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greatbigbellies · 3 years

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New commission story. This is an anonymous slice of life piece about a woman hyperpregnant with overdue decuplets. This one’s a little different from my usual stuff cause it focuses so heavily on a unique form of belly. Contains hyperpregnancy, light belly worship, extreme fetal movement, and an incredibly tight, almost shrink-wrapped style of pregnant belly. Enjoy!

Molina waved goodbye as her midwife left, the kind woman getting in her car, off to another housecall most likely. The midwife had given the heavily expectant woman a clean bill of health, despite her... unique medical challenges. Molina was indeed a special case in more ways than one, just looking at her with no medical experience at all was the proof one needed for that.

For starters, she was gigantic, her belly stretching well past her knees when she sat down. She measured in the neighborhood of eighty inches in circumference. This was due to her extraordinary pregnancy, as she carried decuplets, and was presently 2 years past her due date. However, her belly wasn’t perfectly round like one would expect, instead looking uneven, lopsided, and in some areas, almost shrinkwrapped to her unborn babies. This was due in part to her being 33 months pregnant, and also partly because her body wouldn’t produce enough amniotic fluid. As a result, her normally plump, rounded pregnant belly was instead tight, lumpy, and left every movement on display.

And movement there was, as ten strong, overgrown fetuses would shift, kick, punch, and lurch constantly, vying for room where there was none. At times, her whole belly would writhe with fetal movement, as it did during her midwife appointment. Her belly wobbled and squirmed while the poor midwife tried to take an ultrasound with her portable doppler. The resulting images were… blurry to say the least, but she somehow got what she needed. Even now as she closed the front door and waddled inside, Molina’s brood squirmed restlessly inside her.

“Ooomph, calm down in there, I’m going!” she chided them, which only seemed to rile them up more. She slowly waddled to the kitchen to grab a snack, something she did a lot. Due to her size, she didn’t have a lot of room in her squashed stomach to eat, but she needed the calories, so she would constantly snack throughout the day. She awkwardly grabbed some leftover pizza from the fridge, having to turn to the side to reach it past her mountainous belly. She didn’t even bother to heat it up, as the wait would require more standing. She slowly made her way to the couch, and flopped down into it, causing her belly’s contents to kick and squirm about. “Oof, guys I’m eating right now,it’s fine. There's no more ultrasound wand rubbing against my tummy, you can chill,”

Molina rotated and propped her feet up on one armrest, and laid back to prop her head on the other. The weight of her tummy resting on her lower back, hips, and thighs. One hand delivered the pizza to her waiting mouth, and the other rubbed her uneven belly, party to calm her babies, partly to remove a little leftover ultrasound gel. She felt her overstretched skin shift under her hand as baby H and G pushed on each other for space. “Be nice you two, there’s room enough for both,”

She took another bite of pizza and felt someones foot kick directly into her palm. She pushed it back in and felt something roll deep inside her womb. She looked down and saw what was probably the top of someone’s head pushed up into the top shelf of her belly. She could never take those cute pictures most pregnant women took, using their bellies as a table. Her tummy was just too uneven and lively for that. She lovingly patted the top of the head, and just as quickly as it had sprouted up, it sank back down.

Molina sighed and finished her pizza, leaving both hands free to caress the belly. Her brood calmed slightly with the introduction of food, and the calming touch of her hands seemed to soothe them more. She reached as far as she could to try to get to the front of her tummy, but alas, baby B, the front most occupant, was out of her reach. She could feel her itchy popped navel getting pushed even further out by various kicks and shifts, but could do nothing for it. She placed her hands on the sides of her belly and squeezed it lovingly before rotating back to a sitting position. She placed her feet on the carpet and leaned forward to put her weight on them, then stood up into a standing position. Her shirt rode up, and she felt her already unbuttoned shorts unzip a little.

Her clothes, as large and maternal as they were, stood no chance against such a belly. There was a time, over two years ago, where she could cover her tummy completely, and even lean forward, but those times disappeared along with the view of her feet. She reached around to her waist and tried to zip her shorts back up, but alas, she was simply too big. Pregnancy had caused her body to change in more areas than just her belly. Her butt had plumped up significantly, almost giving her a back shelf, and her thighs had rounded out to a degree that could only be described as “thicc”.

She heard a knock at the door and waddled over, her massive belly wobbling left and right with each step. The front of her tummy nudged the door as she opened it, greeting a shocked deliveryman. “Uh… p-package for… Molina…” she poor man just stared at Molina’s massive, squirming pregnant belly. Her cargo took that moment to lurch, causing the many arms, hand, legs, and feet to be even more visible under the overstretched flesh. Molina smiled at him, somewhat used to this reaction. “Do I need to sign?” she asked. “Y-yeah… h-here…” he reached out with a small clipboard and pen. Molina took it, reaching just past her tummy to take it from him.

“You look concerned?” she teased him, signing the slip. “It’s just… you’re REALLY pregnant,” he stammered. “Does it… hurt?” he asked. “Not quite. Its far from comfortable, but’s not painful. It helps to have someone rub it though, would you?” she asked, taking a step forward. The mailman hesitated, but slowly reached out. His fingers brushed against the skin of her overly taught tummy before jolting back, and she giggled. “You won’t hurt me, just touch it!” As he reached forward again, one of her brood did a somersault in her womb and shifted her skin out, causing the belly to come to him. He blushed intensely and she just chuckled, causing more of her babies to move inside her. Her whole belly was alive with action now, as limbs and heads and even faces became visible under her skin. The mailman took his hand back and just stared.

“The package please?” she asked. The man shook his head and handed her a small parcel, before turning to leave. She smiled, having had her fun, and went back inside. Her belly actually let out an audible grown as she made her way back to the couch, tired from the effort of standing with so much weight on her aching back and feet. She flopped back down, causing a bit of sloshing from her womb, and somehow even more movement. She opened the package to see the specially designed stretchmark cream she’d ordered online. This stuff was a lifesaver, even after almost three years of pregnancy, not a single mark could be seen on her aching, writhing belly.

She hummed a song to herself and her babies as she opened the tube of lotion, squeezing a heaping glob into her hand. She capped it shut and rubbed her hands together before working the lotion into her tight belly skin. She leaned back, closed her eyes, and just reveled in exploring her own gravid belly. Feeling every nook and cranny between the various limbs of her babies. Her belly shifted again as movement stirred within her, strong kicks pushing into her her hands as she rubbed the lotion into her constantly shifting skin. She felt baby D’s backside against the side of her bump, rubbing it gently before moving on so what was probably a leg sticking out. There were times when it was legitimately hard to tell what was where, but she made the best of it.

In truth she just loved being pregnant, feeling the life grow in her body, feeling herself swell up with love. Its why she carried so far past term, to keep her babies close to her, and safe within her womb. She continued exploring her shrink-wrapped tummy, playing with her babies from outside. She’d push back on the little hands and feet sticking out, pat the heads that bulged out, and just generally interact with her unborn young. She jostled her tummy a little trying to reach the front to apply the lotion, and she felt several movements deep inside her pregnant gut. She worried that she’d start getting marks on the portions of her belly where she couldn’t reach, and wondered if she could talk the midwife into applying it for her at her next appointment.

She considered inviting a friend over to do it… but almost everyone in her friend group was pregnant themselves, and quite busy because of it. Except one who she admittedly hadn’t seen since she was only 3 months along… which was nearly three years ago… but it was worth a shot, Molina thought, to reconnect. And maybe get some belly rubs out of it. She pulled her phone out of her tight pocked and scrolled through her contacts until she found her… and old friend of hers, Orphea.

Orphea, somewhat nervously, walked up to the address she’d been sent, anxious to see her friend Molina again. It had been years since they had seen each other, and last time they were together Molina was 3 months pregnant with decuplets… Orphea could only imagine how chaotic it would be inside with ten toddlers running around. Still, her old friend had said she needed help with something personal, and Orphea was nothing if not loyal. Her 4 inch heels clacked against the concrete as she approached the door.

She knocked on the door and noticed the silence, the distinct lack of rampaging children… was it nap time? “Door’s unlocked, please come in!” rang the familiar sound of Molina’s voice. Orphea slowly opened the door and started to step through, looking around for her friend. “Molina hun, are you okay? You were kinda vagu-” Orphea froze when she saw the massively overdue Molina, sprawled across the couch. She simply stared at Molina’s active, wriggling belly, taking in every limb, face, and body on display under the tightly pulled skin. “Oh my God Molina! What… happened?” she stammered, slowly stepping in and shutting the door behind her.

“I… nothing happened, I’m fine, I’m just very pregnant!” said Molina, placing her hands on her belly, as if she needed emphasis on th fact. “But… you look absolutely vacuum packed, I can see every movement in there!? Are you sure you’re okay? Is this healthy?” Orphea nearly shouted, a little freaked out at the sight of such fecundity. “I promise you, I have weekly doctors and midwife visits, everyone in here in safe and healthy,” Molinda assured her friend. Orphea shook her head in awe, unsure of what to do. “I”m sorry it’s just… you’re a sight!” she said. Molina beamed at the compliment, “Thank you! I owe it all to these little guys!” she rubber her beyond-drum-tight tummy lovingly.

“Which brings me to why I invited you here,” she stated. “I’ve gotten so big I can’t reach my whole belly, and I need someone to apply lotion to my tummy so I don’t get stretchmarks,” she explained. Orphea blinked. “You mean you want me to touch… that?” she pointed at Molinas mountain of a belly. “What? It’s just a pregnant belly!” replied Molina. Orphea blinked incredulously. “Have you never touched a pregnant woman’s belly?” Orphea blinked more. “Well… I have… just not one so… overdue. How many months past due are you?” “twenty four,” stated Molina matter of factly.

Orphea sighed. It was just a pregnant belly. Just a very large, very lumpy one. And Molina had taken care of her in the past. “Alright, sure, why not? Where’s your lotion?” she finally asked. “Heads up!” Molina tossed the tube to her friend, who caught it effortlessly. Molina shifted around on her butt, before laying down to expose as much of her pregnant belly as possible. “So like…” she gestured with her arms, painting swaths over her orb of a tummy to show where she could reach, “These areas are fine, I can reach this stuff,” She pointed toward the front hemisphere and her underbelly, “but these areas I can’t get on my own anymore. If you’ll lotion those up I’ll order takeout and feed you for your troubles,”

Orphea knelt next to her friend’s writhing tummy. “You don’t have to…” she paused as a foot stuck directly out of the womb, stretching the belly skin toward Orphea’s head. “...You like panda express?” she changed her tune. “Love panda express,” smiled Molina, whipping out her phone to place the order through an app. Orphea reached up and squeezed a heaping glob of cold lotion into the front of Molina’s titanic tummy, eliciting a shiver from her friend. “Oooh, that skin is so sensitive,” “S-sorry,” apologized Orphea. She slowly reached over, still freaked out at the tightness of the skin, and the amount of movement she could see.

She took a breath, steeled herself, and laid her hand on it. And… it was… fine? Uneven, sure, and warm to the touch, but it was just skin. She felt a tiny fist push up into her hand, but it didn’t really bother her. She’d felt a fetus move in a pregnant tummy before, this was the same, just stronger. She settled into small, circular movements as she worked the cream into Molina’s gravid gut, and smiled. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. Molina sighed and visibly relaxed at her touch, settling into the couch more. Orphea’s fingers brushed over Molina’s very popped belly button, and she cooed in response, something Orphea thought was very cute.

“Mmmm, thank you again for coming over. This is really nice,” said Molina as she relaxed. Orphea added more lotion and continued massaging the glowing belly, working the smooth substance into every nook and cranny. “Yeah, anything for a friend!” she replied. Molina felt baby B do a somersault in response to all the touch, and the top of their head pushed into Orphea’s palm. “Is that… a head?” Molina nodded and smiled, brushing her black bangs out of her face as she looked over her phone.

“What do you like from Panda?” she asked. “Orange chicken please! And I can cover my own food, you don’t actually have to feed me,” Orphea offered. Molina shook her head, “Honestly it’s the least I could do since you came over on virtually no notice. We haven’t seen each other in over two years and you dropped everything just to rub my belly for me! I’m more than happy to feed you!”

Orphea squirted even more lotion into her hands, rubbing them together, before starting work on Molina’s expansive underbelly. This portion of her tummy actually somehow felt more tightly packed than the front, Orphea assumed it was due to the constant force of gravity pulling the babies in this direction. There was less movement down here, and more indentations and bulges from the packed decuplets. Orphea couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to be THIS pregnant, and actually have this as part of her body. Molina let out a groan, causing Orphea to peek around the massive midriff to check on her friend. “If everything okay? Did I push too hard?”

Molina’s plump lips curled into a satisfied smile, “Mmmm, nooooo, it just feels so good to have someone rub down there. I haven’t been able to reach that part of myself in over a year and the skin is so stretched, your hands feel lovely,” she explained. “Please don’t stop,” Orphea nodded and went back to work, making sure to run her finger through every divot, crevasse, and valley caused by Molina’s squirming young. She also made sure to run her hands over every lump, bump, and bulge on the expanse of pregnant flesh.

The contact seemed the rile up the lower sitting babies, as they began to stir under Orphea’s hands. The movement and contact on both sides of her skin only revved up Molina more, and she moaned and cooed at the attention she was receiving. Orphea got an impulsive idea, and sank her fingers into the bottom of Molina’s belly. Molina gasped at the sudden intrusion, and would have jolted upright if she physically could, but her belly weight kept her from doing so.

“Oh God I’m so sorry I don’t know why I did that!” apologized Orphea as she pulled her hands back. There was an awkward pause between the two before Molina squeaked out, “Do it again,” another pause. “What?!” “Please do that again, push your fingers into the nooks and crannies, it felt really good. Really stimulating,” she blushed. Orphea did as she was told, lining up the tips of her fingers with the few soft spots on Molina’s underbelly. She, more slowly this time, pushed her fingers in, causing, somehow, even more movement inside. “Oooohh… god... “ Molina sighed. Orphea blushed a little, and went back to rubbing, taking time to poke her fingers into various indents as she found them. Molina seemed to really enjoy it, and it gave Orphea another impulsive idea.

Without putting much thought into it, she cleaned the lotion off of a small spot, leaned in, and pecked the spot of belly skin with her lips.

While the belly itself was still very much in motion, the rest of Molina seemed to freeze up at the sudden affection. Yet another long, heavy pause held the pair in social paralysis. Finally, Orphea broke the ice with a subdued, “Sorry,” She couldn’t see Molina’s face past her tummy, but could still feel her stare. “Did you just… kiss me? Down there?” “I’m sorry I’m sorry. It was dumb, I shouldn’t have done that. I don’t know why I did,” Orphea started to ramble, a rising blush painting her face pink. “Orphea, honey, it’s okay,” “No, no it really wasn’t,” “Orphea. I liked it,” One. Last. Pause.

“You… liked it? When I kissed your tummy?” she gently placed a hand back on the underbelly, feeling more strong, almost violent movements underneath. “Yeah… it… I don’t get a lot of attention like this, Orphea, I spend a lot of time cooped up,” she admitted. “I love this, being massively pregnant, I love each and every one of my babies. But for having 11 people in this house… I’m lonely,” Orphea scooted around to make herself visible to her friend, noticing her blush and averted gaze. “So… that was the first kiss you’ve had in a while, wasn’t it?” inquired Orphea. Molina nodded solemnly, trying not to let her loneliness, magnified by extreme pregnancy hormones, make her too emotional.

Orphea leaned over and kissed the side of her belly, causing Molina to blush intensely again. She then placed both hands firmly on the uneven sides of Molina’s massive gut and began drumming her fingers. “So you love being this pregnant, huh?” asked Orphea. Molina smiled meekly, again brushing her hair out of her face, and nodded. Orphea reached around, and tried to hold as much belly as she could in her arms, before planting a long, loving kiss on Molina’s gut. She felt the constant stirring movement of Molina’s ten kids inside her, and maximized her skin contact with it. She pushed her face into the belly, and baby F pushed back with their arms.

Molina moaned and squirmed herself on the couch, her thick thighs rubbing together as she didn’t know what to do with herself. Orphea pulled her face back, “You’re a real baby factory, Molina. If you love this, I think I can learn to love it too. Maybe we should catch up, and get to know each other a bit more,” Molina nodded, biting her lip. She hadn’t had this kind of physical contact in too long, and it felt amazing.

Orphea stood up on her high heels, bringing her to a height of 5’7”, and leaned forward, planting a strong, loving kiss on Molina’s navel. She cooed and squirmed from new overstimulation, the skin on her belly so very sensitive. Orphea took a moment to empty the rest of the lotion tube onto the bottom of Molina’s belly, reaching down with her hand to rub it in, while continuing to plant kiss after kiss onto the front area of Molina’s squirming belly.

“Wait!” cried Molina. “What? Too much! Did I overstay my welcome?” asked Orphea. “No… this feels amazing… but first…” she tapped her phone screen twice. “Okay, we have an hour to fool around before dinner gets here,” she said a little breathlessly. She leaned back into the couch, closed her eyes, and beamed, “Now… where were we?”

#writing #anonymous #commissions #not bellies

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book-of-lewd · 3 years

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Ideally/if you got to choose, what cup size would each member of Team RWBY rock? Love your stuff, by the way.

Thanks for the support, I always appreciate hearing it from people! As far as cup sizes go, I think a lot of people miss the forest for the trees when they see a listed size, because there’s a fair band-wise difference within the same cup, such as between say a 28E and a 40E. But if we’re talking “ideal” then, whoa baby, that makes things easier for smut’s sake!

Ruby: F ... any girl who’s related to Yang is going to need a rocking rack, otherwise what’s the point? It probably goes against a fair number of people’s opinions, but I think she’s definitely hiding a fair amount of her ‘potential’, and so I’d put Ruby as the second-biggest bust in the team, only barely edging out Blake ... but she’s liable to go up a size or two if she’s given time to age into them~

Weiss: C or D ... someone in the team has to be the relative short straw, but I think when you look at the Schnee family line Weiss should absolutely be comparable to the button-busters that Winter and Willow have hidden under their clothes. Definitely not a flattie like I’ve seen in other headcanons, and I’d lean more towards the D-cup if not for the fact that being the physically slender and petite one is Weiss’s “thing”.

Blake: DD ... not quite as busty as Ruby, but still plenty enough to accentuate her hourglass figure and make the famous Bellabooty as pronounced as possible. When it comes to her, I think it’s all about the curves and making maximum use of them, yeah.

Yang: H, or even HH ... I mean, it says it all, doesn’t it? Massive enough to swallow up all but the most amazing and over-hung cocks between them. I think Yang’s boobs ought to be the biggest in the series as a general rule, but I’m extremely biased on that because I’ve done a lot of RPs as Yang (and I play her as 6′1″ so they have to be sized up a little to fill out her body shape).

...Oof, this is a tough one now that I think about it! Can I just phone-a-friend and point you towards some art by the amazingly wonderful NachocoBana instead? One of Ruby, one of Weiss, one of Blake, and one of Yang -- just use those as a rough, ever so slightly exaggerated guide. Look at them, they’re all so perfect for gawking and grabbing and squeezing and sucking and fucking ... yummmmm~

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border-spam · 3 years

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Maw is rlly good but I personally like the idea of Troy having his skag-mouth as a birth defect from Tyreen leeching him in the womb. Makes for more sibling/family drama, which I inhale like a gas-huffer.

I’m here for drama, yesss. Would actually love to see this idea being used! There is so much there for doing juicy shit with the twins, at the end of the day, both of the nasty little shits are abominations from a galactic power standpoint, so why not go wild with the monster aspect, eh?

My own worldbuilding brain is funky though. Part of why I enjoy doing dives into characters and lore so much, is that I love finding ways to make things make sense, and Troy existing at all in Borderlands does not make any.

So something lots of folks mentioned pre-release was that if the twins were going to be conjoined, they would have to be the same sex. It’s just not medically feasible to have xy/xx conjoined twins as they come from the same embryo split in two but not fully. The only option was they could be chimeric but that didn’t really suit what we were seeing either.

I remember that causing a wave cause holy shit, were we going to get a trans villain and could anyone trust GB to handle that without it being a trainwreck? I’m still happy they used word of god instead cause oof. I don’t want to think of how that could have gone down considering how both these characters ended up being used within the plot anyway.

That means my smooth, analytically obsessed brain has to come up with other explanations for the absolute fuckery that is the Calypso twins and how the hell they exist in the first place when they couldn’t have formed conjoined, and that’s one of the reasons I couldn’t use this kind of extra fun shit like a natural monster mouth being why it’s so heavily modded. I needed to try and fix Troy so he... made sense to me.

Bit of a medical dive into the absolute state of this man under the cut:

We end up with two fraternal twins.

Not identical in the slightest and very noticeable about that in their appearance. It’s not just the height difference, Tyreen’s undercut is dark brown, not Troy’s inky black. Their facial shapes vary massively and not just due to hormones, Ty’s eyes have a cheeky lil’ cat eye slope while Troy’s are sadder, leaning downwards at the outside curve. There’s very little to actually make them even look like siblings bar their colouration, but we still have what we know:

They were born conjoined, Troy had to be cut from Tyreen, and that’s likely why he has one arm.

Keep in mind his arm is literally never mentioned once in BL3. Not ONCE. No one ever references the twin’s childhoods bar Troy, so we actually have no idea if the arm loss is even related to being conjoined.

We just all HC’d that as a fandom with no evidence, not even a hint of information regarding this was provided and I think that’s something we forget about often enough as it’s so widely accepted Troy was born without his right arm. Actually strange to think about that, ain’t it?

