#limey whispers | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dean-winchester-is-a-warrior · 2 years

Text

Learning About the Perks of Feminism

Photo from @fromjjwithlove blog

Summary: Y/N wants Soldier Boy badly. But she wants him on her terms. Can he handle her modern ways?

Warnings/Explicit 18+: Pretty much all smut. Some tiny bit of plot. Soldier Boy being a grumpy asshole, Unprotected PinV sex, pull-out method of BC used, coming on tits, oral, m/f receiving, face riding. Fluff if you squint.

Pairings: Soldier Boy x Y/N

Word Count: 2,620

A/N: So, I’ve decided to do all 30 of these writing prompts. I may miss a day here and there, but I’m going to try to do one a day, and I will be completing all 30 no matter what. They won’t always be in order. This fic will be for the prompt: Write about your MC nicknames. I took some liberty with this prompt, but they do talk about what he want's Y/N to call him.

I will be putting together a Masterlist for all 30 prompts and adding it to my main Masterlist.

A/N 2: This post is the inspiration for this fic. The amazing @deanswaywardgirl deserves so much credit for spurring on my horny brain with an amazing smutty scenario. And @candy-coated-misery0731 deserves all the credit for encouraging the writing of this fic. So, you owe any smutty happiness this fic brings you, to those two lovelies! 😄😄

Both beautiful text dividers, both below and at the bottom, were created by @firefly-graphics

"We'll be back in just a few hours, love."

Butcher patted Y/N on the shoulder and then whispered in her ear. "Try to watch him, make sure he doesn't go nuclear, but if he looks ready to do some damage, you get your sweet ass the fuck outta here, yeah?"

Soldier Boy pressed a button on the remote before speaking in the driest of tones.

"You know, my hearing is super too, you limey fuck." He leveled a look at Butcher and Billy straightened to his full height.

"Fine, I'll say it plain then. Hurt one hair on her head and Supe or not, deal or not, I'll rip your fuckin' heart out."

Y/N rolled her eyes. Since the moment the Boys took her on as part of the team, Butcher had tucked her under his wing like a mama bird. He refused to accept that she'd been surviving on the streets and working within the underground network of criminals since she was thirteen years old, and more than a dozen years on, she could certainly take care of herself.

She looked over at Soldier Boy and saw a spark of humor in his eyes as he looked up at Butcher, no doubt contemplating how quickly he could crush him if he wanted to, especially given that Butcher was currently V-free.

But he merely gave Butcher a smirk and went back to the TV, frowning at a commercial for men's exfoliating body scrub.

"Jesus fuck," he mumbled, "whatever happened to a fuckin bar of soap?"

Y/N turned back to Butcher and patted his arm. "I'll be fine. You guys be careful." When he still hesitated she stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. "Go on, Hughie's waiting."

He flushed slightly and left the room.

Y/N sat back down on the couch, and as Soldier Boy engrossed himself in the wide and varied choices offered by the modern television landscape, she took the opportunity to finally really look at him.

Hughie and Butcher had shown up at her motel room door a couple hours earlier with a nuclear superhero in tow. Y/N had been surprised to say the least, but after her first glimpse of him, she’d been avoiding looking directly at the Supe for too long at once. It felt a little like looking into the sun. From what little she knew about Soldier Boy, he seemed like an old school asshole, but god damn the devil came in a beautiful package.

Hughie had run to a Walmart nearby and grabbed him clothes he thought would fit, a plain white tank top, grey sweats, and a short-sleeved, NY Giants jersey.

They were plain, simple, clothes, but on Soldier Boy they were the hottest things Y/N had ever seen. The way the jersey pulled tight across his broad, powerful shoulders and wide, muscled chest, made Y/N feel like she might start drooling at any moment. Also, the way the round, open collar exposed the long column of his throat and his bold, defined clavicle bones, gave Y/N the desire to lick and bite at his tanned, lightly freckled skin.

The lightweight grey sweats were loose and baggy, and she was almost positive he wasn't wearing underwear. When he'd been walking around earlier, the thin material had clung to his round, plump ass like a second skin and there had been something that hung long and low in the front that made her mouth water, imagining just what it could be. Maybe it had simply been a trick of the light, but she seriously doubted that.

His body was powerful, radiating a kind of strength that was simply entrancing. But she still thought his face might be even more attractive. His hair was longish and soft, and had a tendency to fall into his eyes, which gave him a boyish air that suited his superhero name. His beard was trimmed close, soft-looking, making Y/N's fingers itch to touch it.

His eyes were usually a mossy green, but sometimes, depending on the light, they seemed to shine like emeralds. They were absolutely stunning and, Y/N felt as though it would be easy to be pulled in by them, and lose yourself.

If his eyes were angelic, his mouth was all sin. It screamed of carnal delights and promised hours of bliss. Staring at him now, she had no trouble imagining his mouth swollen and wet from licking and sucking pleasure into her skin. Her body tensed and her pussy clenched.

She was so lost in her imaginings that she jumped when Soldier Boy's deep voice pulled her back to reality. He continued to stare at the TV as he spoke.

"You know one of my other abilities is a super keen sense of my surroundings. Which means that I'm hyper aware when someone is watching me."

He finally turned to face her, pinning her down with his gaze. After a minute he gave her a smirk. "Like what you see, pretty thing?"

Y/N scoffed even as her stomach flipped. "Do lines like that usually work?"

For a second he looked like he was going to get mad, but then he just shrugged. "Yeah, they do.” He frowned. “Or they used to. Women have changed a lot from what I can tell.”

Y/N smiled. “Well, we’ve decided we like our independence. And we don’t like chauvinist assholes telling us what to do.”

Soldier Boy’s frown turned darker, and Y/N wondered if she was being incredibly stupid.

Deciding that fortune favored the bold, she got up and strode over to where he was sitting on the side of the bed, one leg stretched out in front of him, the other braced on the floor.

She quickly straddled his lap and relished the look of shock on his face. She ground her cunt down against the hard bulge that confirmed her suspicions of a huge dick and no underwear.

Soldier Boy groaned loudly and his breathing came fast and harsh. He clamped his hands hard on her hips, keeping her immobile.

"Jesus Christ! Are all women this horny and aggressive nowadays?"

Y/N shook her head. "No, not all of us. But like I said, we like our independence, and we go after what we want. And I definitely want you. In spite of the cheesy lines and the knowledge that you could crush me like a bug if you wanted to, I still want you. We've only got a couple hours on our own and who knows when this chance will be in front of me again. So," she thrust her hands into his hair and pulled his head back slightly. "Like what you see, pretty thing?" She echoed back to him.

His eyes had become hooded with desire, as he looked deep into her eyes. "I don't know, I usually like to be in charge." He said, in a voice that made a shiver run through her as she imagined letting him take over. She suspected he would be very good at being in charge.

But her defiant streak was strong and she wanted to keep in control.

"Trust me baby, Feminism has given us lots of rights and freedoms we deserve, but it's also helped us," she grabbed his cock through his thin sweats, "express our sexual freedoms."

She squeezed him gently and he threw his head back with a groan. She took the opportunity to lick up the length of his throat, and then nibble at the hinge of his jaw.

She moved her mouth to his ear and whispered to him. "Tell me, what name do you want me to scream out when I come? Soldier Boy or Ben? Or would you prefer, "Ooh, fuck me Big Daddy!"

He yanked her back from his ear so he could look at her closely. He studied her a minute and Y/N let a mischievous smile curl her lips so he'd know she was having fun. He shook his head, still a little upended by her boldness.

But eventually, he smiled too. "Just Ben, baby."

He pulled her mouth down to his in a wild and searing kiss. Just as she suspected, that wicked mouth was pure sin masquerading as paradise. His tongue was hard as it thrust into her mouth. He swallowed down her moans and wordless pleas as he ravaged her, lips sucking and biting.

Wanting some of the power back, she bit into his succulent bottom lip, dragging a ragged moan from his throat. She pulled back from the kiss and shoved his open jersey off his shoulders, leaving him in only his tank top.

She ran her hands over the thick, round, curve of his shoulders, and then pushed his undershirt up so she had access to all the smooth, flat muscles of his torso.

She tugged at his shirt. "Take this off." She ordered. Looking as though he was participating in an experiment he wasn't too sure about, he reluctantly followed her demand.

But as soon as the shirt was gone she began kissing her way down his body. She paused when she reached his nipples, twirling her finger around the left one and teasing the right one with the tip of her tongue.

"Uhn, fuck!" Ben growled, and Y/N looked up to see him with his eyes closed, biting into his bottom lip. The sight made her moan and purr against his skin.

Fuck he was hot.

She felt his cock growing harder against her stomach and she couldn't wait any longer to feel it on her tongue. Her kisses reached his waistband and she grabbed hold of it.

He lifted his hips automatically and Y/N gasped as his cock popped free and fell against his stomach. Settling herself between his legs, she licked all the way up the underside of his dick, before dragging her tongue across his slit, lapping up the pre-cum that had gathered there.

She hollowed her cheeks and sucked the sensitive head of his cock into her mouth. She bobbed slightly on the very top, sucking and flicking her tongue back and forth. Ben jerked his hips and sank one of his hands into her hair.

"Jesus! Yes, good girl. Fuck your mouth is perfect!"

Y/N moaned at his praise, letting the vibrations travel down his dick as she sank all the way to the base. She relaxed her throat so that she could fit his whole cock into her mouth. Ben gathered her hair into a ponytail in his hand. "Look at me, pretty one. I wanna see your face while you're stuffed full of my cock."

Y/N looked up at him, pulling off and letting the spit and cum dribble down her chin before she sank back down on him. After another minute or so Ben pulled her off his cock with a deep moan. Quickly he ripped off her t-shirt and bra, yanking down her jeans and underwear and tossing them to the side of the bed.

Then with complete ease, he picked her up and spun her around, so that she was facing away from him. He laid down flat beneath her and pushed her forward so that her ass was higher. Then, spreading her pussy wide with his thumbs, he licked a stripe up through her folds with his wide, hot tongue and Y/N screamed out her pleasure.

He spoke against her dripping wet heat. "This way we can both get what we need. After all what kind of man would I be if I let you do all the heavy lifting?"

Before she could respond to that, his mouth sank into her cunt, and Y/N grabbed hold of his dick, bobbing up and down on it while she writhed and shook against his face.

His beard was soft, but as he fucked her thoroughly with his mouth, even the soft hair began to leave a pleasant burn behind on the inside of her thighs. She was grateful she'd have a souvenir from him.

As she neared her climax, Ben slipped his hands around her ribcage and lifted her from a reclining position to sitting one, positioning her to sit more fully on his jaw. He licked up into her, pushing his hard tongue past her entrance before undulating it against her incredibly sensitive skin. He sucked her clit into his mouth and then nibbled on it, sending Y/N tumbling, shaking and moaning over the edge.

But he didn't stop there. He was perfectly capable of holding her in that position, over his mouth, for as long as he wanted, and he kept her there, drinking up every drop she gave him through two more orgasms.

Finally he turned her to face him, and sat her on his lower abdomen, her drenched pussy leaving a wet spot. She reached behind her to stroke his long, thick cock that was running along the crack of her ass.

"Fuck me, Ben, please fuck me."

He chuckled slightly as he moved his fingers to rub against her clit.

"This position is all you, beautiful. You started this, you finish it."

Y/N refused to back down from the challenge he was giving her even though her limbs were wobbly and tired. She climbed onto his cock and slowly slid down onto it. She rode him hard and fierce, taking energy from every one of his guttural curses.

He raised his hands to her tits, squeezing them and rolling her nipples between his fingers. Before letting them fall back into place so he could watch them bounce as she rode him.

As she began to wane, not sure how much longer she could keep up the pace, Ben rolled her onto her back and began to piston his hips into her, shaking the entire bed frame and smashing the headboard into the wall.

He pulled out abruptly. His voice was harsh and ragged. "I don't have a rubber, so where do you want me to come?" He asked.

"Come on my tits." She said breathlessly, reaching out to pump his cock that was covered with her slick.

Ben reached down and slid two thick fingers deep into her cunt, curling them just right so that she came almost immediately. Ben took over, pumping his cock fast and watching Y/N's face as she cried out, pleasure cascading across her features. Her beautiful face, lips swollen and still wet with his cum was just the image he needed to push him into the abyss.

Bucking into his hand, he shot ropes of cum across Y/N's tits, milking his cock, as he listened to the satisfied moans and sighs that were coming from her lips. He fell forward on top of her, too spent to care about the mess he was creating on both their bodies.

The two of them dozed off for the better part of half an hour before Ben woke up and immediately scooped Y/N up. Still half asleep in his arms, she let out a shout of surprise as he turned on the shower and stepped them both into the warm spray.

He cleaned them both up quickly and then again carried Y/N out of the bathroom.

She rolled her eyes. "You know, I have legs. I can just walk."

Ben looked down at her seriously. "But your muscles are tired. Mine aren't, even a little, so why wouldn't you let me carry you?"

Y/N shrugged. "Part of that whole modern, doing things for ourselves, independence thing I was mentioning earlier."

It was Ben's turn to roll his eyes, but he set her on the ground. "Well, I don't know if I'll ever understand the whole women's lib thing."

He grinned and nodded towards the messy bed.

"But it sure has its perks!"

1 - Jensen RPF + Any/All characters Jensen plays.

@lyarr24

@siospins2

@impalaslytherin

@maggiegirl17

@akshi8278

@candy-coated-misery0731

3 - Any/All Fics (regardless of fandom/character.)

