#lalalalalalala i spent two days on this | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ayustuff · 10 months

Text

" ᴏɴʟʏ " ʙʏ ʟᴇᴇʜɪ | bakugou katsuki x fem!reader | 2.1ᴋ+ ᴡᴏʀᴅѕ

y'all gotta hear this song ! i just thought of the lyrics this morning and searched it. till this night the song never left my mind... btw the yt MV is better.

the temperature today's cold. you sway with the breeze dancing through the lovely melody that your mind has created. you imagined dancing with him, being with him, holding him so close. feeling his warmth you dance through the cold breeze. every step you take you craved his touch, needing to feel him once again. you placed one of your hand at his shoulder and the other with his hand. you dance as if he's with you.

Be my only one

the breeze seems to whisper his name making you shiver. you mumble his name again and again. his name tasting sweet everytime you say it, to the point it melts your tongue. you recall all the memories you have spent with him.

The name I want to call you by 이렇게 부르고 싶은 이름 내 곁에

you smiled at the feeling of his hands holding yours, his thumb soothingly rubs the back of your hand. the breeze travelling slowed, the melody had fade away. you opened your eyes and smiled at the thoughts. the feeling of his hands on yours didnt fade away, it lingers as you continued your way home.

Let’s hold hands and walk along... 손을 잡고서 같이 걸어요

tiny drops of water came from above. you realized it's raining, you looked for a place to stop by. you've seen a cafe near by, you quickly run to the cafe. parts of your clothes are soaked, you sighed.

On rainy nights Or on lonely days 비가 오는 밤에도, 외로웠던 낮에도

a few minutes passed the rain havent stopped, only it became heavier. you look up at the dark sky admiring the rain drops.

"dumbass! i told ya to bring an umbrella, you fuckin' know well these days rain." he lectured you holding out an umbrella for you. "is this- is this my umbrella? and how did you find me?" you said bewildered. he clicked his tongue. "yeah, dumbass it's yours! you're lucky i noticed you didnt brought it."

"oh... and how did you find me?" you repeated your question. he groaned looking like he's ignoring your question in purpose. "i thought you're at your favorite place. i looked for you and saw you here." he took a pause analyzing the place. "why're you at a cafe anyway?"

"ahhh... i just took a stop here, waiting for the rain to stop." you turned your gaze to the heavy rain. "ahh, thought you wanted some pastries." you grinned at him. "what? gonna treat me with some?"

"i guess so. if you want some."

Please color me with your shiny light 그대 환한 빛깔을 내게 가득 칠해줘요

after katsuki ordered you pastries and your favorite drink, you shared the food with him and saved some for later. when you two stepped out of the cafe the rain has stopped. you walked with him home.

"what's for dinner?" you smiled at him.

"you just ate pastries, still hungry? hah?"

I’ll do better when you promise me we will stay together... 내가 더 잘할게요, 이렇게 같이 있어준다면

you replayed the scene at your favorite place again once more. his hands now holding yours, no imaginations. you smiled as you lean closer to place your head to his shoulder.

Now I believe

at home you felt cozy, you joined katsuki in the kitchen. you hum the tunes of the song, the one your mind created.

"hm? what's that song? sing it to me, princess."

you stopped at your trail. "i- i don't really know the lyrics. the tunes just appeared on my mind then i just find myself humming it."

"ahhh. well, after this we could finish the song." he pats your head.

Lalalalalalala I sing a song like this... 라랄라랄라라 부르는 노래

you and katsuki finally finished dinner and headed to the livingroom. "so, how do you picture the song?" katsuki says flopping on the couch. "i dont exactly know..." you said sitting next to him.

"what were you imaginin' when that tunes are created then, hm?"

"...dancing with you...?" you answered his question embarrassed.

"mhm. then shall we dance, princess?" he stands up then bows. he extend his hand asking for yours which you gladly put yours. you stand up and he leans in your ear. "start humming the song, maybe we'll end up finding ourselves getting lost to it."

With the one I was desperately looking for... 찾고 찾고 찾아 헤매이던 그대와

"say what were you imaginin', princess." he pulled you closer. "i uh... was dancing with you... i- one of my hand on your shoulder-" katsuki places your hand on his shoulder. "continue." he smirks. "and... uh- my other hand is holding yours..." he snakes his hand at your waist pulling you even closer as his other hand connects with yours. "i think i know now what vision were you imaginin'."

My, oh my, oh my, oh my love 내 사랑

"mhm, start humming the tunes princess." he starts swaying rhythmically with you as you start humming.

Be my only love

he began to create steps, visualizing the perfect move matching with the beauty of the melody you're creating. the steps made you surprised yet you two are in sync, like you two are made for eachother, though you two are.

Every step we take 걸어 걸어가는 발걸음마다

theres a point where the time slows down, you noticed his expression, soft dilated eyes, rosy cheeks,a smile that you always dream about. you smiled back at him, eyes closing. your humming gets more softer as the time passes.

It’s like a dance we perform together 기분 좋아 꼭 둘이서 추는 춤 같아

you examine him for awhile. "why'd you stop?" he asked as he spins you. "huh?" you fall back but he catches you. "you stopped humming."

"ahhh sorry, got a little distracted." you stumble a bit.

"hmm, better be because of me." he joked.

My, oh my, oh my, oh my love 내 사랑

after that katsuki became more gentle with you, his moves being more smooth, slow, and intimate. you feel his hands are all over your body, in your waist, with your hands, your cheeks, all parts. you thought that your humming turns into train wreck. you were lost in his touch, barely processing the hums escaping in your lips.

Be my only love

"calm down. take deep breaths." he whispers in your ears when he noticed you were distracted again. his whispers are far more better than you imagined. you shivered at his words, flustered. yet you still managed to take deep breaths and calm down again.

Be my only one

you felt safe in his arms, you knew why. his actions say that he does too. he spins you again, this time it worked perfectly. your smile grew wider, his heart began overflowing from your love, his ears painted with red blush hearing your laughter.

I don’t have to hide my feelings anymore... 이제는 숨기지 않고도 말할 수 있어

katsuki catched you when you fell after the spin. his hands are back on your waist again, his head on your shoulder. you can hear his breaths. he mumbles some words you cant understand. you returned your gaze to him, you gave him a peck on his cheek.

The words I sincerely wanted to say... 그렇게나 말하고 싶던

the tunes faded away, the background music inside your head did too. you two's gentle movements swaying through your humming now turned to slowly rocking. he placed his forehead atop of yours, his crimson eyes staring at your lovely heavenly eyes. he whispered in your ears again,

I say "I love you"

you two finally took a break on the dance, you two were ready to sleep, cuddling. "you got any ideas on the lyrics?" you adjested your pillows.

"yeah, but its for tomorrow. it's late now, you should sleep."

On tiring nights and busy day 쉬고 싶은 밤에도, 바쁘던 아침에도

you let out a huff. "please? just a little?" you plead. katsuki sighs rolling his eyes. "fine." katsuki rolls and landed on you, his head on your chest hearing the sounds of your heart beating. katsuki inhales and exhales. he started singing the lyrics,

Please make room in your heart for me to rest 그대 내게 쉴 곳을 마음속에 마련해요

he sing the lyrics, feeling the rhythm. he plays your hums in his brain like a broken record,

I’ll do better when you share your love with me... 내가 더 잘할게요 그 맘을 내게 나눠준다면

he paused, he closed his eyes. a few second passes and you still haven't heard any continuation. you got confused. "what's the next line?"

