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astaroth1357 · 1 year

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Demons in the Dark

What if they have glow-in-the-dark eyes?

Contents: No warnings aside vague mentions of imminent danger. And bugs and snakes.

~♡♡♡~

Lucifer

Seeing Lucifer in a dark room is incredibly unsettling. You know those horror movies where the protagonist sees a pair of demonic eyes from shadows? You've found the inspiration.

His eyes burn with the color and intensity of molten glass and they that just loom ominously in the darkness, usually well above people's heads!

Lucifer knows exactly how haunting his eyes can look, which is why he prefers to sneak up on Mammon when it's dark and he's up to no good…

The mental image of Lucifer's crimson eyes have long since burned their way into the secondborn's nightmares...

He tries his best not to scare MC with them, but it's undeniably unnerving to see disks of pure hellfire roaming around the kitchen looking for a glass of water…

Mammon

His eyes glow just the prettiest shade of gold you'll ever see. Think of a mound of ancient coins glinting away under a treasure hunter's torchlight.

Mammon knows full well how attention grabbing his eyes are, which is part of why he always wears sunglasses when out stealing. People can't see'em glow if they're all tinted up behind his frames!!

He's also pretty proud that his eyes don't give people nightmares like Lucifer's, but since they glow like little sundrops when he's out, moths fly into his face… a lot…

He is far too embarrassed to admit to MC that he also wears his sunglasses outside for bug protection, so he makes up some shit about it being part of "Devildom-style" they just wouldn't understand.

Sometimes, the MC swears that if they look close, his pupils look like Grimm signs. But has to be a trick of the light… Right?

Leviathan

Levi's eyes glow a citrine orange but weirdly, his pupils actually slit instead of dilate in the dark.

Though he will never admit it, but he actually has pretty bad night vision in his normal form. (Which isn't that surprising given all of screens he stares at.)

It's a little comical watching Levi stumble around in the dark if he needs to go grab something. The MC can just follow his eyes as he smacks into a lot of walls…

His demon form can kind of make up for it, but only so much. If things get too dark, Levi can change into it so he can see his surroundings with the help of UV light.

"Snake Vision" makes the dark more manageable, but it's not very good for gaming at all so he rarely thinks to use it. Everybody knows that past a certain brightness in the room, don't expect Levi to be of much help.

Satan

Magically enchanted his eyes to look exactly like a green-eyed cat's in the dark. I'm dead serious.

Imagine just going about your business then two grown man-sized feline eyes pop out from behind a corner. They even have nocturnal eyeshine so feels like you're being hunted!

Sometimes he can't help himself and he'll sneak up on people with his eyes closed so he can open them over their shoulders or peeking around corners.

He has given the whole House about as many heart attacks as Lucifer has pulling those shenanigans, I swear…

Belphie is the only one generally unaffected and he always gets a big laugh from when Satan scares the others. The youngest boys just be like that, unfortunately...

Asmodeus

His eyes look like a kaleidoscope in low light. Every slight tilt of his head makes them reflect a whole new wave of fractals and colors.

Asmo is just as aware as Mammon that his eyes are gorgeous, but unlike Mammon he wouldn't DARE cover them up!! Sunglasses are for sunny days, which they don't ever get down in Hell.

Asmo's eyes are integral to his charm spells, so he takes extra care to be sure that they are as healthy and bright as they can be! He won't even accept eyebags.

Seeing Asmo's eyes in the dark kind of like seeing a trippy optical illusion just... staring at you. It's less unnerving than the others but it's equally hard to ignore.

To this day, he brags that it was his eyes that caught Solomon's attention when they first met. (Solomon actually wanted to pluck them out to use as potion ingredients, but he'll let that stay a secret.)

Beelzebub

Beel's eyes are probably the most normal of all of the family unless you look at them suuuper closely.

In his normal form, his eyes will just glow a nice shade of purple with nothing fancy happening. But in his demon form, they get that glassy, compounded film akin to insects with his iris still trapped and moving around under the surface.

Thankfully, they do not bulge out of his skull. They even give him the ability to see and track objects in fast motion, which does wonders for his reaction time.

... Somewhat unfortunately, though, his line of sight is more narrow than an inscets so it can look like he's trying to look everywhere all at once to compensate. His eyes will constantly dart around the room as if he is trying to follow the flight pattern of a coked out fly.

