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verefex · 6 months

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Caged Giant(Titan Origins) pt 3

Part 1 -- Part 2

Still going with the same title, for now. More story and direction in the next part, but for now, some context clues and lots of giant/tiny interaction!

Content warnings in tags.

It was a quiet night. In the desolate forests of the north, where a single road snaked through the dense conifers, an unusual pair dozed off together.

Stretched out across the cold ground, Sky’s titanic form laid still, nearly completely motionless save for the swelling of his chest as he breathed, warm puffs of air swirling from his nostrils. In his hands lay Lark, the human, abandoned by her own kind.

She slept curled up in the giant’s palm, who held her close to his face as they slept. It was an exhausting and eventful night, and the quiet dawn was a small comfort in the midst of a war.

Sky was the first to awaken. While he was accustomed to sleeping, his instincts woke him up to check on the tiny little thing sleeping in his hand. Blue eyes blinked awake and darted down to his curled fingers, wherein Lark slept quietly.

Sky breathed a sigh of relief and slowly rose up, cradling the human’s small form in his fingers. He sat up and cupped his hands in front of his face and examined Lark, watching for a few moments for any sign of stirring. When she continued sleeping, the titan decided to let her doze for a little longer. He leaned back against a sturdy pine, his massive form straining and creaking the branches and trunk. Even sitting, the top of his head nearly cleared the top of the trees.

The titan sighed, glancing around the surrounding forest. They had settled down not far from where he found Lark by the side of the forest road. This area was not safe in the daytime, as there were likely to be traveling scouts. Sky, being 130 feet tall, stood high above the treeline, his huge frame visible for miles. It was best to lay low until it was time to move.

Some time passed. Lark was finally starting to stir, waking up dreamily in the giant hands of a titan. She blinked herself awake and rolled over, bumping into Sky’s fingers, which curled protectively on top of her. Lark laid still for a moment, remembering quickly that she and Sky were something of a team now. Confined in the giant’s hand was a comfort for her, not something to fear.

Lark reached up and placed her hand on the tip of Sky’s index finger, giving it a few pats. Sure enough, Sky looked down and stretched open his hand, seeing the smiling face of his tiny companion looking up at him.

“Why, good morning.” Sky rumbled, his solemn face softening into a warm smile as he looked down at his hands resting in his lap.

“Mmm… morning.” Lark replied sleepily, stretching out her limbs as Sky stretched out his fingers. She peered up at the giant’s face, partially obscured by his chest.

“I hope you slept well. It’s been quiet so far out here.” Sky said as he scanned the area again.

“I slept pretty good! What’s the plan for today?” Lark asked up at the titan.

“You know… I’m too hungry to think straight.” Sky rumbled as he shifted uncomfortably against the creaking pine. As if on cue, the giant’s stomach groaned, the sound sending shivers down Lark’s spine.

“Oh… of course…” Lark said quietly as she instinctively gripped Sky’s fingers tightly. The two had such a nice night together, it made her forget that she was in the hands of a man-eating giant. She already narrowly avoided getting eaten by him, not once, but twice.

“Mmm… it’s too bad nobody’s come around yet this morning.” Sky sighed as he leaned his head back and licked his lips. “Although…” He then glanced down at Lark and lifted her up closer to his face.

Lark couldn’t help but stiffen up as Sky stared at her as he mentioned, not very subtly, eating humans.

“Hey, I don’t mean you.” The giant laughed as he noticed the concerned expression on his tiny companion’s face.

“I… am not okay with the idea of anyone being eaten, Sky.” Lark said as she averted her gaze from the giant’s. “I know it’s how you sustain yourself, but… I don’t know… there’s gotta be other options.”

“Well, sure…” Sky rumbled as he brought Lark even closer to his face to speak. “I can’t expect you to be okay with it. Hmm.” The giant glanced around the quiet glade. Part of him was hoping for another convoy of humans to pass by, but how could he capture them now that he had Lark to fret about?

“No, but… I don’t want you to starve, either.” Lark said as she noticed that Sky was holding her closer and closer to his huge face. “I just… wish I could help you, somehow. But there’s no way one human could cook enough food for a titan.” The woman sighed in defeat as she leaned back against Sky’s fingers.

“Yeah. Maybe if humans weren’t so scared of me, we could help each other instead, huh.” The giant chuckled. It was because of fear that the war against titans started, after all. The two races have never known peace.

“Don’t worry though, Lark. I won’t eat anyone with you around.” Sky nodded as he leaned forward and started to stand to his full height.

“R-really? But…” Lark stammered as she put her arms out to brace herself as the giant’s hand rocked her with his rising movements.

“It’s no problem.” He lied. Ignoring the pang in his abdomen, Sky glanced around, his head and chest rising about the treeline. Among the conifers were various deciduous trees. The giant reached out with a massive hand and plucked a heavy branch off of a large maple, and proceeded to chew on it, stripping the leaves with his teeth and crunching down on the woody part with ease.

Lark watched in shock as the titan snacked on a plain branch of leaves and twigs. Not only did he chow down on the tender leaves, but on the bark and pulp of the wood. His enormous teeth made short work of the branch, and Sky reached over without a word and yanked off another branch, eating it in the same manner as the first. He made a face that showed pleasant surprise as he chewed on the tough, rather inedible substance.

“Is that… good?” Lark asked as she stared upwards at the hungry giant from his free hand.

“Yeah, actually.” Sky swallowed and continued eating. “It’s sweet.”

“What else do titans eat?” Lark asked curiously, still amazed how Sky made an entire tree seem edible.

“You know. I don’t think we have a specific diet… I’ve eaten all sorts of things.” Sky mumbled as he crunched down. “I don’t know if you know this, but our history is pretty unknown. Not even other titans know where we came from or what our purpose is.”

“I know that titans appeared out of nowhere a while ago…” The human replied as she glanced at Sky’s towering form. She never imagined that she would be in this situation, huddled up in the middle of a giant man’s palm. Yet here she was, after spending the night with him, no less.

“Mhm, some came from the earth, some from the mountains, even the seas.” The giant said as he looked up at the sky thoughtfully, a leafy branch hanging out of his lips. “I woke up in a meteor so… hmm.”

Sky stopped chewing and stared down at Lark suddenly. His face became serious.

“Does that make me an alien?” He said, without a hint of irony in his voice.

Yet, as Lark gazed up at his intense, glowing blue irises, she glanced down at her lap.

“I… maybe? Huh…” She muttered. “Meteors come from space… UFOs come from space…”

“I’m a god damn alien.” Sky retorted as he loudly bit down on a thick maple branch. He chewed a few times before chuckling and holding Lark up to his face. “Anyways, are you hungry, Lark? Thirsty? Sorry, I should have asked sooner. I can’t think straight on an empty stomach.” The giant said gently as he gazed at the tiny woman sitting cross-legged in his palm.

Lark stared back at him, wide-eyed, in the face of a giant man who moved on quite fast after declaring himself extra-terrestrial. Though, as soon as he asked her that, she blinked and nodded at him.

“...I am, actually. But I don’t think I can eat what you’re eating.” She giggled.

“What, you’re telling me you can’t bite down on this solid hunk of wood?” Sky rumbled in amusement as he leaned over and snapped off the top of the tree, biting into it with a loud crunch.

Lark smiled and shook her head, rather enamored by the titan’s jaws. “I’m just a little human!” She giggled. “Anyways, don’t worry about me too much, Sky. Food has been hard to come by for us for a long time, too.”

“But you’re so little… there should be plenty, no?” Sky mused as he chewed, peering curiously down at the woman in his palm.

“We’re in a war, remember?” Lark sighed, laying back in Sky’s hand. It was so easy to forget, being in the hands of the enemy… literally.

“Oh yeah… so where’s all the food then? Hoarded?” The giant asked.

“Probably. By the rich, people who have stocked up, overpriced grocery stores...” Lark shrugged.

“Then that’s where we’ll go.” Sky nodded as he finished off the last of his woody snack and stood up, scanning the horizon.

“Go? Go where?” Lark squeaked as she was rocked about by the giant’s stance. She peeked out through Sky’s protective fingers at the landscape, so small in comparison to her living perch.

“To the ‘store’.” The giant smiled as he took one thunderous step, then another. Each step in his massive stride carried them swiftly through the forest. Sky held the woman close to his chest as he walked, securing her firmly.

“Wh-what? You can’t just… you’re not going to just, steal, are you?” Lark gasped as she was positioned comfortably against the broad chest of the giant.

“If I recall correctly, you are a bit of a thief, yourself.” Sky chuckled, glancing down at the woman in his hands.

“I-I am a lot more small and discreet than you are! Everyone will suspect Mr. Giant if he smashes a hole in a building and swoops a massive handful.” Lark said shakily as the wind whipped around her. Sky’s enormous stride made short work of the ground, easily going as fast as a car even at a walking pace.

“Aww, I like that. Mr. Giant.” Sky boomed as his towering body pushed through trees and branches, snapping them with loud cracks as his arms and legs brushed past. “Don’t worry, I know a certain outpost that would be happy to lend us some supplies.” His lips curved into a mischievous grin.

Lark stared up at the giant’s face incredulously. “You mean…”

“Yup. The very group of humans that left you.” Sky winked down at Lark. “They owe us big time.”

Lark instinctively gripped Sky’s hand tighter. It was true that the group she was with left her in the woods alone last night to fend for herself after encountering Sky. But was it really a wise decision to incite them further by breaking into the camp?

“Sky… I… really don’t need much. I’m not very big.” Lark said timidly as the two of them quickly approached the location of the camp.

“Don’t worry yourself so much. Just sit back and let Mr. Giant handle it.” Sky rumbled as he unzipped his jacket’s breast pocket and lifted Lark towards the opening. Before she could protest, Sky tilted his palm and slid her neatly inside.

“Sky!-” She squeaked as she was enveloped in his warm, roomy pocket. She slid down past the zipper and into the bottom of the fabric-lined pocket, where it was dark but not completely. The giant’s hand patted her a few times from the outside, pressing her against his chest before those same fingers pulled the zipper shut- except for a small crack, enough for Lark to peek out of if she so chose.

With his hands free, the titan smirked as he planted his boots in the ground and cracked his knuckles. The outpost was just ahead, in a clearing in the trees. Just beside it was a wooden watchtower, unsurprisingly alerted to his presence. Sky moved towards the tower first.

“Titan! Titan here!!” The man in the watchtower yelled into his radio as Sky approached. With just a few steps, he closed the distance, and bent down so that his face was level with the human’s.

