin, Azriel felt his eyes start to droop.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" Eris whispered, lips only mere inches away from Azriel's own. Anything louder would've felt like a shout in the calm atmosphere around them.

Azriel nodded in assent, he wasn't sure any words would make it out of him.

He leaned forward capturing Eris's lips in a delicate kiss. They stayed like that, mouths moving slowly together, until Eris pulled again with one last nip to Azriel's lower lip.

"C'mon," he murmured, backing away from Azriel. With a snap of his fingers, Eris magicked both of their clothes back on.

Azriel walked up to press into Eris's front again and raised his hands to straighten the male's cloak which skewed haphazardly on his shoulders.

"Magic is not a precise science," Eris justified.

Mustering up the energy to speak, he replied, "You're such an ass."

Cackling, Eris winnowed them away in a crack of flames and light.

...........................................

The large rustic living room of Eris's manor was blessedly cool.

Warmth prickled along Azriel's skin, it felt like the sun was beaming down on him. He'd lived most of his life at a temperature that matched the night-time air on a crisp autumn night. This was a welcome change but an odd adjustment.

Azriel had a feeling the fire lord with him had something to do with it.

His eyes traced the wooden beams that led to the top of the room's vaulted ceilings as Eris moved around the kitchen in the distance.

Shuffling alerted Azriel to his entrance back into the living room.

He eagerly accepted the tall glass of water Eris handed to him and chugged it in one go, spilling a good portion of it down his chin.

"Brute"

Azriel glared at him through the glass.

"Didn't stop you from fucking me."

Eris's eyes darkened at the words, the right side of his face was lit up from the moonlight pouring in through the sizable windows that framed the woods outside. The High Lord only shrugged, grinning wildly.

His own grin grew in response. This was probably the most he'd smiled in one day. There was an ache in his cheeks from his overuse of the action; mindlessly he rubbed at the sore spots.

"Get used to it," Eris said.

Azriel didn't know if he meant the fucking or the smiling. Both would be fine, he figured.

They stumbled upstairs, giggling like a pair of drunk younglings every time Azriel's wings caught on the stairs. He was usually much better about keeping them raised but his body felt like it'd been sitting in the birchin for an hour- every muscle loose and tired.

Eris's bedroom was large and its foundation was laid by the same rich, dark wood that Azriel had loved in the kitchen. On the opposite side of the bedroom's entryway was a wall of windows and a glass door that led out to a partially enclosed terrace.

In the moonlight, Azriel vaguely deciphered a few plush couches and ottomans clustered together out there. They were enclosed by concrete columns that lined the terrace's perimeter. Enough space was between each column that, if Azriel wished, he could climb the railing and sail out over the autumnal canopy on his wings.

"You look like you're plotting your escape." Eris's sharp gaze tracked Azriel's own. He'd always been able to read him like book much to Azriel's chagrin.

"A good fighter always has an exit strategy."

A flash of sadness crossed Eris's expression at his words. There- and then gone- before Azriel could truly register it.

Reality began crashing in around him, settling a heavy weight on his chest.

To distract himself, he stepped onwards into the room and continued his assessment of the space. To the right was a massive fireplace framed by a large picture window on either side. Azriel saw the glow of faelights at the Forest House in the distance. There were two leather armchairs placed in front of the fireplace.

The left of the room held a palatial bed, wide enough to comfortably fit two winged fae if desired.

It was a wonderful space. If Azriel had ever desired to design his own, it likely would've looked a lot like this. It was nothing akin to Feyre and Rhy's palatial, overly ornate estate, or the soulless sandstone interiors of the House of Wind. Eris's room- his house- was warm and inviting, it beckoned Azriel in like a moth to a flame.

Eris, having followed Azriel into the room, continued on, "There are stairs up to the roof... if you wanted to know other escape options. It'd probably be easier to take off and land there."

Azriel turned to face the male behind him and asked, "Why do you have stairs to your roof?" Odd indeed for a male who could never and would ever be able to fly himself.

"Why not?" Eris wouldn't meet his eyes then.

But Azriel knew. Deep down he knew, had always known.

The roof. The two armchairs in front of the fire place. The dining chairs carved for wings. The male's burning gaze that was able to melt away centuries of ice that coated the outside of Azriel's soul.

He knew what it all meant, used to be terrified of it. Yesterday afternoon he feared it so much he could hardly breath.

He wasn't scared anymore.

And Eris knew too. Had likely known far longer than Azriel- he was always so clever.

Eris had probably figured it out forever ago and let it rot away inside of him. Trapped in his mind, tormenting him like the scars from his father that would never mar his skin.

"Centuries, Azriel," Eris muttered. It was as if the fire-blooded male in front of him, who still would not look at Azriel, could read every thought that ran through his mind. Could he?

Silence settled around them. Eris's attention focused on the dew fogged window next to them. He looked fixedly at the Forest House lights gleaming in the distance.

"I've wanted you- this- for centuries," Eris ground out. The truth, at last.

"I have known for centuries." Each word out of Eris's mouth sounded pained.

Azriel walked up to the male, reached out a scarred hand to gently grab his chin and turned his face towards him.

He traced every inch of Eris's face with his thumb. The strong jaw that framed everything. The sharp cut of the cupid's bow on his full lips. The long, straight bridge of his nose. The flushed cheeks that burned under Azriel's touch. The constellation of freckles that dotted his porcelain skin. The permanent crease between his brows, the only sign of mortality on his beautiful, immortal face.

He looked nothing like Azriel but looking upon him was like gazing into a mirror.

"All this time? Everything?" Azriel whispered. He couldn't find it in himself to elaborate, desperately hoped that Eris would once again understand what he meant.

"Everything. Always. It was always you." Eris's brows cut together, a look of sorrow and desperation overtaking the face under Azriel's thumb.

A small whimper escaped Azriel's lips but he clamped down on it.

The small sound must've been enough for Eris because it seemed a dam broke inside of him with the way his next words poured out.

"From the first moment I saw you at Hewn City, I knew Azriel. I could feel it so deep in my bones that it ached. But the engagement to Mor had already been finalized and I had no clue what to do. I knew you loved her, saw how you looked at her. I felt sick. My mate-"

Another whimper broke from Azriel's lips at the word. Eris spoke it with such finality and confidence.

At its utterance, a key clicked into place deep inside Azriel's chest and opened a truth that he had known all along.

"My mate," Eris continued "was in love with the female I was set to marry. Quickly, I grew to realize Mor's desperation for freedom, the truth about herself she kept hidden away. I couldn't help her. Azriel, you have to believe me. I tried. But, I had so little power to fix the situation. Leaving her there- in the woods, leaving her to her freedom, it was the best I could do. I thought she would understand. I thought you would underst-" Eris's voice cracked on the last word and he ducked his head down out of Azriel's hands to hide it from view.

Composing himself with a deep breath, Eris raised his head and continued on.