At least he mostly only uses this during fights or sporting events where they really come in handy. Honestly, if there's anything more jarring than red eyes, it's stumbling across bug-eyes that they can practically see right through you.

Belphegor

Belphie's eyes glow purple, but they don't shine nearly as brightly as his brothers'. In fact, they have a steady, calming pulse when stared at which is very unnerving.

Total darkness is really when Belphie gives off his best "sleep paralysis demon" vibes. His eyes are really relaxing to look at, but only in the same way that the little light on an angler fish would be enticing to its prey. It's a trap, don't fall for it.

Belphie CAN put people to sleep this way, but he hates doing it because it means he has to somehow not blink for ages. He really has to be motivated to want to see someone zonked out.

For a couple centuries, Mammon would send Belphie to talk to Lucifer if he was working too late in order to (compassionately) knock their brother out so he could get some rest.

Lucifer's since gotten wise to this trick, but sometimes if he's really been going too long he will forget until he wakes up on the nearest couch post Belphie "convincing" him to take a nap.

#obey me #obey me shall we date #shall-we-date-obey-me #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me asmodeus #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphegor #obey me headcanons #tw: bugs #tw: snakes

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rabbittwinrithings · 1 year

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Felt quirky, redesigned Alduin.

Wanted to make him more worm-like. Based off the Bobbit Worm. I really wanted to give Alduin a more cosmic horror and Lovecraftian vibe. He hides in the night sky and bursts from the stars to Nirn below. His presence can be discovered by a blast of wind as cold as death itself; this wind being his tendrils sensing the mortals he is about to prey upon.

His body is very long, and from beyond the night sky it stretches and folds all throughout Sovengarde, making an obstacle for the dead to traverse over to make it to those grand halls.

(After cutoff is rough draft images)

#Skyrim #Skyrim Alduin #tw: worms #tw: snakes #Skyrim Reimagined

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pastafossa · 19 days

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Came across Pepperoni praying to snake Jesus I assume.

#he just sat there like this for a good 30 seconds #i have no idea what's going on in his tiny noodle brain #tw: snakes #snake #pepperoni pizza snake

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creaturegoose · 7 months

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#One of my ball pythons #snakes #tw: snakes #cw: snakes #ball python #he’s real cute #we were going to name him Midna if he turned out to be a female #but he’s not so back to the naming board

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one-time-i-dreamt · 1 year

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There was this guy who kept insisting all snakes love it when you turn them upside down and he kept flipping this rattlesnake until it eventually bit me.

#dream #tw: snakes #animal harm tw #animal abuse tw #snake #snakes #snakes cw #snakes tw

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alexthefly · 9 months

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Snakes on a Thunderbird

For @godsliltippy for TAG MiniBang 2023 (@tagminibang)

Inspired by this adorable piece of Fishtank art here. (@tippystreasurebox)

Trigger warning for snakes. Also brief mention of animal neglect, plus some minor whump and peril.

As Virgil went through his post-flight checks, Gordon twisted and revelled in the several satisfying pops his back made.

“Oh god, that is so much better! Want me to crack yours for ya, Virg?”

There was a grumble of disapproval from his right.

“I’ll pass thanks. Hearing yours was an experience in itself. In fact…”

His brother reached over and snagged the small metal box Gordon had been carrying on his lap.

“...perhaps I’d better take that before you do yourself any more damage.”

Gordon rolled his eyes and snatched the box back with perhaps just a little too much snap.

“Right Virgil(!) ‘Cos hauling passengers and crates off of a sinking ship was fine, but this last hundred yards to the rescue centre is where things gets really tricky(!)”

The rescue hadn’t really been all that bad physically. The crates in question had been lighter than expected, though that was because apparently properly feeding the various animals inside had clearly not been much of a priority for the smugglers on board; about as high as safety and ship maintenance had been. And although Gordon’s back was definitely starting to twinge a bit now, he’d have been a lot happier to be a lot achier if it meant those poor creatures had been treated right.

Well, whatever. He’d stayed professional. …Mostly. That Johnny hadn’t mentioned his little brother's prolonged blue streak ricocheting over the comms was likely a sign that he’d felt the same way.