@sunshineandwings86

@kazsrm67

@sexyvixen7

4 - Everything (includes fan vid/DOOL edits as well)

@unabashed-lover-of-fictional-men

@awkward-and-indecisive

@maliburenee

@supernatural4life2022

@spn730015

@b3autyfuldisast3r

@kickingitwithkirk

@waywardbaby

@foxyjwls007

@deanwanddamons

@deandreamernp

@deanwithscissors

@myloversgone

@snowlovespie

@leigh70

@all-alone-he-turns-to-stone

@fangirlxwritesx67

@charred-angelwings

@hopefuldreamers-world

@mysherlock221b

@jensensgotyoudean

@stixnstripesworld

@thoughts-and-funnies

@magssteenkamp

@norman1967

@princessmisery666

@eevvvaa

@mishkatelwarriorgoddess

@deepsketchsupernaturalcowboy

@b-i-t-c-h-i-e

@twirpbunwarrior

@mysweetlittledesire

@waynes-multiverse

@mrsjenniferwinchester

@bernasaurus

@jensenslady79

#30 days writing challenge #soldier boy x reader #soldier boy x y/n #soldier boy smut #the boys s3 #the boys s3 spoilers #soldier boy #ben #soldier boy fan fiction #the boys fan fiction

2K notes · View notes

zepskies · 2 hours

Text

Imagine: Soldier Boy Getting Jealous...

Pairing: Soldier Boy (Ben) x F. Reader || (past Frenchie x F. Reader)

Request: Soldier Boy finding out you had something with Frenchie, years before meeting him.

Word Count: 1K

Tags/Warnings: Jealousy lol (With a hint of spice.~)

Imagine: Ben getting jealous over your past relationship with Frenchie.

He doesn't care.

Because he doesn't care...

When you sit him down in the living room of your apartment and tell him you used to date Frenchie, Ben's reaction is mild at best. To the point where it kind of concerns you.

Ben raises a brow and gives a deep hum.

"Oh, really? That limey bastard?" he remarks. He takes a sip from his tumbler of whiskey. You give him a weary sigh.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't call him that," you reply. You and Frenchie are still friends. Your "entanglement" was years ago, before he even started hooking up with Cherie.

But you still want to be honest with Ben. You two have been dating for a few months now, and it's actually serious. No one's more surprised than you by that fact, but...you're happy. You think he is too.

At your response, however, Ben rolls his eyes and continues drinking. You tilt your head in suspicion.

"So you're chill?" you ask.

"Chill?" he quirks a brow at you. Your lips form a smile.

"You're okay with this," you amend.

Ben shrugs and turns on the TV, trying to navigate the streaming apps. You’d put him on to Game of Thrones. Even three seasons into his binge-watching, he doesn’t want to admit that he’s hooked.

"You're fucking a real man now, sweetheart. No skin off my nose," he says.

It's your turn to roll your eyes, despite a warm blush stinging your cheeks.

But the next time you all go out together to a club in the city, Ben watches you leave his side to say hello to your friends: Annie, Hughie, Frenchie and Kimiko. Frenchie takes your hands and makes a show of looking you up and down.

"Well, well. She shoots to kill tonight, eh?" Frenchie says. When he leans in to kiss your cheek, he whispers, "Ah, black leather. My old favorite."

"Stop," you warn with a smile, hitting his shoulder. He's absolutely shameless. "You're too much."

"And you are just enough," Frenchie returns. He whistles playfully as he raises your hand to twirl you around, showing you off in your little black dress and red-bottom heels.

You laugh, but you bump into Ben when you twirl for the second time. Your laughter cuts off abruptly when you see the flinty look on his face, though he's clinging to stoicism.

Frenchie eyes widen as he seems to realize the very real danger he's put himself in. He wisely lets go of your hand, pivots on his heel and goes with Kimiko over to the dance floor.

Meanwhile, you move back to Ben's side and try to placate him by looping your arm through his. He responds by wrapping a strong arm around your waist. His eyes bore into the back of Frenchie's head so hard, you almost expect laser beams to come out of them.

"Come on, let's get a drink," you suggest, patting a hand on Ben's chest. He looks good tonight in a burgundy button-down shirt tucked into his slacks.

Ben wordlessly agrees to your suggestion, but he grabs a stool and drags it close to his own seat. He does help you by the hand onto the stool, but then his arm wraps back around your waist, pulling you in snugly, possessively to his side.

You try not to smile in amusement. It's a caveman's display, but at least you know the root cause this time.

...Okay, maybe you feel the tiniest bit complicit, but really, you think Ben's overreacting.

After he flags down the bartender and orders his bourbon and your martini, you tap against his bearded cheek, earning his green-eyed attention.

"You okay?" you ask knowingly.

"Just fine," he deadpans.

"Oh, well that's convincing," you say with a smile. "Do I need to remind you that I'm here with you?"

Ben's gaze hardens. "I don't know. You were pretty happy to let that French whore put his fucking hands all over you—"

"All right. Calm down, Rambo," you say, trying not to laugh as you rub his arm. "Sorry, baby. That's just how we've always cut up. It doesn't mean anything."

Ben scoffs in derision. "Yeah? Fuck if I care."

You frown at that, sparking with annoyance. Somehow, now you actually do feel guilty. You and Frenchie have bounced off each other like Derek and Garcia for so long, you didn't even realize how it might look...or how it might make your boyfriend feel.

Because even with all that ego and injured pride, you have a feeling there's a real sting of hurt under there.

"Hey," you say, squeezing Ben's wrist. His gaze remains stubbornly on the bartender making your drinks.

You decide to take matters more firmly into your hands.

Reaching up for his chin, you guide Ben's face toward yours and press a kiss to his lips. It's slow at first, but it soon gains in passion. His teeth graze your bottom lip, before his tongue demands entrance into your mouth with claiming purpose.

It elicits a hint of a moan from you, your fingers clenching in his hair. Your nails drag against his scalp, almost making him shudder.

Your supple lips eventually pull away from his, nice and slow.

"Your hands are the only hands I care about touching me," you say. Your expression twinkles with mischief as you toy with the zipper on the side of your dress.

"As a matter of fact, I need your help," you add. "This zipper keeps catching on something. I think it's stuck."

Quite possibly because someone got a little handsy in the cab on the way here.

Ben smirks, though he claims your lips in one more slightly rough kiss before he answers.

"Well that is a problem," he says. His eyes roam down your face, taking in your thoroughly kissed lips, and the cleavage peeking out at him from the neckline of your dress.

"Think I can give you a hand," he says, as his actual hand slips down your leg. His fingers brush along the inside of your thigh, tingling across your skin. His half-lidded gaze once again meeting yours. "Better take you out back and fix you up."

You laugh, despite the return of your blush. You cling to his shoulders, while his fingers burn a tantalizing trail upwards.

"Oh, yeah. Save me, Soldier Boy!" you tease.

He snorts in response, but he helps guide you out of your seat.

Moments later, all your friends find at the bar are two forgotten drinks and a couple of empty stools.

AN: Ah, jealous Ben. It's fun to imagine. 😂

Ko-Fi Me ☕

Soldier Boy Masterlist

Main Masterlist

SB Tag List (Part 1):

@melancholictearz @spnwoman @sleepyqueerenergy @wayward-lost-and-never-found @thewritersaddictions

@samanddeaninatrenchcoat @deanwanddamons @anticxrrupt @adoringanakin @theonlymaninthesky

@teehxk @midnightmadwoman @iprobablyshipit91 @agalliasi @venicesem

@deans-spinster-witch @chriszgirl92 @lyarr24 @ladysparkles78 @solariklees

@xsophianicolex @deansbbyx @mimaria420 @candy-coated-misery0731 @curlycarley

@sarahgracej @bagpussjocken @deanfreakingwinchester @skyesthebomb @this-is-me19

@kazsrm67 @letheatheodore @agothwithheavysetmakeup @jacklesbrainworms @foxyjwls007

@wincastifer @emily-winchester @tearsfortheyouth @solo-pitstop-vibes @dope-trope-105

@liuope @beautyvaliant @xxlaynaxx @chernayawidow @tmb510

@iamsapphine @roseblue373 @lacilou @fics-pics-andotherthings-i-like @waynes-multiverse

#Imagine: Ben getting jealous #reader request #Soldier Boy imagine #soldier boy x reader #Frenchie #soldier boy #the boys #soldier boy/ben #soldier boy x female reader #soldier boy x you #the boys tv #the boys amazon #soldier boy fanfiction #jensen ackles characters #jensen ackles #jealousy #hint of spice #zepskies writes

40 notes · View notes

carbo-ships · 7 months

Text

Ghouls' Night Out

Word count: 7816 [AO3 link] Co-authored with @limey-self-inserts! We answer the age-old question: "What if the ghouls had to drink blood?" There is biting. Lots of biting. This was so fun.

Papa Emeritus IV sat at his desk one Spring evening, his calendar laid out next to the latest Farmer’s Almanac. He flipped ahead to October preemptively then checked the small book to confirm his suspicions. October 23rd – a Monday this year, he noted with a bit of relief. Saturdays were the worst. How could he be expected to preach the following morning? He scribbled “Hunter’s Moon” in the designated spot in the calendar, circling it for emphasis. It was still a few months away, but it was time to start preparing.

The astronomical event was an annual source of headache for Papa. It was the one day of the year when the ghouls could not hold back their demonic tendencies. They became antsy, aggressive – even feral, at times. The only way to bring them back to their mostly-civilised selves was to let them fully indulge in their urges when the moon was high in the sky.

Simply put, they needed blood.

In Secondo’s days, the effect of the Hunter’s Moon had merely been a rumour. It was something the ministry very effectively kept under wraps. His ghouls would corner any curious church members they found wandering the church hallways after nightfall, take what they needed, and either send them right back to their quarters or, in Sodo’s case, occasionally keep them around for the night. It had been fairly discreet – the marks on their necks were easily hidden by the habits and high collars. Most siblings of sin never learned about the details of what happened those nights, and those that did were seldom believed. Popular opinion suggested it was nothing more than a ghost story meant to prevent new church members from wandering around after curfew.

Papa Terzo had changed all of that. His ghouls and their tendencies should be celebrated, he’d argued, not hidden in some dark hallway after-hours. No, they deserved a night of proper entertainment. The first year had been informal and chaotic. With Terzo’s blessing, the ghouls had rounded up any willing soul they’d found wandering the halls of the church that October evening and chased them down in the woods outside the churchyard like a pack of hungry wolves. It was fun, but the aftermath was messy. Word had gotten out and whispers circulated among the congregation. The next year, Terzo awoke to a crowd of willing victims waiting at the door to the ghouls’ den. He had to intervene for the sake of keeping the peace and preventing any accidents. In the years following, a system had been established – this took some of the fun out of it, Sodo always complained, but the ministry insisted it was necessary. There were sign-up sheets, consent forms, and medical checks to ensure those selected were physically fit for the task. Sister Imperator refused to have anyone bleed out just to entertain the band. It was the time of yearly reminders that “church members on blood thinners are not permitted to participate, regardless of how badly you want Mountain or Cumulus to manhandle you, as you will die”. The shortlist of viable applicants was then passed along to the ghouls, who collectively decided upon how many they would invite, and who they would be.

This was Papa IV’s second year managing the chaotic event. Papa Nihil and Sister Imperator had handled it during the period of sede vacante until the mitre and its responsibilities had been passed to him. He’d heard quite a bit about the evenings from Terzo and Secondo when they had still been around, enabling him to handle the first year with relative ease. It was more of a nuisance than anything else – excessive paperwork, a night of no sleep, and hours spent on edge as he tried to anticipate any potential mishaps. If it were fully up to him, he would sack the idea altogether. However, he knew the congregation would call for his immediate removal if he so much as suggested depriving them of the opportunity to have Sodo’s fangs in their neck.

This year presented an additional hiccup that he hadn’t foreseen – Aether, and his relationship with Ardis. He was fully committed to her, and he had expressed a bit of anxiety regarding this year’s hunt to Papa behind closed doors. There was nothing inherently romantic or sexual about the hunt, they both knew, but it still didn’t feel right. Papa was about to suggest that he invite Ardis to join the pack of volunteers, but the idea died on his tongue. The thought of his angel being hunted made him uneasy. They would have to find Aether an alternate means of making it through the night.

Papa was still ruminating over their options when Ardis came to visit one June evening. Aether had been doing some essential maintenance on his guitar, so Ardis joined Papa in his study to wait. His desk was littered with papers – waivers and medical reports with little notes scribbled all over them. The angel asked him about them, and after hesitating, he explained with no small amount of discomfort. Ardis listened attentively, eyes wide and cheeks flushed. “We didn’t feel it was appropriate for Aether to participate this year, given how the congregation tends to interpret these things,” he assured her when he’d finished.

“Then what’s Aether going to do?” she asked, concern on her face. “He needs it just as much as the others do, doesn’t he?”

The man sighed. “We’re… still trying to figure that out. But rest assured, we’ll come up with something. It’s still a few months away.”

Ardis held her tongue for a moment before speaking up again. “Does it have to be a human’s blood? Or would an angel’s be good enough?”

Papa nearly dropped his pen in surprise. “Wh– Ardis, are you sure? I’m not sure you understand what you’re offering, cara.”

She steeled her resolve. “I care about him. I don’t want him to suffer just to protect me.”

It took ages to convince Papa, but he finally yielded, saying that it would be up to Aether. That night, when Aether and Ardis were cuddled up between his sheets, Ardis brought the topic up. The ghoul, similarly, was stunned into a brief silence by her offer. Initially, he shut it down. He couldn’t possibly do that to her. Wouldn’t she be scared of him? Didn’t she know how much it would hurt? However, Ardis wouldn’t back down. Didn’t he need this? Weren’t they a team? He’d requested the night to think about it, and when sunrise came, he relented – under certain conditions. No one else was allowed to bite her, for starters. He trusted the other ghouls with his life, of course, but not with hers. Second, she had to pass the same health checks as everyone else who signed up. He wasn’t willing to take any risks. And finally, she needed to know that she could change her mind at any time. He would arrange to have some blood bags on standby. She was never under any obligation to continue. She agreed without complaint. It was decided. Ardis would join.