“Great observation.” Sky smiled, and the man at the top of the tower froze. Face to face with a titan, his first instinct was to reach for his rifle slung across his back. As he fumbled for the strap, Sky wasted no time in sticking his fingers inside and pinching the man between his index and middle fingers.

The man screamed as he was lifted out of the tower, held precariously in front of Sky’s face. The titan’s first instinct was to drop him into his mouth, but as he parted his lips, he remembered his promise to Lark.

“Ahh. Darn.” He said in annoyance, then kicked the base of the tower with his boot, sending the entire structure crumbling to the ground with a loud crash. He then looked to the captured human in his hand, sighed, and held him upside-down until all of his weapons and tools fell and clattered to the ground.

“Hang in there, will ya?” Sky muttered as he reached out and dropped the man onto a leafy branch, leaving him to hold onto it for dear life.

With the guard taken care of, Sky then turned his attention towards the main camp. Surely enough, they were already clamoring about, alerted to his presence. The titan merely strode in, parting trees like wheat stalks, planting his enormous boots in the ground as he surveyed the structures.

There were several buildings and tents, parked vehicles, and what appeared to be a storage shed, all placed rather haphazardly in the middle of a clearing in the woods. A few voices shouted from between the buildings as they ran inside, desperate to find cover from the colossal invader.

Sky smiled as he looked down on the frantic group, shifting his weight on his feet as he observed that most of the group was not here. Only a few stragglers remained while the rest of the humans had already gone off in their vehicles for the day. This couldn’t have been easier.

“You all better stay where you are.” The giant rumbled as he crouched down and peered more closely at each structure. At his size, it was difficult to look inside the tiny windows of the makeshift buildings and sheds.

As Sky bent down, Lark shifted in his breast pocket. The change of gravity made her flail as instead of being snug against the man’s body, she was sagging into the fabric underneath her. Peeking her head out, she immediately recognized the place, and realized, thankfully, that Sky was being rather careful with how he was handling the campsite.

“What are you looking for?” She asked Sky breathlessly as she held onto the teeth of the zipper surrounding her head.

Sky glanced down at the tiny face of Lark poking out of his jacket. He gestured with his large hands at the buildings surrounding them. “Which one has supplies? Or better yet, your belongings?”

“Th-that one, that’s where my stuff is-” Lark pointed towards one of the buildings, her tiny hand barely visible to Sky as he glanced down at her. He peered at her, glancing from the building and back to her. He was fairly certain that he knew which one, but he wanted to be sure.

“You, c’mere.” The giant growled as he reached around the back of a shed, where he saw a human hide behind previously. His enormous fingers wrapped around the sneak, who shrieked as he was caught.

Sky brought the loud little human to his face and looked him over. “Oww, oww!” He cried, squirming between the giant’s thumb and forefinger.

“I’m not hurting you. Relax… I just want you to fetch something for me.” Sky said as he loosened his grip on the man even more so, and yet the man only howled more.

“As if I’ll do shit for you! After I almost got eaten… wait, that blue mouth… it was YOU!” The man shouted as he pointed his finger at Sky’s puzzled face.

“Me? Oh, were you in the jeep last night?” Sky chuckled, peering at Devon even closer.

“You ASSHOLE! You broke several ribs when you pulled me out of it! I’ll kill you, let me go!!” The distraught man shouted, and yet Sky’s hand merely closed around him, trapping him even more securely.

“Hey now, keep shouting like that, and I just might finish the job.” Sky said lowly as he brought Devon up close to his right eye. “However… I need you to fetch some things for me. You know, for the one you all left behind.”

“Did you hear me? I said I’m not doing shit for you!” The man barked as he pushed and shoved against Sky’s fingers.

“It’s not for me. It’s for Lark.” Sky uttered as he started to tighten his grip on Devon.

“Lark? She’s still around? With you, no doubt, that traitor!” The man shouted.

Sky sighed, then shifted back onto his knees, kneeling tall on the ground as he angled his head back and dangled Devon above him. His piercing blue eyes stared upwards at the writhing, stubborn little man above his face.

“You know, it’s courteous to hand people their things before tossing them out in the wilderness alone.” The titan rumbled as Devon’s hazel eyes grew wide at the sight below him. Sky’s face filled his vision, eyes burning with contempt. It was all so familiar to Devon, who was almost met with a wet grave in the mouth of this very giant.

“I told Lark I wouldn’t eat people with her around… but I don’t think you really count.” Sky rumbled as he parted his lips and drew his blue tongue along the top of them.

“Wait… okay, wait! I-I don’t want to get eaten so… I’m sorry, please!” Devon cried as his chest burned with pain, pinched between the giant’s fingers, dangling precariously above Sky’s hungry jaws. “I’ll do what you ask… just put me down!”

Sky’s eyes burned into Devon’s for a moment. Lark huddled up inside Sky’s breast pocket, anticipating the horrifying sounds of her ex-comrade getting devoured whole while she curled up helplessly in the darkness.

Sky relented, and bent down, placing Devon onto the ground. He then reared back up and pointed his enormous finger at the whimpering man.

“Collect Lark’s things, along with extra supplies. You got 10 minutes.” The titan boomed as he voiced his commands.

Devon stared at the giant’s fingertip, wider than his own head, then clutched his sides. He spun around in place and marched off towards the inner encampment, where he disappeared in one of the buildings. Twice now, he escaped the jaws of death, only thanks to the traitor. He couldn’t understand why the titan was favoring Lark, but he was in no position to demand answers anymore.

As the injured man went off to fulfill the titan’s request, Sky sat back and watched, observing the barren encampment. A couple humans darted in the windows here and there, but all was silent otherwise. The giant grabbed his chest zipper and pulled it open, peeking down into the pocket where Lark was.

“I’d say this is going on smoothly. Do you need anything else while we’re here?” Sky asked his timid little friend.

“I couldn’t possibly ask for more… um… thank you for doing this, and for sparing Devon’s life, again.” Lark said as she placed a hand on her fluttering chest as she stared up at the opening in the enormous pocket.

“No problem. These people owe you for how they treated you, and well, he’s more useful this way. I can’t exactly pick out such tiny little objects with these hands.” Sky rumbled as he held his hands out, partially gloved.

Lark smiled shyly and pulled herself up, peeking out of the pocket from the zipper’s teeth. Her encampment, all too familiar, looked so small and meaningless from Sky’s chest. As she glanced at the giant’s hands held out, his shadow cast over the buildings below, and the immense girth of his limbs, she felt only incredibly, absolutely, small. Nothing more than an accessory on his outfit, like an adorable adornment peeking out of his breast pocket. She sunk lower between the zipper.

Devon finally emerged from the doorway below, carrying a duffel bag stuffed with various things. The man groaned as he dragged it along the ground, the pain in his ribs too great to carry much weight.

“Here. All of her things, plus some rations.” Devon grunted as he used his foot to push the bag towards the towering titan, who glanced at him with scrutiny.

“Thanks.” Sky said as he reached out and plucked the bag off the ground between his fingers. He brought it to his face and examined it, then placed it back in front of Devon. “Open it, I want to see what’s inside.”

“C’mon, really? I just stuffed everything in there…” the dark-haired human groaned, and Sky raised an eyebrow at him.

“You think I trust you not to sneak something dangerous in there? Open it.” The giant rumbled.

Devon grimaced, standing in the shadow of the titan. He couldn’t stand looking up at him, forced to comply with his demands. If only the rest of his group were here, with their weapons and vehicles. At least then he’d have a chance of getting away.

With one arm holding his ribs, Devon crouched down and unzipped the bag, pulling each item out in view of the giant. Once everything was unpacked, Sky looked everything over, nodding with approval. He then placed his hand flat on the ground in front of the pile of belongings.

“Looks good. Just put everything in my hand, we’ll sort it later.” The giant said as he crouched down low to allow his hand to lay flat, palm facing upwards.

Devon grumbled as he bent down painfully and tossed each object into the giant’s outstretched palm. He glanced up occasionally, seeing the watchful blue eyes of the titan, as well as the timid little face of Lark as she peeked out of Sky’s pocket. The man seethed, yet obeyed.

“Much obliged, little guy.” Sky winked as he cupped everything in his hand and stood up, towering over the quiet encampment, leaving Devon standing in the middle to contemplate the giant’s comment with great disdain.

As Sky turned to leave, he remembered the guard that was in the tower, whom he hung from a branch. With his free hand, he approached the tree and peeked between the leaves and branches, eyeing the poor man clinging to the tree 70 feet above the ground.

“Want some help?” Sky chuckled, holding his hand out underneath him.

“I… I don’t wanna be stuck up here!” The guard said shakily, looking down at the giant’s broad hand. There was only so much time before his arms gave out.

Sky curled his fingers around the guard and snapped the branch as he pulled away, securing the human inside of his fist. He held him for a moment, feeling his warmth against his fingers. So small, weightless. The giant’s fingers uncurled slowly, and the guard stared up at him, motionless.

The titan was overcome with an unusual wave of sympathy for the tiny man. The way he looked in his hand, completely vulnerable, helpless. Any other time, Sky would have eaten him without hesitation. And yet… this human did nothing to warrant such an end.

Lark peeked out of the zipper, seeing the guard in Sky’s right hand. She recognized him as Clay, one of her group members.

Soon enough, Sky let out a sigh. He crouched down and placed his hand on the ground, letting Clay climb off.

“Sorry. Hope your ribs aren’t broken.” He rumbled as he stood up and stepped away, disappearing through the trees and leaving nothing but giant boot prints in the grass. Clay stood there watching, then touched his ribs painlessly.

As Sky walked, he clutched the collection of tiny belongings in his hand. Once they were far enough from the encampment, he stopped and let out a long breath.

“How are you holding up, Lark?” Sky asked gently down to his pocketed companion.

Lark peeked her head out and looked up at the giant. “I’m fine, um, thanks again for this…”

“It’s no problem. Let’s sort through this stuff.” Sky said as he lowered his enormous body and sat cross-legged on the cool ground. Once settled, he fully unzipped his breast pocket and reached in, pinching Lark between his fingers and removing her from the fabric confines.

Sky set Lark in his left palm, in the middle of her belongings strewn about. She looked at everything, recognizing most of her stuff with some random bits and bobs thrown in there. Devon was not thorough, but this was more than what she expected from him.

“Looks like everything’s here!” Lark said cheerfully as she sat in Sky’s palm and started putting things in the bag. Sky smiled and held his palm steady, watching her pack. All of her tiny little articles of clothing, snacks, and tools looked like colorful flakes in his enormous hand.

Lark caught sight of the giant watching her, and met his gaze. His expression was serene, as if he was completely content in seeing her do something as mundane as packing a duffel bag.

“Sky… can I ask you a question?” Lark asked timidly up at the gentle giant, who nodded.

