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chipper-smol · 3 years

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Hollow Knight Telephone Round Two: Vanilla Chain 1

Prompt: Ghost remembers each time they died and that’s how they’ve progressed through challenges most bugs wouldn’t even dream achieving. However, no one else seems to remember and instead they wonder why Ghost reacts badly to simple casual touches.

By @ink-of-void

A dull drone of rain pattered down across the cool stone below. The rain had only served as a buffer to the dull, passive steps of the bugs in the city, or the ever so gentle wing beats in the distance. Occasional creaks and groans would whine from the structures of the city, begging for maintenance or to finally be allowed rest. Each sound, each moment only served to further cement itself in the cacophony of white noise. A symphony of empty sound that echoed into the city's ambience.

It had been hours since the Ghost had stopped in front of the statue. Its small head tilted upwards to face that of the stone, carved to the likeness of its sibling. The inscription below spoke of sacrifice. An Eternal sacrifice. It was almost ironic. How the one forced to suffer was put on display at the apex of the ‘City of Tears’.

Memories began to rise, welling up and bubbling in its shell. They could remember their sibling screaming. How the sound of their cries echoed on deaf ears, or that easing their pain meant rending their own flesh in a desperate attempt to stop the torture. It was a waking nightmare.

They had failed their sibling. Try as they might, time and again, they could not bring it upon themselves to strike that final blow. The cries of the ‘Hollow Knight’ screeching into the black egg as they faded away from consciousness for the umpteenth time. A pang of discomfort manifested in their shell.

Slowly Ghost’s mind went from just their sibling to all the other bugs. Each one of those who slaughtered Ghost without mercy, killed with reckless abandon, or just proved to best them in combat. They were the ones it had defeated in the past. Bugs that had caused them to relive the same ritual of failure repeatedly before finally earning that place of victory. Every misstep, every badly timed jump, every poorly executed attack, It all ended in the same punishment over and over.  CRaCK.  The pain was almost palpable just thinking about it.

It felt just as new as the first time they were ever defeated. A cold sting of its shell cracking, body being torn limb from limb, crumbling beneath them like old stone. Void spilling from its head and pooling into a free floating shape among those lost to the sickness or those who simply proved superior. Though, the empty feeling of losing its corporeal flesh paled in comparison to what came next.

It was like floating up into an entropy of empty space and confusion. The dark land was void of any life or warmth, disorienting all that passed into its wake. Yet every time, it would be waiting to welcome the vessel back again and again into its crushing, desolate embrace. It felt itself being split in two, one being given back to the world, while the other was forced to remain in limbo until it was saved. But it wouldn't matter, as they would re-awaken only moments later, sitting patiently on a bench back where they started.

The overwhelming sense of exhaustion and dissonance took a toll each time they came back. Missing half of their being and having to fight themselves just so they can regain the broken piece back. All the while, no one else seems to take notice, or even remember what had happened prior. Hundreds of failures, hundreds of deaths, and Ghost could never seem to get used to it. It truly was a burden, one that Ghost often sought refuge from by simply resting a while longer at the bench.

It was a dance with death that always ended in what could be considered a ‘mercy’. The lack of claim to its shade, allowed them yet another chance. But perhaps mercy wasn't the right term. Having to battle your own face, a fragment of your own being… it hardly seemed kind, or fair. Even after returning the shade to its rightful place, the fight wasn’t over. Most of the time, it was only just beginning. There would be no rest. There was never any rest.

However to the spider in red, this tiny bug formed of the void and pale, felt nothing as it cut down everything from vermin to gods. Acting as if death was simply part of a long list of chores, they made it seem effortless. So when she first responded to Lemm’s call, she would be lying if she didn't find it the slightest bit odd that Ghost was simply standing idle. She reached out to them, barely grazing their back with her fingers. “Ghost?-” 

Without another moment passing, the vessel whipped around, nail in hand. The slash was quick, the sharp song of the blade ripping through the air as Ghost’s reaction went into motion. Time seemed to slow for a moment, its blind attack not revealing the consequence of its actions before it was far too late. Ghosts cloak finally revealed the bug into its immediate view. Upon seeing the figure, their body tensed, hanging onto the blade with an iron grip.  

Hornet didn’t even realize what happened until she glanced down at her arm. Seeing the deep blue blood dripping from the new slice in her shell was telling enough. It was nothing more than a surface wound if she was honest. Easily fixed with time and bandages. But that wasn’t her concern at the moment. Letting her hand close, she looked over to Ghost with a worried expression.

The vessel stood ready, both hands on its nail as it simply held the weapon in place. A tiny shake was visible at the end of the nail it was brandishing. Their face held no expression, yet its body told Hornet all she needed to know.

“Little Ghost?” She asked quietly, holding up her hands to show she wasn't a threat. “Are you… alright? Lemm asked me to come check on you. He says you’ve been here for hours now.” 

Ghost paused for a moment, clicking its head towards Hornet. Realization struck them, causing them to slowly lower their weapon. Their gaze fell to the floor as the nail hit the stone sidewalk with a light clink. Their blade’s shimmering reflection bounced back to the vessel's sockets. Part of it was stained with the blood of their sister, obscuring some of the brilliant reflection. The water occasionally dripped down and cut the image in two, washing away the blood as it did.

Hornet sighed, going over to them and gently knelt down.

“Is something the matter, little Ghost?” the spider chimed softly, going over to touch their shoulder. Ghost recoiled, pulling their shoulder away in a rather aggressive manner. Their head didnt lift, turning instead to focus on their path. They put their nail on their back and began their leave. The spider stood up after a moment, bowing her head with a little shake as Ghost began to disappear

 “Even you need to rest sometimes, little one. Please I’m, try to get some.”

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By https://twitter.com/Hell_Yena

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By @nonbinary-ghost

Rain patters down against your shell like thousands of tiny, icy stones. The drum of it inside your mask and the prickling of it against your small body would normally be unpleasant enough as to be overwhelming; but lost as you are in your thoughts and the twisting waves of emotion trying to drown you, the rain is scarcely enough to ground you. You feel disconnected and distant, as if you aren’t really in control of your body, merely being carried along by the steady movement of your legs.

You gradually realize that you have been wandering like this for a while now. How long, you can scarcely guess, but long enough that your cloak is soaked through, and any scrap of warmth has left you. Dirtmouth had been celebrating the first twelve span of being free of the Infection, and while you had been just as happy as the next bug about the recovery of the town, the celebration had filled you with a nameless, twisting dread. And then all the lights and the sounds and the smells and the touching had left you reeling and sick. So you ran.

It could have been hours since then. You have no way of knowing. You don’t quite remember deciding to come to the City of Tears either. You just let your thoughts blur into a black haze, pointed your mask to the ground, and let your feet carry you wherever they wanted to go. You hadn’t expected to find yourself standing before the statue of your sibling. You simply realized that you were staring blankly at the inscription along the statue’s base.

“Through its sacrifice, Hallownest lasts eternal.” Something hot and prickly bubbles up inside of you at the words, making your shell itch and crawl like when you fall in acid. Hornet had once explained the feeling as anger. Why are you angry? You puzzle over it for a moment, resisting your initial urge to strike at the plaque with your nail and scratch out the offending inscription. Instead, you read over it again, feeling the anger boil deep in your belly.

Sacrifice. That’s the part that makes you angry. Sacrifice implies choice. Hollow had no choice in sealing the Radiance. You hadn’t had any choice. None of your siblings had any agency over anything that happened to them. No, none of you were giver the choice to make sacrifices – you were the sacrifice. And for what? Hallownest still fell. So many bugs died, so many cultures were consumed by the plague and lost to dust and rot. All of your siblings, but Hollow and Hornet especially, still suffered and struggled. Yes, you had eventually killed the Radiance, but that hadn’t been part of the Pale King’s plan. He didn’t even know about Godseeker, didn’t even consider that there might be another way that didn’t involve condemning his child to an eternity of suffering. No, your “Father” had expected all of you to “sacrifice” yourselves to the seals and suffer in silent mystery to keep the Radiance contained. How dare he imply any level of choice in what happened to your siblings.

“Ghost?”

The soft question yanks you painfully from your thoughts and you feel as if you slam back into yourself. You are suddenly very aware of the rain hitting your mask, of your hands clenched into fists.

Of the dark shadows that had begun to flicker like flames around you receiving back into you. You spin to find Hornet standing on one of the nearby signposts, her red cloak so damp it nearly looked brown and her needle poised as if prepared to zip away at any moment.

“Are you alright?” Her stance relaxes somewhat as the shadows fade. You don’t know how to answer, so you simply turn away. You look up at your sibling’s likeness looming over you, proud, regal, poised. Not at all like the desperate, brutal Pure Vessel you were forced to fight in Godseeker’s Pantheons. Not at all like the sick and injured bug that you freed from the black egg temple after killing the Radiance.

“Do you need to be alone?”

You shrug. The happiness and celebration in Dirtmouth had been overwhelming, and you had wanted to be alone then. But now, a part of you mutters discontentedly. You’re lonely, and maybe Hornet of all people could understand these feelings. She was the only one besides Hollow who might. “I’m angry,” you sign, pointing at yourself and making a sharp gesture with both hands. Hornet has slowly been teaching you and Hollow the sign language used in the Hive, but none of you are all that good with it yet. It often requires body language and facial expressions for certain distinctions between similar signs – a difficult feat to accomplish when your face is a mask. Hornet follows your gaze and hops down to join you.

“About the statue?”

You point to the inscription.

“We didn’t have a choice,” you sign furiously. “We failed. And now what’s left?”

You stop, a dawning realization creeping through you. That was why you’re angry. Why you’re discontent even though by all accounts you had succeeded. You defeated the Radiance, ended the Infection, freed your sibling, and even survived channeling the Void Entity. You are free to do whatever you want now, but you slowly realize that this new freedom is what has you feeling so distant. You and your siblings were all created with a purpose, and now, with that purpose gone, you have nothing left. You have no other skills but fighting. No passions, no home, no culture to rebuild. You and Hollow are free, but now what is left for you? Your Father had sacrificed your futures, not just your lives, and now you are feeling lost and separate from the bugs around you. They had all suffered through the plague, lost loved ones and homes. But they had passions and dreams to guide them and give them hope. You only have nightmares that keep dragging you into the past, making it impossible to look forward to the future.

“Who am I supposed to be, now?” you finish limply. The anger is gone, replaced with a choking sorrow. Your breathing feels thick and heavy. Hornet holds out a hand, hesitating before touching you to make it an offer, and you lean into it, letting her hand rest lightly between your shoulders.

“What the Pale King did, what he demanded of all of us, was unjust,” she said at last, an ember of her own rage warming her words. “There is nothing that can change that. You and Hollow and all the others deserved so much more. But Ghost,” she kneels so she can look into your mask with such honest ferocity that your breath hitches in your chest. “You are so much more than what our Father made you. You are not just a weapon or a tool. You never were. There is a future for us now, because of you. I know it will be had. It will be scary. Change always is. But we have each other – you, me, Hollow, all of Dirtmouth – we are all here to support each other. We are all learning and growing past everything that happened. I promise, none of us are going to leave you behind again.”

A tightness forms in your throat at her words and your vision blurs as that heaviness in your chest tightens. That promise to not be left behind again stirs a confusing blur of emotion that you can’t make any sense of. It doesn’t feel good, but it doesn’t feel bad either.

“Can I hug you?”

You nod and lean into her touch, the weight and warmth of your sister’s arms doing more to ground you that the rain. For once you feel … safe. Something inside you cracks, like an old shell you’ve grown too big for, and suddenly you’re crying. For everything you went through, for everything you lost, for everyone who didn’t survive to see the same light of freedom. You sob, clutching at Hornet’s cloak.

You finally let yourself mourn everything that brought you here.

And tentatively hope for everything that might come to be.

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By @brimal-baspid

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By @martin-ftw

The rain pours heavily in the city of tears.

The knight walks up to the fountain square. They look upon the fountain, where the Memorial to the Hollow Knight resides.

The knight inspects, "In the Black Vault far above. Through its sacrifice Hallownest lasts eternal." as Hornet dashes in with her needle.

"Again we meet little ghost." Hornet started, "... seek the Grave in Ash and the mark it would grant to one like you."

After finishing her guidance for the knight, she added, quietly, "Are you, perhaps, even a little, afraid?"

The water flows through the fountain endlessly, yet the knight remains emotionless.

Hornet giggles to herself, "hmmhmm, that's right, no voice to cry suffering, best of luck to your journeys little ghost."

After a few seconds of silence, Hornet raised her needle and hopped onto the ceiling.

The knight pauses, and dashes right to the opened door, leaving only the sounds of rain splashing the water fountain and flapping of wings from the lumaflies.

At the front door of the Pleasure House, the knight inserts the simple key and opens the door, walking in as Hornet follows. With the beautiful singing by Marissa, the knight goes on the long elevator ride as Hornet clings onto the elevator.

“About to learn your troubled past, aren't you little ghost?" Hornet asks inside the hot spring, while the knight sits on the bench.

The knight nods while opening their map and picking off one of those scarab markers, moving it to the bottom right of the map.

"Though I have underestimated your power, do you think you've got what it takes? To preserve the future of hallownest?" The knight does not know how to answer, they stand up from the bench and pack up their map.

"Exit's on the right, break the wall down to King's station," Hornet says while thinking to herself, could this one succeed? The knight swings their nail at the wall, breaking it open with a loud crack, and heads downwards.

Hornet sat in the spring by herself.

Guarding the cast-off shell is her job - she knows she has to fight the knight one more time, to ensure the knight is ready to finish their quest even after seeing their conception and past. She sighs, all rested, and stands up; knowing she's much faster than the knight in traversing the Hallownest, she raises her needle and swings out of the pleasure room, down to the Kingdom's edge she goes.

“Perhaps this one would be strong enough. They made it so far, don't fail me now little ghost" She quietly mumbles, before pointing her needle towards the entrance of the arena,

"So you'd pursue the deeper truth? It isn't one the weak could bear. Prove yourself ready to face it. I'll not hold back..."

With the wind blowing harder and louder in the edge of the world, the fight begins, the sentinel of a fading land and the vessel to save Hallownest.

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By @potentialforart

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By @starstress

They crouch, body full of tension, and they stare on ahead at their target. The platform is right there, waiting for them like a pedestal.

They jump.

Soaring through the air, quick and steady, they reach out, claws stretched and yearning.

There, they think. Right there.

And as the edge comes right by them, confidence blooms inside their chest, sure that they'll reach it. Their outstretched claws brush by a single tiny pristine leaf, one in a dozen, green and lush. It bounces right back into place as they are claimed by gravity.

They fall onto the lower platform, the moss softening their landing. They look up, and disappointment is a small bitter ball in their stomach, but they brush it aside. The stone edge they were aiming for now looms above them unforgiving. They will not let it discourage them, they will try again.

They want to know. They need to know. Who that red-clothed bug was, and why they felt such a pull to her.

----

Through stretching lush highways and seeming ceilingless and bottomless caverns, they push onwards. They’re spurred ever on by glimpses of rushing red, pale horns and swishing silk.

They would have expected the constant green to become monotonous by the time they reach a bench locked behind a gate, guiding them ever higher, but the shrub and moss-covered land surprises them still. From keeping them on high alert constantly and mercilessly, to undeniably charming them through towering leaf-embroidered architecture and statues, simple but beautiful blooms filling the air with glittering pollen, and soft chimes of birdsong, Greenpath has carved a spot in their heart that they can’t believe can ever be topped.

Still on they go, for though they wish to properly explore, they know that that can wait. They heal themselves, fill in the map with all the paths and twists and turns that they have crossed, put on the few charms that they have gathered, and stand up. They look ever upwards and hope they’re drawing closer to wherever the red-clothed person might be leading them.

----

There--

They rush forward, into the air and off the moss-covered stone ledge, eyes locked onto the red figure. Behind them, a gate slams closed, but though the sound echoes in the small clearing, they pay it no mind.

They land on steady feet, leaf softening the sound of their fall.

There she is--

They've found her.

The red-cloaked bug, in all her stern and decisive figure.

She is encompassed by engraved and moss-covered pillars of stone, but still she towers over them, despite only being about twice their own height.

Her dark eyes, but not as dark as theirs, no one with as dark as theirs, never, track their every move, ready to act, ready to cut down. They stare at her and she stares at them, a contest of wills.

She raises her blade - her needle - and they rush to mirror her.

Soft light streams down, from in between greenery, though they not know not its source, and halos her in pale light. And though this is their first proper encounter with her, the red bug feels familiar, like they know her mask, the shape of her eyes, like they once gazed, even briefly, upon those features in a past life.

Nevertheless, her stance is rigid and unforgiving.

No further, her eyes scream even before she deems them worthy of words, no further I will allow you, until you prove yourself.

They tighten their grip upon their nail, and shove back into their void all pangs of sadness. This is a fight for their life, and, more than ever, a fight for their existence.

Maybe, after they defeat her, they can ask her why she feels like family - lost, but found again.

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By @dovalore

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By @jonsilverstone

https://soundcloud.com/jachym-hajek/vanilla-1-july-21-jon-silverstone-hornet-v-hollow/s-8IcY8UIzrtg

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By @alaska-ren-works

“Do you want to just fulfill the wyrm’s standards or do you want to make me proud, Princess of Hallownest?”

Hornet tightened her needle’s grip and lowered her stance. Heart calm and mind steady, she didn’t feel the rise of a subtle smirk on her face. This was her moment she had trained for in the Hive. Not to be the pale wyrm’s spawn, but to be the Daughter of Deepnest.

“You will see my answer soon, Mother.”

Weavers and bugs alike stood in solemn excitement as Herrah, Beast and Queen of Deepnest, circled the princess. Her white mask hid her emotions, but Hornet could more than feel the queen’s wide grin. Herrah twirled her own needle in her hand, a feat that impressed Hornet to no end as that very needle was longer than she was tall.

“Very well.” With a final step, Herrah faced Hornet with her needle at the ready. “You know the rules and so do I.”

Hornet nodded. As the lower-ranked of the two, Hornet must make the first move. Everyone and everything turned still. Watching. Waiting.

With a resolute bang of a drum, Hornet yelled, “Garama!”

The crowd roared with the start of the duel, but Hornet only heeded her opponent. She speared her needle forward and as Herrah jumped away, she reeled it back. Herrah dodged the attack and closed in on Hornet. The young spider darted away right before Herrah’s needle slashed through the space she just left.

When it came to brute strength, Hornet would lose in an instant. But she was smaller, faster, and more agile. If she could avoid a direct hit, she might have a chance at winning this.

Hornet rolled away as another strike whistled too close for her liking. She slashed her needle upwards, forcing Herrah to jump back. Taking this, she jumped into the air and released a storm of silk.

When her feet landed, Herrah slammed into her. Her breath wrenched out of her chest as she flew then skidded on the floor. It was a miracle she was still on her feet. With her head bent, she did not see the pride glimmer in her mother’s eyes before the queen composed herself.

Herrah’s head turned when the ravelling of silk sounded above her. The whistling of an incoming needle alerted her and the Beast parried Hornet’s thrust.

In Herrah’s moment of distraction, Hornet covered the arena in sticky silk traps. Now, this was where Hornet shines. She darted between the silk

strands and rushed at Herrah, the bigger spider now pressed for space. Strikes and slashes were landed and blocked, and Herrah growled. The next second Hornet rushed in, Herrah took hold of her and used her momentum to throw her far. Hornet flipped in the air but stumbled on her landing. Looking up, Herrah’s needle swung in a wide arc, destroying the nearby threads.

Mother and daughter studied each other from opposite ends of the arena. Hornet felt fatigue settle in her bones and her lungs struggled with big gulps of air. Herrah stood tall and her giant nail held steady, but Hornet could see her chest moving quickly.

“What do you think about heading over to the hotspring after this, huh?” Hornet’s eyes widened at Herrah’s invitation.

“Y-yes, Mother!” Hornet reddened at her stuttering voice. She cast out her exhaustion and readied her stance.

Herrah grinned as she raised her needle once more. “Then let’s make this worth it.”

#hollow knight #hollowknight #telephoneknight #vanilla #hornet #ghost

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revenant-dumpster-fire · 3 years

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Canine (Revenant x Reader)

Part 2 of 2 of the chapter “Styptic & Canine”. [AO3 Link to full chapter]

Theme: Revenant introduces the reader to his makeshift family as he turns up the spice level, but an unfortunate run in with a creep ruins most of the day.

Warnings: Graphic content, physical male dominance, threats of violence, blood, descriptions of violence, sexual references, sexual harassment, sharp objects, pain, bipolar, depression, mentions of mania, general romantic fluff.

Reader's Notes: Revenant (Apex Legends) x Reader, reader is female.

Writing Notes: This post was too big. 18K words. This is part 2 of a larger chapter that is “Styptic & Canine”. I’m posting it in halves so Tumblr doesn’t die. Also, yes, this chapter is where I start raising the heat. My intent was to boil the frog, but Tumblr made me split right where I first turn on the gas stove.

Navigation: First Chapter | Previous Part (Styptic & Canine) | Next Chapter

You regain consciousness to a mild shake, his hands around each of your cheeks and his frame vaulted over your body in a sitting position.

"Oh dear, little skinsuit, what was that about?" His voice drips with some kind of sadistic humor.

"What was what about?" The morning light was shining through the skylight. He obviously let you sleep in a bit, for which you were grateful. You couldn't remember any dreams though, it was all blank.

"Don't play stupid, you must know." He's way too into this. "I want to know if it was me."

"I really don't remember. Why, what did I do?"

He lurches back in some kind of cruel delight, pulling his hands away to cup around his own face, accentuating his joy.

"Then maybe you'll know the answer to this: who is 'daddy'?"

