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comatosebunny09 · 6 months

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fever dream | astarion a.

genre(s): fluff, angst

warning(s): language, self-indulgent, sick!reader, astarion’s a little ooc

now playing: the night does not belong to god - sleep token

notes: very self-indulgent because i’m sick and needed some comfort and @nanaoise08squad inspired me to finish this. thank you for reading, lovelies! ❤️❤️❤️

Somehow, the sun shines brighter today. Glaringly so.

You hold a hand to your temple to shield your eyes from its brilliance. Your armor feels heavier, too. Like boulders stacked on your shoulders and chest, making it harder to breathe. You force out a groan that’s gritty like ash. Trudge down the steps leading outside the inn to join your companions, your limbs weighted and achy.

“I hate to point out the obvious, darling.” Astarion grimaces with his hands curled to his chest in revulsion. He ducks away from the sight of you. Winces as you take a labored step forward, your balance thrown to the hells.

“But you look like utter shit.”

You scoff, phlegm making itself known in your throat.

What a way to be greeted by the love of your life.

“You sure are a flatterer, aren’t you, Astarion?”

You’re sure to drag out the vowels of his name—or perhaps your words are a little slurred due to whatever ailment took hold of you today. Nevertheless, you jab a finger between his ribs, your face twisting into something haughty.

You wonder if it was worth the exertion as your vision and body sway along with the trees, and your head pounds something menacing whilst a wave of vertigo hurtles into you.

“Shit!”

Astarion catches you when you pitch forward, your legs unable to grasp the rhythm of walking. And there are suddenly two of him. Two little ‘starions calling your name, fretting over you, shaking you to keep you amongst the conscious.

You feel like lead. Feel yourself sinking below the surface, unable to return.

Your lids shutter as if weighed down by sandbags. The muddled shouts of your friends trickle in, each tinged with varying degrees of concern. You register hands all over you, patting and pulling. Register a strained voice yelling stop, and the frantic touching ceases.

Before you fully succumb to the darkness, there is the sensation of you being lifted up, followed by the earthy scent of bergamot flooding your senses, and it furls around your heart.

Then, there is nothing.

Something savory draws you from the inkiness of your sleep. It curls around your mind, luring you into consciousness.

You caution a sound, your throat rubbed raw from disuse. You slowly open your eyes, and the bleariness gradually morphs into discernible shapes and colors. Somehow, this place feels familiar.

You’re back in your rented room. Nestled in the plushness of a mattress with too many pillows and sheets soft as linen. You will yourself onto your elbows, wincing at the stiffness of your neck. The pain is manageable. Better than it was before, you note, leisurely ingesting your surroundings.

A lone candle flickers on the nightstand, swathing the room in its bronze glow. Moonlight seeps through the curtains lining the window across. The faint symphony of crickets accompanies the murmur of the inn’s other patrons and the groans of the floorboards beyond your doorway.

Bloody hell.

How long have you been out?

On cue, the doorknob rattles, and a slither of light leaks in. The swell of noise outside commands your attention. You stiffen, fingers instinctively twitching for a weapon. But your bones settle as a thatch of white creeps into your vision from the threshold.

“Well, hello there, Sleeping Beauty,” Astarion breathes. He toes the door shut, a steaming bowl of deliciousness cupped in his palms. Takes a few steps forward, rounded eyes flashing amber beneath the candlelight.

You recognize that aroma. The hearty scent which roused you from your sleep. Your stomach gnarls with life as Astarion nears the bed, donning that smug little mask.

“Hungry, are we?”

You nod enthusiastically, garnering a chuckle from the room’s other occupant. Suddenly self-conscious of how eager you are whilst he hands you the bowl, his fingers slinking away from yours as if he’s touched simmering coals.

“Courtesy of Gale,” Astarion supplies. “I can’t guarantee how good it tastes considering—well, you know. Undead and all that.”

His smile is tight-lipped. Guarded as he settles himself on a stool beside you, his spine straight and his ankles crossed. He helps you sit up against the headboard despite the unease permeating the air. Quickly retracts his hands to press them against the wood of his seat between his thighs, surveying your room.

You take some time to study him. Note that his eyebags seem more prominent than usual. Darker. Hair’s a little tussled, skin a bit paler. His shirt sits rumpled around his shoulders, the fastenings of it done all wrong. Worst of all, he has not looked at you for longer than a few beats. Like you’re made of glass and will shatter if he stares for too long.

A pang shoots through you, searing hot like lightning.

He was worried.

Worst of all, he was worried about you.

You’re no longer hungry, your stomach twisting as you gaze down at the stew bleeding warmth into your palms. You set it on the nightstand with a decisive clunk, quietly receding into yourself. Silently relenting to the smog of self-loathing draping itself across your shoulders.

“You scared me half to death, you know,” says Astarion, parting the tangled sea of your thoughts. As if he senses you berating yourself. It’s a soft drawl. An attempt at scolding you, but there’s weariness nestled in the undercurrents of it. “That’s saying a lot, considering I’ve already one foot in the grave.”

You peer up at him like a meager child. He watches you from his peripheral with crossed arms, his nose turned up, feigning disappointment. You see through the cracks of his façade, and your lips twitch with the threat of a smile.

He can be incredibly adorable when trying to shroud his feelings.

“I’m sorry,” you offer, your tone barely above a whisper.

Astarion releases a resigned sigh. And the weight of the world seems to pour from his shoulders as he angles himself towards you, reaching for one of your hands.

His expression softens, and he squeezes, his palm frigid yet reassuring. For the first time since he entered, he truly looks at you. Gaze swims through your features as if to commit every detail, every imperfection, to memory. As if he could lose you at any second.

“No need to apologize, my love. I was just…concerned, is all. I suppose we all were when you went down.”

The recollection makes your face blossom with heat. Poor little darling, taken out by a nasty cold. Causing hysteria among your friends, deterring your journey.

Astarion thumbs your cheek, smiling something genuine at the pout on your lips.

Your tongue burns with the ache of a question, and you shrink, not wholly prepared for the answer.

“How long was I out for?”

“Nearly two days.”

You blanch, evoking another guttural laugh from Astarion.

“Shadowheart did her best to heal you. There was only so much her magic could mend. So, we’ve been playing the waiting game while you caught up on your beauty sleep. Not like you need much more of it.”

You snort at Astarion’s cheekiness.

Leave it to your little star to find every opportunity to flatter you.

He examines your joined hands thoughtfully, thumb smoothing over your knuckles.

“It’s been centuries since I’ve dealt with mortal illnesses. Honestly, I couldn’t begin to fathom how to comfort you. Other than gracing you with my presence, of course.”

It’s refreshing to see his humor is still intact despite his beloved pulling a Snow White.

For a while, you sit like this. Basking in the moment’s serenity, holding hands. Grinning and laughing like two enamored fools when your gazes interlock. You can tell that Astarion’s lightyears away, however. At war with himself, lost in the maelstrom of his thoughts, reprimanding himself for not being your proverbial knight in shining armor.

Absently, you scoot over. Relinquish your love’s hand—much to his chagrin—to pat the space beside you. You affix him with a look that’s all too serious as you say, “For starters, you could try holding me.”

Astarion stares at you with rounded eyes. Mouth opens and closes like a gaping fish, forming around words that he can’t quite conjure.

“Oh. A-Alright,” he finally musters. Dumbfounded, Astarion stands, maneuvering to sit beside you on the bed. He doesn’t quite know what to do with his hands. Never does, unused to being so vulgar, so unabashed with his feelings.

Though, for you, you know he would rearrange the stars in the sky if he could.

So you help him, tugging him closer and falling into the circle of his arms. You nestle against his chest with a pleased hum vibrating your throat. Tangle your legs together, ignoring the surprised sound that leaves him.

He’s a lovely contrast to your still-enflamed skin. Fits like a puzzle piece against you, soft and lithe. He relaxes gradually, tucking you ever closer against him as if you’ll disappear in a plume of smoke if he lets go. He pets through your hair before anchoring his chin to the crown of your head, surrendering a satisfied sigh.

“Well, I supposed this isn’t so bad, now is it?” Astarion husks, stroking soothing circles into the notches of your spine.

You nod offhandedly, your lids lowering, and your body feeling at ease.

Suddenly, your ailment seems more bearable as you sink below the depths of slumber, an unguarded smile cresting over your lips.

The shadows of your conjoined bodies dance along the walls as the candlelight dwindles, and you both surrender to the tranquility of the night.

masterlist

#astarion x reader #astarion x tav #astarion x you #bg3 x reader #astarion fanfic #bg3 fanfiction #astarion fluff #tw: language #tw: angst #tw: self loathing #tw: sickness #sick!tav #sick!reader #astarion comfort #bg3 #bg3 astarion

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moonstruckme · 5 days

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can we get sleepy reader x sleepy remus where they just the most perfect night routine designed for sleep

Can I get a nighttime routine with sleepy remus is the real question (pleasepleaseplease)

Remus Lupin x fem!reader ♡ 613 words

Remus likes to keep the thermostat low at night, so you’re burrowed under your thick comforter, lying on your stomach with one of your legs stuck out awkwardly to touch his. Your boyfriend is sitting up half out of the covers (you don’t know how he can stand it) and sipping chamomile tea while he reads.

Ordinarily you’d be reading too, but you’ve fallen into a stint of obsession with sudoku. The light from your candle warmer casts an orange glow over your notebook, your bedroom pleasantly saturated with the smell of bergamot and caramel. You’re partway through your sixth box of the nine, and you’re starting to doubt your ability to finish tonight, though you’re loath to leave a puzzle half done.

It’s the fault of the warmth emanating from Remus underneath the covers, and the light sound of pages flipping, and the pleasant ache in your muscles from the stretches you make him do every night even though you don’t love having to get up and do them either. It’s the softness of your sheets, and the chirping of crickets outside your window, and worst of all the unbelievable plumpness of the pillow squished underneath your elbows, where it’d be so easy to drop your forehead down to rest above your notebook for only a minute…

“You’re getting tired.” Remus sounds amused.

You turn your head, and he looks it too, his eyes honey-gold in the warm light. There’s a soft curve to one side of his mouth.

“I thought nothing could distract you from your reading,” you accuse.

“You can.” He folds the corner of his page, closing the book. His mug clinks as he sets it on the nightstand, empty. “Ready to turn the lights off?”

“I haven’t finished the puzzle,” you argue.

“It’ll still be there in the morning.” He puts his book next to his mug.

“And you’re not at the end of a chapter,” you say as he takes the pen from your hand and the notebook out from under you, piling them neatly on top of his book on the nightstand.

“Silly as it may sound, the same principle applies to book chapters as sudoku puzzles.”

You can’t find it in you to argue further, humming your acquiescence as you turn onto your side and cozy up to him. Remus smiles and slides down beside you underneath the covers. He lets you worm your fingers under his ribs, touching the tip of his warm nose to your cold one.

“One of us still needs to turn off the candle lamp,” he whispers.

You groan. Resignation finds its way into your boyfriend’s expression even before you make yours as pleading as can be, eyes big and pitiful.

“Can you do it?” you ask sweetly.

Remus sighs as he gets out of bed, and you press your lips together to quell a smile. A few seconds later, the candle warmer’s light clicks off and he’s slinking back in beside you, long limbs still warm.

“Thanks, handsome.” You take one of his hands in yours, kissing it and pulling it with you as you roll over and snuggle your back to his front.

“Yeah, yeah,” he says, a smile in his tone. He slides his other arm underneath you. The room is nearly pitch black, only some silvery-blue moonlight bleeding in from the window along with the cricket sounds, and Remus’ cinnamony scent blurs together with the ones from your candle.

“Night,” you sigh, already half gone. “Love you.”

“I love you, too.” Remus’ voice sounds considerably softer now. He lays a soft kiss on the back of your head, palm splaying flat over your chest. “Night, darling.”

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autisticlancemcclain · 4 months

Text

this is how it continued

———

This is how it ends.

———

This is how it ends.

———

This is how it ends.

———

This is how it ends.

———

Lance tries for weeks to make it end.

The words crawl up like bile in the back of his throat. Keith, he tries to say, time and time again, we need to talk. And when he manages to push through the stinging burn and say them, breath turning to dust in his lungs, Keith crooks his finger under Lance’s chin and meets Lance’s eyes and replies, just as quietly, Of course, sweetheart. What’s wrong?

And every time Lance is faced with the softness in his dark eyes, the steady way he holds his gaze. And every time something inside him cracks, desperate and howling and selfish after being deprived so long, and his bravery dries up like a tiny stream in the summer heat. And instead of saying When did you start loving me, Keith, ‘cause you woke up one day and decided we’d been together for ages and everyone thinks you’re crazy his chin trembles and his eyes burn and he cries, again, and tells Keith of the months without him.

Every day I’m sorry I left you behind, Keith whispers into the heat of Lance’s skin, and every time in response Lance knows, I do not deserve this from you. And the desperate howling selfish part of him grows stronger and stronger.

Lance needs to make it end.

———

He cannot make it end publicly.

It’s too…messy for that. It has been too long now. He hasn’t counted the days but he knows what it looks like right before Keith screams himself awake, now, knows how to press his cold hands to the side of his neck and the curve of his ribs to startle his dream-self into thinking kinder thoughts. He knows how the chip on Keith’s right front tooth feels on his tongue, his knuckles, his shoulder. He knows that Keith showers with his eyes shut out of years of habit of showering in the dark and fearing the sting of the soap.

Rarely do they stop at a hotel. Usually they sleep in shifts, staying in space for days at a time instead of resting every night. It’s horrible and cramped and makes everyone cranky, but it brings them home faster. After everyone is fed up of air travel, which never takes long, they often stop somewhere small and uninhabited and out of the way – a moon, a burgeoning planet, a long-abandoned one. Whatever is closest. On those nights, the nine of them, plus the animals, will stretch and enjoy the fresh air, if there is any, maybe watch a setting sun. And then they will make a fire and cook rations or a real meal, if they can find ingredients and Hunk or Lance have the energy. And after everyone has eaten and conversations have long begun to slow, after teeth have been brushed and faces have been washed, after their friends have nodded off one by one, Keith will push their bedrolls together to make one, spread a blanket over the two of them, and hold Lance close; without question, without hesitation. And he will be out in moments, gently snoring along to whatever alien crickets are crooning into the night, and Lance will trace the shape of his face under the light of the dying embers and forget to be guilty. He will feel safe in Keith’s hold like he does not feel anywhere else and his feet will be warmed between Keith’s thighs. He will fall asleep with a smile on his face.

———

Five months into their journey, Coran says: “I have an announcement to make.”

“What’s up?” Pidge asks, swinging her feet from where she sits sideways in her chair, hair a mess, face buried in the not-quite-DS they found a few planets back. Lance smiles and rolls his eyes.

“In the next quintaint, we will be approaching Deruyn. The Deruy were close friends of the Alteans, eons ago, and the Chancellor has extended to me an invitation to reacquaint ourselves. If you’re all amenable, my dears, we have been invited to stay in the guest wing of her royal quarters for a week.”

Lance straightens up, rubber band ball he was toying with slipping from his grasp. He hears it bounce several times behind him before an abrupt stop, and then a very angry moo. He winces.

“Sorry, Kaltenecker.”

She huffs, clearly still miffed.

Everyone is talking over each other, eyes bright and excited through their video connections. Coran looks pleased, watching them all chatter. Lance catches his eye and smiles at him.

A whole week in a royal wing…and a real royal wing! Nothing like the paladin quarters they lived in on the Castle. They bedrooms will be huge, probably; fancy and ornate. Maybe a canopy bed and pillows comfier than Lance can even fathom.

And baths. Lance hopes there are big, deep baths he can almost swim in.

“You look dreamy.”

Keith’s amused voice startles him out of his daydreaming, although he can’t bring himself to be embarrassed. Everyone else is still chattering on, bubbling with excitement — no one is looking at him.

“I am,” Lance admits. He puts a hand to his forehead and sighs, more dramatically than necessary, pleased when it brings the expected reaction of Keith’s fond little smile. “There might be baths, Keith. Real baths. And oils and soaps and soft towels. And pillows! And a queen-sized bed!”

Keith’s smile turns teasing. “What you need is an Alaskan king.”

“Oh, shut up.”

Keith’s laugh has gotten rumblier since his space whale growth spurt, that’s the only way Lance can explain it. It’s softer and darker and suggests smile lines around his eyes he didn’t have before. Every time Lance looks at them he imagines them getting deeper and wider.

“Been a while since we’ve been somewhere with a real bed, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Gotta make sure they don’t book us two separate rooms again,” Keith huffs, crease appearing between his eyebrows. “I still don’t know what that was about.”

Lance’s mouth goes dry.

I do, he should be saying. I know exactly why there were two separate rooms booked for us. In fact I can guarantee it will happen again.

But he is a coward. And the words die somewhere in his belly, before they can come anywhere near his throat.

———

It takes time to reach Deruyn. Some of this is because Shiro read the map backwards and set them back two days. (“I’m dyslexic!” he had defended, to their booing and whining. “There is not booing and whining to dyslexia! Do you boo and whine a lisp? No! Let me live!”)

By the time they finally manage to drag their poor, exhausted Lions to the sizeable planet, everyone’s excitement is so palpable Lance doesn’t need an emotional bond to feel it.

“Fresh air,” sighs Allura.

“Good food,” seconds Hunk.

“People to talk to that aren’t you fools,” agrees Pidge.

“A mattress,” Keith adds, and shoots Lance a wink.

Despite himself and rolling mess of feeling in his stomach, Lance flushes.

Coran accepts a call as soon as they’re within radio range, greeting a narrow-faced, pink-skinned woman who must be the Chancellor. Immediately they delve into a conversation that Lance doesn’t even pretend to follow. He recognizes Coran’s tone from the many times his mother would strike up a conversation with an aunt or uncle or any guest at all as they were leaving the house — this conversation could be hours long. His eyes glaze over, sliding away from his Lion’s display to take in the planet in front of him.

Deluyn is large, that much is obvious. It’s hard to scale something with such magnitude when it’s so close to your face, but if Lance had to guess, he would place it somewhere between Jupiter and the Balmera. It has no rings but the whole planet seems to glow, slightly, although Lance can see no clear source for it. The colours visible from orbit are entirely alien to him, so he’s not sure what is water, if anything is, but from the angry look of the planet’s poles, the dark green things are clouds.

What feels like a million hours later, but it probably only around fifteen minutes, there’s a click as the Chancellor and Coran end their call, and they are urged forward into landing. As they get closer to the landing strip, Lance notices dozens of children sprinting along the barrier, holding signs and flags and cheering. He grins, twisting his hands tighter around Red’s controls, hanging back just slightly from formation to give himself space to move. Then he yanks the controls to the side, feeling Red roar as she whips around in a tight circle, flames rolling down her back. The children jump up and down, fists raised, mouths open in shouts of joy. Several of their grownups watch with wide grins, too, necks craned to watch Lance spin around.