The fact the GDF were already briefed and waiting with an arrest warrant the second they’d touched down was probably another one.

A yellow light broke through his thoughts and dragged him back to the present. He batted the medi-scan away with a grunt.

“Would you quit it, Virg? I’m fine.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.”

Gordon opened his mouth, ready to deliver a witty yet devastating retort, but then thought wiser of it. Better to just let the big guy get it all out of his system. He'd only worry otherwise, and a worried Virgil was a pain in the backside, especially with the flight home and debrief to get through. He closed his mouth and submitted to the inevitable with a huff.

Virgil for his part stayed quiet too as he completed the scan; once it was done, he continued to look Gordon over with the practised eye of both a medic and a big brother.

“Well, Doctor Virgil? Are you done? Can we go now?”

Another moment of scrutiny. Then:

“You know today was a good day, right?”

Dammit. The big green angst-detector strikes again.

Gordon really didn’t want to talk about it now.

“Whatever you say, bro.”

“I mean it,” Virgil insisted. “You’ve said it yourself - this shelter is the best. They've got the facilities and the expertise; they’ll take good care of all these guys, big and small. And the GDF will make sure the people that did this get what's coming to them."

“Uh-huh.”

"Gordy, the good guys won. Take the win.”

Honestly it didn’t feel like a win. Not even a tiny one. The memory of all those sad little eyes was too raw. It was going to take a lot for it to fade into the background, and he just didn't have the energy right now. All he wanted was to get everything unloaded, go home, swim ‘til he couldn't think anymore and then crawl into bed and sleep for 12 hours.

"Virg, could we please do the pep talk another time? The shelter staff are waiting for us."

A little frown appeared on his brother's brow, but he sighed and nodded.

"Are they all okay in there?” Virgil asked instead, nodding at the box balancing on Gordon’s dashboard.

It was an obvious change of subject, but a welcome one. Gordon gave the portable incubator a protective little pat.

“Should be. I candled them earlier and they look good. Not pipped yet, but I think it should be soon.”

He blinked as a sudden thought occurred.

“Actually," he said as he opened the incubator lid and retrieved the covered tray inside, "I’m just gonna check they’ve not been turned mid-flight. I’ve been holding them steady the whole way over, but you never know.”

“I thought you were supposed to turn eggs?” said Virgil with a hint of confusion. He leaned across to watch what Gordon was doing. "Grandpa said it stopped the embryo getting stuck."

“That’s for birds. Snakes are different. All the little veins and stuff are fragile; you flip the egg, the umbilical cord tears away and they die.”

Gordon gingerly lifted the lid and peered inside.

"Of course, these guys are almost ready to hatch so I don’t know how much of that appli-”

But the rest of his thought died on his tongue as he lifted the lid and took a look inside.

A beat.

“What?”

“Erm, not sure. Hang on a sec…” Gordon gently slid the eggs to one side of the tray and running his gloved hands very carefully in the sandy substrate below.

"Where are you?" he muttered softly.

"Where's what?" Virgil quickly jumped to his feet, unease radiating from every pore.

"One of the eggs must have hatched in transit," explained Gordon, still rifling through the soft gravel, looking for any flash of movement. "Once the shell breaks they usually take a few hours to come out, but I guess with all the jiggling…"

"Okay, so presumably there should be a snake in there then. Where’s the snake, Gordon?!"

Gordon kept digging, slightly more urgently.

"Some snakes bury themselves down into the substrate after hatching - it’s a kinda protection thing. They wait there for their first shed, then they come out looking for food."

Virgil reached out gingerly over Gordon's shoulder and picked up the soft and clearly empty egg shell, complete with a neat split down the middle. He held it softly in his hands, turning it over and over as if he might find the wayward snake still clinging to it somewhere.

"Exactly what sort of snakes are these, Gordy?" he asked slowly, deliberately.

"Umm…”

“Gordon!”

“I don’t know! I’m not a snake expert, and you can only tell so much from just the eggshell anyway.”

He set the tray onto the dashboard and started checking inside the incubator itself, just in case. He could feel heat starting to rise across his cheeks.

“Gords, could it be… poisonous?”

Gordon swallowed back the sour taste in his mouth.

“I don’t know.”