"I never imagined my actions would lead to you hating me for centuries. I thought I'd have a chance to explain. I thought you- Mor- Rhysand- anybody- I thought somebody would understand that if I helped her, she would have become a ward of my court. Trapped there. Keir knew; that's why he left her in my woods. Eventually I realized it was for the better- you hating me. I was a fool for ever thinking otherwise. I still had no power against my father and if he ever suspected, ever got a whiff, of what you were to me, he would have tried to kill you. He most certainly would have killed me. And it all would have been for nothing. I knew I did the right thing after he executed Jesminda. She was harmless, so innocent, a member of his own court, and he still killed her for the crime of being a lesser fae in love with my brother. It was then that I decided to never do anything but make you hate me. I wanted you as far away from me as possible. I could handle the torture my father inflicted upon me but the one thing I'd never be able to bare was him hurting you. Not you. Never you."

Eris's voice shook as silent tears cut across his cheeks. Azriel wondered how he could still be so beautiful while he cried.

"You were this precious thing that the Mother had blessed me with and the only thing that mattered to me was keeping you safe. And the only way I could do that was by keeping you far away from me and the reaches of Beron. Then everything with Amarantha happened. Forty-nine years under there and Azriel, you were the only thing that got me through it. Knowing you were safe, wherever you were, and that you were out there. I made a vow to myself that if I lived through the ordeal, if I ever managed to be free, I'd fix my wrongs. I didn't want to die knowing you still hated me. I wanted to see you, at least once, look upon me with something other than loathing. But then I got addicted to it- addicted to you not hating me anymore. Addicted to being with you, speaking to you, learning about you, playing gods damned chess with you. I crave it more than I crave my next breath. Five hundred years of torment and the past year has made every second worth it. I would do it all again. I would suffer another five centuries of you loving another, another five centuries of facing my father's cruelty, another five centuries of being hated by all of Prythian just for this- just for you."

Azriel's vision blurred from the tears flooding in his eyes, mind whirring as he tried to process the weight of Eris's confessions. No words came to him. Instead, he leaned forward into Eris's shoulder and sobbed. He sobbed and sobbed, releasing centuries worth of sadness and pain and loneliness that had built up inside him. He found a comfort in the crook of Eris's neck that he'd felt never anywhere else before.

It was as if his soul knew he'd met his mate all those years ago in the depths of Hewn City and had been decaying inside him ever since, growing sick at the distance that separated it from its other half. As Azriel leaned into the warmth of Eris, he felt a small part of his frozen, sad soul started to heal.

Eris said nothing, stroking a thumb across the back of Azriel's neck. He leaned more heavily into the sturdy support of Eris's body with each soothing swipe.

"Let's go to bed," Eris whispered into his ear once the sobs stopped racking Azriel's body and his choppy breathing evened out.

There'd be more time to talk tomorrow. The darkness of the night felt too fragile for the words they would need to share, the decisions that needed to be made.

Eris turned his head and gently brushed his lips across Azriel's. They fell in to one another, deepening the kiss before pulling away to catch their breath.

Eris ran the hand that was on the back of his neck down his arm, fingers ghosting across the sleeve of the dark green jacket Azriel wore. At the cuff, he danced along the black sewn embellishments before finally trailing down to tangle his fingers with Azriel's.

Wordlessly, he pulled him towards the bed.

When they got to the foot of it, Eris raised his hands up and began unclasping the silver buttons that held Azriel's jacket closed. He then reached around his back and unbuttoned the ones that ran from the bottom hem to the base of his wings.

"I really do like this jacket on you," Eris whispered into the depth of the silence.

"I knew you would," Azriel murmured back.

He said nothing about the disbelief that twinkled in Eris's eyes. He knew Azriel too well.

Kicking off his shoes and shucking down the tight black trousers he wore, Azriel rounded the bed to the right side closest to the wall of windows. Behind him, he heard Eris also undressing.

Azriel lifted back the heavy duvet and stretched out on his stomach, hoping to give his wings some reprieve from the pressure they'd endured that night. The cool cotton sheets tempered the burning he felt inside of him.

Eris climbed in next to him and laid on his back.

Turning to face the High Lord, his High Lord, he reached out a hand to grasp the wrist that lay closest to him and stroked the delicate skin there.

At the contact, Eris slid over underneath Azriel's outstretched wing, moving closer to him as their gaze locked.

Fire blazed deep inside his amber eyes. It felt like an old friend; one that had scarred him long ago but would never again.

They probably should've bathed, should've eaten something, should've talked more. But the smell of sandalwood and cinnamon flooded Azriel's senses, seeping the energy from his body. All he could do was watch the fire dance in the eyes next to him and think about how Eris smelled like a long-lost nostalgia that he'd finally found.

For the first time, sleep welcomed Azriel with open arms and he felt at peace.

#azris #azris fanfiction #azriel x eris #azriel x eris fanfiction #eris vanserra #azriel #azriel acotar #azris supremacy #acotar #acotar fanfic #azriel fanfic #eris fanfic #my old friend fire

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alexawynters · 4 months

Text

Scarlet Whispers pt. 7

Gif not mine

A/N: A first date. Ish. Also, I do not understand fashion, can't put together an outfit irl to save my life. I had to do much googling and running the descriptions by several people before I deemed it "acceptable". Again, edited while stoned. Lissen. Lissen. It helps with my seizures more than any medications ever have and now that I'm allowed to smoke again, I will be. I wrote this while in the hospital if I recall so hopefully the time I was able to dedicate to it shines through?? Eh.

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Female!Reader

Trigger warnings (let me know if I forgot to tag anything): Mentions of past child abuse, stalking, horror, dubcon, kidnapping, stockholm syndrome, gaslighting, angst, smut. There will be bits of fluff tho.

Rating: M. Minors DNI

Masterlist with parts 1-6 here

When Wanda told you that morning she had a surprise planned, you weren't quite sure what to expect. As a woman with the ability to bend reality, the possibilities were endless. You inquired about the dress code, hoping for some insight into where she might be taking you. However, she left you puzzled when she said you could wear whatever you were comfortable in. When you sought clarification, expressing concerns about being under or overdressed, she delighted in flustering you. “Detka, you could wear a paper bag, and you would still be the most beautiful person in the room.”

You resisted the urge to flee the room when you saw the hungry look she gave you. Stumbling over your words, unsure of what you had said, you simply nodded and went back to your room to get ready. Soft chuckles echoed down the hall as you left, and you were thankful she couldn't see the pink dusting your cheeks. It was clear that she knew the effect she had on you, and her laughter confirmed it. It seemed like flustering you was her favorite pastime, and she had stopped pretending otherwise. Unsure of what to do with this information, you searched your closets for something suitable for the day.

Uncertain about the plan, but wanting to strike a balance between casual and dressed up, you decided to wear a dove grey short-sleeved button-up shirt. This choice exuded a casual yet polished vibe. The short sleeves provided a relaxed and laid-back appearance, while the button-up style added a touch of sophistication. Rolling up the sleeves suggested a practical and comfortable approach, perfect for a less formal setting. If Wanda were to take you somewhere slightly fancier, you could always unroll the sleeves.

For the pants, you decided to go with black slim-fit chinos. They offer adaptability, comfort, and the ability to seamlessly transition between different dress codes and occasions. You paired them with a simple black leather belt with silver accents. As for the shoes, you selected black and white Bruno Marc Rivera Oxfords. These shoes strike a balance between the formality of dress shoes and the relaxed comfort fit of sneakers.