He pulls back into formation after a couple of tricks, sliding smoothly in between Black and Blue. His heart rate ticks up, and suddenly his undersuit feels tight, itchy. He squirms in his seat. When Shiro’s face pops up to relay landing instructions he flinches, and immediately hates himself for the hurt look that eclipses his friend’s face.

“…Lance?” Shiro asks softly, confusion lining his voice. He looks like a kicked puppy. Lance is a monster.

“I’m just jumpy, I’m just jumpy,” he assures, forcing a smile and holding it there until Shiro’s shoulders relax. “You know. So excited to see where we’ll be staying.”

“Yeah, me too! Coran even said they have this massive sauna they’re really famous for. I can’t wait. I miss what saunas do for my skin. And, plus, having our own rooms will be nice.” His excited grin turns sly. “Well, most of us will have our own room.”

Lance’s heart pounds for a totally different reason. “Okay thanks Shiro bye —”

He reaches to cut the connection but Shiro stops him, laughing.

“No, no, wait, I’ve got landing instructions. Their staff is limited so we gotta go one at a time, okay, stay in your Lion once you’re parked in case you need to adjust…”

Thankfully it’s nothing too complicated. Keith lands first, and Lance next to him, then Pidge, then Allura, then Hunk. Once they’re all parked and confirmed by ground control, they’re cleared it exit, none of them taking their time.

Well, everyone else disembarks pretty fast. Kaltenecker remains and stubborn pain in the ass as usual, and Lance is stuck trying desperately to drag an 800 something pound cow that has absolutely no desire to work with him. “Kallie,” he begs, tugging uselessly on her leash, “you dumb ass fucking animal. Please. I am begging you. I put up with your farts in the cabin for days on end, which has got to be shaving years off my life. The food I feed you could be better but in all fairness, I’m getting the same slop you are, so. Maybe cut me some slack.”

She doesn’t even moo at him.

Lance tries bribery.

“Say, you want good food? I bet they have good food on this planet. Nice, sweet, fresh grass. You love grass. You want grass? Please come on, Kallie. Everyone else has already left and I’m going to die of embarrassment if I’m the last paladin left, doing the walk of shame with his stubborn cow behind him. The jokes will write themselves. I’ll have to quit and join a travelling circus, and then who will put up with you? Remember that Allura wants to turn you into hamburgers.”

Clearly hamburgers were the wrong thing to mention, because if cows can glare, Kaltenecker does. She even has the audacity to huff her cow breath at him and drag them both further into Red. Red, who is a traitor, does absolutely nothing to help and is in fact laughing herself sick, loudly, in Lance’s mind.

“I shoulda left you in that damn mall,” Lance grumbles, not meaning it. He sighs and collapses against his cow’s side, closing his eyes. Just his luck. The rest of his friends are gallivanting about a fancy-dancy castle as guests of honour, and Lance is babysitting a methane machine. “I’m gonna have to sleep here tonight, aren’t I.”

“Well, I hope not.”

Lance yelps, jumping to his feet. Unfortunately, in his haste, his boot hooks around Kaltenecker’s hoof, and since she is still unmoving, he goes sprawling. Fortunately, Keith got stranded in a space whale for two years and took Prince Charming classes, or something, so he catches him.

“You’re such a nervous wreck,” Keith says fondly, leaning down to kiss him instead of letting Lance stand like a normal person. (Not. That Lance. Is necessarily complaining. But for prosperity’s sake, and everything, keeping a man in a dip for too long is just undignified, Keith, you should know that, you graduated top of your class from Fairytale University. So. Pull yourself together.)

“Am not,” Lance protests. He sighs as Keith adjusts his hold on him, patting around blindly until he finds the edge of Keith’s braid and undoing it. He slides his hands in that thick hair with a relish as soon as it’s free, making Keith chuckle (but, wisely, not say anything, because the one and only time he commented Lance avoided him for two days out of pure embarrassment).

“I sent the rest of the team on when you didn’t come out. Figured Kaltenecker was giving you trouble.” He meets Lance’s eyes and grins, dark eyes mischievous and sparkling, and Lance is seriously going to walk off a bridge because who authorized that, who, who approved the combination of big dark eyes and a crooked grin and a face that promises trouble. Huh? The fuck’s up with that. “Figured I could help.”

Lance manages to find a shred of dignity within himself and steps slightly away. “That’s great, Noble Kent, but last I checked you couldn’t drag an 800 pound heifer either, so.”

Keith nods. “‘Course not. Brought Kosmo. Here, boy.”

The wolf poofs to existence at Keith’s side, barking excitedly. He bounds up to Lance first, expecting his usual barrage of kisses and head scratches (which he gets), then gets all shy as he walks over to his crush. Kaltenecker looks over at him and no lie rolls her eyes, looking away again. Kosmo, however, is undeterred, barking happily before blipping them both out of existence.

“She is never gonna love you, dude,” Keith says, shaking his head.

Lance snorts, taking Keith’s offered hand and heading down Red’s ramp (finally). “Wouldn’t it be weirder if she did? I think we’d have to break them up. Like, ethically.”

“Could be a Donkey and Dragon situation.”

“Shut up. It ruins my perception of you every time I’m reminded you’ve seen Shrek.”

“You’re perception of me,” Keith repeats, musing. His right eyebrow twitches, and it’s too small to see at arm’s distance, but Lance knows a tiny scar ripples there, from when he was fourteen and got it pierced in defiance of Shiro. “What is your perception of me?”

Lance keeps himself steady. He puts one foot in front of the other and keeps his left hand held in Keith’s. There is nothing interrogating in Keith’s tone, he reminds himself, although maybe there should be. When he looks up Keith’s eyes are open and curious and something else he doesn’t know how to name.

“You’re honest,” he says quietly. He means to say more, has a list he could probably recite bullet by bullet, but he doesn’t.

“Honest,” Keith mutters to himself. “Huh.”

Lance swallows. He doesn’t know how he could possibly explain the weight to that. Keith is committed and brave and talented and beautiful. But more than that he is truthful. Does he see? Does he know?

An empty landing pad passes remarkably slowly when two people walk in silence. There are crafts of all kinds and tarmac upon tarmac. Eventually, though, they start walking somewhere a little more crowded; thin, reedy people resembling the Chancellor waving to them as they pass. Lance would stop to ask for directions, but the giant castle is kind of hard to miss, so they just walk in the direction of it hope their armour will do the talking for them.

Keith catches a richly dyed ribbon blowing by as they pass through a crowded market, trapping the fine thing between his fingers as it passes between them. It’s a strange and familiar colour, walking the line between indigo and deep violet. He glances around for a stall that might be selling them, and when he can’t find one, he turns to Lance and says, “Hold out your arm.”

Lance does. Carefully, Keith unlatches his vambrace, tucking it under his arm, then peels up his undersuit to lay bare his wrist. His tongue sticks out of his mouth slightly in concentration as he ties it among Lance’s dozens of string bracelets, right above his blue Moana watch still counting the hours back home.

“There,” he says proudly. “Looks good on you.”

Lance reaches up and kisses him until neither of them can breathe.

———

They know they will be teased when they finally meet with their friends at the castle.

“Let’s not,” Keith suggests, nodding at the guards who move to let them past.

“I’ll find out where our room is?” Lance says.

Keith nods. “Yeah, we’ll need that.”

“‘Kay, wait here. Don’t be obvious, or Allura will smell drama and come running.”

He’s jinxed them by saying anything at all — no sooner do the words leave his lips does Keith tense up, screwing up his face in an attempt to appear neutral but resembling instead someone who is trying very hard not to sneeze. Lance manages not to laugh, squeezing his hand once before darting off, choosing a random corridor and going with it.

Thankfully, he manages to find a person who holds a clipboard and walks with a purpose, so he assumes they know what they’re doing. Double thankfully, they do, and not only direct him to their rooms but press a labeled map into his hands. It even has a schedule on the back for mealtimes and room cleaning, which is something Lance totally forgot existed. He runs back to Keith quickly, careful to avoid the kitchen and the armoury — places he’s sure his friends will be.

Keith is earnestly inspecting a mounted sword on the wall when Lance returns. His nose is maybe an inch from the polished blade, probably less, honestly. Lance bites his lip to hold down a snicker and takes a picture, intending blackmail, but it ends up being the perfect shot — his hair is slightly wavy from the braid he wore earlier, and there’s a cute scrunch to his nose, not to mention his squinted eyes like he’s wishing for reading glasses. It becomes Lance’s background almost without him meaning to.

“C’mon, nerd,” he calls, smiling as Keith startles. “I got a map and someone is gonna meet us there with a key. I wanna check it out, get a move on.”

Keith does indeed hurry over. “I’m so glad they got it right this time. One room! No need to debate over it.”

Lance falters. He’d been so caught up in the excitement of the room and then Kaltenecker and then…Keith, he forgot. They’re not what Keith thinks they are, what Lance has been pretended to be.

“Right,” he manages, mouth suddenly dry. He desperately tries to shove the enthusiasm back in his voice, forcing his face into a smile when Keith looks back. “Right, yeah, that’s so much less of a pain.”

There is indeed someone with a key when they get to the room. The door is light, in both colour and material, and although his feelings are still heavy and conflicting, his excitement wins out. Keith takes the key, thanking the attendant, and a small voice in the back of Lance’s mind whispers this could be them some day, on Earth, with a key of their own. He does his best to ignore it.

“Ready?” Keith asks.

“Please oh please let the bed be bigger than Red’s cabin,” he responds.

Keith snorts. Slowly, out of what must be a desire to torture Lance, he slides the key into the lock and turns it. Lance doesn’t hesitate before shoving it open.

“It is bigger than the cabin!” he shouts, and wastes no time running up and onto it.

He practically sinks into the mattress, so soft it’s like it’s made of hopes and dreams. The blankets are the fluffiest things he’s ever felt in his life. And the space — he stretches out as far as he can, fingers to toes, and not a single limb comes even close to the edge of the bed.

The mattress dips beside him, and a hand slides along the back of his neck.

“This is you before you notice the big canopy.”

Lance lifts his head immediately. He fights back a very undignified squeal when he does, indeed, see a gossamer blue canopy hanging softly from the high ceilings.

“And the windows too, sweetheart. Floor to ceiling, like you like ‘em.”

Lance scrambles to his knees to check. They are. And the view is breathtaking.

“And the bathtub? Is it huge and clawfooted?”

Keith ducks his head, smiling, and presses a lingering kiss to his cheek.

“I’ll go check, you grandma. You take your armour off.”

He listens for Keith’s footsteps, waits for them to go from carpet to tile, waits for the “Yep! Claw foot!”, waits for the sound of rushing taps even though he didn’t ask, even though Keith didn’t offer. He turns on his back and stares as the canopy, inspecting the padded wooden roof structure from which the gauzy curtains hang, tracing its sturdy edges and even corners.

Keith makes him feel so warm.

He’s felt a lot of cold, in a lot of places, for a lot of his life. Part of it is the stupid anaemia that he gets to live with. Part of it is stuff he doesn’t like to think about. But Keith comes in with his warm hands and warm smile and stupid big warm heart, and Lance is thawed in every frozen inch of him. It’s good. It’s so good.

He wants it so desperately.

He comes when Keith calls, stripping his armour along the way. Keith is waiting for him in the bath when he gets there — and it is huge, close enough for them to both sit comfortably without brushing so much as a toe against each other, but of course Lance settles his spine against the curve of Keith’s chest the second he slips inside the steaming water. The room smells of sandalwood and lilac.

“You are so important to me,” Keith murmurs, seemingly at random, pressing his lips along Lance’s stretched neck, following the arch of it as he tips his head back to rest on Keith’s shoulder.

Lance’s breath sighs out of him, rising and mixing with the steam. He lifts a shaking hand to twine it to Keith’s, squeezing. Their joined hands are wet against his chest. Together they rise, up and down, up and down, up and down, with every shaky breath.

———

They giggle like teenagers, sneaking into the kitchen well after dark and well after most of the castle has finally gone to bed.

Neither has wanted to face the team’s teasing just yet, or even the team at all, really. Their room can’t be called a room so much as a small apartment — bookshelves lining the wall that Keith had been eyeing for hours, a massive wardrobe, a beautiful velvet sofa, even a small icebox. Neither of them have said it but it feels, implicitly, like their own little space, their own little commune, beyond the privacy of a hotel room. It feels like somewhere they could live. They’re billions of miles away from Earth and anywhere Lance could consider home, but it’s nice to pretend, and neither of them is ready to hop back into reality — or Hunk’s roasting — quite yet.

(It is not what Lance’s mind is pretending. In no world could they ever live in a castle like this. It is foolish to spend his time fantasizing about a future they will probably never have, a home they will never build. The guards stationed at every door should break Lance’s fantasy. But he has always been very, very good at pretending.)

“Just grab some of everything,” he whispers to Keith. “We have actual room cleaning, remember? We can have some dirty dishes, no one will mind.”

“There’s certainly space for it,” Keith agrees.

In minutes the two of them have piled almost more than they can carry. They’re much slower on the walk back, but no less giddy. As soon as the door is locked shut behind them, they’re sat on the bed, even though eating on a bed is disgusting and usually Lance would never permit it, and stuffing their faces.

“Oh my God, this thing tastes like strawberries. Here, try.” Keith holds up a juicy looking silver fruit, Lance leans over to bite it. It does taste like strawberry. He dusts off his hands and crawls over to chase the taste off Keith’s tongue.

“Strawberries get you going?” Keith mumbles, and Lance grins and says, “Something like that.”

They have more food than they can possibly eat and they eat until they can barely move. The rest they wrap up and stick in the icebox.

He can feel Keith falling asleep, head getting heavier, so he pats him gently on the hip and whispers, “Come on, get up, at least get ready first. Wash your face.”

Keith groans. He squishes his face further into Lance’s belly, making him squirm and laugh, and mutters something he can barely here. “Hnnngh. You first. I’ll catch up.”

“You’ll fall asleep,” Lance scolds, but he gets up first anyway. When he glances behind him he sees that Keith has at least managed to put one foot on the ground, so maybe he really will get up and put some pyjamas on.

Lance snorts. Yeah, right.

He takes his time and pokes around the bathroom, having been too preoccupied to do so beforehand. There’s a stack of fluffy towels and cloths on a shelf, and even a couple rough ones for exfoliating. In a cupboard lies dozens of soaps and oils and creams and a million other things, labelled in that same holographic translator stuff the Olkarions use so Lance can read them easily. He is impressed by the wide range of selection — he’s been slowly rebuilding his skincare collection, and will indeed be looting at least half of these bottles to complete it. There’s enough stuff here to do a whole soak. Nice.

Then he turns towards the sink. And he stares.

And he starts to cry.

Laid out exactly as he likes it is his stuff from his pack. His toothbrush, his primary face wash, his hair brush, his lotion, everything. In order of how he uses it, with the sink in the middle, and everything an appropriate distance from the sink so he doesn’t soak the whole counter trying to reach for whatever comes next in his routine. A setup his has perfected over many years and has had genuine conniptions over misplaced steps and wrong orders. Something inane and stupid and that only matters to him.

Of course Keith has noticed, of course Keith has memorized, of course he has replicated.

Lance is a horrible, horrible person.

This is has to be how it ends.

“Keith!” he shouts, and the man comes in running, half groggy and robbing the sleep from his eyes. He’s in a t-shirt and boxers.

“Lance?”

“My brush is — in the wrong place.”

Keith inspects him carefully. “You’re crying.”

“Because the brush is in the wrong place! I keep it in the same spot, I like it here, you know I like it here, why is it —”

He interrupts himself with a great, heaving hiccup, so large it shakes his whole body, and he’s furious with himself, with his shaking hands, with the careful look on Keith’s face.

This is how it ends.

“This is not where my brush goes,” he insists again, desperate to keep his voice steady, desperate to make it angry.

“Okay,” Keith says simply. He walks over and pulls the brush gently from Lance’s hands. “Where do you want it?”

Lance tries to breathe in. His chest shakes and shudders, poking holes in his voice. This isn’t working. Why isn’t it working?

“No, you’re supposed to — I’m being unreasonable.”

“You’re upset about something.”

“Something stupid.”

“Okay. I’ll fix it. I can fix it.”

“No, you can’t — I’m not —”

The rest of his strength leaves him.

This is how it ends.

Why can’t he make it end.

Slowly, Keith reaches out to grab his hands. Lance lets him, like the coward he is.

“Come to bed, sweetheart. You’ve had a long day. You need to sleep.”

“Okay,” he whispers, defeated, squeezing his eyes shut. He keeps them shut as Keith guides him to the giant bed, as he pulls back the covers, as he crawls in and waits for the sound of the light switch to be flicked off, of the tiny creak of Keith’s weight as he joins him.

For a long moment Keith is quiet. Long enough that Lance would assume he’d fallen asleep, except that he still sits upright, except that his hand has slid under Lance’s shirt, and his thumb traces a line across the small of his back, over and over again.

“There’s something you’re not telling me,” he whispers.

A new tear slips hot down Lance’s face.

This is how it ends.

He knows, or at least he must suspect. Maybe he realized his mistake some time ago, and has been waiting for Lance to fess up, to explain why he went along with Keith’s mistaken affection in the first place. Why he used Keith, confused as he was, for his own selfish needs.

“I’m sorry,” he says hoarsely. He can’t bring himself to turn around, to sit up, to meet Keith’s eyes.

Keith’s hand doesn’t so much as twitch. “What for?”

“For leading you on.”

That certainly gives him pause.

“Leading me…on?”

“Yeah.” Lance sniffles, dragging himself upright and away from Keith’s affectionate hands, huddled against the massive headboard. “You came back…confused. I don’t know. You thought we were in love. I wanted it, so I let you. I’ve been manipulating you.”

“Lance…” Even only in the silvery blue moonlight streaming in from the windows, Keith’s face is unmistakable, obvious; strong brow creased in worry, head tilted in confusion, face pulled with something like desperation. “Lance, we are in love. Aren’t we? I love you. And you love me, I know you do.”

Lance shakes his head. His tears make his face crumple and he knows how ugly that makes him look, so he hides his face.

“No, I made you feel that way, I didn’t correct you back then and it’s habit now so…”

He trails off. Keith doesn’t respond. He wonders if he’ll stay the night, bed surely big enough for him to sleep without touching Lance at all, or if he’ll have to go get a new room.