But I’m rambling - so, I figured we have two fraternal twins, sharing some kind of horrific all consuming monster entity power between them. One can do fuck all bar embarrass himself and faint, and the other can’t STOP her power functioning to the point she can’t touch anything without consuming it.. so my idiot worldbuilding brain says “Hey. Well, that’s clearly what happened then. They were in the same womb, she started to consume him.” Logic.

Logic works for me, so it stuck.

Made sense that it’s how he’s a Siren at all when the entire cosmos has said Sirens are women, he’s one because the power that was consuming him filled his little body enough to see him as itself, so it stopped - leaving the developing twins joined, and half of Troy’s torso lost to Tyreen.

I can’t justify much else to my fact hungry thought processes, the skag mouth wouldn’t work for me because I can’t fit it in, him being a natural Siren doesn’t work for me cause it can’t fit either, but it does open an avenue of logic for my brain to start following down, and that’s why in Leech Lord, Troy is so desperately unwell.

Growing up barely having survived being consumed in utero is not going to go very well when you’ve no medical assistance living on a shitty little dirthole planet with your dad.

Damaged organs from The Leech feeding as he grew, out of wack hormones ravaging a body that couldn’t really regulate them correctly in puberty leading to massive growth spurts and bone structure issues, no proper nutrition, starving half the time as his size outpaced the amount of food he and Typhon could scavenge, it all comes together into a very delicate health balance.

We already know Troy is very unwell at times from what we see ingame, it made sense to me, so I ran with this line.

He’s sick when he doesn’t want to be, he’s weak when it’s an embarrassment to the character role he’s playing. He covers himself in tattoos and aggressive mods to try and combat looking delicate, so he can lie to himself that he’s not pitiful and bolster his fragile ego. The massive, hulking prosthetic is there to MAKE you look at it. A way of proving how unashamed he is of the damage to his right side, and it works.

The gullible believe, the stupid remain easy to control, and billions see him as a God, rather than the truth - that he’s a very sick, very delicate man.

A lot of what I do with Troy is there to support the underlaying character I’ve tried to write for him in some desperate attempt to try and make the bastard have some logical excuse to exist in the first place.

If I’d gone down the route of having his Maw be something that wasn’t self inflicted, I would have gone off track with the direction I was taking him in, even though I am WEAK for that kind of monster level shit.. Mmm.

I remember being asked:

Would troy have gotten the face mod if Seifa hadnt left?

#Borderlands #Borderlands 3 #Bl3 #Troy calypso #Tyreen calypso #Calypso twins #Leech Lord #Seifa #My hcs #My writing #Sbsart

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chaos-societies · 3 years

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Episode 7, The Spokes That Keep Turning

[x]

There was little light in the small entrance to a cave hundreds of miles from South Island. Chuck was crawling through the small passageway and already had stains of mud and dirt on both his clothes and his fur. He held upright a torch which limited his progress as he made his way deeper.

“You sure you didn’t want me to go first? I am a bit smaller.” A slightly high pitch voice came from behind him.

A smile arose on Chuck’s face. “Wasn’t it you who said whoever gets here first gets to go in first?”

“WaSn’T iT yOu WhO sAiD…shut up.” The girl answered back snarkily. Chuck just smiled.

He came across a small wall of rocks that seemed lose enough to dislodge. He reached his free arm as to his waist and pulled out a small hammer. He got as much leverage as he could in the tight space and began swinging at the wall. After a few hits the rocks seemed to loosen up and he kept swinging. Lo and behold, the small wall collapsed and he squeezed his way through.

He found himself in a massive cathedral. The sound of running water and the occasional drips of stalactites, giving portions of themselves to the pillars below in hopes that they would eventually meet to join the hanging columns, echoed through the chamber. He stood on a ledge and found he didn’t seem to need his torch as much as he thought as beauteous glowing crystals, larger than the tallest buildings in any village or city he had been to, were scattered all around. He didn’t dare extinguish the torch though as they had only succeeded in finding what the party of two were hoping to find. Only now would the exploring begin.

“By the lords…” He said as he gazed upon the sight.

His follower soon emerged from the tiny entrance and stood up to gaze upon the sight as well. “Whoa. It’s beautiful.” She said. The bluish tint of the natural light of the cave, coming from seemingly unnatural sources, washed away the green color of her fur. “So. I guess we found it.” Her awe was paused as she curled a smile and gave Chuck an elbow to the side. “Guess now that we found this place that means we’re forever cursed like the locals said.”

Chuck gave an ‘oof’ with the hit but had grinned at the joke anyway. “Come on, we only just found the cave. Now we got to find that crown. There may still be many curses that we have to look out for.” His partner rolled her eyes.

The two started making their way down to a ledge where there seemed to be enough footholds to climb down with relative ease. Working their way down, they appeared to be mere ants on a wall compared to the size of the vast open room.

…

[x]

“The cave was far to the northwest of the continent. It was bigger than anything I had seen or explored. I couldn’t imagine making a map of the place. I just made a crude trail on some parchment I had to make sure I got back out.” Chuck spoke to the gang as he dipped a biscuit in some black tea and took a bite. He continued. “There must have been miles of passageways, dozens of rooms and chambers that I was not able to investigate or explore. I ended up finding the crown in a crypt, deep in the cavern. I almost didn’t make it out; it was a very dangerous excursion.” His audience of the usual bunch listened intently. “Not being a greedy man, I had no means to keep the thing.” He let out a sigh and a small smile formed on his face. “Ah, I used to be quite the adventurer back in the day. I gave the crown to the archives in Westport. They have many safeguarded secrets in those archives and I still am confident in its safekeeping there.”

“Wow. Sir Charles, I didn’t know you were a treasure hunter.” Amy stated.

“I wouldn’t call myself a treasure hunter. More of a scholar. There just happens to be many scholarly relics of times of old that may be hidden about.”

“Did you go back into the cave to find anything else?” Sonic asked.

“I would have. Oh the wonders that must have been down there! When I went back, I found that a rockslide must have happened and the entrance, so small and hidden, taking me many hours of research and weeks to find, was covered up. It would take a massive crew to undergo the efforts to clear the rubble. No one other than those at the archives, and now you lot, know of what I found there and I find it best for that information to fade away.” He finished explaining.

“Do you think the other crowns were down there?” Tails asked.

“I don’t know. Possibly. But such things of great historical importance such as that are rarely in the same place. Would have made things much easier back then wouldn’t you say.” He answered with a chuckle to finish.

“So you want us to travel all the way across the continent?” Rouge asked a little unsure about the task if that be the case.

“Heavens no. At least…not quite yet. I hope things won’t come to that. But much of my research to find the crown was done in the library at Smithwick, beyond the Greater Area in the Green Hills. But that journey wouldn’t even make sense for you to go looking in old dusty books and then come back after not even knowing what to look for.” Chuck took off his glasses and looked away knowing what had to be done. “No…this next journey I may ask of you won’t be a simple errand. What I am hesitant to ask of you all, if you shall accept the task, I’m afraid may take you away from South Island for a while.”

“How long is a while?” Rouge asked.

“That depends. Weeks for sure. Maybe months.”

“How would we go about doing that?” Tails began to wonder.

“It won’t be easy. You’d have to do certain jobs here and there for tokens. Beyond Cap, I can’t guarantee a place to stay. And there will surely be many nights where you would have to set up a camp between cities in your travel.”

“You think we could take the Syphon to make things easier Tails?” Sonic turned to him to ask.

“I thought of that but it will surely need a good amount of maintenance on the way which I won’t have a means to do unless I am here usually. It can only do so much, I’d hate for us to come to an impasse and have to leave it somewhere, lose it, or it even break down where we can’t get it back up.” He explained.

“Why do we have to go out and do anything?” Rouge spoke up. “The way I see it, we had some kooks play a grotesque prank at Stark Ruins and now we’re chasing ghost stories. Do we really have to do anything?”

The room was a bit silent as Rouge had brought up a good point. There was no indication of apocalypse, there was no threat that they could tell, and other than some loose connections between pieces of mythology they had no reason to make any further action. But Chuck was smart and he wouldn’t be laying out the framework of such undertaking unless he deemed it necessary, and he definitely wouldn’t be asking them to put themselves in danger and leave South Island out of mere curiosity, despite it being embedded in the Cyan way of thinking. But there was another piece of evidence.

Chuck looked around at the lot and saw Amy shyly staring at the ground. “Amy.” He said warmly. “Do you wish to say something?”

She looked up at Chuck and knew he meant well. She could say no and that would be the end of it. But she felt something was awry. She knew answers needed to be found or else something horrible may come to pass. “I do.” She stood up to speak

“Amy?” Sonic said mostly as a reaction.

“I’ve…been having dreams lately. I know what it sounds like but. They have been…different. They aren’t some surreal haze that you forget about shortly after you wake up or even some fictional scenario or collection of events and memories. They have been clear and almost like a message. All of them foreboding.” She was timid at first but then her confidence overcame her. “They’ve been about the recent events, but because of recent events. In fact lately, they have been about recent events before they’ve transpired. Before we set off for Cap the second time, I dreamt of fire and flood devastating the land. Then we came across those runes about god and giants of fire and water in conflict. The gypsy in the street told me we were special. She knew I was having dreams and I hadn’t said a word to her at that time. I’m think something is about to happen and I think we need to act.”

The room was silent again. Finally Chuck spoke up. “Rouge, you have every right to be skeptical about this. I’m glad you are in fact. So many things can occupy your mind and if you don’t scrutinize them to really determine what they are for, you may succumb to falsehoods. Not at all am I ordering you to undertake this task, by any means. This is your choice.”

“When would you want us to leave?” Sonic asked.

“Not for a while. Before I send you off, I need to do much research and further study the Stair na Seacht to give you all the proper amount of information for your investigations and findings. That will give you time to prepare as well. Overall, so that you are not blind to my goals, I think we need to find the other crowns.”

“Do you expect me to join in on any of this?” Knuckles spoke up for the first time in this meeting.

“I’m afraid this concerns you, as well as anyone. But again, that choice is yours to make. You have your chapter of the Red Society on Angel Island to manage. I would never ask anyone to stray from their duties to their Society.” Chuck answered.

There were many wandering thoughts throughout the room. Yet none of them were spoken. “Can we have some time? Some time to think about it?” Tails asked coyly.

“Of course.” Chuck gave him a warming smile. “I am sorry to have burdened you with this request so suddenly. Go enjoy yourselves. Talk amongst yourself if you so please but rest your thoughts for now.” Slowly, they each got up and made their way out of Chuck’s hut. Once they were all gone, Chuck rubbed his eyes and placed his glasses back on his face. “Chaos have mercy.” He muttered.

…

“Up to the Green Hills. Oh I bet that’d be an awesome sight! Not to mention some great solid ground to stretch my legs. I don’t know about you all but I think I’m decided.” Sonic said enthusiastically as the group walked from Chuck’s hut.

“You won’t even need to do any convincing to give Sonic a chance for adventure.” Amy said almost in a derogatory manner if it wasn’t for the light admiration in her voice.

“Oh you know it!” Sonic responded as he pulled Amy close and gave her a kiss on the top of her head.

“I still don’t know about travelling hundreds of miles away on foot chasing fairy tales.” Rouge spoke up.

“Come on Rouge! Even if it’s for nothing, can you imagine the places and sights we’ll see? Something other than desert and this dusty old town? Don’t get me wrong, I love it here at South Island. But the world is much bigger than this corner of The Greater Area.” Sonic rebuked.

“Would you be joining us Knux if we decide to go?” Tails asked their pseudo-foreign friend.

He gave a huff and crossed his arms. “Why?”

“Why not!” Sonic answered back continuing his enthusiasm.

The echidna let out a sigh. “I have other things to worry about.”

“Oh? Like what.”

“Like my own island. Besides, you all have to learn to take care of yourselves. Can’t rely on me all the time to save your skins.”

“Oh har har har. You say that but we all know you enjoy our little scuffles, let alone our company.”

“Your company? Pfff, I need a break from your company on the regular!” He shouted back annoyed. “And IF I were to come along on your strange trek for some dead guys’ busted up crowns, I’d have to make it back to Angel Island regularly. Its trajectory goes along your path up north, depending on the time of year, and touches the Green Hills. I’d be coming and going often.”

“Sounds like you already thought it through.” Sonic said with a devilish grin. Knuckles looked over at him as Sonic gave a few raises of his eye brows which earned him a heavy shove from the Red.

The group came up to the tavern as Knuckles began to veer toward the road to the main bridge. “Well like Sir Charles said, we have some time to mull it over.” Amy stated. “Oh, are you heading out Knuckles?”

“I am. Someone’s got to make sure my goons up on Angel Island haven’t killed each other.”

“I’m sure Mighty does at good job keeping them in check.” Sonic added.

“Regardless, I’m looking forward to my own home again. I’ll see you in a few passings. Angel Island should be getting close.”

“See you around handsome.” Rouge called out to him. Knuckles threw his hand in the air in somewhat of a wave as he walked on. “I think he has the right idea though. I need my own place for a bit. I’ll see you all tomorrow.” And with that Rouge also departed the group.

…

“What do you mean, your turn? It’s MY hammock! If my ass is planted in it, it’s not leaving until I decide for it to.” Nack the weasel blurted out as he swung lazily in the breeze on a crudely made rope hammock. He flicked his wrist to ‘shoo’ off Bean, closed his eyes and went back to lounging.

“Kinda rude to make the decisions for your ass,” Bean began crawling on his hands and knees around the hammock. “I’m sure if you let it decide,” by now he was underneath Nack, “it’d want to go UP!” At that moment, Bean sprung up and sent Nack flying out of the hammock.

“Bean! I’m gonna kill you!”

Bark was sitting next to one of the trees used by the hammock, relaxing as well. Nack happen to land close to him so Bark quickly grabbed a hold of Nack’s handkerchief to hold him back from charging at Bean.

“Bark resting on bark, holding Nack back from attack!” Bean cheerfully called out as he swung his feet back and forth while sitting upright in the hammock.

Nack, now defeated as he surely wasn’t going to break free from Bark’s grip, crossed his arms to pout. “Bean, at least could you shut that beak of yours?”

“howms mhis?” He answered with a poor attempt at ventriloquism. Nack just sighed.

“Kn-Knuckles is b-b-back!” Ray came into the scene from above as he glided down to the group.

“Geez, it’s about time. The guy should just hand off the island to us with how little he seems to be up here now.” Nack commented.

Mighty strolled up. “Give him a break. He’s been alone up here for over half his life, if the guy wants to see the world and venture out a bit, he is more than deserving to do so.”

“But why the desert though? He always goes down there instead of anywhere else on the globe. He just wants to hang out in the dirt meanwhile it’s paradise up here! And let alone the treasure that’s supposedly up here.”

“Treasure you still haven’t found but are so sure is here?” Mighty taunted.

“Oh there’s treasure here. Heard it many times from people who see this hunk of land floating overhead.”

“And yet none of them have been up here?”

“Irrelevant. Every treasure hunter knows where there’s ruins there’s treasure.” Nack walked over to Bean as he was lying back in the hammock, whistling an odd tune. He flipped Bean out of the rope bed then quickly hopped back into it. “But nothing wrong with living the good life up here in the meantime.”

“Is he still talking about gold and riches?” Knuckles finally made his way up to the group. Bark just silently nodded his head. “I’ve told you, I’ve seen every inch of this island. The only treasure here is solitude and delicious fruit.”

“Maybe that’s the only treasure you care about.” Nack added.

“E-enough for me!” Ray said as he came down from a tree with a pear in his hands, taking a good sized bite from it.

“Ray, sounds like your speech is improving.” Knuckles said warmly as me moved over to another tree and gave it a hard smack with his fists earning a few fruit to fall from the tree. He tossed one to Bark, another to Mighty then took a bite of one for himself.

“I’ve b-b-been p-practicing!” The flying squirrel said excitedly.

Knuckles leaned over to Mighty and whispered. “Still no luck on jogging his memory about your village?”

“No. And at this point I’m starting to think it’s best if he doesn’t remember. He still is the same cheery optimistic guy but that event definitely traumatized him if it’s entirely blocked out from memory. It did something to him, other than give him that stutter that is. I feel for him.”

“Yeah. You’re a good guardian for him you know?”

“He’s like a little brother.” Mighty said with an endearing smile as he watched Ray devour the pear he came across.

“Heh, you two are like some others we know.”

“Sonic and Tails?”

“Yup. Speaking of them, some things went down not too long ago. They’re going to be venturing out up north at least to the Green Hills. I’ll probably be dropping down to join them quite frequently.” Knuckles explained.

“Nack has been getting a little irritant about your absence you know. It might be good to stay for a bit. The gang down there are tough cookies, I’m sure they can handle a lot of the journey themselves you know.” Mighty spoke his two cents.

“I know. But I’m thinking the crazy events that have surrounded their recent ventures are somehow connected to this place too. While I was down there, there were a lot of strange markings in some cavern north of Cap that matched some here in the ruins. Chuck called them runes and some other ancient markings that I have never seen up here before. Can’t remember the name. O-something he called them. I just…really want to know why I was alone up here and what happened to the others of my kind that used to live here.”

Mighty looked at Knuckles for a good bit and saw how him and Ray weren’t the only ones with some deep seeded issues about their past. Though his past was not a particularly great one, he at least knew his past. He decided to verbalize this to him. “I’ll support you buddy. Ray might not remember our village being ransacked, his parents being killed. But I do. It’s not comforting reflecting on it – that village took me in after I escaped that mad man’s experimentation – but I know where I came from and how I got here. I can’t imagine what it’d be like to not even know that.”

“Thanks.” Knuckles rested a hand on Mighty’s should briefly. “Oh, that reminds me. Amy was talking about some dreams she was having again. One of them mentioned a man with a manic laugh. Not going to lie, you don’t hear much about humans anymore. Not much left. But your captivity with that demented fool came to mind.” Knuckles explained.

“It would be horrifying if she’s having premonitions about the same guy. I will say…he did have a strange laugh that would haunt me for the rest of my life…”

#chaos societies #sonic au #episode 7 #the spokes that keep turning #I refuse to let this story die with all I have thought out and planned for #sonic the hedgehog #miles tails prower #rouge the bat #amy the hedgehog #knuckles the echidna #uncle chuck #mighty the armadillo #ray the flying squirrel

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diavolodigitale · 3 years

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The Hitchhiker's Guide to Andromeda Galaxy - pt.3 Havarl

Oof, the chapters are getting longer as it always happens with me. This one, I think, is significantly better than the previous ones if we don’t consider the lame beginning ahahah

Genres: comedy, romance (vaguely), friendship maybe, some philosophy? I really don’t know what to call that.

Pairing: m!Ryder/Evfra

Characters: Ryder, Evfra, Vetra, Jaal

Rating: PG

Size: around 9 pages

Pt.1 - Pt.2 - Pt.3 - Pt.4 ----- All chapters in PDF

The weather on Havarl was as foggy and gloomy as always. High humidity made it hot and stuffy, so at times Ryder found it hard to breathe, wearing his full set of armor and carrying around all the weapons. The squelching of wet leaves and grass could be heard behind him as his companions made their way forward.

“I heard that Evrfa is now on Havarl as well,” mentioned Jaal, stepping over a peculiar looking mushroom.

“I thought he never leaves his sanctuary. Hard to imagine him doing something else besides work,” commented Vetra and proceeded adjusted her rifle so that it didn’t impede her movements.

Ryder coughed a few times. They were already a few steps away from the research facilities.

“The Resistance operates on many planets. We need to control the Roekaar activity here, so regular investigations on Havarl are no exceptions,” said Jaal.

Vetra sighed.

“Isn’t it crazy how the Resistance grew?” she began somewhat excitedly. “I’ve heard rumors that it used to be just a bunch of small groups of angara fighting off kett. And now you have a complex and highly flexible organization controlling most of the galaxy!”

“Indeed,” agreed Jaal. “What Evfra did to bring them all together is unimaginable. Even if his approach and methods aren’t unanimously accepted between the angara, his achievements are irrefutable.” Jaal stopped and took a long look at the cloudy dark sky.

“You seem so fascinated by him and his work,” noted Ryder, giving Jaal a light pat on the back.

“I respect him, yes. The decisions he has to make every day are a tough burden to carry on your own,”—Jaal took a deep breath, lowered his head and continued—“although, considering he thinks of me as his best soldier, he could have bestowed upon me an unrestricted freedom of choice in any situations.”

“And a better rank?” asked Ryder, giving the angara a friendly understanding smile.

“Undoubtedly,” agreed Jaal and nodded.

Vetra checked the time on her omni-tool and looked around to make sure they arrived at the right place.

“Okay, I’ve got to leave you now. See you here exactly in three hours,” she said. “And no being late. Especially it applies to you, Ryder. Nobody will let us back on the ship without the Pathfinder,” she added strictly.

“And here I started to think that you really worry about me,” replied Ryder in a sad voice.

“My mothers always worry about you if that makes you feel better,” said Jaal in a sincere attempt to comfort him.

“Yes, Jaal, this is exactly what I needed to hear.”

Jaal headed to one of the local ships stationed on the landing area. He intended to visit his family since the vault on Havarl had just been activated, and the crew of the Tempest had some time to consider their subsequent steps in raising the viability of the planet. Besides, it was a good opportunity to just hang around and have some alone time since always being under pressure and not having enough time for themselves could lead to unwanted aftermath in terms of physical and psychological health, and nobody wanted that, especially being hundreds of years far from home.

Vetra disappeared in the dense forests, heading in the unknown direction with the unknown purpose. She refused to let the Pathfinder know about her business on the planet, but he reckoned it had something to do with illegal shipments. Nothing special, your usual smuggler stuff.

And Ryder… Well, he simply made up a reason to come. He had some data waiting to be transferred to the angaran scientist here on Havarl, but it surely wouldn’t take him three hours to do that. Usually, he tried to spend every free minute doing something productive and important, but after rescuing the whole planet it would be fair to give his team and himself a little rest. Unofficially, of course.