The fateful Monday came quickly. The ghouls were noticeably jittery when Ardis arrived that afternoon, their tails flicking side to side in anticipation. Aether kept Ardis close by all day. He was already feeling guilty about what he knew he’d do to her in just a few hours. Some protectiveness and gentle touches ahead of time would cushion the blow.

As the sun began to set, the couple made their way out to the church’s back garden toward the gate that led to the woods. A few people were already there, waiting for the event to begin. Aether’s hand rested heavy on her shoulder, gently tugging her in closer to his side. Letting go would take some effort on his part – he knew what would happen next, what would be taking place, what he was going to do. Of course, they’d both talked this over, assured each other that it would be fine. She’d said yes. It was going to be okay. He just needed to keep reminding himself of that.

Off to the side, the rest of the ghouls were gathering together. Cirrus leaned over to Sodo, murmuring something that made him sputter and laugh as Cirrus shook her head, while Sunshine rolled her eyes (still with a smile too). Swiss and Rain were in heavy debate, Petrichor looking up at them both and interrupting with a comment that made all three grin before Rain tugged Pet in closer to nuzzle the top of their head. The air of excitement rolled heavy through them all, watching their volunteers gathering. Aether joined them, catching their attention and briefly pausing the conversations bouncing back and forth. His fingers squeezed on Ardis again, and she hooked her own grip on his shirt. It was going to be okay.

“I’m going to see you later,” Aether murmured, turning them both so he could lean down to nuzzle her forehead. The tickle of his beard prompted a small giggle from her, and another blossom of warmth rolled through his chest. “I’ll come find you, okay?”

“Of course.” Trying to hide the blush creeping up her cheeks, Ardis found her hands being quickly taken by Petrichor, who gave Aether a cheeky wink and tugged Ardis along towards the group of mortals. Aether stood tall again, watching her go with a pang in his stomach (Affection? Hunger? Both?).

“Very cute,” Sodo purred. “What happens if one of us finds her first?” He raised an eyebrow, sending him a mischievous grin. He loved getting under Aether’s skin.

“You won’t.” Aether’s voice hit a new low growl as he fixed a glare on Sodo. “And if you do find her first, you’ll let her go, understood? The mortals and Pet are all free game, but Ardis is mine. She’s my prey. Got it?”

There was a brief pause of surprise and reflection, before the other ghouls began to voice their agreement, Sodo holding his hands up and stepping away. It was rare to see this side of Aether. There were few things he took more seriously than his devotion to Ardis. A grin reappeared on Sodo’s lips. The poor girl was in for the night of her life.

Ardis, blissfully unaware of Aether’s newfound aggression, looked up at Petrichor in confusion as they led her to the cluster of church members who had been selected as the evening's prey. "Aren't you hunting with the others?" she asked, tilting her head slightly. A couple of the church members were eyeing the ghoul in confusion too, but they gave a casual hand-wave.

“Oh, no, I’m on the meal list tonight too. You’re all off the hook,” they added to the volunteers, prompting a bubble of laughter from them all. Spirits were high, as was the nervous excitement. Returning their attention to Ardis, they continued, “It’s a thing between Swiss, Rain and I…okay, mostly Swiss and Rain. Basically they get a kick out of chasing me down and they’ve had this tally running for who can catch me first. This is like the, uh…the main display, since whoever catches me tonight gets the first bite.”

Knowing that Aether would be hunting her down was enough to give Ardis chills. But the idea of having two ghouls with their undivided attention on her sent a downright shiver down her back. Swiss was…Swiss. Rain was quieter but she knew well enough that quiet didn’t mean gentle.

“Aren’t you scared?” Ardis asked.

“Nah. See, I have this thing where I try to hunt them both down in return,” Petrichor replied, a wide grin spreading across their lips. Their wings shimmied, stretching out to their fullest, the feral mania that Ardis had spotted on the other ghouls showing clear on their face. All the ghouls were hunting tonight.

Pulling her hands in close, Ardis glanced out into the woodland beyond. Not everyone had arrived that had been approved from the volunteer list, which meant plenty of time to mull over the events to unfold. She trusted Aether more than anyone, but she was still nervous. Papa had been very reluctant to let her participate, after all. That alone was making her have second thoughts. The anticipated pain was also enough to make her face pale. She’d silently admired those imposing teeth of his on more than one occasion. It had never occurred to her that she’d find herself with them buried in her neck. She drifted in and out of her worries, occasionally picking up on chatter from the other volunteers as they discussed their plans or confessed who they not-so-secretly hoped would be the one to catch them. There were about fifteen volunteers in total, Ardis guessed, perhaps more – mostly women, but there were a few men as well. Some were dressed in their usual uniforms, while others looked like they were ready for the gym. They all looked as giddy as children on Christmas morning. She remembered Papa saying just how sought-after these few positions were.

Ardis was finally pulled from her thoughts when Papa approached her group, clipboard and pen in hand. He’d come to check the roster, ensuring that everyone was present and that no one had decided to tag along without proper authorisation. He called out each person’s name, making little tick marks as he went down the printed list. His heart still sunk a bit when he reached Ardis’s name, written in at the very bottom. He took a deep breath, pushing his nagging thoughts to the back of his mind. This was no time to show weakness. If Ardis could handle this, so could he.

Papa gathered both groups together by the outer wall’s gate once he’d confirmed that everyone was present. The dark forest loomed over them. He cleared his throat and flicked to another sheet on his clipboard. “Va bene, ascoltate,” he said, calling everyone’s attention. The excited chatter fell silent, and everyone listened obediently. “Let’s go over the ground rules before we get started. First, anywhere in the forest is within bounds – this extends from this wall, to the main road a few miles west of here. I don’t think anyone has ever made it quite that far, but if you do, turn back. Second, you all should have received a white cloth, yes? No? You need to go get one. If you need to tap out, you will tie it to your wrist and make your way back to the starting point. If you are lost, ask a ghoul. They will escort you before going back to their hunt. And finally, when you get back here, make sure you check in with me so I can keep track of who’s still in the woods. Then see the nurses in the sanctuary. Bene?” Everyone agreed. This had all been on the forms they’d signed. “Good. Any questions?”

“Yeah,” one of the new volunteers spoke up, slightly raising their hand. “What happens if they can’t find us?”

A few of the ghouls chuckled, clearly amused by the notion. “Oh, we will,” Sodo said, a dark grin on his face. The newcomer paled slightly, while some of the other volunteers giggled excitedly.

“You’ll get a fifteen-minute head start,” Papa reminded those who would soon be hunted. “The church bell will ring three times when those fifteen minutes are up. Then the ghouls will be on their way. We’ll start in just a few minutes – eight o’clock sharp.”

When Ardis finally took her eyes off Papa, she found Aether’s boring into hers. There was something unfamiliar and primal in his gaze. It made her feel warm from head to toe. Papa approached her, taking her attention back off of the hungry ghoul. “Are you sure about this?” Papa asked her quietly.

Ardis nodded. “I’m sure. It’ll be okay, Papa. I promise.”

He sighed. “Okay. But remember, if it’s ever too much, you can always change your mind.” He gently kissed her forehead. “Ready?”

“Ready.”

Ardis, Petrichor, and the humans lined up at the gate. She could feel Aether’s eyes on her, but didn’t dare glance over her shoulder. She feared she would lose all her resolve if their gazes met again. It was nearly time. She could do this. As the seconds ticked down her group fell nearly silent. Papa cleared his throat to give the final countdown. “Three… Two… One…” The clock tower struck eight, and the volunteers all took off into the woods.

“See you soon!” Swiss called after them mockingly. Ardis did her best to ignore the chuckles from the other side of the gate as she pushed forward. The ghouls’ excited chatter soon faded into the distance. She and the others followed the dirt path for a minute or two until it disappeared, then all peeled off in different directions. Ardis was feeling a bit confident – she’d been practising her cardio a bit over the summer to ensure that Aether would get a decent hunt in. She would hate for him to wait all this time only to catch her the minute he stepped out of the gate. Traversing through the woods became more difficult as the brush became thicker and the last rays of sunlight faded. Twilight settled upon the forest. That alone was enough to dwindle her confidence. She was, admittedly, a little afraid of the dark. However, she did her best to push those thoughts to the back of her mind as she put distance between herself and the church. She’d never been in these woods before, and had no idea how deep they went.

After some time, she paused to catch her breath. It had been a while since she’d seen or heard anyone else. She wondered how long it had been since they’d started. As if on cue, far in the distance, the chapel bell rang out through the woods thrice. The sound was haunting. It felt as if the entire forest held its breath for a moment. Picking up her pace again, Ardis focused on weaving through the trees, trying to stay fast and careful. There’d be no help to her if she accidentally left tracks or potentially tripped over a tree root. But knowing that the ghouls were out there now, that Aether was coming after her – it made her head feel woozy from the adrenaline.

A small rustle grabbed her attention, and under the moonlight a shadowed figure glanced back over, eyes reflecting empty white. Had the ghouls somehow made it this far into the woods already? Ardis reeled backwards, holding back a shout of fear, only for Petrichor to raise a finger to their lips before racing out of sight again. She heaved a sigh of relief, steadying her footing and collecting herself before taking off running again.

By the time dusk had settled over the forest, Sodo had already struck gold. He’d sent a sibling back to the gate with wobbly legs, puncture wounds in their neck, and a slap on the ass. After basking in the adrenaline for a moment, Sodo paused and took a moment to smell the air… Not much. The humans would still be hard to track this early in the night, he reminded himself. They hadn’t quite worked up a sweat yet. Sodo listened for any signs of movement as he moved deeper into the woods, trying to ignore the ambience of the forest. A faint rustling far off in the distance caught his attention, and he crept in its direction to investigate. Someone was walking slowly, carefully, trying to stay quiet as they manoeuvred across the forest floor that was covered in a thin layer of crisp fallen leaves. It was properly dark now, making it much easier for him to move about undetected. He could see fairly well in the dark – those he was hunting could not. Sodo found a suitable hiding spot behind a small evergreen and lurked in the darkness, waiting for his victim to pass by and come into view. Minutes felt like hours as he waited there in the shadows. Finally, they were close. The ghoul readied himself to pounce, then– “Shit,” he huffed under his breath. It was Ardis. All that stalking had been for nothing. The angel jumped at the little sound he made, looking around frantically in the dark for its source. Her gaze landed on two glowing eyes just a few feet behind her and she clapped her hands over her mouth to keep herself from screaming.

“It’s just me, dove,” Sodo said gently as he stepped into a patch of moonlight that had filtered through the canopy above.

Ardis let out a heavy sigh of relief, her heart still pounding in her chest. “Heavens, Sodo, you scared me,” she whispered back.

His moustached lip formed an amused grin. “Mi dispiace. I didn’t realise it was you. Don't worry, I know the rules. Not even a nibble.” With one hand raised, he made a show of crossing his heart. She quickly looked him up and down as his bare skin caught the pale light, then suddenly became very interested in the ground. Sodo chuckled. He supposed this was likely the first time she’d seen his bare chest. “One less thing to launder in the morning, that’s all,” he explained dismissively. “Aether has likely done the same. Speaking of, you’re still in one piece. I take it he hasn’t found you yet?”

She shook her head. “You’re the first person I’ve seen since this started, aside from Petrichor.”

“Mmm, of course.” Sodo glanced about, head tilted as he almost seemed to sniff the air. Trying to find another source of warmth to go after. He stepped across through the puddles of moonlight that were streaming from above, and Ardis’s heart took another jump through her chest. She thought it’d just been the shadows of branches, but Sodo’s face, neck and chest were thoroughly streaked with black. The smell of iron wafted in his path as he paced past her, returning back to the treeline.

“Safe hunting, uccellino,” he called back over his shoulder, just before he vanished out of sight. Ardis took a moment to calm her nerves, which proved difficult. She clearly wasn’t as far ahead of the ghouls as she anticipated, especially if Sodo had already stopped to feed before he stumbled upon her. At least she hadn’t been the first volunteer to be caught – that would have been embarrassing. She could only pray that Aether had started his search in a different direction. Either way, outrunning the ghouls was clearly a futile endeavour. Her best bet for postponing the inevitable was to hide, she decided. Perhaps Aether would tire himself out if he had to search long enough and she’d get off easy. Armed with a plan, she made her way deeper into the forest.

Toward the southern edge of the woods, Petrichor lied in wait high up in the treetops. They listened carefully to the various footsteps that occasionally reached their ears, noting the gait, the speed, the volume. They were waiting for something in particular. A longer stride than Rain’s, lighter footsteps than Aether’s, faster than Sodo. Petrichor had learned to identify Swiss based on sound alone. Before much longer, the telltale signs of the multi-ghoul sounded in the distance. They peered into the darkness and just barely made out a silhouette there among the trees. Petrichor silently slinked out of their hiding spot, scaling down the trunk with ease. Swiss’s size would be his downfall. It offered him strength that vastly surpassed theirs, but it also meant he couldn’t sneak through the forest nearly as easily. The anticipation was making them a bit giddy. The hunt was on.

The leaves of the trees hadn’t all fallen quite yet, so they hadn’t gotten a very good look at their new target through the branches. However, with how loud the ghoul had been, visuals were hardly necessary. They crept towards where the sound had stopped, expecting to find Swiss pausing there to contemplate his next move. However, when they peered out from behind the tree they’d selected for cover, Petrichor found themself alone. There was no sign of him anywhere. They were confused. The footsteps had undoubtedly travelled this way. And knowing Swiss, he wasn’t stealthy enough to sneak off undetected. Petrichor sniffed the air for a moment, hoping that his musk would tell them which way he’d gone. They certainly knew the smell of him well enough. Instead, they caught a whiff of a different, although still familiar, scent on the wind.