A tiny, tiny part of Lance’s brain recognises the irony in that and wants him to laugh. But the steady breaking of his heart keeps it at bay.

“…Back at the tarmac,” Keith says what feels like hours later, startling Lance out of his skin. He looks up at the man with wide eyes, having half-convinced himself he was already gone, and Keith meets his gaze determinedly. “Back at the tarmac, you said I was honest. Did you mean that?”

Lance swallows.

“Yes.”

Keith holds his gaze, looking for something, then nods, having found it. “Believe me then, sweetheart.” He crawls forward, slowly, as if he is afraid Lance will startle away from him. That fear is what startles Lance out of his stupor, out of his guilt, out of the dread that has been building in his stomach for months. He hasn’t seen that kind of fear — the fear of getting too close — on Keith face since he came back. And never does he want to see it again. He throws himself into Keith’s arms, too hard, hard enough to hurt, but Keith catches him and holds him and squeezes just as painfully tightly. “I love you, star of my skies.”

“That’s cheesy as hell,” Lance croaks, and Keith laughs, wetly and beautifully. “I love you too.”

“Good.” Keith kisses the top of his head. “Good.” He exhales, long and shuddering; relieved. “God, I spent two years waiting for this exact moment.”

The statement strikes Lance as odd. “This exact moment.”

Keith tenses. Lance tenses, too, and immediately he relaxes again, breathing steadily until Lance matches him.

“On the space whale, time was…stretchy.”

“You mentioned.”

“Two years I lost.”

Lance tightens his hold. “I know.”

“Most of it was survival camping, really, but there were these visions, sometimes. For Krolia and me. Our pasts. You guys, in the present.” He takes a breath. “Our future.”

Somehow, Lance gets the feel he’s not talking about his and Krolia’s.

“Our future?”

Keith’s breath tickles his neck. Lance doesn’t dare move. Goosebumps pimple his skin and he lets them, shivering, warmed.

“Yes. So much, all the time. More than anything else we saw. Just — tiny snippets, here and there; your face when you sleep, your fingers on a bow, you dragging me on a surfboard and a million other places I woulda followed you to anyway.”

One of his hands slides down Lance’s ribs, fingertips light enough to make him shudder, and rests, cupped open at his hip. “I saw this,” he admits. “Not — the whole conversation, or why, but my hands on you, in this bed, in the moonlight. It kept me going.”

Lance closes his eyes and tries to imagine. Stuck in a strange place where days don’t seem to pass with a stranger who claims to be his mother, watching visions of himself in the future, over and over again.

“No wonder your head was all wonky.”

“Yeah.”

“You’d already been with me. For two years.”

“For twenty. Thirty. Seventy.”

“…That’s a long time, Keith.”

“God, I hope so.”

Lance smiles. “You gonna stick with me that long, hotshot?”

“Like glue, darlin’.”

Lance looks up and, sure enough, Keith’s eyes are closed, face slack. He’s clinging onto consciousness with every bit of strength in his body, things like keeping his accent in check losing priority. Lance settles again against him, guiding them gently so they lie comfortably against the pillows, and breathes out, slow and long.

“Tell me about our future.”

“House on th’beach,” Keith murmurs. His words are slow and pulled apart. “Stone’s throw from your mama’s.”

Lance traces sleepy circles on his skin.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Little boy with hair like yours followin’ every little thing you do.”

His breath hitches. He hadn’t thought about that — hadn’t let himself think about it. It’s dangerous, for more than one reason.

But tonight they’re safe. Under the silvery moonlight, with a bed three times bigger than they are, nothing can touch them.

“What about a little girl with your smile?”

“You got it.”

Lance’s smile is warm and giddy, tucked into Keith’s arm, etched there like it’s permanent. “Good. Goodnight, mi alma.”

“Night, baby.”

This is how it stays, forever and ever and always.

391 notes · View notes

strangerstilinski · 7 months

Text

𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐤𝐢 𝐱 𝐟𝐞𝐦!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐍𝐒𝐅𝐖 𝟏𝟖+

𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐩𝐭. 𝟑 — 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬; 𝐧𝐨 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲/𝐧, 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 (𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠), 𝐯𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐱, 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐥 𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐤

| 𝐩𝐭. 𝟏 | ⋆ | 𝐩𝐭. 𝟐 | ⋆ | 𝐩𝐭. 𝟑 | ⋆ | 𝐩𝐭. 𝟒 |

By the time you hear the telltale crunch and scuffle of footsteps approaching through the trees, you've been waiting for so for long that your butt has begun to go a little numb from the cold where you sit on the ground, knees hugged to your chest and back pressed against the trunk of a wide tree.

It hasn't quite reached the level of chill that'll have you seeing foggy clouds of breath as you exhale, but it's definitely nearing the time of year when it will be too cold to wait for Stiles outside like this. The late night temperature now is still just shy of it, warm enough that the crickets still chirp happily in the distance, frogs making their own music in the brook that you know winds through the woods just a little ways away.

The drink that you'd still been nursing when you snuck away was long gone, and your intoxicated buzz has settled into nothing more than a pleasant giddiness that swirls warmly beneath your skin to help fight the chill while you wait. Fallen leaves underneath your thighs are a mix of soft and crunchy beneath your fingertips when you pick at them impatiently, the rainstorms that passed through the day before having left the bottom layers damp and smelling strongly of dead earth.

You definitely hear Stiles coming long before you can see him; the quiet curses as he stumbles through the woods, the thump and scuffle of his feet getting caught every now and then on rocks and exposed tree roots. It's hard to say whether his difficulty is a product of his own intoxication or simply his penchant for clumsiness, but you find yourself stifling a quiet giggle as you watch him trip once more, his feet kicking up while his arms fly forward to brace himself for a fall that never comes.

He calls your name once he regains his balance but the lingering alcohol in your brain has you holding your tongue, a wide smile tugging at your lips as you carefully pull yourself up and peer around a tree to spot the dark shape of the boy just a few yards away.

Stiles spins on his heel when a twig snaps under your weight, his startled expression barely illuminated by the moonlight filtering through the steadily thinning autumn foliage on the trees above. He calls your name again, this time a bit quieter, his tone hushed as his feet carry him right past where you're hiding.

“If you're out there and trying to scare me, it's not gonna work,” He says somewhat weakly, his words not at all convincing, “Not to mention if you gave me bedroom eyes and then lead me out here only because you wanted to try and make me piss my pants, I'll kick your cute little ass.”

His delivery of the second statement is more believable, but the teasing only has you grinning wider, heart thumping with excited anticipation beneath your ribs.

“Babe, c'mon,” Stiles urges in a soft voice, “Seriously, where are you? If something happened to you and you're dying right now, Scott will actually kill m-”

“Hi, handsome.”

You murmur the words directly over his shoulder and Stiles flinches so hard in surprise that he nearly smacks you in the face as he spins in your direction. You only narrowly dodge his arm with a small squeak of surprise that quickly melts into a laugh and Stiles shakes his head in irritation even as his chest heaves from the scare.

“Jesus christ!” He exclaims quietly.

You only smile.

“Aw, I'm sorry, Stiles, did I scare you?” You tease sweetly as you close the small gap between the two of you, arms already looping around the back of his neck so that you can plant a kiss to his mouth. His lips taste of pizza and beer from the pack game night that's still taking place just a little ways up the hill. You want to lick your way inside of his mouth to get a better taste, and you're gearing up to do so when his head cranes back to break the kiss as his hands fall to your waist to hold you in place with a tight grip.

“You are such a shithead, McCall,” Stiles tells you with about as much annoyance as he can manage with your breasts pressed so tight against his chest, “I was starting to think something actually might've gotten you. I was about to stumble upon your body, and then, y'know, I figure whatever got you was likely to eat me next-”

“Mm, if you were really set on it, I could still eat you up,” You murmur against his mouth, your tongue flicking out to brush his lips in a teasing touch, “Though, with a house full of werewolves a hundred yards away, don't you think someone would've heard me scream?”

“Not if it went for your throat first,” Stiles retorts a little too easily, “Plus, the music's pretty loud up there.” He adds after a moment.

“Loud enough that no one'll hear if you make me scream?” You question seductively, fingertips trailing up from the nape of his neck to tangle into the soft strands of his hair.

His breath stutters as it slips out in a warm wave from his lips and onto your own, his hands falling to the curve of your ass and tucking into the pockets of your jeans to give it a squeeze. The action has heat pulsing between your thighs and lust has you pressing yourself against him a little harder, until you can feel the warm line of his cock where it's stiffening up beneath his pants.

“I, uh, I'm not sure it's that loud. Y'know, if the sound of your screams were, like, repetitive — I think someone might be more likely t-”

“Stiles.”

His words cut off with a quiet clack as his teeth snap together, eyes searching your own in the dark.

“I need you,” Your fingers comb through his hair, nails scraping against his scalp softly as warm breaths continue to mingle in the barely existent bit of space between you, “I need you.” You repeat, the words a little softer with vulnerability this time, a little more desperate.

“Right, yeah,” Stiles is already looking around the forest with wide eyes, the quick rise and fall of his chest moving your own where you're pressed together, “Shit. Fuck. Um, we.. We could-”

You're far too worked up to find his racing thoughts as endearing as you normally would, “Stiles I can literally ride you right here if you just-”

“No,” He cuts you off, smacking a quick kiss to the corner of your mouth in apology for his interruption before he's grabbing a hold of your hand and dragging you back through the trees toward the edge of the backyard, “No, you'll scrape up you knees like that-”

The sight of the house in the distance has you digging your feet in a little as he pulls you along, “Stiles, where are we- Are you seriously going to say no to sex because you don't want my knees to get a little dirty-?”

“Fuck, no,” Stiles looks back at you like he's contemplating just how well you even know him to make a deduction like that. In his distraction, Stiles trips over a tree root jutting up from the ground and nearly takes you down with him, narrowly managing to keep his feet underneath himself as he tries to keep you from stumbling.

“Then where are we going?” You question again.

“You'll see,” He glances back to catch the tail end of the eye roll you send his way, “Babe, just c'mon.”

Once at the edge of the yard, damp grass underfoot, Stiles banks left and you spot the shed that he seems to have set his sights on. Your arms snake around his waist from behind as he pulls at the loose padlock on the door, the hairs at the base of his tummy are soft under your fingers and you can't help but dip you hand beneath his waistband where the hair spreads further.

“Fucking-” Stiles fumbles with the door when your fingertips just graze his cock, the skin silky smooth under your palm as you push a little further so you can wrap your hand around him, “You're a f-fucking.. menace.” He tells you, not an ounce of bite to his words, more of a groan of approval than anything.

Your only response is to press your lips to the side of his throat, snapping a small nip of your teeth against his shoulder as you work your hand torturously slow.

Distracted by your touch, Stiles swings the door open with with a bit too much enthusiasm. He dives forward to catch it before it can collide with a pile of paint cans stacked against the inside wall and only narrowly gets a hold of it in time.

As soon as the door is secured behind you again, you're dropping to your knees in front of him, metal and leather clinking and slapping beneath your quick hands as you work his belt and get his jeans open enough to tug out his cock. It springs up as it's released, bobbing in front of you like it's taunting you for just how badly you want him. You eye the tip where he's flushed dark pink, shiny and dribbling already, noticeable even in the low light coming in through the windows.

Stiles lets out a groan that sounds more like a whine as you take him in your hand again and lick at the tip, savoring the small beads of precome that meet your tongue. You hum at the salty tang of them, dragging your mouth down the length of him, tracing the soft vein along the underside of his cock with your lips and tongue.

“Oh, fuck,” Stiles moans, his hand finding it's way into your loose hair nearly immediately, “You.. You don't have to-”

You lean back from where you'd been swirling your tongue around the head, giving his length a couple of short tugs as you look up at him through your lashes with a huff, “Maybe I want to, Stilinski. You ever think of that?”

He balks, hips jerking minutely and incidentally thrusting his cock toward your pouting lips, “I.. Um-”

“Maybe I want to suck you off. Did that not cross your mind? Huh? That maybe I like having your dick in my mouth?” You continue, voice dropping a few octaves.

A soft whimper falls from his lips when you lean back in to suck lightly at the tip and the sound has your thighs clenching together against the wave of arousal that curls in your tummy.

“Do you?” Stiles asks in a quiet groan, “Like it?”

“Mhm,” You hum around him, pushing further down his length to take in more of him, letting him feel the way your throat constricts around the head of his cock when you gag before pulling all the way off again, “Love it. Can't believe you didn't know that already.”

“I just thought- God. I, uh. You.. Shit. You're certainly ohmygod- g-good at it.” He struggles to get his words out when you take him back between your lips, but then he's huffing a quiet sigh of distress when you remove the warm heat of your mouth from his length once again.

“Good..?” You repeat in question.

“Huh?”

Stiles is blinking down at you dumbly, his hand flexing in your hair as he tries to clear his head. It's infuriatingly cute.

“I'm ‘good’ at sucking your dick? It's.. ‘Good?’” You say the word with distaste, one eyebrow ticking up on your forehead in challenge as you place his tip back against your lower lip. You let it rest there, one hand coming up to his waist to keep his hips from jutting forward as you part your lips and let a warm breath wash over the wet head of this cock.

“Did- Did I say good? I meant great! I, uh, phenomenal! M-mindblowing-” He moans loud around the word when you reward him by taking him into your mouth again.

You let him rest heavy on your tongue, sucking and bobbing your head in slow drags while he sighs out a desperate little sound at the feeling.

“Fuck. You- You're perfect, baby. You know that. Know how much you- Ohh-”

The whimper that cuts him off has you soaked beneath your panties, moaning around his length in response.

“-How much you rock my world.” He finishes weakly.

You pull off to give him an amused smile, jerking him in earnest with one hand and wiping spit from your lips with the other, “Oh, I rock your world, huh?” You tease.

“God damn it,” Stiles breathes the words, dragging you up by your shoulders until you're standing in front of him again, “You can't make fun of the things I say when you're suckin' my dick. New rule, enforced starting now.”

His mouth is on yours before you can respond, tongue breaking through the seam of your lips with a wide palm encasing the back of your neck as he leads you a few steps backward. Your feet drag carelessly over the uneven floorboards, loose nails and debris kicked aside as you both move farther into the dark space.

Where he's guiding you, you're not entirely sure. You're too lost in the way he licks into your mouth, enough that you can finally taste the beer on his tongue. It's some stupidly expensive ale that Theo always insists is ‘brewed through a better process’ and ‘tastes more full-bodied’ and Stiles is the first to mock him while still stealing a few for himself every time just to see the frown on Theo's face when he finds that they're all gone. The flavor is bitter and entirely too hoppy for your taste but when Stiles' tongue brushes it soft over yours, you find yourself moaning and tightening your hold on him, wanting more of it, needing more of it.

Your backside bumps into a hard surface and you yelp quietly in pain, the curve of your spine aching as you reluctantly pull away from the kiss to find you've run into a messy wooden worktop.

“Sorry!” Stiles says immediately, placing a small kiss of apology to your lips as his forehead falls against yours, “Shit. Sorry, I wasn't paying attention. Didn't realize it was that close.”

“'s okay,” You assure him, already frantically working the button on your jeans and simultaneously toeing off your shoes, “I'm fine.”

Stiles matches your enthusiastic pace as he strips out of his sweatshirt, reaching around to spread it over the dusty surface of the workbench behind you in an unspoken and endearing display of chivalry before he starts to strip out of his tshirt. You're in the process of pulling your own shirt over your head when he grabs ahold of your thighs, a quiet murmured demand of ‘up’ from his lips. You do as he asks, giving a little hop just as his grip tightens and he lifts you up the few remaining inches, dropping you to sit at the edge of the table, the material of his jacket soft underneath you as your naked skin settles over it.

“You're so hot,” Stiles tells you while he crowds forward, your thighs caging him in as his mouth meets the underside of your jaw, chests flush and moving a little rapidly in excitement, “Like, truly so fucking hot. 's actual torture to watch you play games on a team with Isaac n' Theo. Watch 'em both flirt with you and get absolutely nowhere because you're already mine.”

Your head falls back with a sound of approval as he nips at your skin lightly, carefully, kissing and licking the expanse of your throat in lue of leaving any marks. His hands grapple with the band of your bra all the while, unhooking the clasp while you simultaneously try to push his jeans farther down his thighs. Your bra straps fall loose around your arms and Stiles helps rid you of the article. He tucks the material into his back pocket for safe keeping before finally helping you out by pushing his jeans down to his knees, metal and leather of his belt buckle kissing in the silence between your bated breaths.

“Fuck me,” You beg softly, unashamed in the way you cant your hips as your ankles wrap around the backs of thighs, fingers digging into his shoulders in an attempt to pull him closer, “Please. Now. Need you now.” Your words fall from your lips in a whine as you watch him fumble with a condom, but you don't care, not as long as it gets him to give you what you want.

“I know. Shit, I know,” Stiles finally grabs ahold of his cock, dragging the rubber-covered head through the length of your folds, collecting some of the dripping wetness at your entrance and dragging it back up to rub soft over your clit. You gasp at the stimulation and he keeps it up, rubbing his tip over the bundle of nerves until you're tightening your legs around him in an attempt to force him closer with a whimpered plea. “Alright, alright. Got'chu babe, gonna give it to you.”

When his tip breaches your hole, the sharp stretch has you letting out a keening moan. He pushes in torturously slow, the glide smooth with the wetness of your arousal. Stiles settles his hips against the inside of your thighs once you've taken him all the way in, your cunt stretched wide around the thick base of his cock. He doesn't immediately move, breathing heavy as he tries to let you adjust, but after less than a minute you're using your legs around his hips to urge him forward in tiny jerks, not letting him pull out just yet, but forcing him to nudge at the deepest parts of you as you get used to the stretch.

You moan into his shoulder at the gentle grind of his cock inside you, fingers combing through his hair as you continue to guide his movements.

“That good, babe?” Stiles asks softly, hands rubbing nicely into the base of your spine, fingers digging into your skin, “You like being stuffed full of me?”

“Mhm,” You agree, loosening your hold on him to lean back and bring your foreheads together, your thumbs dragging soft along the length of his throat, “'s so good, Sti. So full. You always fill me up so, so good.” You murmur against his lips.

He groans softly, nose brushing yours, hips still rolling, “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” You gasp, “You're so good to me. Fuck me so good. S-such a good boy.”

There's something about the way he tugs you against him in response, his hands digging into the curve of your spine as he drives in as deep as he can go, like he doesn't quite even mean to do it — the intensity has you crying out in time with his own shaky groan.

“Ohmygod,” You gasp, relishing in the slight sting between your thighs from the rough treatment, “Fuck.”

“Sorry,” He says breathlessly, sobering quickly, “Holy shit 'm so sorry, sweetheart. 're you okay? Did I hurt you?”