"said, its for tomorrow. rest."

katsuki sleeps peacefully, while you wonder, his words sounding familiar. you're still awake but your eyes are closed. anytime right now, you will probably fall asleep too.

Now I believe

that night you dreamt a continuation of the event. everything was a blur, it was only focused on his face. katsuki opened his mouth saying something.

you woke up to a voice, katsuki's. he's still at his sweats sitting at his work chair. he's holding a pen, which makes you remember the lines he said last night. "you're working on the lyrics?" you hugged him from behind. "yeah." katsuki tried to cover few of the lyrics. "can you sing it to me?"

he inhales and exhales again. he began matching your hum's,

Lalalalalalala I sing a song like this 라랄라랄라라 부르는 노래

he sing the song. he's perfecting every part of it, singing with the voice of the gods.

With the one I was desperately looking for... 찾고 찾고 찾아 헤매이던 그대와

you leaned closer, you closed your eyes. you joined him, you sing together. the notes flew in the air, love is just beside the notes. you and his voice danced the same way you two did.

My, oh my, oh my, oh my love 내 사랑

you placed your hands on top of his, you traced over his fingers. his hands are soft but rough, warm, quite veiny. he gave you a quick peck. you smiled at him, continuing the song, he did too.

Be my only love

your actions made him soft, relaxed. his cheeks, neck, and the tips of his ears painted with red blush as always. katsuki turns his chair to face you. he then places his hands on your hip and pulls you into a hug. he inhales your scent. katsuki's hands move its way to your ass urging you to seat on his lap.

My only one, when i see you 그대를 보면

his lips rosy, you stared at it for awhile. you leaned in, kissing him. you closed your eyes. katsuki tilts his head deepening the kiss. you played with his hair for awhile. you pull away, gasping needing to breathe.

I want to lean on you I want to have you 기대고 싶어 가지고 싶어

katsuki carries you, standing up. he puts you down. he continues the song, starting you sway with him. he's hold you tight not wanting to let go, his eye contact never leaving yours.

A love like this would make even the most immature dream come true... 이 사랑이라면 어설픈 꿈도 이뤄질 것 같은데

you two performed the dance again, this time with the right music. you adjusted his shirt, giving him a loving smile which he gives back.

Now I believe

his face lit with an orange light due to the morning sun making his hair glow and his eyes stand out. you gently twirl your fingers to few of his strands.

Every step we take 걸어걸어 가는 발걸음마다 (step we take) (걸어 가는 발걸음)

he takes in your scent again. he murmur a soft 'i love you' on your ear. you chuckle at the way his breath tickles your skin.

It’s like a dance we perform together 기분 좋아 꼭 둘이서 추는 춤 같아

he tuck a few of your hair strand. he kisses you all over the face with bites which makes your skin red. he pulls away analizing your face, then had a good laugh.

this. this is the exact copy of your imaginations.

My, oh my, oh my, oh my love 내 사랑

you pout at him which makes him kiss you. "dont be mad, princess. you look cute." you roll your eyes at him. ignoring you he continues the song,

"Be my only love"

La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la 랄랄랄라라라라라라

you continue sighing with a slight smile on your face,

"my only one"

the lyrics are delayed if read with this, im sorry hshshs. :' (this is a repost btw)

144 notes · View notes

finniestoncrane · 2 years

Note

maybe this is too much but riddlers reacting to you squirting while doing the do-do with them? like are they confused, disgusted, proud?? 👀

Riddlers And Squirting

Riddler Headcanons i am obsessed and spent a lot of time considering this for personal reasons and hng this was fun to write about request info • prompt list • send me a request • kofi minors DNI!! 🔞 cw for nsfw stuff: squirting y'all, duh

gotham

"sounds messy, i'm out." thank you for informing him of your...condition...before it was too late and his lovely green, silk sheets were facing a faded colour because of you. he's way too pernickety to let loose and have fun with something like this. his loss, boo. and he won't even let you borrow a towel? ed would, but the riddler won't

arkham

"sounds messy, i'm in." man is covered in every liquid, might as well add another to his vest, like he's collecting little badges of honour. also, he's focused mostly on making it happen from oral, because he's pretty bad at remember to stay hydrated during the day. two birds with one stone: eat you out, lap up everything you're willing to give to him

dano

"i did that? i made that happen? how soon until you can do it again?" he is absolutely beaming with pride, eyes wider than you could think was possible, cheeks all blushing. he's infatuated with it, obsessed maybe even? either way the next time you come round he's got the place covered in plastic sheeting like patrick bateman. he has no cleaning supplies, sure, but what the hell is it that he has planned and why is there a crate of energy drink by the bed?

young justice

ok so you told him you could do it and he whimpered and then sat silently for a good 10 minutes before asking if you could show him in the smallest voice possible. obviously he offers to help, and when you do finally squirt, make sure you let him take a little bit of the thanks for it, it'll make him feel like a big tough man. definitely not sure of the intricacies of it, but he's just pleased at the noise you make when you get off so he's happy

twojar

why haven't you told him sooner because that is hot as fuck. i mean he was definitely thinking it was a possibility since he's such a good ride, but it's still hotter in practice than in theory. definite believer that sex isn't good unless it's messy, so you cum on him, he'll cum on you and then you can both shower together in preparation to do it in there too.

unburied

aw, that's sweet that you told him before hand, but it's ok because he was going to make you squirt at least three times anyway, and no that's not just his ego talking he really is that good, he promises. "what gets wetter as it dries?" ok yeah no that doesn't work, but it's difficult to focus on riddles when he's pile driving you to the point where you can absolutely drench him, there are more important things on his mind believe it or not

capullo

ew, he's supposed to cum all over you not the other way around. babe don't emasculate him come on. what do you mean he should see it as him actually pleasing you? he's made you cum before! say he's made you cum before or he is absolutely going to go off in a huff and then you'll be sorry. fine, it doesn't matter because the female orgasm is a myth and squirting is just pee and now he's not listening lalalalalalala

telltale

he knows exactly how to fuck it out of you, and he's especially good at bringing you to the edge with his fingers. he's well-versed, a practiced gentleman. a frequent swimmer in those very lakes. in fact, he could say he was better at eliciting that from you than he was at riddles, or crime, or schemes, or murder. and he can prove it to you if that's what you would like?

181 notes · View notes

words-writ-in-starlight · 6 years

Note

TAZ Fic prompt: Taako and Kravitz on their second date please!

6300 words later, this is also on AO3.

PSA: there be some smut here.

Here is a list of the shit Taako has learned about the GrimReaper since threatening to execute some tentacle porn on theman—being?—several months ago:

The accent? Fake. He’s not sure why Kravitzfeels the need to have a business accent, since his normal voice is soft andcharming, but sure, dude, some people have train names.

