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cuubism · 3 months

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Morphology | Dreamling | 4.6k words | Explicit | AO3

eldritch Dream, genderfluidity of a kind, lots of smut, nonhuman organs, angst, body dysphoria, undefined body forms and transformation, brief eldritch panic attack, they/them pronouns for Dream

Dream is not meant to stay in one form. But they must, for that is the form that Hob knows. That Hob loves. Or so they think.

this is based on @gabessquishytum and their anon's post located here, about Dream believing Hob won't want him in all his nonhuman shapes, only to discover Hob is very much a monsterfucker... and also loves him very much. I was going to append it to the post but then it got kind of very long. Hope you don't mind me playing around!

---

It was not for dreams to be only one thing.

In the Dreaming, they morphed and shifted, merging from one form to another. Smoke to wind to water, lava to sparks back to stone. In the minds of dreamers they took every unconceivable form, a thousand impossibilities as various as the limbs of Destiny’s forking tree. They were all of unreality. All that could not be, all that was hoped for, fleeting, forgotten, or held, for a time.

In the Waking, it was different. Dreams Dream bent and condensed into a singular form. They he knew well enough from his dreamers that while fluid changeability may be accepted in the illogical narratives of dreams, it was not so in the Waking. To interact with humans, he must appear as one, with the limited mutability that allowed.

Which was not to say that Dream disliked his Waking form. He chose what was pleasing to him. But sometimes it felt… stifling, for one used to being as expansive as the clouds.

Particularly after his imprisonment. Kept like an insect pinned to a board. Immovable. When he was meant to move. When he was Morpheus. Shaper of Forms.

Dream put that away from him.

Hob liked this form of his. Dream had come to understand the way Hob looked on him, and he liked that Hob wanted this form. But. He was not meant to stay in this form. Not always. It was. Chafing. It was. Hurting.

No matter. He could stay in this form that Hob wanted, because more than wanting to break from this skin Dream wanted Hob’s love. And his desire. He wanted to keep Hob’s gentle, heated touch.

This form of lean muscle and sharp bone. This solid body that had endured Roderick Burgess’s prison but also received Hob’s love… he could keep it. Yes. He could. He could.

~~~

I am wind that wishes to storm. Cloud that edges on rain. I am caterpillar’s dream of flight, I am words of disbelieving, I am the hopeful light of new stars, I am— I am water’s dance with the shore, and the sun’s kiss of the moon, and— and— no—

“Yo. Roiling mass of terror that I’m pretty sure is the boss. You good?”

Dream opened their eyes. They did not have eyes, but no matter. Dreams were often about seeing. Matthew was standing on the sand before them, head cocked.

“You alright?” he repeated. “I couldn’t tell if the shrieking was a bad thing or just like. One of your things.”

“One of my things,” Dream repeated.

“Can never know,” said Matthew. He hopped onto an arm that Dream’s form generated just for him to stand on.

“I was not,” said Dream, “shrieking.”

“You were definitely shrieking,” said Matthew. “It sounded like a laundry machine dying.”

Dream grumbled in offense.

Matthew nudged his head against one of Dream’s hands. “Do you… wanna talk about it?”

Dream considered. “Do you often ponder your own physical form, Matthew?”

“Well, since I became a bird,” said Matthew. “Kinda weird. It’s cool, though. Who doesn’t dream of flying, amirite?” He flapped his wings in demonstration, lifting off Dream’s arm, then settling down again.

“And when you were human?” Dream asked.

“Every human thinks about their body, dude.”

“Did you desire to change it?” Dream pressed.

“You mean like a weight loss program?” said Matthew. “Those never work.”

“No,” said Dream. Their form morphed around them, here legs, there tail, wings, teeth. They could not make it settle, not on a human shape or on anything else. They felt— agitated. They should return to their usual human form. Should. “That is not what I meant.”

“Ohhhhhh,” said Matthew, and smacked his face with his wing in realization. “It’s this whole deal. Well, you could change it if you want? I mean. You’re doing it.”

“I did not mean to,” said Dream, their form still writhing around them, never landing on any one shape. “I—” they were meant to go see Hob. They had been cloaked properly in their usual shape. And. Something had snapped.

They remembered, now, falling to their knees on the sand, the careful construct of their human self, a body once worn easily as one of many, shattering into a million shards.

They should. Change. They should change back. They wished to see Hob, and Hob, for all his adaptability, was only human, he would not be able to tolerate this, this thing that could not even give itself a face, or decide what it was, this thing that found physical stasis anathema after so long pressed in glass. Hob cared for the being that he knew. Not this one that, Dream thought, sometimes did not even know itself.

“Whatever you’re doing, I think you should probably stop,” Matthew warned.

“You dare to question me?” Dream bit. He was condensing back down under his human mask, he could do it, he could. He had loved this form once. Could again. As one of many.

Matthew nipped at his hand with his beak. And it was only this that made Dream realize he was clawing at his face so hard he was bleeding starlight.

Solidity spiraled away from Dream again, and they let out a hard breath. It was useless. Whatever meager control they had maintained since their escape was slipping from them. It was pointless to pretend otherwise any longer. Or to pretend that they could truly offer Hob the form he was accustomed to.

“Matthew,” Dream said, and Matthew hopped to attention. “I have some business I must attend to. Please leave me now.”

“Are you sure—?”

Dream waved a hand and sent him back to the palace.

If it was impossible for them to consistently return to their prior state, then at least they should be done with it now. Show Hob what he was truly dealing with. That Dream was not what he thought. Or wanted. Then, at least, they would spare themselves any greater heartbreak.

Wrapping the barest trappings of their usual form around them like an ill-fitting coat, Dream stepped into the Waking.

~~~

Dream emerged directly onto Hob’s bed as a formless shadow. It felt good, to be formless. Normally, they did like to take a form, but to choose recently had been taxing.

Hob was awake and reading. Dream had been meant to come for dinner, and was late. When Dream appeared in a sudden fall of darkness, Hob shrieked and flung his book at them on instinct. It simply passed through Dream with no effect.

“Dream?” said Hob, gasping, the spike in his adrenaline clear. “Is that you, love? Somehow? Or am I about to get eaten?”

Those do not preclude each other, Dream said. Though as they were still a shadow, their voice was more a low rumbling vibration than a true voice.

“Not sure how I understood that,” said Hob. He tilted his head, trying to make out features in the darkness but not, Dream thought, managing it. “Always kind of knew you were more than you seemed,” he added. “Didn’t quite picture this, though.”

It is but one form I am capable of holding, Dream said. Strictly speaking, it was not quite a form at all. As they said it, they shifted, unconsciously, until they were the beam of lamplight caressing Hob’s face—Hob’s hand chased them across his own cheek—and then the lulling hum of traffic, comforting night sounds. Hob kept reaching for them, not quite knowing where he was reaching. And Dream slipped into his daydreams, his vision for what Dream’s many forms might be.

Hob’s daydreams were a comfortable place to land. Warm. Welcoming. And when Dream emerged, they were a thing of Hob’s imagining, something dark and shadowed and multi-faceted but ultimately. Touchable.

That was what Hob desired of them?

“Okay,” said Hob, “what actually is going on here? Are you okay?”

Dream did not reply, stuck on Hob’s daydreams. He did not wish for Dream to force themselves back into their usual form. He merely molded what Dream brought him into a form that was comprehensible to him.

Relief crashed over Dream, magnitudes greater than the dread they had refused to acknowledge. They knew, now, that they had truly expected this to be the end. To scare Hob off. But Hob did not seem to be scared.

“Dream?” Hob reached a careful hand toward them. He pet down Dream’s flank. Fur that was soft because he was touching it. He huffed an incredulous laugh. “Wow. It really is… you.”

“In some fashion,” said Dream.

“In some fashion,” Hob repeated. “In what fashion, exactly?”

Instead of answering, Dream butted their head into Hob’s shoulder. Following the relief of his touch, so much softer and more detailed, now that they did not have the barrier of a stifling form in the way.

“Darling,” Hob said, petting Dream’s hair, “need words.”

“No,” Dream mumbled petulantly. And Hob allowed them their petulance. Dream let out a long breath. It blew warm over Hob’s throat, and Dream felt him shiver. They trailed fingertips up Hob’s ribcage, along bare skin, feeling the stacked solidity of his bones. Hob shivered again.

“It’s like that, is it?” he said.

Dream shifted closer, half slither, half crawl, until their form, incomprehensible even to themselves, was draped over Hob’s lap. Bliss, there, the warmth of him. “You are not repelled?”

“By the ten arms? I think I can cope.” He pressed his lips in close to Dream’s ear. “In fact. I had a dream about this the other night. Well.” He laughed. “I guess I’m having a Dream about it now, eh?”

“Did you?” said Dream, ears pricking up. Had their… moods slipped into Hob’s dreams?

“Can’t remember the details,” Hob said. “But I remember how it felt.” He trailed fingertips up the bony knobs of Dream’s spine. Unlike Dream at the moment, Hob only had two arms, but Dream felt every press of his fingers acutely.

“How did it feel?” they whispered.

“Like,” Hob murmured, lips to Dream’s jaw now, “you were everywhere. Like I got into your body and made love to you from the inside out.”

The thought made all of the strange and varied nerves of Dream’s shifting body stand on end. They wrapped legs around Hob’s waist, arms around his shoulders. Scraped sharp teeth over his pulse. “Really?”

Hob laughed. “Interested now, are you?”

“Yes,” Dream rumbled, their form flickering in excitement, to shadow then a falling rainbow of light, to a mass of vines that wound all around Hob’s body, and then into roots, as if they could grow into Hob, then branching veins pulsing and racing with Hob’s heartbeat, then back to a morass of half-body, half-shadow, because yes, they wanted to be held by Hob, they must remember that.

Hob was still for several moments, then laughed incredulously. “Okay. You’re so cool. I don’t know what to do with any of that, so I’m going to have to wing it.”

He traced a hand along the soft feathers of a wing that had grown with his words. Dream shuddered. A sensitive part of the body, indeed.

“You’re gorgeous,” Hob murmured. “My strange creature.”

Dream purred in pleasure, wrapping their wings around Hob’s back, mouth catching on the edge of his jaw, and, incredibly, felt Hob growing hard under them, as he would if Dream lounged in his lap and mouthed at his jaw as a human.

“You like this,” Dream said, unable to keep the surprise from their voice.

Hob chuckled. “Didn’t you know I fell for you the second I saw the spark of the otherworldly in your eyes? Just didn’t know the whole of what I was looking at. Not then.”

The spark of the otherworldly. “You are in love with dreams.”

“Figured it out by now, yeah.”

“You are. In love. With this,” Dream said, voice echoing from more than one throat, choked up.

“With this? You mean with you?”

“I do not know quite what I am, now,” Dream admitted.

“Well,” said Hob, slipping a hand between them. Dream gasped in pleasure, wings fluttering involuntarily. “You want to find out?”

Squirming against his hand, Dream said, “Do you even know what it is you are touching?”

“Haven’t a clue,” Hob said cheerfully. “Made you go all shivery, though.”

It had. It was. Dream writhed in his lap as Hob experimented, moaned in startled pleasure, toes curling. Body shifting to hurtle towards that arousal. Hob startled as his hand was suddenly enveloped in heat, something he could press into, and Dream whined, so full all at once with no prelude, body twisting out of control without their explicit direction. But it was good.

Hob gripped them by one wing—these had stayed even as Dream’s form continued to spin—and Dream quivered as Hob pulled them closer, pressing his hand deeper into slick heat. He was grinning against Dream’s throat, scraped light teeth over his pulse, sucked a bruise there. Dream’s form rode the wave of his daydreams, provided a wet mouth for him to bite and kiss as soon as he thought of it. Dream tangled long fingers in his hair, claws digging in.

“Can I fuck you like this?” Hob breathed against his lips.

“If you can cope with me changing on you,” Dream said. “I am not. Entirely in control. At the moment.”

A shameful admission, but Hob groaned as if it was the hottest thing he could think of. “I get to have you multiple ways at once? Oh, how will I manage?”

Dream laughed. It may have been a bit teary. Their many hearts were racing, lungs stuttering for air. Wings shivered, feathers fluttering. A long, furred tail wound its way up Hob’s back to wrap lightly around his throat, possessive. Dream would not let this man go now. Could not.

“Budge up, let’s see what we’re dealing with,” Hob said, probing deeper under Dream’s form with his hand, the other still firm on Dream’s wing, which he seemed to have understood was very sensitive, and intended to press that advantage as much as he could.

The touch of Hob’s hand, in Dream, on them, around them, was bliss. Dream wished to be full of him again. To, as Hob had dreamt, be made love to from the inside out.

Riding that hope, their body shaped another hole for his questing fingers. Hob obligingly pressed his fingers in, but said, “Regrettably, darling, I’ve only got one cock, and I had other plans for my hands.”

“Regrettable, indeed,” said Dream, and Hob laughed. Then, “Plans?”

“Oh, yes. I expect some other interesting things may crop up, eh? Need hands free.” He leaned in close to Dream’s ear, which flicked toward him to listen. “I’m going to find every erogenous zone on this body and make it scream.”

Goosebumps broke out all over Dream’s body. They clung to Hob with every limb they could find. Hob grinned wickedly at this reaction. It was a look Dream knew well, one that always boded very well for them indeed.

Hob worked Dream open on two fingers—though he need not, Dream was already wet and gaping for him—then maneuvered his sleep shorts off, took his cock in hand and stroked it twice, hand slick with Dream’s fluids. Then he lifted Dream bodily and sank them back down on his cock.

Dream whined, careening up several registers, as they were filled so suddenly, as they took Hob to the base. Hob groaned at the feeling of their body. Dream tried to adjust to him but couldn’t, Hob’s cock pressed on sensitive spots deep within them, and any time they thought they’d gotten used to the feeling their body produced a new place to torment.

They clawed at Hob’s back, leaving red lines with sharp fingers. Hob gave an experimental thrust, shifting Dream in his lap, and Dream bit down on a scream as their body lit up, chasing the feeling, loving it, magnitudes more affected than in their usual, limited form.

“Wow,” Hob said, fond laughter in his voice, and heat too, as Dream panted wetly in his ear, “this is going to be fun. Have you been all worked up, my darling? Just needed someone to give you what you really need?”

“Needed you,” Dream murmured. They clenched around Hob, tried to steady themselves, but it only made things worse. Everywhere deep inside them was searing flame, their skin-feathers-fur prickly with static, they feared and needed Hob’s touch in equal measure. To soothe. To set alight.

Hob slipped a hand into the other space Dream had left to tempt him, probing deep. Dream bit down on his ear, drawing spots of blood. Hob drew his hand back, met one of Dream’s many eyes. Licked Dream’s fluids from his hand.

Dream lunged forward to kiss him, whimpering into Hob’s mouth as that drove them impossibly deeper onto Hob’s cock. Hob pulled them close, kissed them hard, caught a fistful of Dream’s hair and pulled. Dream’s body decided that it liked that very much, indeed. They whined at the grip, clawing at Hob’s skin with many hands.

Hob brought them close with a firm hand, bounced Dream in his lap, moving them on and off his cock. Dream wailed, overstimulated by all the angles of his touch, torn between pulling away and diving closer as Hob swept his tongue into their mouth, over sharp teeth and soft palate.

“There’s a love,” Hob breathed. “Does that feel good, darling?”

Dream couldn’t offer a reply, and Hob didn’t wait for one. He dug his fingers into the tight feathering of Dream’s wing and tugged. Dream shrieked, wings flapping wildly, sets of them bursting along their back, more, more, less, more. Hob didn’t let up, stroking his fingers through the feathers, dragging over soft skin, sucking on Dream’s throat all the while.

Dream saw white, their body seized up, and the nebulous hole Hob was using to fuck them morphed into a mouth.

Hob yelped to suddenly feel his cock grazing over shielded teeth. Then he laughed. “Don’t you dare bite my dick off, you menace. It’s horrible to regrow it.”

Dream would have asked how he knew that, except Hob’s cock was down their throat. They choked, swallowing around him. Dream did not need to breathe, and so the pressure was exquisite. Their long tongue wrapped around Hob to the base, caressed his balls. Explored further, along his perineum, to probe at his entrance, and then press in.

“Oh fuck, oh fuck—” Hob’s voice was a strangled shout. “Dream what the actual fuck are you doing?” It didn’t sound like a complaint.

I am fucking you with my tongue, Dream said, a hum directly from their form to Hob’s.

“I can bloody well tell, Jesus Mary and—”

Dream purred and rumbled in pleasure, the satisfaction of taking and being taken at once, of being inside their beloved and having Hob inside them in turn. As Hob had dreamt.

Hob’s fingers pressed into Dream. Dream’s form gave and made places for him to press into. Hob’s fingers tickled deep within them, starlight and heat tracking their path. Dream swirled in an indefinite vortex of shape, a hundred things at once, their body prickling all over with the pleasure of Hob’s touch.

Hob twisted against them, clenching down on their tongue, shouted “Dream!” and came down Dream’s throat. Dream swallowed him down in pleasure, retracted their tongue from Hob’s body, eliciting a long moan. They let Hob pull out, and licked the final taste of Hob from their lips before letting that mouth disappear into their form, the traces of Hob consumed.

And then Hob flipped them, somehow manhandled Dream’s indefinite form down to the mattress, pressed down immovably on legs and arms and wings so that the softest parts of Dream’s body were bared to him. Dream reached for him, always they reached for him, cock hard and straining, cunt aching, the slashes of their being weeping for Hob to come inside. Always weeping. They cried out, every inch of them trembling for Hob’s touch.

“You gorgeous nightmare,” Hob said. “You brilliant daydream. Oh, my darling, I love you so much. I’d do anything for you. Anything. But mostly I want to do this.”

He pressed his mouth to where Dream’s body strained for him.

Hob had a very talented and generous mouth, which Dream had blessedly been on the receiving end of many times. This was different: Dream’s form echoed out Hob’s touch, replicated it a hundred times over so every crevice of their body could feel the flat swipe of his tongue, how he drank Dream’s fluids down, the drag of his stubble over lips and folds and the soft skin of thighs. Dream’s many limbs trembled, bent, reformed themselves in ecstasy, they dragged at Hob’s hair, pressing his face deeper so Dream could grind against him, which only made Hob grin.

Hob pressed two fingers into Dream’s mouth and Dream greedily sucked on them, grounding themselves. Taking Hob in more than one way at once… yes. That was what they wanted. They closed their many eyes and gave themselves over to sensation. Hob’s mouth and tongue, the taste of him, the weight of his body as he bent Dream on the bed, his scent, musk and the woodsmoke that seemed to cling to him all these years later—or perhaps that was only in dreams.

They were a dream of completion. They were a dream of ecstasy. Of flight. Hob’s hand tangled in their fragile feathers. Hob’s mouth and fingers inside them. Then Hob plunged three fingers hard, deep within them, as he sucked on Dream’s clit, and with a piercing noise like glass shattering Dream came.

They were. Fragments. The individual colors splayed wide by a prism. Red, yellow, blue. Hob’s fingers trailed through them, blending the colors like paint in water. For several moments Dream drifted, more thought than being. Distantly aware of Hob’s weight on them. It felt… like kindness. Then they floated back to the present, light as the first flight of unfurled moth wings.

Hob was lying on them, looking at them, head tilted. A twinkle in his eyes. He skated his hands up Dream’s sides. Flowers bloomed in the wake of his touch, their soft petals shivering with sensitivity. Hob plucked one of the flower buds and, holding Dream’s gaze, ate it. Swallowed it. Dream watched the movement of his throat.

Inside out, he thought.

“Broke you into pieces,” Hob said then, with satisfaction. “Think I might have seen God for a sec there. Can do better, though.”

“Better?” Dream echoed, voice hoarse. Their form shifted, still, but slowly, languidly. No longer restless. A dark wing draped over Hob’s back. A tail played with his hair. He didn’t seem to mind.

“There’s so much we can do with this,” he said. He gazed at Dream, fond, terribly knowing. “Only getting started, love. I love—” he kissed Dream’s belly, a light, ghosting touch, and tickled Dream’s side with his fingertips— “how sensitive you are like this.”

“I—” Dream started. Absent the writhing need, now they just felt… stripped. Vulnerable. “I expected that you would. Not. Like this. It is not. Human.”

“Neither are you,” Hob pointed out.

“I appear so,” Dream said.

Hob snorted. “No, you don’t.”

Dream stared at him, unable to decide whether or not to be offended.

“I wear the guise of a human,” they insisted, and, to prove it, morphed back into the form that Hob would know as his lover. It was an easier coat to wear, now that they knew they could take it off.

“No, keep the wings,” Hob complained. “Those are cool.”

Dream obligingly returned wings to their form.

“I appear human, to you,” they insisted again.

“Dream, I say this with all the love in my heart, which is quite a lot because I do. Love you.” He leaned on his hand, looking at Dream with sparkling eyes. “You look about as human as a kid wearing a bedsheet looks like a ghost.”

Dream stared at him, mouth agape.

“Don’t worry, it’s a gorgeous costume,” Hob said. “Love it. Really, really do. But I could always tell that wasn’t the whole truth of the matter. Especially once I got close.” With this, he winked.

“A part of me is human,” Dream said. Had Hob truly always seen through them? Paid so close attention as to perceive the translucence of the mask? “For I am the dreams of humanity.”

“And a part of you isn’t,” said Hob. “For—” he mimicked the cadence of Dream’s speech, though not in a mocking way— “you are also the dreams of birds, and shadows, and stars.”

Dream nodded. “These and more.”

“Brilliant,” said Hob.

Brilliant, Dream thought.

Then Hob tilted his head, thinking back. “You expected me not to like that?”

“Recently,” said Dream slowly, “I found I could not maintain this form without pain. And so my hand was forced.” It hurt still, to think of. “I had no choice but to make my true form—or rather, my true formlessness—known to you if I wished to be here at all.”

Hob pushed himself up from where he was lying on Dream’s chest, and instead straddled his hips so he could take Dream’s face between his hands. “It hurts?” he demanded.

“At times,” said Dream. “More so. Since.” They didn’t finish the sentence.

“Why are you doing it now, then?”

“It does not hurt so much now,” Dream said. “It is simply that when I stay static, it begins to. Ache.”

“Ache,” Hob repeated, looking stricken. “Dream, if it hurts, then change back. Be a chimera or whatever the hell you were doing before.”

“That is how you interpreted it?”

“To be honest, I don’t think my brain was really interpreting it at all. You were just kind of… everything.” He stroked a fingertip along the fine bone of Dream’s wing, which was folded against their back now. “Did like the wings, though.”

“I’d noticed that.”

“Cheeky.” Hob shook himself. “Getting distracted. The point is, don’t hurt yourself. I don’t want to see you hurt yourself.” He tipped his head against Dream’s, lips to their skin. “Much rather see you how were today.”

“How?”

“Letting go. Enjoying yourself.” He smirked, Dream felt it against their temple. “Making all kind of lovely noises. Squealing. Shrieking—”

“I was not shrieking.”

“You were shrieking.”

Hob tickled his fingers through Dream’s feathers, and Dream made an embarrassing squeak. They smacked Hob in the face with that wing, and Hob burst out laughing, even though he had to pull a feather out of his teeth.

“I love you,” he said. “Don’t hurt yourself. Be... the indefinably strange creature that you are. And just trust me to keep up.”

Hob kissed them lightly on the lips. Dream leaned into him, made still for a moment by the depth of Hob’s care for them, how Hob caught all of their longing and swallowed it, kept it warm. How he loved Dream. And dreams.

Hob drew them both down to the bed, and the covers over them, and Dream let their other forms creep out, hesitant, but hungry for Hob’s affection. And a creature that was the sky’s dream of nightfall and the poetry of rain upon a still lake, that was the individual patterns of snowflakes and the sculptures built of their drifts, that was ambitious owl and frightened vole, quiet soil and its thoughtful worms, shape and narrative and human, too, of course, laid down its many heads, and curled its much-loved wings over its lover, and rested in his dreams.