He decided to spend some time talking to the local researchers. The angaran history and culture was so foreign, yet seemed so captivating to him. Of course, humans already went through the phase of first contact with other races, but nobody had seemed so distant till this moment. Nothing here reminded him of familiar worlds, and it was simply riveting.

Most of the scientists were happy to share what they knew and even more happy to listen to the information he could provide them with. Despite that, some still preferred to stay away from strangers like the Pathfinder. Their distrust could easily be explained by the strong influence of the Roekaar on this planet. Being here, Ryder was content simply with the fact that nobody tried to shoot him on sight only because of him being an alien.

Having left the safety of the research station behind, he strolled into dense jungles that covered major part of the planet. He didn’t have any particular purpose in mind apart from exploring a bit while he still had the time.

Due to the abundance of wildlife, it was practically impossible to take a good look around without being in constant fear for your life, so Ryder tried to approach his expedition with caution.

“Pathfinder, I detect motion in the bushes in front of you. There appear to be two lifeforms engaged in a fight. Be vigilant,” warned him the voice in his head.

Trusting SAM unconditionally, Ryder turned on tactical vision on his helmet and indeed saw two figures, one of which looked like an angara, and the other one reminded some kind of an animal, most likely a Challyrion, judging by the silhouette. Recalling reports about unnatural mutations which animals on Havarl had undergone, Ryder took out his shotgun, ready both for fight and flight.

With a sharp motion of his hand, he removed the leaves blocking his field of vision only to see Evfra holding a giant beast by its neck. Startled by Pathfinder’s sudden appearance, he got distracted from the animal, which indeed turned out to be a Challyrion, and it managed to break free and go invisible.

“Sorry?” mumbled Ryder, still standing with his shotgun drawn out.

“Hide your weapon”—Evfra shook off bits of non-existent dust from his clothes—“or you might hurt yourself.”

Ryder removed his weapon back to the holster and took off his helmet, panting. He rubbed his forehead, trying to wipe away the sweat, but instead leaving a dark line from his dirty glove.

“What are you d—”

Evfra interrupted Ryder and made a gesture with his hand for the Pathfinder to follow him. “It is best if we don’t stand here. It may have fled now, but it will soon come back with all its pack.”

“Seems like we meet awfully often lately,” commented Ryder, following Evfra.

“Yes, unfortunately,” grunted Evfra.

“Really, what were the odds that I’d stumble upon you here when you are on another mission.”

Ryder tried to keep up with Evfra’s pace, even though it was quite challenging for him. The heat made it hard to breathe and the fact that he didn’t know the surroundings didn’t help either. The Resistance leader, it seemed, knew every tree and every winding of the path, while Ryder stumbled and bumped into everything.

“Actually, it is my day off,” stated Evfra indifferently.

“Visiting your family?”

“I have no family to visit,” without hesitation said the angara with voice still clear and unshaken.

“Oh… I didn’t… I mean, Jaal came here to see his family, so I just assumed…” Ryder apologetically lowered his head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.” He cleared his throat.

“You didn’t kidnap them, so you have nothing to be sorry for.”

“Did kett do it?” asked Ryder carefully.

“There was nobody else to do it. Angara are in no habit of harming their own kind.”

“Is that why you decided to join the Resistance?” asked Ryder. Actually, this particular question was something that had interested him for a long time.

“That is why I decided to lead it,” answered Evfra, without giving it a second thought.

“Seems like we have something in common.”

Evfra hemmed. He could not see a single thing they had in common.

“Don’t be so skeptical,” said Ryder, noticing his reaction. “I lost my mom 600 years ago and my dad… Let’s just say, he was supposed to be the Pathfinder, not me.”

“Jaal mentioned you have a sister.” Evfra began walking more slowly, trying to adjust to Ryder’s speed.

“Yeah,” simply replied Ryder.

“And where is she know?” continued Evfra, sensing something must be wrong with this topic.

“Lying in the cryo pod on the Nexus, waiting until I find at least one place appropriate for a new beginning of a human race.” Ryder stopped in front of a massive tree with long crooked branches. He took off his glove to feel its gnarled desiccated texture. “You know, being in a coma, she now talks even less than you. Really doesn’t provide much moral support, huh?”

Evfra watched the Pathfinder stand before the tree, illuminated by the bluish light emitted by plants endemic to this planet. The facial expression the Pathfinder had reminded him of that one James showed on Kadara when hearing his careless remark about other human Pathfinders.

Unlike humans, angara not only expressed their emotions freely, but were also able to sense true feelings of others, even in spite of poor manifestation. Evfra mostly expressed anger, impatience and persistence, but that didn’t mean he didn’t know the other ones.

Misery, despair, grief. He had seen it all long before.

Not being a master of leading fruitful conversations, he tried to change the topic as best as he could.

“Was it beautiful on Earth?” he asked, seemingly genuinely interested.

Ryder made an effort to pull himself together, put on the glove, and turned his reddened face to Evfra.

“It was. No matter where you went, all places were different. It took years to discover all things that inhabited it and to understand their purpose. I cannot really do justice describing life on Earth, because it is impossible to turn into words.”

“It is hard to believe such a place existed.”

“I hope it still does,” said Ryder, and a faint smile appeared on his face. “Being here, sometimes I like to imagine returning to Earth and seeing how everything has changed.”

“You have already been to some “golden worlds”, as you call them, in our cluster. Did you like any of them?”

“Well, most of them don’t look the way we expected…”—Ryder rubbed his nose clumsily and gave Evfra another barely noticeable smile—“but even if we imagine that they are habitable… I don’t know. I just don’t think I’ll ever see the place that’s able to make me feel the same way Earth did.”

“Really?”—some kind of playful air appeared around Evfra; Ryder had never seen him like that before—“Follow me then.”

James didn’t understand the sudden change, but decided to give in to this strange challenge. He followed Evfra closely, carefully stepping over weird plants and avoiding curious insects hitting him right into his face after approaching way too close. This time the tempo of their walk wasn’t as fast, so it was easier for him to follow.

They didn’t say a word, but this silence was not at all burdening. Ryder listened to how the wilderness sounded, observed how the Havarl jungles lived and transformed in real time. They didn’t look like anything he had ever seen before yet felt so intimate and not at all threatening, even though they should have.

Ryder was thinking about how he could prolong this moment and never come back to the Tempest, when they approached an enormous dark wall. It was part of the remnant construction, the likes of which were scattered all around the planet. The cracks in it were glowing with blue and turquoise light, adding to the gleam created by fluorescent plants and fungi.

“Ready for a quick climb?” asked Evfra the dumbfounded Pathfinder.

“Only if there’s a safe way down,” said Ryder, although intending to climb up there anyway. It wasn’t every day that he got the opportunity to experience something Evfra willingly wanted to share.

Evfra started ascending first, showing where it was better to put a foot or a hand. Ryder watched attentively and repeated every step.

The remnant constructs were as solid and firm as they could be, so there was almost no chance something would collapse under him. Getting used to the overall rhythm of their movements, he began finding his own way up, climbing differently from Evfra.

Repetitive actions made him dive deep into his thoughts about the remnants and the role they played in the survival of this planet. He couldn’t grasp even the smallest impact they really had on the history and development of life here, and it scared him. Facing such a strong and incomprehensible force made him doubt his most significant success as well as the future of his endeavors.

Engulfed into his reflections, Ryder didn’t notice one piece of the construct that was about to fall out and grabbed it. His hand slipped, weighed down by the piece now detached from the wall.

As soon as Evfra heard rustling and swarming under him, he looked down only to see Ryder pathetically hanging on one hand.

“There is no rest beside you,” he sighed and lowered himself to grab Ryder by his loose arm and pull him up.

“Thanks,” mumbled the Pathfinder ablush. It really bugged him that whatever he did in front of Evfra led to him embarrassing himself.

“We are not far, hold on for a little longer.” Evfra’s voice almost sounded comforting and Ryder though that it was unusual for him to be like that.

After a few more minutes of climbing, they finally reached the top of the construct. Evfra made it up first and offered the Pathfinder his hand once again. Ryder did not attempt to refuse.

“If you wanted to show me the view from above, we could have just used the Mithrava Ascent,” stated Ryder, overcoming the last obstacle while tightly gripping Evfra’s hand. Having to experience such a treacherous way up, he now wanted to complain a bit to feel better.

“It is not quite the same. The fog at Mithrava makes it hard to see the real picture. Here the horizon is clear and… there is not a single soul.”

Red and inhaling jerkily, Ryder got down on his knees to give some rest to his tired limbs and to catch his breath.

“Take a look,” said Evfra, taking a seat beside Ryder.

James gazed up slowly and got lost in the open skies. He saw hundreds of stars gleaming through semi-transparent clouds and a huge red Gas Giant taking up a great part of the horizon. It seemed like beyond those starts and clouds he could see other clusters, other galaxies yet unnamed and undiscovered. Beneath the skies lied a sea of trees, living and breathing, the leaves of which whispered in the wind. Dark and bottomless, it reflected the lights of the stars in the glistening surface of plants. From the height he was on, they reminded James of fireflies.

A strong blow of wind cooled his heated face and made a mess of his short hair. He inhaled calmly, taking his time to fill the lungs with fresh night air, and exhaled. Now there was no place in his mind for the Tempest, for colonies, outposts, and diplomatic fuss. No place for exiles, kett, and all the people they have lost.

“Here you can pray to your gods. Even if they stayed in your homeworld, they will still hearken,” uttered Evfra under his breath.

James looked at the other remnant constructs and monoliths towering in the distance. He did not know whom to pray. Everything here was created by someone, but he was alien to this place. For him, there were no gods and no masters, only a vague purpose ahead, unshaped and remote. Far from home, he did not know what destiny awaited his people, but even though he would constantly carry the responsibility for his whole species, now it did not seem that arduous. Now it became an opportunity to outline his own future, intertwined with his people and many others who depended on him.

“Is it close to how good you’ve felt on Earth?” asked Evfra, his voice still low and quiet.

“Not even remotely,” said Ryder, smiling to himself. “It is much, much better.”

He didn’t know for how long they continued to sit there. Frankly speaking, he did not care. He felt like being there at that moment was much more decisive than fighting off hordes of enemies or planning the next offensive.

When they finally got down, the dreary overgrown forests of Havarl met them with the same apathetic attitude. Nothing altered down here, all the changes remained at the top of the construct and in Ryder’s mind.

The leader of the Resistance and the Pathfinder exchanged a few words on their way back to the research station, but overall didn’t talk much. Ryder seemed more composed and reserved than ever.

Being about fifty meters away from the place Ryder was supposed to meet his teammates at, Evfra looked at him one last time and said, “We are quite similar after all, Ryder,” before going his own way.

“I already told you, my name is—”

“I remember, no need to repeat,” he threw negligently over his shoulder without turning around.

The Pathfinder quickly reached the point of destination and was greeted by peacefully snoring Jaal, who leaned on a nearby wall, and nervous Vetra frantically walking back and forth.

“What. The hell. Is wrong with you?!” she yelled, approaching him and furiously waving her hand. “Three hours! We had to meet in three hours! Not six! That’s twice as much, Ryder, twice!”

Jaal suddenly woke up because of Vetra’s wailing and rubbed his eyes.

“Oh, Ryder, finally. Vetra already wanted to go look for you, but I assured her that if you’re lost in the Havarl jungle, there’s nothing she can do about it.”

Being in high spirits, Ryder laughed off all the questions and inquiries and headed in the direction of the Tempest.

“Come on, guys, let’s get going,” he appealed to his crewmembers. “The next time we’re in Vortex, drinks are on me.”

“You are just unbearable, do you know that?” asked Vetra. She was still annoyed no matter what he said in his defense.

“Yeah, I’ve heard that a few times.”

“Ask Peebee to go with you when you plan on disappearing for a few hours, she definitely won’t worry about you being eaten by a giant Eiroch or kidnapped by the Roekaar. I am sick and tired, so don’t you even come crawling…”

#Mass Effect #Mass Effect Andromeda #Andromeda #Fiction #Fanfiction #Ryder #Evfra #Ryder/Evfra #Ryder x Evfra #Vetra #Jaal #HGTAG

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sunshine-shitposts · 3 years

Text

Here I am, after more than a week! 👀 whups～

(Part 1)

tw: mentions of past spousal abuse

Dust in the Wind—Part 2

Ignoring the lack of windows to the outside, it looked like a normal living room. There was a sitting area, with a large, low coffee table surrounded by a spacious L-shaped sectional on one side and two matching arm chairs on the other. It was minimally decorated, though signs of occupancy existed—scatterings of books on the coffee table with papers and notes, a few pairs of Sunnie-sized shoes next to the entrance, a sticky note on the mirror next to the door ("don't stare at yourself TOO much" it said, in rather messy handwriting), and some blankets bunched up here and there. A quiet yet efficient ceiling fan moved air slowly through the underground room, the hardwood floor was dark in color, and a large area rug made the sitting area comfortable, but other than that, it was relatively plain.

The second Sunnie opened the door and walked through, however, Jotaro heard a voice he had planned on never hearing again.

"My darling Sunshine, you've returned to me!" Came a deep exclamation from beyond a corner as a muscular blonde man emerged and rushed over.

"Oh my fucking god-OOF–" was the only thing Sunnie could get out before she was swept up in Dio's arms, her backpack jingling and feet dangling uselessly as he twirled her around. "Put me down, asshole!! We have company!"

"Can you blame me, dearest? I haven't seen you in several days, and it gets oh so terribly lonely down here," the blonde man chuckled, still holding her tight.

"Catherine talks to you daily!! You're fine!!" She complained, wiggling in his unrelenting grasp.

At the mention of her name, the COO huffed a sigh and shut the door behind her.

"Oh, my sweet, she's delightful company, but she's not you," the man cooed, taking and squishing Sunnie's cheeks in his talons adoringly.

Jotaro's jaw and fists clenched so hard they hurt, and Mrs. Gupta put her hand on his shoulder to try to steady him, but Star Platinum had already leapt out, ready to fight.

"Ora!" The Stand shouted, the roar-like battlecry causing Dio to stop twirling Sunnie around and look at the Joestar, expression nearly catlike in its smugness. Sunnie caught her first glimpse of Jotaro's Stand and her eyes widened almost comically.

"Oooooh… big boy…" she whispered in awe.

"You must be this dimension's Jotaro," Dio hummed, amber eyes surveying both the Joestar and his Stand, "Where I come from, your Star Platinum is green."

"Bastard," Jotaro hissed.

"You're not wrong," the man smirked as he set Sunnie down, playfully removing her hat–which he tossed off somewhere–and ruffling her hair as she slid her backpack off and chucked it on the L-shaped portion of the large sectional sofa.

"How the hell did you get here," Jotaro growled, eyes burning with wrath as his entire body tensed, "I killed you."

"Ah, see, there's your problem," Dio grinned, wagging a sharply-manicured claw, "You killed a me. Not me-me."

In an instant, Jotaro's hand was inches from Dio's neck, and a glimmering turquoise and silver hand separated them, slightly tapered fingers spread as if to catch something as the wing shape on the wrist flared wildly.

Jotaro looked to the side to see Dust in the Wind staring at him with narrowed yellow eyes, the sound of distant windchimes clinking as it focused on him with a sharpness that was strange from a relatively featureless face. Sunnie was standing in between the two taller men, green eyes seemingly on fire as they caught his own.

"I will do it, Jotaro," she said, voice low and monotone as she stared at him, unblinking, with an intensity he didn't expect from her. With all the friendliness and casual demeanor he'd seen from her in the short time they'd known each other, this piercingly focused glare was downright out of character, "This is my job."

Jotaro looked back up and saw Dio staring down at Sunnie with a strange look in his eyes, his lips pulled back in a nearly manic grin. It seemed like sheer delight.

"Jotaro, relax," Mrs. Gupta huffed, unphased by the possible violence brewing in front of her as she sat down in a wingback chair opposite a main sofa, "Please, I've had enough headaches dealing with the board today." When there was no movement between the others in the room, she patted her thigh sharply. "Sunnie, call Windy off."

She hesitated, but Dust in the Wind shrank back into Sunnie, glaring at Jotaro the entire time.

"Thank you, Sunnie," Mrs. Gupta said softly, which made Jotaro's brows furrow in realization. He turned, taking his attention off of Dio and turning it to the COO instead.

"You have a Stand as well," he stated, voice soft, and she nodded.

"That I do," she responded, and a massive, lithe, dark, armor-clad figure flashed behind her for a split second, plate armor shining iridescent like the wings of a grackle for the briefest of moments. Jotaro caught a glimpse of a long neck and a helmeted face, veiled on the sides by a long flowing cloth, before the Stand disappeared, "But that is neither here nor there. Dio is not under any circumstances going to hurt you or your family. Should he try, he will be summarily turned into dust."

"You speak of my possible demise so inelegantly, Catherine," Dio sighed, pulling Sunnie gingerly down on the sofa close to him as she made a strange squawking noise in surprise, "It's kind of depressing."

"It is what it is," she replied, leveling him with a bored look.

Jotaro never thought he'd see it, but Dio pouted. It didn't look right to him. It made him uncomfortable to see that monster acting so normal. "So. My question stands," Jotaro demanded, voice sharp. Mrs. Gupta shifted, giving him a tired glance.

"About half a year ago, we received communication from a Speedwagon office near a dig site in northern Norway that a man claiming to be Dio had appeared and wanted to strike a deal with the Foundation. He made his way, in secured vehicles and with appropriate escort, here, to Dallas, where we had an appropriate facility to house him as we ascertained his goal," the COO said, voice level and nearly clinical as she recounted the events, "Once he was deemed a relative non-threat, we began negotiations and arrived at an appropriate arrangement."

Jotaro's eyes immediately locked onto her. "Arrangement?" he practically hissed.

"He offered his body and service in exchange for a safe haven," Mrs. Gupta stated, not even phased by the anger rolling off the Joestar.

"Why the hell did the Foundation agree?" Jotaro growled, "What the fuck could this asshole have that anyone needs?"

"Are you kidding??" Sunnie suddenly yelped, eyes going wide as she leaned forward on the sofa, her demeanor completely changing, "There's so much we can learn from him! His regenerative capabilities in particular are fascinating, so much faster than in other creatures, like planarians!! The scientific applications are not only wide-reaching, but could help so many people in the future. Severed limbs, damaged organs, you name it. Like, holy shit, there's so much potential to help people in his big stupid body!!" Dio chuckled as Sunnie had gotten increasingly animated, green eyes sparkling as she whacked his arm three times to emphasize the 'big stupid body' bit.

"I have a relative who can heal people," Jotaro snapped, "Why not study him?"

"It's not the same and you know it," Sunnie shot back, "Stand abilities can't be bottled and sold as medicine or gene therapies; at least, none we've seen. Not like this. Dio's abilities are entirely biological. When he used the mask on himself, it altered his body. Probably rewrote large swaths of genetic code. These are advances we can actually implement, Jotaro. Don't let your previous experiences cloud your vision."

"And why are you here?" Jotaro asked, glaring at her, "From what I can tell, you were a mere civilian until recently. How much do you know about the mask, or my family's past?"

The second the full weight of his simmering rage seemed to settle with her, Sunnie's eyes widened and her fists tightened. She clammed up, shaking slightly. Dio looked at her and immediately snaked his hand into her hair, rubbing a thumb against her scalp.

"I personally requested her as my companion," he said, voice low, before looking back at Jotaro, "The circumstances were discussed with her and she accepted, knowing full well what she was getting into."

"And, like… I know the basics of what happened. What you went through to save your mom," Sunnie's eyes caught Jotaro's, her gaze sincere, "I'd destroy the world to keep my mom safe. I get it. But him?" She pointed at Dio, "He's not the same one you fought. That man is dead. So your beef isn't with this one."

Mrs. Gupta leaned against one side of her chair. "If it makes you feel any better, Jotaro, we have… ways of determining points of origin. You'd have to ask Ellison about it, but while most of Dio's markers do line up with ours, there are a few that are different enough to prove that he didn't come from here."

"Besides, you can't feel it, can you?" Dio grinned.

"Feel what?" Jotaro snarled, turning his attention to the vampire.

"The inherent connection that we who bear the birthmark have. The connection that I should have to you, and any other members of the Joestar family," he gestured with an elegantly clawed finger to the man in front of him, "because I am in possession of Jonathan Joestar's body."

Jotaro's gaze narrowed.

"I may still be Dio," the vampire continued, crossing one leg over the other, "but I am not your Dio. And there is enough of a difference between us for the bloodline connection to not be there at all. You didn't even notice when I came to this world, did you?"

Jotaro hated to admit that Dio had a point. He had no idea until he was contacted by the Foundation. There had been no indication whatsoever.

Having not received an answer, Dio smirked. "That's what I thought," his eyes narrowed as well, glinting unnaturally as he seemingly read Jotaro's mind, "You truly had no idea."

"Don't gloat, asshole," Sunnie grunted, punching Dio lightly with a small fist, "He gets it."

There was a quiet in the room as Jotaro took everything in. Of course the Foundation would have ways to figure out dimensional points of origin or whatever the hell it was… And this Dio did seem slightly different. Jotaro didn't spend that much time with the one he killed, but he had a feeling that that Dio wouldn't be tolerating Sunnie's casual demeanor towards him. Jotaro sat in the chair next to Mrs. Gupta's, sighing quietly as he mulled over the facts.

"Now, my dear," Dio said out of nowhere, turning to Sunnie, "Let me see them. Are they any better?"

Sunnie stiffened, shrinking inward. "Dio, not now. We have a guest here," she muttered, eyes darting to Jotaro for a split second.