His hands are cold because Kravitz is dead. This feels like it should have been obvious.

Kind of a dork? It’s strange to equate the shy politeness with the same person who spenta good minute and a half shouting about Merle’s death bounty.

Likes red wine, can’t get drunk, which seemslike a shitty deal.

Taako is considering adding more information to that list,starting with a fucking loser andmoving on from there, because Kravitz just spent solidly five minutes trying toarticulate a sentence over the link between their Stones.

“Hang on, bubbe, let me take a stab at this,” Taakointerrupts, and Kravitz falls silent. “Drinks at the Chug and Squeeze again? Say, nine o’ clock moon time?”

“Yes,” Kravitz says, relieved. “That sounds wonderful.”

“Sure about that?” Taako drawls. “That was like pulling teeth.”

Kravitz laughs a little bit—nice laugh, another fact for the list. “I—well, most people are pretty glad to seeme go.”

“I’m sure they are, handsome, it’s a pleasure to watch yougo.” Kravitz makes a faint choking noiseand Taako snickers, which might be a little mean, but also, Taako doesn’tcare. Taako carefully draws a brush fullof silver-green polish across his thumbnail and cocks his head at the Stone ofFarspeech. “We haven’t died any timesthat I’m not aware of, right? This isn’ta business thing or whatever?”

“Uh, no,” Kravitz says, stumbling over the words. “I was—it was—I was thinking maybe a date.”

Taako grins. WindingKravitz up is probably cruel, but it’s so eminentlygratifying. “I’d take you somewherenicer for our third date, but there ain’t a lot of options on the moon,y’know? I guess we could go to FantasyCostco and you could see how you do against Garfield–”

“Third date?”

“Sure, keep up.” Taako counts them off on his fingers, unnecessary but amusing. “The lab, the Chug and Squeeze, andtonight. Hey, if you count the nightafter Refuge separately I guess this is four.”

“The lab—Taako, I was under orders to hunt you down and execute you in the lab.”

“I dunno, homie, kinky tentacle shit generally counts as adate. I’ll see you tonight, dress nice,okay-peace-bye.” And Taako severs theconnection while Kravitz is still stammering through the start of his response.

Taako keeps snickering the whole time he finishes paintinghis nails, because the alternative is to chew on his lips and wonder what thefuck he’s doing. At least the familiardetail work keeps his hands steady.

Kravitz is nice, is the thing. Nice,fuck, Taako’s never really…nice isn’treally Taako’s type, see, because Taako’s a lot of things and nice isn’t one of them. Taako breaksnice people. Like Glamour Springs. It wasn’t his fault. It was all his fault. You fedthem their death.

Hell, Kravtiz has his big book of badness, shouldn’t he knowthat Taako’s a—an accessory to mass murder?

And for all his grim work—grim work, ha, Taako’s cracking himself up—Kravitz is nice, andgentle, and sweet. He does things likesit with shell-shocked elves after time loops and laugh at little acts ofrebellion and splutter when Taako hits on him, and honestly Taako doesn’treally get his logic. Taako is the bombdiggity, of course, but Taako’s also rude and prickly and downright mean sometimes and that’s not the kindof person that matches up with Kravitz. He doesn’t understand what Kravitz wants. A date, sure. Maybe even a fuck, or two, and Kravtiz’s magically constructed body is apretty hot piece of ass so Taako would be fine with that.

But what the fuck else is Kravitz after?

Taako can hear Magnus’ voice in his head telling him thatnot everyone is after something, but just because Magnus is a big dumb lug whowears his big dumb heart on his big dumb sleeve doesn’t mean Magnus is right.

Everyone’s always after something, with Taako.

God, maybe Kravitz is just lonely. For all that he’s a fine figure, in his suitand…well, his skin, when he’s wearing it, there can’t be that many peopleinterested in chatting up an avatar of death, a vengeful emissary of the RavenQueen herself. And it’s not like he canjust go pick someone up at a bar, even if he had the free time—he’d still haveto explain that cold skin, and that would need to be one hell of a bluff.

That thought makes Taako feel a little steadier. His hands don’t shake when he puts away thenail polish and turns to his closet, which is strewn half across the floorbecause there’s honestly no point inbeing a wizard if he can’t use it to keep his shit from wrinkling.

Right, then. LonelyGrim Reaper. Taako can deal withthat. Besides, Taako hasn’t gotten laidsince before all this Bureau fuckery started—again, one hell of a bluff to pick someone up in a bar, and it’s not like themoon is that big—so he could stand tofuck a handsome semi-stranger in the Chug and Squeeze bathroom.

Or in his quarters, more likely. Kravitz seems like ‘public sex’ is probablyone of his hangups.

Whatever.

He and Kravitz can go out and drink and harass the potteryinstructor, and then they can fuck, and it’ll probably be good because Kravitzjust screams ‘considerate in thesack’, and then they can both go their separate ways and get on with theirgoddamn lives.

Taako waits to feel the weight of anxiety lift from hischest, but instead it just settles into his gut, sullen and thick. He shakes his head, trying to shake thefeeling away, and settles down to picking out some clothes that will get himlaid tonight. His hair will be easy, asimple braid, something that will come undone in a rush if he needs it to—heconsiders putting it up, maybe something effortless like a messy bun, somethingthat would show off his neck, but. No. Taako lets his hair fall fromwhere he’s holding it, looking away from the mirror as something kicks in his chest, like he’s seeing—likehe’s missing—like he’s—like—

The blue skirt will go well with his nails, he decides.

***

Kravitz shows up in the shared living room of the Reclaimerdorm at five minutes to nine, because Kravitz is a monster. Taako had enough time to kill that he’s alreadyset to go, but it’s the principle of the thing. Who the hell is that punctual?

Well, Taako allows with a little smirk, Death, obviously.

“Hi,” Taako says, flicking his braid over his shoulder, andKravitz looks up at him and smiles—fucking beams,really, and Taako really needs to stop hanging out with so many horrifyinglygenuine people.

“Hi,” Kravitz says, a little shy, tugging at his cuffs likehis suit is real and not just a convenient manifestation of his power. It’s a very sharp manifestation, though,Taako has to give him that, black and sleek with a pearly grey shirt and a darkred tie that makes him look a little livelier with its color. “You look incredible.”

“Obviously,” Taako sniffs, stepping over to Kravitz anddraping a hand over his shoulder, toying with one of the long dreadlocks at thenape of his neck. “But really, my dude,so do you. Do you even have to try tolook this fine?”

“It, uh.” Kravitzsmiles down at him, the red glow behind his black eyes warm and cheerful. Kravitz is tall, almost as tall as Magnus,and he has a whole head of height on Taako, but he doesn’t seem nearly as biglike this as he does in his skeletal form. “I’m happy to put in the effort for you.”

“Good answer.” Taakogives the lock in his hand a light tug—hey, might as well start as he means togo on—and makes a point to stroke his fingers along the curve of Kravitz’sthroat as he pulls his arm back.

Kravitz, of course, is incapable of blushing, because he’sdead. But he looks like he mightspontaneously develop the ability in order to cope. It takes him a beat to offer Taako hisarm—because Kravitz is a fucking gentleman—and allow himself to be pulled outof the apartment.