Your face gets hot instantly, now you know why he's so interested. He has prime material to hold over your head for days. You have one potential way out and he isn't likely to buy it.

"I never met my father, so I'm not sure..." You try.

"Oh, I guessed as much. But this wasn't that kind of daddy." He places each of his hands on the sides of your waist, making you blush harder. "Your hips were absolutely reeling. I could hear how much you were loving it. You still smell like lust. So, I must know... who is the lucky one to have the title of 'daddy'?" Your face is burning. Your attempt to get out of this has definitely and utterly failed.

"I don't know! I've never even--" You cut yourself off, realizing that saying more is only playing into his game.

"Oh please, you must tell me." He leans over to whisper in your ear, curling over you in a seductive manner. "I'll keep it a secret, I promise. I just want to know who makes you writhe like that. Clearly I could learn something." This asshole. Your face actually hurts it's so hot. You can't get out of this, and you don't even have an answer for him. You've never even called anyone that before.

"Please, can I get up?" You beg, hoping it can just be over.

"Oh no, dear," You feel yourself screaming internally as he nuzzles his mask against the side of your face, "I can't let you do that. No, no... Not until you humor me." He presses his body into you, and you audibly whimper. "Call me daddy."

You're dead. You have to be dead. This can't be real. You can't humor him, but you have to humor him. Why is he like this? If you say it really fast, maybe it'll be okay. Maybe he'll accept it.

"Can I get up...?" You choke. "...daddy..." You didn't say it fast, but you said it with zero confidence, which hopefully dampens his power trip.

He throws himself off of you, laughing something fierce. His guffaw is loud, cruel, and pure delight. He's completely overtaken by it, laying back beside you, almost twitching in hilarity. He can't control himself as he lifts his hand as if to wipe away a tear.

He shuts down again, turning limp.

You jump out of bed, giving yourself distance from his metal sarcophagus, knowing whatever comes next might not be pleasant. You make your way to the computer desk, sitting on the office chair, waiting to see what he does this time.

His chassis begins to whirr and cracks into movement, his arms grabbing at air beside him as he tests every limb in violent bends and swings. The static begins in his voice, before suddenly slipping into something audible.

"You-you moved away." His empty optics seem to stare at you from a distance as he sits up. "I wanted to hold-hold you again..." His tone was soft, but his vocals were still skipping. "Shame, daddy will get you next-next time."

His eyes come back to life, and he's aware again.

"Well, just say how you really feel then, huh?" You jab back, waiting to see how he reacts. He chuckles a little, a mere echo of the laugh that forced him to restart.

"Well, I'll make it up to you. How do you feel about making a trip to meet my little family?"

"Family? I thought--"

"Oh, not like that, of course. Just the closest thing I have." He smiles smugly at you, seeing an opportunity. "You don't need to worry, no one competes with you."

Damn blush, you're going to turn red permanently if he doesn't stop.

He vaults out of bed, making his way over to you.

"I let you sleep in, thankfully what you're wearing is ideal for the job already." He offers his hand. When you take it, he hoists you to your feet. "It should help with any sad feelings too, how are those going by the way?"

"With how things have been going, I haven't had the chance to be depressed..." You're almost embarrassed that his plan to keep throwing you off your depression is working so well.

"Good, keep showering me with all your attention then." He squeezes your hand a bit before letting go. At this rate he could make you manic again if he keeps pushing it. You're just not sure if you should let him. "I've arranged a ride for us, since I don't think you can run this far."

"Oh, alright, sure. Do I need to do anything? I feel kinda like I should take a shower..." It's very strange that you're going someplace wearing dirty clothes with no shower.

"Trust me, you'd be better off doing that after."

• • • •

Revenant can't drive, apparently. To the point in which he's actually enough of a liability that he's not allowed to drive anywhere outside of the Apex Games. He wasn't very happy with the idea of having a chauffeur, but the legal team was able to convince him to accept being driven in exchange for a vehicle that separated him from the driver. That vehicle was a limo. A giant, stretch limo. A very luxurious limo. Versus you, who is a mess: dressed in a stained shirt you slept in and you haven't washed your hair. This is embarrassing.

"This dumb thing is almost ten yards long, and you have to be right up against me, don't you?" Revenant is sitting far in the back corner, and you've wedged yourself right between him and the corner, trying your best to hide yourself from any phantom that might see you.

"I'm in a limo and I look like I belong in a garbage truck." You duck away from the windows, shoving your face up against the black leather of his waist, careful to avoid the support pistons.

"Literally no one can see you except me." He scoffs, crossing his arms. "The windows are blacked out, the driver's privacy window is closed, and nobody is here but us." His eyes glare down at you, but he seems to be moderately entertained by your distress.

"I look homeless." You pause. "Again."

Revenant laughs at that, uncurling his arms to mess up your hair in some kind of adoring but condescending gesture.

"You're fine, trust me. Nobody is going to see you." He pauses from messing with your hair. "I have a stop coming up, just stay in here and I'll be back with some supplies."

"Be fast, I need to hide behind someone and you're the only one here." You're being intentionally dramatic, but if it makes him laugh it's worth it. He sighs equally as dramatically, clearly playing along.

The vehicle hovers to a stop, and Revenant wisps out the door, closing it behind him before you even get a sense for where you are. The windows really are blacked out, you can't see anything through them.

Now alone, you shrink into the back corner of the seats going around the vehicle. There's a television and what appears to be a loaded bar, multicolored LED lights lining the whole thing, and starlights in the ceiling. The seats are all made with beautiful leather and have a triangular pattern stitched in the surface. The floor has carpeted mats that feel a bit more plush than the average car. You consider rummaging through the bar, but you're not sure if anyone is going to charge you an arm and a leg for alcohol you can get cheaper anywhere else. You sigh and lean back, shrinking further in the seat.

The door on the opposite corner as you clicks open, and Revenant crawls in, dragging a massive green bag behind him, barely managing to get it in the car.

"Is that a body bag?!" You curl up in the fetal position on your seat, recoiling away from the door.

"Yes." He gruffly huffs as he drags the apparent bagged corpse into the limo, weighing the whole vehicle down. He gets it in the middle of the floor, then drops it with a thud and throws himself down beside you. With his weight, you feel like you nearly missed being crushed. His arm rests on your opposite shoulder and you shudder, giving him a concerned stare. "Oh shush, I paid for it."

"You what?" You whimper, completely at a loss of what you're experiencing.

"It'll be fine, I can't rightly show up without any offering." He shrugs his shoulders, pulling you closer. He seems to be very pleased with himself, smugly teasing you.

"Offering?! Is this a cult?!" You whisper aloud, not necessarily expecting an answer. He laughs again, enjoying your mental wheels spinning. The limo gets moving again, handling the extra weight very easily.

"Oh, no, that's for next time." He's obviously teasing now. "I'll make sure you're in a lovely white dress to soak in the blood of our sacrifices for that occasion." He shoves you up against his chassis, growling to rattle his torso against you. "Then, when we're all done, I'll make official my new nickname."

"Oh, fuck you." You let slip under your breath, causing him to guffaw openly again. He catches his synthetic breath, rubbing his mask in the same motion a human would.

"You've gotten so comfortable with me so quickly, what happened?" His question must be rhetorical, because he doesn't leave much of a pause for an answer. He jumps right back into teasing. "I'll have to tame you by any means necessary if you're going to keep being so temptingly coy." His hands cup around your waist and you crack a sigh, turning away from him, trying to focus on anything other than how red in the face you must be.

"Do you regularly flirt in front of fresh corpses?"

"Awww..." He grabs your chin and pulls your face back to meet his, bringing his visage down close enough to feel his breath. "Are you kink-shaming me? Or are you just being a prude little tease?" He pauses before snickering to himself, losing his flirtatious composure. "You're so red, you practically match me." His loss of composure is cute enough to get to you. You giggle a little.

The car comes to a gentle stop, and Revenant immediately gets to pulling the corpse out. The body bag is way larger than makes sense, it almost looks as if it could fit someone Revenant's size. Yet the body inside still seems way too big. You're not sure what it is, but you're a bit too afraid to ask at the same time. Revenant eventually gets the bag to the edge of the vehicle before throwing it over one of his shoulders, forcing his shoulder spikes to flip downward out of the way. He nearly topples over at the shifting weight, meaning whatever is in the bag is excessively heavy.

As you crawl out of the car after him, you smell the fresh air of being nowhere near civilization. You see lots of flat lands broken up by woods with a giant abandoned warehouse in front of you. The warehouse has holes rusted throughout its sides and the door is ajar, the hinges rusted so it no longer swings. The air is fresh, and you look around, unable to find signs of other humans close by. Revenant waves away the limo. It turns around, kicking up dust off the unpaved path before zooming off into the horizon. He waits until the limo is far enough before pulling you close.

"You have to listen to everything I say, understand?" He's dead serious. You nod, suddenly concerned over his change in tone. "Don't try to protect me, I'll be okay. Scream if and only if you feel pain." You search for any joking tone in his voice, but there is none. "But above all else, listen to me. Don't play stupid, just obey." He looks to you, demanding acknowledgement. You nod, determined and concerned at this new development.

He walks over to the door, making his way inside carefully as you follow. He throws the body bag on the concrete floor of the entryway, causing a morbid slapping sound as it hits the ground. Revenant kneels down and begins ripping the bag open. You take a moment to look around.

This whole warehouse is dark beyond belief. There seems to be different rooms, but the rusted-through holes in the wall allow you to get negligible peeks into nearby rooms. The roof has not decayed at all yet, but it means no light is entering the building, making the deeper rooms be cast in an oppressive darkness. From the outside this warehouse looked massive, this room must be only one of dozens. The silence is scary, there isn't a single sound of life apart from you and Revenant, but you know better. Silence means something doesn't want to be found, and is inevitably a sign of life. Silence only happens when a hunter has scared everything else into silence. You might have learned that from Bloodhound, but you can't be sure. Either way, it's anxiety-inducing.

Revenant stands tall, pulling the scraps of the bag away from a giant bisection of a carcass. It appears to be beef, in the same state butchers will sell to grocers or restaurants. It doesn't smell bad, but it definitely smells like raw meat. Revenant grabs you around the shoulder, pulling you into a very controlling embrace. He whistles, or something like it.

"C'mere puppies!" As soon as he says it, you hear the sound of many nails skittering around the concrete flooring, making their way to the room you're in. Revenant squeezes you close as the pack comes into sight.

"Revenant! Those are not dogs!" You can't help but whisper in shock as the pack stops in your line of sight, trying to get a read on whether you're a threat or not.

Prowlers are utterly terrifying predators. They can be described as something between a wild dog and a tiger with the hide of a dinosaur. Their quadrupedal forms stand tall enough to meet you eye-to-eye at the largest, but the females and younger prowlers come up to your waist or knees instead. This subspecies has a beautiful, peacock-like furl behind their ears that stand on end when they see you, making them look as kaleidoscopic as they are scary. Their fangs could make a saber tooth tiger swoon, and their colors remind you of the legendary Birds of Paradise. Their long tails flick back and forth in concern, trying to understand who you are or if they should fight you. The largest male growls so deeply that Revenant sounds like a kitten in comparison, and it approaches both of you ahead of the rest of the pack.

"Rev..." You start to step behind him. This creature could very easily kill you in a single bite to the neck, and he was already tall enough to reach it.

"Shush, listen to me." He whispers to you, using his grip around your back to shuffle you back in place and to his side, pulling you against him in an uncomfortable grip. "Hey Six, this is mine." He addresses the massive male prowler approaching you, almost presenting you to him.

You hold your breath as Six sniffs your face, neck, and chest, trying to figure out what you are and why you're here. The other prowlers begin to enter the room, not even paying attention to the food in preference of figuring out the newcomer. Six's tail begins to rise up, flicking the tip back and forth as he finds you acceptable as a guest. You receive a lick right on the face as a final assurance, and the other prowlers swarm you to meet you.

You grab onto Revenant like your life depends on it. All of these prowlers could kill you, probably even the young ones too. It doesn't matter if they're all flicking their tails happily, or panting with smiles and tongues out, or excitedly greeting you. They can kill you and you're painfully aware of it.

"Calm down, seriously. You were fine meeting me for the first time, but a bunch of little puppies scare you?" Revenant releases his hold on you, but you don't return the favor.

"These are not puppies!" You try to whisper at him, but he might not be able to hear you over the crowd you've attracted. He pushes down on your shoulders, causing you to lose your grip on him and fall into a sitting position. Now all the prowlers can meet you eye-to-eye or tower over you. You're inundated with licks, and no amount of guarding your face with your arms will save you.

"You'll be fine. They're my pack, and they'll respect what's mine." You can barely hear him over the assault of affection.

As the excitement begins to settle, some of the larger prowlers peter off to check out the meat, leaving the younger ones to look after you. A tiny pair of kits you didn't see before bound up to your lap and hop in, cuddling against your stomach. For such scary adults, the babies are unbearably cute. You're not sure if you can touch them or not, so you simply let them roll around in your lap, slapping at each other like the siblings they are. Six comes back to you, his maw covered in blood from the beef.

"I figured he'd notice." You hear Revenant mutter as Six inspects your arm and calf, licking at the puncture wounds a little. "I guess my hypocrisy was going to catch up eventually." Six carefully sniffs the skin before shooting a glare and deep growl at Revenant. "Don't move a muscle, no matter what." He instructs you.

Six lunges at Revenant's leg, catching the metal below the knee joint in his bite. Revenant buckles and hits the ground. You jump a little and whine to yourself, but you stay as reserved as you can otherwise. The kits notice and begin pawing at you, trying to understand your reaction. Six drags Revenant a few feet from you as Revenant makes stifled sounds reminiscent of excruciating pain. You want to step in, but you obey orders. You hear the moaning of the metal in his leg beginning to bend for a few moments, before Six releases him. Revenant sits up, grappling his leg before Six chomps the opposite arm near the shoulder, causing Revenant to try to reel away in shock and pain. Again, Six growls as the metal bends beneath his bite, Revenant taking the pain as best as he can. Six releases, gives a growling bark to Revenant, and returns to you to lick your wounds more.

"Oh, now aren't you just poetic." Revenant finally makes out between what sounds like heavy breaths. "You got me in the same places." He's cradling his calf and arm, in the exact same places and sides as you were hurt. "I knew I was going to pay for that, but you didn't have to be that literary about it."

Six turns to him and makes whining sounds that mimic human speech. You've heard of Siberian Huskies making these noises, but never prowlers. Either way, it sounds sassy, and Revenant seems to relax knowing he's back in good graces.

"Yes, I know I taught you the same lesson a long time ago, but still..." He talks to them like anyone would talk to their dog. "You didn't have to be that extra about it." Six flicks his head at him before returning to your wounds, the kits now back to play-fighting each other.

"So, yeah, these are my puppies." He finally addresses you again. Most of the other prowlers are now taking turns at the carcass, seemingly following a hierarchy. You want to correct him, but you don't. He's clearly going to keep insisting that they're puppies. "This is Six, he's the sixth alpha of a pack I've helped raise over the past few decades. Zero was the first prowler that accepted me, and One was his puppy--the first alpha."

Six retires from your wounds, taking the two kits from you to go eat with their mother.

"There's no way you can be depressed around these guys. If there's any creature more aware of the emotional state of other beings, I dare them to come forward. My pack is perfect." He genuinely sounds overjoyed that you're getting to meet them all, he seems very proud. "I even raised them to respect females... Even if that did bite me back today." He huffs a bit.

"So, wait, you've been raising prowlers out here for decades?" You finally make a sound, Six and a few others look over at you for a moment, surprised by your more relaxed voice.

"Yeah, although they're fairly independent. I'm more like an elder to them, rather than directly in their hierarchy. I bring them food, not that they need me to, and they come along with me when I need company or extra help." He scoots himself close to you, letting his damaged leg drag. You get a closer look and see that the metal is both punctured and buckled on both his arm and leg. "They've been a passion project of mine ever since I first met Zero. They make me feel a bit of humanity." That last sentence is spoken with a level of reverence. You let the silence fall for a moment.

"You know, this is probably a scientific breakthrough in some field that nobody has ever managed before. You have a wild pack of prowlers that accept you and the people you bring in." He seems surprised by your lavish praise. "This could change our understanding of prowlers forever."

"Well, it helps that I'm nigh unkillable," he knocks on his metal chest, making a banging sound, "and honestly you're allowed in because as far as they're concerned, you're my mate." He wraps his arm around you possessively as the kits crawl back into your lap, now well-fed and cuddly. "That's why they don't mind you around the little ones." He sees you eyeing them as they roll around, trying to get comfortable. He picks one up, holding it in his hands like it's a precious jewel. It yips at him for attention, so he scratches behind it's tiny furls with his spare hand. "I think this one will be Seven, unless the next litter has an even bigger boy."

His adoration for these predators is absolutely identical to how so many people feel about their pets. The choice to love prowlers is a bit unconventional, but he is very much a man stuck in a metal body--humanity intact--in these moments. You are growing increasingly fond of him, seeing something beautiful beyond the cruel simulacrum assassin you once knew. He catches you staring.

"Go ahead, pick her up." He gestures to the other kit in your lap, actually looking a little jealous of her brother. At first, you tremor at the thought of picking her up wrong, but a sudden wave of confidence comes from nowhere. You scoop her up in your arms, bringing her up to your chest and cradling her. She immediately begins to squirm with delight and lick at your hand as you rub her head and chin.

"Was that all instinct?" He pauses, and you tilt your head at him, confused by the question. "You were shaking, then suddenly you weren't. Is that what maternal instinct looks like?" You're a bit shocked he saw that much.

"I'm not sure. I'm not usually around babies of any kind." You confess, but now you suspect the same thing he does. The baby female prowler reaches for your face, barely managing to touch your chin before you lower your face to meet her. She reacts with tiny licks on your nose while you tickle her belly. Revenant is the one staring now.

Revenant places the baby male in your arms next to the female, allowing them to both vie for your coveted attention. Some of the females come over and snuggle up next to you, laying on and around you, while the males and Six lie next to Revenant. Revenant leans back, eventually resting his head on the flank of one of the larger males, while another rests its head on his shoulder.

"You should lie down, let the puppies run around." He instructs you, briefly pointing to the kits in your arms. "Your body isn't heavy enough to bother anyone, just lay on whoever seems the most comfortable."

You look around, seeing a lot of intimidating warm bodies around you, so you cheat and carefully lay under Revenant's arm. You hear him audibly sigh, bothered that you're still worried but unable to chide you. The kits use you to crawl up on Revenant and slide down his metal torso to the other side, Six audibly purring when they land in his vicinity. Maybe a prowler would make a better pillow than a newly busted up metal arm and the concrete floor. You shiver a bit at the sheer power of these creatures, running your fingers over the metal holes in Revenant's arm, causing him to wince away from your touch.

"Does it hurt?" You whisper, hoping not to draw any prowler's attention.

"Yeah, it hurts a lot. My body can feel pain just like you skinsuits." He inhales in distress as you pull your fingers away from the damage. "It honestly feels like the flesh and muscle is torn off, like the bone is crushed and splintered, and like I'm bleeding out on the ground. But I know it's not real. It's never real."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know this would happen." You pull yourself into more of a ball, shuddering at the thought of that level of pain.

"It's not your fault, I instilled this level of protectiveness into them." Revenant pulls his arm away as one of the female prowlers crawls over you and lays on top of you, purring as if to comfort you. "Anyone who hurts one of the girls gets it back sevenfold." You roll onto your back, the prowler readjusting to lay on your belly, purring and licking your neck. "So you can stop being sad about it. They can sense it in you. If you don't want the attention, you can't let yourself be distressed." He sits up, looking down at you smugly while a second prowler writhes across the ground to get close enough to lick your cheek. Are these creatures really this intuitive?

Six notices Revenant sitting up to watch you and meanders over to see the small commotion. Six shoves himself between you and Revenant, apparently sensing some kind of disagreement. Six positions his paws on your neck, allowing you to feel the enormous size of his claws. One flex and you're dead. These things must be three inches of blade, all with a hypodermic tip. Six turns his head to Revenant and makes a sound somewhere between a huff and a growl before shoving his snout against your ear to purr. He bares his fangs while doing so, allowing you to feel how long and menacing they are. You wince away from him, pushing your face into the other prowler's licks, but Six just shoves his snout further to reconnect with you.

"He seems to think I should be more comforting, you're way too nervous for his liking. Good luck being depressed now." He sounds like he's enjoying this, shrugging to himself before he places his hand on your free arm. "Just calm down, they're not going to hurt you."

"I could die from a single flick of the wrist." You carefully say, feeling your vocal chords vibrate against Six's massive nails.

"That doesn't stop you from getting close to me." His hand glides up and down your arm. You don't have a response for him, so you stay quiet. "Like I said, just scream at any discomfort and someone is getting a swift dose of justice." He lies back on the same prowler as before, changing his position to avoid disrupting Six.

"I can't scream if my throat is slit."

"Give it time, you'll understand."

• • • •

Three prowlers is apparently the amount it takes to bring back a stick. It can be more if the stick is longer, but this giant branch is the maximum size you can throw. They hop together, all their jaws in a line across the branch, their fangs clutched around the wood. They carefully drop it at your feet, waiting expectantly for you to try throwing it again. You do your best to throw it, but between your injured arm and the weight of it, you struggle to get it as far as you'd like. The area behind the warehouse is a small yard with enough room for fetch, surrounded by thick forests over a few small hills.

"You throw like a child." You hear Revenant mock you, and you turn around to shoot him a glare. Six is resting in his lap and he has the mother prowler at his side, accepting the belly rubs he offers while the kits sleep. "I can throw farther than you from here, without even standing." You roll your eyes, knowing he's probably right.