“Of course.” He said eagerly.

“Why did you spare everyone? You’re a huge, terrifying man that eats humans like me. It would have been so easy for you to just...” Lark clutched her bundle of clothes close to her and averted her gaze, curling up in the giant’s palm.

Sky fell silent and dropped his gaze in thought. He could feel his tiny companion’s faint weight upon his upturned palm.

“I don’t know. It’s strange. I have this gnawing pain in my gut, even after eating the whole tree.” He said quietly. “But… you all are just so small, there’s no way you could fill me up. I don’t want to eat you, but my stomach is saying otherwise. It doesn’t make sense.”

Lark looked up at Sky’s face, which fell solemn. She put down her clothes and crawled forward on his palm, placing her little hands against them reassuringly.

“Well, I guess being hungry all the time might make you feel desperate. Like when you wanted to eat me…” She laughed uncomfortably, remembering how she literally fell into his mouth when they first met. “But you should be full after eating, right?”

“Yeah, that’s the thing, though. I get these… pangs in my gut. And then I can only think about eating one thing. Sometimes it’s humans, sometimes it’s clay or gravel or even metal.” The giant sighed as he placed his right hand on his stomach.

“...metal?” Lark asked incredulously.

“Yes.” Sky said through a grimace. His belly felt like it was tying itself in knots. “I guess it wasn’t happy with the tree.”

“… you should not be eating trees! And gravel! Sky…” Lark gasped as she gripped the giant’s glove under her.

“Well, normally I don’t get sick if I eat those things…” Sky said with a blush. “I’ve eaten plenty of trees. But today is just not a tree day.” He chuckled as he slowly laid on his back with a groan, resting his left hand on the ground along with Lark and her belongings.

Lark glanced at her things strewn about the giant’s hand, and decided to quickly stuff everything away before attempting to climb up closer to Sky’s face. His enormous body sank heavily into the grass, while the giant closed his eyes and rubbed his belly painfully.

“Are you going to be okay, Sky?” Lark asked as she carefully walked up along Sky’s forearm. Sky grunted in response, keeping still as his tiny companion resorted to scaling him.

“Yeah. I’m tough.” He chuckled, opening one eye and peering over towards his shoulder, where Lark’s tiny head appeared over the curve of his chest. “Where are you going, hm?”

“Oh, um, do you not want me to climb you?” Lark suddenly felt silly, having invited herself up on the giant’s body without permission. But her fears were dashed when Sky helped her up onto his chest by lifting his arm up, pushing her right onto his left breast.

“Just be safe about it, that’s all.” Sky smiled as he lifted his massive head up to see the tiny woman standing on his chest. She looked so out of place, as if she didn’t plan on what to do once she did get on top of the mountain.

Lark crouched down on Sky’s chest, hearing the rumble of his breaths and the pounding of his heart just below her. She glanced behind her, where the rest of his body lay outstretched, so wide.

“Your poor tummy.” Lark said as she watched Sky’s giant hand slowly rub up and down on his middle. “I can’t believe what you put in there.”

“If you’re so concerned, you can rub it from the inside.” Sky said cheekily, and Lark stared at him in shock.

“Noo!” She squeaked, and the giant giggled in response.

“I’m kidding, c’mon.” Sky smiled as he reached up and gave the top of her head a careful, gentle pat. “But don’t worry, I can handle eating things that humans can’t. Just part of being a titan.”

Lark closed her eyes as the pad of Sky’s finger touched her blonde hair. The force of his touch combined with his soft chest underneath her made her fall back on her rear with a gasp.

“If you say so…” She said quietly in response as she glanced around her. The giant’s massive chest and jacket surrounded her, and suddenly she felt safer than ever before. It was like nothing in the world could get to her now.

“Are you going to lay here for a while, you think?” Lark asked, glancing towards Sky’s head, which was laid back on the ground while he rubbed his belly.

“I think so. Why?” Sky asked in response, lifting his head up slightly so he could peek at the little woman on his chest.

“Uh, I dunno, I kinda want to sort through my things and get a snack from my bag… um, if that’s alright.” She said as she fiddled with her fingers, glancing at the giant’s peering blue eyes.

“You just want to stay on top of me, huh?” Sky rumbled with a smile.

“I was trying to avoid saying it that way…” Lark sighed.

“Aww. You like being on my chest.” The giant chuckled as he reached over on his left side and fumbled around for Lark’s duffel bag.

“It’s new, okay? I’ve been in your hand for the most part… this is a lot more stable.” The human said as she placed her hands on both side of her and patted the giant’s coat.

“Well, who am I to deny you a comfortable rest? Stay as long as you like.” The titan smiled as he produced her bag, bringing it up to his chest and setting it beside her.

Lark smiled sheepishly at the titan’s welcoming gesture. She reached over and rummaged in her bag for a granola bar, then laid back on Sky’s broad chest.

Sky glanced down at her, a tiny little thing laid out on his left breast. Her entire body rose and fell with every breath in his lungs.

“Come closer.” Sky said, peering down at her. The woman sat up and looked at him quizzically.

“I’m literally on top of you…” Lark responded, to which Sky brought his right hand up to his bare neck and patted it invitingly with a knowing smirk.

“No, closer. Don’t be shy.” The titan rumbled as he stretched his neck out, exposing his warm skin.

Lark stared at his neck and jaw from her perch on the giant man’s chest nervously. It was one thing to rest on his clothed chest, but for him to invite her to his bare neck…

The shy woman touched her arms, remembering the embrace of the titan’s lips the night before. It felt like a dream, a wonderful one. Perhaps, to Lark, the concept of a giant truly loving a human was just too unheard of for her to accept it fully.

And yet, she found herself rising up with a wobbly gait, shoes sinking into the giant’s chest as she scaled it, making her way along the man’s oversized zipper.

Sky laid still, calmly breathing as her little feet tread gingerly up his pectorals. It almost tickled him, sending small shivers up his neck. He thought about helping her up, grasping her and lifting her to his neck, but he was patient. It was intriguing to him, being so large that his body was like a mountain she was climbing, and every little movement of hers was transmitted to his senses.

“Almost there…” The titan rumbled as she grasped the edges of his jacket collar. He dared not to move his head now, for fear of shaking her.

Lark stood in place, fingers curled around a single tooth of the giant’s jacket zipper. Before her was the muscular, wide neck of the giant. Sky’s massive body was like a whole world in itself, and she was merely glimpsing a portion of it across her entire vision.

“I don’t suppose there’s a certain way you want me to do this?” The woman squeaked, touching her fingers to her breasts. This was all so new to her, she didn’t want to embarrass herself with the giant anticipating her every touch.

“Whatever you want.” Sky smiled, unable to see Lark as she stood on his collarbone. “It’s warm, you’ll see.”

With a final exhale, Lark let go of the zipper and stumbled forwards, stepping directly on the giant’s soft throat. Her feet sunk into his neck and she immediately lost balance and fell forwards, clinging to Sky’s larynx.

Lark froze for a moment, hearing the rush of the titan’s breaths through his throat beneath her. The sound was like a distant waterfall, deep and droning. She giggled and pressed her cheek into Sky’s bare skin, her body finding itself quite comfortable in the crook of his neck.

“Ah…” Sky said softly, and Lark’s eyes widened as his voice rumbled in his throat. “Interesting choice.”

“What?” Lark responded questioningly.

“Oh, well, if you want to stay there it’s fine. But you might have a hard time napping. You’ll get bumped every now and then.” Sky said softly, bringing his hand up to his neck and brushing his fingertips against the woman’s legs.

“Bumped?” Lark asked again, glancing up at the bottom of the giant’s jaw from her position on his throat.

Sky merely tilted his head back slightly and swallowed, sending his larynx up towards his jaw and back down along his neck. The protrusion slid down against Lark’s body, which indeed bumped into her rather quickly.

“Ah. I see now.” Lark said as she became acutely aware of the sound of the giant’s wet gullet. She planted her palms against his skin and pushed herself down his neck, settling into his soft, lower throat.

“Sorry.” Sky chuckled as he himself settled in the grass, glancing up at the clouds. The pain in his stomach persisted, but it was easier to ignore when he had Lark to snuggle with. Though, as he swirled his tongue in his mouth, he remembered the way that she tasted.

“It’s okay, you can’t help it.” Lark said as she snuggled into the giant’s neck, pressing her face and hands against his warm skin. Sky was right, this was a lot warmer than the surface of his jacket.

The two laid together for a while, just enjoying each other’s company in the quiet forest. Moments like these made it easy to forget about the turmoil the world was in, with everyone in arms against each other. Humans against humans, humans against titans. It was rare to come across such peace.

“I want this war to end.” Sky said suddenly, staring up at the clouds. “It’s pointless. It will just keep going until something is done. But I know other titans don’t feel the same way.”

Lark glanced up towards the giant’s face as he spoke, hearing mostly a deep rumble in his neck.

“Why is that? Have you met other titans?” She asked.

“A few. They’re all the same. Merciless, gluttonous. I suppose I was that way too, before I met you.” Sky rumbled as he reached up to his neck and touched his fingertip to Lark’s body.

“Mmm. They’re scary.” Lark said quietly, shifting under the giant’s touch.

“I’ll protect you though, Lark. Don’t worry.” The titan declared as he pressed his fingertip against the woman’s tiny form, keeping her pinned against his neck as he sat up and crossed his legs.

Sky pinched Lark between his fingers and lifted her up to his face, smiling at her warmly. His blue eyes danced as he examined her adorable little face looking up at him.

“You’re so darn cute.” The giant huffed as he pushed his nose against the front of her body.

Lark blushed, placing her palms on Sky’s nose as she looked deep into his eye.

“I-I’m glad you think so.” She replied softly, feeling her cheeks warm from the attention the titan was giving her.

“Mmm… I can’t let anyone else get a hold of you y’know.” Sky rumbled as he angled his tiny companion above his face, gently but firmly gripping her waist between his thumb and forefinger. His eyes glowed with delight at Lark’s worried expression.

“What do you mean?” She asked, staring down at Sky’s enormous face. She suddenly felt very vulnerable, like the giant was up to something.

“Well, simple! I’ll just have to eat you before another titan does.” Sky winked before slowly opening his pale blue mouth, directly below Lark’s dangling feet.

“Oh, no… no, Sky.” Lark tucked her legs in as his lips curled around his massive teeth, lining the entrance to his deep, cavernous maw.

“Ahh… it’s alright, I’ll make it quick.” Sky rumbled in response, opening his mouth even wider and even going so far as to lower the woman’s body down in the middle of his open mouth, holding her in place while his teeth and tongue surrounded her.