This is going to be a fucking walk in the park.

Drinks and pottery go very much the same, with quietconversation and Taako taking every opportunity he can find to get his handsall over Kravitz. It’s not ahardship. And besides, Kravitz is reallypretty funny, when he’s talking about things that aren’t his divine obligationto execute Taako and his—his coworkers. Taako learns that Kravitz was a bard, and that he can’t help the way hiseyes glow, and that he’s easy to embarrass.

It’s been about an hour and the two of them have split mostof a bottle of chardonnay when Taako sways over to Kravitz and rests his chinon the reaper’s shoulder, close enough that his breath stirs one of thedreadlocks closest to him. His lipsalmost brush the shell of Kravitz’s ear—faintly pointed, enough to render Kravitz’srace firmly ambiguous.

“Hey, thug,” Taako murmurs, shamelessly enjoying the way hefeels Kravitz stiffen against him in surprise. “Do you want to get out of here?”

He lets his hand wander up Kravitz’s thigh, just in case hismeaning was unclear. Kravitz doesn’ttake that as hard as Taako might have expected, but he also seems to havefrozen in shock, so maybe the two cancel out.

“I—are you sure?”

There he goes again. Being nice. Taako almost grabs his dick in the middle ofthe room in revenge, but resists the petty impulse in a show of purewillpower. He settles instead fortightening his grip on Kravitz’s leg, just hard enough to hurt a little.

“Do I not seemsure?”

Kravitz laughs a little at that, and it’s that easy. Kravitz lets Taako pull him outside and steala kiss in the shadows of the quad—Kravitz’s lips aren’t quite cold, just…cool,room temperature, and it’s a little like touching solid water with the way theyslide over Taako’s, and he can taste the wine and power. Magic like nothingTaako can recall, except maybe for the way that the relics leave a crackle ofsomething in the air after they’ve been used. Kissing Kravitz is something like that, maybe, like breathing in airthat’s had an enormous amount of energy put through it very recently, and whenthey separate and Kravitz looks a little rumpled, a little dazed, Taako feels arush of smugness unlike anything in recent memory.

Once they’re back in the Reclaimer dorm—Magnus is still outhitting things with Carey and Killian, and Merle is god knows where doing godknows what—Taako doesn’t hesitate to crowd Kravitz up against the nearest walland kiss him again. More aggressively,this time, tangling his fingers in the cords of Kravitz’s dreadlocks andsighing into his mouth when those broad cool hands came up to rest on hisback. Taako catches Kravitz’s bottom lipin his teeth and bites down, not quite hard enough to do damage, and Kravitzmakes a sound like a growl deep in his chest. It vibrates against Taako’s ribs where they’re pressed together and thesharp jolt of want takes him offguard for long enough to find himself pressed up against the wall in Kravitz’splace, with all of Kravtiz’s height caging him in, and it doesn’t feel likebeing trapped so much as being wanted.

It’s the first time that Taako wonders if he’smiscalculated, but then Kravitz lowers his lips down over Taako’s cheek and jawto the side of his throat and the thought is wiped away like someone fed it tothe voidfish. Somehow Kravitz taking theinitiative is a shock, as if Taako had expected him to be a novice at thiswithout even realizing it, but he doesn’t seem lacking in experience and Taakois profoundly enjoying the benefits of it.

“Fuck,” Taako sighs as teeth scrape against his skin,tipping his head and pressing a thigh up between Kravitz’s legs. He really should ask what Kravitz even is, ifthings like elf and human even apply to him, but whateverthe fuck gives him teeth like that, sharp and even, is a-okay by Taako’sbook.

“Taako,” Kravitz says into the pulse at his throat as Taako’shands busy themselves with the knot of his tie. “If your friends come back and we’re out here, they’ll be unhappy.”

Oh, right, Taako lives with people now. People who might possibly still want to hitKravitz with a war hammer over some limbs or some shit like that. It takes him a few moments to conclude that thisis a sufficiently serious concern to justify moving, because thealternative—letting Kravitz fuck him against a wall in the next fewminutes—seems far more compelling.

“Merle’s never happy,” Taako says, and Kravitz pulls away tolaugh as Taako sulks at him. This timeTaako really does grab his dick in revenge, reaches a hand between them andpalms Kravitz through his pants, and the way the laughter turns into a hissingcurse, a thoughtless push of his hips, is absolutely worth it. “Fine,” Taako says, magnanimous, and reachesup to loop both arms around Kravitz’s neck. “My door’s the second one. Youcan do the work, handsome.”

Kravitz chuckles again and complies, lifting Taakoapparently effortlessly, Taako’s legs coming up to wrap around Kravitz’s waistwithout regard for the indecent way it shoves his skirt up almost past hiships.

“Strong boy,” Taako muses, giving a teasing squeeze to oneof Kravitz’s biceps as Kravitz shifts his weight so that he can catch thedoorknob and open it. Inside, Taako snapshis fingers absently to wake the spark of magic in his lamp, shedding brightlight across the room at once. He wantsto see what it looked like, when one of the Raven Queen’s own elite comesundone in his bed.

“I execute necromancers, Taako,” Kravitz says with a smallroll of his glowing eyes. “I’m very strong.”

“Mmm,” Taako hums, and when Kravitz tries to set him gentlydown on the bed, he twists his weight to trip Kravitz down beneath him.

This, sitting on Kravitz’s lap and pressed up against himfrom hip to shoulder, is possibly even better than the wall, and Taako kissesKravitz again as he starts working on the layersof buttons in the suit. It’s aproduction.

“Why do you wear so many fucking clothes,” Taako muttersagainst Kravitz’s lips as he finally manages to wrestle jacket, shirt, andbraces off in one motion.

“Sorry,” Kravitz says, his hands—almost as warm as Taako’sskin, from contact—sliding up under Taako’s shirt, slowly, as if giving Taako achance to pull away. “Would you ratherthe cloak?”

“God, you’re such a fucking dramatic loser.” Taako ends his statement with a firm grind ofhis hips, and whatever Kravitz was about to say dies unspoken, swallowed by achoked sound as he closes his eyes sharply and takes a deep breath. His skin goes thin and transluscent over hischeekbones for a moment, the edges of a skull pressing through until he getshimself under control, and the high of that is palpable, better than anythingelse Taako’s ever tried, the high of having made a Reaper lose control withnothing but a twist of his hips.

When Kravitz opens his eyes, they glitter, and he pullsTaako’s shirt off over his head, a clumsy tangle of fabric for a moment beforethe shirt is gone and Taako learns some interesting facts about himself, amongthem that, apparently, the temperature thing is a Thing. He can almost taste the spark that jumps to his corewhen he presses up against Kravitz’s bare chest, almost cold against Taako’sflushed skin.

Wow. If he wasn’thard before, he sure as hell is now. That’s a thing that he didn’t see coming.

“Taako,” Kravitz says, almost gasps, like he needs air atall, against Taako’s shoulder, “I’ll need to get up to get my pants off.”