It was too late. A slender arm wrapped around Petrichor’s waist from behind as a hand covered their mouth. Rain’s scent filled their lungs as they gasped. Petrichor heard a low chuckle in their ear as they were dragged back, colliding with Rain's chest. They fought against him, but their feet weren’t able to get proper traction.

“I’m surprised that worked,” Rain grunted as he tightened his grip on his prey. "I didn't expect you to be so easily lured out of hiding."

Grunting against the back of Rain’s hand, Pet squirmed hard, trying to flex their wings to break the other ghoul’s grip. It worked – Rain forced to loosen their grasp around their waist – but not well enough. Spinning them around, Rain took out their feet with a well-placed hooked kick to the ankles, the ground following up to punch them in the back. Petrichor coughed hard, feeling the sky and woodland roll around their field of vision as Rain crouched over them. One hand dug into their shoulders, his weight pressing them down into the dirt, the other covering Petrichor’s mouth once more.

“Shh, shh, let’s not get a crowd gathering,” Rain purred, leaning down towards his still-wriggling prey. “I want to surprise Swiss when we come back to the church and he realises I found you first, and trust me when I say the look of frustration on his face will be just as delicious as yo–”

He stopped. Petrichor also went still, breathing heavily against his hand. Rain abruptly sat up, looking around the woodland. Footsteps, getting closer, getting louder. Seconds too late, Rain realised what was about to happen and tried to brace himself. But Swiss barrelled into him without hesitation, knocking the leaner ghoul off Petrichor and the pair tumbling over each other. Petrichor quickly rolled to the side, out of the danger zone, but still laid on the ground mesmerised as the two ghouls wrestled each other furiously. Rain was doing his best to flip Swiss over and try to pin him down with his own weight, but Swiss was out-doing Rain’s best efforts purely on strength alone. Hisses spat back and forth between them as Swiss clearly showed signs of winning this contest.

Seeing as they were distracted, Petrichor quietly hopped to their feet, remaining crouched over. How amusing it would be for those two to go through all that effort only to realise they’d disappeared back into the woods. Turning, they sprung up and - a hand grabbed their ankle, dragging them straight back down with a nasty smack to their chin.

Swiss perched on Rain’s chest, sat fully on the other ghoul who was growling and gasping for breath interchangeably. One hand was tangled in Rain’s hair, keeping him pressed down. The other was gripping tight to Petrichor’s leg. He yanked on them, dragging them across the ground, claws climbing higher and higher as Petrichor tried to roll away but to no avail. Soon Swiss’s hand was gripping on their thigh, the pinned ghouls in a messy pile laying over each other and under his toothy smug grin. His eyes were wide, chest rising and falling heavy with each adrenaline-filled breath. Looming over them both, he settled a clawed hand on each sternum.

“So, which one of you wants my teeth in their neck first?” Swiss teased, his tail flicking back and forth in amusement. Neither ghoul volunteered, only glaring up at Swiss and at each other. Rain clearly blamed Petrichor for getting him pinned on his back, and they blamed him right back. “Perhaps my little pipistrello? I’m not sure I trust you to stay put while I show Rain who’s in charge, feisty little thing that you are. Best to subdue you quickly.”

He started leaning toward Petrichor’s neck, but they quickly stuttered something out to stop him. “What if– What if I proposed a truce?” A plan was formulating in their mind. It wasn’t too late. There was still a way out of this.

Swiss gave them a strange look, pausing and pulling back slightly. “What do you mean? You’re not tapping out, are you?”

“Of course not,” Petrichor scoffed, a mischievous look in their eye. “I just think you’d have an easier time with Rain if you had some help. You know how he gets.”

A hungry gleam flashed in Swiss’s eyes as he grinned. “An interesting proposal.”

Rain’s eyes widened. “What? Hey!” He unsuccessfully made another attempt at pushing himself off the ground, only proving Petrichor’s point. “I found them first, you bastard! No one should be biting me at all!”

“I suppose I wouldn’t mind the help holding him still,” Swiss chuckled, easing himself off of Petrichor to free them. The very moment he released them, Pet pivoted and lunged for Swiss’s neck. “Ah-ah-ah, no you don’t!” Swiss laughed. Moving in sync, Swiss’s hand left Rain’s throat just in time for him to help Swiss effectively pin Petrichor back into the dirt, a swift claw digging into their shirt and ripping it open. Before Petrichor even realised what was happening, Swiss’s fangs had embedded themselves in their neck. All the breath left Petrichor’s lungs at once. They struggled for a brief moment, but it was useless. Swiss’s grip on their hips was unfailing, and Rain had their arms immobilised. Swiss’s laughter rumbled against their neck, making Petrichor’s mind go foggy for a second. He took a satisfied gulp then pulled back, their blood trickling down his chin. “You’re so predictable, cucciolo. Trying to double-cross me? Really?”

Petrichor opened their mouth to answer, but the words stopped dead in their throat when Rain suddenly bit down on the opposite side of their neck. They winced, their head swimming. This hadn’t gone as they anticipated. Their goal of making it out of the woods without getting bitten had clearly backfired. Swiss quickly brought his lips back to their neck, determined to get his fill before Rain drained the smaller ghoul of everything they could handle. His tail instinctively wrapped around theirs, intertwined in the dirt while the air lifted the sound of eager drinking and cloth tearing further under Swiss and Rain’s hands. Petrichor let themself stop struggling and closed their eyes – it was pointless, and only made them dizzy. The boys had won. Pet would never admit it, not wanting to seem like the giddy mortals who waited with bated breath for the opportunity to find themselves in exactly this position, but they really did enjoy this. Swiss and Rain’s undivided attention, the sheer knowledge that both men had done nothing but look for them for the past hour… Petrichor could appreciate that, maybe more than was healthy.

Before long, the men decided they’d taken all they safely could and released the winged ghoul, letting them slowly down to lay on the ground. Panting slightly, Swiss sat back on his haunches. “So, that’s a point for me, then?” he chuckled.

Rain wiped his mouth with his wrist, just as breathless as he halfheartedly glared at Swiss. “Fuck you.”

He let out a sharp laugh, reinvigorated, and turned his attention back to Petrichor. “Better luck next year,” he tutted, carefully scooping them into his arms to settle in his lap. He cradled their head, holding them close as he waited for their eyes to peek back open. “There you are,” he cooed, “that’s it. Come back to us.” He pressed a gentle kiss to their forehead, leaving a small red stain behind.

“I’ll get you next time,” Petrichor chuckled weakly, words briefly slurring together. “Both of you. You’d better sleep with one eye open.”

“Whatever you say,” Rain said with a gentle smile. “Come on. We should get you back. How do you suppose Ardis is faring?” he asked Swiss. At the question, Petrichor promptly began to cackle softly.

Ardis, at that moment, was still creeping through the forest toward the northern edge. She’d heard more than one scream that night that had filled her mind with pure fear. She was desperate to find a proper hiding spot, and one soon revealed itself to her. A large moss-covered boulder sat among the trees, lifting out of the earth at one end to provide a small shelter. Ardis carefully slipped under it, deciding to wait there for the time being. She’d draw much less attention to herself if she remained still – her footsteps hadn’t been nearly as quiet as she’d hoped they would be.

A rustle of branches startled her, heart jumping up high. Glancing up to, what she expected, the sight of reflective ghoul eyes, instead Ardis recognised the sweaty face of one of the church members who had been at the starting line.

“Oh, shit,” the mortal murmured. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Ardis said hurriedly, hands raised. Any talk seemed too loud right now. Despite the mortal being out of breath, she wore an excited smile.

“I’ll leave this hiding spot to you,” she whispered, giving Ardis a thumb’s up. Her head abruptly snapped up, something in her peripheral catching her attention. A nervous giggle erupted from her chest and she bolted, disappearing back into the undergrowth.

For a moment, silence again. Ardis stayed as still as possible, waiting for whatever had spooked the mortal to pass her by. It did not.

Sweat beaded her palms. The waiting started to dig into her muscles, sending them trembling. Had the ghoul snuck by? Had it been nothing? She couldn’t stay hiding here forever, she had to know. Cautiously she wormed her way out, crouching down beside the large rock.

Aether’s shadow loomed. Blocking out any ambient light within the woods. Her heart dropped to her stomach. All Ardis could see of him in the moment were the relatively small glint of moon shimmer from his pupils, his gaze burrowing into her. His breath clouded the air as he let out a heavy huff.

And then he started walking towards her. She knew Aether, she knew how he moved, the way he swaggered to perform and how he pressed through the corridors with his muscle and how he was ultimately, always, gentle despite it.

This was just hunger.

She told her legs to run, but they didn’t respond. She could only stare up at him, frozen with fear as he stalked toward her. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears. Suddenly, he surged forward, pinning her to the forest floor beneath him. She let out a little yelp of surprise, the impact jolting her out of her trance. Squirming, she fruitlessly tried to escape his iron grip. She’d always assumed he was strong, solely based on his size, but this was the first time she’d experienced his full power first-hand. Every fibre of her being was screaming at her to break free, but it was impossible. He was an experienced hunter twice her weight, and gravity was on his side. This close to him, she could see the sanguine hunger in his cold stare. She was no longer his darling little angel. She was his prey.

He leaned close, his breath hot against her ear. The chuckle that rumbled in his bare chest sent a chill down her spine. A whimper escaped her throat as he gathered both of her wrists in one massive hand and pinned them to the cold earth above her head. His other hand tangled into her hair to tilt her head to the side, baring her neck to him.

“Well, well, well,” Aether purred, his voice deeper than she’d ever heard it. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. The fear she felt was primal and instinctive, as though she’d been pinned by a bear rather than her boyfriend. It was at times like this that she remembered he was a demon. “I admit, you lasted longer than I anticipated.”

His thumb scraped over her neck, finding the point of her pulse racing just below. Even that, the claw tip razor hot against her senses, made her flinch and gasp.

“Isn’t this so cute?” he murmured, trailing his hand down towards her collarbone. “You, helpless before me. Your heart racing for me. Isn’t this just…right?” Back up again now, along the underside of her jaw, his claws marked an invisible path that sent shivers up her back.

“Are you scared, angelo? Is this scaring you?” His head tilted to the side, leaning back enough that she could see his face. The teeth glinted in the faint light, as did his eyes.

For a few seconds, it was soft. Still Aether. Still her boyfriend. The breath caught in Ardis’s throat was released.

“A little,” she replied in a whisper. “But not too scared.”

Aether smiled, little and sweet. And then the hunger rolled right back in, his grip on her wrists tightening as he pressed up against her fully, making her yelp. He’d never been this rough with her before.

“Good,” he purred against her ear. “Fear makes it so much sweeter. The first bite. The blood. All the adrenaline and excitement and expectation – there’s always fear.” Her breath stuttered, another gasp falling free as she felt his teeth now, the graze of sharp points pricking at her skin. “Do it, my angel. Submit to me.”

His voice rolled down towards Ardis’s chest, her face truly ablaze and every limb trembling as he held her higher. Trying to steady herself, she opened her lips to speak, found them far too dry to form a word, and spluttered over the choked sentence. Aether let out a low growl, hand cupping underneath her chin to make her look him in the eyes.

“Yours,” she blurted out. “I’m yours.”

Aether grinned, so very hungry, and his eyes seemed to take on an extra glow as they widened with feral glee. Pushing her head to the side, he lunged down without further delay, biting through skin immediately. The pain was abrupt, causing Ardis to cry out, if only she’d had breath still to make a noise. Instead she writhed, the pain turning into a warm numbness that spread up and down her neck. Her halo glowed bright in place of a pitiful scream. Aether held tight to her waist, keeping her still as he drank. The heat of his tongue lapped over the puncture marks in her neck now, cleaning up stray droplets before he turned her head to the other side and bit down once more. The second time around wasn’t as startling and a little less painful, but just as breathtaking. A strange feeling of ecstasy started to pool in her chest. Ardis stared up at the night sky through the tree branches, somehow far too aware of how Aether’s teeth were buried in her shoulder, wondering how it was that the stars were brighter and floating more loosely than normal.

Someone was talking. Her shoulder was empty again. Her hands were down by her sides. Ardis hummed quietly, feeling a relaxation through her muscles that had been duly missed for a long time. The fact her body was responding this way punched another flushed heat through her neck and face, she’d just been bitten for crying out loud! Twice! She tried to lift her hands to hide her face as if that would hide her from the embarrassment, but her arms simply refused to move. Someone was talking again, a hand propping up her cheek.

“Ardis?” Aether cooed, his voice gentle and laced with concern. “Mi angelo? Talk to me.”

“Don’t look at me,” Ardis mumbled back. “Please, that was so… I’m embarrassed. I didn’t expect to like that.”

Slowly Aether relaxed his grip. That was his angel – so shy, so resistant to showing expressions of affection. And if she was blushing this much, then she still had enough blood in her. Although…oh yeah, he was going to need to apologise for ruining her shirt when she was more aware of her surroundings.

“Let’s get you back to Papa,” he murmured to her, pressing a kiss to her forehead and to each side of her neck. The ghoul carefully took her into his arms and stood from the forest floor. Her head slumped against his shoulder, her breaths warm and soft against his neck. “We’ll get you patched up then have a little cuddle. How does that sound?”