"Come on. Show me," the vampire goaded as Mrs. Gupta sat forward in her seat, an arm propping itself on her leg so she could lean her chin on her hand.

"I'd like to see how they're doing as well, Sunnie," she said, "I have more work to attend to soon, so now is as good a time as any."

"Ugh, fine," Sunnie sighed dramatically, reaching her arms out as one hand reached over to the base of one sleeve. She slowly slid it upwards, revealing lightly freckled pale skin dotted with ugly yellowing bruises in various sizes. She then raised the other sleeve, showing the same there. Jotaro immediately gripped the arm of the chair hard enough to crunch it slightly.

"What the fuck did you do, Dio??"

"No, no, you got it wrong," Sunnie said quickly as Dio's clawed hands ran over her skin, his sharp brows furrowed. "He didn't… these aren't from him."

There was a tense silence as Dio inspected the injuries, and Mrs. Gupta looked at Jotaro with cold steel in her dark eyes.

"Her husband," she whispered, unable to conceal the disgust in her voice.

Oh.

…Oh.

"You know I can heal these, Sunshine," Dio murmured, "I healed Enrico, I can heal you–"

"The lawyer said we need to document how long it takes for them to heal," Catherine said sternly, "It would be suspicious if they suddenly vanished."

"How are the ones on your back? Your legs?" Dio pressed.

She had them there, too? Jotaro's brows drew down over his eyes. No wonder she was wearing long clothes in the Texan heat. He had no idea this entire time, from the moment he saw her in Dallas til the moment that Dio had brought it up, that she was walking around with all of that on her body.

"I mean, still there? It'll take time," she grunted.

"May I see, darling?"

Sunnie scoffed. "I'm not taking my shorts and leggings off, asshole."

"Just the back, then?"

Sunnie heaved another sigh, and Jotaro heard her suck in a breath as she fully shrugged off her cardigan, revealing more skin covered in bruises and a few still-healing cuts on her upper left arm, splotches of reddish yellow littered around the slashed skin. She turned to face away from Dio and he slid the back of her loose sleeveless shirt up.

"Your hand is fucking cold," she said loudly, yelling the last word, but he just clicked his tongue.

"I still think you should have killed him," Dio growled, not paying any mind to her complaint. A snarl, one that Jotaro remembered from a long while ago, lifted the man's lip and he saw a glint of pronounced fang. "It would have been easy for you. Suffocate him, steal his breath, no one would know."

"You know I don't do that. I don't use Windy against people who can't defend themselves," the woman said quietly, but loud enough for Jotaro to hear.

"Even if she did, she'd have to have lived with that for the rest of her life," Mrs. Gupta added, leaning back against one arm of her chair, "She wasn't—isn't—in a mental state for that."

"She could have at least defended herself," Dio responded, the hard anger in his golden eyes fading to a strangely soft concern. It didn't look right on the man. This didn't seem like the Dio Jotaro had killed. The vampire's large, pale hand ran up the apparently very much injured expanse of Sunnie's back, causing her to hiss a little. "You didn't need to endure so much pain."

Jotaro never thought he'd agree with Dio. Dio was evil. Dio was a curse on his family. Dio tried to have him and his friends killed. Dio was a monster.

But seeing these bruises, some still dotted with purples and sickly reds, he couldn't help but agree.

Dio was right.

"I couldn't do that, Dio," she whispered, "He said I deserved it."

Jotaro felt his heart clench. She sounded broken. She had been so calm and composed and casual in all the short time that he'd known her. He'd seen her relative physical strength when she had lifted her mother's heavy school supplies with ease. She was a sturdy woman, and her smile seemed so natural, her laughter so easy.

But there she was: drawn in on herself, battered, and so, so small.

"And he was wrong," Catherine stood from her seat and walked to Sunnie's side, crouching down in front of her spot on the sofa and delicately placing a hand on her knee to comfort her. "And we'll keep drilling that into your head as much as you need, alright?"

Dio moved the hand on her back to her side, sliding up the shirt there, revealing a large, sharp splotched line that wrapped around her waist, like she had been thrown onto or pressed against a sharp-edged corner. Jotaro, at this point, had to duck his gaze behind the brim of his hat. That was too much for him, for some reason. It felt like he was invading her privacy, though she was being rather casual about her skin being on display.

"So, all of that…?" Jotaro muttered, not wanting to meet her eyes.

"Yeah," Sunnie said, glancing at him, "This is from… that asshole." She paused, before gesturing with her head towards Dio, "Not this asshole, though."

"How sweet of you," Dio chuckled, lowering the shirt and giving her good shoulder a soft pat. She quickly pulled the cardigan back on, drawing her legs toward her chest and averting her eyes.

"The Foundation is providing her with legal counsel and a therapist," Catherine said plainly, standing back to her full height and walking to the raised arm of the sofa, leaning against it, "As well as medical assistance when necessary. We're making sure she's well taken care of here."

"…And 'well taken care of' means she stays down here with him?" Jotaro asked, shooting an acidic glance towards Dio.

And Dio reacted with his first open display of displeasure with the Joestar: another snarl, and an incredibly insulted expression. "There is no safer place on this planet for her to be than with me," he growled, "On the off chance that the piece of shit decides to seek out and associate with unsavory types with Stand abilities to track her down, I am the best equipped to protect her."

"And why would I believe anything you say?" Jotaro stood suddenly, advancing on Dio.

To Jotaro's surprise, when Dio stood, he stepped in front of the woman on the sofa, as if he was trying to protect her. "You act like you know me, Jojo. Let me assure you that you don't."

"Alllllright, that's enough!" Sunnie exclaimed, jumping up and standing on the sofa, still not as tall as either Jotaro or Dio, "I'm done with the bullshit!!!! You!!!!" She pointed at Jotaro, "Getting angry at the situation changes nothing. Deal with it. And you!!!!" She smacked the back of Dio's head, "Quit being a shitgibbon. Calm down." She reached out and bunched the stretchy fabric of his skin-tight top in her small fist, and softly added, "...Please."

Dio looked back at her and once again, something about him seemed to soften.

"Of course, Sunshine," he said, his voice low and strangely kind as he sat back down on the sofa with her.

"Just tell me one thing," Jotaro said, voice level and low. Dio's amber eyes settled on him in a calculating gaze that would unnerve most people as Jotaro tried to find the right words. "The… me from where you're from. What happened to his mother?"

They stared at each other for what seemed like forever, both of their faces unreadable, before Dio spoke. "…After I managed to escape the fight in Cairo, he received news of his mother's death."

The clenching of Jotaro's fist was audible in the otherwise nearly dead-quiet room.

"I spent years on the run from the remaining Joestar group, those they added to their ranks, and the Foundation," Dio continued, "All I wanted to do was survive. Jotaro did not make it easy."

"Good," was all Jotaro could say, feeling a roiling mix of emotions in his chest. He stood, looking at Mrs. Gupta. "I'm done here."

"Alright then," she said, standing as well, "Sunnie?" The woman stared at her boss, eyes wide and blinking. "See us out?"

Sunnie nodded and got off the sofa, wincing as she flexed and stretched a little bit. Dio pouted again, tapping her calf with his foot, and she huffed. "I won't be long, dude. Chill."

Seemingly pleased with her answer, the man grinned smugly to himself before picking a book up off the table and settling against the arm of the sofa, flipping to some page midway through. He did, however, spare one last wary glance at Jotaro, who could have sworn he saw Dio's eyes flash a very vivid and untrusting crimson for a split second before he left the room with the two women.

"Sunnie," Jotaro said as soon as he was sure the door was fully closed, eyes and voice soft, "I need you to be wary around him."

"Yeah, I know," she laughed, but Jotaro shook his head firmly.

"I don't know if you understand, though," the Joestar muttered, "He has a way of… his words alone can sway a heart. He can capture minds and twist them."

Her wide grin dropped, and she gave him a strangely stoic and bitter look. "...Yeah. Trust me, I get it."

Mrs. Gupta placed her hand, long and elegant, on Sunnie's right shoulder, and she pulled her close in a light side hug. Jotaro sighed quietly—he couldn't imagine what Sunnie had been through, nor for how long, but figured that she, with the Foundation at her back, could handle herself.

"Sunnie?" The COO asked softly, offering her hand to the short woman. Sunnie quickly pulled out a pen from her pocket and began writing something on the lighter skin of Mrs. Gupta's palm, glancing at Jotaro a couple of times. Confused, but not wanting to intrude, Jotaro waited. When Sunnie was done, Mrs. Gupta looked at her hand and stifled a laugh, and Sunnie sent a mischievous little smirk Jotaro's way.

"Be seeing you, Jotaro," she said. He nodded to her, following Mrs. Gupta out of the first set of sliding doors. When the doors closed, she let out another little laugh.

"Sometimes she writes things on my hand that she doesn't want to say out loud, like if she wants a certain kind of food or another blanket," she said, showing him her palm.

It was a caricature of Jotaro's face, glowering, with the words 'grumpy mcgrumperson' underneath.

Well. Hm.

"She hid it well, didn't she?" Mrs. Gupta asked as soon as the second sliding door closed, voice light and strangely conversational, "All that pain she's in—mentally and physically."

"Too well," Jotaro muttered, and Mrs. Gupta nodded, sighing.

"We actually wouldn't have known about it if Dio hadn't smelled the blood from her shoulder, you know." Jotaro looked at her confusedly, and she continued, "She was hoping she'd just hide from her husband by sleeping in her car, but Dio insisted that she stay with him here. Now she splits time between the Foundation and her parents' house."

"And you just let that happen?"

They arrived in front of the elevator at the end of the hall, and Mrs. Gupta held her hand up to the scanner. When it beeped in acceptance, she pressed a couple of buttons and they waited for the door to open. "I understand that you don't trust him, as you've made so abundantly clear. But I have a reason for giving the go ahead for this. You're going to have to trust us."

The elevator opened and she stepped inside, Jotaro following before the door shut once more.

"...How are you sure that he's going to keep his word?"Jotaro asked, and Mrs. Gupta glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes for a moment before looking back ahead of them.

"Before I became COO, I worked in… outreach," she said, "I was tasked with finding other Stand users, both natural and unnatural. I've met quite a few people and… others with useful abilities that way."

Jotaro's eyes narrowed. "Is that how you rose in the ranks so quickly?"

She crossed her arms, a small but sly smile on her full lips. "I have goals, Dr. Kujo. I would be a fool if I didn't take the opportunity to use the resources available to me to achieve them. I'm sure you understand." The elevator door opened to a short hallway with softly glowing wall sconces, and she stepped out, motioning for him to follow. "Now, we can discuss more in my office. Come."

Jotaro felt himself deflate slightly—he was getting tired, his limit for dealing with people nearly reached for the day, but he did want to speak with her for a while without Dio around. So he followed, and shut the door behind himself.

To Be Continued...

#SunnieD #sunnie writes #hopefully the next part is up tomorrow or yhe next day 😌

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twisted-nox-sidus · 4 years

Note

Hello there, I’ve just read your headcannon of Strix trolling the Octavinelle trio. LOL. Thank you for the laughs. Since April fool’s day is coming. If you have the time, can you do a scenario where Strix trolls the other dorms with the help of her dream eaters. If you can include Malleus, it’s okay. If not, I understand. Thank you and stay safe.

Anon continued: Hi there, during my previous post, I was asking whether or not Malleus would join Strix’s trolling in trolling the other dorms since April Fools is coming. Oh! I almost forgot, can Grim and Lilia join with Strix in trolling. Thank you and have a good day or night.

Oof, doing six other dorms is a lot in one post, so I’ll keep things condensed, hence the headcanon format (sorry if you really wanted a scenario version!). I see Malleus and Lilia as types to watch for entertainment than directly take part in it. Strix left Grim out of her plans since he himself is chaotic already. It was time for her to assume the lead and let it out, at least for the day.

It’s come to my attention that I like doing headcanons of Strix and her dream eaters, so I plan on doing more headcanons/scenarios involving the pesky but cute spirits. They don’t stop here so look forward to it! Happy April Fool’s~

Heartslabyul

Heartslabyul could handle strange things more so than any other dorms. Just not anything against the crimson tyrant’s 810 rules.

“WHO PAINTED THE ROSE MAZE BLUE?!!!”

Riddle’s face fumes as red as his hair. Not a single trace of red is found! There was only blue as far as the eye can see.

Deuce, Trey, and Cater were rendered speechless by the sight. Just...wow. They’re not even dreading the culprit’s fate at Riddle’s mercy; instead they’re impressed with the feat. Such commitment!

Meanwhile Ace was resisting from bursting in a fit of laughter. That madwoman actually did it! She even casually remarked about doing such a feat but no one had paid her words seriously. Bravo! Bra-freaking-vo!

Ah, speaking of...

“You have a lot of nerve showing your face, Strix! You must be begging for your head to roll! This is defying the Queen of Hearts herself! Repaint every single rose -by yourself- until all is red!”

“Sheesh, let’s not get a rage stroke. You’re still so young...” Strix nonchalantly yawns. “I wanted to surprise you so I spent the whole night painting every rose blue. Of course, I had a helping hand with me.”

She vaguely gestured to the dream spirit hiding behind her leg. Me Me Bunny’s ears act as another pair of hands, and this cutie is quite dextrous; it also knows “bun fu”.

“Oh you surprised me all right. [Surprise] is only an understatement!”

A sigh. “You don’t get it, Riddle. Think of it this way. Blue makes the red stand out. Then the only red rose we’ll see...is you, my queen.”

She leans forward to slip a strand of Riddle’s velvet red locks between her fingers and graze her lips on them. Her half-lidded bright blue eyes gaze into his steel gray pair. Perhaps she was still under the drowsy spell to comprehend what she was doing, though a part of her was knowingly teasing.

Riddle stared wide-eyed. His cheeks flushed in a different meaning this time.

She pulls back to give space and turns the other way.

“Plus, contrary to your words, I think you actually like my surprise. It’s certainly not boring. And it’ll only be for today.”

Strix flashed a lazy grin his way.

“Happy April Fool’s~”

Savanaclaw

Strix’s dream eaters are quirky, adorable, and colorful spirits. Jack often questions their capabilities. What can little prey do to the brawny hotheads of Savanaclaw?

A lot.

One day Strix was on patrol. Jack had been keeping an eye as she works part-time as the “cleaner” of Savanaclaw. Just how much power can she draw from these familiars? It was a test for Strix to see if she can meet the standards of a respectable magician in this academy.

Meanwhile Ruggie anticipates something interesting will happen. Strix’s dream eaters are an enigmatic force to reckon with. He himself certainly doesn’t plan on confronting them since that’s not what he signed up for as vice dorm leader.

The hyena snickered his trademark laugh. What mayhem will the prefect student do?

Strix had to break up a fight for the nth time this week. Things happened, and one of the students said something that forced Strix to deal her hand.

Instead of commanding her eagle and hawk to attack, she summoned a single chubby cat/dog hybrid with stubby legs. It doesn’t look like a clever beast.

Aww, look at it roll around and paw at air for affection while its pink tongue stuck out. They’re going to die of cuteness.

Strix blankly stared ahead. “Meow Wow... Balloon.”

Said spirit stood on all four legs and stopped wagging. Every onlooker watched as it inflated in size. It continued to grow and grow until no one could see the light of day. It was then everyone thought it’d be wise to run from immediate vicinity.

However it was too late when Meow Wow deflated in puffy smoke and sparkles, drowning its victims along with the plume of clouds.

Jack and Ruggie watched from a platform above where they could see the area in action.

“Magic familiar tamers have unique strengths...” Was what Jack concluded. A hawk and eagle’s cries pierce the sky.

Ruggie rubbed the back of his head. “Let’s be real; in this world, birds are a real hassle. As long as you don’t make an enemy of them...”

Strix was already gone by the time Meow Wow inflated. Her eagle dream spirit now willingly massive in size acted as her glider and transporter. Strix’s body dangled as she clung tightly to her Eaglider’s talons until it settled her on the balcony of a dorm room. Eaglider flew to patrol elsewhere alongside Halbird, the hawk dream eater.

Sitting on a chair was Leona playing with a chess piece in his hand. A chessboard was already set up on the table, the black side facing him.

“Enjoying your job, aren’t you.”

Strix allowed a sheepish smirk. She’s not exactly proud to engage in cleaning up people’s messes, but there’s the thrill she finds in it. “To be honest, yeah. I think I might be a sadist at this point...” She mumbled under her breath and continued, “Sorry for the wait. Let’s start.”

Scarabia

“Jamil, a rainbow fish is swimming through the skies!”

“Nonsense. There are no aquatic animals in Scarabia. You probably just saw a magic carpet.”

“Then how come no one told me magic carpets can shoot lasers??”

Before Jamil can decipher whatever the hell Kalim meant by that, the sapphire blue skies turned murky. No, that wasn’t the work of clouds.

To everyone’s bewilderment, they bared witness to a school of colorful fish roaming freely through the air and above the whole dormitory aimlessly.

Lasers shoot from their mouths and make contact with the other to cause sparks to erupt in colorful fireworks. So that’s the laser part...

Kalim’s eyes sparkled. “It’s like the aquariums at Octavinelle, but airborne! *gasp* I just got a great idea for the next party!”

“For the nth time Kalim no more parties this month!”

*whistle* “Fin Fatale’s actually enjoying this. Who’d knew?”

The two boys turn to see Strix approaching them causally.

Strix grinned. “Bet you don’t see this in Scarabia often.”

Pomefiore

Pomefiore students have a tendency to look into a mirror at almost any given opportunity. They recognize every detail of their their highly bestowed beauty, lest they would fail to maintain perfection.

Imagine their surprise when a carbon copy of themselves suddenly replaces their reflection, except in a horrendous eye-burning color palette that screams “clown”

Turns out the copy really is a clown creature with a large tongue. Jestabocky simply loves to prank people at the expense of their reactions, and it took a liking to Pomefiore students.

Strix giggled in amusement, much to Vil’s chagrin. Standing next to the man was a Vil duplicate, except in that hideous orange carrot and lemon yellow palette that made his eyes want to bleed. Of course no one could ever compare to the original, especially a circus mimic at that.

Rook was examining his blood red and ice blue carbon copy. What a refreshing change of pace! “Your dream eaters never cease to amaze, little owl.” “Don’t hunt them for sport though!”

Epel was staring at his clone awkwardly. Cotton candy hair and yellow eyes are an odd combination. And would it stop grinning uncharacteristically like that? It’s freaky.

Strix looks beside her. Teal green hair, violet eyes, and an orange to yellow uniform color scheme. It’s horrendous, but that’s where the fun lies. Her dream eaters don’t know the meaning of color coordination.

Ignihyde

Strix thinks a surprise here and there in the shut-in dorm leader’s life ought to keep him on his toes. She knows how much Ortho wants him to come out his room, and so she’ll deliver just that.

Idia recieved an alert message as he was browsing the net. A window pops up displaying the security camera footage across the entire Ignihyde dorm.

To his horror, rainbows invaded the cameras everywhere he looked. In each one there was a massive bipedal colorful panda doing something to the students behind the screen. One was lifting a student to the air, another swinging and cradling, and others generally giving bear hugs to any soul -dead or living- that enter their vision.

Though the pandas are harmless and students are unharmed (some seem to enjoy it while others are bewildered in shock), Idia was quaking in his chair. If he walks out the room he’ll be crushed by the pandas’ mercy! (And by rainbows and cuteness!)

He zoomed in one of the footages. A Kooma Panda held a sign directly to the camera.

[YOU’RE NEXT]

This is nightmare fuel! Nightmares, he tells you!

Just as he spun around to hide and cower in the safety of his blankets, he had failed to notice the looming shadow over his flaming head prior to this very moment.

There was the same panda. In his bedroom. Staring right into his soul.

It smiled. (I reread this part and lowkey I realized I was writing a FNaF fanfic for a moment wut)

Idia wheezed. How did it get here?! Was it capable of teleporting?!

The shut-in had never ran for the door to the outside world with such eagerness in his life up to now. He slammed the door open and was about to hit the breeze when suddenly he recognized Strix standing right in front of him.

He practically tackled the poor girl (oof). Just when he dreads the contact with the floor, he felt something bouncy push them off. And then the same bouncing source came from behind. Now he’s squeezed between something.

The world spun in his eyes. Light-hearted laughter snapped him out of his trance. His soul actually came close to leaving him the moment Strix’s face registered in his vision. So close!

Two Kooma Pandas were hugging and nuzzling the two in a human-dream eater sandwich. Awww.

From the sidelines, Ortho watched in awe. That’s one way to bring his big bro out of the room. He eagerly joins in the hug fest with Strix and an all-too drained Idia.

Strix giggled and wrapped her arms around Idia and the panda behind him. She was clearly enjoying this. “Happy April Fools~”

Diasomnia

First things first: Strix can’t fool two all mighty and powerful faeries. Instead, she’ll entertain them like she and her dream eaters have always done. After all, boredom is their kind’s biggest enemy.

One day, Diasomnia students were walking down the halls when they notice a colorful bat creature hanging upside down from the ceiling, innocently watching people pass by.

There was one Komory Bat. The next door over there are two. The door after that door appeared three. In front of the dorm gate there may or may not be a bat perched to greet students in and out.

In the library, students are surprised when they’re greeted by the librarian aid...who was working upside down and levitating with gravity magic.

Strix casually acts as though it was natural. When she had to move away from the counter she continued walking upside down on the ceiling. If the ceiling was too high she’d float over just above people’s heads, and address when needed.

Strix likes to mess with Sebek by doing a “handstand” on his broad shoulders while talking to Silver. Sebek would shoo her off and when he does, Strix still pesters him by floating with a mocking haughtiness behind the way she rocks back and forth while grinning mischievously. The sight is hilarious, much to Sebek’s chagrin.