Taako considers just—just not moving, grinding down likethis and kissing Kravitz until they’re both stupid with it, coming half-dressedlike a pair of kids, but the appeal of seeing Kravitz naked is pretty strongtoo. He kisses Kravitz again, wet anddirty and deep, before he slides off and abandons both his skirt and his underwearon the side of the bed.

Kravitz is beautiful, Taako thinks somewhat fuzzily as hewatches him undress. Like, Taako isbeautiful too, don’t get him wrong, humility is for other people, but Kravitzknocks him out a little in a way that very few people can claim to havedone. It’s not just the symmetry of hisangular face or the way his tendons line his hands or the perfect vee shape ofthe bones at his hips, it’s also that he has something other about him, a statement worth making when you could hit abaker’s dozen races with a well-swung cat.

But that’s not to say that the muscles of his thighs and themotionless curve of his ribs and his cock don’t make Taako’s mouth water alittle bit. The latter, in particular.

Next time, Taako thinks idly as Kravitz kicks away hispants, Taako should put a little more planning into this, because he’d reallyenjoy having that inside him. As it is,he’s pretty sure he wouldn’t last long enough.

The thought almost brings him up short. Next time? There’s not going to be a next time. Taako already decided that.

“Are you all right?” Kravitz asks—nice, even standing there completely naked, he’s still nice.

“Fine, babe, all fine,” Taako says, and holds out ahand. “You planning to join me or what?”

Kravitz smiles and takes Taako’s hand and—fucking save him—kisses the knuckles as heallows himself to be pulled down onto the bed. Taako pins him down, and knows that Kravitz is letting him, and stopsresisting the urge to rub up against the cool silk of Kravitz’s skin, untilhe’s breathing hard and rambling and Kravitz is barely breathing at all.

“Taako,” Kravitz whispers, one hand coming up to tangle inTaako’s hair while the other reaches down to find their cocks, his hand bigenough to wrap around them both easily, and if the cool touch of his skin was ashock against Taako’s chest, it’s a fucking religiousmoment against Taako’s dick. Hedoesn’t even try to hold back the yelp, and reaches down to weave his fingersthrough Kravitz when it seems like he’s going to pull away.

“Don’t you fucking dare,” Taako hisses.

“Are you sure, I know–”

“Kravitz, I swear to fucking—fucking everyone, I’ll burn aspell slot on your ass right now if you stop.”

He gets another laugh for that, faint and almost breathy. Kravitz is quiet in bed, mostly soft gaspsand moans when Taako does something he likes, once or twice that bone-rattlingrumble when Taako lays his blunt mortal teeth against Kravitz’s collarbone andbites down hard. But then he doessomething a little unforgivable—laughs and says, “All right, darling.”

Taako’s heart stops in his chest, and his mouth comes downso hard on Kravitz’s that he thinks he might be bleeding from where his teethhit his lip, but the kiss silences anything else Kravitz could say.

Kravitz seems taken off-guard when he comes, a little breathof ah escaping his lips as he goesstiff and his mouth goes still under Taako’s. His hand tightens around the pair of them, and Taako comes too, theworld popping with white lights at the corners of his vision as he shuddersthrough it. The world seems to havenarrowed down to Kravitz, his hand around Taako’s cock and his fingers inTaako’s hair, resting against his neck, the places where his skin is warm fromcontact, the taste of wine and magic on his lips.

By the time Taako comes back to himself, blurry andblinking, his head is bowed down to Kravitz’s shoulder. The hand is still at the nape of his neck,looser now, lax, and Kravitz’s other hand is resting on Taako’s hip, thumbdescribing an arc over the line of the bone, like Kravitz is happy to just…liethere, feeling Taako’s weight on him and not doing a thing about it. There’s a scar on Kravitz’s chest, just belowTaako’s cheek, like someone put a spike through his heart—the only mark onhim—and it makes Taako feel almost special to be so close to it, like Kravitzis sharing something with him.

Taako gives himself a few minutes of that, of the wayKravitz noses kisses into his hair and strokes gently over his skin.

It’s…nice.

Kravitz is nice.

Taako doesn’t let himself think about that anymore as herolls to the side with a sigh and casts Prestidigitation to clean up. He also doesn’t let himself think about theway Kravitz’s fingers lingered in his hair, or the soft warmth in those red-liteyes.

“Thanks, bubbeleh,” Taako says, plastering on his bestgrin. “Call me later, or whatever.”

Kravitz looks bemused. Oh, fucking god, he’s actually going to make Taako kick him out. “Taako?”

“This was fun, we should do it again sometime,” Taako says,ignoring the way that weight settles back into his belly, ignoring the way theback of his mind kind of wants to curl into Kravitz’s side with a blanket overthem, ignoring the look of confusion shading to hurt on Kravitz’s face. This was just sex. Just physical. There’s no reason for Kravitz to look likeTaako’s personally cancelled Candlenights.

Kravitz seems to be getting the picture, though, because heslowly sits up, propped up on one hand. “I—Ican go,” he says, like there’s an offer there, rather than an impliedoutcome. “If you want.”

“As opposed to what?” Taako arches an eyebrow at him. There’sa moment of silence as Kravitz studies him, his head cocked at an angle, tryingto parse something, and Taako waves a languorous hand at him. “It’s all right, thug, I’m not gonna take itpersonally.”

“I’m sorry,” Kravitz says, falling back into stiff formality,and he does a remarkably good job for someone still sitting naked in Taako’sbed. The look of confused hurt has beenerased, his face a politely emotionless blank. “It’s been some time since I did this. What are you not taking personally?”

Ah, right. Kravitzhas been a wandering skeleton bounty hunter since forever. Culture clash or some shit.

“I knew what I was getting into,” Taako says, keeping hisface cheerful. “Just sex, right? And don’t get me wrong, the sex was prettyfucking choice, I’m happy to do that again whenever you have a few hours free,but you don’t have to worry about hurting my feelings or whatever.”

“Oh,” Kravitz says, quietly, and he stands, waves a hand,and his clothes sort of knit themselves back into being on his body, even histie perfectly knotted at his throat.

He tucks both hands into his pockets, straightening up untilhe looks as forbidding and untouchable as he did the first time they met, hiseyes the only trace of any emotion as they linger on Taako’s face for a momentbefore they flicker away. He bends downto catch Taako’s hand in his, and kisses the knuckles again—something lurchesinto Taako’s throat, words throwing themselves at his teeth from behind, someuseless stupid hey maybe you could stay,I could make you breakfast, did you know I’m a chef, and he bites them backmercilessly.

“If you ever need anything,” Kravitz says, still quiet, “callfor me.”

And then he gestures for his scythe and tears open the worldwith the blade, and he’s gone.

Taako lies down on his back and stares at the ceiling. This is the easy thing to do, this is what heknew was going to happen. Hell, giventhe circumstances, this might even have been the right thing to do.

So why does he feel like he just betrayed someone?

***

Taako’s not one for stewing. He’s not one for sitting and brooding and worrying about hisproblems. He’s a master of the art oftaking any inconvenient emotion and kicking it off the nearest available cliff,never to be seen or considered again, because who has time for feelings, thesedays? A Relic hunt would be excellent right about now, somelife-threatening shit to take his mind off everything, and by the time they gotdone being healed by someone other than Merle, he would have forgotten allabout this. He would be more focused onwhether their fighter was finally going to kick the bucket—Taako needs a meatshield, all right, he’s a delicate little magic user, so if Magnus could livepast the age of forty for Taako’s sake, that would be amazing.

Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a convenientlyapocalyptic artifact surfacing any time soon. If anything, things are calmer than usual, like the other two Relics aresquirreled away in some dark dungeon rather than out causing trouble. The mood on the base is bright and confident,riding high on their successful rescue of Refuge, totally lacking in thetension that usually precedes a recovery mission. Carey and Killian and Noelle spend all theirtime bounding cheerfully through the halls like baby deer. Johann cracked a smile and laughed at a jokelast week. There was a party on thequad. Taako’s pretty sure he saw theDirector relaxing.

It’s loathsome.

It’s three days before Magnus asks Taako what’s wrong. Taako rebuffs him easily and pawns him off onMerle, but it sticks with him. Magnus isan empathetic guy, but he’s not a genius, and Taako’s not supposed to haveanything wrong to ask about.

Five days after hooking up with Kravitz, Taako finds himselfin the Icosagon. Training.

Taako does not train. Beauty of Magic Missile: his aim doesn’t evenmatter. Area effect spells are his bitch. His ability to Fireball someone in the faceis entirely unrelated to his abilityto do pushups, Magnus. Wizards do not train, they read some books and blow some shit up and call it aday. Sometimes Taako deigns to do someactual calculations in order to maximize a spell’s efficacy, but that’s hislimit.

So when Taako realizes he’s halfway through a short swordtraining form that he barely remembers, he stops and considers that he mightneed to actually take steps to deal with this situation.

It’s just…he keeps thinking about that quiet oh as Kravitz stood up and it’sbothering him. He’s not really sure why it keeps coming to mind, butwhenever he stands still and silent for a few seconds, it plays through hishead like a Fantasy Vine, a handful of seconds that just don’t quite makesense.

Kravitz had gotten what he wanted, right? Company, affection, a roll in themetaphorical hay. So who the hell gavehim permission to look at Taako likethat as he said oh and stood up toleave, is the real question here.

In Taako’s experience, the only real solutions to hisproblem are to get incredibly drunk or to actually interrogate the man himself. In theory he could also just leave but avoiding the Grim Reapersounds like it would require a bit more effort than just wandering off the sideof the base. Magnus and Merle wouldprobably come try to hunt him down, regardless.

And if he’s being totally honest he’s already tried thealcohol. Avi brings the good shit tocompany parties.

“Yo, Krav,” Taako says, casting Levitate on his Stone ofFarspeech and giving it a flick to set it spinning. He’s back in his room, with his feet proppedup on a desk that has never seen a scrap of Bureau-mandated paperwork and neverwill, if Taako has anything to do with it. “You busy, my dude?”

There’s a pause, long enough that Taako wonders if maybeKravitz isn’t near the Stone, before a voice answers.

“Taako?”

Kravitz sounds hesitant, and there’s a lift at the end ofTaako’s name that sounds like hope and kind of makes Taako want to throw theStone across the room and run.

“Who else, bone boy?”

“What can I do for you, Taako?” Kravitz’s voice goes steely, and he asks, “Areyou in trouble?”

“What? No! I can go more than a week without gettingsucked into some kind of weird timeline bullshit, fuck you very much, and plusI have a Magnus for solving trouble, it would be cruel to deny him the chanceto…hit stuff.” There’s a huff ofamusement on the other end, and a quiet shuffling sound. “Krav, thug, I really gotta ask, does theGrim Reaper do paperwork?”

“Of course I do paperwork,” Kravitz says, a littleaffronted. “Do you know how much work itis to keep files on necromancers and liches and whatever the hell you threeare? Don’t you have to do paperwork forblowing up towns?”

“Magnus does paperwork,” Taako says, leaning his chair backon its rear legs. “Sometimes I sign itif he asks real nice. I dunno who doesMerle’s shit.”

“I should have known.” It sounds like Kravitz is smiling. Taako’s chest heats a little, a piece of charcoal flickering into anember, and shit, that’s not what he’s doing here. “Also, it would be more accurate to call me a Grim Reaper.” The warmth in Kravitz’s voice fades, and thefire in Taako’s chest follows. “Is there…didyou—was there anything in particular that you wanted?”

“Yeah,” Taako says, and Magnus would be proud of him, hereally would, because Taako just fucking goesfor it, just rushes right in before he can think better of it. “You want to come by? Like, are you free right now? To come to the moon?”

“Sure,” Kravitz says, and there’s a rustling sound, papersbeing moved around, before the Stone shuts off.

It’s barely a minute and a half later that the world ripsopen and Kravitz steps through, skin raveling itself into place over the smoothwhite bones of his skull and hands, his cloak fading away into his usualsuit. The rift closes behind him, andKravitz is just standing there, hands in his pockets, looking unsure.

“Hey.”

“Hey, handsome,” Taako says, letting his chair thud backinto place. “You want to do something?”

“Something—like what?” Kravitz isn’t an especially outgoing person, particularly since Taako’smajor points of comparison these days are a proselytizing cleric and the mostabsurdly friendly individual he’s ever known, but he seems more guarded thanbefore, almost like he’s expecting Taako to throw a spell at him again. But he did come, when Taako called.

God, people were so much easier when Taako was younger. He doesn’t really remember what changed—maybedoing the show made him overconfident—but he knows that when he was younger henever felt this clumsy and fumbling.

“Everything all right, Krav?” Taako asks, arching an eyebrowat him.

“Fine,” Kravitz says, and hesitates for a moment, and thenhe meets Taako’s gaze for the first time. “I don’t want to sleep with you,” he blurts out, fast, all in a rush,like he’s been planning it. “Or, I mean,no, yes, I do, but not—I don’t—I think you’re confused? About this?”

Taako opens his mouth with a fast retort, then snaps itshut, because he’s…he’s not sure what Kravitz is expecting from him there. He makes a little go on gesture with one hand instead.

“I thought—I thought I had been pretty clear that yourbounties have been suspended,” Kravitz says, rocking back on his heels like hewants to pace but doesn’t know if it would be permitted. “And Refuge is a nonissue, we already talkedabout that, so unless you and your friends start doing necromancy in your freetime, you’re not under my purview. So—soI don’t want you to think that you’re making some kind of trade, here, with me,all right?”

“Some kind of—hang on, do people try to seduce the Grim Reaper? Wow,”Taako muses, “I’ve got to admire that kind of confident crazy.”

A smile, faint but genuine, flickers over Kravitz’sface. “Every once in a while someone triestheir luck. Although having someonebypass any sort of seduction check and go straight for threats of tentacleporn, that was novel.” The good humorfades, and Kravitz just looks tired and…lonely, Taako decides. He’s spent a lot of his life feeling lonely,he knows what it looks like. “And I don’twant you to be with me because—because you’re scared of me, or because youthink I expect something in order to keep your bounties suspended, or–”

“That, um. Thatactually didn’t occur to me,” Taako interrupts, because Kravitz seems more thanready to keep up his nervous ramble indefinitely. A surge of guilt rushes through Taako’s chestat the open relief on Kravitz’s face, and he sighs. “I just—I just figured this was a casualthing. Company, sex, not much else, youknow what I’m saying.”