Two new prowlers got in on the stick this throw, bounding back to you for another throw. You have eight prowlers all fighting to be one of the three on the stick, but they all seem to be having fun. Four of the young adults are off in the woods playing tug of war by themselves, making a total of sixteen prowlers you've now met. This pack is unusually huge from what little you know. You wonder if Revenant's meddling has something to do with it.

You pick up the branch and drag it over to Revenant, curious to see if he'll back up his claim.

"Alright, go for it." You hand him the end of the branch, and he chucks it far enough to lob over the entire yard and land somewhere in the woods. He snickers as the pack disappears in the darkness after it. You watch, hearing the branch collide with the trees, making rustling and snapping sounds as it catches in them. "So, what if you just got it stuck in a tree?"

"Oh, I thought you wanted me to show off for you." Revenant coos sarcastically. "Give them a few minutes, they can climb." You sigh and shrug, waiting for any sign of them coming back. "Do you want to go home?"

"No, not yet."

"Oh, oh!? You aren't scared of my puppies anymore?" He says between chuckles.

"Shut it." You growl at him, finally getting to use his catch-phrase against him.

"Are you sure? It's getting late." It was beginning to be late in the afternoon, coming up on when you'd normally be wanting dinner. In truth you hadn't eaten in over a day, but depression made it so you never wanted to eat anyway. You'd been playing with his prowlers for hours now, fully accepted by them. You now felt pretty confident in your safety around them, but their stature was still a bit menacing.

"At least let me see if they can bring back that stick." You hear some rustling in the woods, before the eight prowlers burst out of the brush with the original branch and a second, equally massive one. Now only two are left out of being able to hold a part of a stick. They drop both at your feet.

You try to throw the first but it only makes it a short ways, all the prowlers fighting for it. You hand the second to Revenant, and he throws it back into the woods completely out of sight. They all abandon the first stick in preference for the farthest one.

"Maybe you should be doing this." You hunch over, a bit defeated and tired.

"You're doing fine. Anyways, we should wrap up soon. You probably need that shower and I have something I need to do before tomorrow." Revenant starts to get up, prompting Six to get off of him while huffing and shaking himself awake. "Also, you need food."

You sigh, wanting to argue but knowing you can't.

"I'm calling back your ride. We need to get all these guys hidden in the warehouse as to not cause any alarm." He pulls some kind of cellular device out of his pocket on his belt and presses a few buttons. He then proceeds to shuffle you back towards the warehouse, prompting Six, the mother, and the two kits to follow. As you get to the side entrance, Revenant turns around and emits another whistling sound, inundated with his usual modulated twinge. He steps inside with you and the other twelve prowlers come flooding in behind him.

He pets each of them as they make their way in, saving Six and the kits for last. He really does love these creatures. You sheepishly and carefully pet Six as you go to leave, but only because he demands it by butting his head into your hand to make it clear.

Finally, you step outside with Revenant, going towards the dirt road that got you here.

"You look like absolute hell." Revenant jabs. You pull your hair back and try to control it a bit better, but it refuses to cooperate. It's probably stuck from all the prowler saliva all over you, hair absolutely included. Not to even mention your shirt and pants look like you got tackled and ground into the dirt by an entire rugby team. Your shirt was already stained, now it's dusty, dirty, stained, and has green grass streaks. Your shoes are probably just as bad, but they're cheap sneakers so you don't really care much.

"I know, I really need a shower. Maybe two." You give up on your hair. It's just going to be a mess.

"Take as long as you need. I'll be back soon after you. I hope you don't mind riding back alone." You've made it to the dirt road, and you can see the excessively luxurious limo in the distance, kicking up dirt.

"You're not coming?"

"No, I have one last thing to do before the match tomorrow. It'll be worth it, and I think you'll like it too." Revenant seems like he won't budge on the matter.

The limo pulls up and he opens the door for you, and you crawl in alone, making sure you stay as far in the corner as possible. You don't really like the thought of being in here alone, but you have no choice in the matter. He shuts the door and you lose sight of him through the blacked-out windows. The limo starts to move, making a sharp turn and hitting high speeds over the terrain, probably kicking up tons of dust in the meantime. You have nothing to stare at, so you just curl up to yourself and wait to make it back.

"You seem a bit meek for this kind of work, kid." You hear a masculine voice with a skeezy city accent coming from the front of the limo. The privacy window is cracked, just enough so you can hear him, but thankfully not enough so you can see each other. Why was that rolled down at all? It wasn't on the way here. You turn away, refusing to answer, hoping he will leave you be.

"Heh, exactly." You hear him chuckle. You wish you had the guts to just waltz over and roll up the window on him, but you're neither that confident nor strong enough if it ends in a spat. You just let him continue. "Heck, I didn't think robots were even into that stuff, but he seems to be the 'specially fucked-up type." Your stomach sinks like an anchor as you hear what sounds like the draw of a cigarette. "Fucker practically gets off every time he guts someone on live TV. Makes perfect sense he'd get off 'tuh victimizin' some tiny doll like you."

You get the picture, and you feel sick to your stomach for it. You can't respond, every word you want to say gets caught in your throat and you're forced to swallow it. This guy might be unhinged; a lot of people are these days. If you try to argue, he might try something. If you try to play it off... who are you kidding? You could never play this one off. It sounds so bad. Is he going to try to hurt you? Or is this all some mind game?

"Does it hurt? You sure as hell look like you've been through a meat grinder." You feel your face turn red. You turn further away from the cracked window. "Oh, I bet it does. No way 'woulda giant metal psycho like that hold back on a little thing like you."

He won't stop. He's clearly only getting started, but you hope that this is the worst of it.

"Question is: are you a hostage or does he really pay you that well? You know, sweetheart, if you're in need of money, just record whatever the hell he does to 'ya and sell it on the internet." He starts laughing as you internally beg for him to shut up. "All sorts of fucked up dudes would pay for the privilege. You could make absolute bank! Even better if you let him cut you open a bit for the cameras while you scream." He's really laughing now, clearly getting off to how much he has you cornered.

"Everyone loves a good screamin' bitch. Anyone who says they don't is a liar. But you know that, don't 'ya toots?" His use of centuries-old misogynistic slang somehow makes everything worse. You feel yourself shake a bit as you hold yourself tighter. Your stomach hurts badly from the distress now, and you feel yourself spiral internally. Where is this going? Can you outrun this guy if you need to? What if he catches you? Can you squirm out of this guy's grasp? "God, what I wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall while that's going on. I bet your tears only make him harder."

You want to scream, but your prey instincts refuse to let you move or make a sound in hopes that he simply forgets you're there. You can't help yourself but hold your breath in intervals, hoping to be even more silent, but in turn making you more light-headed and fearful.

"I bet there's lots of filthy bastards that would pay extra to have his sloppy seconds." You're absolutely nauseated at the thought of that, but you haven't eaten, so maybe it's just a stomach ulcer forming from the extreme stress. "I bet he's modded to absolutely ruin you, isn't he? Tear your insides up and fill you until you're overflowin', right? You look like he never gives you a day off." You pray, begging God to kill you--this is worse than death.

"So, if he's draggin' 'ya all the way out into the woods to fuck 'ya, it must be pretty messed up stuff, huh?" You lay your face in your hands. "Aww, don't cry babe, I'm not going to tell anyone. I wouldn't want a hole in my chest, anyhow." You want to disappear. You hope he crashes the car and you die in a fire. You hate everything about this. "If you're ever in need of an extra kick of cash though, I wouldn't mind a taste of 'ya. Or buyin' one of those tapes."

You break internally. It feels like the essence of every muscle snaps in your body, and the tears flow without even intending to. You suddenly have the courage to move, but only to move a few inches to cower deeper in the corner of the seats.

It's not worth it. None of this is worth it. You no longer hear anything he says, even though you can still hear his voice. It sounds like you're underwater, so you can't make out the words anymore. Maybe that's a good thing. Unfortunately, you can still make out your own thoughts, and they're all cruel. It's all cruel. Everything about this situation is cruel.

You focus on the tears hitting your hands. They're cold, and they quickly flow out of your palms and down your arms before dripping off your elbows. They leave a trail of salts down your arm so thin you can barely notice it. You don't even feel compelled to make a sound as you cry; it's not that type of sorrow. It's pure humiliation, and your lungs work calmly as your eyes drown instead.

You wish you could just be swallowed by the swell of your own pain. Death is something you think about often as a potential solution to every problem, but right now it feels like a drug you're in active withdrawal from. Like you need it, right here, right now. You want to imagine the limo crashing into an embankment wall, submerging into an ocean, or being hit by a train. You don't care if the creep dies or not, all you know is you want out. The world feels cold enough to sap every degree of heat from you, and you feel as if you're freezing both literally and figuratively.

You fester in the feelings. The only saving grace in this situation is that you're too unimportant to matter to anyone as anything other than an easy squeeze. Nobody will miss you if you die. No one will look for you if you disappear. No family will mourn you. You secretly hope this pervert doesn't know that too, otherwise you might not make it out of this unscathed. You hope he believes Revenant will run him through if he tries to abduct you. You'd rather not die like that, something faster and more violent would be preferred.

Would Revenant kill you? In any circumstance at all? He could make it quick and violent, but he might not want to at this point. He seems to like you more by the day, but now that scares you. Is he human enough to feel strongly about you? Or does he tend to fall back on his programming? Maybe he would like gutting you--then at least someone could enjoy your death. You think about it, but you cannot imagine it without there being some kind of regret thrown in on your or his end. You can only imagine goading him into it by aggressively attacking his emotional stability, which is something you'd regret. Otherwise, you cannot imagine him killing you for no reason and being regret-free afterwards. You don't want him to feel regret. You just want to be free without hurting anyone, but maybe that's unrealistic.

The vehicle comes to a gentle stop. Your brain kicks into survival mode and you immediately rush for the door, not giving the driver any chance to get out of his seat, let alone open the door for you. He is still talking but you don't care; he's only laughing at you anyway. You get the door open and thankfully you're not at some back alley motel, but the main Apex Games facility. It's the back entrance, but you'll take it. It might be a blessing anyway, since it's so close to Revenant's new room that you'll likely avoid all human contact. You get up to the door and fumble in your pocket for your ID card, finally getting it out. You hear the driver say some more heinous things, but you refuse to turn around to see his face. The card is accepted and you rush in.

• • • •

The water is as hot as you can tolerate. It burns your skin and is downright uncomfortable to wash yourself in. Even as you curl up on the shower floor, crying and tolerating the hottest water you can handle, nothing can truly wash off the overwhelming feeling of being violated. Nothing can wash off the depression, the feelings of insignificance, the intrusive suicidal ideations, or the fear of meaning nothing in the grand scheme of things while simultaneously meaning just enough to force you into living.

The floor of the shower is warm, but it's still uncomfortable to lay on. The water spray hitting your skin is the only comfort you feel, but it isn't enough to quell you. The soap slowly rinses off your body, and the lathered up shampoo slowly flows out of your hair and down the drain. You'll eventually rinse completely like this, but it will be a while longer. How long has it already been? You took a long time sitting on the shower floor to even find the energy to get the soap lathered on you, and even that process was slow. Now you've been back on the floor and letting the soap slowly come off as you sob. Revenant might be back by now, but you're not sure what his errand was exactly. Maybe it will take all night. Does it matter? Do you matter? The thoughts won't stop.

You just cry. You cry until it feels like your soul starts to leave your body. Maybe it does. Between the heat, the steam, and the exhaustion, you pass out.

• • • •

"Skinsuit!" You feel yourself being gently jostled, still on the shower floor. The water is off, but the steam is so thick you question how long it's been. Your skin is beginning to get wrinkled from all the water absorption, so it's been a while. You're facing away from him, and you don't have the energy to turn to him. You don't even have the energy to speak. You just play the corpse, hoping that faking it will cause you to make it.

Revenant withdraws, and you hear rapid shuffling behind you. It sounds like he grabs the towel you had hung for yourself, running in and out of the bathroom to grab other things. You care about how he feels--he sounds distressed--but not for yourself. Why does he care at all, though? How does he feel about all this, anyway?

"Come here, little skinsuit. Everything is fine." You feel his arms scoop under you, and your natural instinct is to resist the hard synthetics against your bare skin. You wince a little, but mostly keep your corpse-like state: eyes closed and body limp. He carries you out of the bathroom where the air is freezing, but also not inundated with enough water vapor to nearly asphyxiate you. Weirdly enough, his chest isn't cold, but actually has something like fur? You don't open your eyes, you're probably just imagining it.

He places you down on a towel on the bed, immediately throwing another equally large towel over you. You're still cold, but it's way more tolerable with something over you. You hear Revenant mumbling in some kind of panic to himself, but you still can't find the energy to console him. You hear some typing on his computer, then the chair gets shoved out from under him as he stands in a huff. You hear your duffle bag unzip and likely some of your clothes be tossed on the bed near your head.

"You better not be mad at me for this..." He sounds unsure of that himself before you feel his hands start to dry you off through the towel. It would be nice if it didn't feel so wrong. Even if it is through a towel, you're naked otherwise. The thought of what the driver said hits you, and you immediately begin to feel anxiety and shake against your will. He reacts by scooping you up and hugging you, still wrapped in a towel, trying to stop the shaking.

"Dammit, what's going on?" You hear him whisper, he doesn't seem to realize you're awake and aware.

More fur. Why is there fur? Also, why does it feel like there's something resting on your head? It's way too large to be his chin. His chest feels smaller too, and it feels like some type of plastic rather than metal. The more you feel the more questions you have, and the more you panic at the realization that you do not know this simulacrum. You reach your limit and perk up in his arms, opening your eyes, and silently gasping as you reel back from whoever the heck this is.

"Wait! Skinsuit! It's me!" He manages to hold your arms before you can fully pull away, and you meet eyesight with a chassis you do not recognize. He has a huge, artificial bovine skull with curling ram horns situated on top. Instead of his scarf, his new face is framed in a mane of deep bark-colored fur, matted into locks like a proper wild animal. The optics tucked inside his skull seem so much larger than his normal ones, and they're a brilliant blueish-white, unlike his normal yellow ones. His snout is long enough to have been what was sitting on your head. His body looks to be made much thinner, especially in the chest, and is clearly made with more plastics than metals. It looks significantly lighter. His arms are red with odd, jagged juts on them, but seem to have similar hand mechanics otherwise. His loincloth is replaced with another long patch of fur, as well as fur on his thigh plates. His legs look a lot more decorative, and his feet are scarier: detailed down to each individual talon. His feet actually look much more like the hands on his other chassis.

"Skinsuit?" You snap out of your trance at his voice. You must have been staring him up and down for a while. "Uh, here." He pulls the towels back over you, which had fallen off when you pulled away. He reaches out to touch you, but stops short in case you aren't all there yet. "It's me, I'm just in a special body for tomorrow. I didn't mean to scare you." He's speaking slowly and methodically; his fingers make contact with your hand, but don't go further. "You must have fainted in the shower. You haven't been eating enough, but don't worry, everything's okay now."

Your head starts to throb and you instinctively go to hold it, the stress of the situation is too much. Even though he's trying to be reassuring, he looks like some kind of robotic, big-horned, undead goat demon and honestly you just wanted to see a familiar face to go with the familiar voice. You're not scared now that you know it's him, but something still doesn't feel right about it. Since you don't know this new chassis, you find it hard to trust his comfort. It's weird. Any other time you'd be overjoyed to see him in something that looks so cool, but now you're looking for some semblance of normalcy.

"How do you feel?" His right hand moves again to rest on your knee, intentionally avoiding pushing any boundaries. You can't answer, you still can't speak. It gets caught in your throat despite your best intentions, and instead your words turn into a new burst of tears and sobs. Without thinking, you take his hand off your knee and pull it to your face, sobbing into it. He seems relieved at your acceptance, and tries his best to catch and wipe away the tears as they flow. He shuffles as if to hug you, but he stops, likely unsure of how you feel when you're essentially in nothing but two loosely wrapped towels.

"I'm sorry, I thought seeing my pack would help, but I should have realized you haven't been eating enough. It's not something I've had to pay attention to in centuries." Your heart hurts as he seems to take the blame himself. "I also didn't mean to scare you again... I promise I'm not planning on hurting you." You want to speak so badly, but you just cry harder instead. None of this is his fault. Literally none of it. The only reason you're so jumpy is because everything that pervert said has sent you into a spiral. You imagined Revenant hurting you for his own entertainment and pleasure, and this imaginary smoking gun has left you very gun-shy.

"I ordered food for you to be delivered to the room. I expect you to eat something, even if it's not much. I don't want you dying on me." You push his hand into your face, trying to dry the tears. "I ordered a lot. I'm not sure what you like." You nod to affirm you hear him and plan to try, even though you're too nauseous to be hungry at the moment.

He uses his free hand to grab the clothing he pulled from your bag and puts it in front of you. He probably wasn't thinking too hard when he picked things out, but an oversized tee and men's basketball shorts are as comfy as it gets, so he did fine in your book. He left out undergarments, but honestly you couldn't care less at this point. Whatever covers you is fine. You pull his hand away from your face and place it on the bed gently. You grab the shirt, and he immediately turns away to let you put it on. You're able to throw it on along with the shorts in a few seconds, and quickly retrieve his hand when done. He turns back, maintaining the boundaries he interpreted.

"Any better?" He wipes away a few trailing tears now that you've slowed down a lot. You nod, still not sure how your voice is doing.

There's a knock on the door and Revenant pulls away gently to go get it. You hear a familiar voice from the other side of the door.

"I've got enough Chinese for like, five people. Who is even in this room? Are y'all having a sleepover in the abandoned room? To be fair I'd do the sa--"

Revenant opens the door and Sherry has a long pause to look up at the recipient. She doesn't even notice you, but you see her put the bags on the floor slowly and take a step back, hands up defensively.

"Okay, so it's a demon summoning, my bad..." Her sass is ever present. "And here I made the mistake of thinking I was running into some normal kind of fun."

"Sherry!" Your voice cracks back into action and the perfect moment. She shoots a look past Revenant to see you.

"You're summoning demons now?! Did you dump the tinman and summon an incubus as a bounce back or something?!" She looks up at Revenant, still not sure who it is. "Also, do demons really like Chinese food this much?"

"Sherry, shut up! I need a hug!" The tears are coming back, and Sherry valiantly slips under Revenant's arm to run to you. Revenant seems to be in complete shock at her brazenness, but also unwilling to stop her since you invited her in. He picks up the bag of food instead and brings it in, setting it on the television stand. Sherry leaps into a hug and you accept it graciously. Sherry is the closest thing you have to a sister and you could use someone like her right now. Revenant sits in the computer chair, watching you embrace closely, but not speaking or interfering.

"Where's the Revenant guy? What happened? Did he dump you? Did you run away? Who is this guy?" She immediately starts getting to brass tacks mid-hug. Although with her the hug won't end until you stop crying anyway.

"That is Rev, Sherry. It's just a different body." You manage to get out. She shoots Revenant a discerning look before slowly recognizing the similarities.

"Oh, hey, you're right. My bad, mister murder robot... haha..." She trails off nervously, Revenant only responding with a grunt and a huff. Suddenly, she snaps back into a fiery disposition. "Wait! Did you do something to her, you doofy-lookin' Beelzebub knockoff?! You may be able to gut me, but I'll defend her honor to my grave!" Now you're hugging Sherry to hold her back from trying to start something.

"It was a complete accident. I wasn't keeping track of how much she's been eating and I didn't catch her starving herself; plus I didn't expect this body to scare her as much as it did." Revenant doesn't lose an aggressive posture, but his words are fairly soft and empathetic.

"It's not that! I promise, it's not any of that!" You hug Sherry hard enough that she winces, but sensing your desperation she holds you tighter and pulls your head into her chest with no regard for what that may look like. You're glad you don't have those kinds of feelings for Sherry, otherwise this might be a bit strange. You see Revenant cock his head to the side and his eyes sharpen at the sight.

"It was the ride back, alone. That stupid driver was--" you choke, you hate saying these words out loud, "--a perverted bastard. An absolute dog." It comes out and devolves into a half-sob, thankfully still understandable. You start to cry again, reliving the things he said, not sure how you'd ever be able to say them yourself, even just to explain what happened.

"What happened? Did he hurt you? Are you okay?!" Sherry barely contains her concerns, if at all, squeezing you as you cry.

Revenant stands very slowly and methodically out of the chair, and begins to make some kind of animalistic growl you've never heard him make in your life. He paces back and forth, slowly stifling his growl as he goes. Sherry seems a bit concerned by him, but she continues to try to comfort you, awaiting an answer.

It takes almost a full minute to catch your breath again and be able to speak again, but you do.

"He didn't touch me. He just said things that--" Back to sobbing. You thought too far ahead and started to repeat his words again to yourself.

Despite your crying, Sherry sighs in relief, significantly less tense than before. She starts to rock you in her hug and you go along with it. Revenant's intensity only seems to worsen. He paces faster for a few moments as you cry, before he calms himself down enough to approach the situation.

He sits on the edge of the bed next to you and Sherry, currently latched on to each other. He doesn't attempt to pull you apart, he simply waits patiently. He's completely calm and collected now, with no signs of previous rage apparent, but you're sure it's still there.

"What kind of things did he say?" Sherry asks kindly, no sense of urgency in her voice. She plays with your hair a bit, which might as well be one of the greatest feelings in the world. It might be just distracting enough for you to get it out.

"He said he wanted to buy tapes..." You inhale heavily trying to hold back the inevitable runny nose. "...of Revenant cutting into me and... using me." Sherry gasps through her nose in disgust, but squeezes you tighter in response.