She can see why Lilia likes doing this. By the end of the day though, that’s enough walking on ceilings for the year.

Strix greets Malleus at eye level. “How’d you like it? Not boring, right?”

The horned fae chuckled. The glimmer of accomplishment in her stunning blue eyes amuses him the most. Like a child who proudly boasts their little achievements to appeal to their parents. It was adorable. “Certainly.”

#twisted wonderland #my post #strix noctowl #anon #headcanon asks #diasomnia #heartslabyul #savanaclaw #ignihyde #pomefiore #scarabia #dream eater spirits

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demented-dukey · 4 years

Text

Hey u remember that cursed Folgers commercial

The clock chimes one, two, three times, but Roman barely registers it. He’s curled up under a white blanket in the bay window of the Xanders family home, forehead resting against the cool glass as he watches the snow, falling softly down. It would almost be pretty, if he didn’t hate it with every fiber of his being. This stupid blizzard delayed Remus’s flight not once, not twice, but three times, so late that their parents had given up and called it a night, leaving Roman to his lonesome vigil.

His breath fogs up the glass, and idly, he drags the edge of his finger to through it, drawing a devious smile and a can of spray paint and a far-off boarding school and letters sent back and forth – the story of how Remus was sent far away at only thirteen. It’s been five years, and Roman can’t help but spare an idle thought to how his brother has changed – if the baby fat on his cheeks has fled or the structure of his body grown stronger – before he shakes the thought off. He’s used to that. Used to shaking off thoughts about how his brother may have changed, shaking off memories of wrestling on the carpet for the TV remote, shaking off wonderings as he takes himself in hand if Remus would feel any different.

But Remus never seems to leave his mind for long.

A cab trundles to a stop outside, and Roman brightens, tensing to run downstairs and fling open the door, but he slumps in disappointment when he sees the man who gets out.

Remus isn’t punk. He isn’t gorgeous. He doesn’t have a green leather jacket or hair streaked with white or chunky boots that follow the delicious curve of his calves. And, more importantly, Roman decides as the man effortlessly hauls a massive duffel bag out of the boot, Remus isn’t fucking jacked.

But then the man Roman has been eyeing turns down their path, goes up to their door, and knocks – once, twice, three times – on their door, and Roman’s stomach can’t decide if it’s fluttering or sinking.

He bolts downstairs and flings the door open.

Remus is even more different up close. He has a mustache and acne spanning the bridge of his nose like freckles and he’s so gorgeous it hurts.

Roman can see the moment his brother’s eyes widen, the moment he registers just how much things have changed since middle school.

“I must have the wrong house,” Remus muses in that strange, high voice of his. “Because I thought I was the only hot piece of ass that lived in this place.”

“We’re twins, you idiot,” Roman says, and it comes out far, far too fond.

“So I’ve been told,” Remus says, and saunters into the house, hips swaying, like it hasn’t been an hour since he left.

Roman is frozen, clutching the door frame, until a blast of icy air jerks him back into animation.

“Coffee,” Remus moans, making a beeline for the freshly brewed pot as soon as he steps foot in the kitchen. “Did you know that a woman spilled McDonalds coffee over her, and it was so hot, that it sealed the folds of her vagina?”

Roman hops up on the counter, eyes dragging over the places Remus has filled out – the width of his shoulders, the curve of his legs, the flexing of his forearms as he shrugs off his far too thin jacket. “I think you’ve told me that one,” he says absently.

Remus makes a small grunt of acknowledgement, pouring half the pot into an over-sized mug and chugging most of it in one go.

“Classy,” Roman teases as Remus wipes his mouth with his sleeve.

Remus just laughs. “We can’t all be Prince Charming.”

He certainly isn’t. Remus is loud, crude, impulsive, hyper, vulgar – anything but charming.

Why, then, can Roman not resist him, even after all this time?

“I brought you something,” Remus declares, fishing around in his rumpled duffle bag and pulling out a small box, crudely yet carefully wrapped.

Roman gasps in appreciation, gently taking it in his hands. He admires it for a moment, but finds his gaze drifting to his twin - so strange, so handsome. His heart twists, and he rips the bow off the box, firmly sticking it to Remus’s acid-green shirt.

Remus tilts his head inquisitively, and Roman shrugs, a shy smile lifting the corners of his mouth. “You’re my present this year.”

Remus flashes his lecherous, teasing grin. “Are you going to unwrap me, then?”

They don’t teach you how to lie at boarding school. That’s the only explanation Roman can fabricate, because, suddenly, Roman can see it behind Remus’s eyes – the softest, slightest glimmer of hope.

Slowly, Roman slides off the counter. He can feel the heat of Remus, like a physical touch in the frigid December air. So slowly, so gently, like this moment can shatter at any moment like one of those ridiculous ceramic pieces their mother collects, Roman settles his hands on his brother’s hips, slides the edges of his fingertips beneath Remus’s waistband.

His fingers must be cold because Remus shudders, full-body, but he presses just the tiniest bit closer.

“Okay,” Roman breathes.

Remus’s eyes threaten tears. “Okay?” He echos, as if he can scarcely believe it, as if everything he ever wanted was just presented to him with a bow on top.

But, no. That’s what’s happening to Roman.

“Okay,” Roman says again, and kisses him.

It’s simple, chaste – But Roman still feels it in every part of him, tasting like black coffee and feeling like stardust running through his blood.

Remus is trembling when they pull back. “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for that?”

Roman presses their foreheads together. “Almost as long as I have.”

“I tried to forget you,” Remus confesses, voice raw. “I got myself sent away and tried. God, I tried, but it wasn’t… I tried to be good, but there’s no one else like you.”

Roman just kisses him again. “I don’t want to be good, if that means I can’t be by your side.”

Remus surges forward at that, pressing forward until Roman’s back hits the counter, and Remus effortlessly scoops him up, wraps his brother’s legs around his waist so their hips are flush against each other.

He pauses then, green eyes darting towards the stairwell, where their parents sleep at the top.

“It’s late.” Gently, Roman tilts his head away. “We have time.”

Time until their parents come downstairs, time until Remus is shipped back off for his last semester in a place far away, time until they have to hide this delicate, blossoming thing.

But time can wait.

Now, Remus lays his brother out under the soft glow of Christmas lights. Now, there are wandering hands and soft gasps and muffled giggles. Now, there are confessions murmured between kisses.

Now, there is love.

Tots meant to submit on Christmas since I wrote it in like an hour that morning but tumblr ate it fml