#i wrote this so fast in truly a fit of insanity... hope it's hot and not just weird! it's definitely weird though #dreamling #hob gadling #dream of the endless #nsft #my writing #gabessquishytum #eldritch smut

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helaelaemond · 9 months

Text

To Be Strangers

gif by @barbieaemond

Pairing: Tom Bennett x female reader

Word count: 2.6k

Summary: You're standing on the dock overlooking the ships in the small hours, and a certain new recruit notices you - he can't help it. He charms you - or at least that's what you want him to think - and together you for a memory to keep him warm when the tides take him. Cunnilingus, penetration.

Content warning(s): smoking, public sex

Rating: E

Ao3: here

The stars pop out overhead as the clouds clear above the harbour, and you take in a deep breath. Your coat flaps in the sea breeze, and you pull it tighter around you. It's peaceful here, even with war looming on the horizon. There's a slender figure just ahead of you, and you see the spark of a match. God, you need a fag.

Your heels click on the pavement as you slowly walk towards the stranger. He looks up, and in the light of the yellow streetlamp, you notice his sharp jaw, his sparkling eyes. There's a small grin on his face, and you try not to return it.

"Got a spare?" you ask.

The young man - a boy, really - nods and holds out the packet for you to take one. "No filter in them."

You take one and hold it between your lips. "I don't mind." In your pocket is a little pack of matches, and you strike one to light the cigarette. You take the first draw, and a wave of relief washes over you.

"Bit late for a nice girl like you to be out, in't it? What brings you down to the docks?"

"I like watching the ships." You shrug. You can feel his eyes roaming over you without shame. "And the sailors."

"Why's that then?" He turns slightly to face you and he shifts his weight from one leg to the other, bringing himself closer.

A small breeze rolls in from the sea and you close your eyes, enjoying the coolness of it. You take another drag. "They never stay for long."

That makes him chuckle. "So let me guess; you never found Mister Right?"

"Or maybe I never wanted him. Maybe I only ever wanted Mister Right Now."

His grin is cocky. "I see. You're that sort of girl, then?"

"And what sort of girl is that?"

He takes a long drag on his own fag and lets the smoke pour through his nostrils, his parted lips. "The kind who sees the value in short-lived fun."

You bite your lip and laugh, your gaze never wavering from his. "Maybe. What if I am?"

"Then I think you and me might get on alright." He takes a step closer and leans against the railing next to you, so close that you can feel the warmth rolling off his body. "What's your name, miss?"

"Whatever you want it to be, sailor."

He chuckles and tilts his head to the side. "Want to know my name?"

"I already know your name."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. You're Mister Right Now."

His grin widens. "What if I've already got a girl?"

"Have you?"

"Might have."

"Oh, well in that case-" and you turn as if to walk away.

He catches your hand without missing a beat and pulls you back to him. "Hey, where d'you think you're going?"

There are butterflies in your stomach as he towers over you, his young face handsome, sharp shadows thrown across it by the light overhead. "To find someone else."

"You're not going anywhere. I'm the best you'll find."

Instinctively, you rest your hand on his chest, almost like a barrier between you. It doesn't feel like a barrier. "Most cocky, maybe."

"I can't make any promises on that front, but I've never had a complaint."

You bite the inside of your cheeks to try to hide your grin, but it doesn't work. "But have you had anyone come back for more?"

"Once or twice, yeah. I'll have you back for more."

"You've only just met me! You've got an awful lot of confidence."

The way he's looking at you makes you feel naked, as if he's ravishing you right here on the dock. Half of you wants to push him away and into the water. The other half... well, the other half isn't rational and isn't to be listened to. It's the half that wants to pull him close and strip him as bare as he's making you feel.

He leans closer until you can smell the coffee and cigarettes on his breath. "Yeah, and it's all for you."

"You're full of it, sailor boy."

He looks you up and down again, sizing up his prize, before leaning so close his lips graze your ear. "Do you want me to show you how full of it I am?"

"You're not impressing me," you lie, but the whisper against your skin has covered you in goosebumps, sent electricity down your spine. You don't even notice how it's made you bite your lip.

"No? Then why have you stopped breathing?"His long fingers grasp your chin, and he turns your face to look at him. He's so close that your vision of blurry. It makes your eyelids heavy. "C'mon. Why do I have to beg?"

Your hands find their way to his slim waist, and the curl in the fabric of his tunic. "Because there's nothing prettier than a man on his knees."

Mister Right Now looks up the dock one way, and then the other. Still wearing a broad grin, he sinks to his knees in front of you, right there on the concrete. The fag drops from his fingers, and he looks up at you. "Like this?"

You wind your hand into his short, soft hair and drag your nails across his scalp. He closes his eyes in bliss, and it's his turn now to bite his lip. You hear him sigh, and watch as his chest rises and falls with it. Every nerve in you is aflame. "Just like this."

Sure hands find their way up the backs of your calves. He is stroking your skin, and his touch glides up, up beneath your skirt, up your stockings, and before you have time to think, one hand winds to grasp your backside. The other presses firmly between your thighs, and you let out a sigh of your own. "Is this what you want?" he asks.

You open your eyes and see him staring up at you. He's cocky, arrogant - and practically begging. You nod, teeth digging into your lip.

"Right here? Where anyone could see?"

"You'll all be gone by morning. Why should I care?"

He laughs, and leans closer. He presses his face against your skirt, just over your stomach, and you feel him bite. The hand in his hair pushes him away slightly but he surges forward. He grabs the hem of your skirt and lifts it up. You thank God that you're not wearing a tight pencil skirt, and that the soft wool is loose and swinging. He ducks his head under it.

When he disappears from your sight, you can only feel. He tugs at your underwear and without even thinking of resisting, you step wider for him, you let him drag it down, and you relish his mouth upon your thighs. Above you, rain begins to drop slowly and lightly from the sky. The stars have disappeared behind inky clouds. The streetlight had blocked them out before, anyway.

You feel his fingers first. The young sailor glides two up the inside of your thigh, and he runs it slowly along your folds, not yet dipping in. It's obscene, what you're doing, but you're quickly forgetting to care. Anyone could see you, anyone could see the young man under your skirt, but it doesn't matter. He seems to know what he's doing.

"What's your name?" you ask with an unsteady voice when his fingers slip against your cunt.

"Tom." His voice is muffled under your skirt. He presses his lips against the sensitive skin where your thigh meets your hip. "Tom Bennett."

"Alright, Tom Bennett." You grin, and your head drops back. Thank God for the railing behind you - it's the only thing you can cling onto without worrying about falling into the harbour. "Keep going."

You feel him more than you hear him chuckle. His fingers press against your entrance and you bring up a hand to press against your breast, but he doesn't sink them inside. You whine softly in protest, but he drags them up to spread your folds wide, and then he does something that brings you to your toes.

The firmness of his nose touches your cunt first. He runs it along the sensitive skin there, and he breathes through it to both cool and warm you. It must be glistening wet, you think in the back of your mind, for even just talking to Tom Bennett has had you hot and ready. His tongue follows the line his nose makes, and then he presses it against your clit.

"Fuck." You breathe the word lowly, and without realising, you grasp his head through your skirt. "Just there."

As his lips seal around your bundle of nerves, he chuckles again, and the vibrations make the stars reappear in your eyes. He sucks gently at first, but then it gets firmer, harder, and you have to lean more heavily against the railing. He knows what he's doing. God, does he know.

At last his fingers press inside you, and it feels so good, so right. The digits twist and curl in time with his tongue higher up - when his fingers stroke, his tongue stills. When his tongue strokes, his fingers still. But it's so smooth, so practised, that it feels like one long and fluid motion. He dines on you like it's his last meal.

"Tom!" You sigh his name as the tension in your stomach builds. "Yes, don't stop." It's difficult to keep quiet.

In the moments that you climb the precipice, the young sailor stops, and he stands up suddenly. In his eyes is a wildness that you can't escape. He stares into you with an impossible fire, and it's only when you hear the clink of his opening belt that you realise why he stopped.

"You taste like the sea."

You can't help but grab him close. "Show me."

And then he kisses you. One hand fumbles with his trousers, and the other grasps the back of your neck, and he kisses you. It's rough, and he parts your lips without a second thought, and then his tongue is sliding against yours as if he is tasting for the first time. He's right - you do taste like the sea. You can taste yourself on him, and it makes you whine quietly. He grabs your hips and lifts you to sit on the railing, before his hands return to his trousers. They're barely pushed to his knees by the time his grasp is on your hips.

He looks you in the eye again, and his cocky grin is back. All teeth and determination. "You want this?"

You pull at the hair on the back of his head and return his grin. "Yeah. Fuck me, Tom Bennett."

"You don't have to say my whole name every time."

You reach one hand between you and it finds his cock, heavy and leaking. You squeeze gently, and in your grasp you can feel his heartbeat racing. Maybe he felt yours, too, when he pressed his mouth against your cunt. The noise he makes is deep and whining and it rumbles in his chest, and you wish for a fleeting moment that you were looking at his naked body, admiring him in the light of day. But no, this is good, too. On a rainy dock in the middle of the night, where anyone can find you. There's a thrill in that. He wants you so bad.

With your hand guiding him, he slides easily into you. You wrap your legs around his waist, already halfway to bliss, and hang onto the railing for dear life. The sounds of your fucking are obscene - wet and slapping noises echo along the dock and across the water, and you bury your face into his neck to muffle your sounds of delight.

"Shit!" He laughs quietly, his voice punctuated by moans with every breath. "Do you know how good you feel?"

"No!" you laugh in reply. The peals of delight devolve into moans again. "I've never fucked myself."

"You're missing out, then. Hey!" He slaps the hand away that reaches between you, and looks at you in mock indignation. "I'm taking care of you, aren't I?"

Your mouth hangs open in delight when he presses his fingers back against you. They trace just above where his cock slides in and out of you, and then they set a firm and fast rhythm against your clit. It feels better than anything you've had before, you've never had someone take care like this before, it's so good, it's so-

"Oh, Tom!"

"Fuck! Yeah, like that?"

You nod, and he kisses you deeply again. It's all heavy breaths and strained expressions now, but when your lips part, your foreheads stay pressed together. Sweaty, damp from the drizzle, it doesn't matter. It pushes you higher and higher.

"Tom, yes, yes-! I-!"

"Good girl, keep going, I-! Oh, fuck!"

What little sense remains to you reminds you to stay quiet. When he rips the orgasm from you, only the smallest squeak escapes you, but your eyes roll back into your head as heaven explodes through you. Your thighs, still locked around his narrow hips, tremble and shake.

"I'm gonna-!" He looks at you with wide eyes.

"Inside, Tom!"

His face scrunches up as he follows you over the edge, and his hips stutter while he comes. He buries himself as deep as he can, leaning forward on his toes, knees slightly bent, and you meet him with a few final grinds to release all the pressure. He pants, and rests his forehead against your shoulder. You wrap your arms around his neck and hold him close.

Eventually, your legs are too tired to hold him close, and you let them unwind from him. The ground rushes up to meet them, and then you finally land back on Earth. Bliss does not leave you, though.

It seems not to leave him, either, and even when he pulls out, does his trousers and belt back up, he looks satisfied. His grin won't fade. Even when he kisses you again, he is grinning.

"That was alright, weren't it?"

You can't help but laugh quietly. You pull up your underwear and sort out your skirt, and when you look at him, you're pleased to see that he's still looking at you like a prize to be won. "Yeah. Yeah, that was alright, Tom Bennett."

"I already said you don't have to-"

"But how else will I remember, if not by repeating it?"

He steps closer to you again, and he's towering over you again, and he's close enough to kiss again. "You want to repeat that?"

"Maybe. Come back from war alive, and maybe I'll be waiting here for you."

"Nah, not here."

You raise your eyebrow. "Oh?"

He's grinning. "Next time, I wanna fuck you in a proper bed. And next time, I'll be moaning your name."

"You don't want to be strangers next time?" It's a tease, nothing more. All night has been a tease.

"No. Next time, I want you to be mine."

#tom bennett x female reader #ewan mitchell #Tom bennett x reader #tom bennett x y/n #tom bennett smut #world on fire fanfiction #tom bennett x ofc #mine #first time ive written reader fics................... SHAKING NERVOUSLY #mine pwp

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grimreaperschild · 9 months

Note

VIVA THE ENID SIMPS❗️❗️❗️ WE'RE SO DEPRIVED‼️‼️‼️

ITS NOT GUITAR PRACTICE I KNOW BUT THIS IS FOR MY ENID BABYS

summary: lazy saturday morning sex

warnings: smut, slight degradation a whole bunch of fluff idk

a/n: 2 fics in 1 day?? damn im being good to you all, as always smut below the cut

You roll over in bed snuggling into your girlfriends arms basking in her warmth, she giggles “good morning sleepy head, I was thinking we could go down to the lake today us and the group, whatcha say?” you groan trying to push yourself closer to the bubbly girl “too early to many words e” she giggles again hands coming up to smooth out your hair, it always stuck up in the most frustrating angles leaving you with permanent bedhead “you look like you’ve been dragged through a bush” “ah I have such a lovely girlfriend she knows just what to say to charm a girl”you feel more than hear her huff “I’m just truthful not my fault your hairs all” she flaps her hand dismissively “disheveled” you push yourself up onto your elbows and rest your head on her stomach looking up at the blond “that was a big word baby, well done” she beams at you hands clapping together “stay there”

“I wasn’t planning on going anywhere” you chuckle as she pulls out her phone and snaps a quick picture of your position “post that anywhere Sinclair and you're not getting any kisses, you know it’ll be plastered all over her snap story before your even out of the shower.

That thought drags you out of your sleep induced laziness, you stand “come showered with me e” you hold your hand out and she grabs it eagerly skipping to the bathroom and practically dragging you along behind her , god she was little but she can move fast. You take your time pulling off your pjs waiting for the water to heat up, enid being as impatient as ever has already jumped into the warm water and is beckoning you in with open arms, how could you ever say no to such an adorable face, you step into the water and let it wash away all the remaining sleepiness, you shut your eyes and focus on the feeling of enid’s hands on your waist her front pressed firmly into your back.

You feel a familiar heat between your legs as her hands explore the exposed skin on your thighs “let me take care of you darling” you nod your head eagerly and she lets out a chuckle as she pushes you up the wall, the cold shocks you and you let out a whine that’s quickly swallowed by enid’s lips her tongue darting out to explore your mouth like it’s the first time all over again her head dips to the column of your neck as she starts sucking leaving dark marks in her wake, your hips buck involuntarily and she pins your hips to the wall “don’t be so impatient baby, are you really that needy?” she tuts “such a desperate slut for me” you nod “all yours” she sinks her teeth into your neck and you cry out hands coming to tangle in her wet locks “all yours mommy, please don’t tease” she hums in approval her tongue coming out to sooth the indentation of her teeth “such a good girl for me” she drops to her knees and runs her finger through your folds “such a pretty pussy, and it’s all mine” she emphasises her words by slipping 2 fingers into your dripping cunt smiling at how well you take her, you moan throwing your head back and arching into her.

She curls her fingers hitting you right there and your hips buck into her hand matching her pace “fuck. More, please” you choke out and she happily obliges wrapping her lips around your clit and sucking hard, you let out a loud moan as you feel the rope in your lower stomach start to tighten, you know your about to cum embarrassingly fast but you don’t care as long as she keeps hitting that spot, you see stars as your orgasm hits you, your legs start to shake as enid only gets rougher slamming her fingers into you all while sucking harshly on your sensitive bud , you whimper out her name as you cum a second time your vision going white for a couple of seconds, she works you through it before pulling out and pressing a tender kiss to each of your thighs.

“You did so good baby, so good for me”

She stands and pulls you into her arms and back into the warmth of the water “I love you” she hums while putting her apple shampoo onto her hands a lazy smile on her face as she meets your eyes “I love you too” she lathers the shampoo onto your hair and starts massaging it into your scalp with her nails conditioning the ends and washing it all out for you. She starts on your body next scrubbing with her body wash and working all the nots in your shoulders out peppering kisses over your skin every chance she gets, your not sure how you got so lucky, but you knew you’d never let the werwolf go.

#enid sinclair x reader #emma myers x reader #enid x y/n #emma myers #gxg smut #lgbtqiia+

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goddessofteyvat · 9 months

Text

Starfall | I - A Star Makes Its Landing

return to masterlist

Chapter Summary: You wake up in a strange but familiar place, and meet some new friends.

Chapter Warnings: None yet

A/N: Welcome to the first chapter of my new fic! Wanted to try my hand at writing something for SAGAU, and here it is! I'm also opening up requests, so feel free to start asking questions, just don't expect any spoilers, lol. Also to those of you who want to join my taglist for this fic, just drop a like or reblog on this post or the masterlist.

Hope you guys enjoy~❤

A gentle breeze blows across your face, cool but pleasant. A tingling sensation runs over your nose; you frown, bringing your hand up to swat at it. The sensation returns only a second later, joined by more on your arms, legs, chest, everywhere practically.

You open your eyes reluctantly, thinking, Is it too much to ask for five more minutes to sleep?

You are met with crystalline wings, definitely not your bedroom ceiling. You sit like a catapult, hair flying around your face as you whip your head around. A kaleidoscope of sky-blue butterflies flutter around you as you take your surroundings in – you’re in the middle of a forest with no houses or buildings in sight.

“Where the fuck am I?” You blurt out, anxiety bubbling up in your chest. You almost open your mouth to scream but before you can a butterfly darts right up to your face, flapping its wings almost frantically. Distracted by the sight before you – you can’t recall butterflies ever wanting to get this close to you – you hold your hand out to let it land. To your surprise it does, allowing you the chance to see the designs on its wings. The designs seem familiar, and as the butterfly gently crawls into your palm you realize it:

“Are these… Anemo Crystalflies?” you mumble to yourself. The butterfly – Crystalfly – flutters its wings once almost in response to your question. It takes flight once more, joining its siblings around you.

“No way.” You walk up to a nearby tree, where three fruits hang from its branches. They look like Sunsettias and as you pick one from the lowest branch to inspect it, you realize that that’s exactly what it is. You run your fingers across its surface to feel the Sunsettia’s smooth texture, then lift it to your nose to smell it – it has a sweet aroma.

You lift the Sunsettia to your lips, you sink your teeth into it, and a sweet but slightly tangy juice gushes into your mouth. It’s delicious – you eat the whole thing in three bites, leaving you with just the pit. You feel renewed, energized even!

“I’m in Teyvat,” you whisper. “I’m in Genshin Impact!”

The Crystalflies seem to rejoice at your revelation, fluttering around you excitedly. Everything bursts with elemental energy, from the grass to the trees to even the breeze blowing through the foliage. It’s overwhelming and you blink in an effort to adjust, which brings something else to your attention; you only feel one eye blink.

You bring your hand up to feel the area around your left eye, and startle when you feel nothing there.

Is my eye missing?!

You look around for something to confirm your suspicion, but the only things here are you, the Crystalflies, and the flora. Wait – aren’t the Crystalflies supposed to be skittish? They always flew away from the characters when you were playing the game. There has to be some specific reason they’re hanging out around you.

Maybe you could ask them for help? It seems silly, but you didn’t have a lot of options here.

You hold out a hand again and almost immediately, a Crystalfly lands on it.

“Um, can you understand me? Flap once for yes, twice for no.”

The Crystalfly flaps its wings once. Your eye – er, eye – widens in shock. The Crystalflies in the game were never anything more than floating models with some code attached to them. How was it possible for them to be intelligent answer your questions? You were getting sidetracked – back to the questions.

“Okay, uh… Is there like, a lake, or some kind of water nearby?”

The Crystalfly flaps its wings again.

“Can you take me to it?”

The Crystalfly flaps its wings once more. It takes flight this time, its siblings following behind it to make a trail for you. It wasn’t long before you arrived at a little pond at the end of a creek. You kneeled down at the edge and leaned over the water to look at your reflection, only to find something even more unexpected.

“What happened to me?”

Your eye was missing alright, but your eye socket wasn’t empty. Instead, there was a tiny silvery floating sphere with flares jumping off it in its place; it was almost like a miniature sun. That wasn’t the only thing that was different though. Your hair looked like it had been cut from the night sky – galaxies, stars, and nebula were strewn all through it and floated above your shoulders in an otherworldly manner. You pulled a strand away to feel it; it felt like regular hair but misty somehow, like it was partially incorporeal.

You put your hand over your new “eye” and the elemental auras disappeared, replaced by the regular world around you. Was this how you could see elements? You took your hand away then put it back again. Somehow your left “eye” gave you Elemental Sight, but that shouldn’t be possible. As far as you knew, only Vision users could do that.

“Am I dead?”

A Crystalfly sat on a lily pad and flapped its wings twice to answer you. You pinched your wrist just to be sure then winced when a sharp pain shot through your wrist. You were definitely not dead. But how did you get here then? You weren’t doing anything out of the ordinary before you ended up here. But come to think of it…

What was I doing before I got here?

With a frown on your face, you sat back on your heels and began to dig through your mind. Try as you might, you couldn’t remember anything solid about your past. The only things that came up was basic information like your name, your age, and what objects were, like phones, cars, and backpacks.

“My backpack!” You gasped. You jumped to your feet in an instant and darted back the way you came. You tore through the underbrush in a panic as the startled chiming of the Crystalflies followed you. You came back to the clearing you started in quickly then searched almost frantically through the bushes; your backpack all of your stuff in it! Maybe there was something that could help you remember how you ended up in Teyvat.

“Ow-hey!” A Crystalfly tugged on your hair, not harshly but strong enough to get your attention, nonetheless. “What the hell was that for?!”

It chimed energetically and fluttered back to its siblings, all of them flying in circles over a specific bush. You followed them and pulled the shrub back; there lay your backpack, thankfully untouched.

You let out a sigh of relief, “Oh, thank God.”

You sat down and pulled you backpack into your lap.

“Oh, thanks by the way! Sorry for snapping at you earlier.” You looked up at the Crystalflies. They flutter back in response, in glee almost.

You opened your bag to see what it had; thankfully your phone was there, along with three textbooks, a pair of headphones, some snacks, a water bottle, notebooks and pencils, and your laptop. Unfortunately, there were no chargers to go with your phone and laptop. However, you did manage to find two other things: a wallet and a pair of tickets to the movies.

Your wallet had about 100 dollars in it and two cards but given that you were on Teyvat and not Earth, your money was probably worthless here. Your driver’s license was a bit more useful because it had a picture of yourself from before you ended up here. You had a shocked look on your face in the picture, probably because you hadn’t been prepared for the clerk to take the picture when they did. You had been waiting in line all day just to take your test and hadn’t much sleep the night before. It didn’t help that the instructor was the most boring person you’d ever met in your life. He could find a way to make beige look exciting.

Wait, that was a solid memory!

Your phone beeped just then – how could it be getting notifications when there weren’t any cellphone towers around? You pulled your phone out to investigate, unlocking it with the code you somehow still remembered.

To your surprise, your entire screen had changed; gone was the custom background and all the apps you had downloaded. Genshin Impact was gone just as you suspected it would be – you were currently inside the game after all – but so were all the other games you had downloaded. Instead, there were only six icons present on the screen: one for a camera, one for an encyclopedia, one for a “command console,” one for storage space, one for runes, and one for settings. There was only one icon with any notification, the Encyclopedia with a glowing number 2 by it, and so you opened the app to see what had happened.

There under the tab that read “Repository” was a picture of you, sitting in the driver’s seat with an exasperated face look on your face. In the front passenger seat is your driving instructor, seemingly droning on and on about nothing at all. It’s the memory that you had just recovered.