"I'm sorry, that's terri--"

"He said I should sell myself afterwards, that people would like me better if I still had... stuff... inside me." You cut her off but you're not done. Sherry is starting to get tense, but more notably, so is a particular simulacrum only a few feet away. "He said he wanted to watch it all! And try me for himself, too." That's all you needed to say, you're back to sobbing and Sherry starts to cry with you, unable to help her empathy. You're latched on to each other trying to comfort one another, but instead both of you are just a sobbing mess.

Revenant sits, lifeless for a moment, before standing up and limping towards the door.

"Revenant!" You call out to him through tears, and he stops and turns towards you, revealing his eyes are voids. He's in reboot. "Don't kill anyone." You try to sound confident, but you're not sure how it comes out. He turns away again, and limps out of the room, shutting the door behind him. He didn't acknowledge what you said, but you hope he heard you.

Sherry perks up, wiping away her own tears and pulling away for a moment.

"Do you think he'll listen?" Sherry seems stressed.

"I hope so."

• • • •

"So, he's actually an average person, stuck in a body that drives him to be a bloodthirsty assassin via software?" Sherry asks, taking another bite of the sweet and sour chicken.

"As far as I can tell, yeah... Wait, did you not know what a simulacrum was before now?"

"I meant to look it up but I never did. I figured it was like a brand-name or something." She giggles at herself, but you sense there's a chance she may be joking. "So, you actually do really like this spindly metal guy, after all? And he's so much older! You have mature tastes." She goes straight to teasing, now that you're feeling a bit better.

"I didn't say anything about that, ma'am." You stare at the General Tso's chicken in front of you, not sure if you can eat a third piece. You still feel wrong somehow.

"You don't have to. I think he likes you too. I mean, he isn't wearing your innards as a scarf. For him, that's something." She prods.

"He's not as bad as you think, you know." You don't know how to convince her without potentially telling her something Revenant wouldn't want you to.

"Sure, he just kills people on live TV for the paycheck." She shrugs. "Oh! And maybe killing some pervert who sexually harassed you right now."

"I didn't tell him to do that!" You snap, you legitimately don't want to have even a drop of that blood on your hands. Sure, this guy was an absolute creep, but he didn't lay hands on you. That's your limit, and he didn't cross it. He isn't as bad as Forge. That guy did cross the line. He crossed a lot of lines.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you upset." Sherry sounds genuine. You sigh.

"It's okay, I really hope he's just running off some steam. I hope he knows most of my distress was just depression winning." You poke the chicken.

"That's not true, I would have been so scared too. I mean, you were in real danger. It's a miracle you held it together at all, I'm not sure I could have. I still can't believe--"

The door swings open and Revenant walks in, stopping all conversation in its tracks. He's hunched forward, looking somewhat disappointed.

"I hope you're happy. He'll live." He looks you dead in the eyes, waiting for your reaction.

You smile openly, glad he heeded your request.

"Everyone in his contacts now has a copy of the encrypted files on his computer, all decrypted for their viewing pleasure." He breaks eye contact with you. "At least one of them is sure to call the feds when they see their inbox tomorrow."

"Oh geeze, he was that kind of creep?" Sherry exclaims out loud, still eating chicken.

"Oh yeah, he's been collecting a lot of really rare porn. Honestly, I wish you'd have just let me kill him so I didn't have to expose myself to that." You feel a little guilty that he had to dig through it, it explains why he looks so dejected.

"I'm sorry..." You can't help yourself, you feel bad when he seems upset about anything.

"How much have you eaten?" He seems to have noticed how full your box of chicken still is.

"Two pieces of chicken, and maybe one piece of broccoli." Sherry rats you out with a cruel grin on her face.

"Snitch!" You shoot back at her. She closes her box with a mischievous smirk, hops up, and starts to leave.

"Nice to meet 'ya, you synthetic Wendigo! Have fun and be safe, you two!" She slips past Revenant quickly and is out of the door, skipping down the hallway as the door slowly shuts behind her. Revenant watches her leave with some mix of confusion and concern. You turn to reassure him.

"She's fine. She won't say anything. She--"

"Clearly is some kind of competition for me. I mean, she held you like you two were bonded for life." He's immediately free to tease you with her gone. Thank goodness Revenant seems too shy to gang up on you with her; that would be untenable. He throws himself down next to you where Sherry once was. "I want that same kind of bond." He barely touches your chin with his claws, being sure to growl the last bit out loud.

You emit a whining noise, paralyzed by the thought. You're a bit more sensitive to it all at the moment, considering the events of the day. Revenant notices your struggle and pulls back, reverting to his demanding style.

"Eat your food. I didn't intend for your girlfriend to run off with a free meal and you not eat anything." It still feels weird coming from his new body, but you're getting used to it.

"She's just a good friend, that's all. And I was just too busy talking to eat, I still don't feel great though." You poke at the food, it's lukewarm by now but that isn't your main objection to it. You just don't feel like eating.

"Oh, so we aren't close enough yet for that kind of affection? I'll fix that soon enough." His voice hums. You sigh.

"Oh please," You pet his snout and he seems to enjoy it, getting him off your case for a bit, "Not right now, harass me later. If you want me to eat anything, you can't be doing this." He really seems to enjoy the snout rubs.

"Alright, fine, you eat, I'll talk." You pull your hand away and focus more on the food. "I have quite a number of these special chassis to myself, all kinds of designs and colors and other nonsense. These are my special occasion outfits, per sé." You nod, it makes sense. "This one, as well as many others, are modded to the brim with all sorts of fun additions." He touches his snout, noting where you pet it. "I can feel every single aspect of this suit, even those that don't conform to the human shape. Even better, it's neural processors are exponentially faster, meaning everything feels much more vivid and vibrant." He pulls his fingers to the nasal cavity. "I have an entire set of cores that do nothing but olfactory processing, so I get to be the better Bloodhound while I wear it." His fingers fall to his jaw. "This luxurious suit even gets a jaw with clamping power, canine teeth to snag whatever I want, and a synthetic tongue to taste the blood I spill." He starts to snarl his words as he pulls open his jaw to show you his mouth. He points to his horns next. "These things? Silicone carbide sections with rubber impulse reducers between." You stare at him with a look of minor confusion, so he clarifies. "I can headbutt a skull into fragments without even leaving a dent in my own." You wince at the thought. "Not to even mention the use of polyethylenes instead of metals in the body with support weights in the limbs makes it so I can move faster than ever but still hit just as hard. Not to even mention all the modifications below the neck. You'll see how much I destroy in tomorrow's match. I will win, I promise you that."

"Wanna bet?" You're happy with how confident he is, but you can't help but want to start something.

"And what do I have that you could possibly want?" Revenant asks the opposite of what you expect him to. Isn't the question usually posed the opposite way? You close up your leftovers and start going over to the kitchenette to put it in the fridge.

"Well, I wouldn't mind money or just hanging out with the prowlers again. I could put money on it too, just not enough to make it worth your while. Did you have something in mind?" The fridge is nearly empty, spare for that water bottle and liquor. You throw the box down on a shelf, close the door, and plop down on the couch in a lying position.

"So, if I don't win, I have to take you to see my puppies again, or give you money. Neither of those are objectionable to me, but when I win I get to take something instead?"

"Yeah, that's how I'm framing it. The extra motivation can't hurt. I just don't know what you'd want. I have some savings, but--"

"Forget the money, I don't exactly have much need for it and I have tons anyway. What I want..." He pauses for a moment as his voice turns sinister. "...is to hear you call me 'daddy' again while I take a piece of you." He seethes with a sadistically erotic tone.

You stare into space, your face must be red again.

"C'mon skinsuit, it's not every day I'm in one of my few suits with the proper equipment for it." He's loving the look on your face, undoubtedly. He's acting like this is a cruel joke, but... How far would he take this joke, though? Better yet, how far will you force him to take it? You still feel ill at ease about the idea, but you're suddenly angry enough to buck off the shame.

"Alright, fuck you but sure." Probably the ballsiest thing you've ever said in your life.

Revenant is caught off guard for a moment, his eyes dimming until they're nearly off, freezing in a somewhat shocked motion. After a few moments, you hear him slowly return as he laughs out loud. He has trouble containing himself, and goes to rub his mask again.

"You're insane, but I love that." He finally contains his laughter. "Your friend, what's her name?"

"Sherry." Weird change in subject but okay.

"Who's her favorite?"

"Wattson."

"Oh, perfect. I'll send a special request for her to keep you company during the match. I want you both to watch. I got my assigned team not long ago." He stands up from the edge of the bed and meanders over to the couch you're on, looming over you.

"Oh, are you with Wattson?"

"And Wraith. It's perfect for what I have planned." He never did explain what his plan was that day he dragged you all over the arena. "Loba's little triumph will pale in comparison to my massacre."

"Try not to make it too--"

"It will be bloody, gory, and brutal. Sorry little skinsuit, but you used up your pardon." He chides you from above before reaching down to help you up. "Now come, I need to warm something."

You stand up, a bit confused by his request, until he pulls you into a hug and you feel how strangely warm his body is. You're a bit taken aback at first, but you slowly ease into him and the warmth he offers.

"Luxurious, isn't it?" You feel his chest rattle into a purring sound as he cradles your head against his warm chest. "I like it too." He gently pulls you away from the couch before leading you to the bed.

You don't protest, you just crawl into bed and shuffle to the middle, making plenty of room for him to follow. You see the lights flick off, then feel his warmth press up against your back, cradling you completely. His snout rests on your shoulder, breathing into your ear. It's comforting, something you really needed after today.

"Thanks, Rev." You barely manage to whisper. He huffs in your ear as affirmation before you fall asleep.

124 notes · View notes

elleonmybeloved · 4 years

Text

Zhongli invites the traveler to sit on his lap. His treat.

“It’s not that running around this much is hard for me. It’s just that... I’m not used to having all my weight on my feet for this long. I had no idea they would get this sore just from standing on them.”

“I see. I find that a bit peculiar. If not on your feet, how else would you be getting around?” Zhongli asks, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “Hmm...”

“Don’t worry about it.” Lumine says, not really interested in having the ‘had wings but they got stolen’ conversation when she’s in such a good mood. “But could I trouble you for a chair?”

There aren’t any in the room, and she’s not so bold as to just shamelessly sit on someone else’s bed. Especially such a fancy one.

“Ah yes, of course, it’s no trouble.” Zhongli nods. “However, I’m afraid that in terms of chairs, I have none.”

What.

“When furnishing my personal quarters, I ran out of mora before I could purchase any.” He elaborates at her baffled look. “Indeed, it was probably the gold-woven bedsheets... or perhaps the jasmine scented silk pillows? that drained the last of my allotted funds.”

“Oh, okay.” She tries really hard not to laugh, covering her face with one hand to hide her smile. “I’ll just sit on the floor.”

Zhongli misreads her covered expression as one of distress. “The floor? Come now, there’s no need for that. Please feel free to use the bed, so long as you take off your shoes first.”

Ah, it’s unfair. The casualness with which he just invited her to his bed, completely unaware of her enormous crush on him. There’s no way she could just sit on the bed where he sleeps... probably shirtless... like the statue of Rex Lapis. Besides, she’s been outside all day and her clothes would probably get it dirty.

“Thanks, but I can’t. I’d rather sit on the floor.”

Zhongli frowns. This is not going anywhere near as well as he had hoped when he suggested they go to his dwelling and discuss matters in private after the dinner he had treated her to. He’d imagined something far more romantic, and yet here she was, chosing the cold hard floor rather than his very nice, extremely comfortable, pleasant smelling bed.

Maybe she didn’t like him. Maybe he had misread what he had assumed to be the flirting advances of courtship, and she had just been being friendly.

“May I ask why?”

Lumine shifts uncomfortably under his gaze. “Well... it’s just a bit... I don’t know. I would be nervous. Besides, where would you sit?”

She is blushing. He smiles. Of course, she’s nervous. Any woman, alone with a man in his personal room would be wary of the implications of joining him on his bed.

“No need to feel shy.” He says. “I’ll gladly share my personal space with you. Rather than my bed, you can sit on me if you prefer.”

Zhongli takes off his shoes, hangs up his jacket, and goes to sit on his bed. He pats his thigh invitingly.

Lumine gingerly places her boots against the wall and hesitantly steps up in front of him.

“I don’t want to get your bed dirty.” She says, tugging at her skirt.

“Hmm. Take it off then.” He says.

“My dress?”

“I assume you have something on underneath. I assure you no one will barge in and see you in a state of undress, if you’re worried about that.”

“I- I do, but it would be awkward for me to be like that when you’re fully dressed.” Its the truth, Lumine would feel self conscious in the body-hugging one piece of innerwear she has under her dress but really, she would just like to see Zhongli without clothing.

She’s already got an idea of what his tall, muscular figure looks like.

“I suppose you’re right.” He says, rich voice filled with amusement. “Very well, I’ll divest myself of a few layers.”

Lumine watches happily as Zhongli takes off not only his vest, but his dress shirt as well. His skin is pale and she really appreciates the view of his broad chest and muscular stomach. How did she know he would have a six pack? Intuition... perhaps.

Feeling bolder now, she grips the hem of her skirt and lifts her dress up and over her head, discarding it on the floor beside her.

Zhongli’s amber eyes burn into her own.

“Come sit.” He says.

The bed creaks as she climbs up into his lap, pulse jumping as strong hands grip her waist and help her settle between his legs. He moves back a bit towards the center of the bed so that he can draw his legs up and cross them behind her.

His hands don’t leave their spot on her waist.

“There we go,” He says. “Much better.”

It’s not very relaxing. They’re in each other’s personal space, and Zhongli’s face is even more attractive up close. If he bent forward just a little he could..... His hands give her hips a squeeze, and she can read something in his gaze that makes her mouth go dry.

“Do you like this?” He asks.

“Yes.” She says.

“You’re so tense.” He murmurs, trailing his hands up her sides. They stop but an inch under the swell of her chest. His face is very close to hers and his gaze rests on her lips. “Let me... loosen you up.”

“Ple-please -ah-“ She meant to say ‘please do’ but his hands had shifted, thumbs rubbing her nipples over the thin fabric, and it stole her breath and sent an electric jolt to her core.

A pleased hum rumbles deeply in Zhongli’s throat at her expression and he presses a deep, romantic kiss against her lips. He moves them firmly against hers in an addicting slow motion, and she cranes her neck forward to press them harder together. Her nipples peak against his thumbs and grow sensitive from the touching, heat pooling wetly in her core.

They kiss for a long time, and by the moment he breaks free to give them air, they are both breathless and hot. The fabric of Zhongli’s slacks is tented between his legs, straining up towards his bare stomach.

Zhongli gives her a hot look and shifts her to the side on his lap, her crotch over his thigh. Then he begins to gently rock her on it. Thrilled, she moves her hips back and forth, pressing her core down hard as she grinds her sex on his leg. There’s gonna be a wet spot on his trousers.

He starts kissing her again, and this time, his tongue prods mischeviously into her mouth to stroke at her own. An aroused moan has him stiffening against her. She can’t keep up with these deep, intense kisses, and she breaks free to gasp for air.

“Just -ha- a second- Zhongli.”

“Mmhm.” He strokes the sensitive shell of her ear as he waits. She leans into his touch.

After a minute, he gently lifts her chin. “May I?”

She nods, and he’s back at her lips, kissing, licking, and gently biting and he coaxes her back down into the mindless haze of seduction. The friction of her grinding is tantalizing, but just a tease, and nowhere near the amount of pressure she would like. She squirms in his lap and whines into his mouth.

He chuckles in his deep baritone, a fond sound, and grasps her hips to shift her over and drag her sex up and down his clothed erection instead. It feels even better, and the pressed silhouette of his cock has her mind reeling at the size.

“Let me inside you, my love.” He says, breaking the kiss, and her heart soars at the endearment. “You will feel much better.”

“Okay.” She says bravely. “Just be gentle... go-go easy on me.”

“Of course.” He says, and unzips his pants, freeing his erection from its confines. It’s kind of hot how he keeps his pants on, somehow still elegant and refined even in such a lewd state. His cock is just as pale as the rest of his beautiful skin, but smooth and thick where it juts up from between his legs. The tip of it glistens with pre.

Zhongli helps her out of her undergarment, balancing her weight as she shrugs out of it and shimmies it down to slide off her legs. Now fully bare, he draws her into his arms in a tight embrace. Big man as he is, the hug almost completely envelops her.

“You are very, very beautiful.” He says sweetly into her ear, and she shivers at his deep voice. “I have dreamed of this...”

He lowers her down slowly, pressing the head of his member against her opening until her slick folds yield. She bites her lip at the stretch, making a distressed sound.

Zhongli licks two of his fingers and then reaches down to the apex of her sex and swirls them in circles over her bud, soothing her as he presses her down inch by inch. When he is hilted to the base, he gives her a moment to adjust to his girth, toying with her clit in rubbing motions. Every motion strokes the flames of fire growing in her stomach, and her pussy clenches down around him with an aroused squeeze.

“That’s it.” He murmurs, beginning to thrust shallowly. “Relax for me.”

When her walls no longer have so much give and his shaft slides easily in and out, he picks up the pace, hilting himself completely with each thrust now.

Lumine watches his length disappear inside her again and again, mesmerized. It starts to feel amazing when he hits a spot deep inside her, and she shivers at the sensation of it like it’s in her head. Unwittingly, she starts dropping her weight down on him, wanting to feel it more. But true to his promise to be gentle with her, it’s not quite hard enough.

“Go rougher.” She says, clutching his shoulders. “Please.”

He does, shifting his hands to palm her ass so that he can lift her up and down with more ease, and there’s a slapping sound at each contact. It’s stimulating that spot so well, and she moans out at the intense pleasure.

“Mo-more!” She pleads, pressure in her stomach coiling tighter.

Zhongli complies, slamming her down hard on his cock, grunting with the effort but barely breaking a sweat. She is shuddering and moaning in sweet pleasure, and he wants nothing more than to see her come apart on his dick.

Lumine withstands but five minutes of this, and she gasps and snaps her hips forward when she hits her climax, trembling all over as she lets out a weak moan. Her eyelids flutter, and drool leaks from the corner of her parted lips as the ecstasy steals her strength and coherence, leaving her body limp.

Zhongli pulls out of her and strokes himself to completion, pearly white streaks of cum dripping onto his spent lover’s stomach. He brushes the blonde bangs from Lumine’s damp forehead with a tender gesture.

“Come,” He says after a moment. “Let us bathe and take a rest.”

“You’ll have to carry me there.” Lumine says with a breathless smile. “I don’t think I can stand right now... and it has nothing to do with my aching feet.”

“Ah, yes.” He nods, looking the most chagrined she’s seen him yet. “I -ahem- can absolutely take care of that.”

#genshin impact #Genshin impact zhongli #zhongli x lumine #smut #alright all of you in my ask box come get your order while it’s hot lmao #would’ve made this zhongli x reader but two people in my inbox did specify they wanted Lumine so #here we are

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keyboardink · 3 years

Text

“truths and dares”

Kairi plays matchmaker for you, trying to set you up with everyone except herself. A game of "Truth or Dare" exposes your inexperience and your crush on her.

pairing: kairi “valkyrie” imahara x reader / media: apex legends

genre: eventual fluff / word count: 2k / rating: pg-13 / warnings: swearing and mentions of alcohol

a/n: another little friends to lovers thing with less angst. if you have any requests, feel free to shoot me an ask. if you like this, check out more of my writing here!

Kairi sat across from you, cross-legged on the rug in her apartment's living room. She took a sip of a slightly spiked drink before she asked, "Truth or dare?"

"Truth," you replied. You wanted to play it safe around her; you know how mischievous she could be. Last time you two had a sleepover like this, she almost made you borrow her jets to jump off the building. When you refused, she then promptly proceeded to do it herself, making a big show out of flying as you watched. She said she would've caught you if you had jumped, but you knew you would've turned into a mess of shaky hands and tumbling words in her arms. Just the thought of her being that close to you, of her saving you like that was enough to make your cheeks flush.

"How was your date yesterday?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

Maybe you should've picked dare.

This was the subject you had been avoiding for the last 34 hours. She asked about it every time she got the chance, and you were running out of ways to avoid the subject. Every single text from her in the past day asked you about this date, which you had only gone on because Kairi had set you up with a mystery girl. "She's a babe," Kairi had said. "You two would be amazing together. Total power couple." She said the same thing about the past four girls before.

She always tried to matchmake you with others, but little did she know the only person you wanted to go on dates with was her. You were crushing on your wingman.

You looked at the floor, suddenly interested by a chip crumb that you assumed must've dropped while you guys were snacking earlier. You didn't want to tell her that you had softly rejected this mystery girl almost as soon as you two sat down at the café. You didn't want to tell her that none of these dates were ever going to work out, because the only person you wanted to be with was her. You didn't want her to find out how inexperienced you were, how you'd never even kissed a girl before, how--

"Hello? Earth to [Y/N]?" She waved a hand in front of your face, snapping you back to the conversation. "You can't avoid it forever, you know." She spoke as if she had read your mind.

"It was fine," you said with a shrug.

"Oh, c'mon!" She kicked her leg out, lightly hitting your knee. "You've been avoiding it for days and that's all you give me? I need details!" She leaned forward, returning to the criss-cross position. She rested her chin in her hands with her elbows propped up on her knees, like she was about to watch a movie she had waited her whole life for. Her eyes glimmered with interest and intent. You shifted under her gaze, suddenly aware of how the corners of her lips were turned up, how her shirt was starting to slip down and expose more of her collarbone, how she looked at you. "Pleeease?" She whined, pouting and giving you puppy-dog eyes.

"It was nothing special. Just like all of the other dates you set me up with."

"You didn't even think she was cute?"

"She was cute, just... not my type."