She gave a weak little hum of agreement. Thinking was too hard right now. She couldn’t even register the pain of the bite marks anymore. Everything was hazy and blissful. She was sure she’d be unbelievably sore in the morning, but that didn’t matter. For now, she was warm and comfortable and safe against his chest. She idly wondered if this was what being drunk felt like, but the thought left her mind just as quickly as it arrived. Aether praised her effusively for her performance as he walked – eluding him for so long, how bravely she’d taken his bites. In the twenty minutes or so that it took them to return to the gate, Ardis had regained some of her mental faculties – just enough to hide her blushing face in Aether’s neck when she saw Papa.

“How is she?” Papa asked apprehensively. “Is she alright? Did everything go okay?”

“Yes, she’s fine,” Aether assured him. “She’s just petite. I think getting bitten by a ghoul my size may have knocked her out a bit harder than I’m used to. She’ll need a little while to fully recover.”

The man let out a sigh of relief, checking them both off on his list. “Good, good. Get her checked out for me, and take good care of her. I’ll come check on her later tonight if she’s still awake.”

There was further rustling of undergrowth, a trio of ghouls flanked by a couple of church members with white cloth on their wrists and one with a giddy smile and blood on their shirt. Aether quickly recognised Swiss and Rain, with Petrichor mostly collapsed on Swiss’s back as he carried them along, Rain keeping a hand out to steady the smaller, blood-drained ghoul. Petrichor’s shirt was gone, probably the ruined tatters that Rain was carrying, and instead now Swiss’s shirt covered them up and showed off his wiry musculature. The one bit of confusion though:

“Rain, please” Papa said, a mixture of amusement and frustration tugging his face into a reluctant smile. “Please go inside and put some trousers on.” The question was there, glaringly obvious and begging for an answer. Rain shrugged, leaned across to kiss Petrichor on the forehead, and then headed through the monastery door. Swiss sidled up towards Aether and Ardis, Petrichor catching her eye from her hiding spot in Aether’s neck and giving her a wide, blood-stained grin.

“You two had fun,” Swiss teased.

“...Yeah, we did,” Aether replied, tilting his head to kiss the top of Ardis’s head and prompting her to hide her face even deeper. “So did you three.”

“We had to stop and get a snack on the way back, but I think it was very good.”

“Who won?”

“I did, of course.”

“Cheat,” Petrichor droned out behind Swiss.

“Once Rain is properly dressed and has had an extra bite himself, we’re going to take this one inside, pop a blood bag in them, and then go get a little clean together,” Swiss said. Aether hummed quietly, stepping back to talk to Ardis more privately.

“Would you like that?” he asked her. “To go get a bath?”

Ardis sighed. “I know I should, but I don’t know if I have the energy right now.”

“I’d bathe you, tesorina, don’t worry,” Aether assured her. “It’s my fault you’re a mess in the first place.”

It felt as if all the remaining blood in her body had flooded to her cheeks. “I– I, um, I don’t know…” she mumbled.

Aether gave her a sympathetic smile. “Let’s get you patched up first. Then we’ll see what our options are.”

Since Rain had excused himself to go make himself decent, Swiss and Aether made their way inside to have their victims inspected by the nurses who were stationed there. The physicians were armed with everything necessary to manage the bites – even prepared to stitch up any wounds that punctured deeper than intended – but also for any other injuries one might acquire out there in the woods. Scrapes and twisted ankles were common. Aether carefully set the angel on one of the examination tables, and Swiss set Petrichor on the other. The nurses examined the bite marks while Aether avoided their knowing glances. Swiss always handled this part with more grace than he did. Aether felt embarrassed to have others appraising his work, whereas Swiss took it with a sense of pride.

Ardis got cleaned up and released before Pet – the ghoul had a number of scratch marks that needed assessing. The nurses handed Aether some gauze and bandages, reminding him how to dress the wounds properly after she’d bathed for the night. He thanked them, shoving the supplies in his pockets. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” Aether said to the other pair as he scooped Ardis back into his arms and started down the hall. The effects of the bite were slowly wearing off, much to Ardis’s disappointment. She’d found herself enjoying the warm, foggy bliss which was gradually being replaced with real thoughts. Isn’t this so cute? You, helpless before me? It made her blush again. “Are you still doing okay?” he asked her as he turned down the hallway that led to his bedroom, pulling her out of her thoughts.

“Yeah, my, um… my brain’s just starting to work again, that’s all.”

“Ah,” Aether stuttered out, seeming to understand what she was getting at. He imagined she felt a bit embarrassed about everything that had occurred that evening. His cheeks flushed as he thought back on those moments with her pinned beneath him. “I, uh, I’m sorry if anything I said was too… uncouth. I got a bit carried away,” he admitted.

“It’s okay,” she said quickly. “I just wasn’t expecting it, that’s all. I’ve never seen you talk to your dinner like that before.”

He let out a nervous chuckle. “Well, my food seldom looks or tastes as good as you did tonight.”

That was enough to make her go completely silent.

“Now, about that bath…”

#carbo writes #THAT WAS SO FUN THIS IS SO LONG #THANK U LIMEY I HAD A BLAST

17 notes · View notes

do-it-for-the-fandom · 1 year

Note

Fic prompt: undercover kiss set sometime at the end of s4 🙌🏻👏🏻

Could-be-canon insert between 4x19 (47 Seconds) and 4x20 (The Limey).

Was also given a word of the day (like, two months ago, sorry) which was "rough". So, here you go: two birds with one stone!

Rough.

She hadn't expected it; the way he slammed her back against the wall. The force of impact caused her to bite down on his lip and she could taste the blood it drew.

She wanted to apologise, but he was unrelenting and she couldn't pull away, couldn't stop. She ran her tongue over the wound to soothe his pain and the guttural moan she incited was like a drug: instantaneously, she was hooked.

His kiss was rough and bruising, like the raw brick he had her pinned to.

His tongue as angry and forceful, as his words had been just moments ago.

What they had been fighting about, she wasn't quite sure. Everything, it seemed.

These past few days nothing was the same as it had been before and she didn't know why. She didn't understand what she had done, how she had hurt him. All she knew was that this felt an awful lot like the beginning of the end.

And that hurt.

Her skin scraped along the porous wall as he leant further into her. His knee slipped in between hers, forcing her legs to part for him; not that she would have denied him, anyway.

Better judgement was a thing of the past, doing the right thing wasn't her concern anymore.

She just wanted this closeness, this illusion that everything between them was fine.

She could lie to herself easily enough, she had been doing it for years now.

She had all but abandoned her watch, closing her eyes and shutting out the world around them - including the man they were supposed to be staking out.

But getting caught now would jeopardise their entire case - that is, after all, why they were currently making out in a seedy alleyway behind one of the city's most infamous nightclubs.

Letting their suspect slip through the cracks now would ensure they still had a case tomorrow. That's what she told herself, anyway.

It wasn't at all, not even slightly, because she couldn't focus on anything more than the taste of his mouth.

It wasn't at all, not even slightly, because the coil in her stomach was tightening with each involuntary roll of her hips against his.

It wasn't at all, not even slightly, because his touch had stolen the breath from her lungs and now she was feeling dizzy.

And weak in the knees.

And her heart was racing a million miles an hour.

Too soon, she felt his lips pulling from hers and it took everything in her not to chase them, to reclaim them with the same level of ferity he had shown.

"He's gone," Castle whispered as he stepped out from between her thighs.

The chilled night air filled the space between their bodies, making the loss of his warmth all the more cruel.

His eyes stayed fixed on the dark end of the alley, where their suspect had disappeared into the night, purposefully avoiding hers.

Her arms crossed her torso like a protective shield as she fought to catch her breath.

"Go home, Kate. There's no point in pursuing anymore."

While logic told her he was referring to their suspect; in a relationship built on the precarious foundation of subtext and innuendo, she would never be certain.

"Castle..."

He looked at her, his eyes almost begging her not to continue.

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

It was pathetic how broken and needy she sounded, but she didn't care.

She wanted his reassurance, his promise that this wasn't over yet.

That there was still hope.

"Tomorrow."

#castle fanfic #anon prompt #rick castle #kate beckett #undercover kiss #she's not a very good cop in this but idc #let the bad guy get away YOLO #caskett #richard castle #fanfic #kate beckett x richard castle #my drabbles

49 notes · View notes

ekebolou · 2 months

Text

A Haunting, pt. 4

What if.... I finished.... a story.

Down in the stone, where age and cold were one and the same and neither seemed much concerned with the living – down in the vast caverns, the old closes, the small cracks that held centuries, ran water, thick and limey with minerals. Trickling through columns that seemed purpose-built, but revealed more of chaos as they became more regular, as they multiplied into ridged swaths of meaningless walls, the water had cleared only awkward paths hesitant to even its own passage. But it trickled and it ran, and it everywhere moved and made things seem to move in the dark where nothing lived.

These paths had been found ages ago, by people then forgotten, and probably again, by people entirely unknown, and unknown generations after, but once, the Ainjir came. These caves the Ainjir called sacred, but their children no longer knew what sacred meant, and that didn’t really change the caves at all. They were neither sacred nor not sacred, but cared very little for the small giants too big for cracks and too small for caverns. The people loved the water, but the water only flowed, and trickled, and ran.

The town had been built on top of these, and the palace on top of the town, and that remained for a while, but then came the city and with it the widening and knowing of paths through the caves. Then somebody killed a king, and knowing the paths was strictly regulated – but still known. And eventually came the Academy, which started somewhere else, but soon found the unknown caves, which the known caves always knew about but the people had never.

And they found these caves good for storing cheese.

Also wine, and roots (and in the case of the palace, secrets and dead people), but the caverns under the Academy were less roomy and less well-known, and other than whether they could hold up the buildings put on top of them, the people didn’t really bother to look into them that much.

So the four little cadets, in their grey uniforms, huddled in quiet part of the loud caverns that hadn’t seen cheese in ages, with a shuttered lantern, were seconds from being lost to time forever with each passing, shuddering breath.

They had almost turned deaf to the sound of water, which was always everywhere even if no water could be seen or felt, when a loud echoing crack caused them all the jump.

“Virtue’s Tits, what the fuck was that?” Odhrán gasped, dropping into a shaky whisper.

It was laughter.

“We’re gonna fuckin’ die,” Glasan moaned quietly, hardly aware he had had said it.

“We’re not gonna fuckin’ die,” Taig said, with far more vehement certainty than he felt.

By then, the echoing laughter had gotten close, and the sound of drops had given way to what were clearly somewhat irregular and incautious footsteps.

“This could still be a trap, though,” Taig said, fully validating his tentmate’s Dominicus’ often-tested faith that he wasn’t the stupidest bastard of a cadet one could room with.

Taig was the one who made them whisper and creep, and insisted that despite the cold and the absolute pitch darkness they only travel with a minimum of light, and once they had reached their meeting place, stand shuddering in total darkness. Maybe he was a credulous fool. He wasn’t a total idiot.

They saw the warm light of a simple torch turn the walls yellow-orange, a blinding phenomenon to them, well before they saw Dominicus Galen and Esras Cole round the corner of their hiding place. They walked quietly, but loosely, shoulders bumping more often than strictly necessary as they stepped around rocks or puddles, looking for sure footing. Somehow, Galen had managed to convince Cole to carry the torch, an astonishing fact, but perhaps slightly less astonishing than the fact Cole was there at all.

Natural deference had caused the little bundle of cadets to fall silent in the presence of one who clearly (and often emphasized by himself, on his own behalf) outranked them considerably, until Taig, voice slightly cracking, blurted, “Galen, what the fuck?”

Dominicus Galen looked up at him with such precise attention, it was perhaps only the psychic cushion of the other three cadets behind him that allowed him to live. Then the fucker actually smiled.

“Taig. Hello.”

“What are you doing there?” Esras Cole, clearly not actually addressing those beneath his notice, asked, holding the torch forward to fill their uncomfortably cramped alcove with light.

The smallest cadet, a sandy-haired, baile-breith, Muirgheas, was actually shaking from cold, his left side streaked with wet from a slow drip from the ceiling landing squarely between neck and collar. He was ranked eighty-fifth. His friends called him Murry, and less friends, just ‘Ass’.

“We’re…” Taig stuttered, when Galen opted to say nothing, “We’re hid- laying low. Like… like, like you should be doing, too!”

Esras Cole laughed a broad, loud, laugh. “What, we’re not even to the dangerous part yet.”

“Are not you cold?” Galen said, appearing to be actually concerned. Murry blushingly shoved his way out of the water.

“I’m not,” Cole said in a low tone, looking at Galen, who punched him swiftly in the chest. Rather than crumpling, Esras Cole just chuckled, switching the torch to his other hand as if worried Galen might burn himself the next time he punched him. Galen became preoccupied with straightening his own jacket.

“What do you mean ‘dangerous part yet’,” Odhrán asked.

“Don’t scare them,” Galen scolded.

Esras Cole shrugged. “There are dangerous parts.”

“You are full of shit,” Galen said patiently.

Once again, rather than immediately perpetrating violence to demonstrate his unquestionable superiority, as he probably would have done for any of the huddled mass (at least in public), Esras Cole smiled.

“Well, I am the only reason we made it down here at all, so I wonder how you can be so sure.”

This gave Galen pause, but for only a moment. He opened his mouth to say something; Cole grinned aggressively. Dominicus Galen coughed as if choking.

“Shut up,” Galen said.

“Is that what I should do with my m—”

“Experience,” Galen said decisively, turning towards the huddle. “I brought him because he knows the tunnels.”

It was so exceedingly strange to hear Dominicus Galen, so very far outside every conceivable measure or contest relevant to Academy life, say the he ‘brought’ Esras Cole, star and ultimate bogeyman of every conceivable measure or contest relevant to Academy life, that this stopped all conversation.