“So, my phone is some kind of magic now?” You said to yourself, “I guess it’s nice to have a mini Sheikah Slate on me, but it kinda sucks that I can’t use it for much else now.”

You began to scroll through the various features now present on your phone. In addition to the Repository, the Encyclopedia also had information on practically everything on Teyvat, from plants to animals and monsters to even weapons. The Storage Space app held a list of everything you had on you at the moment, and when you tapped a picture of your backpack, it disappeared into the app. The Camera functioned the way you thought it would, and the Settings app seemed to be rather barren. At least it let you change your hair back to the way it looked before you got it here, but that was the only thing that you were really interested in there.

You started to tap the Command Console, but the sound of snapping branches and faint voices in the distance made you pause. You strained your ears to see if you hear more.

“I think… landed somewhere… check it out?” A light, energetic voice chattered, drifting closer and closer. It sounded familiar, like a character you had seen in the game.

Panic began to crawl up spine; what if they saw you the way you looked now? You may not have looked terrible but seeing the way you dressed and talked, it would be obvious to anyone around that you weren’t local. Thinking fast, you ripped a vine from a nearby tree – you don’t remember being this strong before – and wrapped it around your head over your missing eye. You used your newly altered phone to bring your backpack back out into the open.

Unfortunately, the sound of the approaching strangers chased away your newfound Crystalfly friends.

“Hey, wait!” you shouted before you could stop yourself.

“…Think I heard something…!” The voice grew closer. If there was any hope that they would just pass you by, that hope was dashed now. You stood and dusted yourself off; hopefully the people you ran into would be friendly.

“Um, hello? Is anyone there?” You called. You slung your backpack over your shoulder as you walked towards the voice.

“Don’t worry, a Knight of Favonius is coming to assist you!”

Wait a minute, is that Amber?!

A blur of silver burst forth from the foliage and knocked you flat on your back. You groaned, your vision blurry from the sudden fall, but that didn’t stop you from recognizing the white and golden garb of the young man just behind.

“Paimon! Look what you did!”

“Sorry!” A weight lifted from your chest and three figures stood above you.

A hand clad in a red and brown glove opened wide to help you up. You took it, standing with shaky legs.

“Are you alright? Paimon crashed into you pretty hard…” A platinum blonde-haired girl floated into view, anxiously pressing the tips her of her fingers together. If there was any remaining doubt that you were in Genshin Impact, Paimon’s appearance had chased it all away.

“I’m a little sore, but fine.”

“As a member of the Knights of Favonius, it is my duty to formally apologize for our conduct.” Amber placed a fist on her chest, a solemn look on her face as she bowed. “Allow us the chance to make it up to you. I’m Outrider Amber, and this is Paimon and Aether, Honorary Knights of Favonius. What’s your name?”

You gave it to them; it’s not like there was any harm in giving them your name, right?

“Hmm…” Paimon narrowed her eyes at you as you floated right up to you. “You sound kinda like Aether.”

You felt a jolt run through you. “What? How? He hasn’t even said anything!”

“Paimon’s never heard of anyone from Teyvat with a name like yours. Well, except for… Nah, that can’t be right!” The elf girl shook her head as if to dispel the thought.

You open your mouth to question her, only to be cut off by Amber: “And come to think of it, your style of dress doesn’t match anything I’ve seen here. Are you another Traveler then?”

They figured that out fast; you’d barely even said anything to them, and they had pegged you as an outsider almost immediately!

“I don’t about Traveler, but I know I’m definitely not from around here. I woke up here a few minutes ago, and I can’t remember what I was doing before I got here. In fact, I can’t remember anything about myself before I got here.” You said carefully. You still didn’t how much you could tell them about your circumstances without freaking them out. There’s no way any of them would react well to learning that their reality was just a game to you.

Amber began to scratch her head and mused aloud, “Well, this is strange. Three days ago, a star falls from the sky and leaves a huge crater in the ground. But instead of a meteorite in the middle, there’s a person with strange clothes and amnesia left in the crater.”

“Wait, did you say crater? I didn’t see any craters where I woke up.” At that, Aether and Paimon shared a look with each other.

“About that… Well, it’s probably best if you see it yourself. Follow me!” Amber began to walk towards the top edge of the valley.

“Okay, but I don’t see what this has to do with-” You cut yourself off with a gasp. There at the top of the valley, you saw exactly what she was talking about; the valley was in fact not a valley at all. It was a crater, an unmistakably gigantic crater, and at the center was the exact spot where you woke up.

“This can’t be possible, you said that this happened a few days ago! How could it be covered up with plants that fast?” You turned to Amber in shock.

“Maybe it has something to do with you? Paimon did say that you seemed kinda like Aether…” The fairy-like girl put her hand to her chin contemplatively. “You woke up here with no memory of how you left home, and you said that you know for a fact that you aren’t from Teyvat. Maybe the god that separated him from his sister brought you here too!”

Aether only nodded in agreement.

“Well in any case, it won’t do to keep discussing it out here. Come on, we should head for Monstadt City before it gets dark.” Amber took the lead in your impromptu caravan with Aether and Paimon right behind her and you reluctantly trailing behind them.

There was no way a huge crater could be filled in so fast with foliage, let alone one that huge. Maybe there was a Dendro user nearby? But you were the only person around for miles, and Crystalflies usually only showed around places that had their matching elements.

Maybe… it really does have something to do with me? You looked down at your hands; you didn’t look any different than normal, aside from the missing eye situation.

Aether’s nature as a Descender meant that the had no vision, but instead they could “resonate” with the Elements and wield them as if he was a native of Teyvat anyway. Had you gained that ability too?

You snuck a glance up at the group before you; Paimon was chattering away about what eat when she got back to the city, while Amber was thinking aloud about why you here, and the Traveler remained silent through it all. None of them were paying attention to you.

You looked back at your hands and took a deep breath. You imagined a little flower, growing and blooming right in your hands. Not even a second later, an emerald green light sprang from your palms and two cerulean starflowers bloomed right in your grasp. You gasped and the flowers disappeared just as fast they were summoned.

“Did something happen?” Amber called from ahead of the group.

“Oh, I thought I saw a bug. It’s nothing.” You wiped the palms of your hands on your pants. Hopefully they wouldn’t notice the petals in your fingers.

“Ugh Paimon hates bugs! Let’s go before we run into anymore.” Paimon darted ahead of the group, passing Amber in seconds.

“Hey, wait up!” The brunette girl shouted and ran behind the floating elf.

You were left alone with Aether, but you paid him no mind. You felt him cast a curious gaze in your direction and you pretended not to notice as you began to jog to catch up. The less questions you were asked the better. Once you were in Monstadt City, you could start to figure out how you got here.

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#sagau #genshin impact #genshin impact au #genshin sagau #genshin x reader #self aware genshin #genshin isekai #gender neutral reader #genshin impact fanfics #genshin cult au #genshin impact x reader #genshin x you #genshin impact sagau #self aware genshin au #genshin self aware

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txtmetonight · 6 months

Text

My Heart.

call summary⋆ ★ you're slowly going sour in your room

pairing *. * choi soobin x fem! reader

genre⋆ ★ heavy angst, fluff?

warnings *. * reader is not mentally okay, crude language, violence, bad grammar, pet names, suggestive?, death, derealization

call duration ⋆ ★ 2k

a/n*. * wrote this like in an hour so forgive me if it's horrible also the grammar is going to be sooo bad. English isn't my first language, soryyy, also I barely even proofread it so.....but anyway, enjoy and don't forget to reblog and comment or like!!!

taglist ⋆ ★ @kflixnet

You used to be carefree.

But now you just spent your days locked up in your room, rotting away inside as your head churns and liquidizes into soup, gurgling up through the pits of your nose. You don’t feel real, the bed doesn’t feel real, nor do the walls but you still hold on. You feel as though you’re amidst of an angry sea, one that has the knack of producing powerful waves that hold cruel currents, dragging you up, instilling the warm sense of hope that you craved relentlessly before it plunges you deeper into the murky cold water, exploding all of your senses.

The phone on your bed stand vibrates and you find yourself reaching for the device to shut it off. Yet the Caller ID stops you in your tracks as your eyes widen in surprise, practically choking on your spit. “Soobin?” You murmur, lifting the phone to your face, blearily and morbid lights blinding you for a moment, but you’re impatient, and you yearn to see his name once more on your screen, so choke down the pain in your dilated pupil, and you let your dangerously weak fingers dangle over the answer button.

Your guts churn inside, and you’re about to puke...the room is spinning, and you’re being suffocated but your eyes don’t tear away from the phone, staring at it with such great marveled eyes, lungs taking in less oxygen than it needed each time you let air through. “Soobin, why am I crying?” You ask, and the screen goes back to its wallpaper; a selfie of you two. Hands strung around his back, he smiled goofily into the camera, lips puckered into your cheeks as if you were on the verge of passing out from exhaustion, eyes lidded with sleep.

Smiling is hard, you conclude, and your ears are bleeding heavily. The phone rings again and you’re plagued by its annoying noise that can’t seem to shut up. You tried everything, silencing your phone, turning off your ringer, throwing the device against the floor, followed by Mr. Carrots but you quickly found yourself either picking up the phone with the utmost care, turning your phone right back, or even clicking the switch that allowed to music to emit.

You wonder how your phone hasn’t died from the number of scars you’ve given it just now. Soobin. Soobin. Soobin. Soobin. It was like you were going crazy! Why was he calling you? You shriek against your pillow, letting drool seep from your mouth while you bite your tongue hard enough to make it bleed, and you savor the sweet metallic taste that coats your mouth. Turning around in bed, you shut your eyes in hopes that everything disappears, that the phone disappears, that you disappear. Not that it already happened. You were nothing and will never be from the depth of your pounding heart; not without Choi Soobin.

“You’re so astoundingly pretty” Someone familiar mouths into your skin and you feel the butterflies arise in you again, so fierce but lovely as it flaps against the inner lining of your throat, almost rendering you speechless. Blonde hair as the snow, he was utterly beautiful for this world. He was show-stopping, heart-pounding, beautiful. His lips were always pillowy soft, tempting you to be a little selfish a steal more kisses than needed, not that he ever minded. “More you, love” You retort, spinning around in his arms to face him. His bright eyes never wavered from yours and every single fucking time, he always looked at you like you hung the stars, like you were his whole world. “Stop lying, pretty girl!”

He stumbles, pulling you closer and leaving heart-shaped kisses all over your body, not stopping until every inch of your skin is covered in his love. He held passion, a burning passion that burnt your skin until you were numb, yet it was addicting. It was poisonous. “My pretty girl” Soobin sighs against your lips, before tenderly taking your cheeks into his warm palms, tugging on your lips onto his, longing for the warmth that followed, swooning over the feeling of you while his fingers roam around your body. And that very night, he made him yours and yours as his.

You’re awakened but this time when you flutter your eyes open, it is late at night and sweat pours through your body. Groaning over, you quickly realize that the phone has plucked you out of your slumber and you start panicking once more. Your hands shiver towards the phone, as you pick it up again, tears welling up in your glossy eyes. Your resolve was starting to crack faster than you thought. Heart beating fast enough to break through its cage, your fingers drift onto the accept button and you gasp once you come back to sense, lip bitten by your teeth.

You hope–no prayed that no one answered. That this wasn’t real, but it was...it was as real as it gets. You think. You don’t know. Or maybe you do. You also think you’re clinically mad. But when you hear your name whisper through the speaker, your brain dies for a second and then comes back alive. Jolts of electricity travel through your veins and you feel like you are flying. “(Y/n) ...sweetheart?”

“Soobin?” You cry, and you swear you could hear his heartbreak on the other side. You imagine him in his bed, cuddling Mr. Carrot’s sibling; Mrs. Rabbit to death, having it choke on his iron grip. You want to scream so badly until your lungs give out and vocal cords snap, but you can’t. “Hey love, I just wanted to drop in and say that I’m sorry...and that I’m outside your door right now.” The phone drops to the floor in shock, the clatter echoing against the walls. “No, you’re not” You rasp, trying to make sense of the situation but your idea is deflected when you hear knocking on the door. Hesitantly pulling back the covers, you slide onto the floor, and you’re unable to even look up from it, rather your eyes follow the ridges that slither.

Unfortunately, the cold doorknob was in the clutch of your fingers, threatening to turn to let in the love of your life. You rethink your decision, but it seems that your hand had a mind of its own, and the knob twists without you knowing about it, letting a gust of wind in. “You’re unhappy.” A voice sweet as honey drips down your spine and you shiver uncomfortably against it, furrowing your eyebrows when you meet the dark eyes of your lover, knees shaking and ready to give out. “You’re also crying” He chuckles, leaning closer to your face to wipe away fallen tears, but in the name of irony, you notice the angelic drops coat his cheeks too.

He was too pretty to be crying. “You too” You quietly whisper, breath barely ghosting over the swirling breeze as you let him in, closing the door right behind him. “(Y/n)” he sniffles, pulling you closer and you reel into him for a second expecting the safe warmth he gave out, only to be stuck against a walking refrigerator, cold as ice cubes. “I can’t stand seeing you like this, weeping over me!” He sobs, falling into your arms, and you finally, let out too, dropping to the carpeted floor with a dull thud. “Then why did you leave me?!” You mumble, afraid to close your eyes, clawing him harder, as you break his skin, but he doesn’t even flinch, instead he sinks into it even more, relishing you. “I had no choice, I tried, I really did.”

“Well, you should’ve tried harder” You harshly spit, before you breakdown into his arms, liquidizing into him as a whole. “I’m so sorry baby” He babbles, “I miss you so much, I can’t even–I feel like I’m being dragged through the pits of hell–it’s so bad baby. Please make it stop! Please!” Pulling away from him for a second, you slam your lips against him, and it feels just right, just like old times. “Then stay with me,” You say, not leaving him a second to respond, because you’re scared of his response. You’re scared that he’s going to leave again and leave out to decay with skin peeling off your bone as you left to survive off your own emotions, regurgitating them when you digested them all, repeating it all over again. “I need to, I’m so sorry.” He presses his forehead against yours, smiling with your lips. “You will?”

He nods into your skin, “I’ll stay” He declares before he drags his palm up to your chest and lays it over your heart while his other hand pushes you down, where he lays down on you, head over your heartbeat. “I love you so much” You whimper, threading your fingers through his hair. “I love you so much fucking more, I can’t even express it” He sighs contentedly, closing his eyes, snuggling into you. “And I’ll always be there with you, even when you don’t even know” He mutters, but you’re long gone into another round of slumber, so he decides to wrap his arms tighter against your figure.

The light cast across your face startles you awake, but this time you’re happy and more in love than ever. The weight from before has lifted, but that was casual, Soobin had always had his eyes open before you and he was probably in the bathroom. Moaning in pain, you stretch to your feet, as you twirl joyfully, padded feet. “Soobin?!” You call out, expecting a response but when you don’t hear a thing, your grin widens. He was just hiding from you! So, you call out his name several times, chanting it like a prayer while you turn your whole apartment upside down. “Hey baby, where are you, this isn’t funny anymore” You wail, sulking like a toddler before you tumble into your own room, the last place you didn’t check. “Soobin seriously, you’re getting me worried!” Your hands softly brush against your bed, then slide against your table before they stop along a pair of documents. Your heart is suddenly stuck in your throat; you struggle to breathe when you bring the paper to eye level.

Choi Soobin was pronounced dead at 5:53 AM.

Your feet roll underneath you, so you hit your head against the sharp edge of the table, cutting the skin in a straight line. “What the–” You laugh, bringing your shaky hand to your cut, smearing it over your finger, trying to distract yourself from the pain that was starting to well inside your heart. The same pain that was poorly buried. And right when the first drops contact your skin, your heart jitters and it feels horribly painful, as though you were being burnt alive. You swiftly wipe away your tears, and you crane to gaze at the picture of your fiancé, happy smiles, nothing else. You despised yourself in that portrait. You looked so happy in a situation such as this, you were supposed to feel guilty, so why were you smiling in that picture?

Would you have stopped grinning so alienated if you knew what the future held for you?

“I hate seeing you cry so much; it feels like someone poured acid all over my face like I was being burnt with hot oil!” He says, into your ear, after one night where your hurtful words were thrown around.

Lips parting, you gasp into your fingers, clutching your left breast.

“Choi Soobin, you’re in my heart aren’t you” You pant, as you memorize how his hands felt against you, where he placed his fingers, and how he promised you that he would stay. Your other arm tucks itself into the hold of your left arm, holding it down where Soobin held you–in that dream.

That car crash was inevitable, and so was the death that came along with it, but with Choi Soobin placed in the safety of your beating organ, maybe everything will be fine!

Or maybe you should rip out your heart instead.

#txt x reader #soobin x reader #k-labels #soobin #soobin angst #soobin x reader angst #soobin fluff #soobin x reader fluff #soobin imagines #soobin scenarios #txt x reader angst #txt x reader fluff #soobin headcanons #soobin reactions #soobie boobie #soobin oneshot #txt oneshots #txt scenarios #txt headcanons

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shrenvents · 7 months

Text

Dracula Teeth

Chapter two of the Miracle Aligner Series

Jennie's POV

I've never been one to say no to a challenge, especially if said challenge had a face like that. So here we are, him: a drunken mess with tousled hair, looking absolutely mouthwatering, and me: a ginger with just as much luck as a black cat tipping over a salt shaker. This situation was too good to be true.

Overhearing Mickey's rant about some famous person waltzing into the bar made it inevitable that my dumbass would be in this position. Frankly, I couldn't care less who he was, all I knew was that I wanted a peek at the celebrity who would dare come for drinks at a place this musty.

Hence, at exactly 10 o'clock on the dot, I unmistakably asked Les Cactus's newest star to 'leave with me.' Only my inarticulate mouth would turn a somewhat innocent request into something completely different.

Now looking floored by my bold statement, I knew I had to correct his misunderstanding. "I meant 'leave together to drink somewhere else' Alexander. Take it easy tiger." Despite my hands shaking, giving away how giddy I really am, I wear my best smug expression. I haven't flirted with a guy this attractive, well, ever.

His tense frame relaxes and he releases a rocky breath. "Don't look too disappointed," I say giggling, removing my apron. He rises to his feet, face beet red as he nods a yes to my earlier question. I internally commend his inviting stature as it lifts upright. He swipes his jacket off the barstool. "Give me a sec to grab my shit and clock out," I wink, spinning towards the locker room. I feel him watching me as I consciously make an effort to sway my hips.

...

"Okay, ready!" After announcing my return, I inspect Alex's lean frame as it lounges classically on a pillar next to the exit. His hair is flopped in every direction, indicating that he'd been harshly running his fingers through it. Hands resting in his jacket pockets, his eyes shift to me. I'm almost taken aback by the way he peers down at me. Gone is that flustered drunk. His gaze now holds a strange weight and certainty. As if he notices my small hesitation, his stare softens and a tiny smile tugs at his lips - god those lips. "Where're we headed Red?"

I pause as if I'm in deep thought. "A man your age down to go clubbing?" I respond with a grin. He huffs a low laugh. "Christ, how old are you?" He inquires, edging closer.

"25," I answer while teetering on my heels. His smile spreads at that.

"A four-year difference doesn't exactly make me old love."

"Doesn't exactly make you young though?" I briskly counter.

"Smart-mouth," Alex quips, peeping down at my lips as I run my tongue over their dried surface. I'm getting hotter by the minute, unable to withstand his heated gaze. Hastily, I grasp the exit's knob. "Let's get a move on then Alex." His chuckle gets cut short once the freezing air engulfs us both. "Is it always this fucking cold?" Alex bellows, moving further into me, brushing his sleeve against mine. I shiver instinctively. "Yep. Welcome to Canada!" I beam.

For a few short moments, we silently walk side by side. That was until my legs began to sway on suspiciously icy ground. "Agh!" I wobble for a bit before eventually regaining my footing, arms flapping frantically. In the meantime, Alex releases a hoarse laugh, tilting his body backward, and putting his enticing neck on display. My mouth practically watered at the sight. Though, my ogling is cut short when Alex suddenly falls on his ass.

"BAHAHAH," I burst. Visibly in agony, Alex glances up at my hunched figure as I embarrassingly howl with laughter. A pained smile creeps onto his face. As he begins to lift himself from the ground, I reach out to lend him a hand. "Oh, now you're gonna help meh?" He rolls his eyes comically, his accent sounding thicker.

Composing himself, Alex can't help but rub his ass, which makes me cackle once more, and I retract my hand to support my stomach. Then Alex begins to laugh with me - both of us looking kind of ridiculous.

Only when passersby give us strange looks do we stop giggling like two schoolgirls. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I repeat, still holding my belly in an attempt to calm myself. Wiping a tear from my eye, I spare Alex a glance. He looks the happiest I've seen him all night, and so damn handsome.

Just as I start to speak he glides his palm into mine. I stare at him dumbfoundedly. "You offered and I don't want to fall again Red." He states as if it's an obvious claim. I nod sheepishly and lead us towards the club again. A comfortable silence fills the chilling air.

12:46 am

Around eight shots later, Alex and I are just a drink away from ripping each other's clothes off in the middle of the club floor.

After arriving, we went straight to the bar and ordered drink after drink, the rest is a blur. But somehow, we made our way to the dance floor and haven't left since. Though our hands may stray away from an appropriate place every now and then, our lips have yet to touch. Alex's overly amorous gaze has downright entranced me. I circle my fingertips over his shoulders, familiarizing myself with his broad back. I hear him grunt darkly in my ear as he leans in, his nose grazing the side of my head, teasing my hair.

Incapable of resisting, I take this as an opportunity to nuzzle into his neck. His groan is muffled by my hair when my teeth impulsively seep into his neck, marking his skin. His hands clench roughly around my waist, and he growls, "Did you just bite me?" I'm virtually buzzing at this point, I've never wanted someone this badly before, especially not some guy I've just met. If I was sober, I'd definitely have taken off running by now.

"Hmm," I hum pleasantly in response, dragging my hands to his lower back and bringing him even closer. He eagerly accepts my pull, enclosing his arms around my torso in return, raising the trim of my tank top faintly. And then we sway; my head on his chest, nose to neck, while he cages me in. "Christ you feel good." He gently traces his thumb back and forth on my exposed skin. "If you think this feels good, just imagine the sex." When the words escape me, I can't do anything but hide further into his collar. Damn my drunken mind.

Immediately there's a little stumble in our syncronism. "I am," he mutters simply. Egged on by my words, he wraps me up even tighter till I feel his arousal, his palms now possessing my ass. We slow down to a stop and I yank my head back so that we're face to face. "Alexander."

"Alex."

"Let's get out of here."

Chapter 3

#smut #alex turner #alex turner x oc #alex turner x reader #alex turner smut #matt helders #alex turner fanfic #alex turner fanart #arctic monkeys #arctic monkeys x reader #original character #the last shadow puppets #tlsp #tlsp smut #miles kane #alex turner x y/n #alexturneredit

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ranchracoon · 22 days

Text

Ch. 8 Lord Beneviento

Am I breathing? Can I breathe? Is that my heartbeat? Why is it so fast? What is happening?

All you could do was stare with your mouth hung open as you looked up at her, she was more than you could imagine. She looked like a statue carved from the purest, pale marble with a jawline sharper than a knife's edge. Her hair was black that was brushed back into a half braid and the rest cascaded down her shoulders. The suit was the same shade as the inside of the cloak; the top had six golden buttons with a large flap collar and a black, tucked, kerchief underneath. She also had black leather boots and gloves. The outfit curved with her body and complimented her stunningly.

The light squeak of leather made your eyes glance down to her black gloves, she clenched her fist tightly enough that you could see the details of her knuckles and tendons. You casted a look to Salvatore who had the same expression you did; mouth open, eyes wide, breath non-existent. The lord took a step toward Salvatore, with each step forward he took one backward until he stumbled into the dirt. She unclenched her firsts and held her hands behind her back.