“Sky!” Lark said, panicking. The giant’s moist breath stuck to her skin as she was held precariously inside, staring down the man’s wide open gullet. Her breath caught in her chest as the titan toyed with her fate.

Suddenly she was lifted out of his mouth, and again she was met with the giant’s glowing blue eyes. They softened upon seeing her panic, and Sky leveled his head and placed her gently on his palm.

“Was that too much?” He asked softly, using his index finger to smooth down Lark’s frazzled blonde hair.

Lark huffed at his touch, wiping her face with her jacket sleeve. “Uh, it was a little scary.” She said, running her fingers through her hair anxiously.

Sky couldn’t help but smile as she fussed. He brought her to his face again and pushed the tip of his nose into her.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t actually going to swallow you.” Sky said as he nuzzled his nose against the little woman’s entire body. “I just like to tease…” Sky said as he pulled away to look at his little friend directly. “Um, you can tell me if I take it too far, though. I don’t want to overwhelm you.”

“I-I’m fine… I trust you, Sky.” Lark said with a smile, finding it hard to be upset at the gentle giant.

“But you’re so small…” The giant whined as he pushed his nose into her again, holding her steady on his large palm. “I could hurt you without even realizing…”

Lark felt his nose push into her again, and she rested her cheek against the bridge of it. No longer shaken, her heart softened at the giant’s words.

“You’re a good giant, Sky…” The woman said with an amused smile. She couldn’t bring herself to be angry at the titan for his rambunctiousness. He reminded her of a playful dog; a very, very big one.

“I just… am so happy to have you with me. It’s lonely being a titan. Humans are afraid of me, and other titans are only interested in wreaking havoc.” Sky said as he opened his eyes softly and gazed at the sweet little human hugging his nose.

“And yet here you are, letting me hold you, caress you… even…” The giant uttered as he pulled back and brushed his lips against Lark’s body, breathing on her warmly.

“Mmm…” Sky moaned as he planted his lips on Lark’s upper body and face and kissed her.

Lark squirmed with delight under his touch, holding her breath as the man’s enormous lips pressed into her. Her own little lips kissed him back, a tiny little peck engulfed by his encompassing embrace. She found herself panting heavily with excitement as she pressed her face into Sky’s upper lip.

“So sweet… like dessert… it makes me want more.” Sky rumbled between kisses, licking his lips to moisten them and steal her scent.

“Sky...” Lark whispered between breathless kisses, her limbs wrapping around the giant’s lips. His hunger for her was becoming more and more obvious, and yet she wasn’t resisting.

Sky smiled as he went from kissing her to licking her, poking his tongue out and grazing her legs and arms with the tip. His breath warmed her as she lay flat on his palm, overtaken by the giant’s enormous face above her.

“Ahh… would it really be so bad, Lark? To swallow you whole… have you all to myself.” The titan moaned as he swirled his tongue around, feeling her legs and arms against it. “I’d be so gentle.”

“Mmm, that...” Lark gasped, feeling the giant’s saliva soaking into her clothing. Her face was flushed red now, and she was overcome with her feelings for him, so much that it almost erased her fear of being eaten. “Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if it was you…”

“If only.” Sky sighed as he gave her one final kiss and pulled away, licking his lips deliberately. “But I’m content with this. Just a little, tiny taste of tiny you. Hmm… to think I would be playing with a human in this way… I enjoy it very much.” Sky said, flashing his teeth gleefully.

Lark bit her lip as he pulled away, feeling so much warmer after the titan’s tongue caressed her. She was almost disappointed that it didn’t go further.

“You like having all of me...” Lark said breathlessly as she laid on Sky’s palm, trembling, excited.

“It turns out I like how teeny tiny you are, Lark.” Sky chuckled, staring at her warmly as she quivered in his hand. “Precious.”

Lark blushed deeply and rubbed her arms as she gazed up bashfully at Sky’s face from the comfort of his enormous palm. She stared at his mouth longingly, the embrace of his lips and tongue so fresh on her mind.

Her gaze did not go unnoticed, and Sky couldn’t help but hold her in front of his mouth as he parted his lips and ran his blue tongue along them.

“Someone’s gotten over their fear rather quickly, hmm?” The titan giggled as he held Lark in his palm, watching her stare at his lips with flushed cheeks.

Lark bit her own lip and turned her gaze away as the giant teased her.

“N-Not entirely, but…” She mumbled, running her fingers along her arms, feeling the wet and sticky surface from the giant’s saliva.

“It’s progress. Makes me happy.” Sky nodded as he leaned back and stretched lavishly, holding Lark in his closed fist as he raised both his arms up and yawned. Lark giggled in surprise as she was lifted, quite securely, above the man’s head.

“For now, though, I think we should move on. It’s not good to stay in the same place too long, at least when you’re my size.” The titan said as he returned his hand to his face and addressed the little woman sitting in his palm.

“Alright… as long as you don’t expect my little legs to keep up with yours.” Lark said with a smile as she settled down in the giant’s palm.

“Naw. I’ll carry you everywhere, it’s my pleasure.” Sky winked before slowly rising to his feet. His head cleared the tops of the trees and he scanned the horizon. It was now midday, and the sun was high in the northern forest.

“We can go anywhere, you know. Home is where I am.” The titan said as he peered down at the woman in his hand.

“Anywhere?” She asked, and the giant nodded.

“I want to see the meteor.”

#story #implied vore #giant tiny #sky #sona #finally oh my gosh I've been chipping away at this for weeks #take it please and enjoy

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waystarresourceco · 7 months

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Kendall’s office with a breakdown of identifiable degrees and awards. A list of books are under the cut. (x)

Degrees:

B.A. in Economics (summa or magna cum laude) – Harvard University

E.M.B.A. (Executive Master of Business Administration) – INSEAD

INSEAD has locations in Europe (France), Asia (Singapore), the Middle East (Abu Dhabi) and North America (San Francisco); unclear which location Kendall attended

Awards:

Liz Rogers Award for Leadership in Business and Entertainment Media

Books (Left to Right):

The New Digital Age by Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen

Masters of Innovation: Building the Perpetually Innovative Company by Kai Engle, Violetka Dirlea, and Stephen Dyer (credit to @poeland and @kenzie-ann27 for the ID!)

Responsibility at Work by Howard Gardner

Beijing Welcomes You by Tom Scocca

Confessions of a Radical Industrialist by Ray C. Anderson

Known and Unknown by Donald Rumsfeld

Collision Low Crossers by Nicholas Dawidoff

The Credible Company by Roger D'Aprix (thanks again to @poeland and @kenzie-ann27 for this one as well!)

The Moment of Clarity by Christian Madsbjerg and Mikkel B. Rasmussen

Emperors and Idiots by Mike Vaccaro

Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan

The Hedge Fund Mirage by Simon Lark

The Mobile Mind Shift by Ted Schadler, Josh Bernoff, and Julie Ask

Denial and Deception by Melissa Boyle Mahle

The Good Jobs Strategy by Zeynep Ton

Trauma Red by Peter Rhee

Good for the Money: My Fight to Pay Back America by Bob Benmosche (huge thanks to @poeland for identifying!)

[Unidentified]

In an Uncertain World: Tough Choices from Wall Street to Washington by Robert Rubin (huge thanks to @flippy-floppy for identifying!)

Feel free to message if anyone can identify any of the other items/books/details!

#Kendall getting his EMBA from INSEAD is super interesting #also Kendall having latin honors is on brand #kendall roy #hbo succession #succession sets #succession props

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theprestigegirly · 5 months

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i just rewatched frozen for the first time in seven years and this is MY TAKE on the trolls theory and why hans isn’t actually evil! i’ve been a truther of this since the movie came out when i was 7 years old 😭

first of all these romance scenes are INSANE hans genuinely gets on with her in an insane way they seem absolutely perfect for each other (which is the point i know) but when he expresses his concerns about his brothers it’s about them acting like he’s invisible! which he doesn’t know about anna! and the whole “i would never shut you out” is crazyyyy like this man is not playing

he is also doing good things when people aren’t looking! if he was really evil why would he care so much about the people? why would he try to reason with elsa instead of not killing her immediately when he believes elsa’s death will bring back summer?

HE SMILES WHEN ANNA ISNT LOOKING ‼️ why would he be giving her that lovestruck look if he was acting? it wouldn’t make any sense he has nothing to gain— every time he is nice he has NOTHING TO GAIN— MEANING HE IS TRULY NICE ‼️

you could argue “oh those soldiers attack elsa” BUT THEY ARENT UNDER HANS’S COMMAND— its weaselton’s command PLUS hans isn’t there for that part he’s outside fighting marshmallow— he seems genuinely concerned about elsa for the sake of anna, and accuses weasleton of treason against the two (even though, theoretically, weaselton would be the perfect ally if he were hoping to seize control as he hated the princesses)

and now to move onto THE TROLLS

they are depicted as evil as fuck from the beginning and the things they say to elsa traumatise her and are the reason for the bad events of the movie and why elsa and anna are apart (altho that’s also elsas dads fault fuck elsas dad)

the trolls are also known to do mind magic! they erase anna’s memory at the beginning and change memories completely to exclude magic— it’s not far fetched that they’d be able to change hans’s memories and motives

AND hans’s thematic shift comes immediately after THIS SONG where the trolls learn that kristoff could potentially marry anna if it wasn’t for hans, so they do exactly what they sing about and “get the fiancé out of the way”

BUT WHERE WOULD THIS FIT IN NARRATIVELY? i hear you ask

WELL

kristoff and anna are larking about for a while on that mountain, only rushing back to the village after the song. hans and the guards are making their own way down the mountain, it’s possible that immediately after the song, the trolls find hans and manage to magic his mind into evil and send him back with a STRONG motive to return and take over, him making it back at the perfect time to meet with anna just as the magic is seeping in and he’s switched to evil hans HENCE THE TWIST

TLDR: hans is genuinely awestruck of anna who is lovely, they share one of my fav disney songs ever, hans does good things when people aren’t looking and defends elsa + anna BUT THEN SUDDENLY THE TROLLS FIND OUT ABT HIM AS HER FIANCÉ AND HES SUDDENLY EVIL SO KRISTOFF CAN SWOOP IN???? there is FOUL PLAY involved

thank you for listening <3 hated how this wasn’t the plot of frozen 2 we were all robbed out of hans’s redemption and the mass murder of the trolls

#i also hated the trolls #fixer upper is unlistenable #loved hans #sexy beast #frozen #anna and elsa #elsa #hans frozen #disney

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y2ksnowglobe · 4 months

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Deep appreciation for episode 30 (Van on the Run)

This is a long post where I just ramble on all the moments that make me love this episode.