The four looked at Esras Cole, who seemed content to pretend they didn’t exist in favour of whatever running battle he seemed to have going with Dominicus Galen. Which at least tracked for Taig, as one would have to be an utter fool to ever take one’s eyes off Galen in battle. He would fucking kill you. By accident, probably. Because he didn’t realize you were so weak as to be killable.

Weirdly, Taig felt a little of the tension in his chest ease. At least if they were with these two, it seemed unlikely they would be jumped and beaten by Second Years. Or, truly at least, they would stand a fighting chance if they were jumped and beaten by Second Years.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Galen snapped at them, their heads swivelling to him like wheat towards the cutting scythe. “Are we going to handle this ghost… thing or will you be staring all night?

He pre-emptively tapped Cole’s chest with a closed fist in threat, to which Cole only grinned.

“Yes,” Esras Cole said, finally acknowledging the four, “I have much better things to do. And get back to doing.”

This time Galen looked at Cole, expression inscrutable to the other cadets but seeming pleasant enough to Cole.

“Lead the way,” Cole said, when Taig and the others failed to move.

Despite the torch, the four carefully opened the shutter to create a beam of light for the path before them. Clustering close together (and carefully away from the walls) they followed the path suggested to them by the Second Years during the fireside story. This being their second time (if one didn’t count successfully escaping the grasping dead by running in absolute fear of their lives) didn’t seem to lend them much confidence in the path.

A few steps behind, Galen and Cole engaged in murmured conversation, almost unintelligible except that Galen seemed to like to tell Cole to be quiet often, and Cole liked to ignore him.

Stung, Taig reflected Galen probably would have forcibly insisted if it were him, but maybe, he too was measuring his behaviour in hopes of gaining favour with a top ten cadet. However useless that might be.

“…in the story,” Galen’s voice rose enough for the others to hear, “the cadet is betrayed by his fellow cadets into the caves.”

“Stupid,” Cole reflected.

“It’s not,” Murry piped up, and having survived this first venture, continued in a raised whisper. “It’s his patron – his patron is convinced to test him, since he’s not normal cadet.”

“What do you mean, normal?” Odhrán hissed. “Because he’s an outsider – he’s talented, but not sophisticated, like the noble cadets. It isn’t a test, it’s a way of clearing him out of the way if he’s not going to learn how to play the game.”

“I only meant you’d trust your patron – if someone took you under their wing, you would trust them. And his superior officer betrays him.”

“I dunno,” Glasan offered, “I don’t know that it was clear the other cadets meant to kill him.”

“It was clear to his lover,” Taig said. “She saw it – so it must have been obvious.”

“Well, that undersells the blacksmith girl,” Odhrán objected. “She’s supposed to be really clever.”

“She’s stupid enough to believe in ghosts,” Glasan shot back.

“So are you,” Galen said, temporarily halting the argument.

“Well, it’s not that we believe exactly…” Taig said.

“We’re not that dumb,” Glasan said, faltering as he noticed the intensity with which Taig was staring at him, and the stony gaze of Galen behind him, “not… that… believing in things… is dumb.”

“It is,” Esras Cole said.

“Curses, though,” Murry interjected, who had always had a nose for impending bloodshed, “I mean, that’s just kind of reasonable, isn’t it? It’s not like there’s… well, good and back luck, and you know…”

“The girl follows him into the caves to try to stop the plan to murder her lover,” Galen said, excessively evenly.

“Nice of her,” Cole replied.

“Because he wouldn’t listen to her,” Galen added.

“Uh…” Taig halted, the ragtag bunch behind him drawing up to his back. They faced a fork. “It’s… right, isn’t it?”

“Look at the walls,” Esras Cole said, pushing past the group to touch the stone on the left wall.

Taig, the only one brave enough at the moment, shuffled forward to lean in and look closely. “Tool marks?”

“There used to be reason to know the paths down here,” Esras Cole said, his voice an uncomfortably close and comfortingly deep rumble as he looked with piercing eyes still clear, but darkened by the torchlight, into Taig’s face. “They no more wanted to get lost than you do.”

Taig swallowed. “Uh… yeah, it’s the left then.”

“And we should dim our lantern,” Cole said, stepping away to plunge the torch into a pool that had formed in a divot by the wall. “Just let the light fall downward, on the path. And be quieter.”

Glasan and Odhrán struggled with the sticky shutter, but soon there was one downward sloped beam, focused narrowly on the ground, for them to follow on the leftward path.

“So what happens to our doomed lover?” Cole asked in that low tone that made Taig slightly shivery now that he had been close to it. He wasn’t even interested in men, it was just... hard not to shiver.

“Well,” Murry talk-whispered, voice shaky either from cold, fear, or the struggle to find the right volume that wouldn’t get them jumped or cursed or killed or between Cole and Galen or whatever it was they were actually afraid of. He wasn’t quite sure anymore.

“Well, she heads down into the caves, but doesn’t know her way around, and she loses her cadet. Soon, though, she can hear the sound of fighting, and fearing he is under attack she starts to run, but it echoes through the caverns making her more and more lost. And she hears screaming and crying in pain so she runs faster, and she’s getting more and more lost. And soon all she can hear is breathing, fast and ragged, the sound of a dying man, and she starts to pray. She prays for her gods to help her find her love before it’s too late, because she can heal him, she learned the arts, but the breathing only gets louder and louder and never nearer, and she runs and runs, and finally she realizes that the breathing she thought was her lovers’ is gone, and all she can hear is her own – he is dead, and she is lost, and neither of them will ever return from the caves beneath the Academy Tower. So she calls on the gods to curse them, and curse her, and let her wander and wander until she finds the cadets who murdered her lover and murder them herself.”

For a few quiet moments, they heard nothing but the quiet running water and the scratches of their own footsteps.

“This isn’t under the Tower.”

“W-what?” somebody among the four asked, but it was too dark to really tell who.

So Esras Cole repeated himself. “This isn’t under the Tower. You would never get anywhere near that. This is actually closer to the library. Really between that and the Second Year dormitories. It doesn’t connect to anything or go anywhere, or you would have been caught the first time you snuck in before you got twenty paces.”

“You don’t get caught,” Dominicus Galen replied incredulously.

“I am not a fool.”

“Arguable,” Galen replied, “but that explains why the Second Years lured you here.”

“Yes,” Cole said tersely, “I suppose it does that.”

“But are they here again?” Galen asked.

“What?” Glasan asked.

“Doubt it,” Cole replied. “They’re mean but they’re also lazy.”

“Galen, are you saying it was the Second Years who touched us when we came down here the first time?” Taig asked.

“Probably.”

“No way,” Odhrán insisted. “It was cold. The hand. It was cold, and clammy and… and…”

“It felt like a skeleton hand,” Glasan said.

“Like this?”

“AH FUCK….uh… no.”

“Can you fake it?” Murry asked.

“What about this?” Odhrán said.

“No… I mean, that feels like a hand.”

“Do you think they’ve just… got a skeleton hand?”

“Stop it,” Galen said, though to whom, it wasn’t certain.

“Possible,” Esras Cole said with a disproportionately heavy sigh. “I would also believe them capable of grave robbing.”

“But did people die down here? Do you think there’s dead people down here?” By the tone of the fear, that was probably Odhrán, but possibly Murry.

“Assuredly,” Cole said. “Dumb First Year cadets who rose to the bait and never made it back out.”

“Why are you having us be so careful, then?” Galen snapped. “Is there no danger but stupidity, or is there danger?”

“Stupidity is enough, but sure, there’s danger,” Cole said. “We’re getting near something… either where the Second Years got in or maybe some other kind of opening.”

After a moment of silence, in which their beam of light failed to move forward, Cole added, “The sound changed.”

That muttering was not water, but Dominicus Galen saying something to himself or possibly his gods in Midraeic. A shiver went through the four, sure that this was an invocation for protection against whatever was coming up, and not cursing the whole being of Esras Cole to his finest fallen hair.

“This is… this is close to where we felt it,” Taig said.

The light hesitatingly moved on.

It was impossible to tell from its tiny sliver whether the scenery changed, whether the room opened or the dynamics altered, but they could feel it in the air, which was at once looser and warmer around them.

“Shut the light,” Cole demanded.

With a tiny squeak, this last shred of visibility vanished. All six cadets sat in the dark for some moments, the four hesitant to even breathe too deeply.

“Open it,” Cole said, his voice, at normal speaking volume, like an echoing shout.

The shallow-roofed room slowly filled with light as Glasan eased each side of the shutters open. It wasn’t a large room, but compared to the close passageways it seemed like a vault; not just that, but the way the ceiling arched above them and the floor flattened out, it became clear this was a purposeful vault. Nothing but manmade, it was perhaps as large as two of their dormitory rooms pushed together, and – depressingly – the ceiling was higher. Passing by the four, still bunched and blinking around their lantern, Esras Cole walked to the opposite wall and touched it, before spinning on his heel and sitting on a ledge that seemed placed for just such a purpose.

“This is nice,” he said.

“The Second Years must use this place from time to time,” Galen said, passing to another of the walls where rested the remains of other torches by a deceptively still puddle, renewed by a steady stream of water down the wall and drained in its own mysterious, dark depths, surrounded by the dropped detritus of food and bits of cloth scattered along the edge of the wall.

“Do you think we passed it?” Taig asked.

Galen and Cole looked at the four cadets.

“The…uh…” Odhrán said, face colouring slightly but voice gaining strength as he went, “the chamber we were in was bigger. And had… more stuff.”

“Scary stuff,” Murry said, kicking at a desiccated piece of fruit. “I don’t feel like we walked enough.”

“I think we passed it,” Glasan said. “Must have. It was way different.”

Galen and Cole looked at each other.

Odhrán almost slapped the lantern out of Glasan’s hand, falling to his butt before it on the floor to shove the shutters closed.

“What—?”

“SHHHH,” he hissed, and all at once, the dark and the dripping water were the only things alive again.

Finally, they all heard it – very faintly, a rustling, a quiet set of shuffling steps, and gradually, whispering.

They could not hear or see one another, but even the thickest cadet would realize they were about to be fucked.

If it were the Second Years, there was going to be a fight that they would probably lose, or that would lead to them losing later, even if they escaped the beating now.

If it were any of the groundskeepers or servants or any of the people who actually had a right to be in the passages beneath Academy buildings, they would have their skin stripped off via a birch rod beating for the ages. The officers guaranteed blood for being in forbidden areas.

If it were the restless dead, well – presumably, that would be worse than anything, though they had precious little idea what that would entail exactly.

They suffered long seconds in the dark.

“…eard them talking about it, ‘swear. …little fucks…down here… that fucking kneeler…”

Fingers touched the edge of Galen’s palm, against the wall, then a hand was on Galen’s hand, then travelled up his arm, to chest, to shoulders, to seize the back of his neck and pull him forward, so that Cole’s hot breath landed just on his ear:

“Back, the rightward passage leads to the Second Year dorms, sound travels far down here but not always in the expected direction.”

“They’ll pass us?” Galen asked.

“Or they have already.”

“They’ll come back,” Galen said.

“Likely.”

It was hard to hear tone without his face to watch, and with the low breathiness of the quietest whisper they could manage, so maybe Dominicus felt the tension in his breath, or heard it in the way he swallowed. They were, in fact, fucked. The Second Years were presumably taking the path back to the entrance the First Years had found, which meant that narrow path would be blocked. Thanks to Cole, they had avoided bumbling into the path that would have put them beneath the Second Year dorms, and probably landed them already in the care of the medics. If the Second Years didn’t find them down the path to the entrance, they would double back, and probably check this well-known hiding place, in which they were cornered.

Dominicus wasn’t necessarily against confronting the Second Years if they doubled back to this area, and handling things with violence, but it wasn’t ideal. Certainly not for everyone else, who perhaps didn’t have quite the same relationship with the Second Year class or Academy officials. Anyway, the day had started off very nice.

“Let them pass us,” Dominicus whispered. He felt more than heard Cole’s question in the way Cole’s chin brushed his face. “Then we haunt them back.”

#kostas stuff #things that i wrote

4 notes · View notes

mari-writing · 2 years

Text

Sensual | Raiden Shogun x Traveller!Reader | Genshin Impact

[The puppet's curiosity towards ears, leads to her trying ear kisses.]

Fandom: Genshin Impact

Genre: Limey? And fluff.

Characters: Raiden Shogun

Perspective: 2nd Person for reader.

Word Count: 751

"Traveller, your ears differ from my own." The Shogun had spoken up from the other side of the room all of a sudden - almost startling you.

When the two of you spent time together, not much words were exchanged. You both simply enjoyed each other’s presence. So, it was understandable you nearly leapt out of your skin when she spoke up for the first time since entering your shared bedroom, hours ago.

"My ears?" You brushed your fingers against them, looking over at the Shogun's ears. "Oh, you mean our ear lobes? I guess so. There are different types of ear lobes."

The Shogun hummed, processing the new information. "It's not something I've noticed before. Is there a reason for the differences?"

"Well," You placed your light novel down as you tried to recall what you've learned from your travels. "Most worlds chalked it up to genetics. Some placed high importance on the shape of your ear lobe though. It could determine your personality in some worlds, your future in others."

"I see." She paused, and you could tell she wanted to say something more.

When you turned to her, all you could see was her frowning. "Why the frown?" You asked, getting off the bed and sitting by her in the chairs.

"I'm only thinking." Her eyes flickered to your ears before she looked forward once again. "You needn't worry yourself."

You sighed, shaking your head with a smile. "You can't expect me to do that when you’re getting yourself worked up. It's a bit hypocritical, my lovely shogun."

You reached out to brush a long strand of her away from her face and tucked it behind her ears. You didn't expect her to shudder when you fingers touched them.

You immediately pulled away. "Sorry."

But she shook her head. "No, it wasn't unpleasant. Actually, it was rather nice." She turned to you, head cocked to the side. "Do you have an explanation for this as well?"