"Go home Salvatore." She ordered.

Her voice. It did something to you deep down, things tingled and heated up and you . It was deep, raspy with a hint of honey in the mix. Salvatore scrambled to his feet, brushed himself off and for once he did the smart thing as he ran off down the path. When the lord turned around you finally sucked in a breath, half her face was covered in a white mask, with the eye completely covered. The other was an ebony inkwell that could write a thousand words. It was a galaxy that sucked you in with its dazzling reflection of stars. The two of you stared at each other for an eternity, the wind blew strands of her hair loose and she didn't flinch.

The stoic expression on her face softened, had you not been locked onto her like a sniper, you wouldn't have noticed. Her eye darted between both of yours and her lips sucked into her teeth for a brief moment. She was thinking. Did she want to say something to you? She approached you in the doorway, her lips parted but before a word could be spoken a gasp followed by a thud and clatter startled you from your trance. Both of you looked toward the right hallway to see a passed out Angie on the floor with some biscuits that used to be on a tray, scattered on the floor. She got to her before you but you knelt at the same time, the lord held her hand over Angie's nose then watched her chest to see it rise and fall.

"Help me lift her." She ordered barely above a whisper.

She took the upper half, you took the lower as both of you lifted her up. Surprisingly, despite how she looked, Angie was lighter than a full bucket of water. You carried her up the stairs then took a right down the hall from your room, past the bathroom, to the door on the end. Carefully Angie was placed back down on the ground so you could open the door but it was locked of course. Expectantly you looked at the lord who looked back at you expressionless.

"Do you have a key?" You asked her.

She shook her head no so you decided to pat Angie down to find a key with no success.

"I guess we can take her to my room." You offered.

Angie was picked back up and carried to your room, she was placed on your bed and you internally groaned at the thought of having to sleep on the couch, but better you than her. With her settled on your bed, you held your hands in front of you and fiddled with them while the lord stood in your room awkwardly. You watched her look around, suddenly embarrassed by the stark nakedness of it until her sight zoned in on your failed project.

"Did...you not like...my gifts?" She asked softly.

"What? No." You answered quickly and far too loudly, she looked at you with a hint of surprise, "I mean..I don't know how to sew. I got frustrated."

There was a long silence, the two of you looking at each other once more, when she finally spoke, "I'll teach you."

"What?" You squeaked under your breath.

"I'll teach you how to sew." She repeated as she went to leave, "meet me in my workshop tomorrow after you take care of Angie."

She left you in your room without another word, you listened to her footsteps until you couldn't hear them anymore. What just happened? You thought to yourself as you fell into muscle memory of stripping out of your clothes and into your pjs then eyed Angie who was still passed out. You peaked over the banister to not see the lord anywhere then went downstairs to the sitting area where a couch was. It was small and very uncomfortable, you curled into a ball to fit on it with a scratchy blanket you found in a cabinet. The pillow was stiffer than cement, you huffed in annoyance and couldn't sleep at all, not only from being uncomfortable but from the wild thoughts running in your mind.

Morning finally came, it felt like forever and your eyes burned from the little sleep you got. When you stood, everything popped and your body was sore enough you groaned in pain. After you put the blanket away and got the couch set back up, you went upstairs to find your bed empty. Thank goodness. You got changed the fastest you could, brushed your teeth, then stood in front of Angie's door listening to see if she was inside. The door flung open and you leapt back as Angie startled, it took every muscle not snicker at her expression but the satisfaction that you scared her was enough.

"Oh. There you are." She cleared her throat.

"I came to check on you. How are you feeling?" You asked genuinely.

"I have a bloody headache."

"Well, you did faint and fall on the floor." You told her.

"Right. That was because I swear I saw someone I once knew in the doorway."

"That was Lord Beneviento." You gulped.

Angie cackled, "guess the drinks were strong for you too. I don't have time for your jokes."

You scowled, "I wasn't joking Angie. Who do you think helped me carry you to my room?"

She stared at you hard enough you could see the smoke coming out of her ears from the gears grinding together.

She scratched her head, " well I suppose that's....you said she?"

You nodded your head.

"I would have never guessed." She mumbled while she waddled past you.

"You really had no idea?" You asked as you followed her.

"No. The previous Lord Beneviento was a disreputable man and very secretive. He destroyed everything that mentioned Claudia or his child, as well as most of their family history. I only knew about Claudia and her child because of Mother Miranda; all births and deaths are recorded. She never said if it was a son or daughter but my...she's a spitting image of Claudia."

You followed her down to the kitchen, she talked to you while she made herself some coffee then motioned for you to help her make breakfast. You eyed the time on the clock but perhaps it would be best to offer breakfast for the lord before she taught you how to sew.

"So, word in the village is someone hit Lord Moreau. Pretty hard too from the black eye I saw."

You froze, "well, he probably deserved it."

"Never said he didn't. I just wanted to tell the person nice shot."

Angie sipped away at her coffee while you finished up the breakfast. After you served her a plate you hurriedly platted the breakfast onto a tray to take with you, Angie looked at you curiously.

"Just where are you off to in a rush?" She accused.

"Um..Lord Beneviento asked me to see them in the workshop."

"What?!"

Before she could interrogate you, you rushes off from the kitchen. While you walked, you couldn't stop thinking about everything. The same thoughts and questions that plagued your mind last night had returned in full throttle. Why did she wear a mask? Why did her father destroy everything? Why all the secrets? Why does she never come out?

You hoped you could get some answers but deep down you knew that if it took her this long to show herself, it might take equally as long to get anything out of her. The door to the workshop was skewed open, you pushed it further to step in and gasped softly at the inside. All the other workshops you had ever been in were dirty, cluttered, and smelled. This was the complete opposite other than the subtle mildew smell. The workbench in the center had a stool and sewing machine set on top, on the wall behind it was a desk that extended the wall and onto the next.

It was a deep, red color and everything on it was meticulously organized; from the tiny drawers labeled buttons by color, to threads set up by color. You rested the tray on an empty spot of the desk then continued to examine everything she had, you could never come close to this level of neatness. A sudden presence behind you made the hairs on your neck stand up, it wasn't a malicious feeling so you eased your shoulders before looking behind you. There she stood. You hadn't heard her come in, where did she come in from? When did she come in? She walked toward you and you noticed she made no sound, her footsteps were silent and once she was closer you noticed she wasn't wearing shoes. Only socks.

She was however wearing a long-sleeved, black, button up shirt that had the top few buttons undone. Her slacks were the same shade and held in place with a blood red leather belt. The silence of her steps explained how she moved around the manor without you noticing, aside from the soft brushing of her pant legs and your breathing, there was no sound. She leaned over the tray of breakfast with a deep inhale followed by an equally powerful exhale.

"Did you make breakfast?" She asked.

"I did." You answered.

Her face remained neutral but the muscles on the corner of her mouth twitched; maybe it was just a twitch but you'd like to think it was her suppressing a smile. She took the fork and picked at the food, nibbling on it like a bird before she looked at you as if she remembered someone else was there.

"Thank you for the food. It's always delicious when made by you."

The smile you wanted to make would have been huge, instead you restrained it into a smaller smile. It had been awhile since you received an actual compliment, and not some side comment that was less mean than normal from Angie. You continued to smile as you examined this lord who crafted so many secrets and mysteries around them, now that you saw her closer she was kind of cute. Attractive absolutely, but her mannerisms were child-like cute. This was not the confident lord you met last night, who told Salvatore to leave, this one was very timid and nervous.

"I'm always happy to serve you my lord." You gave a half nod with your head.

"I don't like that." She answered curtly, she set down the fork and started to fiddle with the button of her sleeve.

"Me serving you?" You questioned sadly.

"Being called....lord. I don't like it."

"Would you prefer my lady?"

"That's worse." She scoffed then scooted past you to a small table with a radio, "I'm not Alcina."

"What would you like me to call you then?" You requested.

There was a very long silence, you burned holes into her back while you waited for her answer. You shifted your weight from one foot to the other, she stood upright and turned on the radio to some melancholy aria. She spun on her heels and was in front of you within a few long strides, the momentum causing a gentle breeze over your body.

Her eye darted between the two of yours, "you can call me Donna." She finally answered, with emphasis on the you.

You smiled brightly, attempting to contain your excitement, "Donna. That's a lovely name."

Donna turned around quickly and you could see her arms shift, most likely playing with her sleeve again. Her head looked around until it locked on the rack of fabrics.

"Let's...start sewing."

After you picked your favorite color and the type of material that felt the softest, you sat at the sewing machine on the center table. Donna showed you how to cut and measure patterns, she walked you through how to use the machine and what to do if the thread or material got stuck. Over an hour passed and you hadn't made much progress with the actual sewing. The speed of the machine made you uneasy, that you would accidentally going to sew your finger to the cloth. Two pale arms wrapped around your upper body, your entire body turned into a furnace at the contact.

Her hands were warm and smooth, she rested them over yours and pushed the cloth faster through. When she reached out, the sleeve of her shirt slid up to expose a bit of her forearm. It was scared up, with parts of flesh looking like it went through a meat grinder. You averted your eyes and instead focused on the contact of her hands over yours while the two of you sewed . Her breathing was even, and with each inhale her chest lightly pressed against your back, after a few motions you gained some confidence. Carefully you leaned into her, her body tensed and for a moment you thought she would back away, but she didn't, not right away at least.

It was the chime of the clock striking noon that broke your concentration. Donna moved away and the cold bit your once warm back. You turned on your stool to see her rubbing her finger nails nervously, again, how could someone who was so mysterious be so cute?

"I'm sorry. I've kept you from your duties. I'm sure Angie is peeved, um, you can come by anytime to finish."

"Will you be here?" You whispered.

Donna looked up at you then looked away, "sometimes." She looked toward the door and breathed deeply.

"Then, I'll come by whenever I can. I really enjoyed this, and I also enjoyed the gifts you left me." You added.

Donna looked further away, but not before you caught a dusting of pink of her face, "consider it a thank you for the plant, and for everything you're doing outside. I'm sure you've seen the greenhouse on the way to and from the village; it belonged to my previous gardener. I could...find the key if you'd like."

"I would love that." You beamed.

You thanked Donna once more before you took your leave, when the workshop door closed you squeaked under your breath and almost skipped back to the kitchen.

#resident evil village #re8 #alcina dimitrescu #donna benevento x reader #donna beneviento #donna benviento x reader #x reader #alternate universe

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mccnstruck · 1 year

Note

THERES A FUCKIMG SPIDER IN THE BATHROOM SEND HELP

ahem anyways……………… akito x reader but the reader acts brave around spiders n horror BUT THEY ACTUALLY ARE SCARED BUT TRIES TO COVER UP THEUR FEAR OR SMTH N reader clinging onto akito’s arm, and he like tf i thought u werent scared

MAKE SURE TO DRINK WATER AND STAY SAFE, TAKE UR TIME WRITING THIS❤️🫶

afraid of spiders

characters: akito x gn!reader

tags:

a/n: IS RHE SPIDER GONE,,,,,, me personally i would grab the slipper and throw it but I HOPE U SURVIVED !!! reader is so me fr fr but i hope u enjoyed!!!!

- you and akito probably were talking about it after tsukasa saw an insect and RANNN the other way after school

- "so are you afraid of spiders?"

- "uh..no? i mean, they're just a little insect...haha"

- "right..."

- he probably didn't question it until one day....

akito was listening to music comfortably on your bed. the day had been nice. his practice went super well today, he had completed all his chores, and he was finally in peace in one of his favorite places at the end of the day.

you walked back into your bedroom to see akito protected by the comfort of your blankets and pillows. you laugh, causing akito to look back up at you.

"scoot over, let me in the fort."

you lightly pushed akito and sat next to him as he sat himself up. you take part of the blanket, slowly, you laid your head on his lap and felt content.

laying comfortably on his lap, the fluff of pillows and blankets, the music quietly coming from akito's earbuds, you could almost fall asleep. the last thing you took note of was your desk on the other side, and something small. suspiciously, it had 8 tiny legs creeping towards you.

...

wait. 8 legs?

your head shot up, and akito was shocked by the sudden reaction.

"is that a spider?"

akito looks to where you're looking, and hums. "yeah, it is."

you shot up from his lap and hide behind him, clutching his arm.

"what the hell get that off please please thats absolutely horrifying nope nope nope nope-"

akito sighs. "didn't you say that you weren’t afraid of spiders?"

you flap your hand in dismissal of his accusation, and clutch onto his shirt even harder. "sh, sh, sh, we don't talk about that now just prettyyyy please kill it i don't wanna see it anymore!"

"could you at least let go of my arm? i don't know how i'm supposed to kill it when you're going to paralyze my arm."

you reluctantly let go of his arm, and he grabs a tissue from your side table, gently picking up the spider.

you sigh in relief. god, that was embarrassing.

when you see akito seemingly throwing the tissue at you, you scream and jump out your place, profanities coming out of your mouth.

akito snickers, and you look at the tissue still in his hand with wide eyes.

"i hate you so much. that wasn't even funny."

his snickers turn into genuine laughter as he gets up to throw it. he covers his mouth to try to quiet his laughs, but they only grew louder as he let the spider out the window.

you look at him with a soft smile, and huff in faux anger. maybe you could forgive his behavior if you could hear his laughter one more time, and every time after that.

he looks back at you with a mischievous grin, and you groan in frustration.

he's never gonna let you live this down, is he?

- he does not let you live it down.

- but! he doesn't full on bully you for it. he gets your fear. he's scared of dogs, so it would be hypocritical for him to tease you so much for it.

- but he does find it funny when he hears you and a certain future star scream in the hallways. especially when there may or may not have been a bug he totally didn't put on purpose.

reposting or plagiarizing of my works is not allowed under any circumstances.

#akito x reader #akito shinonome x reader #akito shinonome #akito #project sekai x reader #pjsekai x reader #[ the lost library ]

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kyberblade · 2 years

Text

Back To You (Din x Reader) - Part 9

A/N: We are on Trask!!! I have been waiting for this since the beginning! Lots happening, things developing, ahhhhhhh! Again, this has a bit of show dialogue but it was necessary. Also, once again, there is some lore in this that @writerlyhabits wrote in a fantastic short, and I loved it so much, I asked if I could use it.

(This takes place right where the other one left off and goes into the middle of episode 2x3/11, The Heiress.)

I do not own Star Wars or it’s characters. Sadly. But I carry them in my heart. Does that count for something? My soul says yes.

Warnings: Tooth rotting fluff, Grogu being the cutest thing you ever did see, and Din is once again a warning in and of himself in this one. Typical show violence. Space swearing.

Word count: 9,532 (*heavy breathing again*)

As always, thanks to @grippingbeskar for encouraging me, looking over this for me, and being the one to introduce me to Din fanfiction in the first place, getting me hooked. You are fantastic and I always love our chats.

Previous | Series Masterlist | Next

Xxx

You woke to an alarm blaring in the small cockpit. The screen in front of Din blinked a bright red message. Rubbing your eyes, you looked around the cabin blearily, the child mirroring you as he let out a sleepy coo. Looking up through the viewport, a large, blue planet was looming.

So much water.

Your mouth fell open slightly as you stared, lost in the thought of lapping waves and rolling boats, the sound of running water a luxury you’d yet to encounter.

Coruscant had bodies of water, but they were all fake, manmade. They had an air of artificial to them, a faint grime around the edges. The mechanics pulling the strings in the background just under the surface if you looked hard enough. The sound of running water with the dull undertone of a water pump. The whir of the filtration system.

The child stretching in your lap drew your attention away from the giant blue orb, the smile making its way up your face reminding you of the very real little world right in front of you.

“Looks like we made it.” Din’s voice was still slightly sleepy, making your smile grow just a little. Good. He needed it. “Get ready for landing.” He began flipping switches like always, turning to some on his left, smacking the panel when nothing happened. Well, nothing but a loud clunk from below. “Dank farrik!” The Frog Lady croaked a small sound of question, and he sighed. “The landing array isn’t responding.” He continued to press more buttons, flip more switches, and you began to wonder if half of them even really did anything.

“Without the guidance system, it’ll be a manual re-entry. It might get a little choppy.” The display in front of him displayed some message you couldn’t quite make out from where you were, a red blinking alert the only obvious thing. “Once we’re through the atmosphere, there should be enough fuel to slow us down.” He grew quiet, and you didn’t like it, not one bit. “If we don’t burn to a crisp.”

“If we don’t what?” You deadpanned before Din suddenly pulled the ship up, the belly of the Crest plummeting toward the surface of the planet, flames shooting up around the viewport, and painting the cockpit in an eerie glow.

Your stomach lurched, the almost free fall making you feel like you could float, but also like a mountain was weighing you down. The cockpit began to shake, jolts making the drop of your stomach even worse with each jostle. Each little dip made the kids ears flap, and it would have been amusing if the room wasn’t painted in fire.

Alarms started blaring, and Din was quick to flick them off. “Come up here. I need your hands!” The Frog Lady began to rise, setting her eggs on the seat in her place, but you were quick to intervene.

On your feet instantly, you placed the child where you had been before turning to the other passenger. Placing your hand on her shoulder, her head turning to look at you, you gestured her back to her seat. “You hold tight to your eggs. I’ve got this.” Turning to the console, you staggered a bit as the ship hit some turbulence, the flames through the transparisteel flaring briefly.

Din looked up at you for just a moment before turning his attention back out the viewport. “This lever needs to stay back. Can you do that?” He gestured to a large silver lever on his right almost flippantly, quickly getting the steering back in his grip.

Taking it in both hands and pulling back, you nodded. Anchoring your feet a little wider to help stabilize yourself, you bent your knees slightly to help absorb some of the shock each jostle of the ship sent up through you.

“Keep it steady,” Din said quietly, almost to himself.

“Same goes for you,” you teased lowly, smiling when the faintest scoff came through his vocoder.

“Here we go.”

You fell in silence, aside from the roar of the flames, their dance creating a rise and fall in the constant hum. Rolling your fingers on the handle, you adjusted your grip, tightening your hold as your hands began to sweat.

A voice came over the comm, a woman, pleasant, and completely out of place in the situation. So much so you almost laughed. But a strong jolt of turbulence made you swallow your amusement. “Razor Crest, this is Trask flight control. Please reduce your speed to port protocol.”

Through the viewport you could begin to see a grey, almost dismal looking city, surrounded by water. The flames went all the way out, letting you see just how far the water spread around you.

“I’m trying my best here.” You couldn’t tell if Din was addressing her or just talking out loud. “Engage reverse thrusters.” He turned his head towards the kid. “Brace!”

You turned sideways, holding the lever with one hand, and reached out a hand to lean against the egg container in the Frog Lady’s lap right behind you. One of her hands slipped over yours to help hold you still, and you looked up, meeting her large black eyes. Nodding once her way, she returned the gesture, a small smile quirking up one side of your face before you turned back to the disaster out the viewport, adjusting your stance slightly.

Din threw a lever near the one you were holding forward, and the ship began to teeter in the air, leaning slightly back and forth like a ship on the water, one of the engines sputtering violently.

“Hold on,” he warned, his tone almost nervous. You tightened your grip on the lever.

“Razor Crest, do you copy? You have to reduce speed.”

“Almost there, almost there.” It almost sounded like he was talking to himself.

The child laughed, drawing your attention his way, your eyebrows wrinkling together at him skeptically. “He’s truly your son, Din. A true chaos gremlin.”

“Razor Crest, do you copy?”

The display began alerting again, insistently, this time with a green alert, helping you to swallow just a little anxiety.

“Razor Crest, you’re coming in too fast. You have to re-” Din reached forward, flipping a switch and the voice stopped abruptly. It was almost peaceful. Until you remembered where you were.

The ship slowed suddenly, hovering above a landing pad, slowly descending. You relaxed, releasing the lever tentatively at first, then fully when it stayed. The green circle flashed on the screen, and you watched as Din steered the ship with the tiniest of movements.

“Here we go. Nice and easy.”

You let your weight off of the egg container, squeezing the Frog Lady’s hand in thanks, and she croaked softly at you.

Suddenly the right engine exploded, sending the ship lurching to the left, and off the side of the pad. Losing your balance, the Frog Lady was quick to clutch your hand tight again, trying to haul you back up towards her.

Looking out the viewport, you saw water surround the ship as you scrambled up, grabbing the Frog Lady’s seat to pull yourself upright, the ship at a precarious angle.

With a muted thud the Razor Crest settled on the bottom of the bay, various fish beginning to circle and dart around quickly as a layer of silt settled.

You took a few deep breaths, releasing the chair in your grasp. Walking up behind Din, you put your hands on your hips as you stared out the viewport.

“Now, I’m confused,” you began, voice almost a drawl, making Din groan softly. “Was that a landing or a crashing?” Looking down toward the Mandalorian, you saw he cradled his helmet in his hand, slowly shaking his head back and forth at your antics.

Xxx

You’d begun to doze off, leaning up against the back wall of the cockpit with your arms crossed over your chest. There had been enough sitting on the journey between the ice ball to this water ball, and if you were being honest, you were getting a little antsy.

A jolt made you snap your head up, eyes darting around the cabin. A groan sounded from above, like metal under pressure, and suddenly your feet were struggling to find your footing. The Razor Crest teetered back and forth, wobbling precariously in the air as a giant crane lifted it out of the water. As the water poured away from the viewport, you could see through the few remaining streaks, the crane was on four legs like some massive beast, and it walked through the water as if it were a puddle.

Putting your arms out to stabilize yourself, you tilted your neck back to look straight up through the transparisteel at the crane high above the Crest.

The ship was set back down on the pad with a gentle thud, the rush of water emptying the deck below you sending vibrations under your feet.

Looking out the viewport once again, you felt a stirring in the air around you. It was muted, a quiet whisper, but it tickled your senses all the same. Din said something as he scooped up the kid, placing him in the floating pram, but he was muffled, like he was talking underwater.

The Frog Lady croaked something from her seat and she sounded distant, like an echo in a cave. The child squealed, and you swore he was miles off, a sound on the wind.

A chill ran down your spine, not of fear, but excitement, anticipation…. A sense of finally crawling under your skin, but finally what, you didn’t know.

Din’s voice echoed closer, clearing up with each word he said, finally jolting everything back to normal when he lightly grabbed your upper arm. “Are you okay?”

Looking around the cockpit, you found it was only the two of you, the sounds of the child's pram and the Frog Lady’s footsteps heard on the deck below.

“I’m fine,” you tried a small smile, turning his way. “Thanks.”

“What happened? You didn’t respond for about a minute.”

“Nothing. Something. I don’t know.” You turned back to look out the viewport, bracing your weight on the headrests of both copilot seats. “I don’t know.”

Taking a deep breath as you felt the mental fog rolling on the horizon, you squinted your eyes, shaking your head to try and clear the cobwebs. “Did you need something?”

He shifted his weight, reaching into his belt and withdrawing your knife.

“Oh, you cleaned it. Thanks!” You smiled up at him as he pressed it into your palm, visor tilted down towards you. Looking down at the blade, you paused when you noticed something near the hilt, glinting as it caught a small ray of sunlight that came through a break in the overcast sky.

After studying it for a moment, bringing it closer to your face, tilting it back and forth, you turned your gaze back up towards his visor in question. You swallowed, words dying on the tip of your tongue.

“When you killed the spider to save the kid, it was your first kill.” You looked back down to the knife, holding it delicately and staring at it as he continued, trying to remember how to breathe. You knew enough to know this was important. “It was a noble kill. If you were a Mandalorian, you would have earned your signet.”

You grimaced, looking up at him with a tight face, and he laughed. “I know, you hate spiders.”

“That would not have been pleasant.” You looked back down to the blade, rubbing your thumb softly back and forth over the etching.