“Is that what you want?” Kravitz asks, and the light behindhis eyes brightens as he focuses on Taako, until Taako imagines that he canfeel the weight of his stare, as cool and invulnerable as Kravitz’s handsaround his scythe. “Company and sex andnothing else?”

“Hey, you know me, Taako’s easy.” Taako waves a hand dismissively. “I’ll take whatever. What about you, thug, what do you want?”

Kravitz looks distant for a moment, then sits down on theedge of Taako’s bed, so that they’re facing each other, closer to eyelevel.

“I really like you, Taako,” he says, and the sincerity inhis voice makes Taako want to kiss him, or maybe cast Blink and escape to awhole other plane—except, of course, that Kravitz is Kravitz and could probablyfollow him. “It’s been—it’s been a reallylong time since I had mortal friends, let alone anything else, and I wasn’tmuch good at this while I was alive, either.”

“With that face?” It’s wildly inappropriate given the tone, butoh god Taako can’t help himself,there’s no way that Kravitz wasn’t absolutely spoiled for choice during hislife.

Kravitz grins a little, reaching up to touch his cheek andjaw as if reminding himself of what he looks like. “You’d be surprised.”

“Oh, I’d be fucking shocked,homie,” Taako says thoughtlessly, one hundred percent of his brain fullyoccupied with Kravitz’s words.

I really like you,Taako. What the fuck is a personeven supposed to do with that.

“Taako,” Kravitz says, and Taako snaps back to the presentmoment. Kravitz sounds like he’s maybesaid Taako’s name a few times. “I just—ifyou’re not interested in dating me, you don’t have to worry about telling me,but I’d rather you be honest.”

“Are you,” Taako says slowly, lining up the same thoughts hehad before the date in a different order, “interested in dating me?”

Kravitz tips his head and says, “For someone so brilliantlytalented, you can be a bit dense.”

“Thank you.”

“Taako, you’re charming, and beautiful, and funny, and youhelp save the world. Of course I’minterested in dating you.” Kravitz looksdown at his hands, where they’re laced together in his lap, and he rubs a thumbup the line of a metacarpal, something that’s almost a nervous tick. The pressure drags a line of white bonebehind it, until his dark skin knits itself back together. “I would understand, of course, if you’relooking for something more casual. I’mjust…I’m not built for it.”

God, Taako can’t deal with this. This level of honesty is going to make him break out in fucking hives. The way Kravitz glances up at him through hislashes, a tiny spark of hope in the black of his eyes, is like taking a MagicMissile straight to the chest.

“So, what, you want to hold my hand and cuddle and shit?”Taako demands, and he means it to come out harsh, but instead it sounds almostfragile.

“If that’s okay with you.”

Taako scoffs. “You’rea fucking sap.”

“Well, don’t tell anyone,” Kravitz says. “I have a reputation to maintain.”

And then he offers Taako his hand, palm up, harmless andinviting. I really like you, Taako. It’sbeen a long time since someone made an offer like that, and it went so horrificallywrong last time Taako accepted more than a one-night stand.

But Kravitz is nice. And honest. And he’s alreadytried to murder Taako and the others and then taken steps to make sure he doesn’thave to do it properly, which is a selling point, these days. Half of everyone Taako knows has tried tomurder them, by accident or as a test or just because the three of them were inthe way.

More than anything, though, Kravitz doesn’t say anything,doesn’t press, just sits there with his hand out as a silent offer, waiting forTaako to decide.

Kravitz’s hand is cold, still holding the chill of theastral plane. Taako adds one more thingto his list of Grim Reaper Facts: his fingers fit perfectly with Taako’s.

#taakitz #taako x kravitz #taz #the adventure zone #taz fic #starlight writes stuff #otp: i'm about to tentacle your dick #lalalalalalala i spent two days on this #don't tell me if it's terrible because i like it #i am satisfied #this is the fastest i've ever written a smut fic in my entire life #but yeah anyway that exists #it's on ao3 #also yarndarling i got your ask and i'll put the other one on ao3 too so you can cite it #i came out of this with a lot of very serious kravitz headcanons #like #a lot #i like the idea of him being the wonderland twins' little brother for pain reasons #but i also know that's not considered canon by word of god so my headcanons also work for non-wl-brother krav #i love him so much #and taako i love taako to bits and pieces #i really hope i did taako's speech patterns all right #ya boy's speech patterns are a pain in the motherfucking a s s #but i tried my hardest and that's what counts #fun fact i am magnus burnsides but very short?#i want to do a magnus cosplay but i'm 5' and idk if i could pull it off #anyway here's wonderwall #lathori #asked and answered #taz balance

24 notes · View notes

maidendufay-blog · 7 years

Text

Emone held Thierry’s hand tighter over her mouth and tried not to laugh. Behind her, her brother had his face buried in the top of her head. She could hear him struggling not to laugh, too.

Of all her siblings, Emone was closest to Thierry- both in age, and otherwise. Henri and Alex were eight and six years older then her respectively, making their struggles seem somewhat distant. And Manon was four years younger- still just a baby, really.

Emone and Thierry went most places together. They came as a pair. If you wanted to talk to one, you’d receive both or neither. Since they usually got into trouble together, though, this made it much easier for their parents to scold them; they only needed to send for one, and both would arrive.

“Just kissing,” they heard Susanne-from-the-village say, giggling.

“Just kissing,” Henri agreed. He sounded strange- breathless, like he’d been running for miles- and Emone snorted. She heard one of the boards in the hay-loft above them creak. “Suze, wait here a moment.”

She froze. She could tell from her brother’s tone that he had heard her, and he was displeased. Thierry uncovered her mouth and raised a finger to his lips. Go that way, he mouthed, gesturing left around the hay bale that served as their hiding place. I’m right behind you. She nodded obediently and turned to run-

- smack into Henri, who knew almost all of his little siblings’ hiding places by heart.

“What are you two doing back here?” he said. There was no way he could possibly see Thierry yet, as he was still hidden, but he knew. Where one was, the other would be.

Emone looked at him suspiciously. “Where has your shirt gone?”

“Susanne has it.”

“Why?”

Henri groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Because I gave it to her.”

“Is she cold?”

“Yes, Emone. She’s cold.”

“I think,” said Thierry, coming around the hay bale to stand beside his sister, “that they were kissing.”

“So do I,” Emone agreed. “But I don’t see why that involves the removing of one’s shirt.”

Henri was clearly trying to remain angry, but he couldn’t help but laugh. “You’ll find out one day, little sister,” he said, tugging on one of her braids in that way he knew she didn’t like. “When you are older.”

“Can’t you just tell us now?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder at Thierry, who nodded; he was curious, too.

“I can’t tell you little babies everything,” Henri said. “You need to learn some things by yourself. Now, can I go back to kissing Susanne?”

“Tell her we hope she warms up soon,” Thierry said earnestly.