“'m okay.” You assure him immediately, still slightly reeling as you process what exactly it was that made him lose control, “No, 'm okay, it's okay, I'm.. I'm good. Ready.”

You loosen your legs in signal for him to begin thrusting for real and he looks into your eyes like he's checking that you're sure before he follows the silent command, pulling out in a slow drag and then driving his hips back to yours in a hard thrust. You wait until he finds a rhythm, until both of you are groaning soft between parted lips, before you choose to delve a little deeper.

“You are a good boy, baby.” You tell him, fingernails digging into the nape of his neck a little when his eyes pinch shut with a pathetic whimper, the sound ringing in your ears sweetly. Your puckered lips find his flushed cheek, then the corner of his closed eye, and finally the edge of his mouth, “You like when I tell you?” You ask breathlessly, “When I tell you how good you are? How good you fuck me?”

His fingers dig into your hips a little desperately as the pace of his thrusts pick up, the wet sound of his cock pounding into you growing louder in the otherwise quiet air of the small shed.

“Jesus.. I fucking- Babe-” Stiles pleads, though neither of you are entirely sure what he's pleading for.

“I.. I think you do,” You tell him, voice a little shaky against the hard slam of his hips against your own, “Think you fucking love hearing how good you make me feel. Love.. Love being reminded how f-fucking good your cock is.”

Another boyish-sounding whine claws its way up his throat and your cunt tightens around him like a vice, the noise igniting warm sparks of pleasure down your neck, down the curve of your arched spine.

Stiles licks into your mouth then and it's a messy thing, hungry and wet, all teeth knocking and heavy breaths mingling, but you rake a hand down his back all the same, blunt nails leaving tiny streaks of reddened flesh in their wake. Your hips cant in the hopes that one of his thrusts will finally catch on that spot inside you. You can feel how close he is to kissing it with his length, can practically taste it at the back of your tongue, and when Stiles pulls your ass just a little farther over the edge of the worktable, one of your hands forced to drop behind you to maintain your balance, the head of his cock all but slams into the spot you'd been aiming for.

You cry out into his mouth, the sound swallowed up by his tongue before your foreheads come together again, lips barely brushing. He drives in again and the same keening noise rips from your throat.

“Yeah?” Stiles breathes into your mouth, “That it? That right where you need me?”

Your brows furrow together as you nod, the lines of your body tense with every thrust that he sends exactly where you want him, “Yeah,” You finally manage in a hoarse moan, “Yeah, r- fuck! Right there, Sti. Please.”

You're not entirely sure what it even is that you're begging for, but somehow Stiles knows — because he can see that pinch between your eyebrows, the tremble in your thighs, feels the way your fingers are threaded into his hair like you're holding on for dear life.

“Holy shit.. You getting close?”

You intend on responding, on giving him an affirmative yes, because you are close, can feel your impending orgasm lighting up an inferno across every inch of your body, but before you get the chance to tell him, Stiles is dropping a hand over your heat and flicking his fingertips soft over your swollen clit.

The surprised moan that comes out of you is a strangled sounding little thing, and it pushes a shaky sigh from Stiles' chest as he redoubles his efforts.

“Ohmygod,” You finally manage to cry into his parted lips, “Shit. Fuck, I-I'm so close. I'm so, so-”

“Yeah?” Stiles pants, “I'm close too. Come on, baby. Come for me, c'mon.”

You try to speak, something beyond the soft little ‘ah, ah, ah’'s that escape with every pounding thrust to the bundle of nerves on your inner wall, but you're mouth does little more than gape for a long minute. Your orgasm creeps closer, eyebrows relaxing as they push up your forehead, fingers slipping from Stiles' hair so you can drop your arm around his shoulders.

“S-so fucking good,” You slur breathlessly, “You're so good. Baby.. Baby, you.. You're so.. Fuck.”

Stiles' hips stutter but the fingers working your clit keep steady, “Wanna.. Shit, just wanna.. give it to you like you deserve. Y're so perfect, pussy's so perfect-”

“You do! You do, you do, you do,” You tell him desperately, voice taking on an edge that leaves your words coming out a little higher than normal, “Fuck, Stiles. No one could ever- You're so good! So, so so-”

Your head falls back of it's own accord, Stiles' lips catching your chin as your thighs tense and your hips roll and you clench tight around his cock. He fucks you through your orgasm, his hips stuttering when his own high crashes through him. He's got a tight grip on your ass, his large hands squeezing the soft flesh hard enough to leave bruises right in the dimples of your spine.

The heavy thump of your heart echos loud in your ears, rattling your bones with its sheer strength. Stiles' warm breath falls against your cheek as he presses a soft kiss to the apple of your cheek, a sweet thing that coats your insides like a warm syrup as he moves in a line and presses another to your jaw, and then your chin, and the corner of your mouth.

The hard peaks of your nipples are still pressed to his chest, scarce hairs around his own nipples catching against your sensitive skin in a way that has you leaning back just a touch, your lips meeting his for a sticky kiss.

“That was good.” You tell him earnestly, still a little breathless.

“Oh, ‘good’, huh?” Stiles repeats in a grumble, “Just ‘good’?”

Your tinkling laugher fills the quiet shed, eyes crinkling in the dark as you tip his head to the side to scrape your teeth threateningly against his jaw, the sharp scratch of stubble meeting your skin.

“Better than good,” You correct, lips pulling up in a teasing grin as you run your fingers through the soft length of his hair, “Can I tell you a secret, though?” You whisper softly.

Stiles nods, his fingers drumming and drawing restless patterns over the skin of your thighs.

You lean close, lips brushing the shell of his ear as you fight to hold in a breathy laugh, “You kinda rock my world too.”

He pushes away from you with a grumble, spent cock finally slipping out of you and causing you to wince with a gasp as he tosses your bra and tshirt in your direction.

“So cruel, y'know that?” Stiles huffs, his smile giving away his true feelings.

Your laughter rings out again as he begins to pull on his clothes and you follow suit, securing the clasp on your bra and pulling your shirt over your head, “I'm only teasing you a little,” You tell him as you jump down from the edge of the table and flip your hair out from under your collar, “That was at least eighty percent genuine compliment.”

“Uh huh, I'm sure.” Stiles says unconvincingly as he approaches where you're tugging your jeans up over the curve of your ass with a little hop. He crowds you, a hand reaching toward your face as he pinches a piece of debris between his thumb and forefinger and pulls it from your hair with a small grin.

Just a few minutes later, your laughter continues despite Stiles’ constant shushing, two sets of stumbling steps thumping through the forest as he drags you along, his big hand warm where it's wrapped around your own.

“Stiles!” The two syllables drag slow from your tongue and you pull against his hold as you follow after him in amused confusion, “Where are we- Oomf!”

His arm curls around your waist, pulling your chest flush to his and smothering your words with a kiss that you can't help but sink into. One hand drags down your spine, grabbing a fistful of your ass through your jeans and hauling you up against him as his tongue flicks soft against yours. You can't hold back a moan, a sweet little noise of contentment slipping out into his mouth.

“Gotta be quieter than that, sweetheart. The music didn't sound nearly as loud back at the house at it was earlier. All our friends have supernatural hearing, yeah? I know it's hard to hold back, when I'm so-”

“God, shut up,” You groan, your fingernails digging a little meanly into his muscles forearm, “You're.. You're so fucking cocky sometimes-”

“You love when I'm cocky.” He says easily, and there's not much you can say to that, because, well, you do.

“Shut up.” You repeat against his lips petulantly.

He draws back from you with an entirely too smug grin, giving your ass one final squeeze before he's taking ahold of your hand once again and continuing his trek through the trees.

“Seriously, where are we going?” You try again, “I know you're not great with directions, but surely when we left the backyard you must've realized that the house is in the opposite direction-”

“Such a brat,” Stiles grumbles under his breath, dragging you further into the trees. You would normally be worried about getting lost in the dark, but Stiles' self-assured steps keep you from being too concerned. While it feels like the two of you are wandering blindly, Stiles walks as if he has a destination in mind, like he knows exactly where he's leading you, “Listen, you know what has to happen now, right?”

A snort of laughter breaks free at just how serious he sounds as slows he and pushes up behind you, warm chest pressed to your back, his hands on your hips so that he can continue to lead you forward.

“Jesus,” You laugh, “What- Are you about to murder me?” You tip your head back onto his shoulder in time to catch his unimpressed glare, “Sti, if this is about me teasing you, I'm sorry, but it's true! You rock my world! Your dick-”

“It's not that,” Stiles disagrees, his voice struggling to hide his own amusement, “And just for the record, if I wanted to murder you, we both know I'm creative enough that you wouldn't see it coming.”

“So reassuring.” You scoff, to which he merely shrugs, “Okay, ha ha. Now, seriously-”

Your words fade into a whisper before they die off altogether because you've just broken through the edge of the treeline and your gaze is focused on the house that sits up the bank in front of you. The patio and pool that take up a majority of the backyard are shrouded in darkness with scant moonlight, but the windows in the house itself are lit up, a surprisingly large number of rooms displayed brightly even at the late hour.

But Stiles is still nudging you forward with slow steps, his hips pressed flush to your own, urging you further into the yard.

“Ah, gee. Looks like someone's home,” You murmur when he doesn't say anything after a few seconds, feet skidding slightly when you try to hold your ground as you round the edge of the pool, “Bummer.. Looks like we'll have to explore your kink for breaking and entering another nigh-”

A hand pushes hard into your waist and cold salt water crashes around you before you get the chance to finish your sentence, the sound of it thundering in your ears. Your clothes are leaden with the extra weight as they soak through and the fabric is heavy as you push back up to the surface. You've barely broken through and begun to wipe salt from your eyes when a splash erupts right next to you, water spraying as Stiles plunges after you.

When he pushes up through the surface of the water, head shaking side to side before flicking back to flip his hair off of his forehead in an easy move, you're already landing a hard punch against his shoulder.

“Ow!” Stiles complains in a hushed whisper.

“What the hell-!” You scold in an equally quiet but wholly enraged hiss, water clinging to your lashes as your fist delivers another blow to his bicep, “-is wrong with you?”

“Ow.” He complains again and grabs your wrists with a chuckle, your body weightless as he pulls you toward him through the water. The hard planes of his chest are warm through soaked cotton when your forearms meet them and push the billowing fabric flush to his skin. His thumbs stroke the sides of your wrist as he tries to placate you, “Baby, baby!” Stiles says with a hushed laugh when you go tense but are no longer actively thrashing in his grip, “The pool is.. We needed to wash away the smell. Y'know, arousal, sex..”

Your gaze flicks slow over his dripping face, eyeing the painfully earnest look in his expression. You fists tighten in his grip once more as you heave a disbelieving sigh, eyes pinching shut for a moment as you rein yourself in.

“Stiles..”

“What?”

Your eyes snap open to meet his, purposefully even breaths falling from your lips, “How are we going to explain why we're soaking wet?”

“Easy,” Stiles laughs, “We tell everyone you dragged me over here to shove me in the pool.”

Whatever snarky remark you're gearing up sticks to the tip of your tongue as an outdoor patio light flicks on, the glow of it illuminating the far side of the pool. Stiles meets your wide-eyed gaze, his arm already wrapping around your waist to push you up out of the pool in a rush.

“Shit.”

𝐚/𝐧; 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐢'𝐝 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐦𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝟓𝐤. 𝐢 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝. 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐰𝐚𝐲… 𝐢'𝐦 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐝 𝐨𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐝𝐌𝐜𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲. 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐨𝐛𝐯.

𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠/𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 (𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐬?? 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤? 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐣𝐢? 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠?) 𝐢 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐢 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬. 🤍

#stiles stilinski x reader #stiles x reader #stiles x y/n #stiles stilinski smut #stiles smut #stiles stilinksi imagine #stiles stilinski #dylan o'brien smut #dylan o’brien smut #dylan o'brien imagine #dylan o’brien imagine #teen wolf imagine #stiles stilinski fanfiction #teen wolf smut #stiles x mccall!reader #mccall!reader #teen wolf stiles #don't tell scotty #*

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eoieopda · 7 months

Text

all my dreamin' | hjs

all my dreamin' is only put to shame / and darlin', all my dreamin' has only been given a name / but it came easy, darlin' / as natural as another leg around you in the bed frame.

pairing: joshua hong x reader summary: your LA boyfriend wasn't built for midwest winters. ⇢ insp. by hozier's "to someone from a warm climate (uiscefhuarithe)" type: one-shot | fluff 'n smut wc: only 2.5k! au: established relationship rating: 18+ (minors do not have my consent to interact) cw: afab! and american!reader; cuddling (👀) for warmth; gropin’ and grindin’; k*ss*ng; slow, unprotected morning sex; p in v penetration. a/n: i love two (2) men — andrew hozier byrne and hong jisoo. idk what else you want me to say, lol. barely proofread (sorry!) 🔞 MINORS WHO INTERACT WITH ME AND/OR MY CONTENT WILL BE BLOCKED, WHETHER OR NOT THE CONTENT IS NSFW. I’M AN ADULT WRITING EXCLUSIVELY FOR OTHER ADULTS.

Slatted shades don’t stand much of a chance against the blinding white outside your window. It seeps through the cracks, sunshine refracting harshly off of knee-deep snow and stinging eyes that haven’t yet consented to opening fully.

Even though that laser-focused beam of light hits you between your eyebrows, it’s not the reason you’re awake in the first place. The real reason is next to you with his head ducked under the covers, rubbing his flannel-coated legs together like he’s trying to start a fire.

“Cricket?” You mumble.

Still heavy with sleep you didn’t get enough of, your head lolls to the side. If your boyfriend was still topside, you’d be nose to nose; but he’s not, and he doesn’t seem to hear you from inside the cocoon he’s made for himself.

A little louder, your gravelly voice makes a second attempt. “Are you alive under there?”

“No,” comes the world’s most pitiful whimper from somewhere near your rib cage.

You don’t know what you expected.

With a muffled grunt of effort, you pull the edge of the covers away from your chin and wiggle your way down. In the half-light, you can’t make out Joshua’s face in its entirety. His sweatshirt strings are pulled tight and knotted, hiding most of his features from the air his breath has already started to make hot. All that’s left is the tip of his nose, one eye, and a single, loose wave between the two.

There’s also a hint of a frown in there somewhere when he peeps, “I’m cold.”

You shift even further until he’s within swaddling distance. Wrapping one leg over his topmost thigh, you pull him closer and allow him to nestle his face into the spot below your chin. From where he’s hiding, he can’t see you smirking. It’s for the best, really.

“Hi, Cold.”

“Don’t.”

You don’t listen. Instead, you snicker, more to yourself than him, “I’m Dad.”

Joshua lets out a long groan in reply, but that’s no surprise; you’re huddled so closely together that you felt it building in his chest.

When it grows quiet again, and you’re no longer laughing at your own joke, the two of you each deflate against each other. Yesterday’s journey from LAX was exhausting in and of itself, and the several-hour leap in time hasn’t made things any easier since you landed. Neither has the weather surrounding your family’s cabin, although you’re faring much better than Joshua is.

His groggy voice comes out of nowhere, startling you. “I don’t know why people live here on purpose.”

From the sound of it, he’s already halfway back to sleep. His arm slips over your waist and pulls you closer, and you get the sneaking suspicion that he’d slip into the front of your sweatshirt if he thought for sure that he could fit. Frankly, you’re shocked he hasn’t tried. His clinginess increases exponentially when he’s exhausted.

“The midwest isn’t a choice; it’s a consequence,” you sigh. “I think being born here was a penance for crimes I committed in a past life.”

Without opening his eyes, Joshua mumbles, “Bleak.”

“Bleak indeed, cricket.”

The third time really must be the charm. Joshua snorts, much too tired to laugh any harder than that, and asks, “Does that mean what I think it means?”

Biting back a smile, you tilt your head backwards enough to kiss his forehead — what little you can see of it, anyway.

“That your self-warming violin legs kept me up all night?” Your amusement only grows when you peek down at him and find him glaring up at you. “Yes. Yes, it does.”

Lower lip poking out, he scrunches his eyebrows. As offended as he pretends to be, he can’t hide that ever-present twinkle in his eyes. “You could have saved me, you know,” he sniffs.

You mimic his tone with a smirk. “I turned the thermostat up as high as it goes, you know.”

The most you get out of him is a grunt acknowledging that he heard you. Normally, you’d accept this lack of retort as a demurrer, but then you feel his cold fingertips slink below the waistband of your sleep shorts, chilling the bare skin at your hip bone; and it finally hits you.

The thermostat wasn’t the remedy Joshua had been praying for.

As you untie the strings of his sweatshirt hood, you tell yourself that it’s retaliation that motivates your movements — paying him back for his freezing hands by exposing his face to equally cold air. That’s bullshit, though, and you know it. The truth is that you can’t card your fingers through hair that’s covered in thick, grey fabric.

You can’t steal kisses from hidden lips, either.

When Joshua’s mouth is finally on yours, you giggle without meaning to because he still tastes like last night’s spearmint toothpaste. You’d love to tease him for it, but your mind goes blank before you can try. He licks into your mouth, and your snark turns into a breathy little moan instead; he swallows it eagerly, smiling against your lips.

Pinch me. I’m dreaming.

The sudden snap of your elastic waistband against the small of your back makes you jolt. You pull back, lips swollen and kiss-bitten, and balk. He doesn’t give you the opportunity to scold him, however.

“You’re insane for wearing shorts when it’s this cold,” Joshua insists. When you don’t bother to justify your decision — you’re not as much of a freeze baby as he is — he nips at your bottom lip. “I’m grateful, though. They’re easier to work around.”

You’re grateful that his hands have gotten warmer, the longer they cling to you, but you don’t say as much out loud — your body responds for you. His fingers knead into the flesh of your ass, and you roll your hips forward, chasing friction. You find it easily; it’s growing thicker by the second.

“Shit, sweetheart.” He’s still so tired that his words come out slurred — adorable — yet rough around the edges, which drives you the slightest bit wild. “Please do that again.”

“You just want me to do all the work.” You nudge the tip of his nose with yours. The sharp contrast in temperature isn’t lost on you; in fact, you adore it. His sensitivity to cold is one of a million endearing things about him. “Isn’t that right, cricket?”

The half-expectant, half-sheepish look Joshua sends you confirms that yes, he does. But he asked nicely, and this isn’t on the shortlist of things you wouldn’t do for him, so you grant his wish without complaint.

It’s more than a little bit pathetic that such a lazy motion — a fully-clothed one, at that — makes you both moan in tandem. It’s haphazard, the way your fumbling fingers reach for the knot of his waistband. Your motor skills are still asleep, it seems, making an easy task infinitely more difficult. It only gets worse, the more frustrated you get.