"Bullshit." She leaned back, taking another sip.

"I'm serious!" Defensiveness caused your voice to crack.

"Okay, you know what? I take back my Truth for you," she said.

"You can't do that. You already asked me the question, and I answered it! So it's my turn."

"Your answer was wimpy, so that means I get a do-over."

"Kai, that's so not fair," you protested.

"Your new question is: why do you hate all the chicks I try to set you up with?"

"No." You crossed your arms over your chest. "I'm not answering that. You get one question per turn, and it's my turn to ask you."

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine. Shoot."

"Truth or dare?" You asked, planning your next statement like a strategic attack. If she picked dare, you'd dare her to stop setting you up with random girls, and she always picked dare.

"Truth," she said with an ounce of arrogance. Okay, maybe she didn't always pick dare. She just wanted to be difficult. Classic Kairi.

You paused for a second, rethinking your plan before speaking again. "Why do you keep trying to set me up with people?"

She drummed her fingers against her leg, thinking the answer through. Your eyes were drawn to her thighs, the way her fingers pressed against her own skin and seemed to sink in like it was a pillow, the way her shorts were riding up from her moving around. You swallowed hard and forced your attention to return to her face, hoping she hadn't noticed you staring.

"Because you're hot shit," she said. "You deserve some hot girl to have fun with, you know?"

"Why don't you focus on getting yourself a date? I don't hear anything about you finding a hot girl to have fun with." You scrutinized her answer, genuinely curious as to why her own logic didn't apply to herself.

She shook her head. "Nope, one question per turn, right?" You groaned at the rule you had so adamantly enforced a minute ago. She smiled at your annoyance. "So, my question from earlier. Why do you hate everyone I try to set you up with?"

You searched your brain for an excuse, for anything that would cloak the real reason behind it all. "I'm not good at dating," you answered. It wasn't necessarily a lie, just an attempt at hiding that you hadn't ever had a real date before.

She saw right through it.

Her eyes widened. "Oh," she whispered. "You haven't-"

"Hey, one question per turn, right?" You cut her off, the words spilling out almost frantically. Your abruptness surprised both of you.

She was still quiet from the realization. You could only hope she hadn't also put together the whole "crush" aspect of it, and that she thought this was only about your inexperience. She nodded and leaned back, going easy on you. She could tell you weren't too fond of this conversation and decided to leave it be for the moment.

"Truth or dare?" you asked, shifting your legs.

"Dare."

You tried to think of something that would yield ridiculous results, something that would completely redirect the topic. "Show me the last thing in your search history."

"Oh, God," she laughed, pulling out her phone. She opened it to her most recent webpage and showed it to you. There was a page of results underneath the search-bar's heading which read "how to remove pasta sauce stains from blankets".

"Oh my God, Kairi!" you exclaimed, giggling.

"I was just eating on my bed! I was lazy, okay? Don't judge me."

You two shared a moment of laughter, and you let your worries and insecurities slip away for the time being. In that moment, you were just friends, laughing your asses off over a game of "truth or dare." There were no risks to be taken, no secrets to hide. Then, your giggles eventually dissolved and the truths came rushing back to you. You glanced at Kairi, who felt the nervous tension in the air, but she wasn't one to drop things completely.

"Hey," she said comfortingly, reaching over to place a hand on your leg. Your skin felt electrified upon her touch. "I'm sorry if I crossed a line, but it's okay to be inexperienced, you know. We all start somewhere. And sometimes, some of us don't go too far after our first. Some people find the love of their life right away and don't ever touch another person on the planet after that. Some of us like to have a bit more fun." She winked.

"Like you?" you asked, your voice sounding innocent and lost, like a hand stretching out for guidance.

"I used to." Her voice was casual as she leaned back on her hands. "I dunno, haven't really been feeling the fun life anymore. Kinda waiting for that special someone, you know?"

You nodded, understanding. You shared that feeling. It was part of the reason why you didn't want to go around messing with other girls, why you avoided all of the dates she set up for you. You two sat in comfortable silence, soaking in the air of the moment and listening to the cars outside.

After a minute, Kairi spoke again. "It's my turn, isn't it?"

"Mhm." You tried to conceal any leftover nerves that hadn't been calmed by her words, but the idea of her getting your last secret out of you made your heart race quicken.

"Well, truth or dare?"

"Dare," you replied. You suddenly felt somewhat courageous, but part of you also just wanted to avoid any more questions about your nonexistent love life and any possibility of revealing the crush you had on her.

She looked at you and smiled. There was a hint of something in the way her eyes sparkled, but you couldn't discern what it was. "I dare you to kiss me."

Your heart leapt into your throat. You couldn't say anything in response. She spoke up to fill the silence and ease your nerves. "You can just use it as practice for the next girl. I'll teach you how to do it, all right?"

"But I..." You tried to still your racing thoughts, but they were a carousel too fast for you to get off of. "I- I thought you were, uh, waiting? For that special someone, right? Wasn't that what you said?"

"Yup." Her expression didn't change. Her gaze flickered down to your lips, making your heart beat even faster.

"But, Kairi, I-"

"[Y/N], you are that special someone," she said. She cupped your cheek in her palm. Your hand reached up to hers in surprise, touching it to make sure that this wasn't a dream like the ones you'd imagined this whole time. You relaxed against her touch. You felt your body slow down, soaking in her touch and every romantic bit of the moment. She could tell by the way you melted in her hands that you felt the same way about her. This wasn't going to be practice for the next girl. There wasn't even going to be a next girl. You both knew it was only about you and her.

She leaned in with a smile, your faces only inches apart. "So, are you taking the dare or chickening out?"

You puckered and kissed her harder than you intended, causing a slight ache to start where your inner lips collided against your own teeth. You immediately pulled away, shocked and embarrassed, and mumbled out some apologies. She slid her hand down your cheek so that it was under your chin. She tilted your chin upwards, forcing you to focus on her.

"Look at me. Follow my lead, okay?"

She leaned in again, meeting you since you were now nervous to make the first move. You watched as she parted her lips slightly, allowing yours to sink in the gap between them. You parted yours as well, making the kiss sweeter and softer than just a puckered peck. She tugged gently on your cheek, pulling you towards her just enough to close any spaces between your mouths. She moved her lips against yours after a few moments, starting a second kiss without ever breaking the first. You couldn't tell where her mouth ended and yours began as they melted into one another seamlessly.

You pulled away when it got hard to breathe through your nose. She giggled at your gasp, another small sign of inexperience, and smiled at you. "How was that?" she asked.

You were breathless, both literally and figuratively. You felt like you were floating, completely in a daze after what just happened. "It was really, really good. Thank you."

She blushed at your compliment, but laughed at your innocence. "I'm honored to have been your first," she replied with pride. "You're a fast learner. Not bad at all."

Your cheeks flushed. "Oh, I don't know about that."

"Hmm, I think I'll be the judge of that," she said as she leaned in to kiss you again.

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phoenixblack89 · 3 years

Text

Sneak Peek Sunday!

I know. I know. I'm terrible. I wanted to get so much writing done this weekend being hubby and child free but it never happened. Hubby is a pest and wouldn't stop video calling me and then the neighbours were being very loud and I couldn't focus. But nevermind.

Smut warning!

@autocon23 @lilythemadqueen @writingdeadangel @browneyes528 @darylsgirl @boondoctorwho

A quiet knock came at the door and she called come in. Daryl entered, blushing crazily and keeping his eyes down.

"Here's ya clothes. Got them from ya tent." He muttered, cheeks and the tips of his ears a beautiful shade of pink. Don't look. Don't look. Don't look. He thought over and over. Merle's voice in his head saying the opposite. Phoenix let out a stifled giggle and brushed her hands over his as she took the pile from him, placing them gently on the vanity below the mirror. Daryl glanced up quickly as her back was turned and caught sight of the beautiful Japanese style phoenix tattoo on her left shoulder. The majority of it hidden underneath the towel wrapped around her body. The towel hugged tightly to her curves and left little to the imagination. Daryl licked his lips as desire rose causing a reaction in his groin at the sight. A moan escaped Daryl's lips as she turned. The towel barely covered her chest and he stepped closer, looking down at her lustfully.

His hand reached for her cheek slowly as she bit her lip.

"I'm sorry I hurt ya." He whispered as he inched closer to her. He could feel the steam coming off her damp skin as he stood in front of her. His head fell forward to lean against her's as they stared into each others eyes, their breaths mingling in the small space between their faces. "Please forgive me."

She nodded and he leaned closer, brushing his lips slowly over hers as his hands found her waist tugging her gently to him. He didn't care of the towel's dampness against his dry clothes and skin. He was lost in the feeling of her lips moving in tandem with his.

Her freshly showered skin on her arms brushing against his as her hands found their way into his hair and around his neck. His lips trailed along her chin and down to the sweet spot on her neck he knew drove her heart rate racing. Sucking lightly and biting little nips against it he groaned, hard cock crushing her hips into the vanity behind her. She gasped as his hand slid between the edges of the towel at her side, fingers trailing roughly over the smooth skin he found.

Fingers dancing up her ribs to gently squeeze her breast as she panted in desire. He pulled his head up and roamed his eyes over her features. Her cheek oozed a little drop of blood from the injuries he'd caused. His heart clenched in guilt as he leaned forward, pressing gentle kisses to the stitches as his hand moved lower and lower beneath her towel. He paused at the apex of her hip and bit his lip, tilting his head to the side slightly. "Say it? Say ya forgive me?"

"Daryl..." she sighed his fingers striking along her hipbone softly, thumb brushing against the curls between her thighs. "Of course I forgive you. Do you forgive me? I shot first after all."

He chuckled low in his chest and pulled her in for another kiss as his fingers reached their desired location. She gasped into his mouth at the feeling of his thick broad fingers sliding along her folds. His lips returning to her neck, sucking and kissing as he slowly spread her folds, seeking out the moisture gathering there. He growled and ran a finger slowly through her slick, flicking it slowly up and down as his cock throbbed against his jeans. She gave a loud moan as he brushed over her sensitive bud and she felt him smile against her neck before he pushed her up onto the vanity and dropped to his knees, pulling his hand away from her core. "Daryl?"

He put his finger to his lips and sucking on it before pushing her thighs open and putting them over his shoulders. A bright red blush spread across her face and chest at the sight of Daryl Dixon, redneck hunter extraordinaire on his knees, looking like he was going to devour her. He smiled up at her then kissed his way from her knee into her thighs and higher.

"Holy shit!"

Her chest heaved as his tongue plunged into her folds licking roughly up to her clit. His tongue flicked hard and fast against it as his lips sucked on it. Her legs shook as his skilled appendage worked her so well. Her hand found its way to his hair and tugged it. He let out a pained moan as his own stitches pulled sharply from her fingers.

He grazed his teeth along her clit in revenge. He glanced up at her as he slowly ran a finger around her slick hole. He raised an eyebrow in question and she nodded her head. He smiled around her clit and pushed in slowly.

Fuck she's tight! He thought as her walls gripped his finger like a vice. Pumping it in and out slowly he watched as her chest heaved. Her walls twitched against his knuckles and he pulled his finger out. Her moan of discontent sounded, as he sucked her clit, twirling his tongue around faster and faster, turned to a gasp of surprise as he plunged two fingers into her twisting, curling and pumping faster and faster. "Oh God... Daryl... Oh fuck...." she moaned, every muscle in her body tensing as she climaxed on his fingers and tongue. Daryl smirked in satisfaction as he worked her through her orgasm.

Daryl opened his eyes, hand dripping with his own cum. He never meant to do this especially in her tent, definitely not after his dream last night.

It tainted it somehow.

She'd been so sweet and caring in his dream.

But the sight of her lacy underwear had gotten him so hard it couldn't be ignored. He knew nothing like that could ever happen. Hell, he didn't know how to make a girl cum with his tongue. His only experiences had been quick fucks behind the bars with sluts begging for a quickie or his own hand. He didn't know how to truly please a woman. He knew how to get a quick fuck sure. But he didn't just want a quick fuck with Phoenix. He wanted to make her moan and cum over and over again before he did.

Fuck Darlene you turning into a sissy!? I told ya enough tricks to get a girl moaning! Merle's voice said as he cleaned his hand on the red rag hanging from his pocket. He put his dick back inside his jeans and gathered up the clothes he'd come originally to collect for her. Hopefully she was still in the shower and he could ask Maggie or Beth or Patricia to give her them.

Gotta stop fucking your hand to her he mussed she ain't even got a tattoo on her back. Where the fuck you think that up from?

You know exactly where that came from Daryl. That god damn dream you've been having most of your life. He sighed as he spotted Maggie walking up to Glenn in the space near the chicken coop and Beth hanging washing with Carol.

Damn suck it up boy Merle laughed in his mind.

***

Phoenix peeked around the door and wrapped the towel tighter. Where was Daryl with her clothes?

"Maggie? Beth?" She called out, hoping one of the girls was near by. She shook her head and closed the door, sitting on the closed lid of the toilet and sighed. Dammit Dixon what's taking you so long!

She heard the groan of the stairs and stood up, opening the door a little and peeking out. She smiled as Daryl made his way towards her, fidgeting with the clothes in his arms and blushing slightly. She stuck her head out further causing Daryl to jump slightly.

"About time DD! Freezing my nips off here." She laughed trying to ease the air of uncertainty around the two. Daryl held the pile out and she stepped out to get them. Towel securely wrapped covering every inch. She smiled lightly and turned. Daryl's jaw dropped. There in wonderful shades of orange, red, black and yellows was a giant phoenix tattoo on her shoulder.

Just like the one in his dreams and sexual fantasy....

#PhoenixBWrites #Fera Ingris #daryl dixon smut #daryl x oc #daryl dixon fanfiction #sneak peek sunday

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tomtenadia · 3 years

Text

Island Dreams - Chapter 20

Chapter 20 is finally here and sorry for the wait. I work full time and I am doing uni as well. I have an assignment due next week so I had to leave my fic aside as well.

Tonight here in Scotland is a big night for rugby fans. Rowan and Lorcan from my fic will be probably celebrating with me just now. Scotland has won against England at Twickenham (Home game for England) and for the three of us it's a very, very, very, big thing. I guess our two men are on their way to the pub to get totally pished (wonderful Scottish word for drunk).

Also, I was so involved in the game that I almost forgot to publish tonight.

Chapter 20 has been a challenge. I have changed a part of the story about 4 times and I hope I chose the best plot. We get to meet Chaol. I know in the books he is not as horrible but i made him a bit more horrible just for the sake of the story. Also, be happy that it finished the way it did. In one of my plans I had gone for much, much more angst. Then I told myself that I was writing a fluffy story and ignored the cruel idea.

Oh, I forgot to add that there is just a smidge of smut.

I really hope you will enjoy the chapter.

------------------

The next morning Aelin woke up before Rowan again. She had a fantastic sleep after the perfect day they had at the festival, but now she was ready to celebrate Rowan because his birthday had finally arrived. She turned to him and he was still sleeping soundly. The lines of his face soft making him even more beautiful. She had planned a birthday lunch at Maeve’s, she had a few presents for him, but most especially she intended to wake him up in a very special way. The night before he had gone to bed with just his boxer and shirtless, which meant he had been much more tired than he let it show because he never did that before. Slowly she pulled the blankets back revealing his naked chest. He was sleeping on his back making her plan much easier. Wickedly she removed her top remaining naked from the waist up. Gently she straddled him and then leaned forward depositing kisses along his torso making sure that her naked body was in full contact with his. She heard him moan softly and he slowly come to awareness. Surprise flaring in his eyes as he took in their position.

“Good morning, birthday boy.” Her body brushed his, her hard peaks against his skin. His eyes went wide. “What—” but she kissed him deeply not letting him finish the sentence. He shifted up until he was in a seated position and Aelin kept straddling him, then she leaned a bit back allowing him to look at her properly. “You are…” and he pointed at her state of undress. “Your first present.” She took his hands and placed them on her breasts. Rowan’s mouth crushed against hers, avid and needy and she did not hold back. His mouth then travelled to her neck and finally he grabbed her hard peaks in her mouths and Aelin arched her back into him. His other hand found its way in the waistband of her underwear and grabbed her butt pulling her closer to him. She felt him hard against her and she had to try very hard not to grind against him. His touch became more demanding as his tongue was doing wicked thing to her mouth. “You can touch me whenever you want,” she breathed in his ear and Rowan groaned and flipped on her back, his body now towering over her. “You…” a lick on her neck “have…” a gentle bite that sent her mind reeling “no…” his mouth on her breasts again “idea…” and his teeth closed on her nipple. Aelin gently moaned. His hands were taking in every inch of her body and she felt on fire at his touch. His mouth followed the lines of her abdomen until he reached her underwear and placed an almost reverential kiss at the apex of her thighs. It was a simple gesture but Aelin almost lost it. His mouth travelled back up and locked again onto hers but a finger slipped between her legs. He pressed gently at her sensitive spot and she felt her body jerk. Using the fabric of her underwear for friction, his finger was now making circles and she felt his mouth bend into a grin. This was not what she had planned. It was supposed to be the other way around with her giving him a special treatment for his birthday. Aelin suddenly felt it, the pressure build, her core now starting to tighten and until release rippled through her like a river out of control. She lifted her head and screamed in his shoulder. She rode her high and he did not stop until she was spent. Then he gave a quick kiss on the mouth and collapsed on the bed at her side, propping his head up with his fist. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to regain composure “This was not what I had planned,” she turned to face him and his grin was wide “I was the one one supposed to give you such a lovely good morning. Not you.” And she poked his shoulder, in response he leaned over and kissed her again. “You provoked me.” His knuckle traced her breasts “with these.” He kissed her again “and I really, really loved my present.” Still half naked she got out of bed and went to her old room to grab his presents. She came back and climbed on bed under his hungry stare. She sat down, not bothering to get dressed again. She handed him the first present and he opened it and smiled when he realised what it was: a green t-shirt with the Peat and Diesel logo. His face blossomed in a lovely smile. “Put this one on.” He said handing the t-shirt back to her. “Does it really bother you to have me naked in bed?” “No,” he said leaning closer “I want something with your smell on.” She put the t-shirt and he kissed her “perfect,” while slowly his hand sneaked underneath the fabric. She patted his hand “I have one more present.” “Very generous woman.” He sat back and took the envelope that she handed him. Once opened, he read what was on it. It was a handmade coupon for a romantic getaway of his choosing. “You choose the location. It can be the mainland or here on the islands. Anywhere in Scotland to be honest. And you get to choose when as well.” She explained “My only rules are that it’s somewhere possibly quiet and with a lot of nature. And once we have the location, I get to chose the accommodation, which will be of course on me since it’s my present to you.” She looked at him “You choose the location and the dates, everything else is on me. Clear?” His mouth was on hers again and she pulled him down on the bed where he landed on top of her. “Thank you for your presents.” She hoped he decided on his getaway as soon as possible because she could not wait any longer. His hips slammed into her and ground against her thighs gently and Aelin groaned against his shoulder. With all the force she had she pushed him off and flung herself out of bed “Breakfast. Work.” She said breathless “Please Ro, I am about to lose my wits.” And she moved to the kitchen to cook breakfast. There was no way she was letting him cook on his birthday.