"The ears are pretty sensual." You were starting to become surprised at how similar the Shogun's body functioned like humans. You had figured she wouldn't have such sensitivity.

"Sensual? Like kisses?"

The innocent question made you laugh a little. "Kissing the ears were a pretty common romantic gesture in some of the world I've been in."

"I see." The Shogun looked at your ears once more. "Then tell me," she gently holds your chin between her two fingers, turning it to the side as she leaned in close to your ear. "Tell me how sensual this is." She whispered softly by your ear, her breath tickling you.

She pecked her lips against your ear lobe to experiment, before going in for a longer kiss. You breathed in sharply at the explosion of sensations from such a small part of your body. As she continued on, you sighed softly, closing your eyes to fully savour the feeling.

The Shogun wrapped her hand around your torso, pulling you closer as she dragged her lips all the way up to the top of your ear. She again breathed softly against your ear, sending shudders down your body.

You gasped when you felt her teeth softly nibble against your ear, gently tugging at your ear before she sucked ever so slightly. It was enough to make you bite down on your lip, your body beginning to get hotter as you muttered her name.

She pressed her lips behind the back of your ear, voice deep when she says, “Say my name again."

"Shogun," you muttered again as she began kissing dawn your jaw. You searched for her hand, brushing against her torso and chest until you found her arm. You trailed down until you reached in hand, and intertwined your fingers with hers. You squeezed hers, and she squeezed back.

She didn't stop until she reached your chin. That's when she turned your face back to face her, so she could kiss you on the lips. The kiss was deep, chasing to savour your taste. It wasn't until she pulled away that you saw her eyes - clouded with desire and determination.

"Was that as sensual as you described?" She asks, searching your eyes for your feelings.

You smiled. A completely delirious smile, as you were drunk from her lips. "More than sensual." You leaned forward, brushing your lips against hers as you whispered against her lips. "Don't stop."

She didn’t waste time, resting her fingers on your jaw as she chased after your lips once again.

Yes, I count the puppet and Ei as different people.

I was seriously debating sending this :') but here we have it

Have a good day x

Comment replies:

@nevermore-69 lmaooo don't worry about it. Also, you have notifications on for me?? I'm so honoured

@nevermore-69 Everytime you comment my confidence in writing and just overall happiness just goes 📈📈📈📈📈, so thank you. Oh, I also saw it was your birthday? Happy birthday!!!

@nevermore-69 I have no words. Thank you, seriously. You're too cool 🙏🙏

#genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #lime #raiden x reader #raiden shogun x reader

70 notes · View notes

limey-self-inserts · 2 years

Note

Howdy Limey!! I wanted to ask these:

limerance - gush about your f/o, no limits… but the catch is, gush as if its a message directly to your f/o. for your platonic Douxie?

endive - if, under the circumstance, you were able to treat your f/o to a single, beautiful day without a budget, what would it consist of? For your romantic Aniketos?

ineffable - describe your f/o in only aesthetics. you can make a moodboard, or perhaps describe them with colors, songs, scents, unique words (; no explicit or literal details, if you can help it. be indirect. paint a picture. For your platonic Sirius?

fanfaronade - what would your f/o say when bragging about you to others? for your familial Rex?

I hope these find you in good cheer and good health!

Nikki @tex-treasures

howdy Nikki! thank you so much for the ask, oooooo these are gonna be fun~

limerance - Douxie (written IC as my s/i Avalon)

"Hey, Doux....I've got something for ya.

"Look, you've been a real swell pal. You are a really good pal. You stepped in and helped when I felt like I was drowning, when I was struggling with the whole magic caster versus evil cooperation problem. You helped me feel more confident. Like a proper wizard, y'know. Oh, don't you wave me off, you are totally a proper wizard! You have the fancy staff and everything now. And you've got an apprentice, wink-wink-nudge-nudge. But hey, I just...we've done a lot together. Helping Arcadia, the world, all of it. It's hard not to get a bit sappy and emotional. Of course I'm gonna hug you. And I'm going to keep poking you on how badass you are, mister immortal rockstar wizard of the century."

---

endive - Aniketos

whole day out with no budget? oh, we're going SHOPPING. Aniketos isn't quite favourable with traveling, but if he's happy for a day away from the tree, we'd be getting a small cart and a couple of horses on rent for the day and riding to the next largest town. we are going to hit up every expensive ingredient shop in the district, letting Ani purchase anything he's never tried or only had the opportunity rarely, letting him stock up to his heart's content. lots of things for him to experiment with in the future

then it'll be back to the woods, most likely. but here is where it gets fun - I'd have set up a small clearing with some candle-lit lanterns, a large blanket to sit on and multiple soft blankets to wrap up in, and an assortment of vegan cakes with a self-heating pot of tea! we'd have dessert for dinner! a private moment of snuggles and giggles and warmth for us to share. if we can't travel out to the decadence, we'll bring the decadence to us.

---

ineffable - Sirius

late nights in the library. laughter, a warm embrace. sharing a coat when it rains and there's no umbrella. hand-in-shaking-hand. whispering in a raucous room. hold me close. flying in a night sky. waltzing in the void. roar. sinking. holding. rising. comfort at the end of a long day. a kiss on the forehead.

love - an intense feeling of deep affection (Similar: fondness, tenderness, devotion, compassion…)

philia - often translated "highest form of love", is one of the four ancient Greek words for love [...] In Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, philia is usually translated as "friendship" or affection.

victim - a person who has come to feel helpless and passive in the face of misfortune or ill-treatment

synergy - the interaction or cooperation of two or more agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects

steadfast - resolutely firm and unwavering

sirius - is the brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Greek word Σείριος, or Seirios, meaning lit. 'glowing' or 'scorching'

bastion - a projecting part of a fortification a place of protection

galvanize - to stir into action

faith - complete trust in someone or something

faith - strong belief in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual conviction rather than proof

cultivate - to make ready for growth

ineffable - too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words

---

fanfaronade - Rex

while there's plenty for Rex to brag about Ajax with regards to their skill and 'expertise', he wouldn't go that route. instead he'd be commenting on their confidence, their quick-thinking, and the such:

"See, when I first met that kid, you'd think they'd drop dead from fear if anyone so much as looked at them funny. They were a shaky little thing. Good for taking orders, terrible for dealing with problems in the heat of the moment. Too much pressure on their shoulders, I wager. But you give them some freedom, let them off the leash, ah....let them become a feared bounty hunter's apprentice, I guess? It's not the smartest route, but it got them running properly. Now they're quicker, they adapt when things change, they can manage a situation properly. They back-sass and snark to their heart's content, which is very amusing when the droid commander is getting right wound up. One thing that's kept with them through all of that though, is their kindness. You don't get much of that in war, certainly not in mercenary work. People too focused on survival. But Ajax is kind. Not the sacrificial sort of kindness that'll get them killed, as close as it's gotten at times. Just the small moments that get people through the day."

----

thank you again for the ask! wow, I really dug in deep with Sirius, but these all felt accurate. I'd love to hear more on your thoughts, feel free to drop by my ask box~

#answered #world: aalveir #world: trollhunters #world: magia #world: star wars #self insert #self ship

2 notes · View notes

kinonostalgie · 11 months

Text

11.05.2023 ist der US-amerikanischer Schauspieler Barry Newman im Alter von 92 Jahren verstorben . Bekannt wurde er insbesondere durch seine Rollen als Ex-Rennfahrer Kowalski in dem Kinofilm „Fluchtpunkt San Francisco“ (1971) und als Anwalt Anthony J. Petrocelli in der gleichnamigen Fernsehserie „Petrocelli“ (1974–1976).

Barry Newman wurde in Boston geboren und wuchs dort auf. Lange wurde öffentlich fälschlicherweise das Geburtsjahr 1938 angenommen. Zu seinen Klassenkameraden zählte Leonard Nimoy.

1948 machte er seinen Highschool-Abschluss an der Boston Latin School. Danach besuchte Newman die Brandeis University und war während seines Militärdienstes in der Armeeband der United States Navy. Schließlich studierte er Schauspiel bei Lee Strasberg. 1957 war er erstmals am Broadway zu sehen.

Neben Theaterengagements hatte Newman in den 1960er Jahren erste Auftritte in Fernsehserien wie „Preston & Preston“ (1961) und „Gnadenlose Stadt“ (1963).

Eine erste Kinohauptrolle spielte er 1970 unter der Regie von Sidney J. Furie in dem Kriminalfilm „Der Strafverteidiger“.

1971 erhielt Newman seine bekannteste Filmrolle als Hauptfigur Kowalski in dem Kultfilm „Fluchtpunkt San Francisco“. Der Film war damals moderat erfolgreich und verschaffte Newman einen größeren Bekanntheitsgrad, wenngleich eine große Kinokarriere ausblieb. Stattdessen spielte er ab 1974 die Titelrolle in der erfolgreichen Krimiserie „Petrocelli“, die ihm unter anderem Nominierungen für den Emmy und den Golden Globe einbrachte.

In den 1990er Jahren war Newman in Nebenrollen in Kinofilmen wie „Daylight“ (1996), „Bowfingers große Nummer“ und „The Limey“ (beide 1999) zu sehen.

2020 drehte Newman gemeinsam mit Diana Muldaur, mit der er bereits 1970 in „Der Strafverteidiger“ zu sehen war, das Filmdrama „Finding Hannah“, erneut unter der Regie von Sidney J. Furie. Der Film erlebte seine Uraufführung im Januar 2023 auf dem Miami Jewish Filmfestival.

Weitere Filme und TV-Arbeiten von Barry sind u. a. „Top Secret“, „Angst ist der Schlüssel“, „Stadt in Flammen“, „Amy – Die Stunde der Wahrheit“, „Quincy“, „Ein Colt für alle Fälle“, „Mord ist ihr Hobby“, „Miss Marple“, „40 Tage und 40 Nächte“ und „Ghost Whisperer – Stimmen aus dem Jenseits“.

#70s kino programm

0 notes

limey-writes · 2 years

Note

Saw the “yandere mercs with an oblivious s/o” asks (love them btw) and i was wonderin if you could Spy for it ? If not thats fine-

Yesssss I would love to!

-- Spy loves how oblivious you are, he smiles whenever you are oblivious to his affections no matter how extravagant they are. His lavish gifts and large as he tries his best to impress. Regardless, he does his best to try to get it through your head that he loves you so. He hates anyone trying to get near you, so when he sees this person trying to woo you, of course he just had to step in. Spy is a naturally jealous man, so he immediately makes his presence known to the intrusive person. At first he went with the usual thing he did, wrapping his arm around you, even shooting a few quips at them.

-- Even then, if they persist, you can guarantee that Spy may or may not slip something into their drink. Whether or not you saw him or not, he quickly silences your worries with a swift kiss, watching the poor soul choke with the liquid settling down their throat. Of course, he was always the type to put up a show, why not show what happens to whoever had thought of stealing his beloved?

#tf2 #tf2 spy #yandere tf2 #tf2 imagines #tf2 headcannons #limey whispers #tf2 x reader

117 notes · View notes

yourkingmob · 1 year

Text

圍四

I remember things differently, but I am not surprised that you don't remember me. It was 1928, The limey bloke Ian convinced me to piss away the rest of my patacas onshore in the soot-scuffled jewel port of Macau.

"I do believe I am quite finished with Macau." Ian groaned as he pushed away from the dai siu table. He was the son of English bankers, but he just lost more than I took with me on this junket. There was just two at the table now, me and you.

And there you were, with a carcassonne-wall of silver yuan before you, and banded piles of bills hay bale rolled and strewn about as well. A local girl on was your arm, her coal black hair and lily white skin was an interesting counterpoint to a blonde goddess who stood behind you, leaning in to whisper in your ear after drawing your hair away from it with a crimson nail.

I pulled back from my tentative wager as your flipped your marker past my hand to triple-four, and the rakish smile you gave in response to the murmurs around us told me that you knew much more than your dizzying banter let on.

The houseman placed the three dice on the plate once more and shook it vigorously and your smile never wavered. "I don't even need to look." You taunted as he pulled the cup back. Four pips on each dice and the gambling house erupted in a roar.

I remember packing up my small pile of coins and pushing my way to you once the crowd thinned. I felt that I had to let you know of the Triad thugs who were watching you, but I saw your Chinese companion whisper to you, her dark eyes following those same men I was to warn you about. I underestimated again.

You were snapping shut suitcase full of colorful bills that the casino head just handed to you. "You broke the bank tonight, I suppose I should congratulate you, mister..." I trailed off, searching for a name.

"Bond. James Bond." You spun the words out there for me, the crooked smile rightfully smug as you walked for the lobby. I didn't see you again until almost a decade later.

#writing prompt

0 notes

duelingdestiny · 2 years

Note

Δ - point a weapon at my muse // from Yami.. Bakura?

Atem just looked at the knife. "What are you-what is that for? Look, I don't mean to be rude, what am I saying of course I do! But..." Atem leaned in and whispered loudly. "You do realize this is a show about children's card games right?" Suddenly through main character powers Bakura's knife is a baguette. "You see limey? 4KIDS would never allow you to actually hurt me, I'm too important. Now why don't you go play with your bread somewhere else?"

#ore no turn: answered ask #abridged atem #I AM FUCKING DYING #Oh my god. Sorry it was a bit of a god mod but like...A fucking baguette.

1 note · View note

carbo-ships · 1 year

Text

Spar

Part 55 [Soldagand x Carly Masterlist]

Carly landed on her back with an oof as Soldagand pinned her wrists to the forest floor above her head. Sol had talked her into sparring with him, insisting that she needed to learn how to defend herself. He was going easy on her, of course — only using a portion of his godlike strength so she'd have a fighting chance. She was unlikely to encounter anyone quite as strong as him, after all. However, 400 years of fighting had made him incredibly skilled, whereas she was still a beginner. They both took a moment to catch their breath. "Good, good!" Soldagand praised her.