You snag a fingernail on the stubborn flannel and hiss, “Jesus.”

“It’s pronounced Jisoo,” he supplies unhelpfully.

To avoid the consequences of that quip, Joshua ducks his head down to leave a smattering of lazy kisses along the length of your neck. Whatever you might’ve clapped back with is replaced with a relieved sigh when the drawstrings’ vice grip on one another finally gives.

Tugging unsuccessfully at the waistband in your hands, you pout. “Help.”

With the way he whines, you’d think you asked him to move a mountain.

Melodramatically, Joshua’s head drops sideways. It lands with a muffled thump against the scrunched-up comforter that still surrounds you. He doesn’t move another muscle until you open your mouth to nag him; still frowning, still uncoordinated, his hands take the place of yours. His hips lift just enough for him to shimmy his pajama pants down — just enough to provide access.

You roll your eyes at his refusal to undress any further, but before he can remind you of how cold he is, you catch him by the mouth. Successfully placated, Joshua accepts your lips on his with an appreciative hum. That sound transforms into something bordering a groan when your hand claims his length and starts stroking him slowly.

Just like that, Joshua melts under your touch, like putty molding to your frame. His leaking cock is the exception; the only part of him that seems awake enough to beg for you. He’s throbbing in your hand and — once again — you can’t help but laugh.

Joshua’s incredulous eyes widen, silently demanding an explanation.

“Some of you is warm,” you offer with a cheeky grin. To ease that wrinkle between his brows, you envelope the crown of his cock with your palm and roll your wrist. The gentle squeeze prompts him to grind forward into your fist, making your stomach flip. “Must be thawing out a little bit.”

“Not fair,” he says, even though he’s moaning with screwed-shut eyes. “Can’t tease me until I’m adequately caffeinated. The Keurig is a million miles away.”

It’s one room over.

The cabin you’ve borrowed from your parents is a mere six-hundred square feet.

You digress.

The prospect of coffee makes it even harder to fight off the urge to yawn, but you manage to do so. You manage to shimmy even closer to him, too, until the only barrier left is a thin layer of damp cotton. It’s his hand that drops down now to push it aside, making you shiver; and it’s him looking at you through half-lidded eyes that stokes the fire simmering in your belly.

“C’mere, sweetheart,” Joshua whispers.

If his words weren’t invitation enough, the come hither motion of his fingers is. The brush of his fingertips against your clit is so enticing that you decide right then and there to follow wherever he leads.

You’re the one melting when the tip of his cock replaces his fingers, flicking over that same spot, then gliding through your slicked folds. Each pass pulls another needy sigh right out of you. He takes every little sound he can tease out of you, as if he’s collecting them.

When the target switches to your entrance, however, you go silent. Your fingers grip the sleeve of his sweatshirt, your forehead drops to lean against his, and your gasp dies on your tongue. It comes out of Joshua’s mouth instead, spearmint breath cooling as it fans across your face.

He might never say so out loud, but this is his favorite way to fuck you — holding you close against him, holding eye contact, holding his eagerness back to slide into you slowly. When he watches your breath catch, his pupils dilate; and he licks his lips, as if he tastes the moans you can’t quite vocalize.

For what it’s worth, you love him like this, too. Him and the drag of his cock; the way it makes pleasure course through you like molasses. The way he capitalizes on the angle of your leg draped over his hip, tilting up to graze your g-spot with a dizzying precision.

As hard as you try, you can’t think of anything better than this. There’s nothing as perfect as his hand’s light hold on your ass cheek, guiding you up and down his length; so fucking deep, but in no rush at all.

Mornings were made to be spent tangled up with him.

“Do you hear that?” Joshua murmurs against your lips. You thread your fingers through his hair and nod, whimpering as you cling to him even tighter.

How could you not?

Your arousal floods with every languid thrust, and you know without looking that he’s completely coated in you. And if his satisfied smirk tells you anything, it’s that he can feel you dripping from his shaft down to his balls. You have no reason to doubt it; your inner thighs are a mess.

Joshua takes his hand off your ass just to hitch your leg even higher up on his side. Immediately, you see stars. You can’t even articulate how fucking incredible it feels, having him this deep, so you kiss him with more desperation than you ever have; and you hope he can guess how close you are to unraveling.

It’s impossible to say whether he can read your mind or just your body, but Joshua picks up the pace ever so slightly. As he does, there’s a subtle swirl to his hips when he thrusts into you that has every one of your synapses lighting up like a switchboard.

“Fuck,” is your eloquent, shuddered response.

It’s the best you can offer when you're falling apart like this, clenching tightly around him to push you both closer to the edge. No better off, Joshua seems like he’s barely surviving the way your cunt grips him. His voice sounds as shaky as you feel:

“I l-love it when you do that.”

To prove it, he flicks his tongue along your bottom lip and begs you to open up for him. You comply automatically, earning a pleased hum from him that tingles down your spine.

You’d kiss him like this all day if you could, but the wildfire burning through the pit of your abdomen is becoming impossible to fight. Ironic, you think, given how completely you’ve soaked through your sleep shorts and how much you’re shivering.

Involuntarily, your head tilts backwards as the pleasure blooms. Joshua traps your bottom lip between his teeth — not hard enough to hurt, but firmly enough to keep you from disappearing. You know him; you know how much he loves to watch your pupils blow when you cum all over him, and that dead-set determination is crystal clear in the way he fights to keep his heavy-lidded eyes open.

He loses that battle mere seconds after your choked gasp, when your walls flutter around him and you start trembling. He’s twitching inside of you, release spilling, and now he’s the one who starts to laugh.

“What?” You’re still floating somewhere in the stratosphere, but you manage to snort, landing a playful swat on his bare hip. He doesn’t react at all, but you massage your palm into his flesh to soothe him anyway. “What’s so funny?”

In a sudden burst of energy, Joshua’s hands fly up to grab the comforter resting over your heads. With a grunt, he flings it off of you both, thrusting your unsuspecting body into cold air. He doesn’t even notice your startled yelp.

“So hot in there,” he pants. For emphasis, he runs the back of his hand over his forehead. He wasn’t lying; there’s a faint sheen of sweat on his knuckles when he pulls them away again. “Jesus. It’s like a fucking sauna.”

You reach out to unstick a strand of hair from his slicked skin, then you let your arm flop limply back against the pillows. Grinning, you tease, “I thought it was pronounced Jisoo.”

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i984 · 1 year

Text

Wounds, Not Dreams

|Pairing|: Wednesday Addams x gender neutral reader

|Warnings|: Soft ooc! Wednesday Addams as usual, Hurt/Comfort(?), crying but it's okay cause crying is good, mentions of gore and death, let me know if there's more.

|Summary|: Wednesday doesn't like bad nightmares.

|A/n|: Requested by Sam! See end of post for more notes.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

The night feels cold and lonely—much like the fingers trembling and gripping your shirt to the point of ripping. You wake up with alarms blaring in your head, as only one person would sneak to your dorm in the middle of the night, and she wouldn't tremble.

"Wednesday?"

The girl in question didn't respond. Instead, she presses her face closer to your chest, clinging to you tightly. The fabric of your shirt may muffle her sniffles, but you know your girlfriend has been crying and is currently trying to hide the fact that she still is.

You carefully wrap your arms around the Addams girl. She didn't refuse your touch.

"What's wrong? You know you can talk to me."

Your question is left unanswered again, but that doesn't discourage you. You know how Wednesday is; intelligent, forbidding, and sadistic. But she is also solemn and emotionally reserved. She's a strong human capable of expressing her thoughts, and if any of her past actions are any indication, she's never afraid to do so.

But sometimes, Wednesday is also fragile. She's continuously guarding how she presents herself to the world—not wanting to appear vulnerable. But here she is, grasping at you urgently, almost like she's afraid of letting you go.

So, you hold her. You cradle her tight—Wednesday doesn't like soft hugs; she refers to it as a worthless attempt at strangling someone—and the girl melts into you more.

Wednesday likes warm hugs.

You whisper sweet nothings to her—simple I love you's, and I'm here muttered into the room. The trashing beats of her heart slow into a calm rhythmical one; your now damp t-shirt still muffles her quiet sniffles.

Both of you stay like that in the uncountable moments, you calming her as best as you can with the occasional forehead kisses and Wednesday breathing more evenly with each one you give.

The space is filled with something resembling silence—the whir of your air conditioning and the occasional cricket noises are the only sound heard. Neither of you says a word because they're irrelevant. You know what Wednesday needs.

She needs you.

They say silence is gold, and maybe that's true for now. The girl finally lifts her head, eyes trained at the hands bunching up your shirt. You take them in yours and caress her knuckles gently. The fingers feel warm.

"I had a nightmare," the ravenette says. "A bad one."

Wednesday stares at you through her bangs. Her eyes are swollen, and her lips quiver so subtly that nobody would notice, but you do down to the faint furrow of her eyebrows and her jaw clenching slightly.

You nod, signaling you're listening and ready for her to continue.

"I went looking for you after the battle with Crackstone because you were nowhere to be found. And then, I got to your room. When I opened the door, I saw you on this bed."

Wednesday stops and squeezes your hand. She takes a deep breath.

"There was blood everywhere— The floor, wall, and sheets. I immediately ran and saw you gasping for air. There was a cavity in your chest— Your rib cage is drilled, and the lungs p-popped out of with every single breath—"

Her sobs cut through her words before she could even finish her sentence. You hurriedly wrap your arms around Wednesday, her wails once again muffled into your t-shirt. Stroking her head gently, you sit up to hold her properly, comforting her as she wills her stutters away.

"I thought I was too l-l-late. The ripped bedding and the claw marks on your body made me furious. And then you stopped gasping, and I thought I lost you—"

You pepper sloppy kisses on her cheeks, nose, and jaw, anywhere you can reach to hush her words. "I will always be here for you, Wednesday," you assured. Her cries pierce the warm air, so you rock her body with you while hugging her as tightly as possible.

"It looked so real..."

You don't need her to continue; you know why she's so afraid. Wednesday has seen people die in her visions way too many times. She fears your death even though the event would've happened in the past. What she saw was just a dream, and the girl obviously knows.

But right now, she doesn't need a reality check. She needs to know you're well and alive, even if it means breaking down her well-built walls and presenting herself to you as vulnerable as is. You're going to do just that.

"I'll always be here for you, Wens. Now and forever, in this life and the next. Do you know why?"

Her crying ceases a little, and a tear rolls down her cheeks as her glassy eyes blink to look at your tender ones.

You smile. "Because I'll always be yours as you're mine," you place your hand on her cheek and wipes the tears away. "Because I love you."

Her face starts to warm up.

Yours has been since the very first day you met her.

Maybe the salt on her lips was from the tears. Her small hand grips yours while the other rest on your chest. Wednesday feels so delicate, like the flowers on your window sill, and you want to protect her with every touch of your lips. Her nose nudges yours, and if you open your eyes, you'll see her lush eyelashes gleaming in the stray moonlight.

You pray with every kiss a single thing: to be the wound that nestles into her flesh and soul, stubbornly refusing to heal. Because then, you'll stay intertwined with her until the very end, allowing her to remember what it feels like to be loved.

To be Wednesday's very own pleasant, warm wound.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

A/n2: Hello! I've been MIA for the past week or so, and for that I apologize. I do have news though, gonna take a break this month so in the meantime, do feel free to revisit old posts :( I'll make a follow up post regarding the situation but right now I just wanna thank you guys for the overwhelming amount of love and support. I can't be grateful enough 💗

Check pinned post for Tag List!

#wednesday addams x reader #wednesday addams #wednesday addams fanfic #wednesday addams x you #wednesday addams imagine #wednesday series #wednesday x reader #jenna ortega x reader #wednesday 2022 #wednesday x you #wednesday x y/n #wednesday

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quizzicalwriter · 5 months

Note

anything that involves cuddling/sfw sleeping with Dallas? maybe the reader is a bit clingy and shy 😻

Storms

Pairing: Dallas Winston x Fem!Reader

Summary: Thunderstorms had always been a safe haven for Dallas, now he’s finally able to share one with you.

Warnings: None! ‘cept for some kissing.

A/N: Thank you for the request!

Word Count: 1.8k

Thunder shook the walls, ringing through your ears with the ferocity of a passing train. Each flinch earned you a gentle hush from Dallas, a kiss behind your ear, or a squeeze of his arms.

You’d never been one for violent storms. Calm storms you could handle, you loved the gentle lull of rain, the whisper of passing wind as it carried leaves off into a nearby neighborhood. But this? This was much different than what you’d grown accustomed to.

The radio had buzzed off a selection of warnings, interrupting your preferred music station in favor of warning people of the incoming wall of rain, as if you couldn’t see it by simply looking outdoors or sticking your hand out a nearby window for half a second.

Dallas, however, loved it.

It was something you hadn’t expected, but you weren’t surprised by either, given that he’d grown up in New York and had seen his fair share of hurricanes before he’d retreated to Oklahoma. He whispered tales of his youth against the shell of your ear, stories on how the rain had rattled the thin glass of his bedroom windows as a child, how he’d watch with childlike wonder as lightning illuminated the sky.

Dallas’s arms held you snugly by your middle, fingers fumbling with the soft fabric of your shirt as the rain pattered against the windowpane adjacent to his bed. Whenever lightning would crack across the midnight sky, he’d begin counting.

“One-“ He whispered, fingers drifting along your forearm. “Two-“

Before he reached three, thunder sounded through the air, the vibration felt deep within your chest. You could feel the rumble of his laughter against your back as he pressed kisses along the curve of your neck, his hold tightening as your worried eyes gazed out into the black ink of the night.

“Y’know why I count?” He asked. When you shook your head he hummed, adjusting himself to be closer to you as he threaded his fingers with yours, giving your palm a gentle squeeze. “Lets you know how far away the storm is.”

You didn’t know enough about the topic to dispute his words, nor did you want to. His voice had a calming nature to it, the deep vibrato resonating in your ribs, soothing your ever-beating heart into a calm rhythm. So you hummed back, tilting your head back slowly to push yourself closer to him, a move he accepted with a hushed ‘awe’.

“Poor thing.” He whispered, despite the caring nature he’d laced in his words, you could hear the smile tugging at the syllables, threatening to spill into a chuckle at your fear of the storm. “I’m here, doll. Storm can’t come inside.”

You laughed at that, turning halfway to look up at him. He smiled down at you, unlacing one of his hands from yours to cup your cheek, thumb brushing against the swell of your cheekbone.

“I know it can’t come inside.” You responded through your soft laughter. “Still, it’s loud. Loud noises scare me.”

He clicked his tongue against the back of his teeth, eyes never leaving yours as you gazed up at him. If you’d been anyone else, anyone at all, he would’ve laughed. But you looked pitiful, fearful in his hold as each rumble from the sky filled the silence.

“I know.” He murmured, brushing your hair back from your face as he spoke. “Want to know something?”

You nodded, lips quirking up into a smile as he gently pushed your cheek, forcing your attention back toward the window. His fingers continued brushing through your hair, nails gently scratching your scalp.

“Listen.”

You could hear it, the sound of wildlife, the branches of faraway trees cracking in the wind, the leaves tapping against the siding of the house. Crickets chirped, cicadas hummed, birds called from their well-protected nests. It all melded together, swirling into a makeshift melody, a lullaby.

“Nice, isn’t it?” He asked.

“Yeah,” You replied. “It is.”

You both stayed like that, curled underneath thin bedsheets, legs intertwined, sharing whispered words as the storm raged on overhead. He watched over your shoulder, eyes filled with the same childlike wonder that’d filled his mind in his youth as the sky came alive with brilliant flickers of light.

His adoration for the storm, the rain, the lightning, all of it - it soothed you. You felt at home in his grasp, heartbeats synchronized. Your foot brushed against his lower leg and down to his ankle, repeating the movement every few seconds as you twirled his ring against his finger.

Eventually, the storm passed, the only remnant of the chaos being the near-silent droplets of rainwater as it cascaded down from the roof, dripping down the windowpane in neat patterns. The moon shone through the clouds, peeking in through the raindrops, painting you both in a pale, patterned hue.

His hand cupped your jaw, turning your attention back to him. You gave him a tired smile as you situated yourself on your back, watching through half-lidded eyes as he propped himself up against his left arm.

“What?” You whispered, smiling through the word as his eyes danced over your face.

“Nothing.” He replied, although you knew what lingered beneath the words. Dallas was a man of few words, preferring to show how he felt through actions rather than relying on his mind to thread together a coherent sentence when all he wanted was to show you his love through stolen glances and kisses behind abandoned buildings.

“Sure.” You chuckled, lifting your hand to brush back his unruly hair, having been messed about from lying in one spot for too long. Yet even with sleep-tossed hair, he still looked gorgeous beneath the pale moonlight. You leaned up onto your elbows, hand drifting down to his jaw, fingers brushing against the muscle as you pressed your lips to his.

The kiss was sweet, his lips moving slowly against yours as his hand moved to cup the back of your head, fingers entangling themselves in your hair. He made no move to maneuver himself atop of you, content with leaving the moment as it was without pushing it any farther.

His lips trailed from yours, delicate kisses placed against the bridge of your nose, then to the space between your eyebrows, as if he intended to map out your face with his lips. You giggled, eyes squinting shut with a smile so bright it caused his heart to skip a beat within his chest.

Dallas would be damned before he’d let anyone see him as you saw him in that moment; vulnerable, in love. Love was a dangerous thing, something that terrified him in the expanse of the night. Having you beneath him, beside him, eyes watching him with the same sense of longing he’d felt buried deep in his chest until he’d met you, you made the fear tolerable, worth it. You’d made every environment feel like home. No matter the place, the position - his heartbeat would match yours.

So for those nights, mornings, days - whenever the two of you had a moment of reprieve that wasn’t filled with bounds of chaos or company, he’d show you the parts of himself that terrified him, the vulnerability and urge to love something, protect something - you.

“You’re thinking too hard.” You hushed out, snapping him from the depth of his daydream as he looked down at you, thumb brushing against your temple.

“I was.” He replied, a soft laugh following the words. “Does that scare you? Me thinking?”

You snorted at his teasing words, shaking your head as you brushed your fingers through his hair.

“Doesn’t worry me.” You murmured. “Or scare me. Although I’m more used to Pony or Johnny going quiet when they think, not you.”

He couldn’t argue with your logic, he was known for speaking his mind at the worst of times, often causing trouble for himself when he couldn’t reel in his tongue. He hummed as he leaned down to press another kiss to your forehead.

“Just thinkin’ about you, doll. That’s all.”