The morning at the bookshop had been busy. The town was buzzing with festival goers and also tourists and they had their constant stream of people flocking in and Aelin was in her element. Some of them even had told her they had discovered the bookshop on Facebook and her face morphed into a grin. She had gone back to Rowan and told him and she bragged about her amazing PR capabilities. He, in response, rolled his eyes. “You might be the owner, but I put the shop on the map.” Rowan chuckled and kept working on his computer. Aelin got closer and sneaked her head under his arm peeking at the screen “So you are ignoring me for paperwork?” “Aelin, I am not ignoring you. You know I need to do this and reconcile the invoices.” He turned his head and looked at her. “I can handle that for you if you want.” “Title of your sex tape.” He kissed her and grinned. Since Aelin had introduced him to Brooklyn 99 he had become obsessed with the show and they have been binge watching it for a while now. Rowan had also started to make ‘title of your sex tapes’ jokes and she was so proud of him. “I created a monster.” She laughed leaning a bit more against him. He put an arm around her for a moment and kissed her head “Can I just finish this? That you can annoy me all you want.” “Fine,” she said, walking away and swaying her hips on purpose “Come and call me when you are done.” He grinned “You know what I am about to say, right?” “Yeah, title of my sex tape.” And she walked away to play with some of the shelves and let him finish work as he asked. It was a couple of hour later when Rowan joined Aelin. She had one shelf completely empty and was now re organising the non fiction section. “What are you doing?” “I am giving a chance to some of these books to be noticed.” She replied while hauling a small pile to the table “This is the slowest seller section. Fine, we don’t have many titles, but we need to make an effort so it does not lie here forgotten.” “Go ahead and have fun. I trust you.” Then he looked at a couple of titles “Let’s choose one title to put in this week’s recommendations.” “Great idea.” He left her when a customer came in and froze at the sight. He knew that face, he had seen him in a picture Aelin had binned after she moved to his place. Rage surged in him. “I am looking for Aelin.” The man said. Aelin recognised that voice and jumped and went to the front of the shop and stared at the man. “Hi babe,” Her hands fisted at her side and Rowan was at her side as soon as he noticed. “What are you doing here.” Her voice dangerously low. “Saw all you lovely pictures on Instagram and had to come and have a look where my dear ex wife had moved to.” His hands went to his pockets and strutted around the shop admiring it with curiosity “So this is where you work now? A bookshop?” He added in a mocking tone. Aelin was now shaking with rage and Rowan placed a hand on her lower back which did not go unnoticed by Chaol. “Your big dreams seem to have taken a hit.” “Why are you here?” She asked again, reining in the desire to thump him. “To take you back of course.” “You what?” Aelin was speechless “What makes you think I would want to come back with you?” “You love me.” He moved one step closer, ignoring a seething Rowan at her side “I know we had our issues but I am ready to start again. I left her. No more lies. I just want you back. We can have a trial run and then get married again.” Aelin was so shocked by the admission that she could not do anything “I can’t.” She finally said. “You lied to me for over a year. You treated me like a monster. Cheated on me and now you expect me to come back to you? Just because detective slut has left you?” She took a step toward him “You have some guts.” “Aelin, please,” he grabbed her wrist but Rowan grabbed her as well and pulled her back to him. Chaol looked at Rowan and the man straightened up to try and look as imposing as possible. Rowan was a good twenty centimetres taller than Chaol. “Seriously? This guy? You are leaving behind your life in London for this guy?” Aelin heard the growl coming from Rowan. “There is nothing in London for me, Lysandra aside. My life there is a part of the past, same as you are.” “Aelin I was wrong okay? And I am sorry for the way I hurt you. But these months without you made me realise I miss you and I want to do all I can to take you back.” He took another step closer to her. Aelin started pacing. Her mind was spinning out of control. There was no way she was going back to him. Never. She was furious. “I am not coming back.” She eventually said in a low tone, looking at him in the eyes. “My life is here now. I am looking for a job as a doctor here. And I have Rowan. You had your chance and you blew it. Now it’s too late. You should have fought when there was a chance to fix things. It’s over Chaol.” “A job here? Treating what? Sheep? Come on, Aelin, you have more ambition than that.” Rowan almost lunged forward but Aelin stopped him and gave him a tender smile. “Even on an island people need doctors. This is my life now.” She placed herself between the two men, facing her ex husband “And I love it here.” “You can’t be serious.” His tone was getting on Aelin’s nerves. “Like a heart attack.” Was her dead pan reply. Chaol ran his hand through his hair a move that a long time ago it would have sent her shivers down her spine and then ended up in his arms. “It looks like your leg has healed.” She needed some time to refocus. He was taken aback by the sudden change of topic “Yeah, Lysandra is a wizard at her job. I am still walking slowly, but I abandoned my cane last week and I will go back to work the next one.” “Good.” “Aelin, can we please have lunch together and talk? Perhaps without an audience?” And he glared at Rowan. “No. I have said all I had to say to you.” She sighed. He was always stubborn “I have no regrets for the divorce. We were not happy anymore. You were a cheating bastard. It was the only option and you need to accept it. I have moved on. Now it’s time you go back to London and do the same.” “Did you fuck your boy toy already?” Aelin stepped dangerously closer to Chaol “Yes. And you know what?” Another step “He made me scream in a way that you never did all those times he fucked me against a wall.” That was petty but Chaol was out of line and she had enough of him. Then she took a step back and joined Rowan and placed an arm around his waist. She could see rage in his eyes. “Aelin has been quite clear. I would recommend you to leave this shop immediately and never come back.” Rowan’s voice was flat and she realised she had never heard him like that. It was eerie. He was furious. Probably just as much as she was. “Chaol, please…” “I loved you.” He shouted “I still do. I don’t deserve all this hate. It was not all my fault. You didn’t even try,” he stepped back. He was about to add something else but gave up in the end. “Fine. Enjoy your pathetic life here. Enjoy your new boy toy, I hope he can handle you. You are not worth it. Not anymore.” And with those words he left. As soon as he was out of the shop Aelin let out a sob. Her hand to her mouth and her body shaken by the now full blown sobs. Rowan moved a step to her to try and console her but she moved away. She went to the back office and gathered all of her stuff “I need to be alone.” “Aelin…” Rowan’s hand was extended in an effort to stop her. “Leave me alone. Everyone.” She growled and left the shop. Rowan felt his heart break at those words. He only moved again when he heard a customer enter the shop.

Working had been a nightmare. Rowan’s mind kept thinking about Aelin’s broken stare. She pushed him away and the whole thing was driving him insane. She wanted space and he was going to give it to her but it did hurt. He closed the shop at his usual time and went back home with dread in his guts. She hadn’t texted him and he was getting worried. They were meant to go to the ceilidh but that was probably off the table now. And he raged. He was looking forward to dance with her. Once at home he changed into something more comfortable and crashed on the sofa. He lay down and placed a hand on his head and his mobile on his chest, just in case he had news from her. He was almost falling asleep when the phone buzzed. He jumped seated and went for the mobile. It was a text from Aelin. I am sorry. Are you okay? Where are you? Tolsta. Was all she said. Rowan stood and debated what to do next. She had told him where she was. Did it meant it was okay now for him to join her? He paced for half an hour and in the end he decided to go to her. Then he stopped. His car was still in the shop and swore loudly. He had a look at the buses and for a moment he hated island life where buses could be infrequent and stopped after a while. He couldn’t even ask his aunt because she lived outside town and she needed the car to go back home. Finally he decided to get a taxi. It was his only option. He booked the ride and got changed again very quickly. The ride was short and fifteen minutes later he spotted her car at the car park and made his way to her, his heart hammering with fear. What if she was going to break up with him? He knew it was a stupid idea but he was terrified. Once he reached the beach he noticed her seating in the sand, her arms around her legs and his Glasgow uni hoodie on. He had returned it to her the day before. He stopped behind her. “Aelin.” “I am sorry.” She said in a voice that broke his heart. “Can I sit down beside you?” She patted the spot on the sand beside her, but never turned to face him. Rowan sat down beside her and noticed she was staring out to the sea. Her eyes were puffy and anger resurged in him. “I am sorry… I din’t mean…” she leaned her head on his shoulder and her crying resumed. His arm went around her and pulled her closer and rocked her in silence. “He made me so mad.” And another sob rippled through her “I am so tired of hurting for him.” Rowan wanted to say something but at the moment he had nothing that could help her. “I gave him ten years of my life. Ten. And it just went down the toilet.” She breathed in deeply and tried to regain some control “what’s the point in falling in love. It just ends in pain anyway.” Rowan froze at those words. She could not be really thinking about giving up on them. Aelin stare met his “Even us. What’s the point? Knowing my luck you’ll grow tired of me in a few years and bugger off to a new woman.” Rowan kissed her “No.” He said cupping her face and forcing Aelin to stare at him “No. I understand that right now you are in pain, but you can’t give up on us.” And he kissed her again to make his point “I don’t know what fate has decided for us, but I know that I will do my very best to make you happy. You are my everything and I am not giving up on you. Don’t even think about it.” “You say that now—“ He stopped her “Aelin I know my feelings. I am in this for the long run. I love you. And I have never been surer of my feeling in my life. You have to believe me.” “I am scared.” She confessed, snuggling to him “What if we are going too fast? We have known each other for only a few months. We already live together and share the same bed. We said to each other things that people who have been going out for a few months don’t usually say. I am terrified.” She looked up at him, fearing the hurt she would see in his eyes. His hands never left her face “I am scared too. After Lyria left me I told myself never again. I was willing to be on my own forever because I could not cope with the idea of committing so much again. And then you appeared in my life and all my resolutions went to hell.” A gentle kiss on her lips “I have the same fears as you. I love you. Madly” then he smiled at her “If we were in a fantasy we would now confess each other we are soulmates and I would praise our love with an epic speech.” “But we are not…” she added sadly. “No, but it doesn’t change what I feel for you. The fact that no matter how crazy it sounds, I am sure about us. Somehow my soul is telling me you are its missing half. And it frightens me, but I am not giving up on you just because I am scared.” Aelin caressed his face and stared at him in silence. “If you want to slow down, go back to your room or find your own place, I will understand.” She shook her head, tears flowing down her face “No. No, never. I am fine just the way things are. Chaol’s words hit me more that I was expecting. I thought I was over all the pain, but it looks I am not.” “You were not ready. You were not expecting him to come into our shop and say those horrible things to you.” He pulled her face to his chest and hugged her tight “I was terrified when you left. I thought I lost you somehow. And it was the scariest feeling ever.” “I thought about breaking up with for a minute. I was trying to convince myself that not being attached to anyone was the better option. Then I tried to picture not having you at my side and I was even more scared, because I can’t.” “I almost punched him.” Confessed Rowan, lingering in the feeling of her body against his “I have never punched anyone in my life but for him I would have made an exception.” He heard her chuckle and the ice gripping his heart finally thawed away. “That would have been a show I would have paid to see.” “I ruined your birthday.” She sniffled. “You did not. Police officer did. We just blame him.” He kissed her head “being here with you is perfect enough. You are my most precious present.” Aelin laughed “That is so cheesy.” He followed her “I know. I am shocked. See what you did to me?” He felt her hands cover his on her waist “You transformed me into a man who sings epic declarations of love and says cheesy things. You ruined me.” They were silent for a while and then Aelin spoke again. “Ro? I applied for a job as senior emergency surgeon.” She had applied for the job a few days before but hadn’t been able to tell him. It felt like a betrayal. He turned to her and smiled “Good.” “You are not mad at me?” He squeezed tighter “Why on earth? It sounds like an amazing opportunity and I could never be mad at you for choosing to do what you love.” “But the shop—“ “You don’t worry about the shop. Go, get the job and rattle the stars. I will be very proud of you.” “It feels like a betrayal.” And Rowan understood her uncertainty. “No it’s not. Not even close. You are not leaving me or abandoning me without reason. For as much as I hate the man, Chaol was right. Working in a bookshop is not for you. Not with the skills you have. The hospital will be very lucky to have someone with your experience.” And he meant it. Every single word. He wanted her to succeed “unlike some people, I am not scared of a successful woman at my side.” And she finally grinned at him and light reached her eyes still red from the tears. He kissed her forehead. “Ro?” “Yes?” “I am not in the mood for the ceilidh tonight. Can we just stay at home and watch Netflix or read? And snuggle?” “We can also order food and have a very quiet birthday evening. I would love that very much.” “Thank you. Rowan just kissed her. He’d do anything to make her happy. To make sure he could see that wonderful smile on her every single day of their life together. Then he finally stood “Come on. Get your arse off the sand and let’s go home. We have season five of Brooklyn nine nine to tackle.” She stood, stopped right in front of him and kissed him “I love you.”

#rowaelin #rowan whitethorn #aelin galythinius #rowan x aelin #fanfic #throne of glass series #angst #fluff

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mythriteshah · 3 years

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The Sultan’s Dream

“Nyra… Glacius… It has been a journey of ten-thousand malms since we stepped foot upon Eorzea. I was but a simple lordling that wanted to make a name for himself, with nothing but my two greatest companions – my best friends – by my side. You two were always there. Through my triumphs and my failures, you were all I had to depend on.

Yes, I have my Angels to watch over and safeguard myself and the Regalia, but even they are not always around – unlike you two. ‘Tis not often I am given an opportunity to simply enjoy the scenery and share my thoughts; there are few whom I trust enough to divulge my deepest secrets. And to tell you the greatest truth of all, Nyra & Glacius… I’m tired. My time spent in Eorzea was one filled with so much turmoil that I would not even wish such a life on my worst enemies. And although I’ve brought the Regalia to a shining age of prosperity, I had still suffered a great deal since I first became an adventurer.

All this conflict is for the cloudkin. I’ve already cavorted with enough primals to live three full lives. And the repeated incursions of the Garlean Empire are evolving into quite the proverbial broken record. There are numerous other adventurers and ‘heroes’ strewn about the realm to make an army; what’s one merchant-lord in the grand scheme of things?

We’ve played our part on this grand stage of imbeciles, Glacius. Nyra. But now it is time for the curtains to descend. I am done fighting and tempting fate – I’ll grow old doing this for so long. ‘Tis time we returned back home to where we belong.”

Thiji reflected back on his speech he gave to his two most trusted companions some summers ago. While he has gained and lost much throughout his time as an adventurer, he was tolerant of the outcomes and made peace with them. Of course, there are certain moments in time he wish would have changed for the better.

His confrontation with the Harriers and their leader in the heart of Snowcloak, though successful in its objective, costed Thiji the life of the only Angel who ever loved him – Mamai Mai, who was given the title of “Lady” posthumously. She insisted on accompanying the then Mythrite Prince and his comrades-in-arms in his assault, offering her pugilistic skills to the table. Unfortunately, she was waylaid unexpectantly by what may as well have been a sub-zero blast of cold by the Lady of Frost. Thiji may have withstood the brunt of it, but Mamai was not so prepared, and she fell as a result. This was the beginning of a martial awakening within Thiji, for this event catalyzed his ascent – or descent, to some – into the path of the Dark Knight. This would later be realized in its fullest when he battled against the fourfold master of the blade in His home turf: Ravana, Lord of the Hive.

“Martial perfection”, the Amalj’aa called it. The apex of one’s skill for which all Amalj’aa seek to strive. This concept stuck close to Thiji as he eventually took up the sword and shield, continuing his adventures as a Paladin during the campaign to liberate Ala Mhigo. When he had faced off against the Lady of Bliss, whose Qalyana dreamers were coaxed into summoning their false deity due to threats from the Garlean Empire, he had received word from Nyra, who bore a message from one of his Angels informing him that his then-Sultana, Nanago Nago - whom was with child and under the care of Sarielle - had succumbed to her own avarice, consuming gratuitous amounts of aether from his weapons collected throughout his journeys during the Dragonsong War. The resulting effulgence – combined with her own innate powers as an Astrologian – caused her and their unborn child to perish in a stellar explosion, effectively removing them from existence. Another crushing loss – greater, even, than the one incurred from losing Mamai. Thanks to the laws of time and space, no one but he and his Angels know of this event. Once more unhinged, Thiji found new strength in not only his martial, but his magical prowess, effectively dispatching of the Lady of Bliss, though at the cost of his own blade and board… and his soul crystal, which he casted away with his armor following the battle.

It always seemed passing strange that the Dunesfolk nobleman from the Near East would gain new strength and prowess by leaps and bounds at the expense of some tragedy – this only further added to his eccentricity. He was a calm individual, but was incredibly vindictive – especially if one ever crossed his Angels, whom he cared for so dearly. Others may not have picked up on the cause of these… awakenings, but Thiji was more than aware of it. Some days following the Largesse, when he was alone in his Aldenard Branch office, he gazed upon a glistening blue greatsword of exquisite make. It was made by a Dragoon friend of his who had a fascination for all things Allagan, and upon the length of the blade was an engraved sentence:

“As long as you make it out of a battle alive, you're one step closer to fulfilling your dream.”

More than just pretty words to the Mythrite Sultan. He had experienced many battles and came out of each intact. Even now, as the kingpin of the Higuri Regalia, Thiji had even conquered a battlefield which extended beyond the physical: the realm of high fashion. He toiled for many winters to get to where he is now; to be the titan of aesthetic and philanthropy which has earned the respect of many (and, for some reason, the ire of some). Yet therein lies the problem:

What dream remained?

Sure, Thiji Higuri was a man of ambition and intellect. But he had not enjoyed the pursuit of a dream since the assault on Djanan Qhat. Ever since he was a child, he was spellbound by a particular play, and never missed a single showing. Thiji had experienced it so many times that he could (and probably still) recite the entire script verbatim. It was a tale of romance and tragedy; of a powerful sorceress with a good heart who stood up for a broken country’s people, and the solitary man who rose up to defend her: the Sorceress’s Knight.

A dream he may have fulfilled after the Dragonsong War, but was snatched away prior to Ala Mhigo’s freedom. It was a sensitive topic, and seldom brought up in the Mythrite Sultan’s presence, lest an Angel earns his anger. Why keep the claymore, then, if he had no dream to pursue? What other meaning could the decorative sword have to Thiji if he is a man bereft of that driving force?

The evening following the Largesse, the Mythrite Sultan was no longer present at the Aldenard Branch. He had begun making for the Main Branch for reasons as of yet unknown – probably to oversee the release of the Blessed Wardrobe’s second clothing line. As usual, his Advisor, Veeveena Veena, was present in his chambers, enjoying some Winter Lassi as she gazed upon the moon with that lovely smile on her face. It was yet another peaceful night in Radz-at-Han, and though she has seen the view many times, it was no less breathtaking to behold for the Near Eastern flower.

Veeveena took a few sips of her drink as the winds suddenly began to rise. The trees amidst the emergent layer of the jungle which could be seen from the city began to sway and billow, and would eventually cause a whisper or three to blow through the balcony. The sudden shift in temperature caught her off guard as the Dunesfolk woman let out a soft gasp, stumbling somewhat, but maintained her posture as the numerous jewels and decorations on her sampot clinked like wind chimes against her body.

“This breeze…” she whispered to herself. “Could it be the North Wind? Has he arrived in Radz-at-Han?” The sheer thought of meeting the elusive debonair was too enticing to resist, and Veeveena would quickly down the last of the lassi, enduring the brain freeze that would follow. As swiftly as she could, she doffed her garb to put on some evening attire before making her flight from the Main Branch Headquarters. Forgoing the usual method of taking the bridge out from the city, she utilized her fans to conjure wind-aspected aether to propel herself upward, gliding down gracefully toward the canopy.

Meanwhile, as Veeveena made her way to the rivulet, a lone figure was seen dancing about. It was shrouded entirely thanks to the shadows cast by the dense canopy beneath Menphina’s light. The figure’s movements were seamless, effortlessly transitioning into fouettes, sliding along the waters from one side to the other as they froze over, striping the rivulet with bands of ice. All throughout was the sound of steel ringing through the night air, and that same icy wind began picking up once more as the figure gathered aetherial energy for a brief moment before soaring from one end of the river to the other in a twirling flourish. Upon reaching the apex of the jump, it performed a flawless jete, the silvery moon cloaking the figure all the while as if the spectacle was taken straight out from a painting. The concealed terpsichorean was releasing the stored energy as it did its finish, resulting in an arch of slick ice to form over the rivulet. Sticking the landing with one final twirl into a plie, it detected movement within the trees. It did not bother to take the time to discern the incoming presence, and instead fled the scene with a blinding dash into the forest floor.

When Veeveena had finally emerged, the figure she believed to be the North Wind was nowhere to be found. All that she beheld was the stark scenery of a partly-frozen rivulet, the banks dotted with shards of frost, and an arch spanning its breadth. “This is beautiful… but the North Wind could not do this,” she thought, as she felt the scintillant snow particles kissing her face. While she was awestruck at the sight, Veeveena had to report this occurrence to her peers. Without wasting another moment, she contacted the Angels at the Main Branch, who would then arrive within the bell.

The “S” Trio (Sena, Sona, Suna) and the “L” Trio (Lena, Luma, Lina) were investigating the area as Veeveena brought them up to speed on what happened to the best of her ability. Sosona was easily able to deduce that the lingering aether was not the result of a primal’s thanks to her aetherometer obtained by the Scions of the Seventh Dawn (who, when asked about how she acquired them, stated that they didn’t seem to be using them anymore anyway); Lelena and Lilina, with their own unique abilities, further deduced that the culprit was not using the ambient aether or the influence of a construct; Luluma and Susuna had also come to the conclusion that the focus area was away from any wildlife or beastmen, so none were harmed from the result of this… phenomenon.

What really stood out, however, was Sesena’s observation after gazing upon the frozen arch for several minutes:

“Hey, Angels… do any of you feel… different?” she asked them. “Miss Veeveena?”

“Yes,” she replied. “I thought I was the only one who felt such… emotion from this scene, so I did not address it.”

“Miss Veeveena’s right… I don’t feel all that chipper,” Lilina commented, holding a hand to her heart. “It’s not… aether sickness, but when I gaze upon this scene, I’m seemingly overcome with… sorrow. But it’s a sort of… beautiful sorrow – like a dying maiden being held in her lover’s arms before the last flames of life fade from her eyes…”

The other Angels absorbed Lilina’s words, taking in the scenery, watching the snow particles dance in the air. The longer they remained, the more these senses seemed more profound. They may have been involved in many conflicts both small and large, but the Angels were no strangers to emotion – especially ones as palpable as what they were experiencing. They felt tranquility… yet sadness; bliss… yet loss. It was as if they were traversing a thin line between positive and negative emotion.

“I’ve heard tales of his prowess, Angels, but I don’t think even the North Wind is capable of something like this,” Sesena commented.

“Whomever it is,” Sosona began, “they’re damn good at expressing themselves.” The Angels remained for a while longer, until the icy spectacle would be whisked away by an errant gust of wind, freeing the rivulet from its frozen state in a cloud of diamond dust.

From atop the city in the Main Branch Headquarters, a Lalafell woman veiled in mythril blue and silver watched silently from her vantage point. Lady Mimizo, the Valide Sultan, was surprisingly awake during this bell, her face obscured by one of her fans. But for what reason was she spying on the Angels?

As Nyra flew to her side, Mimizo looked over her shoulder to find a slumbering Thiji, who seemed to be well into his sleep, a rare smile of content made visible on his face. His mother would grin in kind as she gave a kiss to the owl’s cheek.

“[I am indebted to you, Nyra. Thank you for keeping this secret for so long. But soon, the Angels will have to know. Until then, pray hold your tongue a while longer],” Mimizo whispered to Nyra in their native tongue. She would bow her head before taking wing, flying off into the night sky. Mimizo gazed upon the vestiges of the ice particles swirling into the heavens, enjoying the sight for a moment before quietly leaving her son’s bed chambers. She would return to accompany her husband before the Angels would make their way back to report this event to the other branches.