The dethroning of fleshlight tag as the worst thing that anyone ever said.

The "Hey Andrew" story

Big old butt crack down the middle of the orb

Terry Jr. asking why Ron isn't wearing pants

"I'd better write that down as a note. Terry Jr., easy to lie to."

Lark literally taking a note about how unpaid interns die sometimes. (This turns into my firm belief that Mae Hailes is a paid intern)

Ron insisting Paeden is his half-brother. "My dad is my dad too!"

just gonna weep and tear my hair out real quick over that one.

Ron's insights on the patriarchy

"My stepson is here, and I am looking at him in the eye right now and it's not weird at all. It's not weird. We're just making eye contact right here." "It's a little weird. You have not blinked in several minutes." "Now it hurts to blink, so I'm not going to ever…" "That's not how it works. You have to blink." "No. It's like my eyes are getting…" "Dad, blink." Like what a way to start normalizing Terry Jr. calling Ron "Dad"

Sparrow's stealth hug

Just...starting to really see the dead inside Grant is both heartbreaking and really funny.

Nick's shaky fist bump makes me wanna cry.

I am always there for a good low perception roll joke.

Reveal that Ron just carries to lure that killed Willy around with him.

"Yeah! Your dad is George Washington!"

THEORY TIME: Like this episode is where we get most of our information about the kids' time in Ravenloft, and like...I don't buy it. Looking at how the kids phrase things, I've been solidly convinced that the O-Dads have Geas'ed the hell out of these kids so they can't give any specific details about what was done to them, but I feel like there's a loophole where they can talk about things that weren't done. So, for example: Nick specifies that Bill ignored him. I'll keep coming back to this as we keep going.

Weird detail: Darryl is with Glenn on the murder Henry's dad train at the start.

God I love to hate Barry Oak so much, he makes me skin crawl and he is in top form in this episode.

"I AM DRIVING WITH MY FRIENDS, FATHER! I'LL TALK TO YOU LATER!" It's such a teenager-y thing to say and I feel like it really gives a snapshot into what their relationship was like back in the day.

I really wanna get a snapshot into Nick's mind as he hears his dad completely lose his cool about Barry. Like, my boy did such a good job trying to act unbothered and brave, and then Glenn just is deeply and visibly upset about Barry almost killing him (which is valid, I just feel like it's a new experience for Nick)

Lark and Sparrow jumping in to drive when Henry lets go of the wheel. Like, not sure what happened with Sparrow, but Lark has been an epic driver from the get-go.

ANOTHER THEORY: Sparrow is really interesting in this episode. He willingly covers his ears when asked by Henry, and he's the one who hits the brakes when Henry tells them to stop the car. He's also just weirdly chill and forgiving, and like...I do not buy this as love wolf shit, he is clearly under some kind of magical influence to make him more compliant. You do not get the Sparrow that looks scared in the drone footage in episode 28 to this remarkably chill and forgiving kid without magical interference.

Freddie putting his foot down that Glenn would not mess with firearms while drunk

Barry's "Oh kakaw kakaw" when he's shot is probably in my top ten vocal stims from this show.

Lark enthusiastically supporting Glenn shooting Barry makes me so happy

Henry going from trying to be firm and calm as Glenn loses his shit, and immediately shifting to "ooooh, I hate you so much" as soon as Barry starts talking to him is so funny. Just all the ideals fly out the window.

Find it super interesting how Henry cites "respecting his choices" as a thing here considering what happens later on with the bracelets.

I both do and don't want to know if Anthony already had the idea for the Lark and Sparrow homunculi when Barry offers letting Henry take his kids and run and giving up all the other kids. Like regardless of whether or not it was planned, I do love the idea that Barry is giving this offer because he knows he's got the real ones tucked back in Oakvale.

I love the word abscond, okay?

Love Barry framing his failure as a father as disappointment in Henry's choices. I want to kick him in the face.

Mr. Mustache calling Ron "Honey"

"No. You just exasperatedly asked why a bunch of times. A.k.a. the Henry Oak special."

Geas theory follow up: Lark telling them they forgot to feed them fits into the loophole of being something the granddads didn't do, so they're allowed to mention it. Also this part of starting to hint at what exactly went down is so just *chefs kiss.*

Freddie's "WHY?" When Matt asks if Darryl can perceive that Ron peed his pants.

Freddie being told the charm needs to be in an enclosed space and immediately going "What if we had an umbrella?"

Freddie picking the first audio result for Fantasy Tavern for the sound.

"Bring us your hottest moms!"

This next bit always slays me and I don't even know why:

The jokes about the level one adventurer group is beautiful. I hope things turned out okay for that fighter and four rogues.

Henry making up Mr. X only for Mr. X to be real.

Ron thoroughly describing the fake voice he's going to do, only to reveal it's just his normal voice.

Ron's whole exchange with the other rogues.

Henry describing Glenn's fantasy voice as Italian

Anthony trying to keep up with what the crew are trying to do as they're attempting to get a room.

Also, everything is in shillings now for no adequately explained reason?

The random bar patrons who are gonna be so disappointed when they make it to the other side of town to find out that Hi I'm Ron is not playing.

The start of the NPCs realizing they could have asked for more money gag.

Glenn almost going to see what's up with Mr. X but then getting bored.

Anthony doing a C3P0 impression

Geas Theory update: Grant phrases it as "they weren't nice" and the most detail we get from Grant is that "Willy's really mean" only for him to then say, "It was fine, I guess." Terry tops out at saying that Willy "shouted at them a fair number of times" and that's as intense as any of their descriptions get. Like this is sus as heck. Especially since at minimum, we know that Lark and Sparrow got homunclui'd and that somehow, Barry got the twins to sit quietly. The boys are underselling this and the only one that would be in character for would be like...Nick (who we already saw was super shaky). Darryl even prompts Grant saying it's okay if it was rough and they were scared and we still get no further information.

Ron's scary story is so good for so many reasons. Like the way he tries to make it spookier by making Willy a man with a fishingpole for an arm, by calling fish "food that breathes underwater" like that mixed with the realization that he's telling the story of how Willy died is just...an excellent combo of scary and not scary and it's just a baffling bunch of weird that is pure Ron.

Terry being baffled by Ron asking if they want to sing Rock-a-bye Baby, only for it to turn out Ron doesn't know the words.

"You find more knives than not knife in his pants."

The fact that Lark was smuggling knives for a breakout attempt is just so lovely, go off my murderous little weirdo.

Also seeing Henry taking weapons from his kids knowing where this ends up is just (collapses into a ball of sad)

Henry deflecting from the werewolf questions by just switching to the topic of puberty, only for Sparrow to be too receptive to wanting to learn.

Darryl overhearing Paeden saying that Grant's dad is cool only for Grant to not say anything in response.

"Did Ron kill his dad?"

Seeing Darryl be actually upset about the fact that he's the only one who'd want to see his dad, but his dad's not there. And seeing Darryl actually grapple with the idea that he doesn't understand Glenn, Henry, and Ron's relationships with their dads, and like the weird feeling of not being able to relate being isolating, but still realizing it's an isolation you should be thankful for.

Ghost football ft. George Washington and one of his slaves

"Dude, that was the entire snarling id of the American masculine psyche in one image…It was like football, George Washington, your dad, and the Sword of Damocles that is slavery."

Glenn in the dream space

Bill Close calling Glenn tiger is just like such a small detail but it's like one of those moments that we really can actually see him being a dad, I think?

The gut punch of "Do you love me?" and "You wake up." like God DAMN!!!!!

Like this episode is such a buffet of character dynamics, and jokes, and lore, and room for theories, and I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!! WHY DID IT TAKE ME SO LONG TO REALIZE IT'S MY FAVORITE????????

#dndads #dungeons and daddies #ron stampler #willy stampler #bill close #glenn close dndads #darryl wilson #paeden bennetts #grant wilson #henry oak #sparrow oak #lark oak #terry jr. stampler #nick close #barry oak

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undiscovered-horizon · 1 year

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🫀REQUESTS ARE OPEN🫀

Imagine Charles and Erik trying to (unsuccessfully) recruit you for X-men

A/N: this is a draft from THREE YEARS AGO. I was reminded of its existence only because Draft.ai is being taken down and I got an e-mail reminding me to download my files.

The sound of the gun's hammer being pulled back filled the quiet night. The metal weapon glistened in the moonlight. It was held by a trembling hand although it belonged to a man of certainty.

"Who are you?" Charles asked. It was quite visible that he had very little experience with firearms. The shaky muzzle pointed to a figure in the dark. Given his lack of expertise and visible nervousness, there was no chance he could actually shoot them. "What do you want?" he raised his voice.

You shifted slightly. Throwing off the hood covering your face, you turned around to look at him. The silver moon was behind Charles's back and so its light brightened up your tired face. You stared down the barrel of the gun but it elicited no worry from you; it seemed that despite both of you knowing he had no chance of seriously hurting you, neither of you was willing to openly admit that yet.

"Who are you?" he asked again. Although cursed with the ability to control and read minds, he had poor control of his own.

"It would be funnier if I thought you could actually shoot me," you spoke up.

"And what makes you think I won't?" Charles gritted through his teeth.

A dry chuckle escaped your lips. It nearly seemed pathetic how much he tried to put a brave face on but clearly couldn't. Charles knew what you were, of course, and yet he was desperate to imitate the courage that ignorance would have given him. It was one of those cases when lack of knowledge truly was blissful.

"I know you, I've watched you." You slowly moved towards him. The cold wind nipped at your skin." Violence disgusts you. You're curious about who I am, so why would you shoot? Vivisection doesn't seem to be your style."

Charles let out a shaky breath. Seeing as you were unmoved by his poor facade, his nervousness visibly grew. He took his other hand to support the gun. Despite that, the barrel was hardly pointing at you.

"Besides, your gun is loaded with blank bullets. Even a full round won't kill me."

Charles furrowed his eyebrows, clearly surprised that you would somehow know that. At that moment of his confusion, you kicked his wrist and caught the gun. While looking Charles in the eyes, you released the magazine and threw both parts in the mud.

"You were looking for me, I heard," you continued. If you wanted your peace, you had to see this little lark through.

"You heard me?" Charles asked quietly in a breathy tone. It was something new to him - you weren't supposed to know. As far as he knew, it wasn't your power.

A scoff left your mouth. "You really thought your toy works only one way?"

Gravel crunched a few feet behind you - someone else was present under the moonlight. It wasn't something you didn't expect but it made the situation a little more problematic nonetheless. Whatever you needed to do or say to get them off your back, you had to do it quickly and tactfully as now you were outnumbered.