His words intrigued you, eyebrows lifting at the thought of you occupying space in his mind, the sight leaving Dallas groaning, knowing he’d sunk himself into a hole he’d have to talk his way out of. You loved hearing what he thought about you, just as much as he loved hearing what you thought about him, even if he’d never admit it.

“Fine-“ He grunted, relenting with a roll of his eyes as he moved to sit up. You followed suit, folding your legs underneath yourself, resting your chin against your open palm, elbow propped up against your knee. Dallas smiled at the sight, your genuine curiosity about what went through his mind never failed to amaze him.

“I just-“ He started, clearing his throat with a subtle lift of his chin, eyes moving from yours. “I trust you, guess it confuses me or somethin’.”

“How so?”

“Well, it wasn’t- it wasn’t wise when I was growin’ up. Trustin’ somebody could get you hurt, you had to look out for yourself.” He replied, shifting himself to face you. “Took me long enough to trust the guys, and with you, it came naturally. Quickly. I never understood it, I still don’t sometimes.”

You smiled, the sight tugging at his heart just as it had earlier, along with all the times prior. He loved that you understood him, he never had to over-explain himself, what he did, why he did it, you simply understood. You knew about his past, as much as he’d been willing to tell you, anyhow. Some of the stories haunted you, the thought of him so young, so alone, it hurt your chest in a way you couldn’t put into words; and yet there he was, bold, brash, heavily sarcastic - alive.

“I’m glad you trust me.” You murmured through a smile, knee brushing against his as your hands fumbled with the outer trim of the shirt you wore, a shirt you’d so diligently stolen the moment you’d gotten into his apartment earlier on in the day. “I know it takes a lot.”

“Yeah,” he yawned out, stretching his arms over himself before wrapping them around your middle. The movement had been quick enough to startle a laugh out of you, but you made no move to stop him as he pulled you back down against the mattress, his legs immediately intertwining with yours.

You knew him well enough to know that was his way of ending a conversation kindly, not wanting to pry a subject to bits if he could help it. So your curiosity relented, satisfied with his expression of trust in you. You’d felt the same thing when you’d first met him, but you’d save that conversation for another time.

“Storm’s passed.” He mumbled, words nearly incomprehensible as he buried his face into the nape of your neck, his fingers threading with yours. “Ain’t scared anymore, are you?”

“With you?” You asked. “Never.”

A/N: I hope you guys like this one! It’s shorter than usual, but I loved writing it! Honestly, I love small moments shared between characters, hidden away from others. Lets you see their true character and I’m HERE for it. Anyhow, thank you all so much for the continuous love and support you show me and my work! I appreciate y’all so much! As always, you can find my work over on my AO3 under the username, “Unscriptural.”

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weretheones · 6 months

Text

All You Got | Part 13

Part 13: Strangers

Plot: Daryl Dixon hadn’t known much beyond anger and loneliness his whole life, until he found family at the end of the world. Everything he grew to care about was ripped away the day the prison fell; so when he recognized you, an enforcer of his loss, hiding in that cabin, he almost pulled the trigger. But after you end up saving his life, he couldn’t find the indifference to leave you for dead, even if you’d been on the Governor’s side. (Mid-Late Season 4)

Series Masterlist | AO3 Version

Paring: Eventual Daryl Dixon x Reader Word Count: 3.8k Warnings: typical twd content. claimers: a warning in of itself. references to attempted sexual assault. lots of gore and blood. A/N: hi again! excited to be posting this part :) its been a long time coming... happy reading!

A low fire flickered just past the trees. Maybe fifty feet away.

“You think it's those men?”

“Could be.” Daryl shook his head. “Could be anyone.”

Despite walking all day and most of the night, you hadn’t been able to escape the threat of people. Even if that fire on the road hadn't been set by those men— and from the lack of cruel laughing and bruising punches, you figured it wasn't— it still meant people. Strangers. Bodies of unknown, with all the potential to be as twisted and cunning as the Governor, or as kind and loyal as Daryl.

The small fire crackled.

“What do we do?”

“Can’t take a good look without riskin’ them seein’ us.”

You bit your lip. Maybe you shouldn't have stopped moving, after all.

There was a bush ahead. The branches looked loose enough that you could peak an eye through and take a better look at the strange fire and the stranger people. In a bush that small, it would be a tight fit, but you could do it.

Your eyes flickered back to Daryl and those broad shoulders. He definitely couldn’t.

So without another thought, and maybe not much choice, you crouched down. “Wait here.”

You'd managed to move about a foot when his hand inevitably caught your wrist, and his rough voice hissed your name in warning.

“Just trust me,” you mumbled, almost as quiet as the soft cricketing of the night air. It all seemed to drown out at the sight of that sharp caution in his eyes; blue darkened by the night and the weight of the world that rested on his shoulders. You blinked, and then your free hand was wrapped around his, the pad of your thumb brushing along his rough skin. “I don’t want them to find us, either.”

The tension melted away like slow dripping wax; the look in his eye softened, his grip relaxed.

You could guess that weight on his shoulders hadn’t quite lifted, not when those people were still so close and so unknown. But once his hand loosened enough for you to pull back, there was a patch of cold along your wrist where he'd held you tight. Where you'd felt the heat of adrenaline coursing through his veins, warming his skin. Daryl tried to swallow his concern as you finally slipped away and into the bush.

You kept your head as low as possible. Crouched down and moving slow, like a wolf sneaking on its prey, though you weren't feeling quite predator-like. Not when you still had that swinging ball of anxiety slamming back and forth between your heart, lungs, and ribs. You thought of the gun at your hip. Four bullets left— no, three. You'd used one yesterday. Shit.

The branches were thin and dry. If you pushed them too far, they'd snap in half. Some leaves rustled off the bush as you snuck your way inside. You kept your hands close, only drawing down that last branch an inch so you could peek past. The flames of the fire were the brightest thing around, even if you could tell it’d been made in a way to keep it as small and unsuspecting as possible. But smoke still drifted away in long strands, floating through the night, invading the forest air. The fire cracked, now and then, as a shadowy figure sat beside it. His head was hanging down, a lock of curly brown hair falling across his forehead as he chewed at something in his hands. A bone, maybe.

Boots clicked along the pavement as a woman approached from the beaten-up blue truck to the right. She walked toward the fire with a languid stride. You could only see her silhouette backdropped across a glow of orange light. Her hair fell down her back in thick, black strands and something long and thin stick crossed over her back.

You waited a moment or two, but the pair of them never gave a glimpse of their faces, and no one else seemed to be around. Still, the two strangers on the road didn’t seem to be a part of that group you came across earlier; you doubted that men like those would let a woman tag along.

Finally free from the dying bush, you snuck back to Daryl.

“There’s a woman,” you whispered when you got close enough. “It's not them.”

“Just her?”

"No, there was a man, too." You shook your head. "Maybe more in the truck."

"You get a good look at 'em? They got guns?"

"I couldn't see their faces. The man had a gun, and she had something on her back. It could have been a—"

There was a laugh, then.

A familiar one.

Then another, and another, and they all overlapped until you could almost see that blue truck again, trunk open and all your supplies thrown around. Fear slammed back into your chest. You could’ve sworn you were back at that tree, pressed between Daryl and the rough bark, skin smoking with that fiery panic that caught right where your heart was supposed to be.

“We gotta go.” Daryl's voice cut through the yells and fear like a dull blade. His tone was hard. Almost as stern as you remembered it from all those weeks ago.

You nodded slowly. Smoke tinged the air you inhaled and your thoughts wandered back to those people. That woman... Unsuspecting.

Daryl grabbed your wrist and brought you to a stand. But the forest floor had turned into quicksand, and you couldn't move yet.

“Those people on the road—”

His jaw locked.

“’S too late for ‘em.” His narrowed eyes flashed toward the road. That usual shade of blue was now dark and threatening as the laughter only grew louder.

They were already there.

He tried to move forward, to drag you out of that quicksand pit of empathy that might finally suffocate you, after all, but you didn't budge. You couldn't.

“You heard what they’ll do to ya,” Daryl growled as if you needed a better reason to go with him.

Instead you twisted out of his grasp. “They’ll do the same thing to them.”

Of course, he knew that. There was a string wrapped around his pounding heart, pulling tighter and tighter because those people on the road didn’t deserve what was coming for them. No one did. But then there was you. With those big eyes, wide and glistening with fear even beyond that stubborn glow, and he hated it. Hated that he could recognize it so easily. He never wanted to see your features twisted in pain again. If those men got you— if a walker got you— if anything happened…

"We— we have to help," you rasped out, even if instinctive fear seemed to be winning over your empathy as the seconds ticked by. Perhaps you could hear what he was thinking. The possibilities that ran through his mind and made his jaw lock he thought he might break a tooth. "We can try."

His grip was back at your wrist, but this time it felt deeper. As if his fingers were melting into your skin, the thump of his heartbeat drowning into your own.

“It ain’t worth losin’ you.”

It was silent. Tension rising into the air like the strands of smoke lifting off that small, almost forgotten fire. It started as a soft wisp of burning wood, until your brain seemed to process what he'd said. Those words surrounded you, filling your lungs with that bittersweet burn, deeper and deeper with every slow, conscious breath you pulled in.

You swallowed. It seemed to soothe the tension, an inch.

Now wasn’t the time.

You opened your mouth to spill another retort because you’d changed these last few months, had become the type of person who would stand up for what they thought, scared or not. But before you could say a word, another ripped through the air. A guttural yell.

“Carl!”

---

After months of your blood-stained hands digging their way through Daryl’s tough-as-steel exterior, praying for a moment to prove yourself worthwhile of all the chances he'd given you, it was here. They were here. His people.

Carl was in the grimy hands of one of those men with the bellowing laughs. Joe— the leader— had his gun to the back of Rick’s head. The woman you’d seen on the road, you didn’t remember her name, but you knew there was a gun on her too. There had to be.

And Daryl went to them, leaving you in the bushes with his last words still ringing in your ears.

“Listen to me. If shit goes south… I don’t give a fuck what happens to me, you run, y’hear?”

“Daryl—”

“You run.”

Your hands shook like those dead leaves on the bush, heart pounding so loud you could barely hear the click of your gun’s magazine releasing. You counted the bullets, even if you already knew how many were there.

You hadn’t even realized you grabbed his hand. Not until his eyes flickered between it and you.

You whispered... maybe whimpered, “I can’t just—”

Two in the magazine. One in the chamber. Three bullets for five men— that you knew of.

The skinny one was missing. Len. Maybe he’d finally been beaten to hell, himself. Maybe they'd left him behind.

“I can’t do this knowin’ that those assholes might find ya.”

Your eyes shimmered with a concern he was still getting used to receiving. He blinked, then squeezed your hand back.

“You run,” he repeated.

Daryl moved through the shadows of the forest like he’d been doing it his whole life— and God did it feel like that, the stretch of time filled with more yelling and pleading and laughing while he moved closer to the spot where the forest broke open.

What the hell he was planning on doing when he got to the road’s edge, you had no idea. The mere thought made your heart squeeze tighter than Daryl had your hand.

A shadow moved behind him.

You gasped. Raised your gun as if it wouldn’t be the stupidest thing in the world to fire it at only a glimpse of a figure. A waste of bullets on shadows. What was likely nothing more than a lone walker, wandering with nothing but the road’s sounds to lead its path. And with all those cruel men so close, they'd come running at the shot’s echo. But just as you were about to rush out, knife in hand with nothing more than a hope that you could make it on time, the shadow raised a bow of its own.

Not a walker.

Your fingers fell off his.

The softest of whispers, “Just come back.”

Sometime between sneaking up on Daryl and when they finally broke from the tree line, Len had taken the crossbow from him, slinging his compound bow across his back. The crossbow was easier to aim at Daryl’s head while they walked onto the road.

“Found another one’a them!”

Quiet. For a moment.

Daryl and Rick's eyes met for the first time in months. They both had weapons aimed to the back of their heads.

From that angle, you couldn't see Daryl's face. Only the shift in his shoulders, dropping barely an inch as he stilled. A slight wobble in his stance. Across the road, recognition sunk into Rick’s features, but they never quite found the relief you hoped to see when this day came. Of course, you had always imagined it under vastly different circumstances. Finding them on the road. Maybe at Terminus. Not in the dark of night, surrounded by men who wanted to kill— and worse.

“Fool thought he could sneak up on us,” Len chuckled.

He only let Daryl pause for a second before he grew bored and kicked at the back of his leg, and Daryl crumbled like a straw-man released from its post. His knees scratched along the cold concrete, palms flat for the second it took for him to regain his senses. To get that breath back in his lungs after the gut-punching sight of his friend's faces, the ones he dreamt about night after night.

“Hey!” The one with a gun on the woman— what was her name again?— yelled, “Those arrows look familiar to you?”

Len looked down to see the same green shoots on the crossbow’s bolts as his own compound's— the ones he'd stolen from the car earlier that day.

“Holy shit,” Len exhaled. “That was your car, wasn’t it?”

Joe laughed, a hearty, full-lung chuckle, “Shit! And here I was thinking of turning in for the night on New Year's fuckin’ Eve!”

“Settle a bet for us, why don’t ya? You were traveling with a woman, right?”

Even with all the trees between you, you could see Daryl’s jaw clench. It only spurred Len on further.

“Mhm. I bet that bitch is out there, too. Hiding in the bushes, like a little rabbit?” He knelt as if to take a closer look at Daryl’s quickly retreating composure. The vein popping in his forehead, the red tint to his cheeks. “I love me some rabbit. ‘M real good at huntin’ ‘em down.”

Daryl’s heart was pounding hard, face flush with the anger racing through his veins like bad moonshine, turning him blind to the reasonable course of action. Keep his head down, wait for his chance... But how the hell could he do that when the road was burning hot underneath his palms? When he could see red— the red of your blood— pooling below?

Then Len leant in even closer, and then all he could think about was rot; the smell reeking from the yellow of his teeth when he grinned, the black tar that soaked his soul. The way he wished he could see the dead rip into the bastard.

“Think I can make ‘er squeal?”

Daryl jumped up. He landed a punch right on Len’s nose. There was nothing quite like the smooth relief that pumped through his veins when he felt bone crack underneath.

Len fell back. Blood coated his mouth and chin, shining in the moonlight like a damn spotlight, begging for another hit. But for all that asshole’s undeserved cockiness, he still had the numbers to back him up; another one grabbed the back of Daryl’s vest, pulled him away from a stumbling Len, and threw a bruising punch of his own. Before you could even aim your gun, Daryl was back on the ground and kicked in the gut as a third man joined in.

“Kill ‘im! Fuckin’ idiot.” Len snarled, throwing a punch after he was done cradling his face. Daryl was dragged by the men and tossed on top of the car's hood like a doll. Fists slammed into his sides, his back, his face. Any punch he threw back was quickly met with two more.

“Listen, it was me, it was just me,” Rick yelled out, his voice a rumble of pleading and hopelessness. He shook his head, his son pressed against that big man with the sickening grin on one side, and Daryl taking fist after fist to the jaw, eye, stomach, and shoulder on the other.

“Oh, don’t worry. We can settle this, we’re reasonable men.”

Your finger twitched along the trigger. From the depths of your memory, a word echoed.

Liar.

Joe continued, “First, we’re gonna beat your friend to death. Then, we’ll have the girl, then the boy. Then I’m gonna shoot you and we’ll be square!”

The gun felt lighter. Those three bullets suddenly etched with the names of these men— Joe, Len, that fucker with the knife on Carl.

“Let him go,” Rick shuttered out. The rumbling anger in him began to leak like a dam about to burst. Somehow, those three words huffed into the night air, even with a gun at the back of his neck, still managed to sound like a threat.

And they were.

You flinched when Rick threw his head back to collide with Joe’s face. The first shot rang out as he stumbled, clutching his face with one hand and letting his smoking gun fall with the other. Time slowed, but Rick was even slower, blinking and shaking his head as the ringing must've trapped in his ear. A bloody Len looked over with Daryl's bow in hand once again as Joe coughed, blood leaking down his face, too. In the time it took for him to stand straight again, Rick had managed to get up and punch him.

Joe punched back harder.

Rick fell to the ground like a bag of bricks.

“I got him. Go find your rabbit, Len.” A groan left both of them as Joe forcefully kicked his boot into Rick's gut. “Oh, it’s gonna be so much worse now.”

There was no doubt about it. Joe’s words echoed into the dark night, muddled with the sounds of whimpers, groans, skin rubbing against concrete. This was headed as far south as it could, tunneling straight to hell from the sounds of it, and a heavy shadow wrapped its slimy, inescapable arms around you.

“Come on, already. Get up. Let's see what ya got," Joe taunted as he circled Rick, who couldn't seem to find his balance.

With the back of his hand, Len wiped his bloody chin before he turned toward the forest line. A look in his eye even darker and slimier than that shadow.

If you had thought about it first, you would have stayed still. But staggering backward felt more like instinct than thought, something you hadn’t realized you were doing until a branch snapped under your foot.

A tense second hung in the air between you and this man, wondering if he could pinpoint the small crack amongst all the muffled cries and painful groans.

He smiled a sickening grin.

A chill down your back as your breath caught in your throat. His eyes narrowed in on the section of woods Daryl left you in, eyeing between the branches like you really were a little rabbit, and he was fucking starving.

Run. He’d told you to run and here you were, frozen with uncertainty. Where would you run? How could you live with yourself, leaving them for dead? What if you shot and missed, three times? What if—

"You leave him be!" Rick yelled when Carl cried out.

Finally, Joe caught Rick. He laughed, "The hell are you gonna do now, sport?"

A new scream. Not from Carl or Rick. But before you could tell from whom, it had morphed into gurgling and choking, instead.

Then Rick spat.

Len turned around, and without those predator eyes on you anymore, you saw it. The way Joe's body turned limp, his hand grasping Rick's collar the last thing to give out before he fell to the ground. A mess of blood spurted out of his neck until the red skulls on his shirt melted into the red that poured down his body.

From his mouth to his chest, Rick was covered in the same colour.

It took a moment for everyone to realize what had happened. That Rick had bit Joe’s throat out like a fucking walker. An air of shocked silence lingered until a few gasps made their way around the road. By the time Len began to raise Daryl's crossbow in Rick's direction, a choice had been made, and you stepped from behind the bush.

Gun raised.

Len's head snapped forward with the impact of the bullet. He crumbled to the ground faster than Joe, crossbow buried underneath his limp limbs. The woman used the second air of shock to grab the gun pointed at her head, twisted it to the man holding it, and fired. He fell, too.

You stepped out of the tree line. Smoking gun and narrowed eyes exposed under the moonlight. Their eyes snapped to you, unsure only for a second before you shot the men at Daryl's side. One in the head, the other in the throat. He fell back, grabbing at his leaking neck until Daryl threw him down and stomped on his windpipe to finish the job.