Carly rolled her eyes. "What do you mean? You still pinned me!"

He chuckled. "Sure, but I actually had to work for it this time!" He was about to release her wrists to let her up, but paused and readjusted his grip. "You remember how to get out of this?"

"I, um…" she mumbled, uncertain. Her eyes were wide.

"C'mon, darlin', I know you remember," he encouraged her, offering a warm smile. "I've got gravity on my side here, doll. Limits your options. How can you make that work for you?"

"I— I'm sorry, I'm having trouble thinking straight," she stuttered, avoiding his gaze. Her cheeks were dusted red.

Soldagand was concerned for a fleeting second — had he thrown her too hard? — before it clicked. He couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh, honey…" he cooed with an amused smile.

"Don't look at me," she squeaked, squeezing her eyes shut to avoid the knowing look on his face.

"D'you like it when I throw you around like that?" he tutted, tightening his hold on her wrists. "Show off how big an' strong I am?"

She tried to wiggle out of his grip, but it only made things worse. He was too strong for her to even budge. So strong… "Soldagand, please," she begged, her voice hardly more than a whisper.

"You want me off of you, you're gonna have to remember what I taught you," he chuckled. "Now c'mon, you know this. Two steps." He brought his lips close to her ear. "You'd better start thinkin' while you still can, doll — I'm prepared to make it a whole lot harder to. That neck of yours is practically beggin' for kisses, y'know."

"Soldagand!" she squeaked. Her face had gone completely red.

"Unless, of course, this is why you agreed to spar with me in the first place," he suggested with a wink. "Were you hopin' we'd end up like this? You all helpless under me?"

Before he could fluster her any further, Carly steeled her nerves. She lifted her hips and pulled her arms down to her sides, throwing him off his balance. He released her wrists so he could catch himself from landing flat on his face.

"That's it, darlin', you got it! Good job!" He rolled off of her and sat up. When she righted herself, he could see how embarrassed she still was. "Aww, baby, c'mere." Soldagand opened his arms to her and she timidly climbed into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her to hold her secure against his chest. "I'm sorry, did I go a bit too far? Oh, angel, I was just teasin' ya, that's all!" He pressed chaste kisses to her cheeks and forehead. "You know how much I love makin' you blush."

She nodded, still too embarrassed for words.

"Gimme a hug, doll, I gotcha," he cooed.

Carly wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder.

"Whaddaya say we call it a day and have a nice lil cuddle back home, hmm? Seems like you might need some lovin'."

"Yes, please," she mumbled, holding him tighter.

"And hon, listen to me. You should never need to feel embarrassed about likin' me, or bein' attracted to me, or any of that. I'm in love with you, remember? I feel exactly the same way about you. Okay?"

She nodded.

"Alright." He kissed her cheek again before they got to their feet and made their way back to his tree, hand in hand.

[prev] / [next]

@arvens-gf @mikeyrealman @emberfairfield @ratchlite @a-changeling-in-love + dryad buddy @limey-self-inserts

#carbo writes #selfship #self ship #long post #carbo draws

37 notes · View notes

phantomrose96 · 7 years

Note

Are you aware you're tumblr famous

-me, knocking on the front door of every big corporate CEO i can track down- Hello! It’s me! Phantomrose96 from Tumblr! I’m ready to sell out my Shitposting Brand to the first soulless business that waves money in my face.

Like man this is rough I could be here selling Sprite to the masses but instead my platform is squandered. wasted. good only for memes and talking too much about cartoons. Where’s Pepsi? I wanna make $4.99 every time I mention their thing tastes good, like all the other internet stars.

#i kid i kid #the Phantomrose96 brand is sparkling and pure and uncorrupt #just like the soothing taste of Sprite!#mmmmm nothing like a refreshing Sprite on those hot hot days!#Lemon and Limey goodness all in one!#(me offscreen whispering to the guy with the teleprompter) what thats not the line?#fuck hang on we'll #i said hang on!#we'll do the take over Jerry!#yeah well how about you dont block the teleprompter next time HHMMM?#god--fuck--goD I SAID WE'LL DO THE TAKE AGAIN

109 notes · View notes

xxxavo · 3 years

Note

Sin getting upset bc he see’s Kouen flirting with his s/o (I mean they both already don’t like each other).So sins getting all alpha dog and is trying to get him to bck off

Requested by: anonymous

Warnings: A hint of verbal NSFW towards the end? (better known as...LIMEy) Not swear words but a few rude words? Idk

Suddenly getting back into Magi so might be a few imagines being thrown around here and there, depends on how long this lasts!! Feeling a NSFW scenario manifesting itself into my drafts after writing this, I won't lie, but no actual NSFW content today my little imuchakk's! Hope you enjoy!

Sinbad had always liked banquets, weather they be ones held in the kingdom of Sindria, or at his biggest rivals, the Kou empire. There was something exciting about the prospect of consuming alcohol in foreign lands after an important political meeting that made Sinbad feel on top of the world. It was rare for things in Sinbad’s life not to go his way, or to not end up leading towards something better then what he had lost. For this reason, King Sinbad was to an extent, a go-with-the-flow kind of man. Especially with loyal followers such as his generals and his beloved wife!

His beloved was of course very loyal, incredibly so...but, there were people who did not care for that loyalty of hers. This included a certain Kou empire red head who went by the name of Kouen.

“No need to look so sour, Sin.” Ja’far commented beside him, though he was enjoying the fact his King was abandoning his poor drinking habits to instead stay sober and focused, even if he was focusing on his wife and Kouen Ren flirting. “You told her to be pleasant and friendly towards Kouen to gain his favour. I don’t understand why you’re so jealous.” That was enough to make Sinbads eyes flicker from the generous laughter of his wife to the smug face of his right hand man.

“Me!? Jealous!?”

“Hmm.” Masrur agreed from the other side of Sinbad. The King’s neck practically snapped to the fanalis.

“Why would I, of all people, be jealous?”

“Because you’re wife is a smart, sophisticated lady who could do a lot better than a man who drinks sake and shamelessly prances around woman as if he was a young teen in his glory years.” Golden eyes met red ones in a baffled expression of offense.

“That’s a low blow, Ja’far.”

“Hmm.” Again, Masrur voiced his opinion rather humbly. Unlike the other two, Masrur had not taken his eyes away from the Queen, curious to see how her little game would play out; He loved how cunning she was.

The Queen, unlike Sinbad, was sensible. When he was busy hiding from Ja’far she was busy doing the work for him and cleaning up all his messes. Masrur liked how through thick and thin she stayed by Sinbad’s side whilst being the role model his country needed. She may as well have been a general. However, that didn’t mean she didn’t find herself sick of him sometimes.

Unfortunately old habits died hard. Sinbad was an infamous lady killer, flirting and charming any woman he deemed beautiful. No longer did he take it any further but Masrur could always see it in the Queen’s eyes whenever she got upset or jealous with his ministrations. As much as she tried to hide it, Masrur was a man who saw much, yet said very little.

The fanalis saw the way the cogs in her head turned the moment Sinbad had told her to “Gain Kouen’s favour in any way you can! I’m sure he’ll be much more linient with me if he enjoys the company of my other half” and the way she made sure her corset was on tighter and her breasts were pushed up higher only confirmed his supicions. Sinbad was about to get a very bitter taste of his own flirtatious medicine.

The Queen was, despite being middle aged, very beautiful. If she wasn’t married to King Sinbad, Masrur was certain many men would be throwing themselves at her feet. Kouen would possibly be one of those.

The next thing Masrur knew a grumpy Sinbad was pulling on his cheek, his gaze in the same direction as his. “What is it Masrur? What are they saying!? Surely you will stick by your King! Unlike this traitor—“

“Tsk.”

“Please Masrur. My wife could be in danger.” Sinbad dramatized. Masrur practically had to stop himself from commenting on how pathetic the King looked. “I need those fanalis ears of yours...”

“Fine.”

“Did you know, you’re my favourite?”

“I swear to Solomon Sinbad if you—“

Drowning out the advisor and the King, Masrur honed his attention on the Queen and Kouen who sat sharing a bottle of red wine.

“Oh no. No more for me please.” Just as Kouen was about to tip some more of the red liquor in her glass, the Queen politely bowed her head, fluttering her lashes. “My tolerance for alcohol isn’t the greatest thing in the world.”

“Oh?.” Kouen hummed, nodding in response before filling up his own. “I expected you to perhaps be a little more like you’re husband.”

“An old drunkard?”

“That’s not what I said.”

“But is it not what you meant?”

“I—“ Kouen seemed at a loss for words for a second, perhaps embarrassed, but saved himself rather quickly without a hint of emotion on his face. “What I meant was, a lover of a banquet. Sinbad has attended many, I assumed you would have been more on par with him when it came to drinking and party games.”

The Queen watched Kouen take a sip of his wine, her lips pulling up into a soft smirk. “Something tells me Kouen if I was anything like my husband you wouldn’t want to be sat here with me.” Kouen was slow to place down his drink, his sharp eyes meeting Sinbad’s wife’s.

“Would you rather me sit elsewhere?”

“That’s not what I said.”

“But is it not what you meant?” Now, it was his turn to smirk.

“I—“ With a soft laugh, the regal woman before Kouen grew flustered, picking up her glass and swirling the remaining wine contents around to allow her to look elsewhere. “You really are as they say Kouen. Quite an interesting man. I enjoy getting to know you.” Lifting up her head, the Queen rose an eyebrow, a smile now residing on her face. “Every word I say sinks in doesn’t it?”

“Your highness. If any man does not listen to you, does he really deserve to be in your presence? If my sisters were simply cast aside, I wouldn’t be so forgiving to the suitor who was to do that.” It was a lie, the Queen had heard of Kouen and his family sending off the young princess to he married to a King who wanted nothing more then a pretty face. Was there more to the story? Most likely. But was that the gist of it? Yes. However, to indulge both Kouen and continue to gain the nervous attention of her husband shuffling in his seat, the Queen sighed out gently.

“You’re close to your family...?” It was hard to hear the rest, Sinbad practically chewing off his own hand right beside Masrurs ear.

“What are they saying!?” Simply, Masrur shrugged. “Something about family.” It was no fun telling Sinbad everything. Groaning, Sinbad flopped back into his seat, picking up his wine with a pout.

“It doesn’t taste the same knowing at the end of the night she’s not going to be dragging me back to our room...”

“Who? Her highness?” The three men all turned abruptly to face Kogyoku, who smiled sheepishly. “I’m awfully sorry...” she stuttered out. “I didn’t mean to pry, I just came to say hello and over heard you talking."

Knowing that any ill intentions towards Kougyoku’s older brother would harm his reputation with the Kou empire, Sinbad put on his best charming smile, acting as though he wasn’t emotionally conflicted on the inside. “Ah Princess. What a pleasure to be seeing you again. Are you enjoying the banquet?” With a smile, the pinkette nodded her head.

“I am very much your highness. I hope you’re also enjoying yourself.” With that, her eyes flickered upwards to the Queen of Sindrian and the most influential man in the whole of the Kou empire. “It seems her highness is enjoying herself to. I’ve never seen Kouen so invested in somebody. It’s a real testimony to your wife.” Kougyoku was of course NOT JEALOUS. Not once had she imagined herself sat on Sinbad's lap as he whispered sweet nothings into her ear! Nether the less, she continued her façade, knowing that after all it was her duty.

”They’re so deep in conversation, I wonder what they’re talking about.” Her words aren’t helping the purple male.

“As do I...”

“Kouen seems so relaxed around her highness. They really do get along don’t they?” Was she trying to give him a heart attack?

With a delightful laugh Sinbad nodded before finally rising to his feet. "They do indeed. In fact I feel a little bit left out. Perhaps I should pau the two a visit. Excuse me Princess, I do hope of seeing you again soon." Lifting her hand to his lips, Sinbad placed a soft kiss to the back of her hand before walking towards his wife and that thing trying to take her away. The King of Sindria looked at peace with all around him as he strode over, all intentions of causing havoc and disrupting the calm atmosphere completely gone for his being. At least it looked that way. If it didn't, he wouldn't have been a good King.

The two at the table saw him coming before he arrived and where as Kouen greeted him with a cut nod, seemingly displeased he was interrupting his time with his wife, who simply sent him a passive smile.

"Ah Your highness." Not Sin, not Sinbad, not my King, not my love. Just your highness. "Me and Kouen here--" Yet they were on first name basis? "Were just discussing-- Hmmph!"

As done many times before by the womanizer, Sinbad encased the back of his wife's head, bringing her face towards his own and then slamming their lips together in a rather mighty display right in front of the red princes eyes. He made sure it lasted. And his Queen? Who was she to deny Sinbads advances? As usual she practically melted into his affectionate assault, fragile hands moving to clasp at Sinbad's robes in an attempt to lull him closer...but two could play at that game. Pulling back from his beloved, Sinbad made sure to smirk, staring into her eyes for a brief moment. It was his way of saying "I'll get you back for this".

The sexual tension was undeniable and Sinbad had hoped Kouen could sense her thighs rubbing together like he could, because that was the closest Kouen would get.

"Hm? Talking about what? I didn't quite catch that my Queen."

Meanwhile, back at Sinbad's table, Ja'far sighed in aggravation as he watched the scene Sinbad caused in absolute horror. "Honestly, this man really does test my patience! Can he not just let his wife butter up Kouen! If anything it benefits us!"

"Hmm."

"Just for one second, can he think about anything else other then his-"

"Dick?"

"I was going to say pride but that works too."

506 notes · View notes