"I came to give you a warning," you said a little louder to make sure that whoever joined this little conversation could hear you too. "Next time you try to reach me, buy yourself a casket. I don't care about any of your 'mutant war' shit."

"But you're one of us," Charles argued. As if you didn't already consider that side of things! "If the government kills mutants, it means you die too. That's why we need any help we can get."

"Moira…Raven…" you counted aloud. Maybe blackmailing wasn't a great tactic but in your position people tend to grab whatever they can lay their hands on. There had to be something to get Charles Xavier to leave you be. "Which one should I talk to first for you to back off?"

"You wouldn't make it," said a voice behind you. Just by its sound, you knew it belonged to none other but Erik Lensherr.

In a matter of seconds, bullets from the magazine you had thrown away earlier, were pulled up and flying towards you. And as if time slowed down, you dodged the bullets. While making a suspiciously perfectly timed move, a light blue light followed your movements with a slight delay - there was an interesting power at your hands.

"Take it as a warning, you two." It was obvious that the diplomatic part of the evening just came to a close. "I just want to be left alone."

Having said those words, you marched away only to disappear among the treeline, becoming one with the darkness of the cold night.

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shifting-lark · 2 years

Note

hi!! i'm new to shifting and i was wondering how people script scenarios? i've looked it up on google and stuff but i only find "10 scenarios to script for your dr!" and stuff like that.

Hello!!!

I have some general scripting help asks under my Masterlist so go check that out!!!!

But short answer: you can script however you want!! Write it like a book/story, put it in bullet points, draw a picture, you also can just think of the idea and it'll be in your DR!!

Remember that your brain is an incredible thing and it can subconsciously fill in the blanks for scenarios to happen!! It'll just do it on autopilot!! So don't overthink it ☺️

Scripting is just a helpful tool that has no rules or regulations so use it however it helps you!!!

#shifting #script help #shifting script #ask shifting lark #reality shifting #motivation #shifting advice #scripting #shifting question #shiftblr

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kaseyskat · 1 year

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“Brother, you look like death.” Lark remarks as he carefully weasels his way into the bedroom, balancing a bowl of soup in one hand and a glass of water in the other.

It isn’t often that one of them gets sick without the other. In fact, Lark can only think of one singular time where he had been rendered useless for an entire week from the flu- and though Sparrow somehow had never caught it, he had spent the entire week at home, fretful and worried.

Lark couldn’t understand that before, but he understands it a little bit more now as he watches Sparrow shift in the pillows, staring blearily at him with puffy wet eyes.

“I brought you some food,” he offers when Sparrow makes no attempt to respond to the comment, still just staring at him strangely. “Think you can keep it down?”

Still no response. Lark frowns, and he sets the soup and the water on the nightstand so that his hands are free as he perches on the edge of the bed. “Sparrow?” he prompts, leaning over his miserable brother and placing a hand on his forehead.

Sparrow’s forehead is sweaty and far warmer than Lark had expected, and he makes a sad little whimpering noise at the touch, like he’s only just now noticed that Lark is there. At a closer look, his eyes are unfocused, and they flutter closed as Lark’s frown deepens.

He’s never seen his brother like this before: Sparrow, despite his weaker mindset and dedication to using love to combat violence, has always been strangely resilient to illnesses and injuries. Lark doesn’t quite know what to do, how to help, but something tugs in his chest hard at the sight.

As he gently wipes at the sweat pooling on his brother’s brow, Sparrow makes another low whine, and his eyes flutter open again, hazy and unfocused even as he squints in Lark’s direction. “Larky?” he rasps, giving a shuddering exhale.

“Welcome back to lucidity, dear Sparrow,” Lark greets, and he leans in a little further so he can gently smooth back Sparrow’s damp bangs, a fond chuckle escaping him as Sparrow leans into the touch. “How are you feeling?”

“I think I lost a fight,” Sparrow says weakly, and he shivers. “And I’m so cold… can I have another blanket?”

Lark frowns again. He knows that sweating out a fever is probably the smartest option, but…

“…here, allow me,” he nudges his way into the bed, propping himself up on the pillows. It’s an invitation, one that Sparrow immediately accepts, curling into the open arms Lark offers as soon as he’s able.

He’s still so warm, almost uncomfortably so, but Lark finds he doesn’t mind. This is his brother, after all, his twin, his other half- and he knows that Sparrow would do the same for him.

“There, better?” he asks, tugging Sparrow further into his arms so that his brother’s sweaty head is nestled against his chest, far enough up that Lark can reach the blankets and tuck them back around them both.

“Mhm,” Sparrow sighs contently, and he curls both arms around Lark’s torso, his breathing ragged and hoarse.

“Good. Now please, go back to sleep. You need the rest, and I don’t want to babysit you any longer than necessary.” Lark snips, though his tone gives way to sincerity in a way he hadn’t expected; figures if anyone could turn him into a sap, it’d be his brother.

Sparrow doesn’t even respond; his eyes are fluttering, and his breathing evens out as much as his sickly body can muster, and despite it all he’s still just as adorable as he is all the time, the light of Lark’s life.

Lark spares one last helpless glance at the soup he had brought, and then he sighs, curling his arms around his brother and settling himself against the pillows- he might be here for awhile.

(Later, the door creaks open. Lark was, after all, supposed to return the bowl used for Sparrow’s soup, and Henry could only hold himself back for so long.

He isn’t sure what to expect - Lark had stubbornly insisted on being the one to tend to his brother through the illness - so he peeks inside the bedroom cautiously, fully prepared to be snapped at for interfering.

Instead, he finds his sons both peacefully asleep on Sparrow’s bed, Lark snoozing against the pillows with Sparrow fully entangled in his arms. Henry stops at the doorway and smiles, taking in the sight and committing it to memory: they’d never forgive him for taking a picture, no matter how much he yearned to save it forever.

He’ll be back to check on them with more medicine for Sparrow later. For now, he closes the door as gently as he can: they clearly both need the rest).

#dndads #kasey writes stuff #sparrow oak garcia #lark oak garcia #i was super craving just a small little thing of lark taking care of sparrow #also hahsjfkdkf this was written on my phone in my notes app so pls forgive any errors

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calaisreno · 1 year

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Eloquent

For @notjustamumj May 5 prompt: Purple

John Watson is no writer of purple prose.

He finds a couple adjectives he likes — brilliant, amazing — and wears them out. He writes short, choppy sentences. And while he may know enough about plot to keep from spoiling the big reveal, his awkward sentimentality, expressed in blocky, stumbling prose, makes me sigh with relief when it’s over.

I may have expressed my distaste for his stories on one or more occasions. He is my blogger, though, and there is no one else who would bother to write up our cases, much less make me look like a hero. I’m no hero, but this doesn’t stop John from wearing out his adjectives, trying to make me one.

Lately I’ve given up grumbling about his writing, though. He takes obvious pleasure in it, and it actually has brought us quite a few clients. Writing makes him happy, and who am I to complain about that?

There’s another reason, though.

John Watson has an eloquent face. If his writing were half as eloquent, he would win prizes. Though he certainly has no idea that his every thought passes over his expression like wind on water, I observe it with fascination.

It was at his wedding that I first began to hope.

He was happy, overwhelmed, and uncharacteristically giddy, even before the champagne was poured. I stood at his side, my broken heart temporarily mended at seeing his happiness. I gave my speech, played the piece I’d composed for the occasion, and stepped back to watch.

I wanted to soak in his joy, the reason I had done everything for this day.

Mary at his side, he was being congratulated by various people, laughing and smiling. He turned to Mary and said something, still smiling.

And I realised: I had never seen him look at her the way he looked at me.

John, at Angelo’s. Do you have a boyfriend?

John, gazing at me across the police tape, a small smile on his lips.

John, his eyes admiring as I explain how Lestrade had got everything wrong.

John, too far away to see his expression; hearing his broken voice: You could.

John, at my grave: You were the best and wisest man…

John, the night I returned. Angry, for sure. But that mask cracked, and I could see his sorrow, all the grief he’d suffered, thinking I was dead.

John, asking me to be his best man: Of course you’re my best friend.

John Watson is not a hugger. But he’d hugged me during my speech. I was too startled to hug him back, and now I wished I had.

I watched him then, gathering more data. He cared for Mary, that much was obvious. But the smiles on that expressive face told another story. He thought he loved her, believed that he should love her. He liked her, was grateful to her, and had asked her to marry him precisely because he thought I didn’t love him. Because I had more or less told him that I couldn’t, over and over. Not much cop, this caring lark.

He looked up at me then, just as I was realising this. I don’t know what my face showed him. I was sad, I suppose, and maybe he could see that. But the look he gave me was of utter despair, like a man who’s lost everything meaningful in his life.

That was when I knew that he loved me. And that he didn’t love Mary.

His face shifted, flickered into a smile as he looked back at Mary, but it was a smile devoid of love. He’d seen my face, too, and knew now.

I left the wedding shortly thereafter. I’d wanted him to be happy, and he wasn’t. But I felt hopeful as I walked away. I loved John, and he loved me, even if he couldn’t admit it.

It wasn’t so simple, of course. The mystery of Mary Morstan caused us both a lot of anguish.

John still writes up our cases these days. And he talks about his feelings, though he reminds me that he finds that sort of stuff difficult. It doesn’t matter how prosaic his words are. His eyes are constantly telling me, I love you.

This one got out of the 221b manacles and ran. 😮

Tagging: @totallysilvergirl @keirgreeneyes @elwinglyre @jrow @meetinginsamarra @raina-at @lisbeth-kk @mydogwatson @elwinglyre

Thanks for reading ❤️ I keep forgetting who's been tagged, but the invitation is still open! Read or write, and tag some people!

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calamity-unlocked · 1 year

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Sometimes your zip line park isn't doing well and you have a shift of 4 hours without any people so instead you sit in a tree and write fanfiction on your phone.

Anyways this little thing is based on @manitapaleta 's GORGEOUS art piece, link here if you haven't been graced with it yet.

841 words - Nark

CWs: mentions of boldily harm, blood, injury

The touch of Lark’s hand was cold on Nick’s face, methodical in the way it moved, but lingering every so often, causing Nick’s breath to catch in his throat.

They were quiet, Lark focused on his task, Nick focused on trying not to wince.

Were the circumstances different, they’d probably be screaming at each other until their throats were torn raw. But Lark was apparently concussed – how he’d managed to achieve that he had refused to disclose – and Nick’s sympathetic nervous system still hadn’t completely calmed down after a full minute of believing his son was dead and then reliving multiple traumas at the same time.