There was a moment of horrible silence as those words sunk in. Of course, the chances of the snake being venomous were slim - only about 10-15% of known species were after all - and in any event their uniforms were designed to withstand pretty much anything, but there was still that tiny sliver of doubt in his mind. Was Brains far-sighted enough to have considered snake fangs as a variable during the testing phase?

Virgil took a step back, eyes darting everywhere, and tapped his wrist controller.

“I’m not picking anything up. John? Any chance you could run a sweep of the cockpit for… uh… unusual heat signatures?”

“Unusual?”

John’s projected image leapt out of the dashboard holo’ right in front of Gordon’s face, causing him to almost fall off his chair.

“What sort of unusual?”

Virgil cleared his throat in a far-too-obviously guilty way.

“We’ve kind of… misplaced something.”

“O-kaaay… What sort of something?”

Gordon opened his mouth to say… Actually he wasn’t sure what he was going to say, but in any case Virgil got there first.

“Can you just do it please, John?” he asked, brow furrowed. "Now?"

The look John shot them both could have stripped paint, but he turned away and started swiping.

“No unusual readings found,” he said after a few seconds. "Perhaps if I knew what I was looking for…”

Gordon caught Virgil’s eye. Despite his obvious concern about the situation, the big chonk was clearly still trying to cover for him.

He really was the softest marshmallow.

But as touched as he was, right now the most important thing wasn't avoiding blame; it was finding the snake before anyone got hurt, including the creature itself. There would be time to wriggle out of Scott and John’s inevitable lecture later.

“The signal’s likely very subtle,” he said, drawing John's attention. “He’s cold-blooded, so his core temperature’s gonna be mirroring the immediate environment. Look at components a little below body temperature and check for tiny, unexplained fluctuations.”

“Cold-bl… You lost a reptile?!”

“A snake,” clarified Virgil.

There was a moment while John processed this new information, then he closed his eyes and pinched the top of his nose.

“Of course it's a snake(!)” He sighed. “EOS? Did you catch all that?”

EOS’s voice rang through clear over the comms. “Yes, John. Checking now…”

“In the meantime,” said John, “I suggest you put your helmets back on, just to be safe. The less exposed skin you two have the better.”

The brothers nodded.

Gordon set the incubator down and grabbed his helmet from the dash in front of him, just as EOS brought up a schematic of the cockpit onto the screen in front of him.

“There’s a slight irregularity in temperature around the co-pilot’s control panel, but it’s too indistinct to pin down to a specific component.”

Gordon’s eyes darted all over the dashboard in front of him.

Where?

Scrabbling to push his chair back and get his helmet on, he vaguely heard Virgil say something about lifting the main cover off the console before he was suddenly distracted by a sharp, stabbing pain in his right cheek, just above the jaw.

“Yeow!”

Virgil was by his side immediately, mediscanner in hand. “What?! What is it?”

Gordon remained in his chair, sitting stock still.

"Don’ scan.”

"What?"

"Don' scan. Th' noise'll scare 'im."

Virgil's eyes went wide.

"Where is it?" he whispered, looking him up and down.

“I’z on m’ face."

“What?!?”

“On. M’. Face. W’z inside th’ helmet.”

Virgil and John exchanged a panicked look.

…Yep.

By rights, Gordon should have been scared. After all, there was a chance he could die here; the little danger-noodle might be pumping deadly venom into him by the second. But surprisingly he wasn’t overly worried about that possibility just now. In fact he felt strangely calm and clear-headed. What was done was done after all, and the priority now was to a) not do anything to make the snake strike again (him or Virgil); and b) get it secured.

“Ah’m gonna slowly r’move th’ helmet," he mumbled, trying not to move his mouth too much. "When y’ see ‘im, grab ‘im c’refully b’hind th’ head an’ unhook ‘im.”

Keeping his head stock still, he looked sidelong at his big brother to check he’d understood. Poor Virg looked pale, but he nodded and shifted into position in front of him, mouth set in a grim line. Behind him, John's face was a picture of worry.

“R'dy?” Gordon asked.

Virgil nodded, hands poised.

He gave a little blink in lieu of a smile. “Okay."

Deep breath.

"One. Two. ‘Hree.”

And slowly he took off his helmet.