“May your dreams bring you the bliss you so rightfully deserve, my beloved son…”

#thiji higuri #ffxiv #higuri regalia #ffxiv a realm reborn #balmung #lalafell #endwalker #thavnair #hannish #radz at han #thavnairian #short story #dancer

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cranehusbands · 4 years

Text

love, or lack thereof

pathfinder/wattson | natalie paquette; requited crushes; soulmate au; apex rarepair week; 1520 words

a/n: two for two, though this was posted a little later than yesterdays due to technical difficulties! sorry about that ^^;;

i have been really excited to write some wattfinder for a little while now, and this was the perfect opportunity to do so! we as a fandom need to treat them both as characters with their own autonomy and not infantilize them, and i think they could come to really understand each other! i wanted to show that through this fic, as well as throwing around the idea that soulmates aren’t always destiny - they’re people you find and bonds you forge through your own love and efforts. <3

once again for @apex-rarepairweek as the day 2 prompt, soulmates!

likes < reblogs, any comments in the tags are appreciated

ao3 mirror in the reblogs!

Preview: And then there was Pathfinder, the happy little MRVN unit that brought that home to her in a totally different way. Ever trusting, much like herself, expressive in himself but never losing that happy tone in his voice. He cared for his friends - his family - and talked of travel and dreams, but never really knowing who he was, or why he was here. But despite that, he carried on with that in stride, forever blind to the future. [...] He treated her with kindness and love, and it came to the point that sometimes she missed his company and high fives, though this was… a different kind of loneliness than that she had once experienced as a child, alienated from any other children that would pass through due to her intelligence and special position. She couldn’t quite place her finger on what it was, but there was just… something about Pathfinder that she didn’t want to lose, not for a moment.

Soulmates are found, not made.

That’s what she’s always been told. That she would find her soulmate, or they would find her, somehow, isolated in her work for the Syndicate, seemingly barricaded behind the ring she was trying to create. Natalie grew up with stories in her head, about how her papa met her mother, his soulmate, or stories of true love and happiness that was just… found. It was nice enough, but it never seemed logical, to her. Who was willing to take that chance? Couldn’t it go wrong? Even as a child that dreamed in fairytales, the idea of a soulmate always worried her. The mark on the inside of her wrist always haunted her, and she thought that she could not escape the inevitable.

But she wasn’t a child hiding in that shadow anymore - she was a grown woman, a professional electrical engineers, and an Apex Legend. She had lost her father so suddenly, but gained her new family just as quickly, making her home beside her own creation. And she loved her new family dearly - Dr Caustic was a reserved man, but he valued her intelligence, and did not object to her rambling and flapping of her hands. Elliott was funny, always telling stories of his family and life on Solace, and Anita was a hell of a shot, giving her pointers whenever she could, but not with her usual abrasiveness - she was kinder, self-aware of her own tendency to be quite scary at times. Makoa was caring to her needs, Octavio appealed to her curiosity and the tendency to be rash once in a blue moon. The Apex Games was her house, but the Apex Legends were her home.

And then there was Pathfinder, the happy little MRVN unit that brought that home to her in a totally different way. Ever trusting, much like herself, expressive in himself but never losing that happy tone in his voice. He cared for his friends - his family - and talked of travel and dreams, but never really knowing who he was, or why he was here. But despite that, he carried on with that in stride, forever blind to the future. It was a blissful ignorance that she could admit she was almost jealous of - he was not bound by such an innate concept as a soulmate. But he was still soul searching, and still so loving and kind to everyone he met, even if they didn’t return the sentiment, like the world was his soulmate and he was ready to give out as many parts of him until it loved him back, as he loved it.

She’d held this sentiment as the two worked with and against each other through the seasons, the two of them forming a bond quite quickly due to his need for the occasional repair and her curiosity with his components. He treated her with kindness and love, and it came to the point that sometimes she missed his company and high fives, though this was… a different kind of loneliness than that she had once experienced as a child, alienated from any other children that would pass through due to her intelligence and special position. She couldn’t quite place her finger on what it was, but there was just… something about Pathfinder that she didn’t want to lose, not for a moment.

There was a quiet night, after a game that day, when there was a familiar voice at the door to her room, littered with parts and unusually messy (she liked to work that way).

“Miss Natalie?” The robot had caught her as she was working on her gear, a malfunction with her fences had caused a firefight with an unfair advantage, which was something she didn’t enjoy.

She jumped a little, pulling up her safety goggles with a small smile. “Pathfinder, hello! You… didn’t knock.”

“Oh, I did knock, you were just busy working, and I didn’t want to just stand there and scare you when you looked up, so…” He trailed off and sheepishly tapped his fingers together, and it seemed whatever annoyance she once had eased a little.

“A-ah, well… sorry about that, my friend. Did you need something? Is your grapple acting up again?”

“Oh, no, you fixed it really well! Thank you, friend.” The screen on his chest flashed like sunshine, as he tapped a hand against where his grapple was hidden in his metal shell. “Well, I just… I had some questions, and Elliott is out doing a press release, so I can’t ask him…”

Of course, Elliott was always his first choice - that worried her, for as much as she loved the trickster, she knew that he didn’t treat Pathfinder the best, or at least, as a friend should. That was something someone should speak to him about. Natalie took her safety goggles off and placed them on her desk, giving the robot her full attention. “Well, what’s up?”

He paused for a moment, assessing whether that was a pun or not before he nodded, taking a seat on the stool beside her. “Well, I wanted to ask… what’s a soulmate?”

The mention of the concept made her freeze, before she looked away for a moment and fiddled with a few loose wires in the base of her pylon. “Well, that’s… why do you ask?”

“I don’t know… I have heard a lot of people say it and celebrate it, but I never knew what it meant. Is it like… a super best friend?”

“In… a way. It’s a lover tied to you by destiny. The one you’re supposed to be with all your life… identified with a mark, l-like this one.” Slowly, she pulled off one of her thick work gloves and showed Pathfinder the inside of her wrist, where she bore a small, glowing mark.

“Oh… that’s pretty.”

“Mhm.”

“...You don’t think so?”

“Huh?” Natalie looked up, at the optic eye now staring up at her. “Well, it is pretty, but…”

“...Do you think it’s silly?”

She didn’t reply, only looked away. Silly, possibly - suffocating, almost definitely.

The robot didn’t respond back for a moment, simply looking at her with a small tilt of his head, before he continued with a thought out loud. “I think you should be able to find your own soulmate.”

“What?”

“Well, if they’re destiny, there’s no point in waiting around - that’s why I’m looking for my creator the way I am. You have to make noise to be heard.”

“That’s… oddly profound, my friend.”

He smiled, or at least, his screen did, a bright beaming yellow reflecting on the LEDs embedded in his chest, beating as any real heart would do - full of love, and hope. “Bloodhound taught me that one, they’re very smart.”

The engineer paused, before she couldn’t help but chuckle. “I suppose they are.”

Silence fell between them for another moment, but they did not move. She watched the robot shift in place on the stool, and for once, his screen was blank, nothing shown. It was oddly unnerving.

“Miss Natalie?”

“Oui, Pathfinder?”

“Do you want to be my soulmate?”

She was almost taken aback by the question, looking up to him with a slight eyebrow raise. “Pardon?”

“Well, I… it’s silly, but… everyone has been so nice, and that makes me happy, but whenever you’re nice to me I get even happier, and I’ve been searching for so much for so long that I-”

“-want to embrace what you have found?” She finished his thought with her own, watching him look to her and nod slowly. Of course, this made sense - the emotional wanderlust he held was soul searching, but he never knew what it was like to have something - someone - that was his. They were kindred souls, in that way, at least. Natalie smiled to herself. Of course - the loneliness she felt was longing for that comfort of love that she found. She just didn’t realize because it wasn’t something that she had just found… it was a bond she had nurtured, and cherished. A bond she had found. “...I will, Pathfinder.”

He paused, sitting up a little straighter in surprise before clapping his hands together, his heart on the screen glowing a warm, loving pink, almost welcoming her in before he held out a hand to her, pinkie finger extended in a promise. “We’ll be best soulmates forever!”

The engineer giggled, taking her own pinkie finger in his own and curling it around the cold metal appendage, a light dusting of pink brushing across her cheeks. “Pour toujours et à jamais. Always and forever.”

Pathfinder reached out and pressed his head against hers with a gentle bonk, which made her laugh again, bringing up a hand to hold what would have been his cheek, pausing for a moment at the red light reflected onto her skin before kissing his optic with a gentleness and tenderness she didn’t know she possessed. And for the first time since she could remember, Natalie wasn’t afraid of the future.

Soulmates could be found, but they could also be made - both figuratively and literally, it seemed.

#apex legends #pathfinder (apex legends)#wattson #wattfinder #apex rarepair week #apex legends tag #dahl.doc

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asdfghjkenneth · 4 years

Text

So i did a thing out of boredom. Its kinda mushy with the story line and grammar but i think its cute. Hope you guys like it.

We made it to his front porch and I rang the doorbell. Even now, I still can't believe that I agreed to chaperone this kid to a party. My first party-in-the-woods at that. Although it did not go a wild as I thought it would be. It took a few seconds before his Mom answered the door.

"Hi Mrs. Waters." I smiled at her.

Mrs. Waters opened the door wider for both of us to come in after she gave me a side hug. She reached for Kalvin's chin and pressed on his cheeks. "You are in serious trouble young man." She said.

"I'm not grounded am I?" Kalvin asked his mother. The three of us laughed at his question.

His mother looked at me as if asking whether her son did anything stupid. Well he did dance with a couple of girls and threw up on the some random car. But I guess his mother doesn't want to hear all of that.

"Don't worry, its just the beer and a few shots of tequila." I assured her.

I give one more pat to Kalvin's back to tell him I'm going home. But as I was about to wish Mrs. Waters a goodnight, he grabbed my arm. He turned me slightly to face him, a puzzled look evident on his face.

"Are you not staying here?" He asked. His speech a bit slurred from the alcohol.

It was my turn to have a puzzled look on my face. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"Sorry." He stood up straight. "I mean, I want you to stay the night here, with me."

For a minute, we all just stood there. The only sound was coming from my his car accompanied by the faint chirping of the crickets. Both Kalvin and his mom were looking at me waiting for a response.

"Oh no, thank you! But I really have to go home." I said. Still confused by Kalvin's choice of words. Stay the night with him. What does he mean exactly by that?

"Darling, it's okay. We have a guest room here downstairs. You shouldn't be driving at this hour anyway." Mrs. Waters insisted. "I'm sure Kal here would be happy to drive you tomorrow morning." She added.

Kalvin raised his hand up to his mom. "He'll be sleeping in my room." He moved his hand from my arm and grabbed my hand. He kissed his mother goodnight and started dragging me upstairs.

I heard Mrs. Waters close the door before we reached the landing of the second floor. Kalvin was still holding my hand. I pulled it back.

I let out a sigh. "Kalvin, I don't want to stay here tonight. And why do I feel like I didn't have a choice back there?" I asked him.

"Because you didn't. Come on, we can stay here in my room or we can go downstairs. Whatever you say." Kalvin said in a very nonchalant manner.

My body disagreed for a minute. But my legs were heavy following him all night and I feel a buzz starting. I did down a few shots. My feet started walking, thinking one night here isn't going to be that bad.

"Why do you want me to stay over anyway?" I asked as I sat down at the edge of his bed.

Kalvin went straight to his closet and opened it. "Nothing. I just don't want you to drive by yourself." He stated as he unbuckled his belt and pulled down his pants then made his way to lay on the bed.

I stand and took off my shoes as well. "That wasn't very honest, was it?" I hover, standing, unsure of what to do next.

"Come here." He said.

He stood up and walked towards me, stopping just inches away from my face.

"Listen here, babe. You either walk to my bed or I carry you. Your choice." He said. His eyes wild and his speech slurred.

The words he chose made my heart beat faster. But I stood firmly where I'm at. I find it hard to determine the feelings inside me right now. It isn't much help that I haven't been paying attention to anything with even slightest relation to feelings. I stopped feeling when I jumped out of that second floor window. I knew I did because I would've been hurt the day our father left us. But I think I have played this game of pretend for too long. (Change and expand)

Kalvin sighed, he knew I was challenging him. People can't tell me what I can and can't do I'm sorry buddy. I laughed a small laugh of victory. His eyes still stared at me. He then took a little step and leaned forward. His face dangerously close. I put one hand to his chest, the other on his shoulder.

"Whoa! Were you gonna pass out?" I asked.

"I was gonna kiss you." He said and laughed

"And you pushed me." He continued in a hushed voice.

I started walking to the bed leaving him still standing. My stomach rolling and twisting. My heart pounding against my chest.

"Didn't you think it was inappropriate? Or atleast..." My words were cut off as he grabbed my arm and turned me to face him. He puts his arm at the back of my head and pulls me. His mouth crashing into mine.

My body did not know what to do. This is my first kiss after all. My FIRST and my lips doesn't want to part. Kalvin uses his tongue to pry it open. When his efforts did not bring results he wanted, he pulls away from the kiss and rests his forehead against my forehead.

"Please." He pleaded quietly.

He put his lips against mine. The kiss was soft at first which ignites my whole body. My hands unknowingly travelled to his hair and I grabbed them. He took that as silent 'Yes' and snaked his hand around my back. He then rushed the kiss and ran his tongue along my bottom lip and then the top as if asking them to part. I heard myself moan from the sensation and my mouth let him in.

The feeling coursed through my body. His left hand on my back lifted my shirt a little giving way for his hand to come in so that we were touching skin to skin. While his right hand on the back of my neck pushed me to deepen the kiss. His hands left a trail of goosebumps on my skin. My lips against his. His toungue in synced with mine. The beating of my own heart was deafening but I can hear his chest pounding. I can hear him. I can feel him. My body moved along to a rhythm I do not recognize.

I ran my fingers through his hair and pull. He moaned into my mouth and broke the kiss. A whimper escaped my mouth from the loss of contact.

"Aww. That kinda hurt." He said trying to catch his breath. He smiled and dropped his hands beside him. His lips swollen from the kiss.

I immediately removed my hand from his hair and pushed him a little, taking one small step back myself. "Sorry. I didn't know what I was doing." I said, still reeling from the feeling of being held.

He put his hands on either side of my waist and pulled. "It's okay. But I think that's enough for both of us." He said.

Kalvin started walking to the bed. I followed. My mind was trying to process what just happened. I felt confused about the kiss. But I also felt utter disappointment when I heard the word 'enough'. Does that mean I want more? That's assuming he does, too. "He's the one who broke the kiss, stupid." I tell myself. Wait! I don't even know if I am gay. I've never been attracted to anyone, not even the slightest crush. Am I gay now? Is he? What the hell was I thinking kissing him back? (Change and expand)

"You okay? I just mean enough for tonight. My head is throbbing like crazy." He said. He removed his shirt and threw it on the floor. "You sleeping here or what?" He asked.

So he does want more. Do I want more? I looked at him and he's only in his boxers briefs. The bed definitely looked more enticing than it did a while ago. Dear God, help me.

Seconds later, I go against my own judgement and obliged. I sit down at the of the bed. My eyes were focused on his trophy shelf. "Are you sober now?" I asked him.

"The boner you gave me might have sobered me up. Why?" He chuckles.

"Kalvin!" I yelled, surprised at his nasty remarks.

He sat up right and covered my mouth with his hands. "That's too loud. My parents are just across the hall." He said.

I said a soft sorry and he took his hand away. We both lie down on his bed. He was facing me and I was staring at the ceiling stiff as a stick afraid to make any unnecessary movement.

"Are you not into girls?" I finally asked. His steady breathing right next to me.

Kalvin is definitely into girls. He was dancing all night with random girls at the party. His teammates were even there to cheer him on. And he is the captain of the Volleyball team, the only sport that our school cares about. He's at the apex of highschool. I'm sure he's had a girlfriend before.

"I am." He answered flatly.

"Then why did you kiss me?" I said. I can hear my own confusion in that sentence, with a little hint of disappointment. His answer wasn't unexpecred but still..

"I never said that I am not into boys." He said and used his hand to turn my face towards him. His index finger traced my bottom lip. "And I wanted to kiss you for months, I just..."

Kalvin closed the space between our faces and planted a soft kiss on my lips. "I wasn't sure you like me that way. Now, I know you do." He smiled.

Well, that response was way better than the ones that played in my head. He lifts my head a little and placed his arm underneath. He grabbed my arm and put it on his waist. His other arm wrapped around me, caressing my back. I definitely thought that I wouldn't be able to sleep in a position like this. But i felt at peace. For the longest time, i dreaded the night and sleep, and what comes after it. But I found myself drifting only after a few minutes, dreaming about a tall boy with swollen lips.

#gay #gay story #writer #first kiss

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dear-mrs-otome · 5 years

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Kinktober - Oct 1st: Masks & Formalwear