“From the time you stepped onto my ship, actually, if I’m being honest, probably even before that, you've been a member of my clan. For years you’ve been my closest friend. The only thing I wanted to come back to after a bounty. You've proven several times over your strength, persistence, and willingness to do whatever is needed to protect the kid. It was time we made it official.”

“I’d protect you, too.” You tilted your head back to look him in the eyes, his head tilting to the side just slightly. “Not that you ever really need it, but I’d protect you, too.”

The child squawked from somewhere below, drawing both of your gazes in that direction.

“Thank you,” your voice was quiet. You didn’t feel you could trust it much further right now. Tucking the knife into your belt, you looked back up to the Mandalorian. “I’ll wear it with honor.”

Din hesitated, his weight shifting almost nervously, his hands clenching into fists at his side. He took a deep breath, lifting a hand as if to gesture, the start of a breath passing through his modulator before it stopped abruptly, turning into a frustrated sigh. His hand fell back to his side as he stared at you a moment longer before turning to leave the cockpit. “Let’s go.”

Xxx

Din POV

Din kicked himself as he went over and over what he had said to you. It was just a small omission, it didn’t really matter in the scheme of things did it?

Technically, he hadn’t crafted the knife himself, so it was a sort of grey area. He rolled his eyes as he mulled over the loopholes, always landing back on having to tell you sooner rather than later. But no matter whether he had made it or not, it still bore his signet, and that wasn’t something given to just anybody.

His lips faded into a tight line as he watched you climb down the ladder, eyes catching on the glint of his signet with each step you took.

He’d do it before you left Trask. He had to. Right?

What good was it after all if everything just stayed the same? Sure, a member joining his clan was good news, but there was something that was even better news, he just had to find the courage to tell you.

I will wear it with honor.

Even though you weren’t Mandalorian, you knew the right words to say. Of course you did. Because if you didn’t, this would all be easier. On some level, you already knew, and that’s part of what made this so difficult for him. Something about coming clean scared him.

He watched you walk ahead of him, walking up to the Frog Lady and giving her a hug in thanks for all she had done over the past few days. A small smile climbed slowly up his face at the sight, dipping slightly when he realized.

He wasn’t scared of telling you.

He wasn’t scared of you knowing.

He was scared of you walking away.

His breath caught in his chest when you turned to look at him, your eyebrow raised in question. With a quick tilt of your head behind you gesturing him over, you smiled, standing rooted to the spot as you waited for him.

He tried to remember how to breathe as he made his way over, almost losing the fight when your smile grew as he drew closer. Falling into step beside one another, something clicked, and somehow he knew everything would work itself out.

The child cooed from his floating pram beside you, both of you turning to look at his bright eyes.

You were a clan of three.

Xxx

Normal POV

“So, how can I help you?” The Mon Calamari attendant asks easily as you approach.

“Can you fix it?” Din’s voice is a deadpan, and you almost giggle at the exchange.

Turning to the Frog Lady as he continues to speak to the mechanic, you give her another hug, this one quick, laughing when she croaks in surprise. Pulling back, you keep your arms on her shoulders. “Thank you, again. For everything. I don’t think we would have made it without you.”

She croaked something to you, tossing her head emphatically as she did, making you smile.

“Okay, maybe we would have, but it would have been much harder.”

She nodded once, a soft croak of agreement tumbling out with it, and your smile grew a bit bigger. You still didn’t understand her language, but you could understand her.

She turned to survey the dock, adjusting the strap of her egg container as she did. Din came up beside you with a heavy sigh, shaking his head when you arched a brow at him in question, the kid floating right beside him.

The Frog Lady took a few steps then began to call out, looking back and forth down the dock when she got no response until….

A much deeper croak came from the opposite end. Her head perked up and she squealed, running that direction, quickly disappearing in the crowd of people milling about.

You and Din exchanged a look before following her, finding her kneeling next to a blue Frog Man, their heads pressed together, eyes closed and soft little grunts and croaks breaking the silence. They pulled apart and shared a soft look, her hands on his face, before they drew further back and looked at the eggs lovingly.

The child whined as he eyed the eggs, looking up at Din with a pitiful expression.

Looking down at the child, Din sighed. “I know you're hungry. We’ll get you something to eat.”

The child’s ears drooped as he turned back towards the eggs again.

You reached out a finger to scratch the top of his head between his ears, making them perk up just slightly.

The Frog Man rose to his feet, approaching Din and extending his hand in thanks.

“You’re welcome,” Din spoke softly. “I was told you could lead me to others of my kind.”

You felt the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end, the feeling from back on the ship surrounding you once again. Everything echoed, and faded until it was just a muted hum in the background. Suddenly, as clear as day, you hear your own voice, as if it was standing next to you. You whip your head to the side at the sound of your name, looking to the other side when it’s whispered somewhere close by. You hear your own voice say a myriad of things from all different directions, but whenever you turn to look for the source, you just see dockworkers milling about.

“It’s here.”

“You’ve come.”

“At last.”

“Just a little bit further….”

“Come quick!”

“Stop!”

“Go!”

Your own laughter lilted on the breeze as it lightly tickled your face.

Looking to the side in an attempt to find the source, you see a figure in a black robe watching from beside some crates. They disappear after a few people pass between you, and you blink a few times, wondering if you imagined it.

Din’s hand once again on your arm draws you back, sounds rushing in at warp speed, everything tilting back on its axis. “You did it again.”

“Sorry,” you mumble, staring at the now vacant spot the hooded figure had stood. “Thought I saw something.” You turned to face him. “Probably just jet-lagged.”

He nodded, but you could read his body language. His tight shoulders told you he didn’t believe you. Giving your arm a squeeze before he lowered his hand, he gave a nod before stepping back just a bit. “We’ll get you and the kid some food and a place to stay while I find the Mandalorians.”

“If you think after the last few weeks that I’m not coming with you, you haven’t been paying attention, Mando.” He sighed. “But I won’t say no to some food. I’m not that tired.”

Xxx

Maybe you should have said no to the food.

You watched with disgust as a hose filled the bowl in front of you and then the child with chowder, large lumps plopping down, and then the mixture began to move as if it were alive, which you wouldn’t doubt it probably was.

It was times like this you envied Din his helmet. Don’t want to eat something dubious? Blame the creed. Want to make faces at the chowder that is about to sprout legs and walk away? Blame the creed. Wanted to blatantly stare at someone? Well, you couldn’t blame the creed for that one, but it was useful to be hidden in that case. You stabbed your chowder bitterly with your spoon as your eyes darted up towards your beskar covered travel companion briefly.

He was watching you with amusement, helmet tilted just so. You lifted your head to look at him fully, glaring his way and sticking your tongue out at him, earning a chuckle through the modulator.

“You teach that to the kid and I’ll have to reconsider those flamethrowers….” He mumbled playfully.

Your face fell to a neutral state, stunned that he was the one who brought it up this time.

“Wait. What? Did we actually crash and I hit my head or something, or did you just seriously say something about flamethrowers much less about me getting flamethrowers?”

“If you were paying attention, I actually said something about you not getting flamethrowers.”

You narrowed your eyebrows at him, lips pressing forward in an angry pucker, and he laughed. “Don’t toy with me, Mando. Not about this. If you get on my bad side, you’ll be the first thing I roast when I do get my flamethrowers.”

“It’s not a threat when it’s what’s going to happen anyway,” he teased. “If you ever got them, I stand by what I said on Tatooine. You’d destroy my ship in two seconds.”

“And I said five, remember?”

“Is that supposed to make it better?”

“It’s longer, isn’t it?”

He hummed in response, shaking his head gently at you as you finally smiled.

“I would do my utmost best to try and not destroy the Crest.”

“Would you now?”

“….Right away.”

He snorted, shaking his head at you again before turning toward the Quarren who was coming over to sit at your table and discuss the Mandalorians.

The child let out a shriek, both of you turning his way to find a cephalopod creature dripping soup attached to the kid’s face.

“Don’t play with your food,” Din deadpanned, lifting his vibroblade and lightly poking the creature, making it plop back into the soup.

The child looked to him in shock before looking at you, then down into the bowl, lifting himself up a bit to get a better view.

You bit your lip to keep from laughing at the streaks of soup all over the child’s face. You reached for Din’s cape where he sat on the other side of the child, wiping the kid’s face clean as Din and the Quarren spoke. He struggled against you at first, whining lightly, but you pulled the cape away, looking down at him as you held his little face between your thumb and forefinger, and he quieted down when you raised an eyebrow at him.

Smiling softly, you finished cleaning him up before pushing his bowl of soup back in front of him in his little highchair, wiping your hands off on Din’s cape before letting it fall back behind him with a gentle swoosh.

The Quarren was just leaving, so you smiled at him as he walked past, trying to not show the crawling sense of dread you felt. Turning back to Din, you waited for him to speak.

“That’s not a napkin, you know.”

“I know. But do you have a napkin?”

“No.”

“Maybe in those magic vambraces of yours?”

He snorted another soft laugh.

“Right. Anyway.” You pushed your bowl of chowder in front of the child as he slurped up the last of his, his eyes lighting up at the sight. “I don’t trust him.”

“Neither do I, but it’s all we have to go on at the moment.” He looked at the child as he happily ate your chowder. “You need to eat.”

“I’ll grab some rations off the Crest before we go.” You stared at the kid’s empty bowl in disgust. “They have to be better than this.” You looked back up at his visor. “What about you? You need to eat, too.”

“I ate while you all slept on the way here. I’ll be fine for now.”

You narrowed your eyebrows at him in suspicion. “So while you were supposed to be sleeping, you etched my knife, ate, and didn’t sleep.” He grunted in response. “You have very poor time management skills.”

“Those flamethrowers are looking further and further away by the minute,” he mused, rising to his feet.

“Don’t threaten me with a good time.”

Xxx

You stood by the railing of the ship, staring out at the grey waters as they rolled by.

The kid’s pram floated to your right, and Din stood behind you, hand on his blaster while he acted as a barrier between you and the crew.

You began to feel off again, the sounds of the waves becoming the only sound you could focus on, the hush of indistinct whispers swirling above the ebb and flow as they crashed against the hull of the ship.

There had to be something in the air on this planet, something making you hallucinate. That or you were going crazy. Maybe the doors had gotten sucked off their rails and this is what your hell was like.

A crew member shouting at another drew your focus back, making you blink rapidly to try and clear the fog.

“You ever see a mamacore eat? Quite a sight,” the Quarren slowly made his way closer, feigning friendliness. Something about him was just off. “Child might take an interest.” Your heckles rise when he mentions the child, and your hand slowly goes to rest on the hilt of your knife.

The kid coos softly, and you dart your eyes to him. He does look curious. Your gaze softens but your grip on the knife tightens.

“You should take a look. Come on over here.” With a jerk of his head, he gestures your little party of three over toward the center of the ship. You follow last, keeping the pram close at hand should something go sideways. “Get a good view. Let the kid see.”

Sighing, you walk around to the other side of Din, letting the cradle float closer to the edge of a hole that opens up, revealing more water.

“All right, close enough,” Din says softly, stopping the child right by the edge.

“There we go,” the Quarren grunts, pulling on a rope that makes a massive net full of fish move over the little pool of water and another presses a button that makes the fish release into it. Bubbles start to come to the surface, and your gut starts to sink. Something isn’t right.

“She must be hungry. Oftentimes we’ll feed her in the early morning, but we missed that ‘cause we were goin’ out of port!” On the last word he used his spear to hit the cradle and send the child into the vat, rings of teeth rising up out of the water and swallowing the pram right after the shields closed the child in.

“No!” Din grunted, turning and diving in after the kid as soon as the monster disappeared with him below the water.

“Din!” You screamed after him, moving to get closer to the edge, but one of the crew cut you off, backing you up until your spine pressed against the cold metal of the ship.

“Lock it up! Go, go! Now! Go!” The Quarren shouted, and the bars rolled back into place over the hole, cutting off Din’s escape route. “The beskar is ours!” He cried in triumph, laughing in a way that made your blood run cold.

Turning your gaze back down to the grate, you tried to reach out and feel for the kid and Din, hoping beyond hope they were somehow miraculously okay. You felt them faintly, but an overwhelming sense of anger crawled up your spine, hatred of the crew surrounding you growing and festering in your gut as you sneered at the man in front of you.

Suddenly Din shot up out of the water, coughing profusely as he grabbed the bars over his head trying to stay afloat.

“Drown him!” The Quarren shouted, and they all began thrusting their spears at him through the grate.

Overwhelming anger flooded your senses, and you stared at the crew member in front of you as he simply watched his friends over his shoulder, laughing. Suddenly he stopped, his spear dropping from his hand with a loud clang that was lost in the chaos of the rest trying to submerge the Mandalorian. He clawed at his throat, gasping for air, and you smiled.

You’d never felt this rage before. It was powerful, full of untapped potential. His body began to shake from lack of oxygen, and you cocked your head to the side as you watched, his wide eyes looking at you with fear. Good.

Out of nowhere, crew members started dropping, blaster fire and the sound of jet packs echoing around the ship bringing you to your senses. The man in front of you slumped forward, coughing, before he lunged at you and hissed, “You, bit-”

Without thinking you drew your blaster and shot him in the leg, making him drop to the deck, screaming as he clutched at the wound. He began to rise and make his way toward you again with a guttural yell of anger, but quickly went limp, falling to the deck again, and not moving again this time.

Looking up, you saw a Mandalorian in blue armor a few feet away with a blaster pointed at your would be attacker. You nodded once in thanks, and they returned it before shooting another two crew members, and headbutting a third.

The ship rang with the sound of beskar striking flesh, blasters firing, and bodies dropping, until it was silent quickly after. The only sound was Din coughing below the grate, and this set you in motion, rushing to the button you had seen them press earlier, smashing your hand down on it.

One of the Mandalorians kneeled at the edge, extending their arm toward Din. “Take my hand.” A woman’s voice, soft and kind. She helped haul him out of the water, and you were immediately at his side, helping him over to a crate to sit on.

“There’s a creature. It has the child,” Din ground out, coughing some more after. You brought your hand to the back of his neck where there was no beskar and rubbed soothing circles.

“On it!” One of the other Mandalorians said, another woman, before she dove into the water without hesitation.

“The child. Help the child.” His voice was hoarse as he addressed the first Mandalorian.

“Don’t worry, brother. We’ve got this.”

From where you were crouched beside Din you couldn’t see but you heard blaster fire underwater, the mamcore roaring, and shortly after the Mandalorian burst out of the water with her jet pack, the kid’s cradle in her arms. It was bent and warped, and you felt like you couldn’t breathe until she ripped off a panel and you saw the kid blinking up at you, perfectly fine.

“Here you go, little one,” she cooed before handing him to Din, who took him quickly, tucking him into his arm and staring at him for a minute before his breathing began to even out.

“Thank you,” he said through heavy breaths, his voice thick with emotion.

You got to your feet, staying right beside Din, and placed a hand on the child’s head as he let out a soft grunt.

“I’ve been searching for more of our kind,” Din began, and you withdrew your hand from the kid, stepping back just a bit to give them space, but Din was quick, and reached out to grab your wrist, keeping you at his side wordlessly, before he let go.

“Well, lucky we found you first,” the Mandalorian who helped him out of the water said.

“I’ve been quested to deliver this child. I was hoping that….” He trailed off as she reached up and removed her helmet. You watched with wide eyes as all three of them removed their helmets. Din rose to his feet, his posture almost menacing. The kid tilted his gaze up to Din with a curious little squeak almost as if asking, Are you gonna take yours off, too?

“Where did you get that armor?” Din’s tone had turned severe. He took a few slow steps toward them, and if they were intimidated, they didn’t show it.

“This armor has been in my family for three generations,” the one who helped him out of the water said. She had short red hair, and equally sharp features.

“You do not cover your face. You are not Mandalorian.”

“He’s one of them,” the one on your right said, the man who had shot the crew member cornering you.

“Dank farrik,” red head muttered, turning slightly to look at him.

“One of what?” Din hissed. You were just as curious as Din, but if even he didn’t know what they were talking about, you weren’t going to get in the middle and ask questions.

Red head considered him for a moment before she sighed. “I am Bo-Katan of Clan Kryze. I was born on Mandalore and fought in the Purge. I am the last of my line. And you are a Child of the Watch.”

“The Watch?” Din’s tone had turned less angry and more curious, but it still held an edge.

She smiled softly. “Children of the Watch are a cult of religious zealots that broke away from Mandalorian society. Their goal is to re-establish the ancient way.”

“There is only one way. The Way of the Mandalore.” Din gently pushed you in front of him, ushering you to the edge of the boat with his hand on the small of your back. Pulling you close, arm tightly around your waist, you suddenly felt the ground fall away from your feet, and looking down, you saw the boat getting smaller and smaller below you.

The spray from the sea stuck to your skin, making you slide against his beskar when you quickly threw your arms around his neck to hold on. But you knew with his grip you weren’t going anywhere.

Xxx

The three of you watched from the shore as the sun set behind the outline of the ship. It was a beautiful sight, until the three Mandalorians took off with their jet packs then a few seconds later the ship exploded.

Flashes of a warzone blinked before your eyes, disappearing as fast as they came, and you narrowed your eyebrows.

What was that?

The face of the crew member that had cornered you flashed before your eyes as you watched the ship sink, and a wave of rage washed over you again, quickly followed by dread. You knew what that was. You weren’t going down that path. You had never meant to. But it tasted so sweet. So easy. So powerful. No. You weren’t going down that path again, end of story. You could have sworn you heard yourself laughing again on the breeze like earlier, your inner voice very amused at your effort to avoid the Dark Side. You rolled your eyes at her and told her to shut up before you turned to follow Din.

It was dark after you went back by the Crest to grab some more rations and last minute supplies. The docks seemed deserted, eerily silent.

Something rattled off to the side, some glass broke, a creature screeched softly in an alley nearby. “Hey! You….” A voice shouted off in front of you, a Quarren coming into view. “You killed my brother.”

Several more Quarrens began to surround you, blasters in hand.

“Let me pass,” Din kept calm, unlike you who thought your heart was going to beat out of your chest at any moment.

The Quarren chuckled darkly. “I don’t think you understand. You killed my brother and now,” the sound of a blaster charging up made your spine straighten, “I’m gonna kill your pet.”

The child whimpered from his spot in Din’s arms, his ears dropping quickly beside his head, eyes cast down.

Suddenly the sound of jet packs filled the air, and three soft thuds followed as the Mandalorians from the ship landed behind you. “He didn’t kill your brother,” Bo-Katan said smoothly, stepping forward. “I did.”

You didn’t even have a chance to reach for your blaster before the Mandalorians had already dropped all the men surrounding your little party.

They all holstered their weapons as you looked around with wide eyes, laughing lightly at Bo-Katan’s next words. “Can we at least buy you a drink?”

Xxx

You leaned against the wall of the inn by the table that housed four Mandalorians and a wizard baby. Arms crossed over your chest, ankles crossed lazily, you leaned back as you listened. Just like earlier on the Crest, you were antsy, sitting for too long between ports.

“Trask is a black market port,” Bo-Katan was saying. “They’re staging weapons that have been bought and sold with the plunders of our planet. We’re seizing those weapons and using them to retake our home world.”

You wanted to scoff but you bit your lip and just rolled your eyes. So they were pirates. Granted, pirates with stringent morals, but pirates nonetheless.

“Once we’ve done that, we’ll seat a new Mandalore on the throne.”

“That planet is cursed,” Din countered, he sounded exhausted. “Anyone who goes there dies. Once the Empire knew they couldn’t control it, they made sure no one else could either.”

“Don’t believe everything you hear. Our enemies wanna separate us. But Mandalorians are stronger together.” She turned to you, eyeing the knife on your hip with a grin. “As I see you already know.”

You felt your cheeks flush at her words, the other two Mandalorians smiling at you as well. Their grins seemed to hold more than just kindness, there was something not being said, and you raised your eyebrow at Din hoping he would clue you in.

“That’s not part of my plan,” he continued instead, turning back to Bo-Katan, and you rolled your eyes again. “I’ve been quested with returning this child to the Jedi.”

She hesitated. “What do you know of the Jedi?”

“Nothing. I was hoping you would help me by Creed.”

All three of the new Mandalorians exchanged loaded glances, and you didn’t like it. What were they hiding? “I can lead you to one of their kind. But first, we need your help on our mission.”

Din’s voice was reserved, like he knew he’d gotten roped into something. “Mission?” He looked up at you and you let your head tilt back against the wall with a gentle thump.

Xxx

You sat in the cockpit of the Crest with the child as the Mandalorians all sat outside on the transparisteel, looking at a massive ship in the distance. Their voices were muffled through the viewport, so you didn't know what they were saying, just who was talking as they all chimed in at different times. The sun was rising, painting the sky in beautiful pinks and blues and oranges, the water below reflecting the grandeur back to the clouds.

You’d gotten a little bit of sleep on the Razor Crest the night before. Repairs were still underway, but Din had insisted on getting some sleep, and the inn was completely full.

Arms across your chest, you looked at each Mandalorian for a brief moment before landing on Din, then turning to the child. “I don’t trust them,” you muttered, the kid squawking what you took as an agreement.

Looking back up toward Din, you found him looking down through the transparisteel at you, head tilted in question. You shrugged before turning back to stare at the brightening skyline.

No, you didn't trust them, but you trusted him.

Xxx

Waiting until the coast was clear, you made your way into the supply closet near the back of the inn. It wasn’t small, but it wasn’t huge, either. It was big enough that you, Din, and the child fit comfortably inside.

“This’ll work,” you mumbled, moving some boxes around to make seating for you and the kid, taking out a ration pack to give him to keep him occupied.

“You could go stay with the Frog Lady,” Din’s voice was quiet as he looked around the space cautiously.

“No, I don’t want to impose. They just had their kid, this is fine. I stayed in one much smaller than this at the bar, remember? Plus, this is like, five times the size of the bunk,” you teased, sitting on a crate beside the child.

He sighed. “Okay. Fine. But first, I got you something to protect yourself.”

You scrunched up your face in confusion. “I already have my blaster, my knife….” Your eyes went wide, your voice a hushed whisper. “Did you get me explosives?”

He laughed loudly. “No,” he drug out the vowel, making you pout. “No, but I did get you these.” Reaching into the bag he had over his shoulder, he pulled out a bundle wrapped in material, handing it to you.

You took it delicately, unwrapping it only to stop breathing at what you found.

There, sitting on your lap glinting in the dim light of the storage closet were two metal vambraces. They looked almost identical to Din’s. You picked them up carefully, holding them as if they would disintegrate under your touch, and looked up at him. “Are these….”

“Beskar.”’

You’d thought the breath had been knocked out of you before. You were wrong. You stared at him for a long minute before turning your gaze back to the vambraces. The only thing you could process for a long moment was your heartbeat in your ears.

“After our incident on the ship,” the corner of your mouth quirked up at his emphasis, and he even chuckled lightly, “I got to thinking. Then Bo-Katan mentioned this is a black market port, and I wondered if them knowing so much about beskar had something more to it. I asked, and she pointed me towards a storehouse known for having beskar pass through. It belonged to the Quarren that tried to attack us on the dock last night, so I felt it justified to take some compensation for the distress he caused.”

You burst out laughing, eyes screwed shut as you clutched the armor to your chest, bending over with the effort. Blinking your eyes open after a moment, you wiped the tears of joy away from your eyes before you looked back at the beskar in your hands.

Quickly looking up at his visor, you whispered, “Do they-”

“Yes,” he sighed. “They have flamethrowers.”

You squealed, looking back at them in admiration. “I can finally burn stuff….”

“See,” Din began, shifting his weight to his other leg. “This is why I was hesitant to give you flamethrowers in the first place. Because you say stuff like that.”