Once you had picked out your outfit, you headed to the bathroom to get ready. Unlike witchy, you didn't have magic to speed up the process. Wanda hadn't given you a specific time limit, but it was probably better to get ready sooner rather than later. After a quick shower, you applied a simple layer of tinted moisturizer to your face. Feeling more prepared, you got dressed and made your way to the main hall to meet Wanda.

You were wholly unprepared for the sight that greeted you.

Before you stood Wanda, dressed in a red and black half turtleneck striped knitted peek-a-boo sweatshirt. The collar doesn't reach Wanda's chin, giving a tantalizing view of her neck, and the shoulder cutouts accentuate her defined muscles. She has paired the sweatshirt with faux leather dress leggings and black high-heeled booties. Her fingers are adorned with several silver rings, and you try not to imagine how they would feel if she were to touch you. As you take in her entire appearance, you gulp. Finally, your eyes meet, and Wanda grins knowingly, making you blush bright pink, and you know she has likely heard your thoughts.

“You look great, Wands.” you complimented, shyly.

The witch preens at your praise and returns it in kind. “You look pretty handsome yourself, detka. Are you ready to go?”

“Well since you won’t tell me where we’re going, I suppose so.” you tease, hoping she will relent and tell you the surprise.

Wanda simply smirks at your attempt and opens a portal behind her. Gesturing "after you," she invites you to confidently step through ahead of her. There was a time when you would have been terrified to go through any magical portal without Wanda physically by your side. However, you had seen enough of her skill to know that nothing bad would happen to you. As soon as you step through the portal, you find yourself facing a fish tank that spans an entire wall. Your heart soars with joy as you realize that Wanda has brought you to an aquarium, one of your favorite animal exhibits.

A soft hand slipped into yours and you heard the warm timbre of Wanda’s voice next to your ear. You could tell she was smiling. "Surprise."

You turned to look at the witch, your gaze filled with awe and gratitude. The only time you had ever been to the aquarium was during a school field trip, which you had managed to afford with some money you had scrounged up over the course of a few weeks. No one had ever taken the initiative to treat you to the aquarium before.

Wanda smiled warmly at you. "I know you feel anxious in large groups of people, so I rented the place just for us. You can take your time exploring any of the displays without worrying about anyone getting in your way. We have the entire day, dorogoya, and I have another surprise planned for dinner." She gently squeezed your hand and gave you a quick wink.

A gentle warmth fluttered in your chest, as if a burden had been lifted. No one had ever shown such thoughtfulness and kindness towards you. The fact that Wanda had listened attentively when you shared your fondest childhood memory of visiting the aquarium, and went out of her way to recreate that experience for you just to see you happy, made your heart feel alive like never before.

Overflowing with appreciation and joy, you couldn't help but throw yourself into the witch's arms. With her reflexes honed during her time with the Avengers, she caught you in a gentle embrace. As she felt her sweatshirt becoming damp with your tears, Wanda was about to ask what was wrong, but before she could utter a word, you whispered a quivering "thank you" while holding onto her tightly.

For Wanda, this didn't feel like the anticipated victory. Instead, her focus was solely on how perfect it felt to have you in her arms, as if that was how it should always be. She had missed you so much. While being the big spoon every night technically meant she was still holding you, it was a completely different experience for you to actively seek out her touch. Now that you were, Wanda never wanted to let you go.

She whispered comforting words to you while holding you, with one hand gently playing with your hair as you calmed down. After what felt like both an eternity and not enough time, you released yourself from her embrace and wiped away some of your tears. You apologized, feeling embarrassed. In a gesture of comfort and intimacy, Wanda's thumb wiped away the remaining tears from your face.

“You never have to apologize for your feelings, Y/N. Not to me. I am glad you trust me enough to be so vulnerable.”

You watched, dazed, as Wanda brought her thumb, the same one that had just wiped away your tears, to her mouth. While maintaining direct eye contact with you, she slowly inserted her thumb into her mouth and used her tongue to clean your tears from it.

“Uh.. Yeah. S-sure.” Ever the quick wit from you…

Pillow-like lips curved playfully. "Come on, detka, let's see what this place has to offer?" The witch extended her hand to you, and in your daze, you accepted it. She simply had to guide you to the first exhibit before your initial shock gave way to excitement for the day. Soon, you were practically bouncing from one plexiglass panel to another, enthusiastically discussing the beautiful fish you encountered. Throughout the entire experience, you never released Wanda's hand, and she was thrilled to let you hold on.

Wanda was captivated by your innocent excitement. Her laughter tinkled melodically as you narrated the fish's experiences to her, even going so far as giving them names. Your enthusiasm for your special interest, your extensive knowledge about fish surpassing her own, and your ability to provide additional details not found on the descriptive plaques, left Wanda gazing at you with love and amusement in her eyes. Of course, you were too engrossed in the beautiful fish to notice, and she happily listened to your enthusiastic info dumping.

As you explored the aquarium, you couldn't help but wonder if this feeling of joy was what children often experienced. Being able to take in the exhibits at your own pace, with Wanda attentively listening to your ramblings, made you feel carefree and happier than ever before. Never diminishing your enthusiasm; Wanda remained engaged throughout, even asking follow-up questions to your explanations. It didn't occur to you, but you hadn't let go of each other's hands almost the entire time, and it seemed that neither of you had any intention of doing so anytime soon.

The highlight of the experience was when you and Wanda turned the corner and you found yourselves in an outdoor viewing area that led to an enclosure. As you approached, your excitement grew - it was an interactive penguin encounter! A person dressed in a wetsuit entered through a door at the back of the enclosure and made their way towards you, indicating that they were ready to let you in. After opening the gate, they introduced themselves and warmly welcomed both of you. You turned to Wanda in disbelief, unable to contain your excitement about the opportunity to play with real, live penguins!

Wanda smiled tenderly at your surprise and gently nudged you to follow the trainer into the enclosure. Your hands only now separated, and you almost, almost wanted to skip the adorable birds just so you could continue holding the witch's hand. Excitement prevailed in the end though because how often does one get the chance to pet penguins?

The trainer went to get a bucket of fish and brought it over to you, demonstrating how to entice the penguins to your side. Although the semi-frozen fish felt disgusting when touched, you were willing to endure any uncomfortable texture rather than miss out on this opportunity. With bait in hand, you beckoned to a nearby penguin, waving the fish to gain its attention. Success! The penguin waddled over to you, and you tried to not to lose your shit at how adorable the bird was.

The penguins were clearly accustomed to human interaction. They showed no hesitation in getting close to you to retrieve their dinner. You had anticipated having to throw a fish or two before the penguins would come close enough to touch, but to your surprise, one of the penguins allowed you to pet it while it enjoyed it's meal.

All the while, Wanda stayed in the background, capturing countless pictures, and several videos of you cooing and awing over the birds. By now you had a waddle of penguins surrounding you, and you were thrilled to interact with each and every one of them, not wanting any to feel left out. Eventually it was time to go, but you insisted the trainer take a picture of you and Wanda crouching with the penguins, Wanda feeling overjoyed that you wanted her to be included in this memento.