Henri snickered. “She will, Thierry, I’ll make sure of it.”

Emone reached behind her and took Thierry’s hand. “We will leave you alone.” She raised her voice and called out, “Hello Susanne!”

Susanne peeped over the edge of the hayloft and waved. Her hair was undone. “Hello!”

“We are going to go,” Thierry said as the two children walked out of the barn hand-in-hand, “and take the dress off of Nonnie’s doll and hide it.”

“No,” Emone said, “because last time we did that, she pulled on my hair. And she is surprisingly strong, for a baby.”

II.

Emone jumped down from the tree that stood by the gate to the farm that the du Fays rented and grabbed Thierry’s arm.

“Where have you been?!” she asked. “I had to play with Manon, and she isn’t anywhere near as fun as you!”

Thierry couldn’t help but smile smugly. “Thanks, Mo. I love you too.”

“That doesn’t answer my question,” she huffed.

He gestured for her to come closer, and bent his head to whisper in her ear; “I was kissing.”

Emone pulled away and raised an eyebrow. “A girl?”

“Of course a girl! Emone, really?”

She laughed. “Jesus, who?”

He slapped her playfully on the shoulder. “Don’t swear!”

“Who was it?!”

“..... Idette.”

“Idette!!”

“Shhh!!!” he rushed forward and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Emone, you mustn’t tell anybody!”

“I won’t, Thierry, I promise.” She looked down. “Your shirt is still on.”

He glanced down. “Yes. It is. I’m not entirely sure what Henri was referring to, that time.”

“Maybe we need to be even older,” Emone suggested.

“Maybe,” Thierry agreed.

III.

Emone was fifteen when she had her first kiss. It was at Henri’s wedding (not to Susanne- that fling hadn’t lasted longer than a few months, and now she was engaged to the baker’s son). His bride had eight brothers, all in attendance, and one of them took a shine to her.

They danced a little, and then they went somewhere away from the festivities. “Have you ever been kissed?” he asked.

“No,” she replied.

“Do you want to be?”

And Emone was curious, so she said “Yes.”

Curious because what happened to men’s shirts when they kissed? Curious because everyone seemed to like kissing an awful lot, and she hadn’t done it yet so she didn’t know why. She really didn’t care much for Seb, who was annoying and had funny-looking hair, but curiosity got the better of her.

It was the quickest kiss in the world, because Emone pulled away almost immediately. It felt wrong, and unpleasant, and she needed to find Thierry. She feigned embarrassment and ran away.

“Thierry,” she whispered, pulling him away from the buffet table, “I just kissed Seb and it was horrible.”

He pulled her into a hug. “It’s alright, Mo. It just means he isn’t The One for you.”

“I know. And I’m not upset. A little disappointed, maybe, but...” she sighed and buried her face in Thierry’s chest.

He smoothed down her hair. “Is his shirt still on?” he asked.

She laughed into the fabric of his tunic. “Yes, Thierry. Yes, it is.”

IV.

The morning after Thierry’s wedding, he arrived at the palace in search of his sister. The head-maid woke her even earlier than usual- although this wasn’t too much of a problem, as a childhood spent on a working farm meant Emone was used to early starts- and told her to get dressed; there was a strange man asking for her in the kitchens.

Emone feared the worst, and made sure to pin her hair up in such a way that she could just reach up and take the accessory out, if she needed a weapon. Hairpins were sharp.

When she saw Thierry standing awkwardly amid the bustle of breakfast preparations, she breathed a sigh of relief and ran towards him. He caught her in his arms with ease.

“Is everything alright?” she asked. “You said I’d be able to go back to work right after your wedding, but if you need me, I can-”

“Emone,” he cut her off. “I’m alright. So is Idette. We’re both doing wonderfully.”

“I’m glad.” She cocked her head to one side, curious. “What brings you to me here, then?”

“I have made a discovery,” he said. “Is there somewhere we can go?”

Emone brought him to the wine cellar. “No-one is supposed to come down here this early,” she explained. “Now talk.”

“I have discovered what happened to Henri’s shirt, back when we were little.”

“Oh?”

“He was not kissing Susanne. Or... well, not just kissing.”

“Oh,” Emone said, connecting the pieces. “But... in the hay barn?! He was sixteen!!”

“You’re only seventeen now!”

“And I would never... wow. Wow.” she clasped her hands over her mouth. “Wow.”

“I know.”

“But she said just kissing!”

Thierry shrugged. “Maybe they didn’t go all the way.”

“There are things in-between?”

He nodded. “For example, last night Idette-”

Emone clamped her hands over her ears. “No! No, I do not want to hear what you did with Idette! Lalalalalalala!”

Laughing, Thierry tugged her hands away and held them in his. “You’ll have a husband of your own someday, you know.”

“If all men kiss like Seb, I do not think I want a husband.” There was part of Emone still holding out for a classic fairy-tale prince; tall, handsome, with a horse and a beautiful voice and the ability to kiss like the men in stories. But, being realistic, such things didn’t happen to girls like her. “Maybe I will be like Alex, except the other way around. Maybe I will only like women, in that way.”

“I think Papa might cry, if he had two children like Alex.” Thierry squeezed her hands. “You will find a man, and when you do, I want you to tell me. Immediately. You’re to come right to my house in Paris, I do not care what time it is.”

“I will, Thierry. I promise. We tell each-other everything, remember?”

He nodded. “Yes. We do.”

She heard the news from a soldier, who had returned from the war too injured to continue fighting. When the head-maid told her that there was a strange man in the kitchens asking for her, Emone thought it must be Thierry again. But it wasn’t, and her heart sunk when she saw him.

“Are you Emone du Fay?” the man asked. Emone nodded numbly. She knew, somehow, before the words left his mouth what he was going to say. “Your brother is dead.”

The letter had been sent to Idette, since she was his wife, and no-one had thought to tell his sister. They don’t ask, when people join the army, who their best friends are. They don’t think to. They just need to know who to send the letter to, and Idette was his wife. Of course it would be her.

“What have they done with the body?” Emone asked, reaching up to wipe her eyes with the back of her hand. She hated crying- hated it- but tears seemed to have leaked out without her knowledge.

“His wife had him buried in a church in Paris, near their house. The funeral was last Thursday. I’m so sorry, I tried to find you sooner, but it was just so difficult-”

“No,” Emone said, swallowing. “No, thank you. You’ve done everything perfectly, and I’m eternally grateful.”

“The way he spoke of you,” the soldier said, “I expected you to be younger.”

She laughed, and then choked on her tears. “Don’t be fooled. These last few years have aged me a great deal.” Between Henri’s death by plague, and now this... Gone was the giggling little girl, hiding in hay barns and clutching at her brother’s hand. “I shall have to tell the others. Alex lives in the country; I will write to him. But I don’t suppose you’re heading back via a road called le Rue du Caire? My sister lives their- our sister,” she smiled weakly. “Thierry’s, and mine.”

#She is about 8 years old in the first part #and sorta 13/14 in the second #I think I state outright in the other parts how old she is #except the last one which took place pretty recently #drabbles #I wasn't afraid; I'm never afraid with you (Thierry)

1 note · View note