(Above submitted by Squidward)

~~~

First off, deepest apologies for hoarding this in my inbox for so long. 💚 Also, “cursed” Folgers commercial? I think you mean “blessed” Folgers commercial. (which can be seen here, for anyone unfamiliar with it)

This was wonderful and exciting - I love Punk!Remus and Roman’s blatant appreciation of how his twin as matured.

> Remus flashes his lecherous, teasing grin. “Are you going to unwrap me, then?”

*squeals and claps excitedly*

>Now, Remus lays his brother out under the soft glow of Christmas lights. Now, there are wandering hands and soft gasps and muffled giggles. Now, there are confessions murmured between kisses.

>Now, there is love.

*whimpers* Oof, dude. Right in the feels. This was so, so soft and good. Thank you. ~ DD

#fanfic #anon squidward #remrom #romrem #tw incest #remus sanders #roman sanders #ts remus #ts duke #ts roman #sanders sides #thomas sanders #dd asks #submission

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icecoldflames · 4 years

Text

Chapter 2 - The Mystery of Sanders Castle

Masterlist

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

***

Present Day, America

Roman shoved the final pieces of clothing into his last suitcase. His face was flushed and his heart was beating rapidly.

Finally. Finally he was going to Violet Branch Boarding School.

He ran down the stairs, his suitcase thumping behind him. He put his red suitcase next to the others and Patton’s light blue ones.

Roman darted back up the stairs and bursted through Patton’s door who was finishing wrapping his going away present for his boyfriend, Remy. “Are you ready?” Roman asked breathlessly.

Patton grinned wryly at Roman. “I should be asking you that question.” He pulled out some rainbow ribbon from his desk. He beckoned Roman over with his hand. “Here, come help me tie the bow.”

“I’m so excited,” Roman blubbered. “I mean—like.” He let out sounds of excitement, something between a laugh and a shout.

Patton tied a knot around the box and Roman put his finger on the small knot and continued speaking. “This is my biggest dream and now it’s coming true!” Patton began tying a bow. “Ever since I saw that castle over in England I knew I was supposed to be taught over there!”

Patton grinned and let the rainbow bow fall from his fingers.

***

Roman probably should have been feeling jet lagged. A flight from his hometown in the USA to England surely should make him feel tired.

He should be like his older brother Patton, who was currently passed out in the bus seat next to him. He was hugging his stuffed elephant his boyfriend, Remy, gave him before they left.

Roman stared out the window at the green fields that seemed to go on forever. Because he lived in the city, he only saw this much green in pictures online.

He glanced at the watch around his wrist. 2 PM. Only fifteen more minutes until they arrived at Violet Branch Boarding School.

Ever since the pamphlet landed on his lap at the bus stop and Roman had seen the majestic castle on the front, he knew that the school was calling him.

Going to school in a real castle that royals used to live in? Sign him up!

That had been when he was nine. Now he was fourteen and heading to his very first year at Violet Branch Boarding School.

Patton had been going there for the past three years and Roman had made Patton swear to not tell him anything about the school. Roman wanted to experience everything for the first time, in the flesh.

After five years of waiting, Roman’s time had finally come. He closed his eyes and vividly pictured the massive brick castle with five towers, soaring upwards in the sky. The lush grounds which it rested on. Would he meet the love of his life? Would this be like Harry Potter and they’d defeat an evil wizard?

Roman not-so-patiently waited for the grand castle to appear on the horizon. He didn’t have to wait long.

Soon the whole bus, filled with new and returning students, was abuzz.

First the tops of the towers came into view and Roman was amazed by their colossal size. Grey-green stone showed just how old the castle was. Next, the roof, then the main building, then the grounds filled with lush greenery and flowers.

Roman shook Patton awake. “We’re here!”

Patton groggily awoke and Roman just managed to catch the patch worked elephant from falling to the floor.

“Good catch,” Patton grinned, gently taking the elephant back and putting it in his blue backpack.

Roman pressed his face against the window, eyes as wide as saucers.

The bus pulled up to the castle and Roman squinted up at it as he stepped off of the bus, putting his hand up to shield his eyes from the sun. “Incredible…” he breathed.

Patton knocked their shoulders together gently. “C’mon, you’re slowing everybody down.” He was grinning too, gripping the two straps of his backpack.

The two of them made their way to the front entrance, stone steps leading up to the massive wooden doors which were opened welcomingly.

A man in a cream coloured turban greeted them. “Welcome! I’m Anav Divan and I’m one of the science teachers here! If you would, please continue down the hallway to meet my colleagues.”

At every turn was a different teacher introducing themselves and directing the students through the maze-like castle.

To be honest, Roman wasn’t really listening to the teachers. They’d probably introduce themselves again once classes started anyway.

Roman was, instead, soaking up the grandness of the castle. He wondered who lived in the castle in the past. Were they good rulers? What kind of drama happened between these walls? Oh, Roman would have loved to be a prince in the past.

Roman turned to Patton who was a couple steps behind him. “Does anyone know who used to live here?”

“Actually,” an Asian girl cut in. “It’s a pretty interesting story.” She was a bit ahead of Roman and when they both turned to look at each other, the girl narrowed her eyes. “Have I met you before?”

Roman stared at the girl for a moment. She was short and her glasses looked too big for her face. Her black hair was cut to her chin and Roman had no recollection of her in his memory. “Uh, no. I don’t think so.” He held out his hand for her. “I’m Roman Eero.”

The girl shook his hand but kept staring so intently at Roman that he wondered if he had met this girl before. “I’m Satomi Yano.”

This time Patton spoke up. “You’re Ms. Yano’s daughter!”

Satomi nodded. “Yeah. And you’re Patton Eero.”

Patton’s forehead wrinkled in confusion. “How do you know my name?”

Satomi just shrugged. “I try to make sure I know everyone’s name in the school.” Then, she continued on down the stone hallway.

Both Roman and Patton jogged to catch up. “You said something about how the rulers who lived here had an interesting story. Can you tell me?” Roman asked curiously. He wanted to know. He wanted to know who exactly walked through these halls like he was now.

Satomi had a twinkle in her eye as she shook her head. “My mom will explain it much better in History class. But if you can’t wait that long I suggest going to the library. There’s a lot of stuff about The Sanders’ in there. Did you know my family’s related to one of the old staff that used to work here? His name was Irwin.”

Roman didn’t really hear what Satomi said. All he heard was Sanders. “Sanders?” He repeated, “was that their surname?” Roman wasn’t planning on going to the library so he decided that Ms. Yano’s class would be his favourite.

“Oh yeah. Their life is definitely interesting. Wait until you hear about The Scharf’s, the royals whose used to live just across the woods. Now those royals were an interesting bunch,” Satomi explained excitedly.

The Sanders’? The Scharf’s? Roman mentally put the names in an important file in his mind. “I can’t wait to learn about them.”

Satomi suddenly went serious. “But if you’re looking for a nice, all strings tied up, ending, The Sanders’ story definitely won’t be your cup of tea.”

“What do you mean?” Roman asked. He loved Happily Ever Afters. “What happened to them?”

Satomi turned around with a wicked grin on her face. “I guess you’ll have to go to class to figure that out.”

Roman blinked. He turned around to look at Patton who looked just as flabbergasted. When Roman turned back around Satomi had disappeared. “Where’d she go?” He asked frantically.

“There are rumours of secret passageways running through the school. Being the daughter of a teacher probably means she’s been here for a while and has found secrets that the average student hasn’t,” Patton explained, running his hands over the rough walls.

“Secret passageways?” Roman repeated. “This school just keeps getting better and better!”

***

Because the school wasn’t built to be a school, the bedrooms were placed in odd spots as the creators of the school must not have wanted to destroy the original look.

The castle had so many rooms that a lot of the dorms were just rooms spaced out around the castle. Because each room was a different size and shape, each dorm was special in its own way.

Patton’s dorm was on the top floor which he shared with five others. It had an astounding view of the woods behind the school and when Roman helped Patton unpack he could almost see the Scharf’s castle which didn’t look nearly as grand as the Sanders’.

Roman’s room was in the center of the castle on the first floor. Apparently it had been a small sitting room, according to the teacher who showed him the way. Where it was so small, Roman only shared the dorm with two other First Year boys.

One of them was Maxime Dumont who was from France. He was short with curly blond hair and seemed to be more on the quiet side.

The second was Oskar Regenbogen who Roman was almost positive was somehow part of the LGBTQ+ spectrum. He had dark skin and sounded so fluent in English that Roman was surprised when he said he was from Germany.

After introductions, Roman began unpacking his sheets and pillows from the suitcases that were already brought up. His duvet was firetruck red and, as soon as he had made his bed, Roman flopped on it. “Oof.”

Oskar laughed and followed suit, falling onto his forest green quilt. “This place is awesome. My sister’s in Year 5 and she took pictures to show me but they just don’t do this place justice.”

Roman smiled up at the ceiling, following every imperfection and dip of the stone with his eyes. “My brother is in Year 3 and I made him swear not to tell me anything about it because I wanted to experience it for myself.”

“Why did you come to England?” Maxime piped up. He was sitting on his own blue bed, legs crossed. “You said you are from America?”

Roman shrugged as he propped himself up on his pillows. “I dunno. I saw a pamphlet for Violet Branch Boarding School and just knew I had to attend. It’s like it was calling to me.”

“I expected it to be more like Hogwarts,” Maxime said again, quietly. “Dorm-wise anyway.”

Roman spun around to Maxime and sat up straight. “Hogwarts?” He repeated. A massive grin spread across his face. “You like Harry Potter?”

Maxime nodded. He had a much smaller smile on his face but he rummaged around in one of his suitcases and pulled out The Prisoner of Azkaban. Instead of the English cover, it said Et le Prisonnier D’Azkaban and the cover was purple-ish with some branches around the sides with Harry’s Patronus under the letters.

“Whoah,” Roman gaped. “Your covers look so cool! I’m a Gryffindor, what’s your house?”

Maxime scrunched up his nose. “I’m a Poufsouffle although I’m thinking the Americans have a different name.”

“Hufflepuff, is what I’m guessing. Hannah Abbott?” Roman suggested and Maxime nodded.

“Hey, hey, hey, let me in on the conversation too!” Oskar said. “I’m a Harry Potter fan as well! I’m a Gryffindor as well but the German version didn’t change the houses to fun words like ‘Poufsouffle’.”

“My two roommates are Harry Potter fans?” Roman smiled so brightly that his face muscles began to hurt. “I’m the luckiest person ever.”

***

The dining hall was a massive stone room. Whereas in Hogwarts there were four tables separating the four houses, Violet Branch had multiple circular tables inside of each other like rings.

The first, outside, table was massive and took up almost the entire room. There were multiple slits in the table where students could go to the next table and then the next table and then the next table. Overall, there were seven wooden tables. The seventh table seemed to be the “popular” spot where the older kids sat. Roman couldn’t wait until he was old enough to sit over there.

As soon as Roman stepped into the room, he was bombarded by the smell of turkey and buttery potatoes.

It didn’t take long to find Patton in the second ring, near the back, not really sitting next to anyone or talking.

Roman slid into a spot next to his brother. “What? You’re telling me you’ve been going here for two years and don’t have a meal-buddy?”

Patton lifted his head up and took a sip of water. “I normally do but I couldn’t find them.” He shifted on the bench to face more towards Roman. “How were your roommates?”

“Incredible! They’re both Harry Potter fans! Can you believe that?” Roman asked as he began dumping food onto his plate. “Anyway, my roommates is this French guy, Maxime and a German guy, Oskar and I swear to you, Patton, he’s definitely—“

A hush went over the dining room and Roman peered around until he found out why.

At the very back right corner of the room, there seemed to be a singular circular table where the teacher’s table was. Roman hadn’t noticed it before.

In the middle of the back wall was a raised floor where a short woman stood quietly, a serene smile on her face.

“Who’s that?” Roman whispered without moving his gaze from the woman.

“That’s the headmistress. Her name’s Emilia Crespo,” Patton responded, just as quietly.

“Silent but deadly, I swear she looks into your soul. I suggest not making eye contact,” Satomi said and Roman glanced around to find her seated across from him and Patton. He hadn’t even noticed her. “She can command a room without even speaking a word. She claims that her ancestors were the Sanders’ although she has no proof and nobody really cares except her.”

Headmistress Crespo waited until the room was so silent that Roman swore he could hear the kitchen workers beneath them.

“Welcome to a new year at Violet Branch Boarding School!” She exclaimed, lifting both her arms up. Roman could pick up a little accent in her voice, perhaps Italian? “To new students, welcome for the first time and I hope you’ve had a good half-day! To returning students, welcome back and let’s hope this year is better than before!”

There were a couple of whoops and cheers which mostly came from first years but instantly died once they realized no one else was doing it.

Headmistress Crespo definitely wasn’t what Roman was expecting. He was expecting a Dumbledore-esque character who was like a grandfather that Roman never had (or at least remembered since both of his grandparents died when he was a couple months old and three).

“For those of you who don’t know, let me introduce myself. I am the headmistress of Violet Branch Boarding School, Emilia Crespo. Throughout the year, you will learn new tools to better yourself and continue on to become beautiful adults. I hope that you will make lifelong friends while you stay here and enjoy the gorgeous architecture of my ancestor’s previous household.”

Roman could hear some shocked whispers from first years and felt slightly proud of himself for knowing this before them, even if the fact had been told to him seconds beforehand.

“When you retreat back to your dorms for the night, your schedules will be on your nightstands. All the rules and what we expect from you will be explained by your first period teacher. Thank you and enjoy your meal that our wonderful cooks have made for you.”

“The kitchens are so cool,” Satomi said once the chatter swelled up once again. “Sometimes I visit the chefs—they’re all so nice—and just hang out with them. Sometimes I help around too.”

“Wow, do you think you could show me? And the secret passageways?” Roman asked excitedly. He could picture dark, narrow, tunnels with deep stairs that seemed to go downwards endlessly.

“Maybe. I don’t often show other students the secrets of the castle because technically you’re not supposed to know.”

“Oh.”

But Satomi grinned. “But I don’t know. We’ll have to see. Can I trust you to keep a secret?”

“Of course!” But then Roman thought for a second. “Well, I’ll tell Patton,” he turned to his brother. “But you won’t tell anyone, right?”

“Of course not,” Patton shook his head.

Satomi smiled even wider. “Good.”

“So are you going to show us?” Roman asked excitedly. “When? Tonight?”

“I’ll let you know,” she replied and stabbed a piece of carrot.

That night, Roman’s dreams were filled with noble princes and secret passageways and the castle that used to be.

#the mystery of sanders castle

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monstersandmaw · 5 years

Text

Male dom orc x female sub reader (nsfw)

Edit which I’m including in all my works after plagiarism and theft has taken place: I do not give my consent for my works to be used, copied, published, or posted anywhere. They are copyrighted and belong to me.

This commission was posted first on my patreon for the lovely @rangerofthegods. They wanted a story with a couple who had been together for a little while, but who had not yet explored the idea of a d/s dynamic, despite both being into it. Consent and discussion were major themes that both of us were very keen to promote, so here you’ll find a budding relationship featuring very much consensual d/s play between a really big orc and his short human girlfriend. I hope you enjoy!

Wordcount: 8.5k Content: consensual d/s play between an established partnership, size difference, spanking, edging, aftercare, sex, ‘sir’, and praise kink.

Finally, ‘Bresz’ is pronouced ‘Bresh’, but with the ‘sh’ voiced as in Polish, with a voiced ‘sh’ rather than an unvoiced ‘sh’... so it’s kind of szch, but not quite...?

___

“I’ll be back in half an hour,” you called over your shoulder as you struggled and flailed slightly to get out of your barista’s apron. Grabbing the huge packed lunch, you waited for your friend - and technically your boss - to acknowledge, and you swiped the cardboard carrier for the two hot drinks off the counter before bolting out of the door.

Normally, Bresz came to the cafe for his lunch, and that had been how your relationship with the big, confident, flirtatious orc had started, but today, you wanted to surprise him. You almost blushed as you recalled those early encounters where he’d shamelessly complimented you, leaning his muscular frame on the counter top while you tried not to send jets of hot steam up into your own face while making him coffee. It hadn’t taken him long to ask you out for dinner, and soon after that you’d made it official. Six months later, and you were happier than you’d ever been in your whole life.

He still liked to treat you and surprise you, even though technically he was no longer courting you. He still brought you flowers, he still cooked you frankly enormous, thankfully nutritious meals, and he still let his gang of loud, obnoxious, big-hearted orc friends rib him mercilessly for still behaving like a courting male. Bresz gave zero fucks about that, and proudly declared that he was completely in love with his little human girl, often nuzzling his tusks gently into your neck until you giggled and squirmed, and he was able to pick you up. You liked that a lot more than you let on.

But now it was your turn to do something for him, and you were determined not to be thwarted by the generous spirit of your massive orc. You raced down the street, praying you’d get to the kick boxing and martial arts gym before he left, and to your relief, the street was devoid of anyone even resembling your seven foot tall boyfriend.

Grinning, your hands full of lunch, you backed the door open and turned around, only to come face to face with a slender tiefling. The combination of her dark blue skin and the soft lighting of the reception had made her blend in with the shadows, and you almost screeched with surprise when you noticed her. “Belle!” you gasped. “You scared me!”

“I’m sorry,” she chuckled, stepping back and taking the weight of the door for you so that you could step inside without it smacking you in the back. She wore a tank top that showed off her enviable arms, but your eyes didn’t stay fixed on her for long because Bresz emerged from the changing rooms and you almost forgot how to speak again.

“Hey!” exclaimed when he saw you standing there. His whole face lit up and he beamed a broad smile at you, thick, blunt tusks glinting, and his coppery brown eyes crinkling attractively at the corners. “What are you doing here? I was just on my way to come and see you!”

And with that, he had strode over to you and put his hands on your waist. He picked you up and kissed you, holding you aloft with absolute ease, as though you weighed nothing at all. “Oof. Careful! I wanted to surprise you,” you grinned.

“And now that I’m surprised?” he asked. He sniffed ostentatiously and his grin widened even further. “You brought food? Oh man, I’m the luckiest orc in the whole world.”

“And coffee,” you added. “Put me down now?”

He set you down and placed both his palms over his heart and tilted his head back, his long, beaded braid swinging free down his back. “My hero!”

“Knock it off, you two,” Belle laughed playfully. “I swear, it’s sickening.”

“C’mon,” Bresz snorted. “Ignore the jealousy of the loveless. Let’s get out of here.”

Belle snorted. “Don’t let my girlfriend hear you say that, Big Guy.”

He flashed her a broad smile and turned his attention back to you. “It’s a gorgeous day. You want to go to the park?”

You nodded, and he blew Belle a playful raspberry as he guided you to the door and held it open for you. Belle punched him on his colossal bicep as he passed her, and he ignored it. He was too focused on you.

He wore a loose, white tank top that showed his stunning figure and gorgeous, green skin off beautifully, and his black tracksuit hugged his bubble-butt in just the most perfect way. It was so hard to keep your hands off him. Luckily though, you had your hands full with the giant, brown paper bag of sandwiches and the carry-tray for the drinks. Well, you did, until he glanced down at you and gasped. “Shit, here, let me take them for you!”

“Bresz,” you complained. “I’m perfectly capable of carrying a bit of lunch. I know you’re a huge beefcake, but I’m not that useless!”

“Oh I know,” he said, a sweet and affectionate look dawning on his handsome, rough-hewn face. “I just like spoiling you. Please?” he said, his eyes widening.

You rolled your own at him and said, “You know I can’t refuse those puppy dog eyes. Fine.” You slammed the sandwich bag into his solid chest, and he laughed.

“You still up for our usual Friday night dinner at my place tonight?” he asked as you settled down onto the warm grass at the edge of the park. A black dog was barking and tearing around the place like a bat out of hell, and the two of you watched it while you spoke and ate.

“Of course,” you said, chuckling as the Labrador leapt into the air, twisting half way to catch a frisbee that its owner had hurled an impressive distance for ir. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” he said, breaking off his gaze to look at you. He kissed your temple. “Just checking. You don’t always have to come over to mine…”

He was propped up on one arm, leaning close to you and casting a welcome, cool shadow across you, and you leaned your cheek against his arm for a moment before pressing a kiss into the dip of muscle at the base of his tricep. “I like your place,” you said. “Plus, you don’t fit in my bed.”

“You want dinner in bed? Or are you offering to be dinner?”

“Shut up,” you snorted. “You know what I meant. And you nearly broke mine the last time you came over and stayed the night.”

“Fair point. My place it is then.”

A shout from across the park made both of you look up, and you realised that the pink blur shooting towards you was the dog’s frisbee. Bresz chuckled and popped to his feet, catching it easily before it sailed all the way over and hit you, and sent it spinning away. The dog did a handbrake turn, screeching to change direction, and the pair of you laughed.

“Smooth,” you said when he sat back down.

Bresz simply kissed your forehead in response.

That evening when you got to his after work, Bresz was in a bad mood. It was unusual to see your orc scowling, but you knew the moment you let yourself in that something was wrong. He turned and looked at you with such an expression of hopelessness that you thought something awful had happened. “What?” you asked, ditching your overnight bag and striding over to him. “What’s happened?”

“The oven’s bust,” he said. “I had everything planned out, and when I went to pre-heat it, it just sparked and went out. It’s not a fuse, and I think it’s dead.”

Your shoulders went slack with relief, and you started to laugh.

“It’s not funny!” he grumbled.

“I’m not laughing at that, or you,” you said. “I just thought a person had died, not your oven!” you laughed. “You looked devastated.”

“I am devastated,” he countered. “I wanted to cook you something nice, and now we’re going to have to have omelet or something. Fuck.”

“We could go out?” you suggested. “There’s that nice place round the corner that you said you wanted to try.”

“Sure,” he said after a moment. “Ok. Let me get changed then. And don’t distract me this time,” he added, pointing a knuckly finger at you.

You plastered an expression of pure innocence over your face. “I don’t know what you mean.”

One thick eyebrow sailed high, and he put his fists on his hips. “Oh, don’t you?” he smirked playfully. “I distinctly remember me having to ring up the restaurant last time because you got distracted and I ended up sporting the evidence of that distraction…”

“You couldn’t do your jeans up,” you smiled. “I remember. Well, I promise to behave and be a good girl.”

His pupils soared wide at that and he turned away. You thought you heard him curse in orcish and his breathing turned a little ragged as he stalked to his bedroom to change. Interesting. Power play was always something you’d found intoxicating, and half of the reason you’d been attracted to Bresz in the first place - before you’d started going out and learned what an absolute sweetheart he was - had been the size difference between the two of you. The other half had been his good looks and confidence. You’d have been lying if you’d not spent your (admittedly rare these days) nights alone thinking about him dominating you, using that power and strength he had to hold you up one handed by the wrists, teasing you with his other hand until you were a writhing, begging mess, and just… leaving you like that. You’d also entertained the idea of being spanked too, of mixing pleasure and pain together.

You’d been standing there so long, thinking about his reaction to your simple promise to ‘behave and be a good girl’ that he had dressed and returned before you’d really registered it.

“You alright?” he asked.

You looked up at him, blinking. “You look amazing,” you said. “My big handsome orc. Come on, let’s go.”

He took you by the hand, his huge fingers engulfing yours in a gentle grip.

Deciding to test the waters and explore your sneaking suspicions that he’d rather liked the idea of your being good for him, you accepted the menu from the waiter and then immediately handed it to Bresz without opening it.

He frowned, curious, and had been about to ask what was going on when you interrupted him and said firmly but sweetly, “You know me well enough by now… Why don’t you choose for me?”

He swallowed thickly and then let out a rough exhale. “Sure. Alright,” he said, a gleam kindling in his rich, copper-brown eyes.

He didn’t tell you what he’d chosen, and you didn’t find out until the waiter returned and asked if you were ready to order.

“I think we are,” Bresz smiled. “I’ll have the surf n turf, and the lady will have the special.”

“Very good, sir,” your waiter nodded, and retreated.

Bresz cocked an eyebrow at you. In silent answer you smiled, bowed your head, and sipped demurely at your water.

Bresz reached out his hand across the table and took your small fingers in his. Your whole hand barely stretched across his palm, and you sank your teeth into your lower lip at the sight of it. “I love you,” Bresz rasped. “You know that, don’t you?”

“I think I’d be an idiot not to know that by now,” you reassured him.

He kissed your knuckles, the set of his tusks so wide that they didn’t touch your hand at all, and he seemed to relax after that. It was almost as if he felt that he’d been too eager to take you up on your offer of handing control to him, and needed to apologise, or be reassured. You were only too happy to reassure him, and you also ran your foot gently up the inside of his calf beneath the table.

“You,” he said, rolling his eyes, “Are trouble.”

“Good trouble?”

“Oh yes.”

The rest of your meal passed more normally after that, though he did take the opportunity to feed you some of his dessert from his spoon. His eyes glowed, reflecting the candle light like cats’ eyes at night, and he studied the way your lips moved around the curve of the spoon perhaps a little too closely. He insisted on paying, since he said it was his fault you’d had to eat out in the first place, and you let it slide this time.

“Next one is on me though,” you said. “I do want to keep some independence you know.”

“Fair enough,” he said, sliding his hand around yours again as you walked home.

Waiting for the lights to turn green at a pedestrian crossing, you tugged his arm and made him lean down to kiss you. You took his lower lip between your teeth and sucked hard enough to draw a deep, rumbling moan from him. “Are you trying to cause trouble?” he hissed.

“Is it working?”

“Yes, you little minx,” he laughed. “Very much so.”

“Good.”

You made it to the hallway outside his front door before he cracked. He’d just started to look for his keys in his pocket when he found you already sneaking your hand in there. He paused, surprised, and looked down at you. He cursed again in orcish, and surged forwards towards you, pinning you against the wall with an exact and careful display of strength that made your knees turn weak. He grabbed your wrists and raised your arms, holding you in place while he crushed a kiss into your lips. “Fuck,” he snarled, feeling the way your body was responding. “Fuck, look at you…”

Your brain was spinning with just how perfect this was. You’d always enjoyed the way he took charge in the bedroom, but this had a new flavour to it, and you found yourself tipping into a gentle, buzzing part of your brain that you knew all too well as sub-space. Your knees turned to water and you felt your eyelids growing heavy, your lips parting, your chest heaving.

He murmured your name, pulling back, and the moment his touch left your wrists, your arms fell limp to your sides and you let out a little whine. “We should get inside,” you managed to whisper.

He nodded curtly, and as he turned to unlock his door, you saw the tent that he was sporting in his dark jeans. He looked almost fully hard already.

Very interesting.