At first, she stood slightly to the side, positioned to be in the photo but not to draw the focus from you. However, you weren't having any of that, wrapping your arm around her waist and pulling her gently into your side. She laughed at your enthusiasm, grateful for the gesture. While the trainer took the photo, your smile shifted from the camera to Wanda, filled with adoration for arranging such an amazing day for you. Unaware of your change in focus, the witch was too absorbed in the pleasant feeling of being pulled close to your side while the picture was taken.

At last, it was time to go, and the aquarium employee led you guys to where you could wash your hands. Throughout you were waxing poetic about how this was the best experience of your life, and you were pretty sure you were going to go to sleep that night dreaming about penguins. You couldn’t wait to print out the last picture of the two of you and frame it. You thanked the witch profusely.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it, detka. I only wanted to provide you with a memorable experience.” Wanda smiled at you fondly.

“It certainly was that! I don’t think anything could ever top today!”

The witch grinned. “The day isn’t over just yet, dorogaya, we still have a little bit more.”

Your eyes widened. “More? What more could there possibly be?”

“Not much, but it is time for dinner, and why go elsewhere when the aquarium has it’s own restaurant?”

You weren’t going to lie, you had expected the restaurant to be cafeteria style, but you weren't disappointed by the idea. So, when you and Wanda walked in and saw the cozy, dimly lit restaurant, you were pleasantly surprised. In the center, there was a tube-shaped tank stretching from the floor to the ceiling, filled with some of the most vibrantly colored fish you had ever seen. The restaurant itself seemed to curve around this centerpiece as if it was made to showcase the tank. It probably had been.

There was limited seating available, with only one table already set up to host, situated right next to the tank. The table was adorned with a crisp navy linen tablecloth, plush chairs, and a small candle, creating an atmosphere of intimate seclusion. As the maître d’ guided both of you to the seating area, you couldn't help but marvel at the beautiful setting. Despite being a local attraction, this restaurant exuded a sense of luxury. Before the host could pull out your chair for you, Wanda intervened, gesturing for you to sit. Blushing, you followed her instructions, feeling pleasantly taken care of, as she carefully pushed your chair closer to the table and then took a seat herself.

The maître d’ introduced themselves and informed you that your waiter would be with you both shortly. Taking the time to get situated, Wanda asked you how you were enjoying your day so far. Naturally you launched into excited chatter about how wonderful it was, how happy you were to be here, and how thankful you were that Wanda had arranged this for you. You were practically gushing in your gratitude.

“Speaking of, witchy, how did you manage to pull this off anyway? Just out of curiosity. It can’t have been easy to get this done in such a short time frame.”

A wry grin spread across Wanda's face. "You'd be surprised what a little bit of magic and a black card can achieve." She winked, causing your stomach to flutter, and you gulped.

“Well consider me impressed. I think if I were to ever try the same thing, there would probably have a waitlist for a couple years.” You chuckled.

The pair of you settled into easy conversation, covering yours and Wanda’s favorite sights that day.

Of course, your favorite part was the penguins. How could it not be? Not only did you get to see them up close and personal, but you were also able to feed and pet them. You couldn't contain your excitement about printing out the picture, though intentionally not asking to see it on her phone because you didn't want to know what date would show, or if Wanda would even allow you to look. You didn't want to risk spoiling a perfectly good day by asking too many questions and potentially putting the witch in a bad mood.

Wanda's favorite was also the penguins, mainly because she found you incredibly adorable when you interacted with them. Witnessing your happiness, carefree nature and knowing that she had played a part in bringing that joy to you, made her immensely happy.

"I'm glad you're having a good time, detka. You know I would do anything for you," she said, her tone soft and inviting, as she took your hand in hers. Hearing the sincerity in her words, once again you felt upset with yourself for ever doubting her intentions. How could you even think she would betray you in any way? The touch of her hand on yours brought you back to the present moment, and a comforting feeling of warmth spread within you.

Just then, the waiter approached and introduced themselves, asking if you needed a moment or if you were ready to order. Anxiety immediately clouded your mind as you realized you hadn't even opened the menu yet. Before your panic could set in though, Wanda spoke up and ordered for both of you. It was interesting to you, because in past experiences you aggressively disliked when someone ordered for you without consulting you first. This time however you felt surprisingly comforted by it.

Perhaps it was because Wanda was a mind reader, or maybe she just knew you well enough to choose the perfect meal for you. Either way, you were more than content with the meal she had picked. Not to mention the warm feeling blooming in your chest at Wanda, having no doubt noticed your anxiety, had simply taken charge of the moment, so you didn't even have to think.

Once the food arrived, you realized that you were in fact ravenous. The embarrassingly loud growl from your stomach served as a reminder that neither you nor Wanda had eaten anything since breakfast. Sharing a knowing glance, you both burst into giggles. The food turned out to be even more delicious than anything you had ever expected, and you attributed it all to the witch standing before you. An immense sense of gratitude towards Wanda washed over you and you weren't sure if you could ever properly express it.

You glanced at the witch after taking your first bite and were surprised to see her thin hazel irises almost entirely eclipsed by blown pupils. Blinking, you replayed the last thirty seconds in your head to understand what had happened and realized that you might have accidentally moaned at the taste of the incredible food. Oops.

Meanwhile, Wanda's food remained on her fork, halfway to her mouth. The intensity of her gaze made you squirm, feeling as if she would prefer to devour you instead of the food currently on her fork. Your cheeks turned pink, and you coughed, feeling embarrassed.

You mumbled quietly, "The food is amazing."

Voice husky, thick with an emotion you weren’t sure you were ready to name, Wanda replied, “I’m glad you are enjoying it, lyubov moya. Eat as much as you want, if you want more, we can always order extra.” She finally took the bite which had been suspended, all the while never breaking eye contact with you. You subtly rubbed your thighs together to alleviate some of the pressure caused by the increased blood flow to your core.

You quickly redirected your attention to your dinner, trying not to wolf it down in an attempt to distract yourself from the tension. Although you weren't completely certain about the situation, it seemed a possibility that the witch was flirting with you. The atmosphere had suddenly become so tense, and you struggled to understand it. Lack of experience with romantic partners, coupled with your tendency to feel awkward when someone you liked showed even the slightest interest, made it difficult for you. It's no surprise that your social ineptitude often prevented many romantic connections from flourishing in the first place.

Sensing your unease, Wanda swiftly breezed onto another topic. There would be an opportunity to press later on, but it was important to find the right balance between pursuing you and scaring you off. Luckily, she had plenty of time to make it work. And being able to read minds certainly helped.

Grateful for the reprieve, you effortlessly transitioned to the new topic, and suddenly everything felt right again. The rest of dinner went by without any further incidents, and you could honestly say that this day was possibly the best moment of your life.

Wanda appeared to understand your desires, needs, and worries with practiced ease. You had very few friends before meeting her, but after today, you would consider her to be your favorite person. Sure, there had been a few hiccups along the way, and perhaps some concerning signs that you should probably investigate further, but overall, Wanda made you feel secure and content. That was more than enough for you to view things through some rose-tinted glasses as you found yourself yearning for more of her time and attention.