One man was left. He'd put a knife to Carl's throat amid everything, grabbed the boy to his chest and promised he'd kill him if you did anything. The woman had already aimed her gun at him, and you knew yours was empty by now, but neither stopped you from aiming yours, too.

"Put them down!" He yelled, eyes snapping between the pair of you. The knife inched closer to Carl's neck. "I'll do it!"

Rick stood up. Joe's knife was in his hand as he stalked toward the man and his son with nothing more than a growl.

"He's mine."

The man's eyes widened. "S— Stay back! Please—"

Rick drove the knife into his chest. Once. Twice. Then dragged it up and down and you should have looked away. He was snarling like a wild animal, staring that man— that monster— right in the eye. Unleashing every drop of that boiling rage inside of him. You knew it was because of what he tried to do to his son, but something in you almost felt as sharp as that knife, stabbing over and over. And maybe that was why you couldn't look away, because the hot gun in your hand suddenly felt so light.

Empty.

Maybe you should have saved a bullet in case Rick tried to gut you next, for what you had done to his son, to his family.

Just as those dark thoughts wrapped around your mind, familiar fingers did the same at your wrist. You blinked, finally tearing your eyes off of all the blood and guts only to notice that you hadn’t dropped your gun, that you were now aiming it at Rick’s head. He’d given up on his assault, dropping the mess of that dead monster to the ground with nothing more than a heavy thump. Now he was facing you, eyes narrowed and unreadable under the moonlight as Daryl's hand lowered your gun.

The second you turned to him, you let it fall to the ground, lost in the red splattered across his face, the cut above his eyebrow, the puffiness of his right eye.

Red, red, red.

Something squeezed your hand. His fingers were still wrapped around you.

You blinked, and the red cleared a bit. Enough that even in the dark of night, you could still see the shimmering blue of care, of concern, of Daryl.

Daryl.

Bruised but alive. Touching your skin. Drawing you back with every thump of your heartbeat.

And just like the gun, you let go of the fear, too.

————————————————————

A/N: if you’re reading this, thank you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. please feel free to leave feedback, it helps so much and I love to read it. have a lovely day <3

AYG taglist: @fuseburner @itsmeatballworld @rickysgrimes @stevenknightmarc @huffledor-able541 @your-shifting-gurl @hopefulatrocity @strnqer @dreamtofus @fillechatoyante @suniloli @kiaslily @poubxlle @normanplusdaryl @sseleniaa @wanhedavaliquette @murdadixon

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presleyanswrites · 6 months

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ᴘʟᴀᴛᴇ

pairing(s): mcu Peter Parker x fem!reader

desc peter gets worried for her girl when she won't eat.

waning(s): mentions of anorexia/bulimia, ED reader, language, grammar, fluff, slight angst. THIS WILL BE A SERIES IF YOU WANT IT !!

a/n: please message me if you feel any of this applies to you. i love you so much. this is just a sneak peek there will be a part two if you guys want it!!! let me know!!

requests | open 💌 masterlist

you hear the door of your apartment open.

it was peter.

"hey! uh- im home!" he tosses the keys on the couch. "i brought leftover pizza from the lab- Mr. Stark was out of pepperoni is that okay?" he smiles at you as he places the square boxes on the dining table, scratching the back of his head.

you look up from staring at the kitchen counter.

"oh um- i ate earlier. sorry."

you bite your lip nervously as he furrows his eyebrows. you hated lying to him but you just couldn't do this right now.

he looked down at your stomach to see you were covering it with one of your arms, sucking it in so hard it looked like your ribs were showing through your work shirt. his senses we're going off but he shrugged turned away shut the front door behind him.

he sets his mask on the chair before taking a paper plate and placing a peice of pizza on it, taking a bite and says it a mouthful; "well if you change your mind its on the counter." he smiles like a chipmunk and goes over to turn the TV on.

you gulp as he sits in the couch, you're stomach growling. You turn to the cabinet to get a glass and fill it with water from the fridge. downing two full of water to drown the feeling.

you sigh and slip a sweatshirt over your head before going over to the couch to snuggle with peter. you two we're watching breaking bad. Peter was a little obsessed with it and you had watched it together a little more than too many times.

later, crickets could be heard chirping outside the window as the two of you had fell asleep with the tv on. You wake up to the sound of your phone buzzing beside you, as you get up from the couch and creep quietly over into the kitchen.

you sigh. why was this so hard?

you take all of the muffins from the fridge and indulge in every. single. one. you keep eating and eating. you couldn't stop and your stomach kept craving it more, but your brain was on fire.

just one more, right? one more time.

and then you could let yourself starve.

you pull away from the food, your cheeks hurt from the stretch of stuffing your face.

worry filled your lower abdomen as tears began to form in the bottom of your eyes. You sweat as your throat begins to form a ball. you sniffle and wipe your eyes, putting the container back in the fridge.

you tiptoe back to your room before shutting the door behind you in the bathroom.

you sat on the cold floor and stared at the toilet.

you take a deep breath and shuffle open the drawers to your vanity.

you found the same wooden popsicle stick you kept since last summer.

you take a deep breath and open your mouth deepening the stick down the end of your throat, choking on tears as liquid rushed to your face, spilling into the toilet. you forced yourself to gag until all of it was up.

you stared at the sunken bile.

the next morning peter woke up from the couch, making himself a cup of coffee.

you jolted awake from the sound of the grinder running. with a groan, you made yourself get up to go back into the kitchen.

you squeeze your stomach in as your press a kiss to peter's cheek.

"hey love." he smiles, pouring the liquid in his favorite mug.

you rest your chin on the back of his shoulder.

"how'd you sleep?"

"fine." you say, pressing your lips together.

"do you want me to make you some breakfast?" he asks gently, rubbing your back.

you shake your head gently. "thats okay, i'm not that hungry." you smile, even though your stomach was burning for some sort of calories.

he raises an eyebrow, and when he turns to look at your face his expression softens.

"okay." he pulls you in a hug and stretches his mask over his head before swinging away.

taglist/and/or idols: @thievin-stealing @elliexmylove @everythingisawayoflife @cafekitsune @thestarvingwriter @spider-stark @bittenbyyou @incorrectmarvelquote

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gallifreyanhotfive · 2 months

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Random Doctor Who Facts You Might Not Know, Part 27

The Eleventh Doctor once mentioned that he had gotten married a lot. One of those marriages might have been to Captain Jack Harkness, but he wasn’t sure since there were so many people in the room at the time.

Cricket is a leftover race memory from the gruesome Krikkit Wars. The Krikkitmen wore outfits similar to human cricket uniforms. The fact that this outfit was recognizable by many as that worn by those who wanted to wipe out the rest of the universe apparently did not stop the Fifth Doctor from wearing precisely that outfit.

The Terrible Zodin is the third most wanted criminal in the galaxy after the Master and the Rani.

Martha Jones blogged about at least a few of her TARDIS adventures on MySpace.

The Eighth Doctor continuously lied to his companion Lucie Miller about her aunt. Her aunt had long ago been replaced with a Zygon copy, and she only found out when she was comatose and overheard them talking about it while having an out of body experience.

There is an opera based on the Doctor.

The Doctor - and probably other Time Lords - have two more ribs than humans do.

Ace once managed to lift the TARDIS (albeit an alternate universe one) with a single hand while she had a broken arm.

A Gallifreyan expletive is "Otherf-" (he was cut off but you can guess the rest).

Soul catching is a Time Lord rite in which a Time Lord would transfer their mind into that of another before assimilating into the Matrix.

The Eighth Doctor also had a sexual encounter with Bernice Summerfield.

The Third Doctor recalled never being taught Venusian aikido. He theorized that he had learned it in a previous life before the Doctor existed.

It is possible to swap bodies while in Gallifreyan telepathic contact.

N-Space has been referred to as the Five Hundred and Third Universe.

Queen Elizabeth I originally had the Tenth Doctor tortured and sentenced to beheading as a spy. She had given him a stay of execution for a picnic, during which the Doctor proposed to her.

Kate once witnessed the Fourth Doctor get his scarf caught in a door. He had thought he was caught in some sort of force field.

Lolita (the Master's first TARDIS) believes that Time Lords were created by her mother (the Matrix) in order to give TARDISes a purpose.

The Fifteenth Doctor took Ruby Sunday to Manchester in the future. While he was telling her all about figures from Manchester's history, oblivious to his surroundings, Ruby noticed that they were standing on tram tracks and were about to be run over.

Ohm is an old, mad god of the Time Lords.

Before crashing into Isaac Newton's tree, the out of control TARDIS took the Fourteenth Doctor and Donna to several places, including the Western Front in 1917, 200000 BC, the Battle of Hastings in 1066, and 1970. All of this while under attack by space-faring squid creatures.

Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28

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uhhhitsgray · 8 months

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Blood for Two Chapter Ⅰ

This was supposed to be a little one shot because the Astarion brain rot is truly hitting me besties. I wanted to write Astarion vampire smut, but then I really like how sad and just depressing his story is. So this first chapter dips into his story a bit, then next chapter is the yummies. ~Astarion storyline spoilers if you haven't gotten here yet ~

Warnings for both chapters: we got some vampire biting, vampire sex and uhhh.. there will be blood, sorry not sorry. probably blood kink. There is one instance where read and Astarion talk about offing themselves, nothing major. astarion needs a hug and head smooches this chapter, he really doesn't think much of himself :c

Chapter Ⅰ

None of this was supposed to happen.

He wasn’t supposed to fall in love with you. You weren’t supposed to fall in love with him. When he proposed the absolute deranged plan of allowing him to ascend with you being the sacrifice that he needed, all he had to do was bite you and turn you into a vampire spawn as he once was. You should have told him no. Should have told him to fuck off, that he was being insane because of course he was. It was his shot in the dark for his own desires, something to truly benefit him in a life where he was only used, and played as a pawn for Cazador. It would have made you his little play thing.

But his initial plans turned sour when he whispered ‘I love you’ into your lips under the moonlight. A warmth that Astarion hadn’t felt in over 200 years, a warmth he had long forgotten about spread through his body when he was with you. That warmth would continue with every brush of skin against each other, every cast of the longing stare from across the camp.

Astarion held you close, he had to. He never had anyone care about him like this before. You never asked for anything in return of his company, of him keeping a careful eye out for you. To protect you. Everything he’d known before you was transactional, but not you and he appreciated that more than words could ever explain.

He thought his heart was going to explode when you suggested ascension, that you would become his vampire spawn under the condition that he would still treat you as his equal. You didn’t want to be treated like the dirt under his shoes, how Cazador treated him. He was stunned at your proposition, he asked if you were sure on several occasions and asked to give him a few days to think it over. He never thought he’d be offered this so willingly. You were truly a blessing he never thought he’d ever receive.

It’s been almost two months since you became a vampire. Astarion didn’t think it was possible, but you became even more beautiful. Skin paler, your iris colors mixing together with tints of red. You were powerful like he was, even more than himself when he was a spawn. Drinking off of each other allowed for easy healing after battles, his blood richer and in result you didn’t have to feed off of him as much.

Astarion may have left that little bit of information out. He knew if you drank from him your hunger would be satisfied for much longer, but truth be told he loved when you drank from him. When you drank from each other, it excited him. His heart beat hard against his ribs, it always felt like it was one beat away from breaking his bones. Warmth spread through his body. His chest always felt the hottest, spreading down his limbs and causing the tips of his fingers to be hot to the touch.

Tonight he finds you on top of his lap, hands spread across his chest as the fire from outside his tent dances across your skin. It’s late into the night as the moonlight casts its light blue shade across the ground, covering everything that the fire light hasn’t touched. The soft snoring of your companions drifts into the night air along with the crickets chirping into the night abyss. A noise that could set you into a deep slumber if you weren’t looking down into Astarion’s fire lit eyes, reds so deep you could get swallowed if you weren’t careful.

“I want you.” You whisper into his neck as you place kisses on his soft skin. His hands find perch on the plushness of your hips as his fingers squeeze into your skin.

“You just drank a few days ago darling, are you hungry again?” He breathes in the fragrance of your hair; the same as always, lavender. One of his favorites.

You kiss his cheek, soft and caring as you sit back up. “No, I’m not hungry –”

He tilts his head slightly, the light from the fire accentuating his features. Truly beautiful. “Then what do you need, my sweet?”

Your eyes dart around the tent, your cheeks painted in a faint blush. Astarion sits up, holding his weight with his elbow on the bedroll as he cups your cheek. “Anything you want, it’s yours.” Concern crosses your features as your eyes switch between his, your body stiffens on his lap. He wonders if he said the wrong thing for such a reaction. He would give anything to you, you say the words and he’d do it. He’d bend at your every ask, and command of him. You saved him, it’s the smallest piece he could repay you for.

Your hand wraps around the side of his neck, a soft smile on your face. “What about you Astarion? What do you want?”

He smiles back at you, “Whatever would make you happy, dar –”

“No. What do you, Astarion, want? Not what would make me happy.” Your thumbs brushes across his cheek. “What would make you happy, my love?”

He turns his head, looking out to the fire as the silence fills the tent, only the crackling of the fire to be heard. The silence stretched out between you two for several moments as you patiently waited. Sorrow fills your heart, has he ever heard those words outside of you whispering them to him? You didn’t know all the details of his past, some of the details about Cazador were too painful for Astarion to bring up, some forgotten from the trauma he endured. You were grateful that he shared what he did, that he felt comfortable enough to share some of the darkest moments of his life with you.

Another wave of sorrow washes over your heart, suffocating you at the memory of him telling you that he didn’t remember any of his life before Cazador turned him. How he didn’t remember what color his eyes were, how he could never see how he looked now. He’d never know if he looked similar or if he looked completely different and, fuck, that broke your heart for him.

Your eyes take in his features, eyes scanning over every inch of his face. You take a deep breath before speaking, tears pricking at your eyes. “Astarion.”

He turns his head back to you, his crimson irises search yours as a sadness washes over his features. One side of his mouth quirks up in an attempt to soothe the pain you wear. “I’m so sorry.” You whisper out, fingers carding through his white hair careful of his pointed elf ears as you tucked the strand behind them.

“What for, darling?”

“Everything.” Your hands squeeze into fists at your side. “You were so poorly treated, by everyone who crossed your path –” You pause, sniffling slightly. “I can’t imagine that. Can’t imagine the pain you’ve gone through, the betrayal of everyone who you thought cared about you.”

Astarion’s eyes drift to the floor next to you a somber look washes over his features, anguish covering his words. “It’s alright, it’s in the past, darling. No need to fret over it.”

Your blood boils for him, “It’s not okay! Astarion, it – it’s fucked up!” Your hands raise in exclamation. “Cazador, he – fuck.” The back of your hand wipes tears away from your face. “He took everything from you, everything you were. He dwindled you away to nothing, took away your voice. Your will, your consent. Everything from you –”

Your body slumps down, tears drop off of your cheeks and land on his stomach. Your voice is weak as you look back at him, his expression pained. “You’re beautiful, oh so beautiful, my love.”

“No, darling, I’m not and you know that.” He squeezes your hand. “Everything I’ve done up to this point has been self-serving, not caring for anyone. Barely even caring for myself.”

“You had to be.” You finally wipe the tears with your free hand. “Everyone turned against you, you had no one. But – but now, you have people who care about you. You’re allowed to want.”

Astarion shakes his head at you, chuckling. “I cannot want anymore, I don’t deserve it.”

“And who said that?”

“Me.” Astarion pauses, looking back out onto the fire. “I’ve done unspeakable things because of want, because of desires. Turning you into my spawn for my own benefit, it –” He pauses, taking a deep breathe, “It was fucked up. Just another selfish want of mine.”

“I wanted that. Fuck, I asked for that.” Another tear runs down your cheek.

“You should have slit my throat for that.”

“I could never do that.”

Crimson eyes dart back to your face, “You could have.”

You shake your head, “I’d have slit my own afterwards.”

Astarion laughs at that, “Preposterous.”

Another tear snakes down your face, you can feel a small piece of your heart cracking in two. “Do you think you mean that little to me, Astarion?”

His brows knit, but he stays silent.

“I – fuck – Astarion, I love you. I care about you, so deeply. I want you to want things, to desire things. You are allowed to do that. You are allowed to think for yourself.”

He sits up, and laces his fingers together behind your back. “It’s just… hard.” He sighs, laying his head against your chest. “How do I change, how can I become better?”

You wrap your arms around him, kissing the top of his head as you hold him close. “You’ve already changed so much.”

“Yeah?”

You giggle, carding your fingers through his hair. “Yeah, you literally held a knife to my throat when you met me.”

He laughs, leaving his head against you still. “How did you keep me around after that?”

You bury your face into the top of his head, shy to admit. “I thought you were too pretty to send away.”

He shifts his weight under you, his hands falling down your back a little. “I could have killed you.”

Your shoulders shrug, “But you didn’t.”

He pulls away from you just enough to see your face, hands still wrapped around your back. His eyes reflect the fire outside the tent, showing off the hues of red that painted his irises. You cup your hands around his face, pulling his face closer. Nose to nose, your eyes dart to his lips and back up. “Beautiful.” You whisper into his lips as you kiss him.

He leans into your kiss, arms bringing you closer to him. Your chests touch, skin to skin. It’s warm, he’s warm, you’re warm. Desire flashes through his mind, one that can’t, shouldn’t, ignore. “You’re so beautiful.” He kisses your lips again, pushing you back on his bedroll.

“I love you.” He kisses into your neck, then back to your lips. “I want –” Astarion stops himself, wondering if it’s too selfish of a request.

His eyes above you look as if they’re off in another universe, another dimension as he questions whether he should finish his statement. “Ask for it, Astarion. You know you want to.”

His eyes focus back on you, he kisses your neck again. One of his hands holds onto your hip, as if to ground himself; to keep him from flying away. Astarion drops his body weight onto you, he smirks to you as he feels your legs spread around his waist. Knees bent upwards, squeezing into his sides. He bites down on his lip, trying to keep his mind focused, trying to ignore the heat of you against him.

“I want you –” Is all he managed to croak out. Mind clouded by emotions, desires and the damned way you keep squeezing your thighs around his waist.

“I’ll give myself to you anyway you want.” Your eyes are locked onto his lips, pupils enlarging as he drags his tongue across them, the tips of his fangs exposed.

His hand wraps around the side of your neck as he pulls himself to you. His lips crash into yours, your both panting in between kisses. It’s desperate in the way he kisses you, the ways his mouth chases your lips, and how he groans into your mouth as you back arches into him. “What a dangerous thing to say, darling.”