You stepped inside as he held it open for you to enter first, and as he closed the door behind you, you turned.

His apartment was large, open plan, with a kitchen just to the right beside the front door, and a large living area at the other end. Exposed brickwork, high ceilings, and big windows marked the building as a former warehouse, and he had divided the space up with tall bookshelves so that it didn't feel like an aircraft hangar inside. The effect was amazing, and the fact that he was a prolific reader was one of the things you had in common. You’d spent many an afternoon curled up on his battered old leather sofa together, your feet in his lap while he read. He would idly circle your ankle with his fingers and run his thumb over the arch of your foot while his eyes skimmed over the pages. Sometimes he would read passages aloud to you if he found something particularly worth sharing, and the whole thing lent an affectionate sense of domesticity to your relationship.

Now, however, he stared at you with an impenetrable expression on his handsome face; part curious, part turned on, and part… something else that oscillated between hope and insecurity.

“So, er… that… back there…” he said. “That… That felt different… somehow…”

“Mmm,” you agreed. “I…” you shrugged and then said, “I like it when you’re rough with me.” He frowned. “I don’t mean that you hurt me, you don’t and you never have; it’s just… I like it when you use your strength carefully like that. A lot.”

He tilted his head slightly, his long braid swinging behind him like pendulum. His breathing was very shallow and you could see his pulse racing at the hollow of his throat.

“What?” you asked.

Bresz didn’t respond immediately. He turned away and braced his weight on his forearms, leaning on the kitchen table. “I… I’m always wary of bringing this up. It’s been misunderstood in the past, and… what with my being an orc… I mean, we’ve already got a reputation for being aggressive, brutish assholes… But…”

You knew then what he was dying to say but couldn’t. You wondered if perhaps you should go first. Taking the plunge, you said quietly, “I’m sexually submissive. I think you probably figured that out already though. Look, I… I would be open to trying a few things if you’d like.”

From where he stood hunched over the counter, arms straight, back curved, his braid dangling down beside him, Bresz gave a great, shaking sigh. He rotated his head and glanced sideways at you with a soft smile. “Yes,” he said. “I’m not very good at admitting I have dominant tendencies. Especially because orcs get enough flack as it is. I… I didn’t want you to be afraid of me. I never want you to be afraid of me.”

You shook your head and stepped close to him, running your hands up his bare forearms to the sleeves of smart, plain white t-shirt he wore, and sliding your fingers over the bulging muscles of his biceps. You squeezed, though it was like squeezing a bronze statue, and he relaxed, straightening to his full height.

“You’ve never given me even a hint of a reason to be afraid of you,” you said. “If you had, I would never have brought this up, and I wouldn’t be in a relationship with you. I trust you. I’d like to explore this new side of things.”

“Alright,” he said. “Let me get us both a drink, and we can talk about it.”

And you did. You talked late into the night about what each of you was prepared to do and to have done, what the rules were, what you thought you might need afterwards, and perhaps most importantly, you agreed on a colour system for during any play.

It was Bresz’ idea. “Green, amber, and red,” he explained. “If I ask you for a colour, you have to give me one. Green means that you’re fine to keep going with whatever we’re doing. Amber means you need a break to think about it or to have a short breather, but you have to give me another colour soon after saying amber; either green or red. Red means we stop, no questions asked, no judgements, and the play ends. We do our aftercare, and we can talk about it later.” He paused and kissed you. “I can also call amber or red if I’m unsure or worried…”

You nodded, excitement fizzing in your lungs. “I can’t believe we’re going to do this,” you said. “You’ve given this some thought already, haven’t you?”

“We don’t have to do it,” he said quickly, eyes widening with worry. It was endearing how worried he was about dominating you and having you not like it.

“Shh,” you smiled, reaching for his cheek and asking him to move his drink out of his lap with a quick jut of your chin. He did, and once it was clear, you swung into his lap and straddled him. You stroked your fingers through the dark hair above his ears, and even though it was pulled back into his braid, you could still scrape your nails over his scalp enough to make him exhale and moan. “Let’s start slow and small. You said you like the idea of having me over your knee…”

He grunted and you felt his cock twitch beneath you in answer.

“And I very much like the idea of you using these big hands to make my skin all hot before massaging them and taking care of me. Why don’t we try that?”

“What, now?” he asked, his pulse leaping in his throat again.

You rolled your hips and he groaned, setting his drink down on a nearby table and grabbing your hips, palms wandering over the curve of your ass as you sat there, working him up already. “Why not now?” you said. “Just a little test… If we decide we don’t enjoy it or it doesn’t work for us, then we can chalk it up to curiosity, and move on.” You very much hoped that wouldn’t happen. Already just the size of his hand on your hip was making you ache for the sting and heat of a spanking.

He nodded slowly. “Alright. Alright,” he said more gently. He started to work his hands up your back in loving circles. “That it, my little girl,” he murmured. You’d told him what names you liked him to use, and hearing him use that one sent a jolt of heat straight between your legs. “My good little girl,” he crooned in your ear, his hot breath fanning over you. “If I agree to do this, will you promise to be good for me?”

“I will,” you whispered.

“Stand up,” he said, and you obediently slid off his lap and stood there while he sat, legs spread, hands resting on his thick, muscular thighs, staring up at you with pupils blown dark and wide. He cursed in orcish, and you shuddered. “You like it when I speak my mother tongue?” he asked, voice deepening slightly.

You nodded silently, lower lip slightly between your teeth.

“Well, well,” he chuckled. He said something which was clearly an order, but which you didn’t understand. You loved the way his tongue rolled behind his teeth when he spoke his own language. “You’ll have to earn a translation,” he added softly, and you whimpered.

“What would you have me do?” you asked with just a little smile.

“Fetch me a glass of water.” It was not a request, but the order was gently given, as though he were testing out the sensation of demanding something from you. “You’ve made me thirsty.”

You nodded. “Yes, Sir,” you said, and he groaned again at his newly acquired title, eyes rolling. He liked that then.

Returning, you presented him with the glass of water but he shook his head. He pointed at the floor between his parted knees. You smiled and knelt willingly before him, offering up the glass instead. “Much better,” he said, quite deliberately denying you the pleasure of being called a good girl. It seemed only fair; after all, you had not knelt immediately.

He drank from it slowly, draining the glass. Bresz then handed it back to you and told you to put it on the table and return to your knees in front of him.

You did. Each order, given with his softest, most gentle expression, sent pulsing heat to your clit and you were wet and breathing shallowly by the time you returned. This was finally everything you could ever have hoped for in a relationship with Bresz. It had been pretty perfect before, but knowing that he was willing to dominate you with consideration and playfulness was just…

You didn’t have much time to think because he repeated his command in orcish, and then leaned one elbow on his knee, bringing his lips close to yours where you knelt between his legs, and said, “I told you to undress for me.”

Slowly you drew your top off over your head, revealing the (mercifully rather nice) underwear you’d selected that morning, but he grabbed your wrist as you made to continue undressing.

“Wait.” The strength of his grip made you gasp. “Does that hurt?” he asked, concern flickering in his warm eyes.

You shook your head. “Almost.”

He paused and then carefully tightened his grip just a fraction. You watched his knuckles clench, his fingers close around your wrist, and you sagged sideways slightly with a mewl of pleasure.

“Oh…” he crooned, drawing you easily up into the air to dangle by one arm, legs limp, “You are a dream. Just when I thought I couldn’t be any more turned on by you… you go and make a noise like that. Come here,” he said, and he simply draped you across his knees and drew the rest of your clothes off by himself.

“Look at you,” he said again, circling the curve of your ass with his palm before squeezing hard enough to make you gasp and jerk slightly. “Easy,” he murmured. “Easy. I’ve got you, beautiful.”

He massaged you and stroked the backs of your thighs, letting his hands roam all over you until you were breathing deeply and revelling in the contact.

“How do you feel?” he said. “Give me a colour.”

“Green,” you said immediately, and he laughed.

And then he brought his fingers down hard over your ass cheek with a resonant ‘crack’. You gasped, more surprised than hurt, and he let it ring for a moment before rubbing a circle over it and caressing the place where heat and blood rushed in. Euphoria ripped through you a second later and you gripped his ankle, pressing your face down into his leg.

“You took that so well,” he said softly, massaging gentle circles over your backside. “So well. Look at you. It’s all hot now too,” he smiled, running the pad of his thumb over the place where he’d spanked you. “You think you can do something for me?”

“Mmhmm,” you nodded.

“First, let’s get you relaxed again,” he purred, sliding his hand up your spine and back again. “Look how big my hands are compared to your little body,” he whispered in awe. “I feel like I’m going to break you all the time, but you’re so tough. You’re incredible. You’re beautiful. Look at you…” When you’d gone completely slack once more, he murmured, “Now then, my beautiful little one, you think you can count to five for me?”

You nodded.

“I need you to say yes or no aloud,” he said firmly.

The word left you as a moan. “Yes.”

“Good girl. Gods above, but you look so good like this,” he muttered, adding something under his breath in orcish. Then he bent right down over you and brought his tusks raking across your ass cheek. They dug in, but they were rounded and polished, smooth and sleek, and they slid over you, digging almost bruisingly deep without breaking the skin or truly hurting. He sucked a kiss onto your skin and played with your body a little more before beginning to make you count.

“One… Two…” you said confidently as the first two strokes made contact in a slow, searing rhythm.

“Good,” he said, and your ears buzzed at the praise.

Strokes three and four came in rapid succession and left you winded and gasping. They stung, but the pain vanished into the rush and the heat afterwards.

“Colour?” he prompted.

“Amber,” you gasped, stilling for a moment. He stroked your skin with his leathery palms but otherwise remained silent. “Green,” you smiled, relaxing and waiting for the final spank.

You practically yelled, “Five!” as the last one hit, but he immediately began to kiss you and croon praises against your skin.

“Beautiful girl,” he purred. “You’re so beautiful. Well done, you took that so well. Look at you…” and he slid his fingers between your legs, seeking out your wet sex. When he found that you were dripping down your inner thighs, he growled and let one fingertip dance over your swollen clit, circling around your folds before withdrawing. You heard him moan and guessed that he was tasting you.

“I want you,” he said quietly, returning his hand to you. You could feel how hard he was beneath you, and you knew you wanted nothing more than to have his cock buried inside you, filling you.

“Please,” you whimpered. “Please…”

“I want to take care of you first,” he said. “Can I carry you?”

“Gods, yes,” you moaned, and he smiled and rolled you carefully over before scooping you up into his arms and standing. He nuzzled at your neck and your head lolled back over the crook of his huge arm to expose your throat. Orcs, like werewolves and a few other shifters, took an exposed throat as a sign of intimate trust, and the rush of his hoarse breath fanned across your skin mere moments before he mouthed kisses across your neck until you were whimpering, rubbing your thighs together, desperate for something more. This was far hotter than anything the two of you had ever done, and Bresz, you had discovered, was good in bed.

He laid you down on his massive bed with its industrial scaffolding bed frame, and he turned you onto your front. “Here,” he said. “I’m going to get some lotion for you. I’ll be right back.”

Bresz tested to see if it stung first, and when it didn’t, he worked his hands all over the heated areas of your cheeks until they were soothed and cool.

He rolled you back over and took his time enjoying your body. You lay there, limp and gazing up at him with doe eyes. You wished he wasn’t wearing so many clothes, but somehow the pleasant buzzing in your head had smothered your ability to formulate such a complicated sentence. Luckily, he obliged anyway and was undressed in no time.

He knelt over you, his thick cock hard, pre-come beading at the top again almost the instant that his underwear was off, and you found your fingers reaching for it, trailing up his thighs with weak, gentle strokes. He stared at you and his cock twitched and he cursed in orcish. That word you did know.

“Please,” you said, parting your legs and sliding one hand down over your hips towards your centre. “I want you…”

He slipped his hands beneath your thighs and tugged you towards him, sinking his face to you and letting his tongue glide over your wet folds. He lavished attention on you, teasing circles and nudging your throbbing clit with the tip of his tongue until you thought you might just tear yourself apart with want.

“Please!” you sobbed, tears rolling down from your eyes into your hair as you lay on your back. After the euphoria of being spanked and then cared for so gently, it was too much. He took you right to the edge and then backed away, repeating the process three times until you practically screamed.

With a gentle, reassuring, and extremely playful smirk, he lined himself up, paused, and then sank hilt-deep into you in one stroke. His thick cock stretched you, his thumb swept a single upward motion over your clit, and his tip hit you so deep that you came around him with a sharp cry of pleasure.

He began to move while you were still coming. He murmured praises and told you how good you felt around him until it wasn’t long before he leaned forwards, one hand braced beside your head, and emptied himself into you with a series of deep, guttural grunts and groans. His strong muscles pressed his hips right up flush against yours, the heat of his release flooding you, as he gave himself completely to you.

It was a long time before either of you could move, but eventually his cock softened and he rolled off you. Lying on his side, he stroked the backs of his fingers over your body. “You alright?” he asked in a raw, hoarse whisper.

“Mmm,” you hummed happily, aching in all the right places. “I should clean up though.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever come that hard,” he said.

“Nor me, and that’s saying something with you as my boyfriend,” you grinned back, still a little dazed yourself.

He blushed sweetly at the praise, and you slipped away to clean up in his bathroom and brush your teeth before bed.

You returned to find him dozing on his back, one arm flung across onto your side of the bed in an open invitation to snuggle up against him. You did, draping one leg over his thighs and tugging yourself as close to him as you could possibly get.

The next morning you woke and turned over, expecting to find Bresz snoring softly beside you, only to discover that the bed was empty and the sheets on his side were cold.

You sat up, surprised not to feel groggier than you did given your usual state in the mornings, but you relaxed a little when you heard sounds coming from the kitchen. It wasn’t all that unusual for him to get up before you, and he had been known to prepare breakfast for you at the weekend on more than one occasion.

You glanced around the room and found that his t-shirt from the night before was still lying in a crumpled heap on the floor. You smiled and slipped it on, inhaling the scent of him for a moment before opening the door to his open-plan living and kitchen area.

Looping your arms around his torso, you paused when you heard how rapidly his heart was beating, and pulled back. “Bresz?”

“Mmm?” he asked, concentrating on spooning out his home-made granola onto a second bowl with some fruit. He didn’t look at you.

“Bresz, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he said quickly.

“Bresz,” you insisted, turning him around by the hips until he had to look at you. “Talk to me.”

He inhaled shakily and set down the spoon. “Are you alright?” he asked.

“I’m fine. I’ve never slept better than I did last night, and I’ve never felt better after sex than I do this morning…”

He took another unsteady breath. “Good. I… I was worried that maybe… maybe I’d gone too far. That maybe… I’d hurt you or…” He swallowed thickly. “I was suddenly terrified that when you woke up… you’d… you’d be afraid of me. I didn’t want to see that. So… I made breakfast.”

“Oh my big, sweet orc,” you smiled, kissing his solid chest. “Pick me up…”

His hands found your waist and he hoisted you up so that you could latch your legs around his hips. You snaked your arms around his thick neck and pressed a kiss to his lips.

“I love you,” you said. “Sounds like a bit of dom-drop talking there. You were perfect. You didn’t go too far, we talked about limitations beforehand, you always asked me for a colour if you weren’t sure, and you gave me the best aftercare any sub could ever want.”

“Good,” he sighed. “That’s good. I… The last thing I ever want to do is hurt you, I mean… for real, you know?”

“I know. You have a good heart, and that’s what will make you a good dom, I think, and an even better boyfriend. And look,” you said nodding over your shoulder at the fresh fruit and granola, “You’re still taking care of me.”

“I’ll always take care of you, whether we’re playing or not…” he growled, backing you towards an empty stretch of the counter and sitting you down on it. “You stay there a moment.”

“Yes… Sir,” you added cheekily.

He chuckled and picked up a strawberry. For a moment you thought he was going to throw it at you, but instead Bresz fed you a few berries. Before you’d made any real kind of inroads into the cornucopia, however, he said, “I need you to promise me something though…”

“Ok…”

His warm brown eyes turned serious again. “If you decide you don’t want to do that again, I want you to promise me that you’ll say so. I don’t want you to do it just because you know I like it.”

You would have rolled your eyes if you weren’t sure that he was genuinely worried about putting you in a place you really didn't want to be. Instead, you grabbed hold of his shirt and tugged him a little closer. “Thank you,” you said. “But I categorically do want to do this again. As soon as possible.”

A small sound left his throat and he laughed quietly. “Well, I’m at your beck and call all weekend…”

“Surely it should be me serving you, Sir…?” you said, watching his eyelids flutter softly at your intonation.

“Alright,” he said. “If that’s how you want to play it. How about this?” he asked, and proceeded to lay out his rules for the day.

He began by demanding that you remove the clothing that you had purloined from him, and as punishment - since you had not asked permission to wear his shirt - you had to remain naked. You agreed to that. His apartment wasn’t overlooked by any other, being right on the river, and you felt comfortable enough walking around naked. You drew it off, and as you did he leaned down and took your nipple between his teeth, playfully tweaking it. He sucked a kiss over it, taking both your breasts in his hands and groaning softly as he kneaded them. Your back arched a little and he smiled and drew back.

“Next,” he said, “I want you to go back to bed. I’m going to feed you the rest of your breakfast, and you’re going to eat it like a good little girl, and after that, you cannot walk anywhere in this apartment.”

“I have to stay in bed all day?” you asked, disappointed.

He chuckled and shook his head. “No. But unless it’s a call of nature, I have to carry you wherever you want to go, but you have to earn it from me first. How does that sound?”

“I like that,” you said softly. “A lot.”

“Good,” he said. “Let’s see how you earn a change of scene after breakfast then. Go on,” and he practically shooed you off to the bedroom while he finished up preparing and altering his breakfast plans slightly.

He came in and found you lying naked on your back, ankles crossed, wrists crossed lightly above your head, and he stopped dead in the doorway. He looked like his brain had shorted.

In orcish he said something, of which you were only able to make out the words ‘fuck’ and ‘beautiful’. Bresz rallied himself and knelt beside you. “Do you have any requests of me?” he asked softly.

“What if I get cold?” you said.

“Then you can ask me for something to wear, but it’ll be something of mine, and it’ll be my choice. Ok?”

You nodded.

“Words?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Good girl,” he said, and he let his fingertips play briefly up your calf. You jerked at the sudden touch, and he smiled, looking at your face with a slight expression of wonder. “You’re already tipping back into sub-space, aren’t you?”

He was right. You wouldn’t need much encouragement today. The warmth filled your head; that blissful vagueness of knowing he was there to take care of you, so long as you did all that he asked, and that he would never ask too much of you. You nodded and he set the bowl of fresh fruit down beside you and kissed your stomach and up between your breasts. “Let me take care of you then,” he said, his words echoing your thoughts. “I promise I’ll take care of you.”

He did.

He fed you and kissed you, taking his time with you, arranging your body how he liked so that he could enjoy you and even taste you too. He used his mouth and brought you screamingly close to release before backing away again. “Not yet,” he said, leaving you whimpering. “I’ll be back in a moment,” he added, picking up the now-empty bowl and returning to the kitchen. “Don’t move, and do not touch yourself,” he said from the doorway.

When he returned, he found you squirming slightly, but otherwise well behaved. Your reward for that was for him to take his shirt off, and then you were quickly told that you were not allowed to touch him unless you asked permission first. You whined a little at that, but agreed pretty quickly, and with that, he picked you up and carried you out into the living room.

He let you rest on the couch for a moment, taking a good long time to caress you and reassure you, making sure you were well and truly into sub-space, before announcing quietly that he had some work emails he needed to look over, and that he would like you to kneel beside him on the floor while he did that. “You don’t have to do anything, but just -” he ran his palm over his thigh for a moment and said, “Just be there, and don’t interrupt me unless you absolutely have to. Alright?”

You nodded.

“I promise you’ll be rewarded though,” he smiled.

“Yes, Sir.”

“Good girl.”

He fetched his laptop and proceeded to ignore you for a solid half hour. Well, he might have ignored you, but his cock told a different story as you laid your head against his thigh and basked in the gentle, swirling euphoria of being there with him like this. You’d often sat on this sofa with each other in companionable silence, but this was different entirely. While your presence felt needed, necessary almost, you also burned with the desire to touch him, to make him gasp and cry out and need your touch as much as you needed his.

That, you realised, was the whole point of this exercise; to sit there and luxuriate in the quiet limbo he had created, settling into the new situation while the incentive to behave hung over you throughout the duration.

By the time he finished on his laptop, he was hard, and you suspected that he hadn’t got all that much done. He closed the lid and set it aside, staring down at you with his eyes shining. “Well,” he said. “Didn’t you do well with that little test?”

You smiled, basking in his praise.

“Thank you, my beautiful little one,” he said. “Thank you for doing that for me. Now, would you like your reward?”

You nodded and tentatively reached a hand to his thigh. He bowed his head slightly, giving you permission to touch him, closing his eyes, and you repositioned yourself between his legs, unzipping his fly and drawing his jeans and underwear off his hips and down to the floor. His cock sprang free and you thumbed an arc across the sharp cuts into his muscle above his hips. He rumbled something softly, and you licked your lips and took the tip of his cock into your mouth. You tasted his pre-come on your tongue and moaned softly, making his balls clench slightly. He bucked upwards a little but caught himself in time before you choked.

“Fuck,” he cursed, letting his head roll back into the sofa cushion behind him. “Fuck, that’s so good.”

You let your tongue play briefly with the ridge around his head, licking at his slit, before taking him as deep as you could, wrapping your other hand around the remainder of his shaft. The long, deep groan of satisfaction he let out was reward enough for your good behaviour, but soon, as you got to work in earnest, his chest was heaving and his fingers were clenched in your hair. He tried so hard not to fuck your throat, but he couldn’t keep his hips completely still.

You matched your rhythm to his, and soon he grunted that he was close. You let your fingertips tease his tightening balls, and he released into your mouth. You drank him down as he came with a bellow, breathing hard.

He reached a shaky hand down and tilted your head up. Your eyes were watering, and a little of his release had escaped down your chin. “You look perfect,” he smiled, thumbing it away. “You did so well.”

That marked the mood for the rest of the day. Since it was your first time playing together like this, he kept it relatively simple. He did indulge - though whether it was for his benefit or yours, you weren’t sure and didn’t care - in another session of spanking. He had you half draped over his left knee and half over the sofa. You were already in sub-space, so again he didn’t linger too long on praising you first. That would come after.

Each time his fingers collided with your exposed backside, your knees wobbled and you felt a heady rush sweep through you. The pain was more like heat than discomfort, but it still stung gloriously. Your ass felt like it was glowing after just a few, but then the pain began to grow with each strike until you found yourself breathless and gasping. “Amber,” you said softly - so softly that he almost missed it.

You felt the rush of air as his hand shot towards you again, but he pulled back at the last moment and stroked his fingers through your hair instead, curious and concerned. “You doing alright? Do you need a break?”

“I… I’m not sure…”

“Ok. You were doing so well for me. Do you think you can take three more? Just three more, and I’ll let you stop…”

You whimpered, not quite sure if you could take three, but you nodded.

“I need you to give me a green, and then I need you to count them,” he said, listening carefully to the timbre of your voice in your response.

“Green,” you croaked after another few seconds. “Green.”

“That’s it,” he praised. “Well done. You’re being such good girl for me, you’re taking it so well.”

The first wasn’t so bad, but the second and third hurt. Your skin was sensitive and hot, and the pain was just pushing through the pleasure enough that you weren’t sure you could handle anything else. You were hyper aware of all sensations, but it took you a while to notice that he was reaching to the coffee table in front of the sofa for the lotion already. As the cold liquid touched your skin you yelped, but he steadied you.

“Easy,” he said. “I’ve got you. Let me take care of you. Let me take care of my beautiful, good little girl.”

You felt your arms waver and you sank down, face first, onto the cushion. Each slow circle of his thumb and palm over your searingly hot skin felt like ice on a burn, and he took his time with you. Bresz used both hands, working up and down your legs, reassuring you all the while. Pride soared in your chest that you had succeeded. He had known your limits and taken you to them, supporting you all the way.

When he was satisfied that your skin was no longer aflame, he turned you gently over and rested you on your side with your head in his lap. He stroked your hair and gazed adoringly at you with glassy eyes. As you settled and calmed, he leaned forwards again and picked up a large glass of water. “Here,” he murmured. “Drink some of this.”

You hadn’t realised how thirsty you’d become, and you allowed him to hold your head and cradle you softly while you drank gratefully.

Returning the nearly empty glass to him you hadn’t noticed that you had begun to shiver, and he frowned.

“You’re cold,” he said, looking down the length of your body and finding goosebumps prickling your thighs and arms. “You should have said something…”

“I didn’t really notice,” you admitted. It felt so nice to be lying in his lap, feeling small and sheltered after the euphoria had settled down to a pleasant, all-pervasive hum.

He frowned and carried you to the bedroom, setting you down on the bed. He pulled out a clean hoodie - one of his kick-boxing ones - and asked you to put it on. You snuggled into it and he cupped your cheek in his hand. “You look so tiny in that,” he said. “It’s just swallowed you up…”

The two of you cuddled together for a long time, just sitting on his bed, enjoying each other’s steady presence.

By the end of the afternoon, you were beginning to resurface, and while you were honestly exhausted, it was the perfect kind of tired. Bresz seemed tired too, and you both wound down together, curled up on the sofa.

“Do you want to put your own clothes on now?” he asked by way of signalling that he was ready to end it.

“Maybe let me get some underwear and my pyjama trousers on…” you said.

“I’ll get them for you. You stay there.”

When he came back, he too had a shirt on, and while you would always relish the opportunity to stare at his naked body, it felt right that you should both get changed.

“Are you alight?” he asked when you’d got a few more clothes on besides the hoodie. “Do you need anything?”