All good things must come to an end, and eventually, the waiter arrived with the check. True to her word, Wanda discreetly presented her black card for payment, aiming to do so in a subtle manner that was not ostentatious. As you both stood to leave, you subtly glanced at the bill, eyes widening at the price as well as the generous tip she left. She had not been kidding about her funds, and briefly, you wondered where the money came from. You hadn't known Wanda to have a job the entire time you had known her. Then again, perhaps the superhero gigs had paid well? You had half a mind to ask her about it later, but knowing you, it would probably be forgotten.

Once out of sight of the aquarium staff, the witch opened a portal back to your cottage. With her arm still around you, you both headed home.

Taglist: @dorabledewdroop

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the-bad-batch-baroness · 2 months

Text

Infectious

TBB & Fem!Reader

Chapter 3: Rumors on Scorro

Summary: You're completing your final practicum on Kamino as part of the experimental non-clone Combat Medic program. After graduating top of your class, and being inducted into the prestigious 407th Medic Unit, you get assigned to Clone Force 99. Neither of you are excited to be working together and tensions run high. However, those tensions dissipate when the Bad Batch unexpectedly falls ill while on a covert mission. Running against an unknown clock, it’s up to you to figure out what’s causing the illness before it ultimately kills you all.

Pairing: TBB & Fem!Reader

Characters: Hunter, Echo, Crosshair, Wrecker, Tech

Tags & Warnings: BAMF fem!reader, enemies to friends, humor, action, angst, hurt/comfort, canon typical violence, mild suggestive themes, explicit medical descriptions, whump

Word Count: 5.7k

Author's Note: WE'RE BACK BABY!!! Yeah, that's right. Finally. After all of this time, the next chapter has arrived 🥳 I told y'all I would be updating my other series fics in the new year, and I meant it. This chapter has some Echo angst in it, because why not. FYI, since it's been 9 months, I went back and edited the first two chapters to match my current writing style. No plot elements changed, just style, grammar, word choice, etc. As always, please enjoy 💚

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3

As the ship leaves the stormy atmosphere of Kamino, you turn your head to look out the transparisteel viewport and are greeted by the sight of endless stars twinkling brightly across the ebony horizon. You smile wide knowing this view will never get old. The galaxy is vast and beautiful, and getting to see it up close and personal, while also doing something you love, is priceless. This really is a turning point in your life. A new chapter to be written and explored.

When the ship levels out, you unstrap from the jump seat and start exploring the Marauder. You have a feeling you’ll be spending a lot of time aboard this ship, so you want to familiarize yourself with it as much as possible. You walk back towards the stern, where Wrecker is, and look around, but there's not much to see. Then make your way back up toward the bow and step aboard the bridge. You weave between Hunter and Crosshair, and stand behind Tech.

“So, where are we going?” you ask while looking over Tech’s shoulder at the controls.

Without turning around, Tech answers. “Agamar. It’s a rather barren planet found in the outer rim. The terrain is inhospitable to most, but we will manage.”

“What’s the mission?” you ask further, excited by the prospect and intrigue.

“There’s a separatist base they want us to route,” Hunter says. “A simple in-and-out mission.”

You nod your head at the explanation, but he makes it sound like routing a heavily guarded separatist base is a walk in the park. You have to remind yourself that they are an elite force of clones and are genetically modified for the toughest conditions. It amazes you that such clones can even exist and your fascination with them grows. You wonder how they look in action and if they live up to all the rumors the regular clones whisper about on Kamino. Only time will tell.

Hunter rolls his shoulders and cracks his neck. “Get some sleep, all of you. We’ll be there in a couple hours.”

You want to say something funny, like 'aye aye captain', but decide not. Instead, you simply nod and make your way back to the bunks. Laying down on the flat rack, you stare up at the ceiling. There are too many pre-mission jitters vibrating through your body to fall asleep. Even after shutting your eyes and calming yourself, it's just not enough. So, you toss and turn, getting more aggravated that your body won’t drift off, since being tired for your first mission is not an option.

You sigh and sit up, then peer around at the others who are soundly asleep in their bunks and chairs. You’re not sure how they can fall asleep so fast. It’s either a genetic thing or a military training tactic, but whatever it is, you don’t have it. You decide to get up and pace around to try and wear yourself out, and when you do, you hear something. The ship is quiet and your ears perk up immediately at the sound. Wanting to investigate it, you quietly slip around your squad.

One by one, you pass by them, waiting and listening to hear who made the weird sound. Not Wrecker. You move on. Not Crosshair either. You check the next one. He’s making noise for sure, but not the sound you heard. It’s not Tech either. You move towards Hunter, a little nervous that he might wake up and catch you staring at him, but you pause and listen. Nope, not him. You purse your lips. That only leaves Echo. Carefully, you tip toe over to him, wait, and listen.

He's not making a sound, and with a shrug, you turn to leave, thinking you’re a level of crazy for hearing things on a quiet ship. Then it happens again. You turn back around and look at Echo. He’s sleeping rather soundly, with soft rhythmic breaths and gentle rises and falls of his chest. No breath obstructions, you note to yourself. You wait and watch for a moment, then he says it again. It’s faint, breathy, and almost unrecognizable as a word, but you hear it regardless.

Fives.

You knit your eyebrows at the odd utterance, and wait a little longer, listening to see if what he mumbles changes or if he’s repeating the same word. After a couple standard seconds, Echo says the same breathy word again. Fives. You wonder what it means. Maybe it’s a special numerical sequence from his time back on Skako Minor? You shrug at the mystery, but are happy that it’s not a breathing issue. You turn to leave him be, but he mumbles something else.

Fives come back.

Oh. Your heart drops. It’s a person. He’s dreaming about someone he knows, or maybe someone he once knew. You sigh and let your eyes turn soft, knowing exactly what it’s like to dream about loved ones. It’s been several years, but you still dream about your parents. Sometimes you can’t fill in all the gaps of your dreams as you slowly forget things, but it still pulls at your heartstrings every time they show up to give you a hug in the realm of sleep.

As your thoughts wander a yawn escapes past your lips. Finally, feeling tired and ready for sleep, you return to your bunk and crawl onto the hard surface. Laying on your back, you close your eyes and take a few deep breaths to settle yourself. You still wonder who Fives is and what they mean to Echo. Your psychology books tell you that dreams can be a subconscious escape or a subconscious desire. Knowing next to nothing about Echo’s past, it could be either one.

You take another deep breath and exhale slowly. Closing your eyes, you let yourself drift off to sleep, but in a split moment, a rough hand shakes you back awake. You shoot up and hit your head on the bunk above you. Ouch. Nursing your newly formed bump, you use your other hand to rub the sleep out of your eyes. When you come out of your groggy haze, you can hear snickering coming from the rest of the squad. Ha ha, yes, very funny. You think to yourself.

“Rise and shine,” Hunter mocks as he walks away from your bunk. “We’re here.”

Gathering your composure, you swing out of the bunk and head over to the cockpit for the landing. You look out the viewport as you enter the atmosphere of Agamar and your face lights up with excitement. This is it. Your first mission. You want to squeal, but something tells you that no one else is going to appreciate it, so you keep it internal. The ship lands on the rocky surface of the planet with only a slight wobble. Tech wasn’t kidding when he said it was inhospitable.