#baldurs gate astarion #astarion bg3 #astarion #astarion x reader #astarion x you #baldur's gate 3 #baldur's gate iii #this chapter kind of hurt my soul #he's just a little baby and has never done anything wrong #don't fight me on that

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inchidentally · 15 days

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I'm literally looking at myself like you dumb bitch it’s a gd lego animation why are you writing this

but like The Inherent Gentleness of Landoscar

the gentle little voices they use in so many of their challenges compared to the Big Loud Fun Times With Loving Alphas that Lando's challenges with Carlos and Daniel had and with Oscar and the Prema boys !

the fact that Oscar never even properly raises his voice at all around Lando like he would with previous teammates and some of the Alpine videos. even when they're playing a big fun loud game of cricket outside and it merits shouting and yelling, Oscar never raises his voice at Lando. Lando is an absolute tiny terror, bellowing and shouting and whining at Oscar - and Oscar just giggles and ribs him gently in return.

like, Oscar would fully allow himself to yell and get exasperated (jokingly) and make fun of all the other guys in his life - he’s Australian, it’s what he does! It would be weird if he didn’t!

but in the same way that even non fandom F1 fans picked up on Oscar’s accent softening and sounding more similar to Lando’s when they’re in videos together, Oscar massively softened the genetically and culturally coded sarcasm and ribbing when he noticed it didn’t always land the right way with Lando. and how even tho they have a perfectly healthy natural sense of competition between each other, Oscar never used to be at all shy about being competitive and a little cocky… until Lando, where Oscar now ducks his head and turns pink with embarrassment over the Sprint win being brought up and how Lando was always the one to bring it up and never Oscar. and it even turned into that gentle repetition of Lando’s expressions thing which he even does in a silly Lego video “team work makes the dream work” ??

and the thing is the more Oscar has specifically wanted to accommodate Lando’s preferences and quirks and habits, the gentler and quieter he’s become with him - which goes against every aspect of bromance logic that we as fans love so much ?? normally the best thing about Lando’s quirks and habits and contrariness is when his friends roast him about them or use them strategically to whip him up into hysterical giggles or screeching and possibly nearly break something or hurt himself in unserious ways.

but then there’s the fact that Lando is also a naturally shy person and he has as many quiet moods as he has hyperactive or excitable ones. and while he can have the more excitable ones with all of his friends and we get such great media content from them, it’s really only guys like Oscar and Max F who can also bring out his quieter and gentler moods on camera.

and it’s literally fascinating to me that as a result that’s actually become more the default when Lando and Oscar are together - even down to never broadcasting when they spend time together outside of F1 commitments apart from mentioning it in passing. their time together is A Gentle Vibe and would feel weird to document bc it's at once so warm and friendly but also not A Big Deal!

and idk the fact that Oscar also doesn’t show overt bromance gestures of affection to Lando on camera or when specifically prompted by the media - but then he shows a consideration and attention to Lando that not even joking we only rly notice him do when it comes to Lily. and that most of Lando's other friends don't tend to show him apart from Max. and Oscar’s even like that w Lily where he doesn’t do the typical PDA or getting overly sentimental about her but he mentions her all the time to show how much a part of his life she is and isn't that more significant !! they’re his go-to for any question about himself that isn’t about racing - what Lando and Lily like and don’t like, how they tease him or give him a hard time, what he finds exasperating in a fond way about them. something about Oscar not rly caring if he’s a dynamic or at all fan popular person outside of racing and then being a mirror to reflect the much more interesting qualities of these two unique people who are in his life more than anyone else something something !!

but mainly it’s how the youngest and most closely competitive pairing on the grid are also the least overtly Manly Aggressive Men and don’t honestly seem at all concerned with trying to be so ! even the way they treated the usual mind games/fighting talk thing by just finding the whole concept amusing !! same with team orders where they just say ‘oh it was fair!’ and they’re both just so effortlessly What Is Gender that it rly is like they are watching The Men* from a distance most of the time and peacefully sharing silent communication with each other and speaking in voices so soft that The Men cannot even hear and like they just exist in this aura that makes us think they’re twins when actually their looks and their personalities aren’t twinning it’s just that they inhabit this wavelength exclusive to themselves and they do frighteningly well at pictionary and they coo these little thoughts at each other and it’s sometimes creepy but endlessly intriguing !!!

and how as fans there’s never any Top/Bottom Dominant/Submissive laws or even popular tendencies we literally all enjoy writing and thinking of them in fanon in every possible way and it always fits !!

just cool to me !

*with special exceptions at times for Lewis and Charles here - sometimes

#landoscar #inchidentallyanessay #inch gets weird #landoscar meta #as a What Is Gender myself they just are so dear to me #vestal virgins au

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dreamingcricket · 7 months

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Hi Cricket! I soaked up your Tav/Halsin snippet, about them being injured and shrugging off Halsin's advances, it's absolutely sweet! I kindly request another Tav/Halsin if you don't mind... My Tav is a naive little sunshine and as a tiefling bard loves to dance, sing along and play on her fiddle, I imagine her having skirts that flow around her feet whenever she danced and plays around camp or inn's for some coin. Halsin being in love with Tav and like totally unable to hide it and it's obvious to everyone but Tav themselves. I would love for him to join her dancing, maybe something slower, more intimate with meaningful touches. He loves seeing her so at ease in rare moments like this, even when he's a clumsy dancer. 🤭

I'm so happy people are enjoying these!

Halsin was unused to revelry.

He couldn't speak for every druid, of course, their kind ranged far and wide in both calling and temperament, but the Emerald Grove was prone only to subdued rites. He certainly couldn't fault the refugees for wanting to release some tension, however, and he wanted to show his appreciation to the small band that had saved him and his grove alike. Her, especially.

And of course she was at the center of it all.

She reminded him of a celestial center, the hub of a wheel around which everything else turned. She glowed in the firelight, all orange and gold and purple, skirts flying as she fiddled. Music seemed to follow her everywhere. She danced like water, one pattern to the next without pause. It was beautiful. She was beautiful.

“You’re staring.” Shadowheart was difficult to read, as she appeared behind him, goblet in hand. He couldn't tell if her observation was meant to be an admonishment or not.

“I know.” He was usually reserved, if not stoic, and his developing feelings bubbling to quickly to the surface was alarming, but it would do no good to deny it.

"We all know. You're not subtle, Halsin."

His attention was drawn back to Tav as she laughed. The sound was like the sun on his face.

Shadowheart followed his gaze. “Nobody blames you, Halsin. But she should know.”

“I don’t want to rush her.”

“Under any other circumstances, I’d agree. But we’re running out of time, and…” She shakes her head, clearing the morbid thought. “Just… everyone knows.

She finishes her number with a bow, and yields the stage to Alfira, who begins to pluck a lively tune. Her eyes lock onto Halsin’s and she bounds over, holding out her hands.

“Come, dance with me?”

He could feel the eyes of the camp upon him. Knowing. Halsin coughed. “I’m not much of a dancer. I may trample your feet.”

“That doesn't matter!” She giggled, and leaned in conspiratorially. “Everyone’s too drunk to notice anyway.”

Suddenly, she was pulling on his hand, tugging him to the wide patch of dirt that served as a dancing circle in the middle of camp. His heart hammered against his ribs, and it wasnt from embarrassment.

He could vaguely recollect the steps, some hazy memories of his youth floated back to him as they began to whirl. A tavern dance, not refined in the slightest, but light and fast, more momentum than intent. While there was something to be said for his particular brand of ursine grace, it didn't lend well to dancing, and he let her lead. Her hands were so small in his, and she flitted around him, almost birdlike.

“You’ll have to slow down, Tav, I’m not as young as I used to be.”

She giggled, twirling under his arm. “I think you’re a fine dancer.”

“The wine has apparently gone to your head, as well.”

“Perhaps. Or maybe it's just good company.”

The music slowed, and their pace changed. They circled each other, hand in hand. She held his gaze, not defiantly, but with tender trust. He hoped beyond hope he wasn't reading too far into her gaze.

There was an ease to her here he hadn't seen before. The weight she carried throughout the battle at the goblin camp (and how fierce she had been, she had torn through their ranks like a diving hawk) had seemingly lifted. She wasn't a warrior, her hands were gentle as they gripped his, and so small. He loved her already, but even more so like this, when she was unburdened.

He wondered if this was what she was usually like, sans tadpole. There’s a terrible pang in his chest at the thought: that her days were numbered, that she might be doomed. It's quickly followed by a wash of righteous fury. It wouldn't happen. He wouldn't let it.

She stepped in close. Their palms pressed together, chests nearly touching, and he nearly stopped breathing. She was so close, if he only leaned down, their lips would touch. He was halfway to her, his rational brain screaming to stop and his instincts screaming to kiss her until she couldn't breathe.

And then she pulled away, dropping into a curtsy. The song was over.

There was already a buzzing flock of people vying for her attention. Halsin released her hand and bowed out of the center of camp, excusing himself as she leaped onto a rock to begin a new number.

It had been a long, long time since anyone had made him feel this way.

He rolled into the grass, reveling in the coolness against his heated skin, and prepared to trance.

Halsin smelled her before he saw her. Lilac and honeysuckle and musk, and the scent of the open road. She moved to lay beside him in the grass, and whispered, "Can I join you? Everyone is quite drunk, Karlach is sleeping in my tent for some reason, and I’m getting really tired."

"Of course."

He didn't expect her to nestle into his side, his heart began to hammer in his chest, his skin became hot.

She gazed upwards, and pointed into the sky, at a smattering of stars. "That's the huntsman." Her hand drops back down. "At least I think it is. We didn't have much time for stargazing at home, and the city lights are so bright. But here? I feel I can see every single one."

Halsin pointed upward himself, “The… spine of the dragon? I realize… I don’t know exactly how to say it in common, that’s as close as I can get.”

She hummed. “I can see it. With the wings, there.” She gestured lazily, and he became aware of how close she was for the second time that night. He was less intimidated by his own feelings here, without the watchful eyes of the party, and only the music of night time insects, the grass rising around them like a shelter. She turned her face toward him, blinking slowly, and clearly holding back a yawn. “I think… I’ll just sleep here.”

“That’s fine by me.”

The rhythm of her breathing slows and evens out, and he brushes a stray lock of hair away from her cheek, running his thumb over the apple of her cheek.

Tomorrow, she would take up her burdens again. She would brave her future with the noble ferocity he had come to admire, he was sure, but he would miss this carefree night.

Whatever it took, he’d ensure she had many more to come.

#baldurs gate 3 #halsin x tav #halsin #bg3 x reader #bg3 #halsin romance #ask

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ladytesla · 3 months

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Cowboy Halsin

I saw @aerynwrites musing about how Halsin would be as a cowboy or rancher. I thought I'd throw in my two cents, since I live on a farm myself.

There's more to it than just seeing Halsin speaking softly to horses, as awesome a sight as that would be. There's more to living out in the country than horses, believe me. This kind of morphed into Country Halsin and not Cowboy Halsin, but I hope y'all like it anyway. Let's go through a day in the life, shall we?

Halsin would probably be up before dawn, kissing your cheek before getting out of bed as carefully as possible, trying not to wake you. You have your own goals to accomplish today, he wants to let you wake up on your own.

Besides, he loves the stillness just before the sun rises. The nocturnal creatures are seeking their nests and burrows, the diurnal ones have yet to wake. This solitary commune with nature is one of the highlights of his day, listening to the wind in the leaves, the crickets and the frogs. It is a very referent time of morning that seems to stretch for ages and at the same time end far too soon.

As he reaches the barn, the day officially begins. Animals need to be fed. Mostly they graze in the pasture, but some need special treatment. An old swaybacked mare needs a little something extra to keep her weight up. Maybe there's a colt who managed to hurt himself somehow, and the wound needs to be tended to. Maybe it's cold outside, so he throws out alfalfa with the hay. Alfalfa is also called 'hot hay' because it raises an animal's body temperature, which is a great trick for winter.

He speaks to the horses as he works, maybe fondly berating the colt for being so clumsy in his excitement, or encouraging the mare to eat everything he's set out for her, smoothing a large hand down her side and smiling to himself when he feels her ribs much more faintly than he used to. One of the horses who is usually waiting in the mornings isn't there... that's a bit odd. He'll turn up eventually. The chickens milling around outside have heard his voice and know The One Who Feeds Them has arrived, so they peek around and wander into the barn themselves, waiting very impatiently. The goats in another small paddock nearby are just as impatient. They start yelling and bleating as if they're starving to death and He Is A Cruel And Unjust Father And They Are Going To Scream.

He likes hearing the chickens chatter as he scatters out feed for them. They don't have anything of real importance to say, but they never stop talking. Mostly it's "Food! Food! Food! Bug? Food! Scratch. Peck. Scratch. Bug!" in a dozen warbling little voices. He brought a bag of veggie scraps from last night's dinner with him to throw to the goats, which stops them yelling. "I don't think the neighbors heard you yet," he would say dryly as he throws hay to them as well. Sometimes they headbutt each other for access to the best morsels, and while he wants to prevent this to keep anyone from getting injured, he knows it's in their nature. He keeps an eye on the smallest and oldest, however, making sure they get their fair share. The twin kids born last week toddle after their mother like baby ducks. It seems like she has enough milk for both of them, though he still has powdered formula and bottles from the last kidding season, just in case they're needed once more.

Now that everyone's been fed, it's time to walk the fences, looking for that missing horse in the process. A lesser known but very important job when it comes to country life. Any breaks could not only let animals out, but predators in. He'd keep an eye out for signs of predators nearby. He hasn't seen any today, but he heard coyotes crying out in the darkness the night before. By this time of morning, though, he has company. You've made your appearance, bleary-eyed and handing him an insulated cup of coffee. You're already on your second.

The fog from earlier hasn't been burned off completely by the sun yet. It's a quiet time for the two of you to walk the property lines together. Halsin is a bit concerned about that horse. He hasn't shown up yet. Soon, though, he sees a silhouette in the last bits of fog, and sighs with relief. The horse isn't lying down from illness, he's just... trapped. The two of you look at this big strong chestnut gelding, eyes rolling and sides heaving, barricaded in the corner of the pasture because... there's a rabbit in the way. A fat little gray-brown bunny, nibbling delicately at the grass without a care in the world. Truly a terrifying sight to behold.

"Arthur we've spoken about this," Halsin sighs as he walks closer to the horse. "Rabbits can't hurt you. They eat plants, and they're tiny. Look!"

Still, Arthur isn't convinced. Halsin soothes him, stroking his nose and smiling to himself at the absurdity of it.

"My heart," he glances to you, "please convince our visitor to release Arthur."

You smile as you shuffle closer to the rabbit, gently shooing it back through the fence. Now that Arthur is out of mortal peril, he happily walks off towards the barn.

"They're majestic creatures," Halsin admits, "but sometimes..." He shakes his head, then keeps walking the fence. "Come on, my love... we're only halfway."

~~~

A round bale is delivered around lunchtime. The thing is as tall as you and just as wide and weighs an ungodly amount. But it needs to go out into the pasture somehow. Moving a round bale is a two-person job. Your job is to hold the gate open and keep the curious horses at bay... and to watch as Halsin, sleeves rolled up and muscles bulging, easily rolls it into the paddock as though it weighs nothing. He barely has time to set the feeder ring around it before the horses are nosing greedily at the fresh hay.

"I wish I could help more," you say as you close the gate.

"You help plenty," he replies, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Besides..." There's a faint glint of mischief in his eyes. "I've flattered myself into thinking you like to watch."

You grin and say he's being ridiculous, but you both know the truth.

~~~

As active a man as he is, Halsin isn't content to spend the heat of the day indoors. There are still so many things to be done. Bird feeders to fill. Eggs to collect from the chickens. The vegetable garden to water and weed. Water troughs to top up. Finally, there's a little time to take a break. Sometimes you have other things on your schedule, but today you decide to join him. The two of you find a shady spot under a tree and settle in with a book, some whittling, perhaps a snack, and you let yourselves get lost in nature. The afternoon sounds are different from the early morning ones. There are no crickets or frogs, no reverent stillness. Now there are raucous little songbirds fighting over birdseed, the chatter of a squirrel, the crow of the rooster, maybe even the far-off braying of a neighbor's donkey a quarter mile away. The windchimes you hung from the back porch. And underneath it all, the wind humming in the trees. Halsin leans back against the rough bark of the tree, closes his eyes, and feels the undercurrent of life running through all things. You can't help but admire the sheer expression of peace and happiness on his face, and set your little diversions aside to lean your head on his shoulder. His arm instictively wraps around you to pull you closer against him, and you enjoy simply existing as part of nature for a while.

~~~

The sun is about to set, casting mile-long shadows and lighting up the fields like gold. It's nearing time to go inside and help make dinner. But first the old mare and the colt need to be tended to once more. Another helping of special feed for the mare, sequestering her in her stall so that she can eat in peace without a certain someone (whose name may or may not be Arthur} attempting to share. The colt's wound is healing nicely, and Halsin digs in his pocket for a cookie in exchange for the colt standing still enough to be treated. He tosses another cookie to Arthur who protests that he too needs special food because he is a special boy.

He comes inside to clean up and help with dinner. He'll need to go back out in an hour or so to let the mare out of her stall, but in the meantime he's happy to be in your company as you maneuver around each other in the kitchen. If you're cooking, it may be a bit difficult with those big arms around you from behind. The two of you have been busy all day, and now that you're done with your work, he has decided to make things a little difficult.

"Love, please, I need to get to the spice cabinet." "I can reach it just fine. Tell me what you need."

"Halsin, I can't work with you right behind me like this!" "I fail to see how this is a problem, my heart. I'm having a wonderful time."

Halsin is normally a mild-mannered type, but his sense of humor sneaks out in sly ways from time to time. At least he hasn't broken out the horrible puns yet. And you have to admit, it's nice to be able to feel his deep voice resonate against your back.

Halsin is ready to sleep when it's time for bed (as long as you are too, of course. He's always up for 'extracurricular activities' if the mood is right). "We did well today, my heart," he says quietly in the darkness, pulling you close. "Pleasant dreams." He can hear the faint sounds of frogs and crickets outside your window, and that coupled with your soft breathing is enough to lull him into a deep sleep.

Was it a long day full of hard work? Yes.

Would he trade away any of it? Never.

#aerynwrites I hope you like it #I'm sick today so I'm writing when I should be sleeping #I like to live dangerously #never thought living on a farm would help me write fanfiction #no ducks on this farm because he thinks ducks belong in the rivers and ponds #so don't come at me with 'but where are the ducks'#they're in the lake not on the farm #no cows either because I don't know much about caring for them so.#halsin silverbough #my writing #bg3 fanfiction #halsin bg3 #halsin x tav #halsin x reader #baldurs gate halsin

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