“Oh, hush. You know what I mean.”

“No. No, I don’t think I do.”

You snorted a laugh, tilting the pieces of armor around to admire them from every angle. “They look like yours.”

“We can paint them if you want.”

“No.” You were quick to answer, looking up at him just as fast. “No, I like them like this.” You smiled. “Help me put them on so I don’t blow up the inn?”

Din mumbled something about already regretting this as he came to kneel in front of you, both of you chuckling.

He picked up a pair of gloves you hadn’t even seen that had been hidden under the vambraces in the parcel, handing them to you to put on first. They were a brown leather, soft and supple, and already broken in. The tips of the fingers were missing so you could still handle things easily, but you had extra grip where it counted for things like your blaster and knife. As you slipped them on, he began to speak again, helping you fasten them.

“These already have a whipcord, too, but it’s not going to do anything but make you trip until you know how to use it.”

“Are you speaking from experience?”

He grunted, making you smile.

“There’s a few other things in them I’ll show you later when we’re not in a confined space, but for now….” He looked up to meet your gaze. “Don’t. Touch. Anything.”

“Well that’s just rude,” you mumbled, glaring at him. Mocking him in a ridiculous deep voice, you looked down to the armor now around your arms, tossing your head for emphasis. “Here, I got you an awesome gift, put it on for safety, except don’t touch it.”

“I’m glad we’re on the same page.” He got to his feet, ignoring your dropped jaw and scoff at his remark. “I have to go. I shouldn’t be long.”

“Yeah, whatever,” you grumble, twisting your glove needlessly.

He chuckled, turning toward the door, only making it a step before you stopped him.

“Wait, Din.” You stood up, closing the few steps between you. “I’m sorry. Thank you. This really means a lot. More than you’ll ever know, I think.”

He reached out a hand, cupping your cheek softly, his thumb lightly tracing your cheekbone. “I think I know.”

You smiled up at him, nodding. The two of you stood like that for a moment until he gently pulled you into him by the hand on your face, pressing his forehead to yours.

“Be safe,” you whispered, your eyes fluttering shut, your hands reaching up and gripping tightly into his cowl.

“Same goes for you,” he whispered back, his other hand making its way around your waist and holding you tight.

He went to pull you tighter still, and a beeping sounded between you, making him push you away quickly, grabbing your arm and disengaging whatever had been bumped.

You looked at him with wide eyes, trying not to laugh. “That was all you.” He tilted his visor at you, a grin finally climbing your face. “But I see what you mean. I’ll be careful.”

He nodded once, letting go of your arm carefully, before turning to the kid and rubbing the tip of his ear as he cooed up at his caretaker. Then he turned and left the closet, the door hissing shut behind him and leaving you and the kid in silence.

Turning to the child, you clapped your hands together, admiring the shine of the beskar even in the dim light. “So. What do ya wanna do, kiddo?”

Xxx

The child had fallen asleep not long after that, and you were grateful. You sat in the silence, studying the different aspects of the vambraces - but not touching them - when you heard a whisper, making you jolt upright. Looking over your shoulder, you tried to find the source, the indistinct voice mumbling somewhere in the darkness of the closet behind you.

Slowly rising to your feet, the voices grew stronger, words coming through clearer, but still not making any sense.

You felt drawn to a particular box, dark grey, almost black, with the stamp of the Empire in the corner.

Reaching out, you ran your finger over the symbol, almost feeling like something shocked you, and pulling away quickly, cradling your hand. After studying the box for a minute, you reached back out slowly, tracing the seams until you found the button to release the latch. Pressing it firmly, you stepped back when it hissed open, a lone metal cylinder sitting in the middle of the box.

Something drew you in, told you to touch it, to hold it, to pick it up.

Reaching out tentatively, you ran your finger along it’s edge, and instantly you were drawn out of time, thrown into darkness, a place suspended above everything else.

The world streaked away in blurs of color, coming back into focus in a warzone. People ran right beside you, nearly brushing your arm with their own, but you didn’t even feel a breeze as they rushed by. Spinning around quickly, you saw dozens of people running from blaster fire, and failing.

A ship zoomed overhead, making you duck, hands over your head out of instinct. You couldn’t feel the people, but you could smell the explosions, the acrid smell of burning homes and other structures tickling your nose. You could feel the heat as waves of fire licked a dwelling near you. You could feel the explosions concuss in your chest.

A young family turning around the corner caught your eye, a mother and father carrying their child, who looked about ten. They ran past you, looking over their shoulders in fear every few seconds. As they passed by, you followed them with a turn of your head, their backs now to you, and the child’s face peeking over his father’s shoulder. His face was so buried in the older man that you only saw the top of his forehead and messy tuft of hair sticking out from under his hood. He adjusted a little and you saw his eyes, or rather you saw that they were scrunched tight in fear.

You felt drawn to follow them as they continued on, some invisible string tugging you along. Blaster fire got closer behind you, and you saw the kid begin to lift his head up off of his dad’s shoulder to look at the source, but before you caught a glimpse of his face, you turned yourself to see what he was looking at. Massive, broad, scary looking droids ambled down the street, slowly but surely making their way closer. Spinning back around toward the little family, the kid once again was tucked into his father as the older man began to slow his steps.

Glancing ahead, you saw a shelter of some sort, a cellar, and suddenly you got a sense of deja vu. You’d heard this story before.

Something in your gut told you to get in the cellar with the boy, so you slipped past and down the stairs as his parents said their goodbyes. You couldn’t hear them over the chaos on the street, but you saw the mother’s mouth moving to say I love you.

The boy made his way down the steps, head down, eyes on the ground, his hood obscuring his features from you. He turned and sat with his back to the containers behind you, looking up towards his parents one last time, and you finally got a plain view of his face for the first time.

And you knew who it was. You don’t know how you knew, but you did.

His skin was sunkissed, a beautiful shade of tan. His dark brown, almost black hair peeked out of the hood of his robe. And his eyes…. He had brown eyes.

As you stared at the face of ten year old Din, you saw the fear take hold in his eyes as he reached out toward his parents one final time. The doors to the cellar shut, casting his face in shadows, and you wanted nothing more than to comfort him. But before you could even really dwell on that thought, the doors jostled from an explosion in the street, making both of you jump.

Whipping your head to look up toward the sound, you were just in time to see the doors fly open, revealing the B2 droid Din had told you about. It extended its arm and took aim, young Din scrambling back into the hard containers at his back. Blaster fire from your right hit it’s mark, one, two, three times, knocking the droid over in a shower of sparks, and leaving a clear view of blue sky up above.

A shadow came into view, and you instantly recognized the shape of a Mandalorian. He extended his hand to Din, helping him out of the cellar, and you were quick to follow.

Spinning around slowly once you were back on the street, you were met with the sight of Mandalorians at every turn, in the air, on the street, in doorways, everywhere. The tide was turning in their favor, droids falling left and right, littering the ground in piles of smoke.

You saw a Mandalorian a short ways away look behind you and point up in the sky. You heard a jet pack powering up, and turned just in time to see the first Mandalorian flying off with a young Din. His wide eyes looked over the warrior's shoulder like he had his father's, and watched the ground retreat quickly beneath him. You could have sworn he was staring right at you, his gaze pinning you to the ground amidst the chaos around you.

The people running around you began to slow, streaking into blurs, the scenery fading around them until everything was dark again.

You were in nothingness, but it also felt like somewhere entirely familiar.

Suddenly you were in an ornate hallway, which would have been beautiful in the daylight. But right now it was dark, streaked with burn marks and smoke, pillars fallen in the way, and chunks of the floor missing.

Looking around to get your bearings, you saw a different version of the kid’s floating pram a few feet to your right, and your stomach sank.

You knew where this was.

You’d been here before.

It didn’t look anything like this anymore, it was decrepit and falling apart, barely any sense of the opulence that once was contained in these hallways remained.

Ahead of you were three Jedi fighting off troopers with lightsabers, defending the kid where he hovered helplessly in his pram.

They fell one by one, each making the child’s face melt a little further south.

You felt his desperation, his fear.

You grabbed your blaster and began to shoot towards the enemy, but your shots just went right through them.

Turning, you holstered your blaster and shielded the child with your body, a shadow passing over him as he looked up, staring you straight in the eyes.

The shadow continued to grow, swirling out and melting the scene once again into complete and utter darkness.

You blinked and you were beside a man holding a small child, as they stared up at a burning building far away on the horizon.

It hit you like a racing speeder when you realized this was your memory.

Looking up at the burning temple, the plumes of smoke billowing into the sky. The overwhelming sense of dread that filled you every time with this memory, dread that wasn’t your own, even though you were only two at the time.

You looked at your father’s face as he held you, staring up at the temple sadly, your mother beside him looking up at the side of his face as she clung to his arm, then up at the flames.

Looking into his arms, you looked at yourself, so small and helpless. But to your astonishment, the babe in his arms looked back at you with such a resolute stare, you had to blink a few times and shake your head to make sure you weren’t imaging it.

The baby looked back at the temple, and you followed her gaze, the world fading back to black shortly thereafter.

What did it mean?

All three of you in a warzone of your own, all connected long before you ever knew the others existed. And now you were a clan of three, connected by much more than just blood.

A gravely, quirky voice invaded your mind, echoing in the vast nothingness you found yourself in. You didn’t recognize it, but it brought you a sense of peace. “Trust in the Force, you must. Your path, you have found. Easy, it will not be, but walk it still, you must.”

Shortly after, another voice, a man who sounded young and kind, and put you at ease. “Always stay in the light. The light will guide you home.”

An older man, wise and calming spoke next, his voice lilting with a promise. “This is just the start.”

The next voice you heard you knew intimately. It had followed you around and led you on adventures, made you laugh, made you cry, and whispered things meant only for you. It started out modulated, like you had known for years, but at the end you realized there was no processor, no filter, there was only Din. “This is the way.”

The world swirled back in streaks of color just like it had vanished, and you found yourself holding the cylinder in both of your hands, your thumb poised over the button on its side.

Applying just a little pressure, you pressed the button down, and watched with wide eyes as the room filled with a gentle hum, and a soft purple glow.

Xxx

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writernopal · 3 months

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🔮 Iluso 🌌

A little AASOAF AU piece inspired by this post that I just couldn't let go. Tagging @outpost51 bc I remember you being excited about this idea! Also please accept this as my sole contribution to this years OC Kiss Week because my body is in open rebellion against me 💙 Anyway, enjoy or don't! Do whatever you want!

WC: 1009 CW: drug use, sexual content Characters: Fay, Wilkes

a/n: The title is the Spanish word, iluso, which roughly translates to 'dreamer/idealist' in English, to mean someone who daydreams/is easily led/prone to fantasies.

Nights on the marina always tasted of salt. Sometimes fish. On occasion, smoke, and rarer still, like rum and weed. Those were never sweet—

Tuk-tuk, tuk-tuk.

—usually biting—

Tuk-tuk, tuk-tuk.

—even angry.

Tuk-tuk, tuk-tuk.

Running parallel to the shore was a walkway and down it came the figure whose sound had interrupted Wilkes’ musings. She pushed herself along, leaning one way, then the other on her longboard to weave between obstacles. Her hair flowed like bundles of seaweed behind her and her baggy t-shirt flapped about her to outline her lithe frame. She, Fay, looked the epitome of a black flag raised to signal nefarious intention.

“Did you bring the good shit this time?” He called out when she was just feet away.

“Course I did.” She replied as she came to a stop and popped her board into her hand. “Always do.”

“Nah. Whatever you had last time fucked me up.”

“That’s cuz you’re a lightweight. C’mon.”

He chuckled as she tucked the board under her arm and led the way down the narrow docks toward his yacht. She launched into some whirlwind explanation of the ‘good stuff’ to occupy that short stretch of time. What strain she’d brought, where she’d sourced it from, how she was the first to try it, and how the grower dedicated it to her. He supposed that was interesting, but not as interesting as the sway of her hips or the bareness of her legs in those tiny shorts…

They boarded, and she wasted no time making herself comfortable. She abandoned her longboard some place, kicked off her shoes, and found a spot on the bow. He was glad of her ease. It made him, this shitty little boat, and his little money laundering scheme feel grander. Real, even. He joined her as she fished a neatly rolled joint from her pocket and pinched it between her lips with a frown. Much as he enjoyed that look, and watching her struggle to find a lighter, he was eager for other things tonight.

He flipped open his brass lighter and ignited its small flame. She gave him a look as he shielded the little light and beckoned her forward. Instead, she caught the joint in her finger and thumb, pulled it from her mouth, and neared its end to the fire. He chuckled. Never easy with her. Eyes locked to his, she rotated it in the flame for a short while and once satisfied, brought it to her lips and took the first hit.

He snapped the lighter closed as she let out that difficult sigh, followed by a small hazy plume, then passed the joint to him. He took it, tasting her on its end, then inhaled and sighed. A breeze washed over them. She shut her eyes. He watched her. And like this, several quiet minutes passed as the joint changed from his hand and lips to hers. Their bodies slowly melted from their seated position, eventually easing them both onto their backs.

All becalmed, she turned to him and smiled. “What do you have for me, quartermaster?”

He chuckled. “Well, you see, captain, I heard of a mercenary ship sailing these waters which just exchanged her cargo for payment. It’s ripe for the taking.”

“Colors?” she whispered.

His breath hitched. That rasp, those features…her eyes especially. Golden and so, so deep. He fell. Through time, through space, through planes of existence, and beyond.

“Green and gold of the Pale Kingdom…”

They took up the tale between their animated hands, weaving it with careful fingers against that night robed sky. Stars twinkled in and out of view as they imagined great billowing sails, the strain of lines, and the shouts of men. Surrounding them, the baritone concert of broadsides and kraken roars, and echoing a response, splintering wood and the demise of their enemies.

It was on this stage that they beheld their true forms.

A captain ravaged by dark magic, and her faithful quartermaster once lauded as a hero of old…

Their story was as sordid as it was beautiful. It told of great struggle, of pain, of fear, of loss, and on occasion, joy. Destined were they to reach for more and cursed were they to obtain it, for it would never be enough. To drop a hand to the bottom of the sea or to stretch into the furthest corners of the sky and feel nothing. Such was their burden, such was their sorrow. So they lay there, story told, and settled to reach for that which lay closer than anything else—each other. Hands intertwined, his ring glinted in the moonlight, outlining the words pressed into it. A lazy chuckle escaped her.

“‘Stuck Up’…I like that.”

He turned his head and pressed a kiss onto her temple. “I like you.”

“Why? Because I give you free weed?” She asked with a sleepy smile.

“No…because I like you.”

She frowned. “Stop saying things like that. You’re gonna confuse me…”

“What’s confusing about it?” He asked, pulling his hand from hers to trace a claw along her jaw, coaxing her ever closer.

“Nothing…I guess.”

“Then tell me you like me too.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t.”

“Bullshit.”

“I don’t.” She uttered as she bunched his shirt into her fists and softly touched her lips to his. “I hate you, you stupid pirate…”

One kiss, then another, and another, each one taking a piece of clothing with it and replacing its cover with their greedy palms and the nipping night air. Flesh and scales curved and dipped until her hips pressed down onto his, trapping the heat of their frustration in the space she’d vacated for him. There it smoldered, stoked by his furious eyes and her parted lips, devouring them both into its selfish jaws and claiming their bodies for its own. Spellbound, they concocted a wicked possessiveness borne from the illusion of free will.

“I like you…”

“I hate you…”

“I need you…”

“Then damned we’ll be.”

“Whatever, it’s you and me.”

#aasoaf #aasoaf au #fay #wilkes #my writing

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cuubism · 1 year

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wip wednesday so. here's a 'wip' (crack fic i binge wrote instead of working on my actual wips that are weeks if not months overdue in updating oh god)

necessary context: matthew has not yet learned that hob is immortal

“Alright, listen up, team!” Matthew cawed to the handful of dreams and nightmares gathered around him. “Most of you guys were here before me. What was it like last time Lord Morpheus had a catastrophic relationship failure?”

“Bad,” said a tiny dream in the shape of a mouse.

“Thanks. Very helpful,” Matthew muttered. “Wanna offer any specifics? Did the world end?”

“Yes,” said a ghost-like nightmare, rolling its eyes. “The world ended. This is just a collective hallucination.”

“Technically, it is a collective hallucination,” said another nightmare that looked kind of like… a computer? Matthew hadn’t even been aware Morpheus knew what computers were.

Some of the other dreams snickered.

“Hey!” Matthew squawked. “This is serious. You’re aware he’s dating a human, right? If breakups were bad, how do you think that will end?”

The collected dreams were silent.

“Eternal night!” Matthew yelled. “Doom and gloom! Tartarus in the depths of Hell! Thunder and lightning very very frightening! Do you want that? I don’t!”

“What are we supposed to do, though?” asked the little mouse dream. “Humans always die.”

“I don’t know yet, that’s why we’re here,” said Matthew, flapping his wings in agitation. “Um. Make an ark for when the Dreaming becomes Water World, maybe? Or uh. Clone Hob? No, that’s weird… Maybe we can get him an emotional support cat or something?”

“Mervyn says Hob is already an emotional support human,” whistled a dream that looked like, and was the size of, an entire forest.

“Fuck.”

“If he’s sad,” sang a music-box dream in its childlike voice, “maybe we should cheer him up!”

Matthew snorted. “How are supposed to cheer up Mister Emo King himself?”

The music-box trilled. “Everybody likes music!”

“And puppies!” yapped a Labrador Retriever.

“Sparkles?” said a dream that was just a floating star.

Matthew was feeling extremely dubious about any of these things being able to cheer up the most gothic depressed person he’d ever met, but it was going to have to do.

“Alright, guys,” he announced, clapping his wings, “here’s the plan. You all have to try to make Lord Morpheus as happy as possible so he won’t go fucking berserk when his human dies. But! Be subtle. Don’t let him know what you’re doing. And for the love of all that is holy Do. Not. Mention. The. H. Word.”

“Hell?” said a toddler dream, scratching her nose.

“No!!! Hob!!!” Matthew scrubbed a wing over his beak. “We’re all gonna fucking die.”

#operation cheer up your mopey friendless boss so he doesn't destroy the world #doesnt go exactly to plan #matthew the raven #the sandman #dreamling #(they come in later)#my writing

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scifimagpie · 3 months

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Tagback superpost

@toribookworm22 did this first, but I liked the idea, so here's an extended excerpt from The Foundling City, book 3 (the final one) in The Nightmare Cycle! Book 1 is available here or here. MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW!

***

I’ve only looked at videos and pictures of big animals before. Understanding the concept of ‘megafauna’ means absolutely nothing compared to seeing a huge, stocky thing that’s like a deer but way too big, with a fat, weird nose and strange, chunky antlers that just kind of moseys towards you, flapping its small, absurd stub of a tail. Apparently, it was called a moose, and it was like ten metres away, which was still way too damn close. I screamed, and it moseyed back down the river, not even bothered—then dropped a huge pile of turds on the riverbank and kept clopping along.

I’d seen the odd picture of a moose here and there, but let me tell you, when I saw it in real life, I thought I was gonna have a heart attack.

It’s amazing how many animals there just are up here. It’s wild. Literally. Being up here all the time means we get to see plenty of days with like—actual clear skies? So life is really hard compared to what I’m used to, but it’s also so beautiful that my eyes burn and my chest hurts sometimes. I thought we’d only have Dust above us forever, the way it had always been as far as I knew and remembered, but no—with so much Dust having migrated back to its home—dimension? Plane? Other place, anyway—you can actually see how blue the sky is.

It’s this thin but deep blue that goes on forever. Apparently there’s this atmosphere that’s layers and layers of different molecules and different kinds of air and a jet stream or something, and water vapour? And outside of it is space? I don’t really understand how space works, but at night, it’s dark like Dust but different, so deep, and all the stars come out, and sometimes I cry just looking at it.

Apparently cities used to be like this, glittery and bright but on the ground. Dad told me that once. I can’t imagine it; it sounds weird. Sometimes the wide open spaces and the flatness up here are kind of scary, like it makes you feel naked and small? A few people have had agoraphobic panic attacks since we’ve had to come up here, and I can’t really blame them, because the bigness of the world just doesn’t end unless you go inside and get to stop looking at it.

But it’s more than I ever dreamed of, and if I’m really honest? Which I can be, I guess, since this is my journal, not just some big fancy chronicle of the history and exile of my people. Well, if I’m honest…sometimes, when the night is clear and sparkling and I can hear the coyotes and wild dogs singing to the moon? Being exiled was worth it for all this beauty.

The one thing I don’t understand is how people from before could stand building over all of this and making so much city. Didn’t they miss the wilds? Then again—we lived in a city, down below. But—they had the choice. We didn’t.

Maybe it’s a good thing their world died. But then—so many people died with it; sick people and well people. I remember being those people, and dying, and I remember bits of that tame, domesticated world with its sidewalks and lawns and so, so many smelly, loud cars.

It was a comfortable world, a safe one. They had no way of knowing it would be taken from them.

I don’t know if it’s good or bad, what was lost. But this is what we have to work with, and I’m going to fight to make sure more of our people don’t die.

All of this, though, is just kind of a big, philosophical distraction from my real problem, which is that my spouses are fighting and I have no idea how I feel about this whole baby issue, and it’s making my head explode.

Nathu took us aside to check on things—after all, neither of us has immediately moved out, or anything. At the end of a long day, we all sat down on the crappy couches in this crappy apartment.

“So…how are you doing?” he said cautiously, hands wrapped around a mug of herbal tea.

Una glared at him. “Not well, asshole.”

I winced. It wasn’t a great start.

Nathu took a deep breath. “Technically, this is my fault. Would you like to punch me?”

That, at least, got a little laughter, and a hint of a smirk. “That won’t actually help.” She let out a sigh. “I’m just…overwhelmed by this right now. Frankly, I still don’t know how I feel about…” She gestured between him and us, then set a hand on mine. “Things between Janelle and myself are fine, but with you…I mean, you lied to us, Nathu. About something huge. This entire project. And then, faking your own death like that? I guess I’m just wondering, how can I even trust you?”

He rubbed his temples and set his face in his hands. “To tell you the truth, Una, I don’t have an answer. There’s nothing you’ve said that isn’t absolutely right. If I were in your shoes—I wouldn’t know how to trust me, either.” He looked up, grave seriousness on his face. “But I will do anything you ask me to, whatever it takes, for as long as it takes. I owe you that, and—whatever you choose,” he said, his voice husky and cracking with tears, “know that I love you. I love you beyond reason or fairness or logic, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to mend this.”

The earnest way he gazed at her, like a dog trying to please its master, made my heart twist.

She pulled in a long, shuddering breath. Tears were trickling down her cheeks unwillingly. She inhaled, taking a sharp breath. “Nothing except telling the truth, I guess.”

He winced like she’d stabbed him in the chest, and looked down. There was a long, heavy moment of silence.

“I—I don’t know what I need,” she said, her voice a little more even, measured. “But I know the people of this community need us, and that we have to keep working together. Keep doing that, and—keep giving me space.” Her voice quavered. “I don’t know whether I want to leave you or not.” She shut her eyes, and shook her head slowly.

It was petty and stupid, but I felt ignored. “Is anyone gonna ask what I want?” I said, my voice small and petulant.

Una whipped her head over to look at me. “Well, hell, what do you want?”

I froze up. “To be honest, I wasn’t actually expecting to—get this far.”

Her lips quirked in a tiny smile. “This whole conversation is a disaster.”

All three of us couldn’t help laughing a little at that.

Nathu sat up, though, and directed his attention towards me. “I’m sorry, Janelle, you’re right; I did lie to both of you, after all. I’ve just been…very thrown off and focused on Una because of this pregnancy issue. But you’re not less important.”