Virgil reached forwards and closed his hand next to his face. Gordon's skin pulled painfully for a moment, then released, leaving a sharp echo across his cheek.

He exhaled in a big whoosh that seemed to come from his very soul, and raised his eyes to finally look on the thing that had bitten him.

“Scanning for a species match now,” said John urgently as Virgil stepped back, holding the offending creature out at arm’s length. “Cross-matching size, markings and-”

“It’s a Children’s Python!”

“A what?” Virgil asked roughly.

John took a massive breath in. “Oh thank god! Are you sure?”

“Certain,” replied Gordon, finding his feet and bouncing over to look a bit closer, all concern for his safety gone. “We had one as a class pet in 5th grade. Native to Northern Australia. Fantastic pets.”

“I can confirm the identification, John” said EOS. “The species is non-venomous.”

All the remaining colour drained from Virgil's face. He lowered himself down shakily into his chair, arm still outstretched. “Well in that case would someone please come and take this thing out of my hand before I have a heart attack?”

“Oops! Yep, give me one second…”

Gordon grabbed the tray of eggs and fished out a roll of electrical tape from one of his console drawers.

“This should keep the lid secure until we can get him into the shelter, at least.”

Gordon reached out and gently took hold of the little snake, who had stopped thrashing around and instead seemed content to curl its body gently around his hand. He took a second to admire its beautiful mottled markings in light and dark brown, and the gentle undulation of muscles pulsing as it moved.

"Hey, little guy."

The tiny snake flicked its tongue at him, tasting the air.

Slowly, gently, Gordon encouraged the snake back in the tray, extracted his hand, and then put the lid on and taped it down.

As soon as the tray was closed, John seemed to deflate like he was the one who’d been punctured.

“Please, for the love of god, don’t ever scare me like that again, okay guys? My cortisol levels can't take it."

"Take it easy John," soothed Virgil as he stumbled over to examine Gordon's cheek. "You sit back and have a float and we'll finish up here."

He took Gordon by the chin and turned his face to the side.

"...C'mon Blofeld, let's get you cleaned up."

…

Fifteen minutes later and sporting a natty Baby Shark band-aid on his cheek, Gordon skipped across the animal shelter car park towards the front desk. Alongside him, Virgil carried the now-definitely-sealed incubator. (Gordon had argued it was his privilege as 'the walking wounded’ not to have to carry stuff. Virgil had just rolled his eyes and agreed, muttering something about checking for himself to ensure no more 'jailbreaks'.)

Behind them, a dozen or so vets and other volunteers were unloading the various other crates of animals from Two's hold, checking them over and directing them to their respective enclosures.

Gordon grinned.

"Feeling better now?" asked Virgil, quirking a smile in reply.

He was, in more ways than one. Somehow, staring into the face of that tiny serpent had made him feel a lot more positive about everything. Nature really was amazing. If a baby creature, just out of its egg, could survive and protect itself in a hostile environment like that little one had today, then with a little bit of care he was sure the other animals they'd rescued would as well.

Life was good. He had his health, he had his family, and they’d done good today.

Suddenly overcome with happiness, he couldn’t help doing a little jumping air punch, earning a low chuckle from his left.

"You were right, Virg. Today really was a win.”

Virgil raised an eyebrow at him. "Not sure I'd quite describe it that way, but if you say so. You did still set a snake loose in my ‘bird, though.”

“Hey, don't blame me! I'm as much a victim as you are. Little Hissy Houdini's a force all of his own.”

A pause. “You named him?”

“Yep! Kinda fitting, don’t you think?”

Virgil’s eyes narrowed.

"You’re not keeping him.”

Gordon gasped dramatically.

“Virgil Tracy, I am shocked! I would never-”

“Sully the Gully, Puppy Longstocking, Razorbill Bob, the Swift Family Robinson…”

“...again. Never again.”

“Well that’s just as well then, because I don’t think Scott would appreciate finding this little escapologist in his sock drawer, do you?"

As Gordon contemplated all of the delicious trickster-y possibilities that that image brought up, he stretched and gave his back another series of cracks.

Virgil regarded him coolly. "You sound like a goddamn popcorn maker," he grumbled. "Speaking of, I wonder if the others'd be up for a movie night tonight? I feel like we've earned a bit of down time."