“Just a cuddle,” you said, and he tugged you gently into his lap. “And maybe some food? You?”

“Mmm, a cuddle,” he smiled back, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. “And I’ll order some pizza. I think we earned it, don’t you?”

You nodded.

He turned the TV on and ordered. When the food arrived, he didn’t feed you, and you both enjoyed the quiet closeness. You were ravenous, and ate much more than you would normally have done. When you said as much, he laughed. “You worked really hard for me today,” he said. “And maybe I don’t want to do this all the time, but… I have to say this has been one of the best weekends I’ve ever had with you.”

“Mmm, I had fun too. I think I actually needed that.”

The light of the TV flickered, but you ignored whatever was on and let yourself be lulled into a warm, cosy, full-bellied sleep. You didn’t remember being carried to bed or tucked in, but you stirred in the middle of the night to find Bresz wrapped tightly around your body, like a protective outer shell.

His breathing was deep, even, and steady, and his arm was curled around your waist. He shifted slightly and, impossibly, pulled you even closer to him, mumbling something soft in orcish. You would have to ask him what that particular word meant in the morning. At that moment, you knew you had never been more comfortable in your whole life, and with that thought, you drifted back to a dreamless sleep.

___________________________

I really hope you enjoyed it! If you did, don’t forget to leave a like on it, and reblogs are always welcome.

___________________________

#orc #exophilia #d/s #d/s exophilia #dom/sub #orc dom #male orc dom #male dom #female sub #commission #writing commission #exophilia writing #orc x reader #male orc x female reader #male monster #female reader

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snappedsky · 3 years

Text

Borderlands: Skies the Bodyguard 3

Skies and the crew discover some interesting things on the island.

*Links to previous and next chapters in reblog*

Chapter 19

Athena, Vaughn, Sasha, and Loader Bot race around the Atlas facility, avoiding the attacks of Guardians. Loader Bot and Athena manage to keep them at bay with their rifles and Athena’s shield, while Vaughn and Sasha cower in between them.

“I saw these creepy things when Fi and I were in the Traveler,” Sasha says, “what are they?”

“Guardians,” Athena replies, “they guard the Vaults.”

“There’s so many of them,” Vaughn remarks.

“Yeah, they’re a pain in the ass.”

“We need time to regroup,” Loader Bot says.

They continue moving for a few moments when Vaughn spots a light from a door’s power console.

“Look!” he exclaims, pointing at a nearby building. “That building still has power!”

“Open it,” Athena orders as she whips her shield and smashes three Guardians.

Vaughn quickly hits the button and the four of them leap inside. He presses it again and the door closes behind them, sealing them in a dimly lit room.

“What is this place?” Sasha asks. It takes a second for their eyes to adjust as they look around.

From the outside, they couldn’t tell how big the building was because of the overgrown trees. Now they see that it’s massively tall; so tall, that they can’t see the ceiling. A stairwell runs along the wall seemingly all the way to the top. And standing in the middle, taking up almost all of the building, is an enormous robot.

It’s hard to make out the top half in the low light, but its legs are almost wider than a vehicle. It’s all a dull grey with the separation between the metal plating showing. It almost looks like it was never finished.

“That’s a big bot,” Vaughn comments as the group stares up at it.

“I wonder why it’s here,” Sasha muses.

“It…looks like Gortys,” Loader Bot comments.

“Huh?” the others question, looking at him.

A bright light suddenly appears overhead, nearly blinding everyone as they look up at it. It takes a second for them to realize it’s the eyes of the robot, looking down at them.

“Uh oh,” Vaughn squeaks.

“Intruders,” the robot booms, its voice sounding like a stereotypical robot. Metal creaks and scrapes together as it opens its massive hand and starts to reach for them.

“Everyone, out!” Athena barks.

Vaughn hits the button and everyone dives outside. They look back, expecting the robot to be chasing them. But it doesn’t. The door just shuts again.

“Okay. That was weird,” Sasha comments as they stand up.

“What was that thing?” Vaughn asks.

“Atlas Go-something Research Facility,” Loader Bot muses.

“What?” Sasha questions.

“That is what the entrance sign says,” he clarifies, “I believe the ‘Go’ is supposed to say ‘Gortys’. I think that robot is an old prototype of Gortys.”

“What?” Vaughn exclaims, “but we found her miles from here.”

“It’s possible multiple Atlas facilities could have been developing her,” Athena points out, “but it hardly matters now. The robot seems trapped in there and, more importantly, we seem to have lost the Guardians for now. We should catch up with the others.”

The others nod agreeably and Athena grabs her ECHO communicator. “Skies, you there?”

“Ugh, just a second,” she replies.

Across the island, in a pitch dark space underground, Skies groans painfully as she rolls over onto what feels like dirt. Beside her in a pile, August and Timothy do much the same as they crawl off of where they all fell onto Claptrap.

“We probably shouldn’t have jumped down at the same time,” Timothy remarks.

“Better than getting caught by Brick,” Skies says, “now, where are we?”

“I don’t know,” August grunts, “I can’t see in the dark either.”

“Skies, what’s going on?” Athena asks from Skies’ ECHO communicator. “Are you all alright?”

“Yeah, I think so,” she replies, “just a sec.”

Skies digs around in her coat for a second before finding a flashlight and turning it on. Immediately, the light reflects off something, nearly blinding everyone.

“Jeez!” August snaps, “what is…that…”

As everyone’s eyes adjust, they can’t help but stare in awe at what’s around them.

They’re in some kind of tunnel that goes off into the distance. The remains of wires and cords run along the walls and ceiling, some going up to the hole they dropped down from. But what’s so amazing is all the Eridium bursting out of the walls, floor, and ceiling. Bright purple gems of different sizes sparkle in the glow from Skies flashlight, creating a breathtaking view for multiple reasons.

“It’s so pretty,” Gortys squeals.

“We’re rich!” Claptrap exclaims.

“I’ve never seen so much Eridium in one place,” August breathes in awe.

“How is there so much?” Timothy asks.

“It must’ve burst out of the planet after the opening of the first Vault,” Skies muses, “man, if Hyperion knew about this place…”

“Skies. Skies, what is going on?” Athena asks impatiently.

“Athena, we’re okay,” Skies replies into her ECHO communicator. “And you guys have got to see this. There are underground tunnels; find your way into one.” “Fine,” she grunts.

“Oh, and watch out for the Crimson Raiders,” Skies warns.

“The Crimson Raiders?” Athena questions, “why are they here?”

“Because they wanna kill me. I thought we all understood this.”

“Oh. Well, they just stopped wanting to kill me so I’d prefer if they didn’t know I was with you.”

“Cool. See you soon.”

“How are we supposed to get underground?” Sasha asks as Athena attaches her ECHO device back to her belt.

“They found a way,” Vaughn points out, “there must be entrances around the island.”

“We don’t have the time to look for one,” Athena retorts, “plus there’s enemies crawling all over the place. We need to move fast.”

“I agree,” Loader Bot says and reaches into his cloak. He removes a landmine which he plants onto the ground and activates. It blows up after a couple seconds, creating a small hole that leads into a deep, dark space.

“Okay, that was fast,” Sasha admits, “but not very subtle.”

“Let’s just go before any enemies show up,” Athena demands and jumps into the hole. The others follow one by one.

The explosion does echo across the island, but fortunately the Crimson Raiders are too preoccupied by the Guardians to notice it. Skies and the others hear it though and start making their way through the tunnels in its direction.

“Watch your step,” Skies warns as she steps over a large Eridium crystal.

They move quickly but cautiously, Skies illuminating the way with her flashlight and carefully checking each turn. They pass by computer screens that must’ve been attached to the walls but have since been knocked down and shattered by the permeating Eridium.

After a few minutes, the group turn a corner into another beam of light, briefly startling everyone.

“Oh, hey, guys,” Skies says as she lowers her flashlight out of the eyes of the second team.

“Hm,” Athena grunts in response.

“Can you believe this?” Vaughn exclaims, gesturing to the surrounding crystals.

“I know, it’s pretty cool,” August nods.

“The Eridium is awesome,” Sasha agrees, “but we’re still no closer to finding Fiona and Rhys.”

“We just gotta keep looking,” Skies points out, “and watch out for the Guardians and the Crimson Raiders. Oof, this mission keeps getting harder.”

“So where do we go?” Timothy asks.

“Well, there’s nothing back where we came from,” Athena says.

“Same for us,” Skies adds.

“Hey, look,” Gortys exclaims, pointing down an adjacent turn. “A light.”

There is a dim light shimmering farther down the tunnel. Everyone shares a look before shrugging and heading towards it.

The source is a large computer screen hanging off the wall with only a few intact wires attached. The screen is white and blank, seemingly on standby.

“It’s weird that only a few things on the island have power, right?” Skies questions.

“The eruption of the Eridium must’ve caused a lot of damage to the facility, which might explain why it’s abandoned,” Athena muses, “some of the technology must’ve survived and still has power running through it.”

“Whatever,” Sasha grunts impatiently, “let’s just keep looking.”

They start to walk away when they notice movement on the screen. Everyone looks at it as two words appear. Just two little words that make a chill run down the spines- literal and figurative- of Athena, Timothy, Skies, and Claptrap.

‘Heya, kiddos.’

“It-it’s not,” Timothy stammers, backing up into the wall. “It couldn’t be…”

“It’s not possible!” Claptrap cries.

Athena just snarls, gripping her gun, and Skies scowls, the bad feeling she’s been having finally making sense.

“Jack.”

#borderlands #borderlands 2 #tales from the borderlands #borderlands fanfiction #borderlands au #myocs #myart

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broomballkraken · 4 years

Link

Title: Dog Days

Fandom: Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Pairing: Dedue/Raphael

Word count: 3659

Warnings: None

Summary: Maya travels to Duscur to visit her brother and his husband, and she is shocked to find that their family has grown since she last saw them...but not in a way that she would have expected.

Written for Dedue Week Day 7, Prompt: Future

“Wow! Is this really where Raph lives now?”

Maya’s jaw dropped as she glanced back down at her map, double checking that she was in the right place. Her travels through the Kingdom and Duscur had been largely uneventful, but gave her many opportunities to paint some rather beautiful landscapes. Duscur especially, since it was an entirely different country, built anew after being razed during the Tragedy. Her brother and his husband, Dedue, were the ones who led the rebuilding effort, and Maya’s heart swelled with pride at the fact.

Looking up from the map, she adjusted the weight of the pack on her back and started down the road, her destination the house that sat in the middle of a vast valley, overflowing with blooming flowers of all kinds of different colors. It was summertime in Duscur, but the climate here was a bit colder than Fódlan, so Maya was wearing a light jacket to chase away the slight chill in the air.

As she approached the house, two major things caught her eye: the huge garden on one side of the front yard with a greenhouse on the other, and an enormous barn that was visible from behind the house. Did her brother and Dedue start raising horses or something?

Maya was just about to knock on the door, when a loud barking noise hit her ears. She turned towards it, but was suddenly knocked off of her feet when something large barreled into her, and she fell to her back with an ‘oof!’ Fear welled up in her for a moment, but dissipated immediately when a wet tongue raked across her face, and she started laughing as she pushed herself upright.

It was a dog that had tackled her, and a huge one at that. His pink tongue hung out of his white jowls, which dripped with drool. His head was covered with dark brown fur, that turned white at his neck and legs, before finally turning light brown over his back. His long fluffy tail was wagging so hard that she thought it would fly off at any moment. Maya giggled and reached up to pet the dogs head, and he barked happily.

“Beefsteak! What’re you barking at-Maya?!?”

Maya looked up as the front door opened, a beaming smile crossing her face when Raphael stepped outside, his eyes wide with surprise when he saw her. He looked the same as he always had, with his massive muscles trying to break out of his shirt and blindingly bright smile on his face. The only thing different about him that she noticed was the blond beard that now covered his face.

“Hey Raph! Long time no see!” Maya said. She tried to push herself to her knees, but Beefsteak started licking her face again, forcing her to fall back onto her elbows.

“C’mon, Beef! That’s enough, you big lug!” Raphael said, reaching down to gather Beefsteak into his arms with ease, as if the large dog was as light as a feather. Beefsteak whined and wiggled around, choosing to assault Raphael’s face with slobbery kisses instead.

“I didn’t know you had a dog!” Maya said as she stood up, wiping her face.

“Sure do! This here is Beefsteak!” Raphael said, laughing as he rubbed his bearded face against Beefsteak’s head, who barked and finally managed to wiggle out of Raphael’s arms. He tried to lunge at Maya again, but Raphael caught him around the middle mid-jump, so Beefsteak could only whine and wiggle his paws in her direction.

“He’s huge! I’ve never seen a dog like him before.” Maya said, moving to stand next to her brother to get a better look at Beefsteak.

“He’s a Saint Bernard! They’re known for being huge, but my Beefsteak here is just a big ‘ol softy, right Beefy?” Raphael cooed, and Maya giggled when Beefsteak barked and licked Raphael’s face again. He then finally seemed to calm down a bit as he sat down on his haunches, looking back and forth between the siblings as they finally had a chance to hug.

“So he’s just like you, eh bro?” Maya said as Raphael lifted her into the air with his massive, strong arms.

“Ha! I guess so. They do say that dogs and their owners start to look and act alike after a while.”

“I’ll say. You’ve certainly gotten hairier.” Maya reached up and pinched a bit of Raphael’s beard between her fingers. “Why’s your beard so scruffy? Hasn’t Dedue taught you how to properly groom it yet?”

“C’mon sis! That’s harsh!”

“Ah, hello Maya.”

Maya and Raphael turned to the door to find Dedue standing in the entryway, a small smile on his face. He also hadn’t changed much, except that he also had a full beard, although his was much more well-kept than her brother’s. Dedue seemed to be in the middle of cooking, for he had an apron draped over his front, and the smell wafting out of the house behind him had Maya drooling almost as much as Beefsteak.

“Darling, bring your sister inside. You will both catch a cold standing out here, and dinner is almost ready.” Dedue said, crossing his arms over his chest and raising an eyebrow at his husband, who blushed and rubbed at the back of his neck.

“Eh, sorry hun, I got excited.” Raphael said, grabbing Maya’s travel pack from her. Maya thanked him and headed inside, with Beefsteak padding along beside her. She gazed around the room, and a small smile crossed her face. It was a modest size, with a fireplace on one side and a large couch on the other. Two large dog beds sat in one corner, and the kitchen was a good size, big enough for someone as bulky as Dedue to maneuver around comfortably.

“Make yourself comfortable!” Raphael said as Dedue quickly gave Maya a hug before returning to the kitchen. Maya sat down on the couch, and was immediately joined by Beefsteak, who assaulted her face with more slobbery kisses before he lay down, his head resting on her lap. She laughed and ran her hands through his soft fur.

“Did you have a good trip, Maya?” Dedue asked as he flipped some steaks over in a pan on the stove. “You arrived much sooner than we expected.”

“Oh, yeah!” Maya said as Raphael sat on the couch on the other side of Beefsteak. “I managed to hitch a ride with a couple riding in the same direction once I hit the Duscur border. Real funny pair. One of ‘em kept on falling asleep while he was talking to me, and the other tried picking fights with any knights that we passed on the road!”

“Hm, they sound familiar…” Raphael mumbled, his face scrunching up thoughtfully.

“They sound like Caspar and Linhardt.” Dedue commented, not looking up from his cooking.

“Yeah! Those were their names!” Maya exclaimed, “They did say they knew you guys when I told them who I was going to visit. They said to say hello for them.”

“I’m glad they’re doing well. They kinda just up and vanished after the war, so I was worried about where one of my best sparring buddies ran off to.” Raphael said. Maya opened her mouth to respond, but she was interrupted by a loud scratching sound coming from the back door on the other side of the kitchen.

Dedue chuckled and abandoned his cooking for a moment to go and open the door. Maya’s eyes widened as another dog trotted through the kitchen and into the living room, stopping in front of Maya and sitting down. She was just as huge as Beefsteak, but seemed to be of a different breed. Her face and ears were dark, while the rest of her fur was a light brown.

“Maya, that is Dahlia.” Dedue said, looking over at the dog fondly. “She is a Mastiff. She may look intimidating, but you will not find a sweeter companion.” Maya let out a delighted squeak as she reached out to scratch behind Dahlia’s ears.

“Oh my gods, you are so cute!” Maya said, and she giggled when Dahlia stuck out her tongue and panted happily, her tail wagging vigorously. She heard a loud whine coming from her side, and Maya turned to see Beefsteak staring at her with sad eyes. Maya laughed and pet his head with one of her hands, while the other continued to pet Dahlia.

“Jeez, Beef! You just can’t let your sis get attention without butting in, huh?” Raphael said, laughing as he rubbed Beefsteak’s belly. He immediately rolled over, tail wagging and leg kicking when Raphael scratched at just the right spot.

“Dinner is ready. Raphael, will you help me for a moment?” Dedue said, and Maya, Dahlia, and Beefsteak all immediately turned their attention to him.

“Yeah!” Raphael leapt up from his spot on the couch, quickly moving to his husband’s side to help him set the table.

“Need me to do anything?” Maya asked, feeling a bit awkward about just waiting around while her hosts worked.

“You can feed Beefsteak and Dahlia if you want!” Raphael called, almost hitting Dedue with a plate as he spun around to address Maya. “Oops, sorry honey!”

“It is fine. Please be more careful, darling.” Dedue said, chuckling as Raphael flushed with embarrassment. “Their food is in that barrel by the door. One scoop each.” Maya smiled and nodded, barely restraining herself from teasing Raphael and Dedue; her brother and brother-in-law were too cute for their own good.

“C’mon doggies! Time for dinner!” Maya said, and she had to run to the barrel, because as soon as the word ‘dinner’ left her mouth, both of the dogs barked excitedly and barreled along right behind her, their heavy footsteps almost making the entire house shake. Maya laughed as she quickly scooped out the food into the two bowls that sat against the nearby wall. Beefsteak dug messily into his meal, while Dahlia used a little bit more restraint while she ate.

“So where did you find those two?” Maya asked when she sat down to eat with Dedue and her brother. She took a bite of the Duscur bear steak - and it was the best thing she had ever tasted in her life - while eyeing the other end of the table where Raphael and Dedue’s free hands were entwined and resting on the surface.

“While we were still working hard on the rebuilding efforts,” Dedue said, sighing as he glanced over at Raphael, who was busy shoveling as much meat as he could into his mouth, “we found Beefsteak and Dahlia as puppies, sick and starving to death. We could not just leave them, so we took them in a nursed them back to health. They have not left our side ever since.”

“Aw, you guys are so awesome! I’m glad you were able to save them!” Maya said, looking under the table where the two huge dogs lay, quite obviously waiting for any scraps that may fall from their plates.

“Us too!” Raphael said, swallowing a mouthful of meat and managing to dribble sauce down his chin.

“Raphael, dear,” Dedue grabbed his napkin and wiped the mess from his beard, “You are making a terrible mess of yourself.”

“Whoops! Sorry Dedue! Your cooking is just so good! I could eat like ten helpings of this meat!” Raphael gushed, and Maya giggled when a light blush rose high on Dedue’s face. They really did seem like they were made for each other; gentle giants with the kindest hearts. As soon as Raphael had introduced Dedue to her, she had no doubt in her mind that they would be together forever.

The meal continued with casual conversation, and when they were done and cleaning up, Maya suddenly remembered something that she wanted to ask about.

“Oh, hey Raph! What’s with that barn you guys have? Do you have horses?”

Raphael smiled and shook his head. “Nope! Do you wanna see what we have out there?” Maya’s eyes lit up with curious excitement and she nodded eagerly. “C’mon, it’s feeding time anyway.”

“Past feeding time. It is a wonder that they are not causing a ruckus by now.” Dedue commented, and now Maya was really curious as to what was in that barn.

The three ventured outside, the evening sun bathing the land in an orange glow as they made their way to the barn. Dedue and Raphael shared a smile as they pushed open the sliding doors, and Maya’s jaw dropped at the sight.

Dogs of various breeds were scattered throughout the large barn, and Maya did a quick count; there were at least 20 of them. When Dedue and Raphael stepped into the barn, all of the dogs turned towards them, and a chorus of barks and howls started up as they rushed to their owners.

Maya shrieked with unconstrained joy as she was suddenly surrounded by fluffy, excited dogs, and she crouched down so that she could pet as many of them as possible while getting a bunch of sloppy kisses.

“Why do you have so many dogs?” Maya said, laughing as she held up a fluffy yellow dog with an elongated body.

“Well, when we nursed Beefsteak and Dahlia back to health and resumed the restoration efforts, we realized that there were so many other homeless dogs that needed help,” Raphael said, “After Duscur was fully rebuilt, we build this barn together and decided to take in as many dogs as possible. We make sure they’re happy and healthy, and some of the people from the nearby town have adopted a few of them already.”

“Aw...You guys are so wonderful!” Maya gushed, and the dogs around her suddenly bolted off towards Dedue when they noticed that he was starting to fill up their food bowls. Maya set down the dog that she held, and she lay down instead of running after the other dogs, which confused Maya. That is, until she saw six puppies run up to the dog and start nursing.

“Babies!” Maya exclaimed, unable to handle the overwhelming cuteness without shedding a few tears.

“Oh yeah! Her name is Sausage!” Raphael said, patting Maya on the back. “She’s a Corgi! She was pregnant when we found her, and she gave birth just a few weeks ago.”

“They’re...perfect.” Maya said, sniffing as more tears fell down her face.

“Why are you crying?” Raphael said, an alarmed look crossing his face as he looked Maya over. “Are you sick? Or hurt? Or-”

“Raph, please,” Maya said, laughing as she wiped away her tears. “They’re just...so cute and precious. I love them.” One of the puppies finished her meal and bounded over to Maya, barking as she nibbled on her shoe.

“That one is named Paprika.” Dedue said, smiling softly as he placed a hand on Maya’s other shoulder. “She is the runt of the litter, and almost did not survive birth. I had to rub her back continuously for a long time before she finally started breathing on her own.” Maya picked her up and started sobbing again when little Paprika starting licking her face with her tiny tongue. Raphael and Dedue shared a glance, and Dedue nodded.

“Would you like to adopt her, Maya?” Raphael said, and Maya stared at him with wide eyes. A huge, beaming smile slowly spread across her face, and she nodded vigorously as she hugged Paprika gently against her chest.

“Oh my gosh, can I really? I’d love to!” Maya said, kissing the top of Paprika’s head as she started falling asleep in her arms. “I’ll take good care of her.”

“We know you will.” Dedue said with a nod, “She cannot leave her mother permanently yet, so you will have to stay with us until she is ready. Is that alright?”

“Yeah! I’ve got all the time in the world. Oooh, I think I could get some really cool paintings done around here too, with the flowers and dogs and…” Maya said, trailing off to mumble to herself. Dedue and Raphael laughed, and as Maya finished helping them tend to the dogs, she couldn’t help but feel incredibly proud of her brother and Dedue, and what wonderful things they were doing with their lives. She followed them back into their house, with little Paprika tucked away against her chest, and she was excited for the weeks to come.

“Wow, what a day!”

Dedue chuckled as Raphael plopped down on the bed next to him, quickly discarding his shirt before snuggling up against Dedue. Setting the book he had been reading aside, Dedue wrapped his arms around Raphael, pulling his head to rest against his chest as Dedue placed a kiss on his forehead.

“Indeed. Did Maya get settled in alright?” Dedue asked, and Raphael nodded, his soft facial hair tickling Dedue’s chest.

“Yeah! She’s got Paprika sleeping with her, and Beefsteak and Dahlia too! They really like her a lot!”

“Good. It will be nice to have the bed to ourselves for once.” Dedue mused. Beefsteak and Dahlia usually slept in their bed with them, and Raphael had to build them an extra large and sturdy one in order to hold their massive dogs as well as themselves.

“Heh, yeah it will.” Raphael said, grinning as he kissed Dedue, who sighed contently, wrapping his arms around Raphael and pulling him close. Calloused hands roamed over Raphael’s back, tracing over faded scars and taut muscle that had become as familiar as Dedue’s own. It felt like a dream, being wrapped in the arms of the man who loved him, living a peaceful life away from war in a recovered Duscur that he and Raphael had rebuilt with their bare hands. Dedue smiled against Raphael’s lips, and the latter pulled away slightly, his beautiful golden eyes gazing deep into Dedue’s seafoam green.

“What’re you thinking about, dear?” Raphael asked, nuzzling his nose against Dedue’s, laughing as the silver hairs of his beard tickled his nose.

“You,” Dedue said, taking Raphael’s left hand in his so that he could run his fingers over his wedding ring. “Or rather, you and I. I feel like I was blessed by all of the deities in both Fódlan and Duscur with the most wonderful man that I get to call my husband.” Dedue chuckled when Raphael’s face flushed pink.

“Aw, Dedue, you’re makin’ me blush here...” Raphael said, burying his face in the crook of Dedue’s neck to hide his embarrassment.

“It is true though.” Dedue cupped Raphael’s face with one hand while his other continued to trace the scars over his back, causing Raphael to shiver, “I think if someone had told me back in our academy days that I would end up married to the love of my life and living in a rebuilt Duscur, I would not have believed them.”

“C’mon honey,” Raphael said, his brow furrowing as he pouted, “Don’t talk like that! You’re the greatest guy that I’ve ever met! I had the biggest crush on you when were we still in school!”

“Really?” Dedue blinked as he tilted his head. He never would have guessed that Raphael had harbored feelings for him that soon. Dedue had always assumed that Raphael did not grow to love him until they had reunited after the start of the war.

“Yes really! I was super sad when the war tore us apart, ‘cause I never got to tell you how I felt until five years after that. I was also really scared that I’d...never see you again.” Raphael’s face fell, and Dedue smiled softly, cupping Raphael’s face as he placed a chaste kiss on his lips.

“I am sorry for worrying you, my darling sunshine,” Dedue whispered, his fingers setting in Raphael’s soft beard, and a beaming smile slowly returned to Raphael’s face. That beautiful, ethereal smile that never failed to take Dedue’s breath away. He was determined to spend the rest of his days making sure that smile was never absent from his husband’s face for longer than a few moments at a time.

“It’s fine! It all worked out in the end! We’re married and living a good life. I’m just...really happy Dedue!”

“I am happy too, Raphael.” Dedue chuckled when Raphael grabbed his face and kissed his tenderly, but he pulled away shortly after, lips pursed together as if he had eaten something sour.

“Hey, hun?” Raphael asked, “Do you, uh, think my beard is scruffy? Maya said it was.” Dedue blinked at him, before letting out a hearty laugh.

“Honestly, it could use a bit of trimming.” The horrified look that crossed Raphael’s face was so silly that Dedue laughed harder.

“Dedue! Why didn’t you say anything before? Ugh, how embarrassing…” Raphael’s voice dropped to a mumble, and he pouted again as he rolled over onto his back.

“I thought that you kept it that way on purpose. I can help you trim it if you want.” Dedue said, and Raphael rolled back over on top of him, causing Dedue to grunt and his face to flush.

“Really? You’d do that for me?” Raphael said excitedly, causing Dedue to chuckle at his unbridled enthusiasm.

“Of course, darling.”

“Yes! Gods, I love you so much, Dedue!” Raphael said, laughing as he slid his arms under Dedue, pulling him into one of Raphael’s signature bear hugs that Dedue honestly could not get enough of.

“I love you too, Raphael. Always.” Dedue whispered into Raphael’s ear as he returned his hug. Dedue pulled away, caressing Raphael’s cheek with the back of his hand as his husband smiled sweetly at him, before closing the distance between them again by pressing his lips to Dedue’s. They quickly lost themselves in the passion of their love, and Dedue knew that with Raphael by his side, his future would always look as bright as his husband’s smile.

#fire emblem three houses #raphael kirsten #dedue molinaro #raphadue #dedue/raphael #fanfiction #jade writes fanfiction

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