Your excitement grows as the squad gears up with their packs, and you follow suit the same way. You double check your pack to make sure you have all the medical necessities and do a mental headcount of your supplies. Once satisfied with your inventory, you sling it across your back and toss your bucket snug on your head. You’re all set to go on your first mission. The ship door opens, light beaming in, and your heart begins to race. This is it. This is your moment.

You take your first steps forward to leave the ship when Hunter stretches an arm out to stop you. “Not you,” Hunter says. “You’re staying here.”

“What?” you question. “But what about the mission?”

“Your mission is here,” Hunter says. “You’re staying on the ship with Echo.”

“But, sir!” you argue. Your feelings of excitement crumble. “I belong in the field!”

“You belong where I tell you you belong, medic,” Hunter snaps back. “Or are you ignoring an order from your commanding officer on your first mission?”

You huff and clench your fist. “No, sir."

“I didn’t think so,” Hunter says, then turns to face Echo. “We may need a quick extraction, so keep your ears on.”

“Understood,” Echo acknowledges with a nod.

Hunter nods back and heads out of the Marauder with the rest of the squad, well, the rest of the squad except you. You remove your bucket, plop down on your bunk with an angry grunt, and lean your head back against the wall. This entire assignment has been one big pissing match, and every time you think you’re making progress, you get sidelined. How are you supposed to make Kix proud if you don’t see any action? You release another angry grunt and cross your arms.

“Careful,” Echo says. “You’ll lose your voice if you keep grunting like that.”

You roll your eyes. “Aren’t you upset being stuck here?”

“No,” Echo answers. “It’s not unusual for someone to be left back with the ship. Keeps people from stealing it.”

With such a small squad of men to work with, you guess that makes sense, and since Echo is your unofficial chaperone, it makes sense that you were left on the ship with him. However, even though you try to explain it to yourself in those practical terms, you still think it's to spite you. You sigh. At this rate, you’ll never get to prove your worth as a Combat Medic to any of them. To these special clones, you’re just useless dead weight and not worth their time.

As the planetary rotation moves forward, you find odd things around the ship to busy yourself with, but you’re still bored. Echo is not much of a conversationalist and he hasn’t moved from his spot in the cockpit. You end up sprawling yourself across the seat in the gunner’s nest and looking out the window at whatever draws your attention. There’s some trees, a little snow on the ground, and a few stray wildlife that come into view. Nothing too spectacular, that’s for sure.

Finally, after hours of sitting by yourself, you decide to go back to the cockpit and sit with Echo. You're still curious about this Fives person he mentioned in his sleep, and you think maybe now might be a good time to ask him about it. You walk into the cockpit and sit down in the chair across from him, bending one leg up onto the chair and resting your chin atop your knee. Echo silently acknowledges your presence and returns to looking at the setting sun over the horizon.

You fidget with your fingers as you mull over whether to ask him about what you overheard last night. It might be private, and he may not want to tell you, but your curiosity is getting the better of you. “Echo,” you ask. “Who's Fives?”

Echo shifts uncomfortably in his seat and stays silent for a couple of minutes. “How do you know that name?” he asks. His words hang heavy in the air.

“You…” you begin, then pause, unsure of how to tell him. You don't want to sound creepy, but honesty is the best policy. “You said it in your sleep.”

Echo sighs, but doesn't turn his gaze from the orange sunset. “Shouldn’t you have been sleeping too?”

“I’m not used to sleeping on ships,” you answer. You can tell by the tone of his voice that this is a sore subject and you're starting to regret bringing it up.

Echo swivels his chair to face you and worries his lip. His eyes are full of sadness and his countenance is engrossed in pain as he searches for the words he's looking for. A small smile flashes across his lips. You wonder if he's thinking about a memory.

“He was my brother,” Echo says, his voice quiet at the strain of saying his thoughts out loud.

You can tell by his choice of words and his tone of voice that this brother isn’t around anymore and you feel a twinge of sadness settle in your gut. You understand a thing or two about the loss of a loved one. “What happened to him?” you ask.

“He was murdered,” Echo says, his fist tightening as he looks back out the viewport. “By one of our own.”

Your expression turns from sadness to shock and then confusion. A clone killing a clone? Does that even happen? Why would a clone do that? Your mind rushes a mile a minute trying to wrap your head around the idea, but you cannot seem to reconcile it. It’s too bizarre of a concept to comprehend. Every clone you've ever met was a brother to the one next to him. So, for a clone to kill another clone, it’s like a family member killing another family member. It’s unheard of.

“I’m sorry, Echo,” you offer as a consolation. “You must miss him.”

“Yeah,” Echo says, his voice distant. “I do.”

“I miss my parents all the time,” you say, trying to bridge the gap and build a connection.

“I remember you mentioning they’re dead,” Echo says as he turns to face you.

“About ten years ago,” you add. Now it's your turn to look out at the sunset.

“I’m sorry,” Echo says.

“It’s fine,” you shrug. “It hurts, but it doesn’t hurt like it used to. I know they’re out there watching over me, somewhere.”

Echo snorts. “You believe in that Jedi force stuff do ya?”

“Not really,” you answer with a small laugh. “But everyone needs to believe in something.”

“That’s fair,” Echo says.

“When I look up at the stars,” you begin with a smile while staring fondly out at the horizon, “it’s almost like I can feel them with me, you know? Watching over me as I make my way in the galaxy.”

“Sounds nice,” Echo says.

“I bet Fives is watching you too,” you say, then look at Echo with soft eyes. “He hasn’t left you alone, just like my parents haven’t left me.”

“Maybe,” Echo shrugs, then chuckles. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he came back to haunt me.” His brief small smile fades as his countenance reverts back to a frown.

“We’ll see them again some day," you say, trying to stay hopeful. “I just know it.”

“That would be something, wouldn’t it?” Echo half-jokes, but you can hear the part of his heart that wants what you're saying to be true.

He wants to see his brother again, desperately. So much so that he calls out to him while he sleeps. He must agonize over Fives’ death. You understand because you’ve been there. You’ve stared death in the face, the kind of death that leaves you thoroughly alone. You don't need to understand psychology to know what his subconscious thinks about on a daily basis, and your heart hurts for him, but you know there's nothing in your medpack to mend a shattered heart.

You and Echo stare out of the cockpit in silence and watch the sun fall beyond the horizon, sharing in this solemn moment and appreciating the company. The veil of night arrives and the stars begin to shine in the dark sky. The billions of bright burning lights feel comforting. The stars aren't very visible on Kamino, but here, on this planet, they are bright and beautiful. You relax your shoulders and lean back, thinking that maybe this assignment isn’t so bad after all.

However, your sweet moment is interrupted by Hunter’s voice over the comms. He’s calling in that quick extraction now and by the amount of yelling and blaster fire in the background, this is going to be a hot one. Echo relays the affirmation, sets the coordinates, and lets Hunter know that both of you are on the way to pick them up. You're slightly surprised that Echo included you in the transmission, but now is not the time to be celebrating your first taste of inclusivity.