I wasn’t gonna do something today but, welp here we go. Banged out over morning coffee, so it is what it is <3

~~~~ There’s damask crushed in the palm of your hand, growing damp with sweat, and cold glass heating slowly against the bare skin of your back as a masked man is bent over, rolling your nipple on his tongue and telling you to be quiet.

Masked, but you know exactly who it is - only one man has eyes that blue and focused, like the nadir of a whirlpool, sucking you in inexorably. Pulling you behind this curtain, into the narrowed alcove of this window, the dull murmur of the party and the tinkling waltz now muffled in the background as you’re wrapped in your own tiny sweltering cocoon. The threads pricked through the heavy crimson cloth around you echoing the shimmering filigree of pleasure that weaves, trembling, through your limbs. Spins gold out of the straw of your soft cries.

“I said to be quiet.” He bites down on the mound of your breast, spilled over the top of your bodice, just shy of breaking the skin. A promise. A warning. “Or do you want me to help you with that?”

You can barely manage a nod before he spins you around and the chill of the glass steals the lingering warmth of his mouth from your skin, chest pressed almost painfully up against it. Your breath fogs over the view of the gardens below, turning them into something hazy and ethereal. A fae landscape that makes this all seem even more like a dream.

Then there’s the whisper of silk unraveling, and something ties tightly over your mouth in a makeshift gag. Only when your tongue touches the cloth and comes away glazed with oak and vanilla do you realize it’s his cravat, still warm and scented with cologne. Riding triumphant on every breath you draw, as if to conquer even the very space inside your lungs as his own.

Not just your lungs. There’s a hand under the froth of your ballgown, and the low rumble of pleased laughter in your ear when fingertips find the slick apex of your thighs, sinking deep inside of you mercilessly. Curling just right as he shoves you harder against the windowpane, crowding you with the weight of his body, stilling the faint buck of your hips as you rock into the grind of his palm.

“That’s a good girl,” he murmurs approvingly into the nape of your neck, as you let the wet silk between your teeth soak up your moans. Wicked points scraping over your skin as he nuzzles the jumping pulse alongside your throat, teasing you both. "You deserve a reward."

A third finger joins the first two on the next wet plunge and another shudder tears through you.

You look up and meet the eyes peering out through the wolf’s half-face in the night-black reflection of the window, and even that mirrored glance belies the mask. Lays them bare before you.

One night, this night, they seem to say.

You know he won’t acknowledge this tomorrow.

You hold those eyes as you watch his fangs sink into your flesh with a sort of morbid fascination, and the first velveteen ropes of ecstasy draw your back into a taut arch, finally tugging your gaze from his regretfully. Man or vampire or beast or dream - it matters not.

All that matters in this moment is that the beautiful lie endures.

#ikemen vampire #ikevamp #alloverkinktober #smut #my writing #drabble #i'm not tagging who this is but we all know #we alllll know

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aurora-the-kunoichi · 4 years

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For the Love of Shell Chapter 36

Here is the next installment of my OC story.

Full story here

Hard Decisions

Aurora’s trip home was quick, pulling her truck into her parking spot in the underground parking ramp at her apartment building. Taking the elevator up to April and her floor she stepped out into the hall and slowly passed her friends door. She thought just for a second to knock and update her friend on happenings of the past few frantic days but decided against it, a hot shower was calling her name.

Unlocking her door, Aurora stepped inside and threw her backpack on the couch and headed for the bathroom. First and foremost, she needed a shower, a nice long hot shower. Peeling her clothes from her body she dropped them as she walked entering into the large glass stall turning the water to near scalding.

Aurora hissed as the hot water pelted her aching body loosening the dried blood and grime from her bruised flesh. She stayed under the hot spray for nearly 15 minutes allowing her muscles to soak up the heat of the water before starting to wash away the filth of the past few days. Each time she closed her eyes she could see them hanging from their wrists, dead. It made her body convulse involuntarily at the traumatic memory making her eyes snap open in fright.

“They’re alive and back home safe with Master Splinter.” She whispered to herself in a quiet mantra rinsing the rest of the conditioner from her hair. “It’s over. It’s finally over, you can finally live your life the way you want, no more hiding.” A small smile finally graced her steam flushed lips. She had to remind herself of that fact. It was finally over, they were all safe, and they did it.

Turning the shower handle to the off position Aurora stepped into the foggy bathroom and began to dry herself of its moister. The thought of crawling into bed and going to sleep wasn’t as appealing as it had been an hour ago. The sun had just recently set but she wasn’t ready for bed quite yet. Pulling on a pair of jeans and a hoodie she headed out into the busy streets of New York. She could use a good slice of pizza and some fresh air, well as fresh as New York Cites air can be.

The fall air was crisp and had a certain energy to it. The hum of the conversations of happy couples and giggling friends as she passed by made her body feel alive. The fresh slice she had purchased from Antonio on the corner a few blocks back was already warming her stomach. Her mind started to wander as she continued down the busy sidewalk. Japan was beautiful, and she did miss it, but there was something about New York. The people, the old buildings the whole vibe of the city was exhilarating, but the four green mutants below the street were the main reason she was ready to call this big city home. She could actually have a home, someplace that was her own. No more moving, no more hiding.

Finding herself back in front of the old church she had explored a week ago, her eyes trailed up the giant peek and smiled. Something about this place called to her, it was so beautiful, it just needed some love. A sign by the main gate that wasn’t there before caught her eye, squatting down she read the large sign and let a laugh escape her lips. Pulling her phone out she called the number displayed on top. It was fate.

That night was restless for Leonardo, his mind a constant whirlwind of emotions and uneasy thoughts. Sleep didn’t come easy but when it finally did take him he dreamed in quick fragments. Blurry and unfocused images of Aurora holding a baby, her baby, the look on her face was happy and content. That was something he could never give her, a child, marriage, normalcy. The tiny infant was wrapped up in a blue blanket with purple octopi on it. Due to the fogginess of his dream Leo could only make out one characteristic of the tiny cooing bundle, their eyes. Leo could see the vibrant purple iris’ that matched its beautiful mother’s, but one of its eyes had an anomaly to it. The left iris was half purple and half blue, it was breath taking. The sight of the tiny bundle made his heart clench.

Aurora looked up at someone and her smile grew giving no doubt the father of the child a comforting exchange. She looked so happy her hand reaching out for the father’s just before him. Those were the only imagines he could remember and it broke his heart. Maybe it would be better to let her go. She deserved that beautiful baby in her arms, she deserved to be happy and she couldn’t have that living in the shadows with him.

The next day Aurora took care of a few errands and bills before heading down to see the guys. Slipping below the surface of the manhole she took her time down the passageways of the sewer system. Making it to the opening she hoped over the turnstile and everything inside the lair came to a screeching halt. All eyes, even Master Splinter’s focused in on her, making her suddenly feel naked.

“Hey guys.” She waved anxiously.

A green blur shot forward colliding with the kunoichi crushing her between four mutant turtle bodies. Having the wind nearly knocked form her body she let out a grunt adjusting herself inside the cluster of hands and arms that were vying for any part of her body.

“Guys?” she wheezed allowing the frantic embrace.

“Donnie’s go-pro recorded everything on the mountain after you were freed. We watched it last night.” Mikey called through the arms of his brothers.

Aurora’s heart jumped up into her throat and she stilled. They had seen her, seen her when they died, seen her when she killed the demon, watched her bring them back to life. She didn’t have to explain anything, they knew what had happened after they…….. her body finally gave in and began to tremble with the stress of it all. Wrapped in their arms she let go and clung to them, crying letting everything out. She had never in her entire life cried this much, she hated how vulnerable it made her feel, but being in their arms she felt safe, it felt right, like home.

After a few minutes she finally collected herself and they relinquished their hold opening her gaze to the old rat waiting patiently for his sons to let the woman go. Their eyes met and his eyes began to water, without thinking twice she fell to her knees and hugged the emotional old rat.

“My dear, thank you for bringing my sons back to me. There are no words to express how much I am in your debt. I don’t know what I’d do without them. I can never repay you for what you’ve done for this old rat.”

Aurora leaned back on her heels looking into his wise old eyes. “I have no idea how I did it but I’m thankful I was able too. I don’t know what I would have done….if..”

“I actually have a theory on how you did it.” Donnie cut in grabbing her hand pulling her to her feet again.

Aurora took a deep breath regaining her composer and turned to the genius turtle cocking an eyebrow.

His large green hand moved to her abdomen and rested on her lower belly pressing forward just a little. “Your womb.”

Aurora’s hand rested over his, “My womb?”

“Yes, you’re a female who can carry life. Your body is built for such an incredible miracle. I’m guessing if we had been taken into a male guardian’s body we would have been absorbed completely but since you are meant to hold life within you we were held protectively in your womb. Watching the recording when you brought us back our souls came from your stomach. I know it sounds weird but it’s the only explanation I can come up with. Let alone the strong bond each of us felt for you when it was over.” His cheeks reddened at the slight admission.

Leo came up behind her pressing his palm to her lower back, “We all had dreams about you that night, dreams of a sensual nature.”

Her eyes shot to each turtle, her cheeks flush. Donnie and Mikey’s faces showed embarrassment, Leo was calm as usual, but Raphael’s lips curved into a delicious smile and winked at her. Of course, he wouldn’t think twice about having a sexual dream about her, he was incorrigible. The rush of adrenaline pooled at the apex of her thighs remembering her own illicit dreams with all four turtles. She played with her fingers nervously deciding if she could tell them she had dreamt of the same thing. Slowly her eyes came back up to Leo’s and his widened realizing her unspoken confession.

A laugh burst passed his lips, “You did too, with all of us?”

Aurora nodded sheepishly.

“That explains the sounds you were making that morning in the RV.” Leo smiled smugly.

Donnie tilted his head looking at Aurora in eager satisfaction; she had a sex dream about him. What he wouldn’t give to know what it entailed.

“God I feel so much better! We’re not the only ones!” Mikey exclaimed leaning back against the wall, his large hand covering his face in relief. Then his hand dropped and his eyes focused in on Aurora, “Wait,…that means you had a naughty dream about me!” Mikey’s excitement was uncontrollable as he bounded for her grasping her shoulders pulling her to look at him. His blue eyes waged with seductive urgency. “What did it entail? I need details,” he cooed lowering his voice a few octaves running a single digit over her cheek.

“You first Michelangelo.” She called his bluff. Her hands pressed on his plastron pushing him back against the wall her eyes hooded. Aurora’s tongue darted out of her mouth moistening her lips and inched forward till her lips were only a few inches from his. “What did we do in your dream Mikey?” She could see him stiffen and swallow hard feeling her so close to him, she pressed her breasts up into his chest just to drive her point home. He opened his mouth but quickly snapped it shut deciding it was better to leave this alone, what happened in their dreams was no one’s business.

“Y-you know what, never mind, I’d like to k-keep a little mystery in our relationship Aurora. You’ll just have to use your imagination.”

“That’s what I thought.” She grinned snapping her teeth at the youngest brother before pushing away from him and turned back to Donnie who had an amused look on his face. “So you’re telling me the end result of us merging was we all got a little hot and bothered for each other?”

“Hey, I was hot and bothered for ya before we ‘merged’ little lady.” Raph growled in his throat coming up behind her, his massive size dwarfing her small stature.

“You have made that quite obvious Raphael.” Splinter eyed his son making him moved back sheepishly.

Donnie cleared his throat, “Yes, I have a feeling the ‘merge’ maybe have intensified all our feelings for each other, due to the intimate nature. I’ve already collected blood from each of us, I just need a sample of yours to compare them too.” Donnie held out his hand urging her to take it.

Aurora nodded sliding her hand into his green one curling her fingers with his and followed the tall genius to his lab sitting down in his skateboard chair. Soon he returned with a syringe, freeing it from its sterile packaging. He wrapped a rubber band around her arm and tied it bringing the vein up. He looked at her with his chocolate brown orbs and swabbed the pit of her elbow and carefully slid the needle into the plump vein. Pulling back on the plunger, blood filled the vile almost instantly with vibrate crimson.

Leo came over with a cotton ball and a band aid handing them to Donnie. Pulling the needle free from her flesh he pressed the cotton ball to the wound and placed the band aid over it effectively stopping the flow.

Without a word the tall mutant turned with the vile of her blood his eyes transfixed on the syringe and began his work. Aurora absentmindedly press her fingers down on the cotton ball for good measure and looked up at Leonardo whose gaze was on his genius brother. She smiled at the mutant standing just a few inches from her as his hands fiddled with the wraps on his hands. Reaching out she grabbed his hands making him look down at her away from his brother. She noticed something in his eyes, he seemed a little off. Usually cool as a cucumber, the blue leader looked a little stressed like something was weighing on him more than usual. “Hey, you ok?” she asked, using her grip on his hands to pull herself to her feet.

Gripping her fingers as she rose the distant look on his face disappeared and a brilliant smile replaced it. Ignoring her question, he responded with one of his own.

“How are you feeling today? Still tired?”

Deciding to let it go she nodded, “Yeah better today, still a little tired and sore but nothing that would ruin my day. A hot shower helped a lot last night.” Noticing movement behind Leo she tilted her head to see Raph coming up behind, his eyes locked solely on hers.

“How are you guys feeling? I mean, you’re the ones who actually…” her voice failed dropping off not finishing the sentence.

Raphael was standing next to Leo now, his arm resting on his older brother’s shoulder. “I don’t know about these bozos, but I feel great. Like dying rejuvenated my body or that kiss. Of course, maybe both could have done this body good. Either way I’d do one of the two again without question.” Raph pursed his lips and waged his eyes at Aurora making her smile at the large brute.

“Incorrigible.” She laughed pinching the bridge of her nose shaking her head in amused frustration.

“Raph.” Leo groaned irritated, shoving his brothers arm off his shoulder giving him an annoyed look.

“What? I’m just hopin maybe you’d be willin to share. Just making you aware I’d be willing to help you keep her satisfied.”

“Raph!” Aurora yelped in embarrassment smacking him playfully on his plastron.

“Just sayin.” He winked before turning on his heal returning to the couch plopping down next to Mikey who had turned on the large TV. The sound of a game show filtered throughout the lair extinguishing the silence.

“We might need to muzzle him.” Aurora laughed as she was pulled into Leo’s strong arms. She felt his chin rest on the top of her head, but said nothing. Even after Raph’s rude comments he remained uncharacteristically silent. She would have thought he would have at least smacked his younger brother. Something in the back of her mind started nagging her, something was wrong, she could sense it. Pushing from his arms she looked up at him, “Somethings wrong. Spit it out Leo.”

Again, he didn’t respond but reached down lifting her chin. Leo’s intense blue gaze pierced hers and leaned down pressing his lips to hers. His mouth moved urging hers open gaining access to the sweet warmth of her mouth. His three green fingers slid from her chin to caress her cheek his thumb running tenderly against her soft skin.

Momentarily forgetting his reluctance to answer her questions she gave into the sweet gesture pressing her hands softly against his plastron, one hand gripping the strap to his harness.

Leo’s lips transitioned from gentle to desperate both hands grasping each side of her face pouring his passion into the deepening kiss. His eagerness was contagious but they were in the middle of the lair with his three brothers and father just a few feet away. After everything that had happened in the past few days made her ache for the large green terrapin. Unfortunately, this was not the time, or place for this to go any further then a kiss but Leo seemed oblivious to their company or he just didn’t seem to care. He pressed Aurora firmly up against a support pillar his knee urging her legs open as his clothed thigh lifted her up bringing her off the ground making sure every part of his torso was touching her.

The breath hitched in her throat as she was lifted off the ground her hands grabbing for the dense muscles in his biceps gaining some stability. Leo’s hot tongue moved over hers tasting, exploring pulling a moan from her lips grinding his hips against hers. Breaking the kiss, Leo rested his forehead against her catching his breath.

Aurora opened her eyes watching his face; his eyes were closed tight as hot long breaths came from his mouth, his lips glistening from their saliva. His hands still enclosed around her face holding her immobile. His body was tense, she could feel it, and she could tell he didn’t want to move. One of her hands released his arm and went under his chin lifting his head, his eyes remained tightly closed, his breathing slowing as he regained his control.

“Hey.” She whispered softly. After a few minutes without a response from him her brow furrowed. Again she tried to get his attention. “Leonardo…” she used his full name to try and break him from this spell. His eyes shot open and gently lowered her back to solid ground.

“Sorry.” He managed to murmur before letting her face go. He was about to turn from her when her arms shot out grabbing a hold of him stopping his momentum.

“Whoa there Leo, what’s going on? You are a million miles away.”

Looking back at her the tall terrapin leaned in and pressed his lips to hers once more for a quick kiss and smiled, “I’m fine, just tired. It’s been an emotional few days.”

Eyeing him warily she ran her hand up his arm over his shoulder and rested on his thick neck. She gave it a quick squeeze and let go. “Liar.” She said matter-of-factly smiling up at him sweetly. “But I’m not going to press you; you’ll tell me when you’re ready.” Movin around him she made her way over to the couch and sat down in between Raph and Mikey. Raph wasted no time and put his arm around her pulling her to his side. Not to out done Mikey scooped his arm under her legs and pulled them over his knees resting his three fingered hands on the top her thighs and returned to watching his show. Aurora didn’t protest and let them manipulate her body so they were touching her in some way.

After about an hour or two she had managed to fall asleep in their hold. A gentle hand pressed down on her shoulder waking her from her light slumber. The purple tails resting on her chest indicated Donatello was behind her. Lifting her head she smiled up at the genius staring down at her. The tall turtle held out his hands and she obliged him, he hoisted her up and off the couch earning two dissatisfied grunts from his brothers on the couch. Aurora took a quick scan of the lair and found Leo and Splinter meditating on the round platform, she watched them as Donnie lead her to his lab having her sit down.

“Well I finished the analyses of our blood.” The tall turtle said sitting down on the desk next to her.

“Well did you find anything?”

“Your cells are radiating with energy, much more than before from your first outburst with Eric Sakes. With you no longer restraining the demon within you, your abilities have become more prominent. The only thing I can see that’s different with our cells is our merge made the mutagen that created us has become more stable. Every one of us feels better, stronger if you will. Like your power gave us all a boost of some sort. It’s a little perplexing. Do you feel any different?”

Aurora shook her head leaning back in his oversized chair. The size of the skateboard chair made her look insignificant. “I’m not really sure, the only thing I’ve noticed so far is the feelings I have for you all have increased.” She blushed a bit lowered her head keeping her eyes form the genius. “God I’m not used to all these feelings.”

Donnie’s hand rested on her knee giving it a quick squeeze, “I think the feelings are mutual, so don’t worry.”

Aurora stood from the large chair and moved between Donnie’s legs wrapping her arms around his carapace as much as her arms would allow. Her head nuzzled into his neck feeling his arms come around her pulling her further into him, his chin resting on the top of her head. They stayed like that for several minutes in silence listening to each other’s breathing.

Gently using his shell for leverage she pushed away from the genius turtle his hand returning to the top of his desk. Her hand moved to his cheek cupping his face and smiled up at him, “You know you’re amazing right?”

Donnie blushed at her comment leaning into her warm palm. “I appreciate you saying that. You don’t what it means to me to hear that from you.”

“Donnie, I mean it, the world is missing out, not getting to see your genius. I mean look at all your designs and gadgets you’ve made, not to mention all you’ve done with this lair. It’s astounding how smart you are.” Aurora let her hand slide from his green skin and adjusted her footing.

“Hey Aurora, you wanna stay for pizza?” Mikey interrupted their moment running up behind her encircling her waist with his hands pressing a quick kiss to the side of her exposed throat.

“Um,… sure. I really don’t have any plans for dinner so why n…..” she let out a shocked yelp when Mikey hoisted her off her feet by her waist and under his arm like she was a rolled up rug. “Michelangelo!” she hissed playfully slapping his lower plastron trying to free herself from his strong grip.

“Thanks Donnie, I’ll take her from here!” Mikey waved to his brothers with his free hand as he trotted off with the squirming kunoichi.

“Later Aurora!” Donnie called out standing up from his desk and dropping into his skateboard chair with a huff.

Mikey plopped her body unceremoniously back on the couch next to Raph and took his spot on the other side of her scooting his arm behind her pulling her to him. “Comfy?” he cooed nuzzling her shoulder with his cheek.

After dinner they all sat in front of the large TV and watched a movie together. Aurora stayed between Raph and Mikey and Donnie took the spot next to Raph. Master Splinter took his recliner next to the large homemade couch while Leo sat at the kitchen table cleaning and sharpening his katanas.

Throughout the movie Aurora would look over to Leo to see him staring at her but as soon as they would lock eyes he would look away as if he was ashamed. It was perplexing why he would stay so far away while watching a movie. Maybe he just wasn’t into the film?

As the end credits began to roll she noticed Mikey’s cheek pressed against her shoulder as soft snores drifted pasted his lips. Turning her gaze to the kitchen table she cocked her head seeing it empty. Leo was nowhere in sight; his bed was empty as well. Gently she woke Mikey, so she could get up to stretch, her eyes scanned the rest of the lair looking for the leader in blue, still nothing.

“Where did Leo go?”

Raph got to his feet and shrugged his shoulders, “Who knows, fearless sometimes likes to sneak out and roam the city alone. I wouldn’t worry about it, he’ll be back in a few hours.”

Aurora checked her phone she noticed it was midnight, she was a bit confused why he would have left without saying goodbye, Leo was acting funny. She didn’t like the feeling she had in the pit of her stomach. It was kind of like the feeling she got the last time they made love in Japan. Not wanting to think about Japan she pushed the feeling away, it had to be nothing. Everything was fine, they were fine. Maybe he would come to her tonight. Waving her goodbyes, she headed back to the surface and to her warm bed.

That night he didn’t come, nor the next, the feeling in her gut grew. The next few days were a bit busy with securing a new investment, so she didn’t have time to think about what was going on with the blue leader. There was plenty of paperwork to fill out, several trips to the city planning and licensing and a lawyer for good measure. But she finished, and she could move forward with its development and even managed to have lunch with April in the process.

She was excited to tell the guys about it, she would head over tonight with some dinner. She wanted to run through a few katas on the roof after the sun went down to let off a little steam before she headed over. She would talk to Leonardo tonight hopefully he was ready to talk to her.

Leo landed on the rooftop next to Auroral and Aprils apartment. He took a deep breath trying to calm his frazzled nerves. His whole body threatened to shake but he squeezed his palm quelling the rising panic with a few deep breaths. This had to happen, it was now or never before he lost his nerve…. again. “This is the best thing for her.” He repeated to himself for the hundredth time this evening. His eyes caught on the top of the building in her usual spot effortlessly running through a complex kata. Her finely tuned muscles flexed with each stretch and thrust of her body, her balance impeccable. One final calming breath Leo launched himself over to the building, landing on his haunches a few feet from her. She didn’t jump but continued with her movements turning her body just slightly, so she was facing him.

“I need to talk to you.” He did his best not to show the unease in his voice which was on the verge of shaking.

Those words made her halt her kata and look at him in concern. “Ok? It is about what’s been bothering you for the past few days?”

“Y..yes, I um don’t want to beat around the bush so I’m just gonna come right out and say it.” He looked quickly to his shaking hands. Another deep breath he steadied them once again. “Aurora now that your free of the demon it’s time to move on with your life.”

Aurora looked at Leo a bit confused, “Yes Leo I know, what do you think I’ve been doing? It’s been a busy week with me moving onto the next step of my life. I was going to come by tonight and let you guys know what I’ve been doing since we got back from Japan.”

“No you don’t understand, it’s time to move on from us. It’s time to have a normal life without any mutants or fighting. Find yourself a normal human man, get married have kids.”

Aurora suddenly felt her heart drop to the bottom of her stomach. Did he just tell her it was over? Her heart began to beat rapidly behind her ribcage. Taking a tentative step forward she reached out her hand but recoiled when the large mutant retreated putting a few more paces between them. His blue eyes large and full of unknown emotion. “Leo, you’re scaring me. What’s really going on? Are you telling me you don’t want to be with me anymore?”

He swallowed hard at those words, of course he wanted to be with her, he loved her more than anything, but he couldn’t keep her hidden with him. She didn’t deserve to stay in the shadows with him and his brothers. She needed to be out in the world experiencing everything the world had to offer. Something he and his brothers would never be able to do. “You can’t come back to the lair anymore Aurora. I need you to stay away from us, it’s time to grow up and find your own life beyond the life the monastery thrust upon you. You’re free now to do what you wish with who you wish.”

Anger began to push away the fear she was radiating with, “I am doing what I want and with the person I want to do it with. You Leo, I want you. I want to be with you and your brothers, I love you all.”

“We’re mutants Aurora! We’re mutants who happen to be ninja’s, we will always live in the shadows. We have no choice in this, but you do! I can’t marry you, I can’t fill your belly with beautiful children!” Leo’s voice was rising, he was getting upset. His fingers curled into his palm in frustration. Why wasn’t she understanding?

“Marriage? Kids? Leo who said I needed those things? Who said you couldn’t offer me them? I love my life; I love my life with you!”

“That’s because you know nothing else but training and fighting. You were abandoned and given to a monastery because of the color of your eyes. You’ve been trained since you were 5 years old, you’ve nearly been killed several times, you’ve hidden most of your life from the outside world. It’s time for you to move on and have a normal life. Please I…….it doesn’t matter, I’ve made up my mind. I came here to say goodbye Aurora and tell you my piece.”

Aurora stepped back shocked tears threatening to spill from her eyes, but she held them back she wasn’t going to give him them. “So, you made this decision, on your own? I have no say?” she was starting to shake trying to control the raw emotions running through her system.

He was no longer looking at her, his eyes glued to the floor not wanting to show how he really felt. This was for the best he reminded himself again. She would thank him later when she was married holding that beautiful purple eyed baby from his dream. “I’m sorry Aurora, I really am. But this is goodbye. Please…….I hope you have a full and wonderful life. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me one day. But this is for the best.” Not letting her say another word Leo swung around and jumped from the rooftop disappearing into the night, leaving her alone once again.

With Leo finally gone from sight Aurora caved and fell to her knees with her eyes searching the darkness, hoping he would reappear and tell her he was sorry and didn’t mean it. She waited for far too long sitting alone in the evening air. She felt numb and drained of everything she was as she sat on the rooftop her gaze no longer fixated on anything.

Finally letting her head fall back Aurora allowed herself to cry long hard uncontrollable sobs. Her body shook with mourning and sudden overwhelming loss she felt. Each of their faces flashed before her, wide smiling faces, loving mutants she’d never get to see again.

After the tears had run dry and the chill had soaked deep into her bones Aurora staggered to her feet. She would never get to see the turtles again; never get to kiss Leonardo again. She was alone……..again.

#tmnt leonardo #tmnt donatello #tmnt michelangelo #tmnt raphael #tmnt #tmnt fandom #tmnt fanfiction #tmnt fic #TMNT TMNT fanfiction #Fortheloveofshell #chapter thirty six

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