"Sounds good to me," said Gordon, flinging an arm around the big man's shoulders. "And I have the perfect one in mind… You like Samuel L Jackson films, right?"

#tw: snakes #tagminibang2023 #thunderbirds are go #gordon tracy #virgil tracy #tagminibang

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red-hemlock · 30 days

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// SHE moves like a KNIFE. //

- Assassin OC for the Arkhamverse - Semi-Selective Written by Lemon

#Self Promo #RP Promo #Batman RP #DC RP #Arkhamverse RP #Batman Roleplay #DC Roleplay #Arkhamverse Roleplay #Comics Roleplay #TW: Snakes #TW: Blood #TW: Guns

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john-gosh-darnielle · 24 days

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the western sky will pitch-correct it's winding

#snakeheads #palmcorder yajna ep #the mountain goats #tmg posting #tmg lyrics #tmg fan art #doodles #the mountain goats fan art #artists on tumblr #tw: snakes #cw: snakes #Spotify

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ainyan · 3 months

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Ball pythons are being donated for teachers interested in having them as classroom pets. I really want one.

Do you guys think I should take one of the ball pythons for my classroom pet? I teach 6th grade resource (small groups special education) mathematics.

#ooc #rl: teaching #tw: snakes

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incorrect-brawlstars · 1 month

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Belle: Byron got mad at me because I couldn't tell the difference between a snake and a legless lizard.

Byron: THEY'RE EXTREMELY DIFFERENT!

Belle: MOTHER FUCKER, BOTH ARE REPTILES AND LEGLESS.

#submission #brawl stars byron #brawl stars belle #tw: snakes #brawl stars #incorrect quotes #incorrect brawl stars

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deadn30n · 3 months

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guys my snake is kind of an idiot

mf thinks usopp is food and then got mad when he got tangled in him lmfaooo

#« ooc tag. »#tw: snakes #i love my pets i do #but they're idiots #i had to carefully detangle him

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bonefarm · 10 months

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Lots of rain this year means a lot of snakes…

An unusually small Broad Banded Copperhead & an unusually large Rough Earth Snake.

#snake #snakes #tw: snake #tw: snakes

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ravendruid · 9 months

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All Healed

This is a very special fic dedicated to @crispysnake. Thank you for being such a great friend <3 May we keep screaming about Keyleth (and occasionally Vax) forevermore. Set in the Exchange AU. | TW: Snakes

Keyleth chews on the tip of her quill, still looking at the book she was reading from but not really paying attention. She has been reading and taking notes on the history and culture of Vesrah, the Water Ashari tribe, all afternoon, trying to prepare herself for the upcoming trip, but something else fills her mind. It had been a few minutes since Vax returned home, but unlike every other day, instead of knocking at her bedroom door to give her a kiss and check on her, Vax went straight to his bedroom. His unusual quietness is starting to concern Keyleth.

Resigning that she won’t get any more studying done for the rest of the afternoon, Keyleth sets her quill down on the cluttered desk between notes and maps of the Lucidian Ocean. Percy and Vex went for a swim early in the morning and haven’t returned yet (Keyleth does not want to think about what they are up to), and Korrin is still at work, which means she and Vax are home alone. Warmth burns in her navel, and Keyleth can’t help but smile at all the plans she and Vax could accomplish in an empty house. Maybe he wants to be alone. Keyleth thinks to herself as she exits her room. It can’t hurt to check on him, though.

Vax and Percy’s bedroom is right next to her and Vex’s, so as soon as she crosses her threshold, she hears Vax’s mumbled voice through the wooden door next to hers. She pauses for a moment, her balled fist just millimeters away from knocking, to try and discern what Vax is saying or who he is talking to. He speaks again, but Keyleth can’t make up any words or a reply, so she knocks softly, not wanting to scare him. She hears movement and a thud, followed by cursing just before the door opens.

“Kiki,” Vax smiles at her with one hand behind his back. He’s wearing a simple white cotton shirt—Keyleth notices a rip at the hem on the left side—and loose trousers, and his hair is in a messy half-up-half-down style. He needs a haircut, Keyleth thinks first and foremost. Only then does her gaze fall on his suspicious smile. If they hadn’t known each other for years, Keyleth would have probably been deceived by it, but as it is, she knows he is hiding something.