“Civvy, strap in,” Echo orders as he starts pressing buttons and flipping switches to get the ship going. “This is going to be a bumpy ride and I don’t need you falling out of the ship.”

Ah, there it is. You sigh and head back towards the jump seats and strap yourself in for the wild ride ahead. Echo expertly maneuvers the ship to the squad's location and brings it in low so they can climb on board. You can hear the blaster fire outside and as the door opens to the ship, you watch them file in while firing off blaster bolts to cover each other. It’s the first time you’ve seen any of them in action and you're a little awestruck. They don’t move like other clones.

Tech next to Echo and Hunter yells for them to get them out of here. The ship moves again, this time more aggressively, as the enemy continues to fire at the Marauder. Wrecker moves to the gunner’s nest and shoots down the vulture droids that are following behind. You tightly grip the bars on the jump seat as the ship rocks from the blasts. Thankfully, the shields are up. The ship flips upside down, sideways, and every other way you can think of to out maneuver the droids.

At long last, the ship breaches the atmosphere and moves into space. Tech initiates the hyperdrive and pulls the handle down to enter into hyperspace. Once safe in a hyperspace lane, you let out the breath you were holding in, then flick the safety release on the jump seat and push them over your head. You get up from the seat and wobble forward, not realizing your legs turned to jelly from all of the excitement, and let your feet stabilize before trying to walk.

“Woah, that was fun!” Wrecker hollers as he brushes by you and moves towards the cockpit. “Echo, you should have seen this place. It was crazy.”

“Not as crazy as being sling-shot across a ravine,” Crosshair grumbles and pushes past you. He sits down in one of the swivel chairs and starts cleaning his rifle in silence.

“I said I was sorry,” Wrecker apologizes. “But we won!”

“Correction,” Tech says as he lifts a pointed finger in the air. “I won.”

Crosshair rolls his eyes and pulls a few credits from his pocket and hands them to Tech.

“Much obliged,” Tech says as he stuffs the credits in one of his many satchels.

The exchange has you lost in bewilderment. Clearly, something happened during the mission and you’re curious to know the details. You look at Echo, hoping he'll ask for more information about it, but he doesn’t, leaving you more curious. You do find it odd, however, that they had some form of amusement out on the battlefield. From your time on Kamino, most clones don't find blaster fire fun. Clone Force 99 really is different compared to the rest of the clone forces.

“I assume your mission was a success?” Hunter asks while walking by you, breaking you from your thoughts.

“Yes… sir,” you answer with a twinge of hesitancy, a little unsure of what your mission was other than staying on the ship with Echo.

“Good,” Hunter says. He reclines in one of the empty swivel seats and clasps his hands behind his head. “Glad to hear it.”

You can’t tell if he’s being serious or if he's trying to make fun of you. Either way, you brush it off and focus on more pressing matters, like what's next on the mission agenda. Will you go back to Kamino? Or will you wait for more orders? That’s what good soldiers do, isn’t it? Follow orders? You’re still unfamiliar with all of this, so you’re not sure what to ask or what to do with yourself. Rather than make new issues by asking more questions, you retreat back to your bunk to relax.

But the boredom of waiting creeps in and you start to doze off. Your eyelids are heavy even though you barely spent any energy this rotation. It doesn't take you long to remember that you didn’t get much sleep the night before and now that the adrenaline is wearing off, your body is telling you it needs rest. You don't fight it and let your body go to sleep, hoping you won’t be woken up. As a medic, you must get rest whenever you can so you can be at your best at all times.

This time you wake up on your own terms, when your body feels rested. You’re not sure how long you were out, but no one bothered you so you assume everyone is still waiting for new orders to come across. You sit up in your bunk, without hitting your head this time, and stretch out your arms. You roll your shoulders and crack your neck. The bunks aren’t exactly soft, but they do their job. Swinging your legs over the side of the bunk, you get up to use the refresher.

As you head towards the refresher, the rest of the squad is huddled around and speaking amongst each other. Hunter looks serious and has his arms crossed, which can’t mean anything good, and Echo is arguing with him, again. You forget the refresher for a moment and walk over to add your presence to the mix. Hunter notices and glances at you before turning back to Echo. Not realizing where you are standing, Crosshair gives you a small jab on your behind with his rifle.

The sudden touch startles you. “What was that for?”

“You’re blocking my view,” Crosshair hisses. “Move.”

You roll your eyes. “You could've just asked me to move, you know. That's borderline harassment.”

“If you looked more like a window than a door, I wouldn’t have to borderline harass you,” Crosshair snarks and flicks his toothpick in your face.

Your nose scrunches and eyes close when the little wooden projectile hits your face. As your frustration builds, you take a deep breath to calm yourself. You want nothing more than to tell that sniper where he can shove his rifle, but you won't. It's not worth it because it will only fuel his bullying further. Instead, you choose to let it go. This time. There are points where you will cross the line, and he keeps dancing around that line. If he ever crosses it, you'll let him know.

“Can we get back to more important things?” Hunter asks, shifting his gaze between you and Crosshair.

Echo huffs and shakes his head. "I don't like it."

"We don't have to like it," Hunter says. "Orders are orders."

"What orders?" you ask.

Hunter swivels to face you. "There's rumors of an imperial base operating out of Scorro." Tech pulls up a holo of the planet and Hunter continues his explanation. "According to our intel, the GAR sent a squad of clones to scout the base, but their comms suddenly went silent. Another squad of clones were sent after them with the same result. Now they want us to investigate."

"Do they know what happened to the clones?" you ask, curious as to what's causing Echo's skepticism.

"No," Hunter crosses his arms. "They were never recovered."

"No one went back to get them?" you ask.

"It would be a waste of resources," Tech adds. "Besides, based on the trend, sending another clone squadron would yield the same results."

"But aren't we another clone squadron?" you ask, this time your nerves bleed through.

"Stop worrying!" Wrecker exclaims. "We can take on whatever they throw at us!"

His words don't make you feel better about the situation. While Echo is the only one openly objecting to the new mission, Hunter's facial expressions tell a different story than what he's leading everyone to believe. Your first inkling was the fact that he hasn't shoved you aside for this conversation. In fact, he's answered your questions without issue. He's serious about this in a way he hasn't been since you've met him. The fact that Hunter is worrying, has you worrying.

"I still don't like it," Echo frowns. "How'd they lose two clone squadrons without so much as one distress signal?"

"Maybe a new type of droid?" you offer. "Or their signals were jammed?"

"Groundbreaking ideas," Crosshair says.

"Everything is a valid option," Echo adds.

Crosshair rolls his eyes.

"Enough," Hunter says. "We're going to Scorro to investigate the rumors and to find the missing clones. Double-check our supplies and prepare for anything."

With the sergeant's final words, everyone scatters to prepare for the mission, except for Tech who punches in the new coordinates and sets the course for Scorro. You linger in the cockpit, silently observing Hunter as he pulls out his knife and twirls it around his fingers. The mission makes you nervous even though it shouldn't. You'll probably end up staying on the ship again, but maybe that's not a bad thing. You shake your head at the thought. That's not why you're here.

"Sergeant–"

"You too," Hunter says before you get a chance to ask. "You're coming with us."