Neither of them were at their best right now, and wanted to prevent getting into a fight that was sure to dredge up painful memories they’d both rather leave locked away alongside the skeletons in their closets. There was plenty of time for fighting later. Right now, the soft, tentative silence between them was being held in place with a mixture of bone-aching tiredness, the desire to keep their children safe, and an all-consuming hatred for Willy Stampler which made their personal feuds pale in comparison.

Willy was still out there. In their fight, Nick had wounded the bastard enough that afterward his semi-light-hearted ‘you should see the other guy’ hadn’t fallen flat. Lark, bleeding from his face and about as talkative as a gravestone, got stuck on demon-sitting duty while the others were chasing Willy, trying to make sure he didn’t get away.

Lark had gruffly asked if Nick was okay with him treating the wounds Willy’s magic knife had caused, seeing how Nick wouldn’t do a great job at it in his armless state. Why he’d offered, Nick couldn’t fathom. Why Nick had accepted was even more of a mystery.

Now, after his arm had been reattached and he’d regained a bit of agency, Nick’s gaze trailed over Lark’s toned arms which were so steadily tending to his face, to the look in his eyes that was too concentrated to be tender, but nevertheless devoid of the burning tenacity that used to always be present there.

Okay. So maybe it wasn’t that much of a mystery.

Nick was holding a bloodied cloth rag he’d previously used to keep pressure on the cut, gripping it tight like a stress ball, betraying how tense he was. He was shirtless and vulnerable, and he shouldn’t trust the man who’d loved him and betrayed him, but for some reason, he did.

Lark had cleaned the long cut running diagonally over Nick’s left cheek, and was now gently applying a layer of antiseptic cream that smelled vaguely like cranberries.

“‘S probably gonna scar,” Lark mumbled, sounding as tired as Nick felt.

“Figures,” Nick said, trying to make his tone light. “Fate’s really trying to turn me into a full-on action hero.”

“Fate’s a bitch.”

“Yeah.”

Lark pulled his shoulders back a bit when he seemed done with the scream, but not his hand. His fingers lingered on the line of Nick’s jaw and he applied a tiny bit of pressure, like a barber moving his head to see the final result. His thumb brushed over Nick’s lips – accidentally? On purpose?

Whatever the intention, Nick’s breath went shallow. Every inch of his bare skin felt hyper-exposed.

Lark’s focus was still on the lower side of Nick’s face, specifically on his lips, as though those also needed his soft-touched care– nope. Cut that thought, Nicky, bad idea. Don’t go there.

The thing was, Nick was pretty sure he could.

He could lean in. He could lean in and close his eyes and pretend that they had both forgotten the past ten years, ignoring how those lonely years had fundamentally changed them as people. He could throw caution and sensibility to the wind, just to feel that spark again.

He wouldn’t. But he could.

He wanted to.

Lark looked up at him, finally. Hesitance and regret swirled in those dark-brown pools, or maybe that was just Nick’s hopeful imagination. He didn’t remove his hand. His thumb stilled on the corner of Nick’s mouth, while his other fingers had trailed down to his neck. His heartbeat pulsed against Lark’s pinkie, betraying the way his body was reacting to their closeness much in the same way as how Lark had seemed to stop breathing altogether.

“Nicky, I…” Lark started.

The door of the med bay slammed open, startling both of them.

“He fucking got away,” Grant sighed, the others coming in behind him, looking bruised but not too worse for wear.

“Shit,” Lark cursed, the hand that had been on Nick’s face a few seconds ago clenching into a fist. The familiar ice-cold determination that left no space for warmth returned to the look in his eyes, and he abruptly stood up and joined the others, muttering in hushed tones about their next course of action.

Nick remained seated on the bench, trying frantically to get his heartbeat under control again, biting the inside of his cheek so hard he tasted iron.

Fuck.

#dndads #nark #nark nation #calamity's writing #lets see if this stays up this time #thanks eri for rbing the art #i totally would have forgotten to post this otherwise

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branches-of-time · 1 year

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Heaven In Hiding (pt. 1)

Songs That He Sang in the Shower

"I was…"

He trails off as your hand makes it's way back to his neck, and his breath hitches when a nail runs along the underside of his jaw.

You freeze, waiting to see how Venti responds, and watch as his eyes blink open again. He looks a little disappointed at the sudden stillness, and you almost feel bad for teasing him.

Almost.

You cock your head to one side, like you're truly curious and not just toying with him.

You ask him again.

"You were what?"

Pairing: Venti x Reader - Established Relationship

Word Count: 3,341

Synopsis: The Church of Favonius is holding a charity fundraising event, and you rope Venti into helping out. Step one is getting him out of the shower.

Contains: I suppose I’d rate this 18+ for the heavy suggestive tones, but there isn’t any actual sex. Domestic Fluff with Venti. Showering together. Dominant!Reader. Nudity. Kissing. Hands wandering. All that jazz. Blasphemy, perhaps. Slight Implied Alcoholism / Recovery. Anxiety Issues.

A/Ns: This is fic 3 of 16 that I’m doing based on combining prompts from this list!

Day 3 (Apples) & Day 18 (Hiding)

Part One (you are here!) - Part Two -

More notes at the end!

Your anxiety has always been a bitch in the morning.

So, as usual, when you first wake up, you don't open your eyes. The sudden rush of being pulled back into reality, back into consciousness, is jarring enough on it's own without the added input of sight.

Every morning you recall the grounding technique that Venti taught you, and do your best to follow it. It's usually easier when you can reach out and find Venti's hand to hold onto in the darkness, but his familiar presence is missing from his side of the bed this morning.

So instead, laying flat on your back, you bring your attention to what you can perceive with your other senses.

Smell. You pull in a slow, deep breath, focused on letting your stomach expand instead of your ribcage. The room smells faintly of apples, maple, honey, and… rum, from the candle that Venti bought last week. He blew it out last night but must have left it uncovered on the dresser.

Touch. You feel a warm round weight on your stomach, and from past experience you already know it's Rhythm, curled up and apparently still asleep in spite of the movements from your breathing. You run your hands slowly across the blankets. They're incredibly soft, and pleasantly warm on this cool November morning.

Sound. You focus in on what you can hear, and the faint sound of the shower running comes to you from down the hallway.

"On a lark,

On a whim,

I said there's two kinds of men in this world and you're neither of them."

Venti's voice is mixed in with the sound of the water, singing something familiar.

You bring your arms up, straighten your legs out and stretch as much as one can with a sleeping animal atop them. Flexing your wrists and rolling your ankles, you wonder how tired you must have been last night to have slept in longer than him.

"And his fist, Cut the smoke, I had an eighth of a second to wonder if he got the joke."

Venti's voice grounds you more effectively than anything else ever could, and finally, you feel steady enough to face the daylight.

Breathing in deep, you let out a long sigh and blink open your eyes as you reach down to the small white dog on your stomach. Rhythm stirs in response to the feeling of your nails combing through her fur. You smile down at her.

"Morning, sweet girl."

Rhythm blinks up at you. You shift a bit.

"Think you could move to Venti's side of the bed so I can get up?"

Rhythm huffs in response and uncurls herself, ungracefully rolling down off of your side and onto the mattress in the process.

You huff a laugh at the indignant display and sit up, turning to face the dog.

"Why didn't you wake me up when Venti got up, huh? You want to use me as a pillow so badly you'd let him beat me into the shower?"

Rhythm just stares at you as her tail swishes across the bedsheets.

"Okay, fine, I do usually shower at night but last night was an exception!"

Looking at the clock, you cringe at the time. 8:32. You need to get ready soon if you're gonna have time to pick up the packages from Springvale and make it to the city on time. Sighing, you're almost glad Venti's already up, but you do miss the feeling of waking up beside him, even if it's just this one morning. There's something calming to you about being the first one awake, with Venti sound asleep beside you. The absolute peace of the moment.

Come to think of it, why is Venti not only awake, but already in the shower? He must have taken your request for help last night pretty seriously if he's already getting ready for the day. Usually you have to drag him out of bed with a promise of breakfast and a kiss.

Through your silent thoughts, you pick up on the muted sound of Venti's singing once again.

"In a room, By myself, Looks like I'm here with a guy that I judge worse than anyone else."

Looking back down at Rhythm, you push down an emotion you can't name and continue your one sided conversation with the half-asleep dog attempting to make a nest out of the bedsheets.

"Look at the time, Rhythm. I've overslept. Now he's beat me to it and you know how long that man spends in the shower."

Rhythm makes no visible effort to acknowledge your words.

You close your eyes again, and focus one more time on Venti's voice traveling from down the hall.

"So I pace, And I pray, And I repeat the mantras that might keep me clean for the day."

Your mind wanders to last night.

The two of you were in the kitchen throwing together a late dinner. As usual, you were exhausted but still eternally grateful to be able to end the day in peace, with good music and good food. Venti had picked the song playing from the phonograph in the corner, and something about the tune was making you feel… content. He always seemed to know exactly what you needed to hear.

You recall watching Venti reach up and pull a wine glass out of the cabinet, singing to himself while quickly turning and setting it down on the kitchen table. Idly stirring the rice frying in the pan on the stove, you watched Venti dance his way across the kitchen to open the refrigerator. Noticing the way his voice died down, you watched as he suddenly halted like he'd just remembered something.

Opening the door, he reached inside and his hand hovered over the neck of a half-empty bottle of wine from the day before. He was completely still for a long moment, thinking. Visibly, he took a deep breath, his shoulders rising up and dropping back down on the exhale. Looking something between disappointed and resolute, he retracted his hand, reaching instead towards the containers in the door.

Pulling out a bottle of apple juice that Sucrose had gifted to him, he smiled at the memory of her nervously explaining that an experiment had turned it into something akin to the taste of wine, although it wasn't an alcoholic beverage. She had been working on something for Diona, and while this wasn't what the bartender had wanted, Sucrose thought Venti might like it.

You watched transfixed, nearly letting the rice burn, as he nodded to himself, shutting the refrigerator door and bringing the bottle to the table. Opening it, he poured the juice into his wine glass and took a tentative sip. A look of satisfaction slowly crossed his face, and when Venti looked up from his glass, he caught you staring.

Smiling, he picked up his glass, walking around to the stove. Wrapping one arm around your waist, holding his drink in the other, he let his head rest against your shoulder. Looking down at the pan, he spoke up over the music playing in the background.

"The rice is gonna burn, love."

Snapping back to the present, you feels Rhythm's paw on your thigh, as she tries to climb back on top of you. Shaking your head, you pull yourself out of your memories and slide your legs off the side of the bed, stretching and yawning as you stand.

Rhythm huffs in annoyance and instead makes her way over to one of Venti's pillows, and you watch her curl up on the middle of it.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I do have to get up eventually."