“Hi,” She greets him, trying to act normal. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, why? Oh,—” Vax lets go of the doorknob and combs his hand through his hair, getting it stuck in some knots. “—Shit. I didn’t know you were home.”

Oh. We’re lying now, are we? Keyleth thinks. She schools her expression to hide the disapproval. Vax has never lied to her, and even if it’s a simple, innocent lie, something bad must have happened for him to do it.

“What happened, Vax?” Keyleth can’t take it anymore. She crosses the entrance to get closer to him, but Vax stumbles back with one hand still hiding behind his back.

“Nothing, I was—”

Vax doesn’t have time to finish because Keyleth reaches around him and pulls his hand from behind his back, which is badly wrapped with a strip of white cloth, clearly the missing rip from his shirt.

“Vax, what happened to your hand?” Keyleth is already unwrapping it as she speaks. Her brow furrows when she sees two tiny pinpricks she recognizes as a snake bite. The wounds don’t look bad and aren’t bleeding any more than if made by needles, but Keyleth still gives Vax a displeased look.

“I’m sorry,” He apologizes, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. “I had a run-in with a snake.”

Right on cue, a bundle of clothes that Keyleth recognizes as Vax’s cloak rustles behind him. She frowns again, giving Vax a fierce look that means ‘stay here’ before she drops his hand and steps around him. Vax turns in his spot but doesn’t dare to move further. He knows better than to defy Keyleth.

“I was walking in the forest, and I heard some commotion. A hawk was trying to take it, and I couldn’t just allow—” Vax explained. “I had to save it, Kiki.”

Keyleth squats carefully next to the bundle and pulls one end very slowly. A small orange head peeks through, flicking its tongue at the girl. Keyleth finishes uncovering the snake and smiles at what she sees.

“Hi there, little buddy,” She speaks softly, extending her hand towards it. The snake’s forked tongue flutters in her direction, and Keyleth waits for its next move. From the looks of it, the snake looks young, so she tries to be extra slow in her movements to avoid frightening it further as she tries to gain its trust. That is why Keyleth is shocked—but able to hide a gasp—when the snake starts approaching her hand and climbing around her wrist.

“You are very lucky,” Keyleth says, turning her head back to Vax. “This little guy isn’t dangerous. He was probably scared, and that is why it bit you. You get to keep your hand this time.”

“Do you—” Vax’s eyes widen, and a smile grows larger as Keyleth turns around slowly, showing him the snake coiling around her wrist. “Do you know what type it is?”

“Yes.” Keyleth nods. The snake slithers up her arm, resting its little head on her elbow. Its beady eyes move in the direction of her voice, flickering its tongue at her again.

“Don’t worry, it’s not venomous,” Keyleth adds with a smile. “I think it might be very young if the size is any indication.” She cocks her head, observing it intensively. The snake is small enough that it only wraps one loop around her arm. “Although I can’t tell for sure how old it is.”

Vax looks at her with the astonished expression he always has when Keyleth goes on a tangent about plants and animals. He has told her multiple times that he loves hearing her talk about her likes and all she learned in her studies, even if he doesn’t understand most of it, but Keyleth is always concerned she’s boring him. She apologizes time and time again, and every time, Vax reassures her it’s okay. It always warms her heart to have someone like him listen to her rant over the things she’s so passionate about. That is one of her favorite characteristics about Vax and probably one of the biggest things that made her fall in love with him.

“I still want to take a better look at your bite,” She smiles, ignoring the warmth in her cheeks. She places the snake back in the bundled cloak, gets up, and leaves the room. Keyleth returns with a dark bottle and a couple of bandages to see Vax still standing in the same spot she had told him to stay in.

“Come here,” She nods at his bed, sitting down and patting the mattress next to her. He obeys and sits by her side, immediately extending his hand to her. They have done this dance a few times before. She will clean his wounds, apply the ointment and wrap him up, and when it’s his turn to care for her, he does it too, with the softest of movements, always so worried about hurting her. Vax is not as practiced in healing as Keyleth is, but he has always shown a passion for learning about it, so she has taught him some of the most basic techniques, just enough so he can feel useful.