Una let out a huff of breath and glanced away from both of us, tears beading her eyes. “Can I actually get some space? I need some mental quiet.” I saw that she was wearing the silver and real shell button earrings I’d made her, and they swung through her pale gold hair, catching the light for a moment as her head turned. My heart clenched again.

Nathu just nodded and stood, then held out a hand to me, and pointed to the bedroom.

So we went there, and each of us sat down on the bed cautiously, on each end.

“So,” he said.

“So,” I echoed.

The words hung there like the fog of breath on a cold day.

(I never used to be this poetic. Maybe it’s all the manual labour driving me crazy, or all the novels and crap I’ve been reading at night. I’m so tired that it’s about all the energy I can muster—flipping pages, that is.)

Anyway, poetry or not, there was a heavy silence between us, and it just went on and on.

“Everything I said to Una, I meant for you as well,” he finally said.

I nodded. “Well—no offense, but watching you two fight is also just worse somehow. You’ve been together for so long, and…I always loved how you are together. So seeing you both like this, now…I dunno. My heart just kind of aches even to see it.” I let out a long sigh. “And I’ll be honest, Nathu—things weren’t really good between us, you and me anyway, for a long time when we were down there. You spent so much time like, brushing me off. And like—don’t get me wrong, there’s part of me that’s really, really relieved that you secretly agreed with me the whole time. But I feel pretty rotten and awful about being lied to so thoroughly.”

He took my hands in his own and stared at me earnestly. I would have thought it was a move if not for the ashy circles below his eyes and the seriousness in his dark brown gaze.

“—And I don’t know what I need, either,” I said, before he could ask, “but—actually, I think one thing I need is for you to be honest with me. To know you’re really saying what you think and believe, now that you don’t have to hide anything. Can you do that? Like—just be honest to a fault. And, try to spend time with me. We were barely around each other for a while there, and frankly, it sucked. I just want some of your time. To know I matter.” My throat closed up.

He nodded and stroked the back of my hand with his thumb, gentle as a breath. “I can do that. Anything else you think of, don’t hesitate to ask, all right?”

“I’ll try.”

“How are you feeling?”

I choked up a little laugh that died on the way out. “Right about now, I got the most mixed feelings a person ever did have.”

He smiled mirthlessly. “I can’t blame you.”

Hot, helpless anger rushed up behind my cheekbones and burned behind my eyes. Why can’t I just forgive him? Why can’t I just say “okay” and let things be the same as they were? It should be so simple.

And yet, somehow, I can’t.

I stood up abruptly. “I think I might get some air. Go for a walk.”

He looked alarmed. “Janelle, it’s cold out right now. At least minus fifteen.”

“I have a coat.”

He gave assent, resigned. “If you insist.”

So I opened the door, stepped carefully through the living room without making eye contact with Una, and brought my journal and a pen out here.

There isn’t much light—pretty much just the moon, and it’s a skinny little crescent; almost a new moon. I’m still not used to how damned dark it gets up here, too. Down in the tunnels, it was a different kind of dark; more absolute, when all the lights went out. Up here, sometimes you see a little light from one of the houses or the apartment windows, and of course there’s all the stars up there. If I look off in different directions, I can see a bit of light where I think Downblack might be. But the snow’s really reflective, so that helps.

Okay. I’m cold, and I think I’m done pouting, so I’m gonna go back upstairs and get some sleep.

I still don’t know how I feel about anything. How can one person’s head and chest contain so many feelings? It’s absurd. It feels downright unfair. And yet, I’m still here, my whole body knotted up tight and tense, feeling way too old and way too young at the same damn time.

***

Tagging in! @bluberimufim @squarebracket-trick @writernopal @digitalsatyr23 @aziz-reads @sam-glade @fire-but-ashes-too

#: writing #writeblr #writers of tumblr #scifimagpie #queer #sci fi #post apoc #canadian.

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sweetestofchaos · 7 months

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𝖶𝖺𝗋𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌: 𝖬𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝖣𝖾𝗆𝗈𝗇𝗌, 𝖬𝖺𝗀𝗂𝖼, 𝖪𝗂𝗌𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀, 𝖸𝗈𝗈𝗇𝗀𝗂 𝖬𝖺𝗄𝖾𝗌 𝖧𝗂𝗌 𝖦𝗋𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖤𝗇𝗍𝗋𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾 𝖯𝖺𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌: 𝖯𝖺𝗂𝗇𝗍𝖾𝗋!𝖳𝖺𝖾𝗁𝗒𝗎𝗇𝗀 𝗑 𝖥𝖺𝖾!𝖡𝗅𝖺𝖼𝗄 𝖱𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋 𝖶𝗈𝗋𝖽 𝖢𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗍: 2.6K

a/n: banner made by the wonderful @dnrequests. Beta was the awesome @star-my. This is the last chapter of the series! After what? A year, Lavender Field is finished and I am so happy with how it turned out. Painter!Tae was fun to write and I may revisit him from time to time when inspiration hits. Thank you so much for tagging along on this ride and sharing in my joy!

series masterlist ✿ masterlist

𝖢𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝖥𝗂𝗏𝖾

Taehyung glanced between his muse and the young man, Jungkook, who sat underneath the large toadstool. His legs felt like jelly; before he could hurt himself, he sat on the ground, keeping his distance. Y/N frowned but she understood Taehyung's reluctance to have her so close. Jungkook yawned and winced as his black tail laid in his lap. It was bandaged up and it hurt, the tip throbbing red hot but there wasn’t much he could do about the pain.

Taehyung took in the world around him as the darkness grew thicker and the stars above shined brighter. The moon glowed and cast its reflection on the lake a bit away from where everyone was and Taehyung felt himself shiver. He looked at his muse and licked his lips, “What is going on?”

“What do you know of your bloodline, Taehyung?” Jungkook questioned as he uncrossed his legs and pulled them underneath his butt.

“My bloodline?” Taehyung knew what he read and what he had been told as a child. Namjoon was a man that loved his wife so deeply that he would have done anything to make her happy. He befriended two gay lovers and his family was punished for his kind and open heart, labeled as demons for not condemning innocent souls. Taehyung shook his head and frowned; it felt like a loaded question.

“The Kim line is strong, one of the strongest bloodlines, I would think,” Jungkook pressed on and Taehyung listened to the young cat shifter. “Everything started with your ancestor, Kim Namjoon. He was the start of it all.”

“The start of what? Our seclusion? Being seen as an outcast, never being able to play with the other children?” Taehyung raised an eyebrow and Jungkook hissed as he narrowed his eyes.

Enough!

Taehyung’s eyes jumped to his muse and he felt all the fight leave his body. Her wings flapped rapidly behind her as she hovered above ground and shook her head.

Taehyung’s pain is valid…a child, no matter their bloodline, is still a child.

Jungkook grumbled to himself as he crossed his arms over his chest and Y/N sighed. She gave Taehyung a soft smile as her eyes shined in the moonlight.

This place that we are in now…it is a safe haven for all those like us.

“Us?” Taehyung spared a glance at Jungkook and the young cat shifter rolled his eyes. “I do not understand…I-I am human. I…” Taehyung felt the icy dread of his ancestor’s past wrap their boney fingers around his heart. Were the townspeople right? Was he truly a demon after all?

“I am human…”

Y/N fluttered over to him and as her feet touched the ground, Taehyung stared blankly at her ankles. She lowered herself before Taehyung and cupped his face in her hands. Their eyes locked and she rested her forehead against his before she smiled.

You are so much more, my love…so, so much more.

From beneath the toadstool, Jungkook’s ears twitched and he scrambled to his feet, “Yoongi’s here!”

“Yoongi?” Taehyung repeated and his muse nodded her head with a smile.

Yoongi is the guardian of this land and the lake. He will tell you the truth of the past

Taehyung licked his lips and nodded his head slowly, “O-Okay. Okay…I trust you, my muse.”

As she moved away from Taehyung’s face and stood tall, Taehyung rose to his feet and laced his fingers between hers. He followed behind his muse as she led him to the water’s edge in silence. The lake looked different than it did in the daylight. The color was deeper, more indigo than blue in color and it quivered with tiny waves even without a breeze. A single beam from the moon above shone on the lake’s surface, and Taehyung watched with large eyes as the pale circle slowly stilled and rested like a mirror. Silver and white swirled together in the center before seafoam green wisps of hair started to surface. Pale skin that seemed to shimmer in the moonlight emerged slowly and black, deep set eyes, narrow and catlike, soon appeared and Taehyung was unable to look away.

More and more of a body slowly rose from the waters and soon a man (at least, Taehyung thought it was a man), stood on top of the water. His seafoam green hair was pushed back from his face in waves like seaweed and touched just beneath his shoulders. His pitch black eyes bore into Taehyung’s own as he took one step and then another. As water drops rolled off his hair, what looked to be a tunic made from those very drops fused together on the water man’s - Yoongi’s - body. Pale blue forget-me-nots were littered across Yoongi’s lower jawline like a turtleneck, and Taehyung wondered if they grew from his body or if they were more of a fashion accessory.

Water trickled down Yoongi’s body endlessly as he stepped onto the cold Earth and he grunted when Jungkook threw himself into his arms. Thin rivers of water acted like a spiderweb and wrapped around every sore spot and injured area on Jungkook. The water glowed for only a few seconds, quick enough that when Taehyung blinked it was gone and Jungkook’s injuries were healed. Yoongi nuzzled his nose into Jungkook’s unruly hair and grumbled lowly.

“I told you to stay away from the humans.”

“I’m sorry,” Jungkook sniffled and Yoongi sighed but said no more on the matter. He easily moved Jungkook to his back and allowed for the younger man to shift into his cat form to climb onto his shoulder and curl his tail around his throat. Yoongi hummed deep in his throat and Jungkook purred as he licked at the water on his cheek.

Yoongi?

Yoongi’s eyes roamed over the land and found Taehyung standing behind the fairy that called his name. He saw the faint smokey purple aura that quivered around Taehyung like an old friend that had been long forgotten. Yoongi smiled and the icy fingers around Taehyung’s heart melted.

“You are a Kim.”

Yoongi’s voice was deep and soft but held a firm conviction. Every word he spoke was the truth and Taehyung would be wise to listen. Taehyung nodded his head slowly and Yoongi’s eyes seemed to sparkle like the galaxy.

“Your parents?” Taehyung gave his parent’s names and Yoongi nodded his head. “Then the last Kim to visit this place before you was your great great grandfather. He was a delightful young man, full of passion and hope.”

“My…what are you saying?” Taehyung had to have misheard Yoongi. There was no way that his family knew about this place…magic…they couldn’t have been demons.

“Shall we sit and talk? It seems you have treats with you…Kookie would like one.”

Taehyung simply nodded his head and pulled his hand free from his muse. He walked back to where his bike was and silently set up what he had planned for the perfect date: A blanket, fresh fruit and veggies cut up, finger sandwiches, cheese and crackers, and a bottle of honeysuckle wine that his mother had made. Yoongi sat on the blanket and Taehyung was shocked to see that the blanket didn’t become wet. It seemed like the water that surrounded Yoongi kept his body moist but nothing else. Taehyung bowed his head in apology for not having enough cups and Yoongi waved him off before Jungkook jumped down from his shoulder and ran off. A few moments later, Jungkook scampered back with a small bouquet of violet canterbury bells in his mouth. He set them in front of Yoongi and crawled into the water spirit's lap happily.

“I am sure that you are aware of the rumor that your bloodline are demons, correct?”

Taehyung nodded his head as he poured the honeysuckle wine into the two cups hesitating when his muse held up one of the flowers. Carefully, he poured the wine into the flower and he watched, his mouth parted in shock as the flower hardened into a beautiful flower teacup. Y/N handed the flower to Yoongi and giggled at Taehyung’s expression.

“Have you read your family records? Do you know of Park Jimin and Jung Hoseok?”

“They were lovers that came to this town seeking refuge. Kim Namjoon, the village leader, gave it to them and in turn our bloodline was cursed for his kind heart.”

Yoongi’s lips pinched into a pout as he frowned and nodded his head. “In truth, Hoseok was a warlock and Jimin was his familiar.”

“A-A warlock?!” Taehyung nearly knocked the wine over as his cup slipped from his hands. Y/N was faster and caught the cup midair before it could hit the ground. “But, the books say-”

“I know what the books say, young one. I was the one who instructed Seokjin to write them that way.”

Taehyung’s heart beated rapidly in his chest at the news. A warlock. If what was written in the books were true, if Hoseok was indeed the biological father of Seokjin then…Taehyung started to laugh. Loudly, ugly laughter that had no humor or happiness. Tears burned his eyes and he started to sob, his skin flushed as years and years of horrible memories flashed in his mind. How many times was his mother verbally assaulted while in town? How many times was Taehyung bullied, beat up and chased out of town when he was young? How many times did his father have to fight off those who wanted to burn their home…Taehyung wailed and Yoongi sat in silence as he did so.

Y/N wanted to reach out and grab hold of Taehyung. Wrap him in her arms and never let go but this was a truth that had to be dealt with. He came from a long line of warlocks and witches; it was in his blood. It was the reason why he could find the lavender field in the first place. If Taehyung had been just a normal human, Y/N would not be his muse.

Taehyung…

“Y-You knew?” Taehyung’s words were whispered, his throat clogged from snot and tears. “You knew everything and didn’t think…didn’t-”

“I forbade it.” Yoongi stared at Taehyung unmoving as he sipped his wine. “Those from this land are under my protection. I decided who is allowed to enter and see what others cannot.”

“What am I?”

Yoongi licked his lips and set his cup down before he started to stroke Jungkook’s fur as the kitten lay in his lap.

“What are you, Kim Taehyung?” One of Yoongi’s eyebrows raised and he smiled. “You - my dear boy, are a warlock, born from the Jung line. The very Jung Hoseok who was thrown out of that vile town and found refuge within my world. The very Jung Hoseok who built the very home you rest your head in every night.” Yoongi’s eyes sparkled as he spoke, his voice filled with more and more pride. “You, Kim Taehyung, are the first warlock to step into my world since your great great grandfather. You are the first in your bloodline to finally tap into that dormant magic and call out for someone to find you.”

Yoongi’s eyes flickered over to Y/N and Taehyung followed his gaze. As he stared at his muse, Taehyung thought back on his life. He remembered having a friend when he was younger, his mother always gave them milk and cookies while his father would complain about wasting food. Taehyung had forgotten about his childhood friend and her face morphed into that of his muse. In his teen years, Taehyung recalled telling his mother about a girl he had met by the lake but he could never remember her name. Again, his muse’s face flashed in his mind. All throughout his life, she was by his side…he was never truly ever alone thanks to her.

Taehyung reached out with a shaking hand and took Y/N’s hand in his own. How could he have forgotten her? She was his first friend, his first love, and his muse. Tears blurred his waterline and he smiled, wide and boxy.

“What a fool I am…to have forgotten such a wonderful part of my life.” Taehyung pulled the fairy into his arms and cupped her face gently. “Forever my muse, I do love you so.”

“And I you, my love.”

Taehyung’s eyes widened at the sound of Y/N’s voice. It was clear as bells as her lips moved and spoke out loud. The tears spilled from Taehyung’s eyes and she wiped them away quickly with a laugh.

“No more tears, Taehyung. You finally remember me and now our contract is complete.”

“Contract?” Taehyung nuzzled his nose against Y/N’s and she giggled.

“You called out to me when you were a mere child. I was too young at the time and didn’t have the power to fulfill a warlock’s binding contract. Yoongi allowed for our joining to take place and the contract was set to awaken when you fully accepted me in your heart.”

“I have. I do, I accept you in my heart, my muse.”

Taehyung crashed his lips into Y/N’s. Yoongi picked at the food in front of him, giving the young couple before him their privacy. Flicking his hand, Yoongi released four water droplets from his fingers. Two hit Taehyung and the other two hit Y/N. The two lovers jumped from the sudden cold and when they pulled away, Yoongi just grinned and wiggled his fingers. The waterdrops started to glow and warmed on their skin. They swirled into a bright white design that started at their shoulders and curled down to their ring fingers on the opposite arm. A cool chill wrapped around their ring fingers and when the glow faded, a clear glass band with tiny purple flowers inside was around their finger.

“If you are to stay by Taehyung’s side, you will need this protection. The both of you. With my blessing, Taehyung, your magic has now been fully unlocked. Y/N is your familiar and she will teach you how to control it. In order for that to happen, Y/N you can now be seen by humans and will appear to them as human. Only Taehyung and those who possess magic can see your real form.”

Taehyung stared at the matching ring on Y/N’s finger and kissed her temple. The news was sudden but there was not an ounce of fear in his heart. He knew that he loved her and he would lay down his very life to keep her safe. Y/N’s eyes burned and she tried to blink her tears away but a few slipped past and slid down her cheeks.

“I love you, Y/N. Will you stay with me?”

As Y/N cried, she nodded her head and Taehyung once again pulled her into a kiss. It was soft and wet, filled with so many emotions that it made Jungkook hiss in disgust. Yoongi shushed him and stood from his place on the ground.

“I must make my rounds before the night is lost. Enjoy your new found power and settle into a new life. I bid you both a goodnight.” Yoongi bowed his head and walked off with Jungkook cradled in his arms, humming a familiar tune that Taehyung recalled his grandmother often singing.

Taehyung wrapped his arms around his muse and left a trail of hot, open mouthed kisses along her jaw and throat. He nipped at the flesh and soothed it with his tongue before he found her lips once more. They kissed until their lips hurt, their lungs burned from lack of air, and their chests heaved. As their forehead rested against one another, Taehyung grinned and nuzzled his nose against Y/N’s.

“I think we should head home.”

“Home…” Y/N nodded her head excitedly. “I like the sound of that.”

#taehyung fic #taehyung x reader #bts fantasy au #taehyung fluff #soc taehyung #lavender field #taehyung x black!reader #exqueuese me

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daffodillydilly · 11 months

Text

Bottom of the deep blue sea (1)

The last thing I remembered was the water, like stars streaming past in the night sky, black with a crashing white blur.

And then the drowning, a familiar asthmatic pain but without relief.

And then.

I woke up shivering, gasping for air. Everything was black, and I reached up with trembling hands to touch my cold eyes with equally cold waterlogged fingers.

I felt stone beneath my body, propping me up, smooth beneath my wet clothes, and took a deep breath, trying to steady myself.

Until I felt something warm and damp brush against cheek.

My voice emerged in a helpless gasp, as I stared wide eyed but blind into the crushing darkness.

My gasp of confusion turned into a cry of surprise as I felt it again, a warm, damp pressure against my cheek. Startled, I instinctively reached out, my trembling fingers brushing against a smooth, slippery surface. There was a sudden animalistic chirrup and then a guttural sound as the pressure began to wander my face. My cheekbones, my lips, my forehead.

My eyes shut instinctively as the enigmatic sensation traced over them, continuing to explore my face with a gentle touch. The warmth and dampness felt strangely comforting, as if the presence that surrounded me sought to offer solace in this unknown abyss.

“…hello?” I called out in a whisper.

In the depths of the darkness, my whispered greeting was swallowed in silence. The enigmatic presence that caressed my face with their gentle touch seemed to pause for a moment, as if contemplating my words.

The chirrup sound repeated, and then three otherworldly spots of teal luminescence appeared in my vision, as blinding as the sun. I hissed in surprise and pain, and suddenly the lights disappeared.

I blinked my eyes, adjusting to the return of darkness and then slowly, the lights reappeared, softer and gentler, and then copied my blink.

“Hello.” I whispered, my breath hitching as I realized I was staring into the large eyes of some sort of creature.

Their face was twice the size of mine with three wide glowing eyes arranged in a triangular shape. Their nostrils were merely slits, and their thin mouth stretched unnaturally wide, almost reaching the edges of their cheeks. They had a flap of long white skin that sat like hair on the top of their head, rippling with their movements.

“Who are you…?” I whimpered, feeling my heart begin to pound unnaturally fast in my chest. A flash of memory returned to me of a warm embrace, of rapid moving water, of air filling my lungs, “…did you rescue me?”

The creature remained still, their three eyes intensely fixed upon me, their elongated webbed fingers tracing downwards to my lips. Their hand felt warm but wet and was so large that they could easily fit my entire head in their palm. The creature let out a gentle rumble from their lengthened throat, and I could just barely make out their humanoid torso although their lower half was obscured by the inky black water.

The creature cooed, returning my attention back to their face. I noticed their mouth stretching into a smile, revealing rows and rows of giant slender translucent teeth.

I stared at their mouth, feeling goosebumps trail up and down my arms. My shivering increased as a wave of fear swept over me as the creature’s fingers trailed down my chin and down to the base of my neck. The realization of my vulnerable situation began to sink in, and a primal instinct urged me to withdraw from the presence of this huge enigmatic creature.

Struggling to control my rising panic, I scrambled to place both of my hands on the stone behind me, preparing to retreat. But as I tensed to move, the creature's eyes closed, enveloping us in darkness. I scraped my hands against the stone, once again blindly staring out, wide eyed, until the creature’s hand darted from my jugular notch to wrap around the back of my neck, pulling me forward into a deep pool of water.

Panic surged through my veins as I felt the cold water enveloping my body, replacing the stagnant air I had been breathing. I felt smooth slippery skin wrap entirely around me. I desperately tried to struggle free, but their strength was overwhelming, their touch both firm and strangely gentle.

As the creature pulled me deeper into the water, my panic escalated. I thrashed and kicked, desperate to break free from their grasp. But no matter how hard I fought, their arms wrapped tighter around me. My lungs burned, screaming for air as the water closed in around me. The darkness of the abyss swallowed me whole, leaving me disoriented and terrified. I could feel the pressure building in my chest, the need for oxygen becoming unbearable.

Just as I thought I couldn't hold on any longer, the creature's grip suddenly loosened and I gasped for breath, gulping in the precious air that filled my lungs. Confusion washed over me as I realized I was no longer submerged in water. I coughed, clearing my eyes with rapid blinks to find myself in a dimly lit chamber, surrounded by an otherworldly glow. It was warmer here, the temperature was like a soothing bath, and I couldn’t help but melt against the creature.

As if they understood my need for reassurance, the strange being held me gently, their webbed fingers supporting my trembling body. The creature’s three glowing eyes stared down at me, studying me intently. Their fingers traced a delicate pattern on my skin, as if trying to communicate without words.

With a trembling voice, I mustered the courage to speak once more. "Who are you? What do you want from me?"

The creature continued to observe me with their mesmerizing gaze. In response to my trembling inquiry, the creature's mouth stretched once more into a smile, revealing their rows of translucent teeth. Their fingers momentarily paused their tracing, and they brought one of their hands to their chest, the webbed appendage resting gently against their own heart.

As the creature placed their hand over their chest, a soft glow emanated from beneath their translucent skin. The glow pulsed in synchrony with the beat of their heart, sending tendrils of teal and pink lights throughout their arms, tracing up their long neck, creating an ethereal bioluminescence that filled the chamber.

As the light pulsed and shimmered, I could see more details of the creature's face. Their skin, translucent and smooth, glowed softly from within, revealing a delicate network of iridescent patterns that danced across their features.

The creature removed their hand and gestured towards a nearby patch of rock. Despite my fear, a glimmer of curiosity sparked within me. I cautiously began to swim my way towards the indicated spot, but the creature wrapped me in their arms once more, carrying me there instead.

They lifted me up out of the water, placing my entire body on a smooth stone surface, their glowing eyes fixed upon me, their presence both unsettling and intriguing.

"Please, what do you want from me? Why did you bring me here?" I whispered, trying to keep my voice steady despite the lingering fear.

The creature emitted a series of soft, melodic coos before they suddenly vanished beneath the water.

The chamber became significantly darker, the only light coming from almost purposeful patches of glowing blue and green algae. I stared at the spot where they had disappeared, and then my gaze drifted to the rest of my surroundings.