Your gaze roams over the floor for a few moments, passing over discarded clothes, dog toys, and Rhyme, laying in his bed in the corner. The large black dog looks up at you as you approach him, squatting down to pet him. He raises his head to lick your hand.

“I’m surprised you didn’t follow Venti into the shower. We usually can't keep you away from water. Did he ask you to watch over me while I slept?”

The only response you receive is another lick, this time on your wrist, and you smile as you pull back and stand up, stretching again and reaching for the ceiling.

Dropping your hands to your hips, you think for a moment, looking down at a pair of Venti's shorts, discarded on the floor by the doorway. An exasperated smile grows on your expression, and you reach up, combing your fingers through your messy hair.

Glancing again at the time, you realize you're really gonna need to get ready soon. As you consider Venti's tendency to take his sweet time in the shower, an idea suddenly pops into your mind. Laughing to yourself, you pull up a throw blanket from where it slid off the end of the bed and gently drape it over Rhyme, still talking to the dogs.

"Sorry to leave you guys alone in here, but I've got to go remind your father that there's enough room in that shower for two people."

If either of them understand a word of what you said, they certainly don't show it.

Making your way out of the bedroom, you step over one of Venti's shirts and his shorts. You find his tights laying in the hall, and shake your head with a fond smile, picturing Venti stripping on his way to the shower. Why he doesn't just take it all off in one place you're still not sure.

You recall asking him once and he just shrugged, saying "I'm a free spirit, love. One of the benefits of living in your teapot is the ability to take off whatever I want, wherever I want!"

He accompanied his statement with an overexaggerated wink, and you couldn't stop the laugh that slipped out of you at the sight.

He picks up after himself most of the time, so it doesn't really bother you, per say, you just feel like it's… inefficient.

The shower is still running when you quietly crack open the door, steam immediately spilling out into the hall along with the sound of Venti's voice. You've never understood nor felt the urge to sing in the shower but this man certainly does. He puts on an entire performance every time, even if it’s to an audience of soap bars and shampoo bottles.

As you figured, his underwear are lying on the bath mat, looking like he stepped out of them and directly into the shower. The hair ties from his braids are resting on the counter by the sink, along with one single earring of his that matches the one that you wear in your opposite ear.

"…the church bells are ringing for those who are easy to please,"

Venti's still singing, of course, and his current choice is actually a song that you recognize as one that you introduced him to.

"…and the frost on the ground probably envies the frost on the trees."

When you came to Teyvat, you brought with you some of the music from your homeland, and Venti had been absolutely overjoyed to be introduced to music that he didn't already know.

"And the songs that she sang in the shower are stuck in my mind…"

He quickly learned which ones were your favorites, and in no time he could cover them beautifully.

You stand there, silent, listening to the love of your life sing to himself in the shower and for a moment you're overcome with the emotion of it all.

"…like 'Yesterday's Wine'…"

How lucky you are to have found him after all this time.

"…like yesterday's wine."

God, he's got a beautiful voice.

You take a deep breath and remember what you came in here to do.

Before Venti can finish his song and potentially ruin your surprise, you quickly slip off what remains of yesterday's clothes, and quietly reach out to grab hold of the shower door's handle. Pulling it aside in one quick motion, Venti's voice cracks on a high note as he spins to face the source of the motion.

The thought flashes in your mind right after the fact that Venti could have slipped and fell. Could have hurt himself because you wanted to play a stupid little game with him. You start to internally curse yourself for acting on impulse like that… but stop when you see that he’s okay. He didn’t slip, he’s not hurt, and you watch as Venti's face goes from shocked, to confused, to a mischievous smile.

Venti opens his mouth to say something, but you speak up before he can, gesturing to the water spraying out onto the tile.

"Mind if I join you or are we both gonna stand here making a mess?"

Laughing, Venti shakes his head and moves back into the spray, making room for you to step in and side the door closed.

As the steam wraps itself around you both, you close the distance between yourselves and press your bodies together. Looking at him, with that little smile on his face, you can't resist teasing him a bit.

"Thought you could beat me to the shower this morning, huh, bard?"

There’s humor in Venti’s eyes as he listens to you speak, but it shifts to something a little more knowing as he hears what you call him.

"Oh? Well good morning to you too, love."

Your hands run up his sides, and he notes the way your eyes seem to light up. You hum in response, distracted, so Venti speaks up again with a teasing tone in his voice.

"I think I see how it is today. You just woke up and you're already in a mood, aren't you?"

You’re feigning cluelessness as you run your hands up and down over his back, going lower and lower with every stroke.

"What kind of mood would that be, hm?"

He’s smirking at your response, running his own hands over your hips, stopping and letting his thumbs rest in the dips just above your thighs.

"You know exactly what kind, angel. You never call me bard unless you're in the mood to play with me."

He’s not wrong, but you aren’t ready to admit it.

"Play with you, huh? Playing in the shower's pretty dangerous, you know."

Your tone of voice drops a bit lower and you slide one hand down to the back of Venti’s thigh, lifting him up with no effort at all, and pressing him against the tile wall. Smiling at the way Venti’s gone quiet, you speak again in a dark, serious tone.

“You could slip."

Now, that would sound threatening if you were speaking to anyone else, but Venti just smiles. He knows he’s safe, and he quite likes this game even if he won’t admit it just yet either. You both know what you’re doing to each other, and the unspoken understanding is half of the fun.

He brings his other thigh up and locks his legs around your hips, coming back with a question.

"Alright then, what do you call this if you're not playing with me?"

You reach up and thread your fingers through the back of Venti’s hair.

"I call this… helping you hurry up and get the hell out of my shower."

Gripping his hair just tight enough to pull, but not enough to hurt him, you coax his head back enough to gain access to his throat. Dipping your head down, you trail kisses from his jawline to his collarbones, reveling in the way his breathing hitches and the way he stutters as he speaks.

"H-how in Teyvat is this helping me hurry?”

You bite down on his shoulder and he makes a very embarrassing sound.

“It- f-fuck- it seems to me you're trying to keep me in here."

He can feel the way you chuckle against his skin, placing soft little apology kisses over the bite mark. Pulling back, you smile at him, releasing your grip and threading your fingers through his hair.

"Nonsense. I'm just rinsing you off, love."

He rolls his eyes, smiling at you, always oddly comfortable in your arms regardless of what you’re doing to him. He finds his voice, a bit stronger now that your lips aren’t on his neck, and replies in a playful mocking tone.

"I was already done rinsing off, love."

You huff, faking offense and adjusting your grip on him so you can carefully place him back down. You make sure he’s steady on his feet on the slick shower floor, pulling back a bit but not fully stepping away. Guiding him back underneath the water, you watch as he leans his head back into the spray. He closes his eyes and lets you rinse him off again anyways, which is mostly just an excuse to run your hands over every inch of his body. He's not complaining though.

A comfortable silence falls over the scene, and you let it linger for a moment. Watching the way his chest expands when he breathes in, and the way the archon mark there lights up as he does. Slowly, you trace your fingers over it. He trusts you, and that knowledge fills you with an emotion that makes you want to cry.

Barely resisting the urge to kiss him, you instead break the silence to question him again.

"If you were already done, then why were you still in here, hm?"

Venti is busy focusing on the feeling of your nails gently combing through his hair. With his eyes closed everything feels so much more intense. The water hitting his skin, gentle hands trailing over his body, your voice in his ears. He struggles to get his mind to think clearly enough to come up with a response.

"I was…"

He trails off as your hand makes it's way back to his neck, and his breath hitches when a nail runs along the underside of his jaw.

You freeze, waiting to see how Venti responds, and watch as his eyes blink open again. He looks a little disappointed at the sudden stillness, and you almost feel bad for teasing him.

Almost.

You cock your head to one side, like you're truly curious and not just toying with him.

You ask him again.

"You were what?"

Venti laughs a little at the display and looks up at you, smiling.

"I was… just finishing my song."

You hum in thought, watching the way the water drips down from the ends of his hair, landing on his shoulders and trailing down his chest.

You pull in a deep breath, the steam suddenly feeling suffocating as you remember that you do not have time to start this game today, let alone finish it.

You both need to be at the church soon.

"Well, it never hurts to rinse off again.”

You release him from your hold, nodding in approval as your eyes rake over his form. Your tone of voice switches back to something close to normal, as if you weren’t just about to do something unholy to your God.

“See? All clean."

Venti smirks at you, a knowing look in his eyes, speaking up as he moves to step out of the shower.

"Thank you very much for the assistance, angel. What ever would I do without you?"

The sarcasm in his voice is obviously an attempt at masking how flustered he is, and you find that awfully cute.

Moving to follow Venti, you brace a hand up against the shower doorframe and lean out as he steps onto the mat. You say his name and he turns around with a curious look in his eyes. You reach out and pull him back into a quick kiss before retreating into the shower, quickly sliding the door closed again.

Standing there naked, wet, and flustered, Venti can hear the smile in your voice when you respond to his rhetorical question.

"You'd still be in the shower, probably."

Additional Notes!

Title is from the song that heavily inspired this fic- “Heaven In Hiding” by Halsey.

Title of part 1 is from “Songs That She Sang in the Shower” by Jason Isbell. It is also the song that Venti is quoted to be singing throughout the fic! It’s a beautiful song and you should go give it a listen.

Header Image is from Patrick Hendry on Unsplash

I’ll be back with part 2 in hopefully a few days? Idk. I’m slow but it’s on the way. Y'all will finally make it down to the kitchen and hopefully out of the teapot by the end of pt. 2 lmao.

If you enjoyed this, I’d love to know. Every little bit of feedback I get motivates me to no end, and I cherish it all. (Even if I can’t respond 'cause this is a side-blog.) Thank you so much for reading. ♡

#venti #venti x reader #genshin #genshin impact #genshin x reader #venti x you #genshin x you #ventober #lunasmr #venti fanfic #genshin fanfic #venti fluff #venti smut #maybe? question mark?#venti gi #venti scenarios #genshin scenarios #venti genshin impact #genshin venti #genshin smut #does this count as smut i don't know #anyways. i'm done that's it this is the last time i'm rewriting this fic #we're going with this regardless of how well or poorly it's received #as much as i love my OC. i also eat x Reader fics for breakfast lunch and dinner so i understand the preference for them. as a reader #mayhaps i'll write two versions of all future parts of this story. one self-indulgent OC version 4 me and one Reader version 4 yall #we'll see what the future holds. maybe this flops either way and that's okay i'll survive #OKAY enough whining abt notes and engagement in the tags. my apologies. if ur reading these. uh. i love you (platonic)#and i hope u enjoyed the fic #yellow heart emoji

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