Once Keyleth finishes wrapping his hand, she brings it up to her lips and presses a soft kiss. Looking Vax in the eyes, she says softly, “All healed,” and warm energy flows from her lips to his hand. Vax visibility melts at that. He closes his eyes and leans his forehead against her, wrapping his fingers in hers.

“I was planning to release it somewhere safe. Can you help me?” He whispers.

Keyleth pulls away with a smile and nods. “I know the right place.” She says as she pulls him back up.

They bring the cloak to the backyard, and Keyleth lowers enough to help the snake slither out of it and into the little nest in the roots of the big oak tree that provides shade to most of the yard.

“You’ll be safe here, little buddy. And you’ve got plenty of mice to eat if you need.” She speaks to it. The snake’s beady eyes follow her movement as Keyleth backs up slowly and stands next to Vax, who looks completely enamored of her. He wraps a hand around Keyleth’s waist and pulls her into a hug.

“I thought about giving him a name,” Vax mumbles into her neck.

“Really?” She asks, pulling away. His eyes shine with the sunlight, and Keyleth can’t help but think about their first kiss and how Vax’s eyes shone just the same.

“Yeah, I was thinking about naming it Simon.”

“Simon is a good name for him,” Keyleth smiles affectionately, willing her brain to stop thinking about the softness of Vax’s lips on hers, how he always tastes like honey, how warm his skin is, and how her heart echoes the racing beats in his chest.

“Yeah?” Vax leans in, making Keyleth’s heart stop. She wants to kiss him so badly but is so scared he will back away or reject her. Why would he reject you, silly?

As if he read her thoughts, Vax cups her cheek with one hand and rubs his thumb on her lower lip, leaning in further. His lips are dangerously close to her, and both their eyes are closing in anticipation, but the sound of something hissing at their feet brings their attention down. They see the orange snake, now baptized as Simon, trying to wrap itself around Vax’s leg, climbing slowly with a flickering tongue.

“It looks like Simon doesn’t want to leave,” Vax says as he bends down to allow Simon to curl around his arm.

“I guess so,” Keyleth chuckles.

“He reminds me of you.”

“Is it because he’s orange?” Keyleth jokes.

“Among other things,” Vax replies, bringing their new friend closer so Keyleth can pet his little head.

With the hand still wrapped around Keyleth’s waist, Vax pulls her closer to him again and gives her a longing kiss. Throwing all caution to the wind, Keyleth supports herself on his chest with one hand and brings the other behind Vax’s head, deepening the kiss to allow their tongues to intertwine. He almost forgets about Simon wrapped in his arm as he instinctively tries to wrap it around Keyleth’s waist, but the hissing sound makes Vax break the kiss and chuckle.

“We need to find somewhere safe for him,” Vax says, ignoring Keyleth’s begging look and pouting at the broken kiss.

Keyleth finds an unused box in the pantry that they can repurpose for the time being. She pokes small holes in it and brings it to Vax’s bedroom, where he places Simon. It’s temporary housing until they find a terrarium, which Keyleth claims to know where to get.

“Do you think Korrin will be okay with me having a pet snake?”

“I’m sure he will be fine with it, considering your sister has a pet bear.” Keyleth laughs, remembering Vax’s face when they returned from Pyrah to see a bear cub hiding behind Vex’s legs. Keyleth moves to the front door, but before her hand can reach the doorknob, Vax’s hands are on her waist again, pulling and turning her to face him. Without warning, he kisses her fiercely while giving her room to melt into his touch. Keyleth replies with equal desire, hungry for the contact and the taste. They have been dating in secret for a week and haven’t had many opportunities to kiss since then, so they obviously want to enjoy the moment as much as possible.

“Vax, we need to go get the stuff for Simon—” Keyleth breaks the kiss, panting. “—before Percy and Vex come home and see him and try to kill him. Or worse, Trinket does.” Vax grunts, annoyed but nods in agreement. He kisses Keyleth softly one last time, lingering his lips close to her just enough that she can feel him whisper I love you before he pulls away and drags her out the door.

#critical role #cr fic #vox machina #vaxleth #exchange au #tw: snakes #I don't know much about snakes other than what crispysnake has told me and the research I did #so I hope this is accurate enough :')#I hope you like it :D

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