You smile and nod. "Thank you, sir."

"Don't get the wrong idea," Hunter adds. "I need Echo for this mission, and I'm not leaving you alone on the ship."

"Yes, sir," you frown then turn back towards the bunks to get yourself situated.

Of course it would be too good to be true. For a second, you thought he actually wanted you on this mission, but he just wants to keep an eye on you. As a medic, you can help the missing troopers if they need medical attention, which you're confident they will. Your presence on the mission should be vital, not just an afterthought. Although, you shouldn't be upset that you're going on a mission, but you wish it was because of merit and not for the sake of babysitting.

Regardless, you will do your best on this mission and prove to Clone Force 99 that you are a good medic. That they need you. You're not sure how, but you will. When you get back to your bunk, you triple-check the supplies in your pack and stock as many bacta patches and stim shots as you can fit, plus some essential fluid and mineral packets, ration bars, and a few medical odds and ends that make sense to bring along. You want to be prepared for anything.

With your preparations made, it's another waiting game until you reach Scorro. You don't remember reading about that planet in your studies, but apparently it's rather primitive in nature, which is why no one has settled on it. It's an abandoned planet, making it a great outpost for mercenaries, pirates, and separatists. Pulling out your data-pad, you do a little more research to see what you can find out, but come up with the same dismal results that your holo-texts had.

It's not much longer before the Marauder drops out of hyperspace and the olive-green planet comes into view. When the holo-text said that Scorro was primitive, it wasn't kidding. It looks new and unabused by modern progress, and its vegetal hue is highly alluring. Your curiosity has now surpassed your trepidation about the rumors and missing clones. You're excited. This is a great opportunity, even if it's dangerous. The closer you get to the planet, the faster your heart beats.

“According to the scanners, there are no active fauna on this planet,” Tech states. "But the air is breathable."

“Just because the air is breathable doesn’t mean it’s good for you,” you point out. “Carbon monoxide is breathable but you’ll die before you figure out it’s bad for you.”

“Correction,” Tech adds. "The air is non-toxic towards human life-forms."

"Glad we could sort that one out," Crosshair says. "Any more words of wisdom?"

You narrow your eyes at him. "No."

"Take us in," Hunter says. "Land just outside the coordinates of the last clone squadron."

"Affirmative," Tech says, then flips a few switches before piloting the ship into the planet's atmosphere.

Once the ship has landed, Hunter addresses the group. "Our mission is to locate the two missing clone squadrons and investigate the rumors about an separatist base of operations. We'll use teams of two and spread out in an 800 meter radius from the last known coordinates. Keep the comm lines open and have your blasters at the ready."

Everyone nods and gears up, including you. Before you put your bucket on, you glance at the medic mark on your shoulder pauldron. No matter what happens, you have a job to do. You're a medic first. These men, your squad, are in your care and it's your responsibility to make sure they all survive. Steeling yourself for what's to come, you bite back every lick of fear that tries to take hold in your mind. You've trained hard for this, and you're not going to get cold feet now.

The side loading ramp opens and the bright sunlight of the planet blasts into the dimly lit ship. No turning back now. You follow the rest of the squad out of the ship and step onto the fresh earth of Scorro. For someone who grew up on Coruscant and spent the last cycle on Kamino, this much vegetation is mesmerizing. The sun is so warm, and the earth beneath your feet is so soft. This virgin planet is breathtaking. You take a few more steps forward, then Hunter stops.

"Tech, Crosshair, go east," Hunter says while pointing in that direction. "Wrecker and I will go north. Echo and Civvy, you'll go west.

The group nods and heads out in their respective directions.

"Stay frosty men," Hunter says over the comms. "There's no telling what we'll be up against out here."

You and Echo silently walk towards the western end of the perimeter, keeping your eyes peeled for any signs of the clone troopers or separatists. After a couple minutes, the silence grates on your nerves, but Echo seems focused right now. A little too focused. You know this mission bothered him from the beginning, but there seems to be something else about the way he carries himself that indicates it's not just about the mission being odd. There's something deeper.

As you continue forward, your foot kicks something hard. Looking down, you catch a glimpse of the familiar white plastoid clone trooper helmet, which is attached to a body shrouded by tall weeds. Your stomach flips. You weren't expecting to find one of them so quickly.

"Sarge," you say in the comms. "I found a trooper." Crouching down, you check for a pulse, but as you expected, there is none. "He's dead."

"We're making our way to your position now," Hunter says. "How'd he die?"

While your medic training didn't have an autopsy course, you inspect the body for the usual suspects. The armor is still intact and there's no signs of a struggle, which you find odd. There's no blaster marks, claw marks, bites, or scratches on the armor either. The black bodysuit isn't even ripped. He must have died from something. You pull back some of the black bodysuit and notice the tissue is necrotizing, but you don't see anything suspicious. Then you scan the body.

"Civvy, status," Hunter interjects over comms.

"I'm not sure how he died," you admit while reviewing the results of the scan. Echo looks over the body too, but doesn't come up with anything substantial. Not that you needed a second opinion.

"What do you mean you're not sure?" Hunter asks. "You're a medic, you should know how people die."

"There's no wounds," you explain. "He looks normal. Fine, even. Besides being dead." You don't mention it, but the fact that there are no organisms feasting on the clone's flesh also baffles you. You'd figure there would be more decay markers, but there's not even a single worm.

Hunter and Wrecker make it to your position and Hunter looks over the body, confirming what you said. "Then how the kriff did he die?"

You look up at Hunter from your crouched position next to the body and shrug. "We'd need a full autopsy to determine that, but the scans indicate no internal injuries either."

"So, he died from nothing?" Echo asks.

You shrug again. "Maybe he had a heart attack. That doesn't show up on portable scanners."

"Eighteen clone troopers died of a heart attack?" Hunter asks, his voice sounding distant.

"No," you rebut. "But maybe this one did."

Hunter points past you and you stand up to see what he wants you to look at. You tilt your head from side to side, scanning the area he's pointing at, when a glint of white pops up on your HUD. Then another. And another. Your eyes widen and your mouth gapes. The ground is littered with seventeen more troopers half-covered in tall weeds. The first squad and the second squad, dead mere meters from each other. You've never seen so many dead bodies before.

You feel your stomach grow queasy, and you rip off your helmet to vomit. As a medical student, you've seen cadavers, held organs in your hands, been bathed in blood, but nothing prepared you for the sight of a mass death. There's something menacing and sickly about it. You know most clones are never retrieved from battlegrounds and you know most clones will never see a proper burial, but knowing and witnessing are two different things. It's heartbreaking.

"You all right?" Echo asks.

You pant from the spasmic exertion, but find your voice. "I'm fine."

Tech and Crosshair arrive at your position soon after, and take note of the bodies. Everyone feels it now, the pressure looming thickly in the air. Something happened on this planet. Something killed these eighteen troopers and it killed them silently. There's an anxiety that creeps in as you wonder what it possibly could be. What is the silent hunter? How does it find its victims? And how can you and your squad escape from it? Perhaps, it may even be too late.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Echo says to Hunter.

Hunter sighs. "Me too."

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3

Masterlist

A03

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