I was in a large cavern, enclosed by an arrangement of rocks that formed a natural boundary around a pool of water. The walls were made of smooth dark stone, peppered with luminescent plant life. The air was thick with humidity, and the scent of salt and sand.

I sat there on the rock, feeling a blend of awe and trepidation. The absence of the creature left me on edge, unsure of what would happen next. The silence in the chamber was broken only by the faint sound of water dripping and my own rapid breaths.

I scooted closer to the place the creature had vanished into and carefully leaned over its edge, peering into the pitch-black pool. Carefully, I reached my hand into the warm water, and in an instant the creature appeared once more, quietly cooing and chirruping, their large hands cradling several bundles of soft looking plants. Carefully, they placed the bundle on the rock beside me, arranging the plants into a makeshift bed.

With a graceful motion, the creature gestured for me to lie down on the bed they had prepared.

“…you want me to…sleep?” I asked tentatively.

The creature cooed in response, fluffing up the bedding with their webbed fingers.

I stared at them in trepidation before I cautiously laid down on the makeshift bed of plants they had prepared. The creature let out another coo, this time seemingly one of satisfaction.

As I settled down onto the warm damp plants, the creature floated in the pool beside me, their presence a source of both comfort and intrigue. Their eyes remained fixed on me, observing my every move with intense interest.

The exhaustion from my struggle against the water and fear began to weigh heavily on my eyelids, coaxing me into the realm of sleep.

As my eyes fluttered shut, I could still sense the creature's gaze upon me. It felt both protective and curious, as if they were watching over me with a sense of responsibility. The rhythmic sounds of the creature's cooing and the soft rippling of the water in the pool created a soothing lullaby that gradually melted away my anxieties.

I awoke to the feeling of pressure on my lips, and my eyes fluttered open to see three balls of light pressed close to my face. Startled, I sat up, the remnants of sleep dissipating as I realized the creature was now inches away from me, their glowing eyes fixated on mine.

I touched my hand to my lips, feeling my pulse race. “…did you just kiss me?”

The creature tilted their head and let out a soft chirrup almost in confirmation.

As I stared at the creature, a mix of surprise, curiosity, and a hint of embarrassment washed over me. “Why?” I breathed.

They blinked, and then with a flick of their body, they moved forward as if to repeat the gesture. I scooted away from the pool of water, and the creature paused, tilting their head again, cooing in a soft, almost disappointed tone.

I swallowed, lowering my hand to rest against my rapidly beating heart. “…thank you for…letting me rest.” I murmured. “It was more comfortable than I thought it would be. And warmer too.” I paused, my fingers touching the fabric of my shirt. “I must have slept for a long time. My clothes are dry…”

The creature seemed pleased by either the sound of my voice or my words - or both - because they broke into another wide smile, and then extended their webbed hands, presenting a palm full of shimmering stones and delicate, iridescent seashells. They placed the offering gently on the rock beside me, and then stared at me with wide eyes.

“…are these…gifts?” I asked in an unsteady tone, reaching out tentatively to touch one of the shells.

The creature cooed, seemingly satisfied in my interest. They leaned forward, chirruping again, as if expecting something in return.

“I’m sorry,” I murmured, “I…I don’t have anything to give you. Unless, ah, you want a piece of my…clothes…?”

They cooed again, leaning even closer to me until I could see faint bioluminescent lines in their cheeks, glowing a pale blue. They gestured towards the pile of shells and stones.

“What? One of those?”

I examined the pile, before carefully picking up one of the glistening rocks. It was deep black and captivatingly smooth against my salt-soaked fingers. Tentatively, I held the rock out to the creature, hoping to appease them.

To my surprise, the creature's eyes widened in what appeared to be delight, and they emitted a series of melodic coos. They reached out with webbed fingers and gently accepted the rock from my hand, cradling it against their chest with a sense of reverence.

A radiant glow emanated from their body, illuminating the chamber with a soft, ethereal light. I watched in awe as the creature floated in the water, their shining form casting intricate patterns on the cavern walls. They chirruped and cooed like a songbird; their joy palpable.

I couldn’t help but smile at the sight. “Oh wow, you really liked that.” I murmured, watching as they bobbed up and down in the water. “But you’re the one who brought that in the first place. Are you just happy that I picked one out?”

The creature's head tilted at an unnatural angle, emitting a deep joyful purr. And then without a moment's hesitation, it gruesomely jammed the stone into its jugular notch, ruthlessly burying it within its own flesh with a sickeningly forceful thrust.

I gasped, my hand instinctively reaching out towards the creature in concern. "No! Wait, what are you doing?" I exclaimed, my voice filled with alarm.

The creature blinked at my concern, letting out a deep guttural sound that caused me to retract my hand. A soft glow began to emanate from the stone embedded in their jugular notch. The light intertwined with their translucent skin, creating a mesmerizing display of colors that danced across their body.

Torn between awe and apprehension, I hesitated for a moment before gathering the courage to speak. "Why did you do that?" I asked softly, my voice filled with a mix of curiosity and concern. “Didn’t that hurt?"

The creature responded with another deep purr, swimming forward to rest their head in my still open palm. The stone in their neck pulsed and shimmered, casting a serene glow that illuminated the chamber and reflected off the water's surface.

“…it’s beautiful.” I whispered.

The creature lifted their head, cooing, and then directed their attention back to the pile of gifts they had brought. Their hand reached out and selected a lovely tulip shell with the precision of one who had already chosen in advance. They offered it to me.

I stared at the tulip shell in the creature's outstretched hand, my heart pounding in my chest.

I couldn't help but wonder if they expected me to follow their lead, to embed the shell into my own skin. The thought sent a shiver down my spine, and I instinctively pulled back, creating a slight distance between us as I scooted away from the pool of water.

The creature let out a distressed cooing sound, reaching out with their other hand to beckon me closer.

“Ah, I’m sorry…” I breathed. “I just, ah. I don’t want, um.” My hand instinctively clutched my throat, feeling the rapid beat of my pulse against my fingers.

The creature's eyes shimmered with understanding, and they withdrew the tulip shell, their disappointment palpable. But instead of pressing me further, they floated back in the water, giving me space and time to collect myself.

As I sat there, the weight of their unfulfilled expectation hung in the air, I watched as the creature quietly placed the tulip shell back among the other gifts, their eyes never leaving mine. There was a sense of longing, a desire for shared connection, emanating from their glowing gaze.

Feeling a rush of guilt, I mustered the courage to speak again, my voice laced with sincerity. "I…I am sorry. I appreciate your gesture, uh, even if I don’t understand it. I…I’d be fine with a necklace or something, but…”

The creature seemed to listen intently, their expression reflecting a mixture of confusion and curiosity. They floated in the water, their body gently swaying with the currents before swimming to the edge of the pool, as close as possible to me.

They tilted their head, their three eyed gaze locked on me. There was a certain intensity to their eyes, as if it was trying to comprehend my words and find a way to bridge the gap between us.

“Um, a necklace.” I repeated tentatively. “It’s uh, a string you wear around your neck.” I gestured with my hands, trying to explain.

As I gestured with my hands to explain what a necklace was, the creature seemed captivated by my words and movements. Their three-eyed gaze remained fixed on me, the intensity growing as if absorbing every detail of my explanation.

With a spark of inspiration, I searched around the cave for any materials that could be fashioned into a necklace. Given the dim light, I decided to get a better look at the cavern, and shakily stood up, the plant life from my makeshift bed soft against my barefeet. The creature let out a sharp click, their long arm darting out to grab my ankle with their damp fingers. I flinched, looking down at them in surprise.

“I’ll be right back.” I said in a breathy voice. “I…I was just going to look around for…um. Something to make a necklace out of.”

The creature's grip on my ankle tightened slightly, before releasing, their eyes as wide and bright as headlights. I carefully stepped away from them, meeting their eyes for several tentative steps, before turning around to look at the cavern.

Bioluminescent algae grew all around the cave, illuminating the dark stone. I was hoping to spot other plant life, grass, or vines, but the cavern was empty and self-contained, about the size of a large living space. Despite the absence of plant life, I couldn't help but be captivated by the natural beauty surrounding me. Several clusters of crystals emerged from the wall in different places of the cave, shimmering with ethereal radiance.

As I moved closer to the back wall of the cavern, the creature emitted distressed cooing from behind me, seemingly from the increasing distance between us. I pivoted on my heel, and what I witnessed left me breathless, my throat constricting in shock.

The creature had perched themself up on the edge of the pool, revealing a thick lower half that split off at what would have been the knee into several colossal appendages. The appendages were long and sinuous, reminiscent of tentacles or the limbs of mythical sea creatures. Some tapered down to hair-thin strands, while others equaled the girth of my own arm. Their lithe form moved gracefully, undulating with the water as they perched on the edge of the pool.

The sight was both intriguing and overwhelming, but I could sense their anticipation and desire for my attention. The creature extended a hand towards me and beckoned me to come closer.

I hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to proceed and intimidated by their immense size and mass. Sensing my reluctance, the creature slid off the edge and back into the pool of water. They let out a soft series of clicks, their expectant gaze urging me on.

I took a deep, nervous breath before I approached the pool once more, carefully stepping over a long tendril that seemed to have been snaking its way towards me. I sat down on the pool's edge once more, the creatures’ three shimmering eyes fixed upon me. With a gesture, they directed my gaze to their neck, signaling a desire for me to resume my earlier explanation. Taking another deep breath, I began to describe the concept again.

As I spoke, the creature watched me intently, their eyes fixed on my every movement. I carefully demonstrated the act of draping a string around my neck, mimicking the gesture as best as I could. The creature's curiosity seemed to grow with each passing moment, their lower body swaying gently in the water.

After I finished my explanation, the creature remained silent, contemplating my words. They leaned closer, their long, sinuous appendages coiling and uncoiling in a mesmerizing rhythm, before one of their thin vine-like tendrils twisted its way to wrap around my neck.

I swallowed nervously, feeling the tendril coil around me. It was surprisingly soft, almost like silk ribbon against my skin. The creature's gaze remained fixed on me, as if seeking confirmation that they understood my explanation correctly.

I looked down at the tendril encircling my neck, and as I did, the creature let out a soft cooing sound, as if expressing satisfaction. I let out a soft laugh. “That’s…not exactly wrong. But…I assume you want to keep all your limbs attached.” I briefly tugged at the tendril, and mimed snipping it.

The creature blinked their three eyes in response, seemingly pondering my words or gestures. Their sinuous appendages coiled and uncoiled, a subtle display of contemplation.

Without warning, the creature's face lunged towards me, tearing the tendril from their own body with a sudden, frenzied rush of gnashing teeth.

I gasped and instinctively recoiled, my body jerking backward in surprise. The tendril, now detached, hung limply around my neck, a stark contrast to the vibrant and pulsating creature before me.

I stared in shock and fear at the creature, though a glimmer of satisfaction flickered in their gaze. They let out a low rumble, a sound like a pleased purr. It was evident that the tearing of the tendril hadn't caused them any pain or distress.

Tentatively, I reached up and touched the tendril around my neck, feeling its lingering warmth.

“You... You tore it off," I managed to utter, my voice wavering. "Why did you do that?"

In response to my question, the creature emitted a series of soft cooing sounds. They reached up with their long slender arms and mimicked the act of draping an imaginary string around their own neck, mirroring my earlier demonstration.

“…I could have just used seaweed or…” I whispered, trailing off.

They tilted their head, letting out a gentle chirrup noise. Their fingers tapped the smooth black stone embedded in their jugular notch, and then the tendril around my neck.

“Yes, I…think I understand.” I said, brows furrowed. “But I was just going to, um, use that shell you wanted to give me. I was going to thread it on a necklace.”

The creature followed my gaze to the pile of shells and stones on the opposite side of the water pool. With a sudden surge of movement, the creature gracefully glided towards the pile before returning to hover in the water in front of me. They once again presented the shell to me, as if affirming their understanding of my words and intentions.

I admired the tulip shell, dwarfed in the palm of the creature’s hand. The shell was entirely in one piece, fully formed and perfect.

“…I don’t suppose you could, um, pierce a hole through it.” I murmured, wondering how I would affix it to my makeshift necklace.

The creature stared at me unblinking.

“Um, a hole. Like…”

I did my best to gesture the process of creating a hole, pointing to the exact spot on the shell. I then removed the tendril from my neck – trying not to concentrate on the fact it was a severed limb - and mimed the process of stringing something on to it.

The creature watched intently, and I could see the recognition in their three-eyed gaze as they focused on the tulip shell in their hand. They let out a series of clicking sounds, as if communicating with themself, before lifting the shell to their lips.

The creature's mouth widened to an unimaginable extent, exposing a cavernous gaping maw lined with countless rows of razor-sharp teeth that extended deep into their throat, resembling a terrifying shredding machine rather than the mouth of a shark.

“Oh my g-” I gasped in fear, scrambling back from the edge of the pool.

The creature's eyes widened, a mix of surprise and confusion evident in their gaze. They quickly closed their mouth, retracting their teeth and sealing it shut. The creature's hand, still holding the tulip shell, trembled slightly as they stared at me from the water pool.

I stared back at them, feeling my body tremble against the stone. There were a few moments of heavy silence, before the creature let out a single high-pitched sound, like a wounded question. I felt a pang of guilt, as I realized they were only trying to pierce the shell like I had asked.

"I... I apologize.” I whispered, voice and body trembling, “It's just... that shocked me. I hadn’t realized you…had quite that many teeth.” I let out a breathy laugh, “No doubt you’re a carnivore…” And then softer to myself, “…hope you don’t eat people…”

The creature's three-eyed gaze softened, and they emitted a soothing sound. One of their many tendrilled limbs reached for me, delicately wrapping around my ankle. For a moment I thought it would forcefully drag me back – my intrusive thoughts fixated on their gaping maw - but it only gently tugged, as if it were saying ‘look.’

I watched as the creature carefully maneuvered the tulip shell, positioning it within their grasp and holding it steady. Slowly they once again lifted the shell to their lips, but this time, their teeth remained concealed within their mouth and the shell briefly disappeared inside before emerging from their lips.

Their three-eyed gaze met mine, and they tilted their head towards me, beckoning me in a puppy-like motion to take it from them.

With a thick swallow, I scooted forward to sit sideways at the edge of the pool and extended my shaky hand to gently take the shell from the creature’s lips.

“…thank you.” I murmured in wonder, as I saw that a small hole had been pierced through the thin opening of the tulip shell.

The creature let out a melodic chirrup in response, and leaned their body forward, resting their elbows on the stone as they peered at me in interest.

I picked up the tendril that I had dropped in my previous panic and eyed the creature.

“Um, so.” I rolled the thin tendril around my fingers, realizing it might be too thick. After a moment of contemplation, I decided to test whether the tendril would fit through the hole in the tulip shell. “Let’s see if this works…” With cautious optimism, I attempted to thread the tendril through the small opening.

To my surprise, the tendril, although slightly thicker than the hole, managed to pass through with a bit of effort. It created a snug fit, securing the shell in place and a strange sense of accomplishment washed over me.

I held it up, extended in my hands for inspection. “Look! A necklace!”

The creature emitted a trilling sound, expressing their delight, and a laugh escaped my lips. They were so strange, and a bit cute, to be so happy over such a silly thing.

“And now, I just need to tie it on and hope it stays.” I said, positioning the makeshift necklace in my fingers, but the creature placed their large hands on top of mine, gently taking the tendril from me.

“Oh, uh, you want to do it…?” I asked shakily.

The creature purred, before leaning even closer to reach behind my neck with both hands. Their face hovered mere inches from me, the lines of bioluminescence in their cheeks pulsing in a hypnotic fashion. I found myself momentarily entranced by the pulsating lights, feeling a sense of calm washing over me.

With a final adjustment, the creature secured the tendril around my neck, their hands resting gently against my skin. Their three-eyed gaze met mine, and a soft trill escaped the creature's throat, a sound filled with satisfaction and approval. They leaned back, their hands slowly withdrawing from my neck, but their eyes remained locked with mine. It was as if they were studying my reaction, awaiting my response.

It felt snug, like a silk choker against my skin. I tried to look down at the necklace but was unable to see it, so I reached up to examine it with my fingers. I noticed with curiosity that the creature had made sure that the shell rested directly in my jugular notch. The placement seemed deliberate and significant.

I looked up to stare at the black stone embedded in the creature’s own neck. “So, is this a…symbol of something?” I asked, intrigued. “…that you rescued me? Or we’re…friends now?”

The creature emitted a low rumble, a soothing sound that resonated within me. They leaned forward to rest their head on the edge of the pool, directly in front of my knees.

I carefully extended my hand, gently stroking the creature's smooth, translucent skin. Their body responded with a soft ripple, as if relishing the touch, and large wispy tendrils emerged on the other side of the water, resting against the other walls of the cave.

"...so we have a bit of a language barrier..." I murmured, as my hand swept over the creature's silky head fin. "But you were kind enough to rescue me, and you seem to understand at least my gestures and emotions."

The creature cooed once more, although I wasn't sure if they were just making sounds because I was, or whether they understood my words. I stopped petting and stared down at them and they opened one large eye to look up at me from their place near my lap.

"Do you think you could take me back?" I asked, carefully. "To land?"

The creature blinked, before nuzzling their face against my hand, as if asking me to continue. I removed my hand, scooting backwards slightly, and repeated my question.

The creature made a disappointed sounding trill and lifted their head from the edge of the pool to stare at me with all three of their eyes.

I purposefully gestured towards the ceiling of the cave. And then mimed swimming to an island the best I could, ‘emerging’ on land and basking in the sun.

The creature's glanced towards the ceiling, but their expression remained unchanged. They emitted a low, questioning trill, but there was something about it that seemed off. Almost deceptive.

I gestured again towards the cave's ceiling, this time with a sense of insistence and urgency. “Land.” I repeated. “Can you take me back?”

The creature's eyes widened ever so slightly, betraying a flicker of awareness that couldn't be concealed. It stared back at me, strangely mute.

For several long moments, the cave was filled with heavy silence, broken only by the soft lapping of water against the pool's edge. The creature's gaze remained fixed on me; its expression inscrutable.

“No…?” I whispered, a sense of doubt creeping into my mind. “…or…do you not actually understand?”

The creature let out a short sharp click.

With a heavy sigh, I leaned back, my eyes fixed on the creature before me. Perhaps the creature's understanding was limited, or my gestures were not conveying my message clearly.

“Where and how did you find me…?” I asked, more to myself than to the creature. “I guess I should just be happy to be still alive after falling like that…”

As I spoke aloud, trying to process my thoughts, the creature's gaze remained locked on me. They seemed to sense my confusion and frustration, though whether they fully comprehended the depth of my words remained uncertain.

“…my family must be so worried.” I whispered, pausing before letting out a cynical exhale of laughter. “…I hope the cruise ship compensates them at least and doesn’t just give them complementary tickets.”

I shifted my gaze from the creature to the pool of water, its dark depths shimmering in the faint light.

“I was on the balcony of my room…I think it was night or…no, it was almost. I was looking at the sunset.” I said softly, struggling to piece together what had led me here. “There was…turbulent water, I think… or at least a big wave and I fell over the railings.”

As the words spilled from my lips, memories of that fateful moment resurfaced, and I closed my eyes briefly, trying to recall the details. The sound of crashing waves, the rush of wind, and the disorienting feeling of weightlessness filled my mind.

When I opened my eyes again, the creature was still there, their gaze fixed on me. They emitted a series of soft trills, a melodic response that seemed to convey understanding and empathy.

I reached out once more, my fingers brushing against the creature's sleek skin. They let out a delighted sounding purr and the tendrils on the other side of the water gently swayed, creating a mesmerizing dance of light and shadow on the cave walls.

"You saved me," I whispered, my voice filled with gratitude. "I don't know how or why but thank you so much. I…I almost died."

The creature emitted a warm sweet sound before effortlessly lifting themself onto the rock shelf. As they settled beside me, their size became strikingly evident, towering over me with a height at least twice my own. Their body showcased a perfect blend of strength and grace, with well-defined muscles and a flexible build.

I clutched my hands tightly to my chest, suddenly feeling very small and fragile in comparison.

"I don't know where we are or how far we are from land," I said softly, gazing up at them with wide eyes, "But if you saved me once, maybe you can help me find my way back home."

The creature cooed, somehow sounding as if they were copying me. ‘Home.’

The word echoed in the cave, carrying a mix of longing and uncertainty. I could sense that the creature understood the weight of that word. Their large eyes locked with mine, as if searching for a connection beyond the physical.

“Yes. Home.” I whispered. “Can you…can you bring me home?”

The creature paused, their three-eyed gaze shifting from me to the pool of water, the depths that held secrets unknown to me. I watched as the tendrils on the other side of the water swayed, clenching, and unclenching like fists.

With a slow, deliberate movement, the creature leaned closer to me. They emitted a deep, peaceful trill, a sound that seemed to convey both reassurance and a sense of purpose. Although I wasn’t sure if they fully understood me.

“…can you take me back home? Back to the water?” I asked, slowly and deliberately pointing to the pool. “And then up?” I pointed at the ceiling again. “Up to the surface? Up to land?”

The creature emitted a sharp click. Their eyes, though still captivating, revealed a strange resolve that sent a shiver down my spine.

“To land.” I said again, my voice taking on a pleading tone. “Please. Do you understand?”

I repeated the gesture a few times, and then pointed to myself.

The creature narrowed their eyes in such a clear look of almost human annoyance that I stopped, feeling my breath catch in my throat.

I could sense a subtle shift in the creature's demeanor, their patience wearing thin. They emitted a deep, resonant growl, a sound that reverberated through the grotto and sent my blood freezing. It was a sound of warning, of boundaries being set.

Silence enveloped the cavern, broken only by the distant sound of water trickling. Their three-eyed gaze remained fixed on me as they sharply clicked again.

My heart sank as the realization slowly dawned upon me. The creature, despite their initial act of rescue, did not intend to take me back home. The hope that had flickered within me began to fade, replaced by a sense of disappointment, confusion, and fear.

"Why?" I whispered, my voice barely audible amidst the heavy silence. "You…you do understand me, don’t you? Why won’t you help me return home?”

The creature's response was a series of sharp clicks, a language I couldn't decipher. Their eyes burned with anger, and I flinched in response.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I whispered, "I don't understand. Why save me if you won't take me back?" The words trembled on my lips, laden with a mix of disappointment and desperation.

The creature's eyes softened momentarily, betraying a hint of remorse amidst their anger.

"Please," I pleaded, my voice trembling with vulnerability as I spoke slowly and clearly, "I am lost, and I need to find my way back to my family. They must be worried sick about me.”

The creature let out a gentle melodic drone and leaned forward reaching out with their long arms to enfold me in a strange embrace. I couldn’t resist as they lifted my body up and onto their chest, their body settling against the walls of the cave. Their touch was remarkably gentle despite their immense size, strength, and alien nature.

With my head nestled against their chest, I could hear the deep beating of their heart, a fast bass-like pulse. The creature emitted a low, rumbling purr, and I could feel the vibrations reverberate through their body and into mine. It was a gesture of solace, a way for them to communicate without words.

I slumped against them, feeling a sense of resignation settling within me. The reality of my situation sank in. I was stranded in an unknown place, with no way of communicating effectively with the creature that had saved me.

“I guess I should be glad you don’t want to eat me.” I murmured.

The creature hummed in response.

“…at least I don’t think you do.”

With each beat of their heart and each rumble of their purr, I tried to find solace in the fact that I was alive. I may not have been able to understand the creature's language or convince them to take me back home, but I was still here, breathing, and safe for now.

#BDBS #original story #mermay 2023 #mermaylateaddition #i started writing this in may so it still counts #yandere mermaid #wip #x reader #reader x yandere #reader insert #reader totally got engaged to a big fin squid mermaid thing

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